I’m delighted to be involved with the latest Heroes in Hell volume – Monsters in Hell published by #Perseid Press.
In the Heroes in Hell series, Monsters in Hell continues existing plot lines and relates new stories with characters from all epochs of human history as they struggle against torment and even more common problems derived from their unique personalities and backgrounds. But wait, things are changing, even for the Devil and his subordinates, in ways that will cause exciting change, if not outright liberation . . .
Dare you join the war to end all wars? Dare you pick a side in the monstrous regiments rampaging through the underworlds?
Dare you walk with the Pied Piper of Harmelyn as you’ve never seen him before?
Be warned – fairytales in hell do not have a happy ending!
A dangerous quest risks the return of an ancient evil. Legacy of The Fallen is a thrilling fantasy adventure for fans of Empire of Sand, The City of Brass, and This Woven Kingdom.
Legacy of the Fallen
The Fallen Mages Book 1
by Jane Shand
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy Adventure
A dangerous quest risks the return of an ancient evil.
Afshaneh spends her life looking over her shoulder, waiting for her grandparents to send someone to take them back. She might have grown up in luxury, but it was a prison. Now she and her mother live a simple life in the eastern slums of Mahariz. She hides her identity and her forbidden magic. But when she takes on a dangerous quest, will her secrets be revealed?
Her close band of friends know she can be reckless and impulsive, so they are not surprised when she agrees to reclaim a lost artefact for a stranger. She could not refuse; he offered enough money to keep her and her mother safe forever.
However, she soon learns that this artefact and the one who seeks it could be the most dangerous things in the land. Her quest will take her to the ominous ruins of a castle once occupied by evil mages: The Fallen. She will begin to understand their legacy and will be faced with a choice.
Should she destroy the artefact – become the heroine everyone believes she can be – and so attract the wrath of an evil mage, or should she claim the reward and risk the return of The Fallen?
Legacy of The Fallen is a thrilling fantasy adventure for fans of Empire of Sand, The City of Brass, and This Woven Kingdom. If you enjoy vivid worlds, complex characters, and tales of reluctant heroines/chosen ones then join Afshaneh on her quest and discover which choice she makes…
Jane Shand has always been an avid reader of fantasy and mystery and is an author of YA Fantasy.
She got hooked on fantasy after reading ‘Lord of the Rings’ at a young age and was determined to write books full of magic and adventure.
Her books always have magic, adventure, and some mystery. They are full of friendship and co-operation as well as danger and enemies. There will be a happy/satisfactory ending and some clean romance. Her books are all set in the same ‘world’ though on different continents and there is a thread/item that ties all the books together.
She lives in Hampshire, England with her family and two cheeky cats who would love to help her write.
Ever wondered where your socks go in the laundry, or why you can’t find your keys? The Kitchen Imps have the answer.
The Kitchen Imps and Other Dark Tales – six short tales of mayhem and mischief.
Winner of the 2018 best fantasy on NN Light Book Heaven.
Naughty imps, missing socks, cunning thieves and baffled gods feature in this collection of short fantasy fiction.
How to Write a Successful Book Blurb – Rose Atkinson Carter
Around 4 million books are published each year, so how can you make yours stand out? In addition to composing a stellar manuscript and coming up with an exciting cover and title, another important element to consider is your book’s blurb. Often up to 200 words long, blurbs — which are typically found on a book’s back cover — present what happens in a story in an engaging and captivating way.
In this post, I’m going to share some tips on how to write an effective book blurb that’ll help you hook readers in seconds.
1. Pay attention to the first lines
Imagine this: you’re at a bookstore with just enough money to purchase one book. You see a table of recently released titles in your favorite genre and read their blurbs to help you determine your top choice. Would you be more likely to choose a book with a simple blurb and typical story structure, or a carefully crafted blurb that piques your interest with a bold first statement or question?
If you want to quickly hook your readers, you’ll have to intrigue them from the very start. While blurbs are usually short, most people don’t end up reading every single word, so don’t save your most interesting sentences for the end!
Let’s pretend you’re writing a genre-bending mystery series that combines elements of fantasy, romance, and cozy mysteries. Which first lines do you think a potential reader would find more riveting?
“Jenny Cutts’ The Invisible Body is the first book of The Falling Awake Mysteries” or “A strange ability. A discovered corpse. But will his supernatural sleuthing skills lead him into a killer’s trap?”
The former would help the reader understand that this title is part of a multi-book series, but the latter would more likely compel them to keep on reading and find out more. What exactly is this aforementioned strange ability? Who was murdered, and who found the body? Who is the killer, and what trap have they laid out? Consider writing something just as compelling at the start of your own book’s blurb!
2. Less is more
Even if your book has 10 plot twists, a cast of 12 complex characters, and multiple POVs, your book’s blurb needs to be around 150 to 200 words long. It’s easy to get carried away while writing a description — especially if it’s for a book you care deeply about — but if your blurb is too wordy, that could turn potential readers away.
After your blurb’s compelling first lines, include a synopsis of your book with the most important details about its setting, protagonists, primary conflict, and stakes. Make sure you avoid including anything a reader might consider a spoiler, such as a shocking revelation or character death.
If you want to make your blurb easier to read, try breaking it up into more than one paragraph. Instead of composing a huge chunk of words, structure your blurb so that each paragraph has a different purpose. For example, the first paragraph can hook your reader, while the second paragraph and third paragraphs can focus on conflict and major stakes.
The blurb of Heather Fawcett’s bestselling novel Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, for example, uses a three-paragraph structure:
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party — or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones — the most elusive of all faeries — lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all — her own heart.
3. Make your blurb’s tone match your book
To help potential readers get a better sense of what to expect from your book, don’t forget to get your blurb’s tone right! If you write fantasy with prose that’s dark and gritty, having a comedic, pun-filled blurb probably isn’t the best idea.
While writing, also make sure to avoid using a neutral voice. A simple, straightforward book description is useful when you’re writing a cover letter for a literary agent, but for potential readers, having exciting language and word choice is the way to go.
Let’s take a quick look at the first paragraph of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novel The Hobbit: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
The book’s blurb reflects this fairytale-like quality and tone, while also hinting at the protagonist’s unwillingness to step outside of his comfort zone: “Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon…”
Writing an engaging blurb will take lots of time and practice, but it’s definitely worth all the effort, especially if you want your work to reach a wider audience! Remember, it could just be the very thing that convinces a potential reader to choose your book over similar titles.
Best of luck, and happy writing!
Rose Atkinson-Carter is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace and blog that helps authors with everything from learning about the best writing apps tofinding helpful creative writing classes and more.
Award-winning #historicalfantasy based on the #PhantomoftheOpera.
Echoes of a Song:
A dozen tumultuous years after the dramatic events at the Paris Opera House Raoul, Comte de Chagny is still haunted by the mysterious Opera Ghost – the creature of legend who held staff at the Opera House under his thrall, kidnapped Raoul’s lover and murdered his brother. In Raoul’s troubled imagination the ghosts of the past are everywhere, and strange and powerful music still calls in his dreams.
Madness, obsession and the legacy of the past weave their spell in this short, tragic tale based on the Phantom of the Opera.
Best fantasy 2019 on reviewer site NN Light Book Heaven!
Available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and many other stores on the link below. Universal Link https://books2read.com/Echoesofasong
Tears and Crimson Velvet
Madame Giry finds herself embroiled in the tragedy unfolding at the Opera house; mystery and murder stalk the corridors and, it is said, a ghost haunts the place. Giry knows the truth, for she recalls the caged man she met so many years ago. This is her story, their story.
When murder and mystery begin at the Opera House one woman knows who is behind it, and what really lies beneath the mask. Secrets, lies and tragedy sing a powerful song in this ‘might have been’ tale.
Winner of the 2020 Best Short Story award on NNLight Book Heaven
A short, tragic tale based on characters from Phantom of the Opera.
When a young nurse takes a job at an old military hospital she finds the answers to an old family question – what is the secret of Blossom Rise Hospital? Who is the long-dead man who walks the grounds?
#Ebook #Audiobook #Paranormal #Ghoststory
Ever wondered where your socks go in the laundry, or why you can’t find your keys? The Kitchen Imps have the answer.
The Kitchen Imps and Other Dark Tales – six short tales of mayhem and mischief.
Winner of the 2018 best fantasy on NN Light Book Heaven.
Naughty imps, missing socks, cunning thieves and baffled gods feature in this collection of short fantasy fiction.
Award-winning #historicalfantasy based on the #PhantomoftheOpera.
Echoes of a Song:
A dozen tumultuous years after the dramatic events at the Paris Opera House Raoul, Comte de Chagny is still haunted by the mysterious Opera Ghost – the creature of legend who held staff at the Opera House under his thrall, kidnapped Raoul’s lover and murdered his brother. In Raoul’s troubled imagination the ghosts of the past are everywhere, and strange and powerful music still calls in his dreams.
Madness, obsession and the legacy of the past weave their spell in this short, tragic tale based on the Phantom of the Opera.
Best fantasy 2019 on reviewer site NN Light Book Heaven!
Available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and many other stores on the link below. Universal Link https://books2read.com/Echoesofasong
Tears and Crimson Velvet
Madame Giry finds herself embroiled in the tragedy unfolding at the Opera house; mystery and murder stalk the corridors and, it is said, a ghost haunts the place. Giry knows the truth, for she recalls the caged man she met so many years ago. This is her story, their story.
When murder and mystery begin at the Opera House one woman knows who is behind it, and what really lies beneath the mask. Secrets, lies and tragedy sing a powerful song in this ‘might have been’ tale.
Winner of the 2020 Best Short Story award on NNLight Book Heaven
A short, tragic tale based on characters from Phantom of the Opera.
Library of Erana 