Ladies and gents, some really good news! Last week, I have finally and fully completed writing the sequel to The Betrayed, which will become a second book in The Lost Words series, to remain unnamed at this point. Draft one was already complete last month, but then I set about reading and fixing little things, a touch here and there, polishing some of the sub-plots, adding an extra ounce of flesh and lore to make it more believable and interesting.
This is an excerpt from an article posted at Dedoimedo.com – Anyhow, several days ago, I received a highly negative Kirkus Indie Review of my book, The Betrayed. Now, the review policy allows authors not to publish negative review, to save face, so to speak. Since I’m not a pussy and do not fear criticism, I decided to tell you all about it, every little detail. But there’s more. I would like to elaborate on my experience with the review service so that if you ever need it, you give it a pass.
First, this article is ripe with drama, so if you only care for technical pieces, feel free to skip it. Second, it is important for me to convey the right message: so if you want the gist of it, scroll down to the conclusion section, or read the whole thing. Finally, if you are one of those people who dislike me or dislike this site for some reason, this is a great opportunity for you to lean back and enjoy the show. It’s called how Dedoimedo Got Shafted.
All right, time to talk about reviews. Book reviews. This is the new category on the website, which I will be updating periodically with new information, editorials and opinions by readers, fans, haters, or maybe even professionals, should they deign to take my book for a spin. Or books, rather. But for now, it’s The Betrayed, and later on, the category will grow to include the sequels, too. So let’s see what people had to say.
Something amazing happened. Apparently, the free label has its charms. And for three days, from June 26 to June 28, people from all over the world flocked to The Betrayed Amazon.com page to get the Kindle edition of the book for zero money. As you recall, I made the book freely available as part of the Dedoimedo’s sixth year birthday celebration. So what happened during these three jolly days? Well, among other things, the book peaked as high as spot #3 in the Epic Fantasy category. But let me not spoil everything. Follow me.
Perhaps it is Dedoimedo’s birthday, but it is YOU who are getting the presents. As a part of my tech site’s birthday celebration, I am offering The Betrayed for free for a limited period of time. No strings attached. Just hop over to the Amazon page and download the e-book to your reader. Done.
About a week and a half ago, I’ve received a nice and heavy package from CreateSpace – the promotional kit. Twenty plus kilograms of paper, just the right figure to make your back hurt ever so slightly. It’s loaded with books that need to be handed out, to friends and family, as well as the winners of the free book giveaway contest.
Dear fellows, it’s been two weeks since I’ve announced my win-a-free-book contest and it’s now officially over. Luckily for me, I will not need be crying in a corner forever alone, as I’ve managed to get more than ten entries submitted. To be more precise, a total of seventeen different people mailed me, and I had two more friends abstain from their participation knowing they would get their free copies anyway.
I must admit I found the total number of submissions surprising both in a good way and a bad way. I’d expect more people to want to get free stuff, even if it’s a fantasy book, but given Dedoimedo’s demographics, mostly hardcore geeks who tend to mistrust and treat everything with scorn, seventeen is a good number. On the brighter side, seventeen strangers want to read my book, which is not a bad thing at all. Let’s announce them.
With utmost pride, satisfaction and excitement, I’m pleased to announce the official release of The Betrayed, the first book of The Lost Words epic fantasy series. The novel has been published just a few days ago and is available in online stores in paperback format. E-book edition is coming soon.
And now, let’s announce the surprise I’ve been hinting on for the past few months. I want to give away ten books for free. At this point in life, I’m not yet a best-selling celebrity, but one day, I might be, and having a first edition release on your shelf might account to something. So please read on to learn how you can enter the contest and win your own copy.
Finally, it’s done. I’ve just approved the book for print. The Betrayed should be available in online stores in about a week, and a little longer to reach the shelves in retail shops and libraries. It took a while to get this done. After almost nine months of work, including no less than four soft proofs and two physical proofs, the book is ready for publication. Oh, I’m rather pleased. And so should you be.
Ewan had never seen an army before, although he had read about them in books. There was no army in the Safe Territories. It was one of the founding principles of the country. People who wanted to live without violence came to the Safe Territories to escape the brutal world out there, be they refugees or criminals. No one asked any questions. Everyone was welcome, as long as they swore to leave their former lives behind and start afresh.
People were given a shelter to live in. They were given jobs that fit their skills. Some were even given new names. All sins were forgiven. It was like being born again. And in return, the newcomers promised to live by the Code for the rest of their lives. A fair bargain, by far.
The long train of soldiers was trundling down the Old Road, raising a huge cloud of dust that looked like a sandstorm. It was what had drawn Ewan’s eye in the first place.