Saturday, January 10, 2015

Don't call me kitten - cover and publishing details

After the trials and tribulations of 2014 things seem to be coming together in 2015. My partner finally got his old bike ready enough to get it on a trailer and get it to where we wanted to do the photo shoot for the cover of Don't call me kitten. Since we are going to sell our beloved bike soon we wanted to immortalize it for old times sake and what nicer way than on the cover of one of my books. We waited for the right evening lighting and then propped me up on a brick to give me the same height as Helena. Of course Helena is blonde and I haven't quite got her build so it was a lot of work to hide hair and features that didn't suit the character. A small build Celtic-Australian just doesn't come off as a tall big build Russian blonde bombshell. Being an indie author on a non-existent budget you make do. I hope you like the cover. Baring any hiccups the book should be up on most major vendor sites by tomorrow, if not sooner. If you can't wait you'll find it on Smashwords in the meantime. The Google version will have to wait a couple of days until I can access a different PC or faster WiFi as this one doesn't seem to want to talk to the Google book publishing site. It might be just throwing a tizzy because I was using the Firefox browser for the job. Firefox seems to be a little less problematic on the wireless internet we have here. Hoping to get connected to a high speed service within the month, if they can get around to deciding that our address really does exist. At the moment we exist on some databases but not on others. Pretty normal really for the rural back blocks of Australia.

Here's the book's info. I had to limit it or I would have included spoilers:

Zex is a diplomat who specializes in delicate war zone negotiations. He is pulled out of his current assignment to be part of an emergency response team heading out to deal with a new foe. In Moscow Helena is in debt to the Russian Mafia and shadowed by a condor that's not really there. She must forge a life for herself and her sister, trying to make the best of bad lot. Deep in the jungles of South America a small town faces being wiped off the map. I can't tell you much more than that or I'd spoil the story. However, I can say this is book 4 of the Left hand adventures series and includes many of the characters from the previous books. The question is how long will Sakla tolerate the town's existence and the danger its inhabitants pose to his global corporate empire.

Don't forget your feedback on ratings site is invaluable so please consider leaving some wherever you source the book or on Good Reads, Shelfari or Library Thing.

In other news Book 5 is progressing but a visit to one of our favorite lakes just before Christmas truly shocked us.  There was still a lake to be sure but the drop in the lake level was truly mind blowing. It's triggered an idea for a novella I've got side-tracked into writing.

 
 I think this is where a new heroine Eleni will find the crystallized remains of the rest of Thex's team. Those who were hacked (to death?) at the start of it all. Until now they were at the bottom of the lake, concealed from all. I always did wonder how I was going to deal with them. They were a little bit of a loose end - a loose end whose story deserves to be told.