Dark Arts Takes Over the Spinward Fringe Podcast for Halloween Part 2 of 2

In this, the second part of the Dark Arts Podcast (ignore the intro, it's part 2 of 2), We turn the tables so Ray is bringing up high and low points from the book. In the later part of the podcast I bring up what I'll be up to next in the Spinward Fringe universe and allude to some changes that will be coming to Crewcast Radio in February 2016.

There were a few light spoilers in the first part of this podcast, but there are definitely huge spoilers for Dark Arts in this one, so if you haven't red the book, please turn away.

Thank you for listening, please leave comments and support for Dark Arts below, we absolutely love  comments!

RL

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Dark Arts Takes Over The Spinward Fringe Podcast For Halloween pt 1 of 2

Dark Arts was just released in time for Halloween! Ray and I take time to sit down and discuss the history behind the book, characters and events within. It becomes a lot of fun as we explore all that within a great conversation. This is the first part of two.

RL

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Dark Arts: My Contribution To Your Halloween

The critical reception for Dark Arts has been very good so far, so I'm very pleased to offer it to you for Halloween. This is the official release date for the book, so it will be available everywhere Ebooks are sold and the printed version is available through Amazon.

Why does this book excite me, you ask? Well, it has a history of collecting notes since 2009, and this year some of those notes became this book. A few of my all time favourite characters exist in this book, Maxwell and Miranda for a start.

I'm excited to get this book in front of more people, especially during this time of year. Fall and Halloween are my favourite times of year, and I'm very happy to celebrate it with one of my better books.

Thank you to everyone who already got this early, your reviews and support have been fantastic. There are two hour long podcasts coming today, where I discuss the origin, details, and extra content behind this book.

Links to Dark Arts online:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Order a Printed Copy from the printer directly.
Order a signed copy.

RL

Dark Arts Is Finished!

Some people waited since late 2009 for this book to arrive, and I'm proud to announce that it will be available on October 31 in EBook form at the most popular online retailers (Amazon, iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and a few others).

You can already get your hands on a printed copy here:
Createspace
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

The process of developing this book alone was a massive learning experience. The research took a lot of time because it's set in the real world, in a real (but fictionalised) place, during a real time in our history.

Many of the rules of the real world have big influences on the occult content too, which required even more research into law enforcement and medicine.

I couldn't start writing until I had finished five different outlines, and I had to online again three times while work was underway. This is a process that shortens the whole process of writing a book by doing drafts in point form that encompass all but the finer points of the work. It really tightens up the story, but it's one of those processes that really works well if you stick to it all the way though.

Writing the book involved taking a journey that was sometimes ill-fated for characters that became favourites of mine, but there was no room for favouritism. I also used a style of writing and storytelling overall that I started developing as a teen, but didn't continue into my thirties, so the book doesn't resemble anything I've ever written. I didn't feel out of place writing in that style either, and I learned a lot by changing things up.

I enjoy dipping into other genres, I learn a great deal every time I do, and that makes me a better writer regardless of what genre I'm working in. I'm pleased with the story that's delivered in this book, and hope you enjoy it.

The test readers who took this journey with me were a massive help as well, there is one plot hole in particular that I didn't see, and they reported back with its exact location and measurements so I could plug it up. I have to thank them for taking this ride with me, it was a good experience.

Watch for this to appear at your favourite EBook retailer, I think it'll be a good read for Halloween!

RL

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10 - Named, and an Update On Dark Arts

Thanks to suggestions and votes that were piled on at the official Facebook Group for Spinward Fringe, the next Spinward Fringe book has it's name - Freeground.

Simplicity and clarity can lead you to the most compelling ideas, or in this case, names. Two thirds of this book will be about Freeground, so the title is perfect, I will say no more so we can avoid spoilers.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the discussion or voted, you really helped with this one. I highly suggest that you join the Spinward Fringe Community if you're on Facebook, they're a fantastic crew.

Now, for something completely different...

The release date for Dark Arts is still October 31, and I'm a couple days from finishing the manuscript. The test readers are ready to peruse the last pages as soon as I finish them, and the formatter has given me a deadline.

Editing has been ongoing while the book is being written, so the work is going to be wrapped up on time.

So far this book has been an enlightening experience for me, because so much of the first half is solely about the characters, and I've learned to love almost all of them. Then terrible things begin to happen to those same characters, and there are some chapters I've actually hesitated on because I feel like I'm stomping on kittens while drowning puppies. I know, it's a book where bad things happen, and the story may become sad but that's part of why it's good, but sometimes you just want to interrupt the murder by writing... "And... then.... happily ever after!"

While this book may be something of a heart breaker, it does resolve the main story, leaving the surviving characters in the right places. I do not know what the overall reception of this book will be once it's out there, but I hope you enjoy the experience. Here's the link to the Dark Arts page on Facebook. I post hints about what I'm writing and music from the 70's (the time period of the book) daily, so check the history for about twenty previous updates.

Considering that this all started when I wanted to tell a little backstory about one character to support events that take place in the 1990's, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Thank you for checking in, be sure to visit again soon, more news is coming!

RL

Help Name The Next Spinward Fringe Novel

Even though the focus is on Dark Arts right now as I work on the last few chapters of the book and get opinions back from the beta readers (who are awesome!), I'm still preparing to write the next Spinward Fringe novel.

I've come down to five options for the name of the book, and I can't decide. I thought I would put those in front of you so you could tell me which one I should choose.

The poll is on the official Facebook Page for Spinward Fringe because I always get good results there, so check it out and help me decide!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/spinwardfringe/permalink/10153648148957838/

RL

[Thank you for voting!]