Announcing PayHip

Hello readers!

Let me begin with some good news: the Kickstarter got funded! If you were one of the backers, you should already have received your survey. The eBooks will be delivered soon. The paperbacks will take a little more time: I am waiting on my publisher to get the spine and back cover ready.

Now, onto the next piece of news: I have put the Necromancer and Fallen Love up on PayHip, a financial technology provider. This includes not just the eBooks, but also signed paperbacks of Fallen Love. You can’t buy those on Amazon! (Although, if you just want a paperback, Amazon is still a cheaper way to get it.) The paperbacks cost €25 + shipping and they will go out in batches every couple of weeks. Link here

I have kept the Amazon sales links as well, but if you can, please buy my book from the PayHip link—that way, I will earn more, and you won’t be giving another cent to Mr Bezos. The links are on the landing pages at the top of the website, for Fallen Love and the Necromancer respectively.

I appreciate any advice on the new landing pages. Would you, for example, prefer to read a preview of the book on Amazon, or are you happy with reading a PDF?

Finally, I am getting ready to reprint the Necromancer! It will be available to buy on Amazon and directly through PayHip soon. Tell me if you would be interested in getting a copy. You can comment below or contact me on social media.

Kickstarter Update

Hello readers,

We are drawing on the final few days of the Fallen Desire Kickstarter. We are 80% funded, but until we hit the finish line, nothing is guaranteed! So if you have been waiting for payday, or haven’t had the time to check it out, please do it now.

Some really cool rewards are still available, including the Arch Demon special—which offers you the chance to feature in one of my future books as a character! Both ebooks and paperbacks are available, including signed copies. There’s something for every budget. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the video below.

If you want to discuss the story, I am doing a Q&A on Goodreads.

Thanks for reading. Wish me luck!

Who are the Archdemon Backers?

Hello readers!

As promised, today I am writing about how I came to write Fallen Desire—the second book in the Fallen series. I will talk about how I came up with Roshika and Archdemon Tim—two characters based on my Kickstarter backers! I will also talk about my editing experience and how I changed some of the scenes.

Roshika and Tim: Two very different people

Roshika is a witch: a very old, very wise witch. She’s been around since the year 2000, and since the book is set in 2520, that makes her five hundred years old. She is originally from India, but has lived in Europe and the US. Roshika’s motivations are simple: protect the world from Lucifer and his progeny.

Roshika’s character is based on Jeanne Smith, Great Demon backer extraordinaire. Of course, what exactly the two have in common may not be immediately obvious—Jeanne is certainly eccentric, but she’s not exactly a five hundred year old witch. (Or is she?)

One of the main characteristics they share is their love for animals. Roshika has a pet cat, a raven friend, and two snakes. Jeanne also owns cats, a couple of snakes, and a dog. She does not own an intelligent raven (who kinda of talks!) but you can’t have everything in life can you?

Tim, on the other hand, is a more exact match with his namesake. They share the same name, obviously. Moreover, Archdemon Tim somewhat resembles a younger version of my superfan: he’s very gay, naturally, and loves having fun. He has a nihilistic and ironic approach to life—you only live once, so you better make the best of it. When it comes to his enemies, he is merciless.

It’s strange how my fictional characters are so much more ruthless than their real-life counterparts. We should appreciate the fact that civilisation allows us to be nice to each other.

What’s it like working with an editor?

Robert, my editor at Terran Empire publishing, is actually not the first editor I have ever worked with. I have worked with two editors before him: Matrice, who read the Ark, the precursor story to the Fallen series; and Annie Nybo, who worked with me on Fallen Love, but only for the first few chapters. (Editors are expensive!)

Robert is the first editor I have worked with who was along for the “full ride” if you will. He’s read the series; he knows the story and the characters well. He gets it.

Robert’s responsibilities boil down to the following:

• Tell me what works and doesn’t work in the story. His feedback led me to add two great new scenes to the story—a scene where Mark visits a museum, in which Lucifer has decided to showcase all the people he turned to stone. (Yes, it’s dark!) In another scene, Mark has an in-depth conversation with Lucifer about who he is, where he came from, and what he wants. This part of the story replaced a very weak and redundant scene.
• Find typographic errors: mispellings, grammar mistakes, and missing/wrong words.
• He knows my audience and what they will appreciate (or not appreciate).

If there’s one thing I wished Robert did more of, it’s be more critical. Editors are not there to be nice, or to pamper you (excessively): they are there to make your story better.

Want to know more?

Head over to my Patreon page where I will be sharing more detailed accounts of how I write my stories, as I write them. You will also get to see snippets of new books as they are written, long before the rest of the world even knows they exist.

The Kickstarter is Live! Get your copy of Fallen Desire

Hello faithful readers,

After an extended delay on their end, our Kickstarter is now finally live! Following months of writing, editing, planning, and design, the book is ready to see the light of day. Support the Kickstarter.

If you like urban fantasy stories in the vein of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters, Lauren Kate’s Fallen, or Alexandra Adornetto’s Halo, you will love Fallen Desire. It’s got black magic, scifiesque cityscapes, and a healthy dose of spy thriller. And it’s about two boys who are in love. Yup—all that and LGBT representation to boot. Still not convinced? Why not read the blurb:

The Devil is many things: beautiful, cruel, and sometimes mischievous. But above all he is cunning. Thrust into Hell against his will, Mark must learn to navigate this fantastical world – a world where demons rule over mortals, and curious little imps can be found spying in hidden nooks and crannies.

Mark needs allies, but when betrayal lurks in every corner, who can you trust?

I will be releasing another post detailing the journey of how I came to write this book: I will tell you all about what it was like to write my fans in the story; what had to be cut; what’s it like working with an editor; and how some of the scenes got written. Stay tuned!

Fallen Desire is coming along nicely

Hello readers!

I want to share with you all a brief update regarding Book II, my future plans for the series, and some of my upcoming life events.

I’ve written 60,000 words and have finished Part One of the story, which is wonderful! A great many events that I’ve been planning, foreshadowing, or teasing the reader about are now coming to fruition. The entirety of Part Two is plot, action, resolution—all the good stuff. While worldbuilding and characterisation occupied much of Fallen Love and some of Fallen Desire, this is where it all comes together.

Do I know when I will finish? No. Despite my good progress, I have a Master’s degree incoming, plus this book is no paperweight. I anticipated it would be around 90,000 words, and right now it looks like it could easily be 100,000. Is there a Book 3 in the works? Well, there might be a prequel novella. (Maybe.) But the buck ends here.

Speaking of master’s degrees, I have decided to study Business and Data Science at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. You could think of it as an MBA with an MSc; it’s two years long, 9 months of which is made up by internships. While business is a straightforward subject for yours truly (I’m an economist remember?) the data science component will require me to brush up on my Python and statistics. Not to mention the dreaded linear algebra and calculus.

At the moment, however, I’m busy trying to find housing. This is, of course, a pain in the behind.

Anyway, I have one more piece of good news: I have a new fan! Her name is JR Vaineo, and she’s a fantasy writer too, so check out her books. I’ll probably republish the review here on the Magical Realm. Stay put!

Big News: Fallen Desire is coming out with Terran Empire Publishing!

Hello faithful readers!

I am announcing my new publishing contract with Terran Empire Publishing, a small press based in California (though my relationship with them started well before the publication of this book). I have recently signed a publishing contract with them for the rights to Fallen Desire, Book 2 in the Fallen series. I already announced this on my mailing list and social media, so I might as well do it on the Magical Realm. I will use this as an opportunity to briefly delve into some additional detail.

What does publishing a book actually mean?

In legal terms, a publishing contract is an agreement whereby the Author sells the rights for a written work to the publisher, in exchange for royalties and possibly an advance. (That’s a test good contracts must meet: there should be a quid pro quo.) But what does that actually entail? Why would I do this instead of just publishing it on my own like I did the Necromancer and Fallen Love?

Well, it boils down to a few different important advantages and one major disadvantage. The disadvantage is that my royalties per book are about half what they would be if I self-published. The advantages are numerous:

1. I get free editing! Which is great, because editing—particularly developmental or story editing—costs a lot of money otherwise. It’s probably the single biggest added value service in addition to a cover.
2. I get a book cover! And I don’t have to pay for it out of my own pocket.
3. The publisher has a physical presence in California, which is important for selling to bookshops. They also make my book known at local conventions that, for obvious reasons, are very difficult for me to attend (I live halfway across the world).
4. Translation into Spanish is a possibility.
5. And finally, I get someone to market for me! This is such a pain in the ass to do on my own.

Why Terran?

Why not any other publisher? We were already working together as I was doing some data analysis work for them. They pitched me an offer for the 2nd book; I decided it looked good. They were also open to negotiation; that meant I got a very solid contract with clear expectations, and no nasty loopholes.

So how is Book II coming along?

Pretty well, for the most part. I have written more than 50,000 words, and I’ve almost finished the first round of edits. I do my first round of editing once I reach the halfway point (more or less) in order to fix problems as they crop up: I mop up everything from typos and worldbuilding inconsistencies, to characterisation issues and plot holes.

I could in principle wait until I finish writing the story and have my publisher do all this, but I prefer to resolve issues as they come up, because that makes writing the end much easier for me. As it is, I probably will send the manuscript to the publisher in a few weeks.

I am cautiously optimistic that the book will be ready in a couple of months; I expect it will be around 90,000–100,000 words. It will definitely be bigger than Book 1, but I’m just not sure how much bigger.

Any other news?

I’m preparing for my MSc in Data Science and Business, which is going to be a lot of work. Arranging housing is next on the list.

I was supposed to get my driving licence this year, but will I? I’m not sure. The whole coronavirus pandemic has delayed an already slow, bureaucratic process. Since my MSc is non-negotiable, I have to leave in August.

But hey, I’m staying positive! I’ve been working out for the past 2 months. (What else was I supposed to do? Go crazy in quarantine?) I am now the proud owner of a six-pack, which feels pretty statuesque—a feat I attribute to low body fat and smart exercise. Now I’m working on my biceps, triceps, deltoids, and pectoralis major. Plus my transverse abdominis—a tricky muscle to work.

(Alex, as you might have noticed, is obsessive. When he strives to complete a task, he does it, and he does it well. Even if it means metamorphosing from a book nerd into a fitness freak.)

Finally, one more piece of good news: my hair is growing back! In particular, my forehead and temple hair is thickening—hair that I lost in the past two years due to AGA, aka male pattern baldness. How long will I maintain a full head of hair? That I do not know, so I’m going to relish my hair while it lasts.

Now I must return to my writing. Until next time!

Announcing My New Patreon

Hello readers,

I’m pleased to announce my new Patreon page! I’ve been thinking about starting a Patreon account for a while now; I’ve been busy researching how it works, setting my prices and rewards, and waiting for the Royal Mail to deliver the paperbacks. (COVID-19 is such a pain in the arse, don’t you know?)

“But what exactly is Patreon, Alex?” you ask. It’s a good question: I had no idea it existed until quite recently, and not many writers use it, at least based on my experience so far. (This may change.) In short, Patreon is a way of supporting me financially, in exchange for all sorts of cool perks—like getting to read Fallen Desire early, along with cool short stories and poems. Think of it as a long-term relationship with long-term benefits and obligations.

Become my Patron!

Poems 2020

Speaking of poems, I’m going to be writing a new series of poems this year, titled (you guessed it) Poems 2020. They are unique and available only to my Patreon supporters during the first year; in 2021 I will be making them freely available here on the Magical Realm.

I’ll be writing about characters from the Fallen series, and one poem, the Sceptre of Fire, will actually be about a new fantasy series I have planned for the future. (Yes, that’s a hint!)

Make the best of quarantine

Like many people in the world right now, I am stuck at home and only allowed outside to buy food and medicine. I figured I might as well do something useful. There’s nothing more fun than passing time indoors with a good book, right? Or talking about a good book, if not reading it.

A Quick Update

Hello readers!

It has been awhile since my last post, and I would like to update you all on what’s been going on. To begin with, I have been busy with my driving lessons: I am slowly getting the hang of steering, clutching (a very complicated process), brakes, acceleration, and intersections. Oh, and parking. Alas, thanks to this pandemic, driving tests have been postponed for over a month.

The other important thing has, of course, been master’s degrees. I will be sending another application soon, and I am expecting scholarship results quite imminently. Then there is Kickstarter—I sent all the remaining signed paperbacks on Monday, and I’m hoping everyone will get their copy soon.

In my personal life, I’ve started exercising more: I’m doing some basic resistance exercises (pushups, squats, planks) with medium-intensity cardio. I figured I might as well do something useful while I wait for my medicines to work—it’s going to take months to fix the remaining skin and hair problems I suffer from. Incidentally, if you suffer from dry hair (which I hate) I recommend biotin supplements; they really do work.

I have some really cool plans for my writing in the future. The second book in the Fallen series has been picked up by a California-based publisher (yay) and I am excited to work with them. On top of that, I’m interviewing my Great Demon and Arch Demon backers; I’ve already started writing the first character based on my backers’ personality. It’s turned out very interesting so far.

That’s not the only new writing! To take one example: I’m hoping to write a piece of flash-fiction that will be published in a Queer Science Fiction anthology. Obviously, there’s the sequel. And there’s more I’m keeping under wraps (secret alert!)

Lastly, I’ve been following the Democratic primary election—or, well, not following. I can really sympathise with the people who voted for Bernie Sanders: the DNC has pretty much turned this into a Biden coronation, and I don’t blame Bernie supporters if they decide not to cast their vote for Biden in the election. Heck, I wouldn’t blame them if they abandoned the Democratic party altogether.

Biden may or may not win against Trump; it will depend on how this pandemic evolves. At this point, though, I don’t really care. It’s business-as-usual in America, and that means crazy-as-usual.

If you haven’t done so already, you can keep following me by signing up to the subscribe form on the right. This way, you’ll be the first to know when I release something new, be it a new book, short story, or exclusive.