6/05/2009

Update from Marcher Lord Press

Greetings, friend of Marcher Lord Pres
Today's post comes from Jeff Gerke:

I'm excited to report that the second release list of MLP titles is selling very well. The "highly recommended" review of By Darkness Hid in Library Journal has really helped.
I have a contract under review by an agent for what may become the first acquired novel for list 3. Always moving forward!
I've got a very fun sales event and bonus content planned for June 8. It's your first sneak peek at a future MLP novel that hasn't even been officially announced yet.
Read on to find out more.
Jeff Gerke
Publisher
Your First Look at the Sequel to Hero, Second Class
One of the best-selling Marcher Lord Press titles of all time (in all 8 months of MLP history, that is) is Mitchell Bonds's comic fantasy Hero, Second Class.
Now, through the magic of hard drives and the cleverness of assorted monkeys, Marcher Lord Press is pleased to bring you your first glimpse at Mitchell's sequel.
Hero, Second Class"The Istaka Passage" is a 10,500-word-long set of scenes that was actually a subplot originally written for Hero, Second Class. We had to cut it due to wordcount considerations.
And now Mitchell has retooled it to fit in the second book of The Hero Complex series.
Travel with Sir Reginald (our hero's mentor) as he encounters a tribe of wolf-like humanoids called Istaka. Reg discovers a love triangle, forbidden romance, inter-tribal dominance, and a wimpy "Omega wolf" who is about as far away from being an Alpha male as he can be. But Reg is willing to train him to fight, if the pup is willing to learn.
Whether you loved Hero, Second Class and will jump at the chance to enter that world again or you're just curious to see what all the high praise is about, delve into The Hero Complex by downloading "The Istaka Passage."
How do you get it, you ask? Easy. I'm offering it for free download to anyone who purchases any Marcher Lord Press product on Monday, June 8.
That's right, all you have to do is go to www.MarcherLordPress.com or Amazon and buy any MLP product--print book or e-book, fiction or nonfiction, T-shirt or mouse pad--and you'll receive "The Istaka Passage" for free.
I haven't even officially announced that there will be a sequel to Hero, Second Class, and you'll already be reading a portion of it!
If you purchase from the MLP site on the 8th, I'll send you the link to your file download automatically. If you purchase from Amazon you'll need to send me the receipt you receive from Amazon so I can see that you purchased it on the day. (Be sure to remove any credit card data before sending it to me.)
See you on June 8!

Great Praise for Jeff's New Craft Book
In May I released The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction, and it has come out of the gate selling very well. It's receiving high praise from members of ACFW and my peers among Christian novelists.
The Art & Craft of Writing Christian FictionThe Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction is pretty much my entire school of thought regarding how Christian fiction ought to be written.
Here's what Tosca Lee, Christian novelist and silver medalist in the Foreword magazine Book of the Year Award competition says about it:
"Everything you need to know about writing for the Christian market from a man who has seen every angle of the business. From the practical nuts and bolts of technique to sage words on the motive for writing at all, Jeff Gerke packs it all into The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. Want to break into the Christian fiction market? You need this book."

If you're intrigued, why not make The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction one of the MLP products you purchase on June 8 to get your free download of "The Istaka Passage"?

6/03/2009

Review Roundup for May 2009, Part 3

Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell - a solemn, mystical adventure, displaying the hero's journey to his own heart, and the heroine's discovery of her beloved's faith in the midst of impossible circumstances.

Beyond Corista by Robert Elmer - I recommend this series for anyone wanting sci-fi with distinct inspirational tones, and anyone looking for an epic space journey. Here you'll find danger, adventure and the saving of an entire society.

The Didymus Contingency by Jeremy Robinson - The time-travel action barely ever stops, and - if you'll believe me - I felt as if I knew Jesus better afterwards.


Raising the Past by Jeremy Robinson
- What if the idea of angels and demons really did come from opposing alien factions, warring for control of the Earth - one race said to be evil and another claiming to be good?

The Restorer by Sharon Hinck - a rich feast for the senses, earthy and inspiring. It left me with lots of questions, but of the kind that open a horizon of hope.

Light at the Edge of Darkness by Various Authors, edited by Cynthia MacKinnon
- laughter and tears and unexpected twists, beauty and hardship, farce and danger, evil and bravery, trials, faith, and the ultimate supremacy of God. Includes work by Frank Creed, Steve Rice, A.P. Fuchs, Adam & Andrea Graham, and many more.


Axiom-Man by A.P. Fuchs
- Axiom-man is a delightfully human superhero with true depth and spirituality.

Angel With A Ray Gun by Deborah Kinnard - A sci-fi writer...happens to be the pastor of a church. A church that doesn't know he writes bestsellers with a pen name.

The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley - This book will make you think. It will shoot you into the far distant future and make it believable. And it will take you all the way back to the roots of evil, and the triumph of good.

Nor Iron Bars A Cage by Caprice Hokstad
- richly-woven themes of sacrifice and humility, love and friendship, good versus evil, and the final victory of justice and hope, like a fairytale for grown-ups.

Time Masters - Book One: The Call, by Geralyn Beauchamp - A zany mix of cliches and genres, often hilarious, quite possibly the wildest journey of your life, and certainly anything but predictable.

Star Trek Movie Review - I've felt these new actors slot comfortably into their positions as the legendary spacefaring team, even as their journey to get to that place is now full of new challenges - faced by each person in their own typical manner.

6/01/2009

Review Roundup for May 2009, Part 2

Bone Walk - The Journey of Thomas Shepard, by Kevin Howe - Thomas' simple life of ledgers and grain counts is shattered when mysterious objects of great beauty start appearing in his small nearly forgotten medieval village of Eden.

The Light of Eidon - Legends of the Guardian-King, Book 1, by Karen Hancock - the high powers have other plans for young Abramm before he can take his vows in the holy order of the Mataio. He’s kidnaped and sold into slavery by his own brother, not to mention the duplicity of the very high priests of Abramm’s order. Accompanied into slavery with the captain of the king’s guard, Abramm survives his captivity under the banner of the Black Moon.

Rise of the Dibor - The White Lion Chronicles, Book One, by Christopher Hopper - “What if Adam and Eve had never sinned? What if mankind knew no wrong? Would we still have an enemy?” Hopper answers that question with an emphatic yes!

Mason’s Link, by Bill Andrews - what if we discovered a way in which to converse daily with a departed loved one who is in Heaven, and to talk with that person about whatever in Heaven we wanted to know?

Hierath, by Joanne Hall - the type of book that grabs you and won’t let you put it down until you’re done, even if it means burning some midnight oil.

Mars Threat Assessment by James Armentrout - a fast paced, race against time, thriller, set on the far away Red Planet some 50 plus years into the future.

The Star Phoenix, by David L. Brown - SF not only gives its readers glimpses of futures that are fascinating, but also provides warnings of futures we need to avoid. This is one of the "warning" novels, the "if this goes on" story being interspersed with historical notes from our near-future showing likely outcomes of global warming and other trends we ignore now at our peril.

Tau 4, by V. J. Waks - The perfect killing machine. That’s what the Homeworld Alliance wants in their war against the Outworlds. But the perfect killing machine in this case is made of flesh and blood.

Child of Light, by Diane Bentley Barker - an entertaining story of a young woman’s passion for color, particularly her obsession for the secrets of the color purple. Poma’s search for the color purple entwines her in the lives and times of those with whom she travels.

The Elf King by Jude Hatcher Bangs - The Elf King is a story about a boy named Kai who happens to be heir to the Elven throne, although he doesn’t know it at the time.