Zoe Sugg, Penguin, and why I'm an Indie Author

Let me start by saying that I know that I am behind the times and this story broke a few days ago, let me also say that until today I had no idea who Zoella, or Zoe Sugg was, nor had I heard of her debut book Girl Online.

More importantly, I have nothing against Zoe Sugg, or her book.

That said, this story caught my attention today. For anyone who doesn’t know (as I didn’t until I started researching this blog post) Zoe Sugg is a YouTube celebrity with millions of followers, who was offered a book deal by Penguin books, and whose debut novel outsold the debut offerings of JK Rowling and Dan Brown in their first week of sales.

Now let’s ignore the fact that neither Dan Brown, nor JK Rowling had millions of followers before the publication of their books, and that their debut books sold purely on the basis of their writing talents, because that’s not what this post is about.

This post is about the ‘revelations’ that Zoe Sugg didn’t write her book completely on her own. In fact it now seems that she had the help of ghost writers and editors.

Here’s the thing. I have no problem with Zoe Sugg. She made a smart business decision that is no doubt going to make her a tidy sum of money. She’d have been silly to turn it down.

I have no idea how much or how little she wrote of the book. But there was one quote from her that spoke volumes. To me at least. When talking about the involvement from the editorial team, she said:

“Everyone needs help when they try something new.”

She’s right. They do. But I think where it rubs me up the wrong way is this. Most writers don’t publish their first book. Most writers bury their first book somewhere and hope it never sees the light of day. Because we know that we have to develop our craft. We have to hone our writing skills. We write and we write, and we edit like crazy and we become better writers. Most of us don’t get that first book deal handed to us on a silver platter. And out there is the ghost writer, who did hone her craft, who developed her skill and became a great writer, and who isn’t getting the credit because she’s not a big enough name. And that makes me sad.

Sugg has said that the characters and idea are all her own. But there is so much more that goes into writing a book. Weeks, months, even years of working on plots, sub-plots, dialogue, character growth, the prose itself. These are the hard bits. These are the bits that take skill.

Trust me, Zoe Sugg, coming up with the idea is the easy part.

But no, my problem is not with Zoe Sugg, the problem I have is with the publishers. In fact, with the traditional publishing industry in general.

This whole story is just another sign of how the traditional publishing industry is failing. Failing itself, failing truly talented authors out there, and more importantly, failing readers themselves.

It seems that there is an ever increasing slew of celebrities publishing books – almost all of them ghost written. These books sell in huge numbers because of the ‘brand’ behind them. Great for the publishers. Not so great for the rest of us.

I understand completely that publishing is a business. And the goal of any business is to make money. Otherwise what’s the point. But increasingly, it seems, the publishing industry is throwing away any kind of integrity, or standards, in the search of big sales.

There is a quote from Penguin that I find particularly interesting:

“As publishers our role is, and always has been, to find the very best talent and help them tell their story and connect them with readers.”

Right. But the problem is, they didn’t go out looking for incredibly talented young writers to hone and encourage their talent. They went looking for a big name that would sell books. They didn’t care about the content, they cared only about the name on the front cover. Their role as publishers should be to find the very best writers. Not just any celebrity who can sell a few copies, even if the work isn’t their own.

Which tells us what?

That traditional publishing isn’t interested in finding new voices to tell you unique and interesting stories, or about finding beautifully written works of art. They’re interested in sales. Full stop. End of story. And I have to admit, in the laziest way possible. Who needs marketing when you have a book that’s guaranteed to sell?

And people wonder why more and more writers such as myself aren’t even trying to go the traditional publishing route. We’re not interested because we know they’re not interested.

What message does this send to the struggling writer out there? Want to write a bestseller? Don’t write an amazing, original, well written book, just have a lot of followers on Twitter or Youtube, and then let someone else write the book for you.

Every time a story like this comes out I lose just that little bit more respect for the traditional publishing industry, and I ask myself, is it any wonder that more and more writers are turning to the Indie, or self-published route?

I think not.

(This blog post is also on Rock the Book blog)

Evolution Release Day!

Evolution, the second book in the E series, is now available! Get Evolution and E for only 99¢ each during release week, November 12th-19th, 2014.

 
Outpost Three is still standing… barely. But the deadliest threat it has ever faced is on its way-- a violent force that will annihilate every man, woman, and child.

With the Sentries under his control and Grey’s army defeated, Matt is more powerful than ever. Eden is little more than his prisoner, but that line is blurring as her affection for him grows. Now, as the Outpost faces total destruction, Matt must sacrifice the possibility of attaining Eden’s love in the vague hope that her past might hold the key to saving them all.

Eden’s journey will begin to unravel the mysteries of her previous life, reveal dangerous new questions, and change not only the future of Outpost Three, but shape the course of history.

This eagerly anticipated sequel to Kate Wrath’s E begins an epic quest into the dark, dystopian landscape of Eden’s world.
Get both books in the E series, E and Evolution, for 99¢ each on Kindle for a limited time only: November 12th- 19th, 2014.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connect with Kate:

Join Kate for the Evolution Release Day Facebook Party:

You're invited! Come hang out November 12th from 8-12 pm Eastern and celebrate the release of Evolution. Woohoo!

An excerpt from Evolution:

We run down the narrow alley and take the first turn, then another. We keep running, moving. I don't even notice my surroundings until, at last, we slow to a stop. The smell hits me first—the stench of piss, of something rotten, all condensed into a small space. Breathing hard, we stand in the street and look around us. We're in a main thoroughfare now, judging from the traffic, but it’s still narrow. I feel squashed, smothered. On all sides, a crowd throngs around us. Most of them are dressed in rags. Hollow faces huddle three or four bodies deep against both edges of the road, dirty, hopeless, and lost. Many of them are children.


I'm scanning their faces frantically before I even realize what I'm doing. "Oscar," I hear myself whisper. It hits me, and I break off before I can call out his name. Before I can start running again, sifting through the masses of them.


Apollon's hand clamps onto mine, but he says nothing. He and Jonas are focused on Jacob, who is shaking violently. Tears are pouring from widened eyes down his face. I want to help him, but all I can do is stand here trying not to break down, myself.

"We need to find somewhere to regroup," Jonas says quietly. "Get out of this mess."
I cast around for somewhere to go, but as far as I can see, it's piles upon piles. People, and people, and buildings looming over them. There's no breathing room. No space. I have to force my breath to steadiness. It's too much.
There is a commotion on the street ahead, maybe a block away. The ragged masses push away from the center, squashing and trampling each other in the process. We're caught in a wave of motion and carried backward, but still we try to look. Where the commotion started, there's a group of figures, similarly dressed in black with blue bandanas. They're moving down the street toward us.


The wave of people suddenly backlashes from the other direction, and we're pushed the opposite way from before. We manage to finally see why. On our opposite side, there's another group of people. These are dressed primarily in white. One of them, clearly a leader, wears a purple doo rag and carries what might be the biggest gun I've ever seen. He raises it toward us.

   

Why do I do it?

A week ago today I published my third book.

You'd think it would get easier with every book, less doubt, more confidence.

I'll tell you this - I was as terrified about a terrible response to the third book as I was about the first. Possibly more.

In fact, I spent the three or four days before Blood Calling came out, asking my Other Half if I was doing the right thing. After all, I kept telling him, it's not like other books are flying off the shelves. Why do I keep putting myself through it all, for so little reward?

Well, two things happened over the course of the following week that answered my question for me.

The first was a couple of brilliant reviews of my first book, The Last Knight. Reviews from readers who had really connected with the book, and loved it.

The second was that I got stuck into writing something that will probably never see the light of day - but I loved writing it none the less.

The point is, these two things reminded me of why I write. And it's not for sales.

The two reviews were from free copies I had provided. I didn't make a dime. But it doesn't matter because I always wrote not for the money, but because I love telling a story that can entertain people. Even if the only person it entertains is me.

I knew when I got into indie publishing that it wasn't about the money. I was never going to make a fortune. It was about getting my books out there, finding people to read my stories (other than just my mother and my Other Half). It was about touching one or two, or if possible, a thousand readers.

But it was never about the money.

Sometimes with the promoting and advertising, and desperately trying to get heard, I think I forget about that. The obsessive (sometimes) checking of the sales graph, the constant research into how I can get my book to a wider audience. That becomes the only focus.

It's good sometimes to remember that I write because I love to write. And those sales? They're just a bonus.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Happy Father's Day!

So today is a day of excitement and sadness.

I am obviously incredibly excited to be able to finally say that Chasing Freedom is now on sale. This book that's been ten years in the making has hit the shelves.

Sad because it's Father's Day. Because I will not get to tell my father today how much I love him. Though I hope he knows.

And so Chasing Freedom has become my last Father's Day gift to him, dedicated in his memory. Dad loved to read, everything and anything, so hopefully he would have liked this. He also started writing a book once. I think he only got about a chapter down, but I read it, and it was brilliant. It will always make me sad that he never finished it. Maybe one day I'll find a way to incorporate that chapter of his into something of mine. That way he'll be published too!

So I want to share with you all the dedication at the beginning of Chasing Freedom:

This one’s for you, Dad.

I wish you’d had the chance to read it.

With any luck they have Kindles in Heaven

 XOXO

 

And I will add to it - 'Happy Father's Day, Dad. This one really is for you.'

 

 

 

 

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZZXDAY
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-freedom-nicola-s-dorrington/1119720901?ean=2940046003086
All Other Formats: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/446951

The Final Countdown...

So this is it. Two days to go until Chasing Freedom goes up for sale. I thought somehow that the second book would be easier. That it would be less stressful.

I was wrong. I don't think it's going to matter how many times I do this. I think I will always be sick with nerves the days leading up to publication. It's strange - once it's out there I am less worried. I guess because once it reaches that point there's nothing more I can do.

Before I give this final teaser, I wanted to say something.

So you see, when I first picked the date of release for this book it was kind of random. The middle of the month seemed like a good option, and it was two weeks short of a year since I first published The Last Knight.

But the date has come to mean so much more.

Anyone who has read this blog knows that I lost my father this year. It was a horrible, sad, painful time, but deciding to publish this book gave me something to focus on - something to look forward to. So it was inevitable that I would dedicate this book to my Dad, a man who loved to read, and for some reason (despite it being primarily aimed at YA and girls to boot) loved The Last Knight, and read it 3 times over the course of the last year. It makes me incredibly sad that he won't get the chance to read this book. It's silly really because I kept thinking I would email him all my manuscripts and get his feedback, but I kept putting it off. Until suddenly it was too late.

So it was a little bit of a surprise when I realised that the date I had randomly picked was not only Father's Day, but also the day after the four month mark of his passing. It just seems incredibly fitting. He was never a fan of Father's Day - just like Valentines Day he didn't believe there needed to be a special day to show someone you love them - but I am pleased to give him this final Father's Day gift.

This one's for you, Dad!

A scream shattered his thoughts. The plate Victoria had just picked up slipped out of her fingers, falling back into the water and soaking them both with a wave of water.

A second scream reached them as they turned to look at each other. There was a split second hesitation before they both ran for the door. Chase moved faster and he reached the door into the entrance hall first, throwing it open. He slammed to a stop so suddenly that Victoria thudded into the back of him and he had to catch the door frame to stop them both falling.

A girl lay in the middle of the entrance hall, her face frozen in pain as she screamed again. Her clothes were drenched in blood and Maladict crouched over her, his own hands covered in it.

For a tiny instant Chase suspected the worst, that after years Maladict had fallen off the wagon, but he knew that a vampire would never waste that much blood.

He glanced at Maladict’s face and saw the tendons standing out in his neck as he clenched his teeth, his nose flaring.

“Get Peter,” Chase said to Victoria, even as he raced the length of the room. He shoved Maladict backwards. “Get out of here, go change, get the blood off your hands.”

Maladict’s eyes had changed colour, the pale blue was ringed with red and as Chase looked up at him he could see the hunger burning in the depths of them. Nostrils flaring again, Maladict suddenly blinked and looked at Chase as though seeing him for the first time.

“I’m all right. Now you’re here.”

Chase frowned, but he didn’t have time to try and understand why.

“What happened?” Peter came barrelling down the stairs with Victoria in tow. “What’s going on? Who is she?”

The same questions were running through Chase’s mind and they both looked towards Maladict for an answer.

“She’s a Shifter,” he said through still gritted teeth. “Her father contacted me a few days ago. Told me she’d left home and he thought she might be in trouble –“

Even as Maladict spoke Peter checked the girl over, but the expression on his face was bleak.

“I tracked her down in Oxford, but the Department were after her as well. She was panicked and frightened. They cornered her and I tried to step in. She didn’t know me. She tried to run. They chased her. There was a road. She didn’t even stop to look. The truck hit her head on…”

Peter swore under his breath. “You should have taken her to a hospital, Maladict. She’s lost too much blood. I don’t know if I can save her.”

“I couldn’t. She kept losing control of her Shifting. Her body kept trying to change shape.”

Chase looked down at the girl sprawled on the cold stone floor. She was just a kid, ten or eleven at the most. Her dark hair was matted with blood and her skin looked too pale. Yet even with her eyes rolled back in her head something about her reminded him of Victoria.

He felt a rush of violent hatred towards the Department. What kind of people would drive a girl like this into terrified flight and then leave her there to die? He’d given up asking about the Department because no one seemed to want to talk about it, and the threat they posed seemed distant, like it couldn’t reach them there at West Haven, but suddenly it felt very real again. Save for a few lucky chances it could have been him lying, bleeding on the floor, or Kat, or Victoria.

The girl took a shuddering, laboured breath and Chase felt his stomach clench. She was going to die. He couldn’t say why he felt so certain, but he knew it was true.

His eyes met Maladict’s and the vampire gave a tiny nod. He got to his feet, swiping his bloody hands down the front of his jeans, and left the room on silent feet.

Chase turned back towards Peter and the girl, but Peter started slowing in his ministrations.

“Help me get her to the medical room, Chase.” The older man’s voice sounded defeated. “Let’s at least make her comfortable.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Chase glanced round at Victoria’s voice; he’d almost forgotten she was there. “Is that a good idea?”

“She shouldn’t have to die alone.”

 

Chase stood with his back against the wall, his fists balled so tightly he could feel his nails cutting into his palms.

He’d carried the girl up from the hall, horrified by how tiny she felt in his arms, and laid her on the bed. He’d stepped back quickly, but couldn’t seem to find the strength to leave the room, even though he couldn’t stand to stay.

After a few moments Peter stepped back.

“I’ve dosed her up with morphine, but I don’t think she’ll survive the night. I simply don’t have the equipment to save her.”

“Could we get her to a hospital?” Chase asked quickly.

“No. We don’t have the means to take her, and the trip would likely kill her.”

“We could call an ambulance,” Chase insisted. He couldn’t believe they were just going to let her die.

Victoria shook her head. “No, we can’t. The Department track all emergency calls, and we can’t have an ambulance turn up here, it would raise too many questions.”

“So we’re just going to let her die?”

“She’s going to die anyway,” Peter said softly. “Even if we did get her to a hospital I don’t think she’d survive.” He patted Chase’s shoulder. “I’ll leave her with you, Victoria. Call for me if she needs anything.”

The door swung closed behind the older man and Chase lifted his eyes to Victoria.

She gave him a weary smile as she tugged a sheet over the girl’s shoulders and started to comb out her hair. He watched for a moment as Victoria began carefully cleaning the blood from the unconscious girl’s face and hands.

“This isn’t the first time, is it?”

Victoria shook her head slowly. “No. I wish it was, but it isn’t. It’s a part of our way of life, unfortunately.”

Chase shuddered. “So are you going to stay with her all night?”

“That’s the plan. But you should go if you want. You don’t have to stay.”

It was a long time before Chase replied. Part of him desperately wanted to leave. He wanted to escape the stench of death filling the room, but he couldn’t leave Victoria to sit alone with a dying girl.

“I’ll stay.”

Enjoy!

You can add it on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22094406-chasing-freedom

Please share and tweet and 'like'!

Friday's Teaser - Just Two Weeks To Go!

I promised a teaser each week leading up to the release date - so here is the next one.

Don't forget, Chasing Freedom will be on sale on the 15th of June. A date that ended up being far more significant than I had originally realised - but more on that another time. For now - here is a little snippet to hopefully spark your curiosity.

Chase woke with a groan of pain. Every part of his body ached. Even his hair hurt. He felt like he’d been used as somebody’s punching bag, either that or he’d been tackled by a guy twice his weight. The latter seemed more likely. He lay for a moment, eyes scrunched closed against the sunlight, trying to remember taking any big hits at practice the night before.

Slowly he became aware that something wasn’t right. It wasn’t his soft bed under him, but what felt like damp grass. And how could the sun be shining on him? His dorm room faced west.

Vague memories of the previous night flooded back and he bolted upright. The memories were disjointed and confusing, but most of all he remembered the pain. The feeling of his entire body twisting and convulsing. The agony as his hands became paws, as his ears moved up the side of his head, and as his teeth lengthened into inch long fangs.

Chase took deep breaths, shuddering at the memory. It had to have been a dream. Right? He hadn’t really turned into some kind of animal.

He got shakily to his feet and froze. He was in the middle of a forest. And he was naked. Completely, and utterly, naked.

Taking a second, calmer look around he realised it wasn’t a forest, but the woodland on the edge of the Common in his home town. It lay nearly twenty miles from his school. He couldn’t remember getting there.

On the plus side, it did mean home was nearby, and clothes. He really, really wanted some clothes.

He edged towards the border of the woodland, peering out between the trees. It was very early morning, not long past dawn if he could judge. There was no one in sight.

Closing his eyes he took another deep breath and set off at a run.

It took him fifteen excruciating minutes to get home. He used the back alleys, and cut across back gardens, but he was still fairly sure old Mrs Jenkins at number sixteen saw him as he leapt her garden wall and onto his mother’ flowerbeds.

His mum and dad were almost certainly still asleep, but a spare key lived in the bottom of the flower pot by the back door. He’d told his mum a thousand times it was too dangerous leaving it there, but for once he was glad she had ignored him.

The door creaked a little as he pushed it open, but he made it to the bathroom without waking either of his parents.

Two minutes later Chase stood under the shower, scalding water beating down on his back. Muddy water swirled away from his feet and down the drain. The shower wasn’t helping, even when he scrubbed himself again and again, he still felt somehow unclean. His nails were caked with mud, and more worryingly blood. He racked his brain, trying to think where the blood had come from. Was it his own? A vague memory of a man’s terrified face suggested it wasn’t. Bile rose in his throat. Had he attacked someone? Killed them? Why couldn’t he remember?

 

 

Chasing Freedom, Chapter 3

 



So there it is.

Don't forget you can add Chasing Freedom on goodreads.com : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22094406-chasing-freedom
You can follow me on Twitter @NSDorrington
And you can get updates and information on Facebook here:https://www.facebook.com/NovelsByNsDorringtons

Friday's Teaser

As I did with The Last Knight, I have decided to give everyone a little teaser for Chasing Freedom every weekend leading up to release on the 15th June.

Today I'm going to start in the most logical place - the beginning.

So without further ado, the very opening scene (a scene first drafted about 9 years ago!) of Chasing Freedom.

Get ready to meet Chase Finn!

He was going to die. His heart knew it, hammering away as though trying to make every last beat count. He crouched, panting for breath, fingers clutching the stitch in his side. Coppery, thick blood trickled into his mouth from a gash on his lip, and he shivered uncontrollably in the cold, foggy night. He was trapped. Instinct screamed at him to fight, but logic overruled it. Fight and he would die. Hide and he might just survive the night. The hunt was over, but Chase Finn wasn’t ready to die just yet.

Rain dripped down the back of his collar from a broken drainpipe and he shivered more violently. He hadn’t slept in two days and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. There hadn’t been time. All he could do was run. Run, hide, and pray they never found him.

He wedged himself further down between the dustbin and the wall. The space was too small for his tall frame; his shoulders scraped against the brickwork and his right calf muscle began to cramp. He tried to ignore it and squinted through the rain.

He scanned his surroundings, looking for an escape route he knew didn’t exist. There wasn’t much to see; illumination from the streetlight reached less than a foot into the alleyway. The rest remained in darkness. Chase could only just make out the stack of crates a little further down, and rubbish spilt across the ground from an overturned dustbin.

Sucking in a breath the cool air stung his throat and lungs. For a moment he felt calmer - until he heard the sound of slow, steady footsteps approaching the alley.

 “He came down here.”

Chase risked a glance from behind the bin. Two men stood silhouetted against the orange glow of the streetlight. One kept watch out towards the cars by the kerb; the other peered into the alleyway.

“Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t, but I’m not going down there to look. They’re vicious when they’re cornered.” The smaller of the two men looked away from the street and then back again, shifting uncomfortably.

Chase watched them, his heart in his mouth. Keep going, you bastards.

“You wanna get paid?” The taller man edged into the alley and Chase tensed. “We got a bounty. We don’t bring him in, we get no money.” He took another two steps, but didn’t seem to want to go further without backup.

The smaller man clenched his fists at his sides then reached into his jacket. Light glinted on the metal of a gun as he followed his companion into the alley. They edged forward, watching every shadow for movement.

Taking a deep breath, Chase tried to stop the wild beating of his heart, irrationally afraid it would give him away. There was nowhere left to run. Logic be damned, fighting was the only choice he had.

He waited, a low growl reverberating in his throat, until they were only a few feet away before springing. Chase tackled the larger man full in the chest, sending him reeling backwards into the brick wall. They both fell, but Chase rolled onto his knees and scrambled upright. The man was still struggling to his feet as Chase whirled around – only to find himself face-to-face with the barrel of a gun. Before he could react the butt of the weapon smashed into his temple. Lights exploded behind his eyes and he staggered backwards.

“Easy now, mate,” the smaller man murmured as Chase regained his footing and lunged back towards him. “I don’t want to hurt you. I get more if I take you in unharmed.”

Chase took another step forward and snarled.

Sighing, the man raised his weapon again; this time pointed at Chase’s chest, and pulled the trigger.

To find out what happens next I guess you'll have to read the book!

Add to goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22094406-chasing-freedom
Follow me on twitter: @NSDorrington
And on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NovelsByNsDorrington

Read, enjoy and share!

Cover Reveal!

So the day has come. It's one month now until I release my second novel  - CHASING FREEDOM - and I can now share the cover and back cover blurb with you all.

To tell you just a little about this book - I actually first started writing it about 9 years ago. Long before the werewolf and vampire craze took over. I put it aside for a long time, always swearing I would go back to it one day.

That day has finally come!

So without further ado - here is the cover of CHASING FREEDOM!

I'm incredibly pleased with it - and I hope everyone likes it too!

As for the book itself - here's the blurb:

Chase Finn is being hunted, and if he ever stops running he’s going to end up dead.

It doesn’t matter that he’s only seventeen. It doesn’t matter that just a few weeks ago he was a normal teenager. All that matters is that he is a threat, and the Agents tracking him will stop at nothing to see him neutralised.

With the line between friends and enemies blurring, Chase discovers he is just a pawn in the middle of a war that’s lasted for centuries, but he isn’t going to let himself be used any longer.

Soon both sides of the war are going to learn that the most important thing about Chase Finn isn’t that he’s a werewolf, it’s that he’ll sacrifice everything, even his own freedom, for the people he loves.

 

 

CHASING FREEDOM will be available from Amazon on the 15th June 2014

In the meantime add it to goodreads.com here https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22094406-chasing-freedom

Brand New Cover at Last!!

All right, admittedly this was supposed to happen over the weekend, so I’m a little late.

I have a legitimate excuse though – a very good friend got married on Saturday (Congrats Nora and Rob!) and I was a bridesmaid so I was a little busy.

However, now the wedding madness is over I have the time to do what I’ve been wanting to do for ages and reveal my new cover for The Last Knight.

I had to wait a while until the paperbacks were ready to go – but they pretty much are. So the new cover will be available from the end of this week hopefully..

Therefore, without further ado….Drum Roll please……

The Kindle/Front Cover

I am so excited about these. They make me super happy - I hope everyone else likes them too!
With huge thanks to two lovely ladies who made these possible - Jo of Silver Rock Designs for the stunning back cover photo and the runic design, and Jennifer of Eye 4 Design for the design work.

 

The Full Paper Back

Post-Publication Blues

All right. So I admit it. After all the stress and craziness over getting The Last Knight published I got kind of lazy. I had put so much time and energy into getting the book ready to go, and doing the blog tour and all the rest of it that when it was over I was a little lost. I honestly didn’t really know what to do with myself.

And this blog suffered as a result. I don’t think I could face trying to put down in words exactly what it was like to finally have my book out there.

I’m still not sure that I can find the words. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride but it’s been worth it.

So what’s happening with the book now? Well, it’s not been an overnight bestseller (like that was going to happen anywhere but in my dreams) but it has been better than I expected. I honestly just expected my family and friends to buy it. That hasn’t been the case. It’s not sold a huge number of copies, but it is steady progress.

And most importantly people are enjoying it. A current 4.5 star rating on goodreads.com. Positive, encouraging reviews. And people I know reading it and telling me that they can’t put it down. What better comment is there than that?

But the question that’s been plaguing me for the past couple of weeks is ‘what now’? Where do I go from here?

Well the first big news is that I am going to be releasing The Last Knight as a paperback. E-readers are great, but not everyone has one and I want to make the book as available as I can. Plus there is the pure vanity side of it that I just really want to hold a copy in my hands. It’s a longer, slightly more involved process than the e-book publishing was, but I am still hoping to have it on sale by the end of the summer.

The second news is that I am knuckling down and working on the sequel. I’d always half planned on writing a second book – I love Lance and Cara too much not to tell more of their story. Plus anyone who’s read the book knows the ending isn’t exactly a happily-ever-after. I don’t have an exact publication date just yet – but the hope is to have it out sometime around Christmas, or the new year.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped or supported me over the last few months. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’d like to say that I’ll stop talking about the book so much now – but you know that’s not going to happen.

For now, Lance and Cara are waiting, I have their next story to tell.

The Last Teaser...

So it’s getting real now, people. Just over a week to go until THE LAST KNIGHT hits the shelves.

Nine days to be exact.

Nine days. Wow, that’s a scary thought. Emotionally, it’s been a crazy rollercoaster ride over the last couple of months. I’ve gone from incredibly excited to feeling sick with fear and worry. And I doubt that’s going to change in the next week.

I’ve had days where I am so excited to get this book out there – to see what people think. And I’ve had days where I think I’ve made some huge, crazy mistake.

But what’s kept me going along this path has been the overwhelming support of the people around me. Friends, family, people I barely know,  who are still supporting the launch of this book. They have all made it possible for me to follow through on the promise I made on the spur of the moment back at the beginning of April.

Spur of the moment it might have been, but it’s still the right decision. Panicky feelings aside. This is the right choice for me. Because being a writer for me was never about making money or being famous. It was about telling some stories that are fun and entertaining, and hopefully touch people in some way. I don’t have to have a publisher or an agent to do that.

So this week, seeing as we are getting so close to release day – just a teeny, tiny snippet of a teaser, from about midway through the book. It might give a little something away, but it’s not too spoilery.

 

My fingers tingled with static electricity building in the air. My heart hammered in my chest.

I turned the corner and stopped dead, like I’d hit a solid brick wall.

At the far end of the corridor was a big glass case with a suit of gleaming armour. I could have blamed the overhead light for the way it glowed, but I’d have been lying. Perhaps to anyone else it looked like a regular display, but not to me.

I edged forward, my feet like lead weights. The glass case grew closer, and I could feel Lance just one step behind me.

There it was in front of me. A huge broadsword hung on a set of supports. The hilt was bound in leather, turned black with age, and a blood red stone was held in place on the pommel by a metal griffin, so perfectly moulded that it almost looked alive, its eyes tiny chips of ruby. The blade was unmarked and undamaged, as flawless as the day it was forged.

Excalibur.

 

Chapter Twenty-One, THE LAST KNIGHT

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Not Long Now!

So another Friday has rolled around, and it is now only 17 days until the release of my first novel. Wow!

It’s strange. When I first started on this journey, when I first decided I was going to self-publish, it felt like I had so much time ahead of me to plan and work, but the time has flown by and suddenly in just over two weeks my first novel is going to be on sale.

It’s a scary, exhilarating feeling! There are still parts of me that are terrified. I’m scared that people won’t like the book – that perhaps I have jumped the gun and published THE LAST KNIGHT before it’s really ready. I’m worried that even if it is good, it simply won’t sell – that no one will ever hear about it.

But that said I have been incredibly lucky to get more support than I could have ever expected. Not just from my family and close friends, but from everyone around me. Friends who have gone out of their way to spread the word for me – to try and get this book out there in the public eye. Their support is invaluable. The lovely Sharon Johnston gets particular thanks in this regard.

For this week’s teaser I’m going to just give you the ‘cover blurb’, the synopsis that is hopefully going to make people want to read the book:

Seventeen-year-old Cara Page knows what mark she's going to get on her English test next week. She knows in three days her history teacher is going to be late because his car broke down. She knows she's going to give the new boy a nose bleed on his first day.

She knows because every night she dreams of the future, and every day those dreams come true.

Now she's dreaming of a boy, and a future that can't be real. Because if it is, then everything she thought was myth and legend is actually true, and there is an evil coming that will tear the country apart.

Lance Filwer is a boy with secrets of his own, and a past full of mistakes he can't undo. Cara is his second chance, his chance to succeed where he failed before - if only she'll trust him enough to let him help her.

Cara needs to know what's happening, but the answer lies in a long forgotten past, and an ancient legend. To find it Cara will have to travel into the depths of Wales, and the heart of ancient Britain.

With Wraiths, creatures from the darkest of myths, dogging her every move, Cara knows it's only a matter of time before they catch up with her. And myth or not, they will kill her.

Her only hope is Lance, and the birth right she must claim, if she is to prevent the future she has foreseen.

I honestly believe that writing the cover blurb was ten times as hard as actually writing the novel!

I’m going to leave you today with a few links:

Follow me on Twitter - @NSDorrington

Like THE LAST KNIGHT on Facebook - THE LAST KNIGHT

Or add it to your shelf on Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18048103-the-last-knight

Another Tasty Teaser...

So I’m a day late, but a few real life things got in the way!

This isn’t even going to be a long post, just the promised teaser. It’s getting harder to find good scenes that don’t give away too much of the story!

I had the next period free and found a quiet corner of the courtyard to read the book we’d just started in class. It was freezing cold, but there was no way I was venturing into the Sixth Form common room. As far as I was concerned it was one of the circles of hell.

“So, Cara, getting in with the new boy I see,” a familiar voice drawled from above me.

“Go away, Anderson.” I didn’t look up from the page of my book, even though I wasn’t seeing the words anymore.

The bench creaked beside me. “Well, that’s not very friendly, is it?”

I looked up when he sat down next to me. James Anderson. Brown haired, green eyed, and Captain of the school rugby team. My ex-boyfriend and bane of my existence, and the person who still made my heart clench painfully every time I saw him.

“What do you want?”

He smiled. To anyone else it might have looked like a friendly grin, but I knew the viciousness lurking behind it.

“Can’t I just be friendly?”

“You’re never friendly. Least, not to me.”

Looking away from me, out across the courtyard, he shrugged. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind about you.”

I snorted. “Bullshit.”

“Yeah, you’re right. You know me too well.” He paused, a smirk playing on his lips. “Bet you were excited about the new guy. Did you think maybe you’d finally found a friend? Someone who didn’t know what a crazy, psycho bitch you are?” He spoke so calmly, making it sound like a statement of fact rather than an insult.

My body tensed. So that’s why he was here. To let me know they’d already told Lance all about me. To let me know that making my life miserable was still top priority.

“I don’t care.” I said the words, but I didn’t mean them. I did care. I cared a lot, too much probably. It was hard to believe I’d been in love with Anderson once. It was a misplaced love, and trust, that had turned me into a social outcast and the betrayal still hurt like hell.

“Oh, come on, Cara. Samantha and Rebecca were just doing their civic duty. Got to warn the poor guy about you after all.”

“They didn’t have to,” I muttered.

“No, but they wanted to.” Anderson smiled down at me, his green eyes cold.

As I looked up into his eyes I wondered again what had possessed me to trust him. But I had. I’d told him everything. About my mum, and my dreams.

It might’ve been alright if I’d kept it vague. He might’ve thought I just had a wild imagination, that maybe I was an attention seeker. But I hadn’t, I’d told him about the latest dream, the dream about his sister and the car crash. He’d told me I was sick and refused to answer my calls or texts.

It might have ended there, but four days later his thirteen year old sister had been killed in a horrific car accident, and every time I thought about it I felt sick to my stomach.

When Anderson had returned to school after his sister’s funeral he’d told the whole school about my crazy mother, and that I was crazy too. Of course, in his version I’d made up the dreams after the accident. I still didn’t know if he really believed it, if somehow he’d twisted it in his own memory because it made more sense, or if that little flash of emotion I saw in his eyes sometimes was fear. Fear because he alone knew even if I was crazy, I wasn’t lying. I really had seen the future, and he blamed me for it.

He was still looking down at me. I blinked first and looked away, and he chuckled. Leaning back on the bench he stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankle, the picture of ease.

“Do you think you’ll start hearing voices soon, like your mother? ‘Cause I really want to be around when they cart you off to the mental institute.”

I stood abruptly. “Go to hell, Anderson.”

“Only to watch you rotting there,” he called after me as I stormed away.

THE LAST KNIGHT, Chapter Two

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