Xenolith: Contemporary Fantasy - Page 6

lilac_jive · 12-22-2009, 10:13 PM

I just signed up for Smashwords so I can snag a copy

Thanks for the coupon!

ASparrow · 12-23-2009, 08:47 PM

Liz Bowen, wife of mission doctor Frank Bowen, goes missing in the wilds of Belize. The constables of San Ignacio can find no trace. On a pilgrimage years later to her remote 'grave', Frank is abducted and whisked away to a place he can't identify, by people whose motives and origins baffle him. Is this what happened to Liz? Might she still be alive?

1. Visit: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/4612

2. Add to shopping cart, enter the following free coupon code: XY39L

3. Download in any of several formats: (pdf, rtf, txt, mobi, pdb, epub).

lilac_jive · 12-23-2009, 09:39 PM

I downloaded this last night, thanks for the coupon code

cbell · 12-26-2009, 04:25 AM

Downloaded from Smashwords and read, thank you.

I enjoyed reading Xenolith and I'll re-read it soon, so I get more out of the first few chapters. The learning curve was a bit steep for me at first. I found so many characters with short names confusing, but as I became more familiar with them, I could separate them and identify their different personalities and roles.

The story was fast paced and never boring. I don't finish books if they don't grab me in the first couple of chapters, but this one did.

I like the idea of travelling via the Xenoliths and it was interesting where Frank went, although somewhat scary and violent at times!

This book is begging for a sequel. I'll be happy to pay for it and I'd like to read more about Frank. Please, please bring back Liz! And more about Tezhay - I really like him. Oh, but it's your book, you can write what you want to! I approve

ASparrow · 12-26-2009, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbell

Downloaded from Smashwords and read, thank you.

I enjoyed reading Xenolith and I'll re-read it soon, so I get more out of the first few chapters. The learning curve was a bit steep for me at first. I found so many characters with short names confusing, but as I became more familiar with them, I could separate them and identify their different personalities and roles.

The story was fast paced and never boring. I don't finish books if they don't grab me in the first couple of chapters, but this one did.

I like the idea of travelling via the Xenoliths and it was interesting where Frank went, although somewhat scary and violent at times!

This book is begging for a sequel. I'll be happy to pay for it and I'd like to read more about Frank. Please, please bring back Liz! And more about Tezhay - I really like him. Oh, but it's your book, you can write what you want to! I approve

You'll be happy to know that there's lots of Liz in the second book, but she's had a rough life, and is not quite the same person that Frank knew.

ASparrow · 12-27-2009, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I downloaded this last night, thanks for the coupon code

Hope you enjoy it.

Any feedback you can offer is most welcome.

One thing I'm looking to learn, for example, is why readers can relate to Frank, but not Seor.

lilac_jive · 12-27-2009, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASparrow

Hope you enjoy it.

Any feedback you can offer is most welcome.

One thinking I'm looking to learn, for example, I'm wondering why readers can relate to Frank, but not Seor.

I will keep that in mind when I read it and I'll let you know my thoughts

ASparrow · 12-30-2009, 08:18 AM

Still free, but only for a short while longer. Xenolith has surpassed the goals I set for it for 2009. I don't have goals for 2010, except to retreat and finish the sequel, "Peregrin."

ASparrow · 01-02-2010, 08:45 PM

Smashwords #1 Best Seller (last 90 days), #2 all time
Thanks everybody and Happy New Year!

dreams · 01-02-2010, 09:06 PM

CONGRATULATIONS, ASparrow!

I really enjoyed the story and I'm waiting to find out what happens in the sequel

ASparrow · 01-05-2010, 06:26 AM

A second draft of Peregrin is now complete and undergoing further revisions. It will be about 90k or so words when it's done (~300 pages), quite a bit shorter than Xenolith (120k, 400 pages).

Here's a draft of a blurb to give you the gist of the storyline:

Dr. Frank Bowen rediscovers long-lost wife Liz in the war-ravaged back hills of Gi, but the reunion is awkward, almost hostile -- nothing like his dreams. Liz, scarred emotionally and physically, assimilated into Giep’o culture, scarcely resembles the woman he married. What secrets and traumas account for Frank’s cold reception? Can he regain her heart by saving her gravely wounded child, a boy Frank suspects might be his own son? Can he convince her to return to the land of her birth in the face of a rapidly worsening guerrilla war?

ASparrow · 01-07-2010, 12:44 PM

FYI - Yet another revision was posted to Smashwords today for those who have yet to read.

Two things prompted me to revise: 1) recording for a (crude!) podcast version 2) receipt of a hard copy proof from CreateSpace. Both let me see the book from a fresh perspective and revealed a bunch of little errors, awkward or inelegant phrasings that I felt compelled to correct. Chapter Two probably received the most attention, but all in all the revisions were not invasive at all.

ASparrow · 01-09-2010, 12:50 PM

Sequel to Xenolith is chugging along at 87k words. I expect it to be between 90-95k when finished. I'm just filling in gaps and line editing now, although one scene has to be completely re-written. I'm aiming to have it ready for copy-editing by mid-February.

By the way, There's some great writing that just popped up as a #1 best seller on Smashwords. ("Dr. Frankenstein's Gift to Women by Patrick Whittaker). You all should check it out. I'm curious if you all are as impressed as I am. It's the kind of thing that makes you wonder how it doesn't have a mainstream publisher.

ASparrow · 01-10-2010, 07:45 PM

Someone purchased my book today. Whoever you are, thank you, but you really didn't need to do that. I'm committed to keeping this free coupon thing going until the sequel is ready. Only then, will I re-assess.

626 full versions downloaded as of today. 1,234 full plus samples.

nomesque · 01-13-2010, 07:05 PM

Woohoo! Good stuff, Sparrow

BTW, I like your revised blurb, too. Punchier!

12-23-2009, 08:47 PM	#77
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	Free Book - Xenolith Liz Bowen, wife of mission doctor Frank Bowen, goes missing in the wilds of Belize. The constables of San Ignacio can find no trace. On a pilgrimage years later to her remote 'grave', Frank is abducted and whisked away to a place he can't identify, by people whose motives and origins baffle him. Is this what happened to Liz? Might she still be alive? 1. Visit: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/4612 2. Add to shopping cart, enter the following free coupon code: XY39L 3. Download in any of several formats: (pdf, rtf, txt, mobi, pdb, epub).

01-09-2010, 12:50 PM	#88
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	Peregrin Sequel to Xenolith is chugging along at 87k words. I expect it to be between 90-95k when finished. I'm just filling in gaps and line editing now, although one scene has to be completely re-written. I'm aiming to have it ready for copy-editing by mid-February. By the way, There's some great writing that just popped up as a #1 best seller on Smashwords. ("Dr. Frankenstein's Gift to Women by Patrick Whittaker). You all should check it out. I'm curious if you all are as impressed as I am. It's the kind of thing that makes you wonder how it doesn't have a mainstream publisher.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Looking for a contemporary high or epic fantasy recommendation	sirbruce	Reading Recommendations	48	03-21-2013 04:38 AM
New Contemporary Romance - $2.99!	chicki	Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers	18	10-22-2010 06:13 AM
contemporary short stories	Sylver	Reading Recommendations	8	05-25-2010 12:57 PM
Fictionwise 50% off Romance, Erotica, Fantasy, & Dark Fantasy	causticmuse	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	13	01-29-2010 03:18 PM

12-22-2009, 10:13 PM	#76
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	I just signed up for Smashwords so I can snag a copy Thanks for the coupon!

12-23-2009, 09:39 PM	#78
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	I downloaded this last night, thanks for the coupon code

12-26-2009, 04:25 AM	#79
cbell Frenetic Posts: 590 Karma: 8181 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Australia Device: iLiad V2	Downloaded from Smashwords and read, thank you. I enjoyed reading Xenolith and I'll re-read it soon, so I get more out of the first few chapters. The learning curve was a bit steep for me at first. I found so many characters with short names confusing, but as I became more familiar with them, I could separate them and identify their different personalities and roles. The story was fast paced and never boring. I don't finish books if they don't grab me in the first couple of chapters, but this one did. I like the idea of travelling via the Xenoliths and it was interesting where Frank went, although somewhat scary and violent at times! This book is begging for a sequel. I'll be happy to pay for it and I'd like to read more about Frank. Please, please bring back Liz! And more about Tezhay - I really like him. Oh, but it's your book, you can write what you want to! I approve

12-30-2009, 08:18 AM	#83
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	Still free, but only for a short while longer. Xenolith has surpassed the goals I set for it for 2009. I don't have goals for 2010, except to retreat and finish the sequel, "Peregrin."

01-02-2010, 08:45 PM	#84
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	Smashwords #1 Best Seller (last 90 days), #2 all time Thanks everybody and Happy New Year!

01-02-2010, 09:06 PM	#85
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,112 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	CONGRATULATIONS, ASparrow! I really enjoyed the story and I'm waiting to find out what happens in the sequel

01-05-2010, 06:26 AM	#86
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	A second draft of Peregrin is now complete and undergoing further revisions. It will be about 90k or so words when it's done (~300 pages), quite a bit shorter than Xenolith (120k, 400 pages). Here's a draft of a blurb to give you the gist of the storyline: Dr. Frank Bowen rediscovers long-lost wife Liz in the war-ravaged back hills of Gi, but the reunion is awkward, almost hostile -- nothing like his dreams. Liz, scarred emotionally and physically, assimilated into Giep’o culture, scarcely resembles the woman he married. What secrets and traumas account for Frank’s cold reception? Can he regain her heart by saving her gravely wounded child, a boy Frank suspects might be his own son? Can he convince her to return to the land of her birth in the face of a rapidly worsening guerrilla war?

01-07-2010, 12:44 PM	#87
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	FYI - Yet another revision was posted to Smashwords today for those who have yet to read. Two things prompted me to revise: 1) recording for a (crude!) podcast version 2) receipt of a hard copy proof from CreateSpace. Both let me see the book from a fresh perspective and revealed a bunch of little errors, awkward or inelegant phrasings that I felt compelled to correct. Chapter Two probably received the most attention, but all in all the revisions were not invasive at all.

01-10-2010, 07:45 PM	#89
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	Someone purchased my book today. Whoever you are, thank you, but you really didn't need to do that. I'm committed to keeping this free coupon thing going until the sequel is ready. Only then, will I re-assess. 626 full versions downloaded as of today. 1,234 full plus samples.

01-13-2010, 07:05 PM	#90
nomesque Snooty Bestselling Author Posts: 1,485 Karma: 1000000 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Ipswich, QLD, Australia Device: PRS-650	Woohoo! Good stuff, Sparrow BTW, I like your revised blurb, too. Punchier!