BearMountainBooks blog, free stories and reviews

[dreams]

Now that both are up on Smashwords and available for more than Kindle owners, I bought both. Thank you Maria.

[BearMountainBooks]

Thank you, Dreams!!!

Maria

[dreams]

Maria, I just finished reading Sage and loved it! Magic, swords, ghosts, fights, gardens, kingdoms, just a great fantasy story.

I was shocked when the last page appeared and I couldn't go another page because the story ended! I was soooo in to the story.

I want to know more... Are you going to continue it? I want to know what happens to everyone. (I don't want to be too specific, as I don't want to spoil it for others.)

[BearMountainBooks]

Ah Dreams, you are sooooo kind!!!!! Thank you so much.

I have at least one more tale in the saga that is floating around...I'm thrilled with your request to write more. Another reader or two has suggested I just go ahead and write an entirely new novel with the characters/world. Anything is possible I suppose...although I confess I am not a fast writer, so the idea of just sitting down and writing an entire novel about these characters isn't one to take on lightly!!!

Thanks for taking time to post your enthusiasm. It means a lot to hear from you!

Maria

P.S. When you say "shocked" I want to make sure you have the entire file--you mean shocked as in, "Hoping there was more" not, "this ended in the middle of sentence on some sort of weird cliffhanger...???" I can verify most of the file types, but if you downloaded LRF that happens to be one I can't page through because I don't have a reader for that file type!!! If you have any doubts at all, you should be able to access the HTML files from smashwords. You can jump to the end to check the file. Don't hesitate to contact me with any thoughts/problems/suggestions! Thanks again for your kind words.

[dreams]

Oops, sorry about my wording. I was shocked because I was so engrossed in the story and wanted more!

So, here is the trick... **WRITE FASTER***

I really would be interested in reading more about the characters.

[Morlac]

Originally Posted by dreams

Oops, sorry about my wording. I was shocked because I was so engrossed in the story and wanted more!

So, here is the trick... **WRITE FASTER***

I really would be interested in reading more about the characters.

Finished reading Sage a couple days ago -- I actually read it pretty much in one day, stealing time on multiple computers at lunch and various other times/locations.

As you might guess, that means I liked it and found it engaging enough to want to keep flipping those pages!

A few comments, if you don't mind...

(a) I agree with the WRITE FASTER sentiment, but for independent authors, I worry about it. If you are your own-and-only editor (which, as an author, editor, and publisher, I suggest is often on par with lawyers representing themselves in the realm of "not great ideas"), please don't rush! The high quality of your writing and *your editing and proofing* are both key factors in what made Sage so engrossing for me.

(b) While I'm not a "mystery" genre reader per se, I do a lot of reading in the SF or Fantasy Mystery genres. Somewhere in your descriptions or metatags for Sage, you described it as a mystery, which ended up not quite being how I saw it.

I don't want to spoil any plot points for anyone, so I will avoid anything like specifics. Generally speaking, though, the plot seemed more oriented toward action than mystery. That's not at all a criticism of the story itself -- which, as I said, I thoroughly enjoyed -- it's more a musing over the best way to describe and market it effectively.

(c) I would certainly be interested in reading further stories in this series. I would also encourage you to keep them in the existing template of long-ish loosely connected stories rather than succumbing to any temptation to stretch into a novel-length work. I found one of the most charming things about Sage to be the pacing: it reads crisply and quickly, with none of the padding (or bloating) that I've come to find annoying in many SF/Fantasy series these days.

[BearMountainBooks]

Thanks Morlac. You are just making my day, I tell you!!!

Thanks also for the feedback on keeping them in a loosely connected set of stories. I kind of like the way it has been going, but...it isn't exactly what you'd call traditional, so it's nice to have feedback that you liked that format.

Don't worry. I don't think I could write faster if I tried. Oh, to some extent, I could put words on the paper, but I am one of those writers that must step away from the work--usually three or four times after it is "finished" and then come back to it. And Finish it again. That would be the primary reason I am not a fast writer!!!

Would either you or Dreams be interested in leaving a review or rating over at Smashwords? No requirement and really, don't feel like you have to. I know some people don't enjoy that sort of thing, but it does help to have reviews when people are shopping--so if you are inclined, reviews are much appreciated!!!

Thanks for taking the time to stop back here and let me know that you liked the stories. Warms my pea-pickin' little heart, it does!!!

[Morlac]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Thanks Morlac. You are just making my day, I tell you!!!

Don't worry. I don't think I could write faster if I tried. Oh, to some extent, I could put words on the paper, but I am one of those writers that must step away from the work--usually three or four times after it is "finished" and then come back to it. And Finish it again. That would be the primary reason I am not a fast writer!!!

Would either you or Dreams be interested in leaving a review or rating over at Smashwords? No requirement and really, don't feel like you have to. I know some people don't enjoy that sort of thing, but it does help to have reviews when people are shopping--so if you are inclined, reviews are much appreciated!!!

I can't promise that I'll get to writing a Smashwords review at all, let alone anytime soon -- I am really far behind several deadlines at the moment. However, I know how vital that sort of thing can be, and I really would like to support your efforts, so I do promise to try to get to it! (Part of the problem is that I can't bring myself to leave a brief review -- it would have to be relatively well-thought-out.

On the other note, do you have an outside editor or proofreader (formal or informal)? Or do you try to do it all yourself?

[BearMountainBooks]

Hi Morlac! Do not worry about the review! Get to it if you get to it. I'm just happy that you took time to share your thoughts with me here!

Re: Editing. For...two of the Sage stories, they went through a BRUTAL critique group (Baens). Those people leave no apostrophe unturned.

In general, I have "readers" for all my stuff. I don't put out anything that hasn't been read by at least three different people. None are professional copy editors, but my husband is very detailed, and he catches most typos. Other readers provide feedback on storyline and any typos that they see. Of course, when I go in to fix things, I can, and sometimes do, inadvertently add mistakes/typos!!! I read through a finished manuscript that I am ready to submit 3 to 5 times AFTER others have read it and given it the go-ahead. I am a speed-reader so final edits are painful for me. I continually catch myself speed reading and have to force myself to read each word to check things.
But it's just part of the job. I know the more I edit, the better the work will be in the end.

Maria

[dreams]

Maria, I just finished Catch an Honest Thief.

Your stories were so totally different, and I loved both of them!! Alexia (Chris too!) had me always wondering what they were going to do and how.

This one was another page turner for me.

for such fun "reads".

[BearMountainBooks]

Dreams, I wish I could give you a 1000 happy karmas! Thank you very much for taking the time to read my books--and to come back here and let me know you enjoyed them. Your gesture warms my heart, it does!

[BearMountainBooks]

Just a couple of updates:

1. I've had another short story accepted (wheee!!!) and it should be out very soon...It's a mystery, a little darker than my previous works. I'll post the location as soon as it is out!

I did some traveling over the last couple of weeks and I'll be blogging about it. My parents wanted to go to Europe for some odd reason...so I finally agreed to be the tour guide (like I know anything about the region...) It might not be as interesting for those of you from Rome or Spain...but then again, you might be the ones to throw out hints that could save the next person...

I've started the first couple of entries and will be blogging along about it over the coming weeks: www.BearMountainBooks.com

Maria

[dreams]

Welcome back and congratulations on the short story. I'll be looking forward to reading it.

[BearMountainBooks]

For anyone interested, "Catch an Honest Thief" is now available at Barnes and Noble.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Cat...699119/?itm=10

EDIT: Sage is also available at B&N as of Oct 30!

I had a little...confusion over how to download it, but it does work. B&N stores the books you buy in an "e-library" once you sample or purchase it. Then you download and either read it on your preferred reader or B&N also offers a free downloadable reader. I tried out their reader; it isn't bad. Again, maybe a little confusing at first, as was the fact that I couldn't find out WHERE on my hard drive it was storing the books!!!

B&N is also offering a few free e-books right now (with any sampling or purchase of another e-book). Dracula, Pride and...there were about 6. Supposedly that will go down to two freebies, but I didn't understand WHEN or how that all worked.

Maria

[BearMountainBooks]

Hi Folks!

I'm getting ready to go live with my latest cozy mystery, Executive Lunch. But I'd really like some input on the cover. I have two possible covers posted at my blog with a poll underneath. If anyone has some time to kill, please stop over and vote (heckle or comment as you see fit!)

www.BearMountainBooks.com

Thank you!
Maria