Lots going on as I prep for the June 9th release of the first book in my new sci-fi urban fantasy series. In case you hadn’t heard, the kindle version of The Shadow Of All Things is currently available for pre-order from Amazon for $3.99. That’s less than the price of a morning Frappuccino from your favorite java joint. The print edition which will come out the same day includes illustrations from Tulsa-based artist Colleen Beauchamp Stiles. I’ve known Colleen for 20 years and she’s done a great job capturing the spirit of the book. I encourage you to check out her site and to take a first look at three drawings that will be included in the print edition. I’m excited to share these with you and hope that you will pre-order a copy or buy the print edition when it becomes available in two weeks. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
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I’m excited to announce that the first book in my new urban fantasy series The Shadow Of All Things is available for pre-order on Amazon now.
Pre-sale for the print edition with illustrations by Colleen Beauchamp Stiles will follow shortly and I’ll add the link for that as soon as possible. The novel will be released on Thursday, June 9th. Be sure and sign up for my monthly email blast today for a sneak peek at Colleen’s amazing illustrations for the book. I’ll be sharing those over the upcoming weekend. Have a fantastic Friday!
the scenario imagining a young Asian punk rock girl standing against one of the doors, head phones on, tapping to her own rhythm as something appeared out of the dark in the glass behind her. That image lingered after the subway started back up. Who was that girl? What were those creatures? The first chapter took shape in my mind.
Almost two years have passed since that happened: two years of tumultuous upheavals, big and small, in our little corners of the globe and around the world. There’s never been a period in my life that so much change seems to be happening to so many in such a short period. The Shadow Of All Things was written in that whirlwind and I’ve tried to do my best to write an entertaining story that also touches on the fear permeating our times. I’d like to thank the artist Colleen Stiles for her patience as we navigated this long strange trip. I missed several deadlines and we went back to the drawing board on the cover and illustrations (that I’ll reveal in the not far future) several times before we settled on the one you are looking at now. I couldn’t be happier with the finished product. The cover pays respect to NYC and also captures a foreboding, anxious quality in the text. Thanks so much to my family, friends and of course, the readers of my books for bearing with me. The Shadow Of All Things will be coming out in late May. Stay tuned for more details including an autographed copy of the book, illustration reveal and more.
It’s been months since I’ve posted regularly to this page.
What’s happened in that time? The usual stuff: a new job, spending additional time with family, reading more, and attempting to recharge my batteries. Sometimes it’s necessary to unplug from the Internet and reconnect with living in the moment. After that much needed decompression time I’m happy to say that I’m hard at work on my new series. Book 1 of the Elyuum series just went through a final round of edits and is close to being completed. The only question is whether I release it in December or wait until I have more of the series completed so I can shotgun them back to back. As readers would you rather an author release a string of books in a series within a short time frame (so you don’t have to wait) or as each one is completed? The illustrator Colleen Beauchamp-Stiles has outdone herself on “The Shadow of All Things” and the print copies will contain her beautiful drawings. I’ll be posting some of these as we inch closer to the publication date. It’s really stellar stuff. “Nightfall Gardens” continues to gather reviews and build momentum. I have a soon-to-be released novella (excerpted in “The Labyrinth”) that contains the full story of Villon and how he came to be trapped in the White Garden. The tragic love story/monster epic had to be severely edited for “The Labyrinth” and I plan on giving it to people who sign up or are signed up for my email list. I’m going to make every effort to post to my blog and social media more regularly. Until next week, thanks for your patience and I hope you have a great start of fall. February has to be the coldest month in New York City. The temperature dropped to 3 degrees last night and it’s been a dodge of snow and freezing cold weather since the start of the New Year. Everyone here is way over it.
All that indoor time has given me the chance to polish the first book in my Elyuum series. I’ll be dribbing more information about that in the weeks ahead, I’m able to announce the name of the book today (cue trumpet horns), but you have to sign up to my mailing list to receive it (sneaky). I also plan on giving out the first four chapters of the book (shortly before publication) and other freebies so sign up today. The novel will be released in late spring and I can’t wait to share it with my readers. I just got the first sketches from Colleen Beauchamp Stiles and we are working out the cover and other cool stuff that will go along with it. February has also given me the chance to do more spreading the word about “Nightfall Gardens”. In addition to a ton of reviews that are forthcoming from fantastic book blogs, I’m dropping the first book in the series to 99 cents for one day on Monday, February 23. If you have any friends who might enjoy the series, let them know. As always, it’s much appreciated from me. The “Nightfall Gardens” album is also shaping up nicely. More information about whether it will be available on Vinyl or how people can purchase it will soon be forthcoming. I’m also close to finalizing the details on the long-awaited “Nightfall Gardens” book bash in Brooklyn. Again, sign up to my email blast to learn more about that. Until next time, stay warm, stay safe and read a good book. It’s that time of year in New York City when black ice (and other substances) freeze to the sidewalks and the wind cuts down your back no matter which direction you go.
As we look forward to the spring (lingering way off over the dark horizon … but I can dream) I thought I’d take a second to thank the readers of “Nightfall Gardens” and talk a little about some upcoming projects. |
Allen HoustonStoryteller Archives
July 2021
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