April's News

Kia ora everyone!

This month there's sad with our happy, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Fantasy season is in full swing...

What should be a season of rejoicing over Duke Vahn's newly-recovered son is overshadowed by fear of an uncertain future. Vahn's brother, King Arx, expands the war with neighboring Ganluc, while enemies at home seek to shatter the Rebono dynasty forever. Strained relations between royal twins harden into cold suspicion and treasonous accusations while a deadly plague sweeps across the land.

As the royal bloodline is torn asunder, two races, the Elva and Itzi, discover that only together can they stop the plague and restore their unraveling kingdom.

Blood and Brine by Caprice Hokstad is out now wherever you like to buy books online. The paperback is an extra special price of $11.98 - that's right, a good-sized book at our small price level!

Paperback: Amazon - B&N

Ebook: Kindle - Smashwords (all formats including Nook; Nook at B&N is on the way)

Next up on our schedule is Star of Justice by Robynn Tolbert. This is a beautiful and massive book, just the thing for you epic fantasy fans to dig into. Above is a preview of work on the front cover, created by our own Keven Newsome. Look out for its release next month!

She joined the knighthood for the scholarship program...

A thwarted assassination attempt drags Caissa Ocren into a secret war between elemental spirits and dragon worshippers. More accustomed to solving puzzles than wielding swords, she undergoes a crash course in survival from a mercenary minstrel, a shape-shifting druid, and a legendary spirit warrior. An ancient book may hold the answers she seeks, but understanding requires the memories of a wizard. With time against her, Caissa faces the hardest lesson of all—how to serve when the cost is her life.

Right now you can get "A Stretch of Time" by Grace Bridges for FREE on Smashwords - in PDF, Kindle and Nook format, among others. In this Kiwi-flavoured short story, a Maori grandmother passes a mystical gift to her grandchild. I hope you enjoy it! Click here for your free copy.

---

We've never lost a Splashdown author before. So it is with great grief that I have to tell about the passing of Walt Staples just three weeks ago. A staunch team member, top contributor to Avenir Eclectia, and narrator of Aquasynthesis, he also did many other things behind the scenes and encouraged us at every opportunity.

In his honour, Aquasynthesis will be a free download this month. Please pass the link around your friends if you can.

Click here for your FREE download of Aquasynthesis, Splashdown Vol. 1 with short stories from all our authors to 2011 and with a linking narration by Walt Staples.

Thanks for reading! We'll see you 'round.

Grace

Splashdown News, February 2012

Kia Ora!

Splashdown Books is ready to dive right into the deep end in 2012. This promises to be one of our most exciting swims yet and we are glad you've decided to join us. The water looks fine and the sun is shining bright. Take off your shoes and stay a while.

To start this year's swim we have Diane M Graham readying from the high-dive.

Open your heart and mind to the simplicity and complexity of a name.
I know only my name. Beyond that is confusion, a void where fantasy and reality swirl together. Fairies, Giants, Elves, Dwarves, ancient Keepers, and...Dragons?

A dark soul threatens the Five Kingdoms, but I am powerless to stand against him, overwhelmed by phantom memories, broken and lost.

Somehow, I must live. I must find my purpose. There are friends to love and battles to fight.

I know my name. Perhaps that is enough.

I am Ocilla.
This is my story.

A note from Di: A writer’s life is often said to be a lonely life. But any Christian writer knows this isn’t so. God walks with us from the time He plants the seed of inspiration, through the countless hours of writing, rewriting,editing and then sometimes rewriting again. He sends helpers. We tend to never feel our work is fully complete. Another sweep, just one more time to make sure all the T’s are crossed and all the I’s are dotted. But there comes a time when He tells us it is time to show our work to the world. He holds our hand while we walk to the edgeof the gaping chasm known as publication and He tells us to jump.

Gulp!

You turn right and left and see all the many Saints He sentto help you and you are emboldened and filled with hope. On faith, and faith alone,you jump.

So today, I stand at that chasm and look at all those thathave been sent to help me lined for miles in each direction. I may soar. I mayfloat to the bottom. But no matter what, He is with me.

I jump.

I Am Ocilla is available for purchase at Amazon, Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble, Nook (coming soon), Book Depository (coming soon), and Smashwords. You can just click over to Splashdown Bookshop for more information. We have a wonderful sale going on we will tell you about below.

Also, if you would like to hear the prologue read by Diane, you may do so HERE on youtube.

The wonderful music for Diane's audio recording was provided by friend of Splashdown Books Eleon. For more of his excellent music, you can find his page on youtube right HERE.

Ryan Grabow gives us a double-backflip with a wonderful book trailer for CAFFEINE:

"Supernatural: above, beyond, in excess of nature. If the meaning of life cannot be found in nature, then I must determine if the answer lies beyond it."

Caffeine will also take part in our special sale we will tell you about below, but not just yet.

Next we have a the long awaited Sparrow-dive, similiar to a swan-dive but more awesome, from Caprice Hokstad. The e-book will be available on March 1st, with the print copy coming two short weeks later.

What should be a season of rejoicing over Duke Vahn’s newly-recovered son is overshadowed by fear of an uncertain future. Vahn’s brother, King Arx, expands the war with neighboring Ganluc, while enemies at home seek to shatter the Rebono dynasty forever. Strained relations between royal twins harden into cold suspicion and treasonous accusations while a deadly plague sweeps across the land.


As the royal bloodline is torn asunder, two races, the Elva and Itzi, discover that only together can they stop the plague and restore their unraveling kingdom.


Blood and Brine: the exciting conclusion to the Ascendancy Trilogy.

A little teaser for my upcoming release.... "Caprice is truly a master world builder. This was the firstbook in her series that I read, but within a few chapters I felt like I’d beenreading in that universe my whole life. Now that I finished I’m going back toget the first two in the series!" ~ Tim Abrose , Managing Editor, DigitalDragon Magazine

Avenir has its own music. Yes, you read right and the world you have grown to love can now be swirled with the wonderful musical talent of Eleon.

Michael L. Rogers has created a soundtrack to accompany the online multi-author shared world microfiction site Avenir Eclectia. Hear the songs, read the stories. Published in association with Splashdown Books.
Available now at Amazon in cd and mp3

And please remember you can have Avenir Eclectia delivered to you kindle for just $.99 cents each month.

Also, something very exciting is in the works which we can't tell you anything about yet, but watch this space!

Now, what you have all been waiting for: To celebrate I Am Ocilla's launch, her ebook is on sale at 4.99 for one week only. Our Kindle store is here: http://astore.amazon.com/splasbooks-20 and Ocilla is HERE so you may take advantage of this super cool deal.

But wait! There is so much more. In addition, the Splashdown team has rallied and several more are adding to the party by selling their e-books at a discounted price.

Also for $4.99.
-Alpha Redemption by P.A. Baines
-Finding Angel by Kat Heckenbach
-Faith Awakened and Legendary Space Pilgrims by Grace Bridges

For just $2.99/ You read right...$2.99.

-CAFFEINE by Ryan Grabow

-The Duke's Handmaid and Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Caprice Hokstad. These are the first two in the trilogy and a great chance to get ready for her third.
- The Crystal Portal by Travis Perry & Mike Lynch.
- Tales of the Dim Knight by Adam & Andrea Graham

- Odd Little Miracles by Fred Warren.
- Aquasynthesis by the Splashdown Team.

Please note: if you want a format other than Kindle for any of the titles on sale, just let us know and we'll send you a voucher for Smashwords where all types of files are available, including PDF for computer reading, Epub for Nook, and many more.

Don't go anywhere yet. Tucked over in the corner, behind the seaweed, Keven Newsome, Diane M Graham and Caprice Hokstad have been up to no good. Seems they have been betting in the most ridiculous ways imaginable. All in good spirit, though. Keven and Diane have a plot bet going in which the loser will have to post a video on youtube, dancing, singing and being silly. You can see the details HERE. And Caprice stuck her foot in her mouth...Diane happily helped her cram it down a little more by holding her to it. You can read about how Caprice will channel her inner Disney right HERE. No one can ever say Splashdown Books is a boring place to work. Stay tuned for updates and a chance for all of you to join in on the fun.

As all of you have read, we are busy, busy splashing around these parts. There is never a dull moment. Can't wait until next month when we can tell you more about skirted men and Turtles.

~The Splashdown Team

**This issue was written by a Crazy-Hair Vaulter**

News for January 2012

Kia Ora everyone! I hope you enjoyed the festive season. I for one am glad to be starting a new year that promises to be very different in more ways than one - my day job of translation will be in an office for six months, instead of working from home. But we have a whole lot of exciting stuff planned with Splashdown! There's a Kindle freebie for you today and tomorrow, so keep reading :)

2011 was a huge year for us, publishing 9 books and bringing our total to 16. Yep, it may not seem like much, but for a micro-sized team, I think it's pretty cool - and I'm grateful to everyone who helped make it possible. You can check them all out in our bookshop: www.splashdownbooks.com/bookshop

Fiction Awards Voting Time!

Despite the name, I am not affiliated in any way with the Grace Awards ;) but I'd sure love for you to vote if you enjoyed one of our books. Here's what to include, according to instructions at www.grace-awards.com:

- Link to your Facebook profile (or any other kind of online profile; your page must have existed before November 2011)

- Speculative Fiction: Title/Author

- Why you liked it (at least 25 words)

Send all this to graceawards@aol.com. You may only vote once in each category, so choose carefully!

Our eligible titles for this year's contest are:

Reality's Dawn and Reality's Ascent by R. L. Copple

The Crystal Portal by Travis Perry and Mike Lynch

Winter by Keven Newsome

Finding Angel by Kat Heckenbach (Also eligible for the YA category!)

The Seer by Fred Warren

Caffeine by Ryan Grabow

(Anthologies aren't eligible, so don't vote for those!)

There's also the Family Fiction Readers' Choice Awards, with several categories to vote in, such as best author, best novel, best NEW author, etc. You can leave categories blank if you don't have favourites. There's one for short stories so if you're fond of Aquasynthesis or Odd Little Miracles, you can put them there. And there's even a category for best video trailer (remember Winter, anyone? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5r8Lb6Er_A).

To vote in this award, go here:

http://www.familyfiction.com/news/vote-in-the-2012-familyfiction-readers-choice-awards/

Preparing for an awesome year!

We have another full year of stupendous stories coming up for you, beginning very shortly with I Am Ocilla by Diane M. Graham. This young adult fantasy novel was a winner of the legendary Marcher Lord Select contest in 2009 - and guess what, she's been making it even better ever since! I bet you're going to love it.

After that comes the grand finale to Caprice Hokstad's Ascendancy Trilogy: Blood and Brine. Return with us to the kingdom of Latoph where Duke Vahn fights for his life and that of his people - in more ways than one.

And much more, of course! Details forthcoming. Science fiction, supernatural, young adult fantasy, and more sequels to books you have loved!

FREE KINDLE STORY

That's right! If you've read this far, you get to join in the fun and grab a retro tale by yours truly. Invasion is one of the first short stories I wrote as an adult, around the time I was finishing work on my first novel. Religious content is fairly strong in this one, so give it a miss if you're sensitive. Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006UI73CO

You don't even need a Kindle e-reader - you can view it directly in the Kindle Cloud Reader online, or download Kindle apps for PC, Mac or smartphone.

This free offer is for today and tomorrow only - Saturday and Sunday! Ends Sunday midnight, Pacific time. And - if you like it, leave me some stars!

This is the first in a series I've christened Splashdown Droplets - the bite-sized weirdness of my own short stories, possibly to be joined by other Splashdown authors in the near future. See them all here: http://amzn.to/z0KnAj and watch for new ones coming out.

We'll be back next month with Ocilla, more Kindle goodies, AND something else we've never done before! So stay tuned.

All the best, and happy reading, from the (rather wet) Kiwi summer!

Grace

Thanksgiving Update

Kia ora everyone! Boy, have we got a lot going on at Splashdown this month! Want one of our paperbacks for less than $3.00? Read on...

But first, our latest release, this time from the realms of science fiction:

Caffeine, by Ryan Grabow

"Supernatural: above, beyond, in excess of nature. If the meaning of life cannot be found in nature, then I must determine if the answer lies beyond it."

In an authoritarian and overstimulated 22nd-century America, all Brandon can do to relieve his pain is indulge in the computer-simulated fantasies of a network called Dynamic Reality...until a virus takes control of the simulation. A philosophical thrill ride like no other - don't miss this one.

Ebook Sale

As of right now through Sunday night, all our ebooks are priced at $2.99 - including our November new releases. That's a saving of at least 50% - Come on in and grab your choice! Kindle books are discounted direct at Amazon and all are collected HERE in our Amazon store; if you'd like a different format, just say the word and we'll send you a voucher.

Fred Warren's Feast

Not only did we release Fred's second novel, The Seer, just a few weeks ago. Now, Amazon is discounting his short story collection in paperback, Odd Little Miracles! At the time of writing the price had fallen to $2.78, and it's even eligible for their 4-for-3 special - which means you can get four copies for under $9.00. The perfect odd little gift for, well, just about anyone! But don't dally - Amazon is notorious for changing prices around at their whim. This discount is not under our control, so get it while the gettin's good!

By the way, the same 4-for-3 promotion also applies to Aquasynthesis, our collection of stories from all Splashdown authors to date. Something for all reading tastes.

That's it for this time - thank you for reading!

Grace and the team at Splashdown

How to get a manuscript accepted at Splashdown

Here it is, folks - the comprehensive guide with everything you need to know.

1. Write a phenomenally good book. This should be obvious. But don't just have a high opinion of yourself. Have your writing peers look at it, preferably professionals as well, and take their advice.

2. Be nice. If I should suggest your story might need more work, please forego the retaliatory backbite that rises from the hurt. Don't burn Bridges, cause this Bridges has been burned enough. Full, willing and eager cooperation and teamwork is expected from our authors, and anything less at the outset will get you nowhere.

3. On first contact, give a concise summary of your project. Merely sending files gives me nothing to consider in the intervening time until I can get to look at it properly - and that may take a while, because it's just little old me back here.

4. Tell me your relevant marketing experience. Make me believe you're a good investment and that your book will pay out.

5. There better not be any typos in your first-contact material.

6. Respond maturely to criticism and advice, and be committed to continued learning and improvement.

7. If you submit to Splashdown, you should be a fan and friend of Splashdown. Not just the Facebook kind, either. KNOW Splashdown. Read our books and see if this is a family you want to be a part of. Immerse yourself in our histories, anecdotes, modus operandi, authors' blogs, and grasp our unique flavour.

There is one more item; unfortunately, it's rather unquantifiable, and I'm sorry about that, but this is the way it is...

8. Your story must be one that I LOVE. Yes, it all comes down to personal taste. Sorry. If your tale charms me... AND if all the above criteria are fulfilled... then we could very well be good to go.

If this sounds like a rant, that's because it is. I'm sick and tired of people offloading their submissions on me without any regard for how I like to do business. Ignore my feelings at your peril.

November News

Kia Ora!

November is an exciting month for Splashdown...New releases, new reviews, and new opportunities for you to save on quality speculative fiction. Read on!

Now Available

You loved The Muse. Fred Warren ups the ante with The Seer. Follow Stan Marino and his daughter Hannah as new threats emerge from the world of inspiration.

Stan plopped into the sofa and ran his hands through his hair. He felt so tired, but sleep was the last thing he wanted now. “Okay, let’s put everything on the table. Hannah can see the future. Her new best friend can get into other peoples’ dreams. I may or may not have Leila Starling, the Malevolent Muse of Minneapolis, playing tiddly-winks inside my head. Finally, my not-so-late wife Charity, whose secret identity I have carefully shielded for the past five years, now must be explained to Hannah. Did I leave anything out?”
“You also led an army of comatose nerds against Leila’s devil dogs in the realm of imagination.”
“Not helpful, Jilly.”
“Sorry. You asked for it.”

Available at Amazon in paperback and Amazon for Kindle, as well as the paperback at Barnes & Noble. Other retailers are taking their time to list it, but you can get Epub for Nook at Smashwords along with many other formats.

Reviews:

Looking for that special something to fill a virtual Christmas stocking? Check out these reviews and excerpts for our newest Splashdown offerings:

The Seer:

Barn Door Book Loft

Finding Angel:

Spire Reviews

Magical Ink

Interviews:

Sometimes you want to know more about a book than what's inside the cover.

Fred Warren:

Barn Door Book Loft

Kat Heckenbach

Magical Ink

10 Minute Writer

Caprice Hokstad:

Remnant In The Stars

Coming Soon

Ryan Grabow wowed you with his short in Aquasynthesis. Soon he'll thrill you with his full-length debut novel Caffeine. Stay plugged in for the latest updates.

Avenir Eclectia Celebrates 100 Stories!

Can you believe it? Just yesterday we posted Avenir episode #100, a tale by Travis Perry in his ongoing thread. The project has been running since March at three brief stories per week, and is going to pass the milestone of 50,000 words by the time we get to #102. Our awesome designer Mike Rogers has provided a new skin for the website to celebrate, so get on over and check it out: www.avenireclectia.com.

Special Deals

Black Friday approaches and Splashdown wants to join the festive fun.

All Splashdown ebooks will be on sale November 25, 26 and 27 for $2.99.

We'll send a reminder but plan your Christmas budget now to save a little dough for more sugar cookies.

That's all for this time... Thanks for reading!

Grace and the team at Splashdown

September News

Kia Ora from New Zealand and hello from Splashdown!

Lots of goings-on this month, so let's dive right in...

Now Available

Finding Angel, the first novel by veteran author Kat Heckenbach, is here!

It's aimed at middle-graders and young adults, but fantasy-minded grown-ups will love it too.

Perfect for reading with or without kids!

Angel doesn’t remember her magical heritage…but it remembers her.

Magic and science collide when she embarks on a journey to her true home, and to herself.

Angel lives with a loving foster family, but dreams of a land that exists only in the pages of a fantasy novel. Until she meets Gregor, whose magic Talent saves her life and revives lost memories.

She follows Gregor to her homeland…a world unlike any she has imagined, where she travels a path of self-discovery that leads directly to her role in an ancient Prophecy…and to the madman who set her fate in motion.

Available at Amazon (in Kindle too). Other retailers are taking their time to list it, but you can get Epub for Nook at Smashwords along with many other formats.

New Look

www.SplashdownBooks.com has a new face. Check out the new-and-improved, easier-to-navigate website. Find books faster. See what's new with your favorite authors. Handy drop-downs and a splashy backdrop are just a few of the upgrades. Drop by and dive in!

Splash Hit

Splashdown's first group anthology made a big splash at Amazon, rising to #1 in Bestselling Science Fiction and Fantasy Anthologies shortly after going public! See what all the fuss is about with stories from all the current Splashdown authors - Fred Warren, Caprice Hokstad, P.A. Baines, Adam Graham, R.L. Copple, Travis Perry, Mike Lynch, Keven Newsome, Kat Heckenbach, Grace Bridges and Ryan Grabow, with narration from Walt Staples.

Snag Aquasynthesis at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favourite online location.

$5.98 in print or $2.99 in e!

E-book Sale!

The Crystal Portal e-book by Travis Perry and Mike Lynch is available for $2.99 this month only. Check it out at Kindle and Smashwords!

We're also launching a cool new spin on the cover - up now in ebook formats, and coming soon to the print version:

Award Finalist

Caprice Hokstad's Nor Iron Bars a Cage finaled in the Global eBook Awards! The full list is here - look for the Speculative Fiction: Fantasy category.

Congratulations, Caprice!

In Brief

• Keven Newsome's Winter now wears 22 five-star reviews at Amazon!
• Next month sees the release of The Seer by Fred Warren - the long-awaited sequel to The Muse. It's a doozy, I can tell you!
• Avenir Eclectia has passed a total of 75 mini-stories in its shared world. Why not get on board?

That's it for this time - but watch out in the weeks to come for more exciting developments!