Basil Sands- 65 Below

Basil does not just write stories, but has lived a lot of what they contain. He has lived in Alaska, San Diego, DC, Baltimore, and Ohio. He tried a career in the Marines injuries sent him home early. After that he worked at the National Security Agency, owned a computer shop, was a carpenter, farmer, actor, lumberjack, voice actor, EMT, network admin, helpdesk supervisor, Boy Scout leader, IT trainer, radio talk host, youth minister, and was a sergeant in the Alaska Defense Force Coastal Scouts. At age forty he could still bench press 420 lbs. He lives in Anchorage Alaska with his wife and sons.


Product description:
After twenty years hunting terrorists under orders to "render harmless", USMC Master Sergeant Marcus Orlando Johnson, Mojo to his friends, settles into a quiet rural retirement on his childhood home in the Alaskan backwoods. But the idyllic retirement is shattered when Marcus comes across soldiers of America's staunchest enemy who are about to unleash a nightmarish biological weapon on the world from the most unexpected of places. With the help of his ex-fiancee, State Trooper Lonnie Wyatt, and his old special operations buddy Harley Wasner they race to stop a potentially devastating terrorist attack with worldwide implications but even nature is against them as the temperatures plummet to 65 below.


Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

They are action packed but written with realism in mind. Readers and listeners to the audiobooks have often asked if they were based on true events. In answer that I'll just say...read it.

Q: Why did you go indie?

After 5 years, even with the help of professional agents, the fight to break into traditional publishing seemed impenetrable. The podcast audiobook versions of the books had been downloaded by over twenty thousand listeners and still no contract. So, I decided to risk it and go all in as an indie.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
Frederick Forsyth, Alex Berensen, Daniel Silva, John Gilstrap, Web Griffin, and the early works of Ken Follett and Jack Higgins

website: www.basilsands.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/65-Below-ebook/dp/B0042FZQCG/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_4

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/23736?ref=scottnicholson/

MeiLin Miranda- Lovers and Beloveds

MeiLin Miranda writes the fantasy novel series "An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom" and the online serial "Scryer's Gulch: Magic in the Wild, Wild West." MeiLin has written professionally for 30-plus years under her birth name. She has fatal addictions to BPAL perfume, wool roving, and fountain pens. MeiLin lives in Portland, OR with her husband, two daughters, two cats and a floppy dog.

Product description:  The Tremont family has conquered kingdom after kingdom, and rules its continent. Now, Tremont stands on the cusp of an industrial revolution; trains and steam engines are new, and the Scholar Priests of Eddin's Temple make exciting discoveries daily. Magic is long forgotten, but the Gods are not.

Prince Temmin must now leave his childhood home to live with his father--Harsin the Fourth, by the Grace of Pagg, King of the Greater Kingdom of Tremont and Litta, Emperor of Inchar. Harsin expects his son to become the kind of ruthless, pragmatic man he is. But his immortal advisor Teacher has other plans, involving the seductive human avatars of the Gods called the Lovers. Teacher intends to bind Temmin to the Lovers' Temple, bring him closer to his people, and set him on a path that will lead to ultimate glory for Tremont--or its end.

Why you might be interested apart from the book itself: This book was 100% crowdfunded. Based on a draft posted in installments on the web, fans bought $2500 worth of pre-sale packages so the author could hire a professional editor, typographer and cover artist. In return, those fans wanted only the story. And the advance manuscript, an ebook, and an autographed paperback with their name in the acknowledgments. None of them have asked for their money back.


Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
The story and its world is submersive--in one case, that of a magic book which features heavily in the series, literally. My characters are written as real people, including a teenaged protagonist who acts pretty much like a real teenaged boy; my world-building is detailed but not heavy. "Lovers and Beloveds" is erotic fantasy where the sex serves the story, not the other way around. Think Jacqueline Carey, not Linda Lovelace. (A good way to tell if sex is essential to the story: If you skip it, apart from just knowing it happened, you won't understand what happens next.)

Q: Why did you go indie?
At first, reading the Common Wisdom discouraged me from even trying to find an agent or publisher--and I'm not talking about stuff written by other indies, I'm talking about stuff written by agents and publishers themselves. But as I garnered both readers and (more than a little) money posting my draft online in serial form, and as I read about successful indies, I thought why not. The only thing that gave me pause was money, and my readers solved that problem for me.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
Cecilia Tan for erotic SF/F; for a broader definition of fantasy than strictly erotica (I write non-erotic fantasy, too): Lois McMaster Bujold; Neil Gaiman; Eric Flint; Neal Stephenson; Philip Pullman; Marion Zimmer Bradley


Website: http://www.meilinmiranda.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MeiLin-Miranda/e/B0045JRNC0
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MeiLinMiranda
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2731702.MeiLin_Miranda

Wilbanks/Clarke- Living After Midnight

When he's not trying to become King of the Internet, author David T. Wilbanks writes, edits and publishes in Minneapolis, where he lives with his wonderful wife. Among other things, he is co-author (with Mark Justice) of the Dead Earth series of sf/horror books.
Craig Clarke is an editor and genre-fiction reviewer. His work has appeared in print and online in Dead Reckonings, The Gardner News, The Green Man Review, SF Site, and Video Vista. His fiction has appeared on coffee cans.

Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories consists of six horror and dark-fantasy stories inspired by some of the greatest hard-rock and heavy-metal bands. Each author was invited to submit a story inspired by the band of his choice. The set list is as follows: “Spooky Tooth” by Randy Chandler, “Iron Maiden” by Matthew Fryer, “Black Sabbath” by Steven L. Shrewsbury, “Judas Priest” by David T. Wilbanks, “Motorhead” by Kent Gowran, and “Slayer” by L.L. Soares.  An original lineup indeed!

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
The diversity!  We have ghost, demon, zombie, serial killer, and werewolf stories for those who want the genre tropes.  We have action, love, and magic for those who like a little extra.  We've got mythic and modern, British and American, long and short ... hard and heavy.

In short, Living After Midnight has a little something for anyone who likes their fiction sharp, dark, and more than a little exciting.

Q: Why did you go indie?
All during the submission process, we kept hearing that we had a really good product here but that, simply put, anthologies don't sell without a big name attached.  Indie publishing allows us to find the market we know is out there and not worry about being remaindered or not getting a second book published because the first one didn't sell "enough" copies.  Plus, it's fun!

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Moorcock, F. Paul Wilson, Stephen King, and Richard Matheson.

Buy it at Amazon
Buy it at Smashwords
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Flaming Dove-- Daniel Arenson

Born in 1980, Daniel Arenson is an author of fantasy fiction, from
epic to dark and surreal.

Like many writers, he began his career writing short stories. He sold
his first story, "Worms Believe in God", in 1998. Since then, dozens
of his stories and poems have appeared in various magazines, among
them Flesh & Blood, Chizine, and Orson Scott Card's Strong Verse.

Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale, published Daniel's fantasy
novel Firefly Island in 2007.  His second novel, the dark fantasy
Flaming Dove, was released in 2010.


PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Outcast from Hell. Banished from Heaven. Lost on Earth.

The battle of Armageddon was finally fought... and ended with no clear
victor. Upon the mountain, the armies of Hell and Heaven beat each
other into a bloody, uneasy standstill, leaving the Earth in ruins.
Armageddon should have ended with Heaven winning, ushering in an era
of peace. That's what the prophecies said. Instead, the two
armies--one of angels, one of demons--hunker down in the scorched
planet, lick their wounds, and gear up for a prolonged war with no end
in sight.

In this chaos of warring armies and ruined landscapes, Laila doesn't
want to take sides. Her mother was an angel, her father a demon; she
is outcast from both camps. And yet both armies need her, for with her
mixed blood, Laila can become the ultimate spy... or ultimate soldier.
As the armies of Heaven and Hell pursue her, Laila's only war is
within her heart--a struggle between her demonic and heavenly blood.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

I think David Dalglish, author of the bestselling Half-Orc series,
said it best:  "It's really very simple: if you want to read about
angels tossing around godlight and demons lashing whips and shooting
fire while super-powerful archangels and archdemons blow up half the
world trying to crush each other....well, here you go."

Q: Why did you go indie?

My first novel, Firefly Island, was traditionally published.  I
decided to go indie with Flaming Dove, my second novel, when I bought
my first ereader.  I realized that I loved ebooks -- that here is the
new way to read.  I realized that I wanted to focus on selling ebooks,
and that I can do it independently.  Basically, I don't need a
publisher; I can promote the books myself and earn more money as an
indie.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

Within speculative fiction, in no particular order, I like Roger
Zelazny, George R. R. Martin, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Orson Scott
Card, Asimov, Heinlein, Tolkien, Guy Gavriel Kay, and many others.

My website:  http://www.DanielArenson.com

Flaming Dove at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004089EPA

Flaming Dove at Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22230

The Seven Sisters-- J.B. Hendricks

J.B. Hendricks lives in Columbus, is a graduate of The Ohio State University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree studying folklore, witchcraft, poetry, and British classics, and this is his first published novel. He likes cats, music, watching Doctor Who, and hopes one day, suddenly and inexplicably, to know how to play the piano.

The Seven Sisters is a character driven epic fantasy concerning the tale of seven young women with seven supernatural powers. These powers are based on the five senses and two fantastic senses that do not exist (most would agree) in our world. Their world, the wondrous realm of Gleeb, is home to magic, monsters, and swordplay. When Gleeb is thrown into chaos, will the seven sisters, armed with their wits, their love for one another, and the help of a motley cast of allies, be able to overcome a wizard with a god complex and no conscience, a mad historian, arcane cyborgs, and a lascivious demoness and her dark master? That's the story. And there's a cat that quotes Goethe too.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
The Seven Sisters is reasonably priced at $2.99, it has gone through two editions and is thoroughly edited, the book and its super convenient table of contents (each chapter listed in the table of contents is also linked to the beginning of the respective chapter in the book) was formatted by an IT professional, and, most importantly, it is a fresh, fun, and exciting work of fiction.

Q: Why did you go indie?
I saw indie publishing as an opportunity to be involved in an exciting movement in the literary industry. Also, the idea of selling direct to customers and thus establishing a more personal relationship with my readers appealed to me. When you buy my book, you buy it from me and you guarantee that I'll keep writing fiction if you keep enjoying it. You don't have to worry about most of your money going to the next big Twilight promotional campaign. You're supporting an artist, not a company.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
I'd have to go with Lloyd Alexander, Roger Zelazny, Neil Gaiman, and Dan Abnett.

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords: The Seven Sisters at Amazon Kindle Store

Willow Polson-- Triune

Willow's major in college was Art, and while at SFSU to get a teaching credential she was hired by EGW Publishing as a graphic artist. When an assistant editor position opened up, she was pretty much hired on the spot. From there, she helped develop new titles, became a department editor, and eventually a managing editor.

After the birth of her son, she went freelance and successfully sold five non-fiction books to Citadel, a Kensington
Publishing imprint, as well as multiple magazine articles to various publications.

Willow's first love, however, was always fantasy novels. Non-fiction, while a perfectly valid market, wasn't entirely satisfying to write about. Then she read Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury, and figured there was no reason that she couldn't write fiction books, tell stories that readers would enjoy, and have a lot of fun in the process. Turns out that's a pretty good combination.

Product description:
The Mason brothers had always been close, but until the day Mike discovered he was actually an angel, they had no idea just how close.

Triune brings readers along on their shared journey of discovery, because where one brother goes, the other two follow, sometimes kicking and screaming. Not everything is heavenly for these three men tossed into strange new circumstances without an instruction manual, and being an angel isn't as easy as it sounds. But with the thorns there are roses, and for the Mason brothers, the journey is only beginning.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
Triune is the antidote to all the darkness and blood and gore flooding the market right now. It's got the vibe of the first season of Heroes -- hope, discovery, family and connectedness. Despite being about angels, it's not a religious book, and is enjoyed by people of all beliefs because it includes just as much world mythology and soul-searching as it does traditional angel lore. There's also plenty of pop culture references and hidden things for astute readers to discover.

Q: Why did you go indie?
Traditional publishing is a dinosaur. I used to think that was the only legitimate way to put out a book, but my mind has been changed by the numbers in general and J.A. Konrath in particular. My old publisher did little to promote my other books, so if I'm going to the trouble, I want to make more than 7.5% of the cover price, thanks.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
Neil Gaiman, Tim Powers, Charles deLint, Rob Kroese

http://www.willowpolson.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1453828265

Luna Lindsey-- Make Willing the Prey

Luna Lindsey is an indie author located in Seattle, WA. Her first story (about a hippopotamus) crawled out of her head at the early age of 4. After running out of things to say about hippopotami, she switched genres to sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. Now Luna writes ebooks for devices like the Kindle.

Make Willing the Prey: Sandy Windham is the least likely person to ever believe in faeries, and she especially wouldn't want to marry one. That's why she's caught the eye of Haun, a wicked faerie who's been put to an interesting challenge: Get a banal girl to marry him.

At first Sandy is delighted to receive so many luxurious gifts from a secret admirer. It's flattering and fun, and she hopes to one day meet this mysterious romantic. But before long the seduction turns chilling and Sandy wants the game to stop. By then it's too late. She and her friend Jina are ensnared in a web of illusions they may never be able to escape.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

Make Willing the Prey is both scary and magical. The classic Celtic fairytale describes capricious creatures with alien morality. They often steal food or cows, kidnap children and women, and lure people into fairyland. If fae lived in a modern setting, they won't find many cows, but there are plenty of tempting damsels to lure. It features not one, but two strong female protagonists, and a very creepy unseelie faerie. Readers will thrilled, chilled, enthralled, and surprised.

Q: Why did you go indie?

Much of my work crosses multiple genres and can be difficult to categorize. For this and other reasons, I wanted creative control of my work. I also like the ability to publish quickly after the final draft is ready.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

Anne Rice, Anne Bishop, Terry Goodkind, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and Jacqueline Carey

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Willing-the-Prey-ebook/dp/B003Z0CV68
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Robert J. Duperre-- The Fall: The Rift Book 1

Robert J. Duperre is a lover of all fiction, horror in particular, who lives in Connecticut with his wonderful wife, children, and one-eyed dog. His goal as a writer is to create works that blend genres and transport the reader into worlds much like their own. The Fall, the first of a four-book series, is his initial foray into publishing.


The Rift Book: An ancient evil, trapped in the ruins of a lost Mayan temple for centuries, has been unleashed. It takes the form of a deadly virus, one that causes violent insanity in the living and the recently departed to rise and walk. It spreads around the globe, throwing the world into chaos and war.

As it progresses, those in the States who find themselves far away from the epicenter watch it unfold with unbelieving eyes. From Washington D.C. to Dover, New Hampshire, regular people are hurled into an existence outside their control, left to deal with catastrophic situations that they find themselves unprepared to handle. Life becomes a nightmare, and that nightmare is spreading.

First time author Robert J. Duperre presents this scenario with The Fall: The Rift Book I, the first of a four-part series. In this book, he throws his characters into a gambit; when the alternatives are life or death, self-preservation or the protection of others, what path will they choose? Is there a darkness that resides in everyone, from every walk of life, that is screaming for release? When society falls apart and we are left to our own devices, will we make the right decisions, or let the tide take us where it may? There is horror, there is death, there are the walking dead, and all around are choices.

The novel is fully illustrated by Jesse David Young, whose drawings capture the intense feel of the events happening within. There are twenty illustrations in all, as well as the cover art he provided. These add to the reading experience and help to throw you, the reader, head-first into the world they have created.


Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

I think folks will appreciate the scope and feel of the novel. It is dark and frightening, but it's about real people. These are folks we've known, hung out with, and even shared a drink. I'd like to think that when we see them struggle, when we observe in our mind's eye the horrors they're faced with, we have no choice but to sympathize and ask ourselves, what would I do?

Also, the illustrations that Jesse Young provided are rocking, and they add a lot to the text.

Q: Why did you go indie?

I'm thirty-five years old. I stopped writing for a long time in my twenties, when my life felt empty, and by the time I picked it back up again, I was almost thirty. When I finished this set of novels three years ago, I submitted a round of queries to agents. The response times took forever, if they came at all. So I came to the conclusion that the best way for me to succeed as a writer was to publish the book myself, build a readership, and hope that the attention I gain will catch the eyes of publishers down the road.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

I've always been a huge fan of Clive Barker - his worlds-within-worlds are both fascinating and addicting to me. But I've never been one to stick to one genre. As a matter of fact, I'm beginning to stretch my horizons by reading indie authors almost exclusively. I've read some gems lately, by the likes of Jason Letts, John Fitch, Dawn McCullough-White and Daniel Arenson. They're all over the place as far as genre goes, from science fiction to fantasy to young adult. But they're all talented, and they're all worth the read.


At Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Rift-Book-ebook/dp/B003OQUNEA
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S.D. Best-- The Magic Flute

Steven Best works in corporate IT by day, but by night he is an author. After picking up a few business degrees from Texas Tech University and wondering what to do with his life, Steven began trying to flesh out old half-written notes and drawings into a writing career. Having grown up reading the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, R.A. Salvatore, Robert Jordan, and C.S. Lewis it was only natural that fantasy be his genre of choice, although he has plans and notes for sci-fi, horror, and even western novels. By the time of his first daughter's birth last year he had written the early drafts of the first two novels of his Tales from the Green series. He stumbled across Amazon's Digital Text Platform at the beginning of 2010 while looking for a way to get his work onto the market and has since jumped into the world of self-publishing. Steven does all his own editing, cover art, and promotion for now, but plans to one day pursue traditional publishing for his current and future novels. You can find him around the web at various writing forums under the name Greenkeeper.


The Magic Flute: For a young boy named Alex Samuels, suburban life is a meaningless waste of time. Wake up, go to school, get kicked off the baseball team, beat the latest videogame, repeat as necessary. As he nears his thirteenth birthday his apathy knows no bounds. Things had been different when he had been a child, though. Back then he had believed in magic.

Fueled by his grandpa's fairy tales of his own supposed adventures in a magical world known as the Green, Alex had once believed he too could be a hero. That is until well-meaning parents had quashed his dreams with a harsh dose of reality. He long ago gave up on believing in stories of dragons and elves and magic swords; too bad they never gave up on him! When his grandpa gave him the old wooden flute for his birthday it became one more piece of junk in his closet. That is, until, real life monsters from out of the old stories come to visit. Now, swept away by the magical song of the flute Alex finds himself in the Green, a wild land in which humans are a myth long forgotten. Join him as he rediscovers friendship, heroism, and the magic of his childhood that was once lost.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

A: The Magic Flute is epic fantasy that is fun and lighthearted. It is a tale of adventure overlaying the main character's true quest to rediscover the magic and wonder he once knew as a young child. Though I market it as young adult I believe that there is something here for all ages.

Q: Why did you go indie?

A: I love the freedom and speed with which I can get my work to the readers as an independent author. I still have plans on shopping the Tales from the Green series around to agents and publishers, but not until the series in complete. I hated the thought of my first two books going unread on my harddrive while I finished the last one, though. By putting them online I am getting valuable feedback which will surely assist me in the long run.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

A: I have been heavily influenced by C.S. Lewis, not only his fantasy stories but his essays on writing. I am also a huge fan of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and lately I have been devouring Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company. Of course, what kind of fantasy author would I be if I didn't cite Tolkien as a major influence?


Links:
TftG Book One: The Magic Flute on Amazon

Smashwords Author Page

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