Almost Zero Hour

May 31, 2015
I hesitate to mention it, but today is the last chance to pre-order Discord's Apprentice. Tomorrow is not only the first day of summer and my mother's birthday, it's publication day for the second novel in The Exiles of Ondd series. The reason I hesitate to mention it is that it makes me feel as if I'm being pushy or boasting, two things that were definite no-nos when I was brought up. However, the fact is that even when they have a traditional publisher, these days writers are expected to do much of the marketing for their work. If you want potential readers to know about your work and find it easily, you have to tell them where it is, and one way to do that is to mention it repeatedly on social media.
    Yet push too hard and you'll put people off. Take Twitter. Some people check their accounts several times a day and if they have hundreds of followers, your lone tweet about your latest publication will probably be lost among thousands of others. Send out the same tweet every few hours, however, and you run the risk of boring, or worse still, annoying followers so they simply scroll past it. Similarly with Facebook or your blog. If all you put on them is, in effect, advertising links for your work, there's little to attract people to them.
    I always endeavour to give people something in addition to the sales pitch, so visitors come back again, but it still feels uncomfortable. That said, there's still a chance to pre-order Discord's Apprentice until midnight at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/542490 or http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XL9L0VU, and here are a couple of my favourite (non-advertising) tweets.

 * The drums that lined the walls needed no one to play them. They answered the footsteps of those who passed.

* Don't pick up the magpie feather. Gather all the rest–seagulls' and sparrows', stonechats' and finches', but leave the magpies' alone.
 

Opportunities

May 25, 2015
It's all very well me banging on about the imminent publication of Discord's Apprentice on 1st June (available for pre-order from Smashwords and Amazon), but I don't want to neglect the writers who visit here, who will obviously be more interested in their own work. Here are a few opportunities that might suit you.
    Writing Short Fiction publishes stories by both champion and debut authors. There's no payment, but the exposure can't hurt, and there are lots of hints and tips to help build y...
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Short and Not So Short

May 18, 2015
I've been indulging myself over the past few days by dipping into the latest issue of Illumen, a magazine of speculative poetry. I'm thrilled to say that one of my poems, 'Plundering the Moon', is in it. The contents cover all shades of the speculative spectrum and are worth taking your time over and savouring. They're striking, beautiful and thoughtful.
    Going from one extreme to another, during the pre-order period before the launch of Discord's Apprentice on 1st June, I'm tweeting a shor...
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Three Good Things

May 14, 2015
I was beginning to think this day wouldn't arrive, but I've finally managed to get Discord's Apprentice on Amazon and Smashwords for pre-order. Order a copy before the launch date (1st June 2015) and you can take advantage of a special low price. To celebrate having got this far, I've also reduced the price of Discord's Child and included the first chapter of Discord's Apprentice at the end. Now all I have to do is make sure everyone hears the news, so tell all your friends and come back ofte...
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Found It!

May 5, 2015
It took thirty-plus websites (some twice or more), several thousand thumbnail images, at least two days, half a dozen cups of coffee, one bar of chocolate and two false starts, but I've done it–I've found the perfect cover for Discord's Apprentice.
    The second novel in The Exiles of Ondd series isn't quite ready for pre-order yet, but you can see a preview of the cover here. The designer is Laura Gordon, and I can thoroughly recommend her work. She was quick and gave me exactly what I ask...
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Farewell, Terry Pratchett

April 27, 2015
When Terry Pratchett died on 12th March the world lost one of its funniest, most clever writers, and I lost one of my favourite authors. I know people who can't stand his work, but as the author of the most shoplifted books in Britain, his popularity can't be denied. Many people wrote tributes to him following his death, and originally I saw no need to add to them. However, having listened to BBC Radio 4's production of Mort this week, maybe I do have something worth saying, after all.
    I f...
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Another 'F'

April 20, 2015
More news about Alfie Dog Fiction. Not only am I its latest featured author from today (20th April), but I shall have two more stories on the site from 26th April. They are:
    'Follow that Car', a feelgood story that follows what happens when a taxi-driver wishes for a passenger. He gets more than he bargained for. Is his fare a mobster, or is his imagination simply running wild?
    'Patterns in the Sand' in which Julia hopes a stay by the sea will help her forget her ex-boyfriend, but does ...
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Chosen

April 13, 2015
Every fortnight Alfie Dog fiction features a different author. This week I had exciting news that I've been chosen for the fortnight from 20th April.
    I've mentioned Alfie Dog Fiction in this blog before. It publishes novels and short stories, and is a great site for both readers and writers. Only stories that meet the editor's standards are accepted. The benefits of this are twofold: people who download them can be sure of a decent read, and writers know that having work on the site will b...
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Early Learning

April 5, 2015
I didn't plan it this way, but it turns out that 'E' in my blog alphabet coincides with Easter. The first 'commission' I ever had was to write the story of the crucifixion and resurrection for my school newspaper. It was a small village Church of England primary school with only about 40 pupils, and I was one of the oldest, aged around 10. It was in the days when one of the three teachers had to type up the contents and roll all the pages off a duplicator.
    I wasn't thrilled to be asked. I...
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Pope Buys Book!

March 30, 2015
I had a really strange dream a couple of nights ago. I don't know how it began, like most dreams the action seemed to have started some time  before I became aware of it. I was evidently involved in a promotional event for Discord's Apprentice resembling a village fête or town show. However, I was not giving a talk or being interviewed. I scrambled into a barrel mounted on a stand like a cannon or a cement mixer next to a stall, which could have been a tombola. (I put it down to watching a t...
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About Me


My writing career began as a freelance feature writer for the local press, businesses and organisations. Now a prize-winning playwright and short story writer, my work has appeared in numerous publications on both sides of the Atlantic. I write as K. S. Dearsley because it saves having to keep repeating my forename, and specialise in fantasy and other speculative genres.

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