Reddit is pretty cool. It’s a massive online community with countless forums devoted to different topics.
I’m hosting an AMA (“ask me anything”) in the r/Fantasy forum as an independent author who debuted my first novel this year. Here’s the link to the thread, and you’re invited to participate or to just read along if you’re curious about my book or indie publishing. You can also win a trade paperback copy of my book.
p.s. 2012 is gonna kick ass. Thanks to Monique Martin for the graphic.
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Short and sweet today. My epic fantasy novel, The Black God’s War, is currently free at Amazon UK and at iBooks/iTunes. I’m not sure how long it’ll remain free, so if you’re in the UK or if you use iBooks, please my guest and download a full copy of the novel. Reviews are appreciated, but never expected. Enjoy!
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Welllll, not quite. But the Indie Book Podcast did (in an audio review), and they filled in nicely. Spoiler: Two thumbs up. They talked about The Black God’s War for about 7 minutes, and I really loved hearing their thoughts (I especially loved that Jane liked Narayani, Aayu, and Duilio–three of my characters that don’t usually get as much love as the others). I also found their criticisms right on the mark and helpful.
IndieBookPodcast.com is a book review podcast that focuses on indie/self-published books and news about indie publishing. Next week, their episode will also feature a brief interview with me.
Thanks very much, Jane!
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SFSignal.com melds the minds of science fiction and fantasy writers every Wednesday, inviting authors to answer a new question each week. This week, my brain was invited to the stew. Ewww!
The question was:
Q: What is the role and place of maps in Fantasy novels? Which are your favorites? Why?
In my comments, I talked about my own experience with commissioning a map for The Black God’s War and gave links to some of my favorite maps, including maps from:
Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera, Book 6.
Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold
David Anthony Durham’s Acacia
Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn
Kevin J Anderson’s Terra Incognita series
Selina Fenech’s Memory’s Wake
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
And, of course, my own.
I could link to those maps from here, but then you might not see all of the cool things over there. So check it out!
You might’ve seen my map for The Black God’s War:
But I haven’t shown the original map that I drew for Jared Blando at TheRedEpic.com (he’s the artist of the above map):
Good thing there are real artists in the world, eh?
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The Black God’s War has arrived, to my sincere surprise, with some very kind reviews from three outstanding book reviewers.
GraceKrispy from MotherLode is a well-respected reviewer who rarely gives out 5 stars (so far, only four other 5-star reviews on her popular blog this year), but she had this to say at the end of her review of The Black God’s War:
If you follow my reviews regularly, you know I don’t give many 5 star reviews. In my way of thinking, there are almost always things I would have changed about a story. Although I’ve listed a few things I’d change about this story (clarify chapter headings and characters’ thoughts), I find that (hours later), I can’t stop thinking about the characters and their journeys. I find myself contemplating the messages that were delivered (whether overtly or veiled). Overall, I find I really can’t stop thinking about this story. Unforgettable story, intriguing characters, compelling journey with unexpected twists- in short, a very satisfying and engaging read. Isn’t that why we read for pleasure?
Then today a review came in from Derek Prior at IndieFantasyReview. Derek wrote a rather critical review of my previously released novella and he’s not the type to blow sunshine, so this was nice to hear:
The Black God’s War is, to date, the finest example of quality independent fantasy I’ve seen. This is undoubtedly due to Siregar’s willingness to write and rewrite until each chapter feels just right to him … As a reader, I was left with absolute confidence that this writer knows his world and characters inside out …
He’s also no slacker when it comes to presentation of his material either. This book has been professionally and extensively edited, proofed, and formatted. There is a remarkable map and a great cover.
This is what indie publishing is all about and I have no qualms about recommending this great novel.
A third professional review also arrived just today. It’s from Robert Duperre at the Journal of Always. Robert wrote the sort of deep, thoughtful, and thorough review that every author dreams of receiving. Here’s an excerpt from his 4.5 star review:
“… there is a rather brilliant climax that left me grinning from ear to ear …
In conclusion, The Black God’s War is a unique experience. The plot is intricate, the characters even more so, and the message is one of beauty. By the time you flip to the last few pages, I hope you have the shivers just as I did, which is how I know that Moses Siregar is going to be around a long time, and his voice, one of unity, passion, and loving sensibilities, is important – in the world at large as well as literature.
So bravo, Mr. Siregar. You wrote a damn good book. You should be very proud.”
Goodreads:
![The Black God's War [A Stand-Alone Novel] (Splendor and Ruin, Book I)](http://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png?1312583119)
Use the arrow in the bottom-right to turn the page:
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Some of you already know that I’m a co-host at the Adventures In SciFi Publishing podcast. Last week, in honor of the release of my novel, my friends Shaun and Brent interviewed, well, me. We discussed my early background, how I got into writing fantasy fiction, my influences, The Black God’s War, and the state of publishing today.
Here’s episode 130 of AISFP. Thanks for listening!
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Writing isn’t nearly as much fun without loud music in my face. I need your help so I can rock (or groove, or float) on.
I recently asked my homeys on Facebook and Twitter to recommend just one song for my next music playlist. These are the songs I’ll listen to as I write my next book, The Gods Divided (sequel to The Black God’s War, which comes out on August 1st). There’s still time to recommend a song (only one, please). I’ve listened to all of the current suggestions (thanks, y’all!), and here are the ten songs I’ve approved so far.
In no particular order:
Map of the Problematique, by Muse (from @AlexJKane).
Crystal, by New Order (from @RinnFalconer).
Call me When You’re Sober, by Evanescence (from @MumofBabyDavros).
The Last of the Mohicans, from the soundtrack (from @Strassur).
Timshel, by Mumford & Sons (from @charlotte_abel).
Roads, by Portishead (from @I_Pagan).
Sigur Ros, by Sæglópur (from Corey Podwinski)
Angels, by Wax Poetic featuring Norah Jones (Alexandra Geraets)
Sign of the Southern Cross, by Black Sabbath (Eric Kent Edstrom)
Remembering, by Karen Thurber (Karen Thurber‘s MySpace)
(I’ll keep adding songs to this list as I approve new songs.)
New songs added since I published this blog post:
Philosophia, by Guggenheim Grotto (@_MoniqueMartin_)
Anywhere on This Road, by Lhasa de Sela (Sarah Bartsch)
For Prayer, by Wye Oak (@iamfantastikate)
Blow Me Away, by Breaking Benjamin featuring Valora (lexcade)
Escape Artist, by Zoe Keating (Timothy C Ward)
Threads, by This Will Destroy You (bennylol)
A Song for Starlit Beaches, by Yndi Halda (Machine_Gun_Jubblies)
Solitude is Bliss, by Tame Impala (MunkyAU)
Lobby, by The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (thepaganapostle)
Welcome Home, by Coheed and Cambria (Barry Napier)
Feel free to comment with a song suggestion, and leave something like an email address or twitter handle in case I add your song. The first 20 selections will win paper copies of my book. EDIT: I’ve just reached 20 songs, but feel free to suggest a song if you’d like a chance to win a free ebook edition of The Black God’s War.
My taste is eclectic, and I like variety in my playlists. Thanks for your help, and check out the links to the songs above if you’re looking for a good time.
A really cool thing happened to me last week. John Mierau (one heck of a good interviewer) talked with me about The Black God’s War, my process, and indie publishing. Here’s the interview.
I’ve conducted a lot of interviews with best-selling science fiction and fantasy authors over the last year. So it was terrifying interesting to be on the other end of the Skype connection.
By the way, if you haven’t seen the new map for my novel, here it is. I’ll probably blog about it soon.
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I’m goofy-excited to announce that my debut novel is scheduled for release on August 1st, a few days before my birthday. (EDIT: The book is out!)
Against the backdrop of epic warfare and the powers of ten mysterious gods, Lucia struggles to understand The Black One.
Her father-king wants war.
Her messianic brother wants peace.
The black god wants his due.
She suffers all the consequences.
King Vieri is losing his war against the lands of Pawelon. Feeling abandoned by his god, he forces his son Caio, the kingdom’s holy savior, to lead his army. Victory ought to come soon.
To counter Caio’s powers, Pawelon’s prince enters the conflict. Rao is a gifted sage, a master of spiritual laws. He joins the rajah to defend their citadel against the invaders. But Rao’s ideals soon clash with his army’s general.
The Black One tortures Lucia nightly with visions promising another ten years of bloodshed. She can no longer tell the difference between the waking world and her nightmares. Lucia knows the black god too well. He entered her bed and dreams when she was ten.
The Black One watches, waiting to see Lucia confront an impossible decision over the fates of two men—and two lands.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thank you all for witnessing the journey!
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Free at Amazon! The Black God's War: A Novella Introducing a New Epic Fantasy
Want to win a free kindle e-reader (or a $100 Amazon or B&N gift certificate) just for tweeting or sharing this blog post on Facebook? Or win $100 for your favorite non-profit charity in the U.S.? The details are below.
I’m feeling blessed. Around midnight on Tuesday night, Amazon made my novella free for the US and the UK. It was downloaded about 3,000 times during the first 24 hours after this change. To put that in perspective, that’s nearly half the total downloads I’ve had over the first 9 months since I released the book (across all e-bookstores). In just 24 hours.
I’m a lucky guy.
To celebrate this and to thank the ebook gods, I’m giving away a free Kindle 3 -or- black-and-white Nook (the winner chooses either the Kindle 3 or the B&W Nook). You’re welcome to enter my drawing for this prize. I’m also going to choose another winner, who will be able to choose a registered non-profit US charity; I’ll donate $100 to the charity of that person’s choice. You can enter multiple times, and here’s how:
Kindle 3
1) Share this blog post on Facebook. You can use the “Share on FB” button at the bottom of this post. As long as your FB account has at least 50 friends or fans, this counts for at least one entry. If your FB page has 500-999 friends or fans, this counts as two entries. If your FB page has more than 1,000 friends or fans, this counts as three entries. You can collect double points for posting this twice, as long as your two FB updates are at least 24 hours apart.
Btw, here’s the link to this blog post, in case you need it:
2) Retweet this blog post using the button in the top right, or RT one of my tweets about the contest. If your Twitter account has 25-499 followers, this counts as one entry. If your Twitter account has 500-999 followers, this counts as two entries. If your Twitter account has 1,000+ followers, this counts as three entries. You can collect double points for tweeting this twice, as long as these tweets are at least 24 hours apart.
3) Write a blog post about this giveaway on your own blog. This counts as two entries.
4) Sign up to get email notifications of new blog posts, using the sign up box at the bottom of this post (even though it will give you an error message when you sign up–but if you get that error message you actually signed up correctly). This counts as two entries. If you’ve already signed up for these notifications, then you can state that to get two entries.
5) Digg this blog post using the button at the bottom. This counts as one entry.
6) Share this blog post using Reddit. This counts as one entry.
7) Share this blog post with StumbleUpon. This counts as one entry.
Nook
Many folks tweeted about my free novella earlier on the 11th, before this blog post was written. Each of those kind people will also get a free entry, and these people are welcome to enter again using the methods above (they can also tweet twice more to get extra entries).
Enter as many times as you’d like (following the above guidelines). The only other rule is that you have to add a comment to this blog post to let me know how you got your entries. For example, you could add a comment that says:
“I tweeted this twice to my followers (my account has 300 followers), wrote a blog about it, and shared it via Reddit. I think that counts for 7 entries. Laterz, I’m going square dancing.”
If you don’t add a comment to claim your entries, your entries won’t count in the drawing. I’ll draw for the two winners either a few days after Amazon’s free promotion of my ebook ends or on June 15th, whichever comes first.
You’re also welcome to check out my free novella, The Black God’s War from Amazon US or UK (my upcoming debut novel by the same title, The Black God’s War, should be out sometime between June and August). Of course, the novella is free on Amazon for now (I don’t know how long that will last), and if you’d like another version for a different e-reader, the best place to get the most recent version of my novella is at Smashwords. I wouldn’t recommend getting the current version from B&N or iBooks (or Kobo or Sony or Diesel), because the versions they have are older. Amazon and Smashwords are the best places to get the latest version. If you read it, then of course you’re welcome to write (or not write) an honest review at Amazon, B&N, GoodReads, or anywhere else.
Thanks a lot for reading this and for participating (if you’d like to)!
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