Saturday 1 August 2015

Jim Webster - Spotlight

Today I'm handing over the blog to Jim Webster, so he can tell you all about the exciting things happening today!



I’d like to announce that 1st August 2015 is the culmination of a cunning master-plan which is aimed at getting as much good literature in front of you as possible.

Unfortunately if I’m honest it’s just something that’s happened in spite of my best efforts, and I’ve picked the 1st of August because it’s almost convenient.

You see, after discussion with my publishers, AUK, it was decided that the four Fantasy novels they’ve published of mine really deserved to be released in paperback. But being methodical types they suggested that I re-proofread them first. So that’s fine, that’s done.

So
‘Swords for a Dead Lady’

‘Dead Man Riding East’

‘The Flames of the City’

‘Learning a Hard Trade’

These four are available in paperback from 1st August. Book sellers will be able to get them through their usual wholesalers or if you want to buy from Amazon, they’re there.

 
If you’ve never seen them before, Swords for a Dead Lady can be found at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swords-Dead-Lady-Jim-Webster-ebook/dp/B006C4C8OO
or
http://www.amazon.com/Swords-Dead-Lady-Jim-Webster-ebook/dp/B006C4C8OO


But I’d also had this cunning plan, a truly brilliant idea. Rather than doing a full novel, I’d do a series of short stories, say about 20,000 words each. They’d be detective stories set in my fantasy world with one of my more popular protagonists ‘in charge.’
Not only that but I’d have half a dozen of them set up to go, and I’d release them at strict regular intervals so people came to expect them. Perhaps it’s a case of trying to build the market?

But anyway, thus and so, ‘The Port Naain Intelligencer’ was born, and the first story in the series, ‘Flotsam or Jetsam’ is out on, yes you’ve guessed it. The 1st August. This has meant that whilst proof-reading four novels I was also writing, editing etc 120,000 words of new work. But anyway, ‘Flotsam or Jetsam’ is available as an e-book on pretty well every platform, but for those who use kindle it’s at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flotsam-Jetsam-Jim-Webster-ebook/dp/B011VHS21Y/
or
http://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-Jetsam-Jim-Webster-ebook/dp/B011VHS21Y/

To quote the Amazon synopsis, “Benor arrives in Port Naain intent on the simple task of producing a handbook for merchants. Then there is a murder, and a vengeful family who will stop at nothing to silence those who found the body. Suddenly Benor’s life is no longer simple.”



Finally there was something of a diversion. In the ‘Port Naain Intelligencer’, Benor’s landlord and friend Tallis is a poet. So he drops lines of poetry into his conversation.
But Mike Rose-Steel my editor is also a Poet. (With a capital P indeed.) So he asked if he could borrow Tallis. He then proceeded to write ten poems. Benor supplied cultural and historical background to them and Tallis’s somewhat bitter contemporary Lancet Foredeck provided literacy criticism.

Thus, ‘Lambent Dreams’ was born.


This fine work of cutting edge cultural relevance is also available as an e-book at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lambent-Dreams-Jim-Webster-ebook/dp/B01278WPWI/
or
http://www.amazon.con/Lambent-Dreams-Jim-Webster-ebook/dp/B01278WPWI/

As the synopsis says, “The Poetry of Tallis Steelyard. This appropriately slim volume is the fruit of a unique artistic collaboration, bringing together the writings of one of Port Naain's most major minor poet with the personal commentary of an esteemed cartographer and traveller, and the guiding notes of an informed poet-critic. You cannot say you have not been warned.”

As a special treat, a way of saying thank-you to those who’ve bought my books in the past, Lambent Dreams will be free from 31st July to the 4th August. Admittedly it’s only £0.99 normally but it’s the thought that counts.

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Find Jim Webster online:

Blog: https://jandbvwebster.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JimWebster6

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.webster.10297

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