STORM Experiences – Launch

I’d never been to a book launch before, so, this was a first for me. I really had no idea what to expect, except that I knew it wouldn’t be one of those super commercial deals. We arranged the whole thing ourselves. We booked the venue, we got catering and did the sales ourselves.

I must say, though, it was ridiculous amounts of fun (and bliss) to sign hordes of books. I stood for pictures with friends and family. I introduced new fans to the other authors. The whole lot of us sat for an interview that I will soon link for you to listen to. Much to my dismay, I never got around to saying some of the more exciting stuff I had planned… But, more on that another day.

The most exciting news? I actually made money! And, yes, that’s after deducting all the printing and launch costs! *does a happy dance* Sure, I won’t be able to live off it, but I can put it down for the next endeavour!

 

PS. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It’s been a bit of a run around lately. Building onto our house means that I have no office and my toddler keeps typing “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” every time I sit down with my laptop. It also doesn’t help that she goes to bed moments before I pass out for the day myself.

If you’d like to help me get more time, feel free to buy all of my short stories off Smashwords – The Mystic, Beyond and The Gravic Exacerbation or leave me a Bitcoin donation. Daycare would make a world of difference!

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STORM Volume I & II ebooks are available at:

Smashwords

Apple iTunes

Barnes & Noble

Kobo Store

Storm Volume I

 

 

STORM Volume I

Volume I is amix of fantasy, science fiction, supernatural and dystopian stories where people’s lives are influenced by the occurrence of a storm: physical, moral, supernatural or magical. Set in worlds apart from our own, five authors of the Pretoria Writers’ Group give life to characters doing battle for the survival of their people, or fall over themselves in the process of trying.

What can change the nature of a man? In John’s case, it was 90 seconds. His life before was not a savory one, but now it contained a new force, a change agent, A Girl Called Storm.

The fearsome Serpent Storm that surrounds Yrthull has long kept the Myrrh from their ancestral homeland Beyond. Now, their only hope is to fulfill a prophecy that will eventually allow their people to cross the Serpent Storm and return to the fabled Halls of Gata.

In reGENESIS the scientists are sitting with their hands in their hair, because the human species is dying out. A scientist proposed the use of genetic engineering and found the solution to manipulate the fundamental code of life: the DNA helix. It worked, but there was an unexpected side-effect.

Ilgiprart and Oogithap, Electrosquids from the Fungus Asteroid are sent to earth on a dangerous mission. Their only weapon, a deadly one at that, is the storm in a teacup, As fate would have it they lose control of the weapon in their attempt to escape the farmer’s wrath, A tale of hilarious consequences.

The Icarus Curse – Shiloh realises that she holds the only blueprints that could save the planet from the brink of extinction. Does she have the courage to execute this? Who should she place her trust in, in this new dysfunctional place where nothing and no one are what they seem?

In The Gravic Exacerbation Mestrae Corvic is arguably the least liked person at the University of Yithnisia. If he can’t even convince his own apprentice that Mestrara Mikya and Mestrae Yundra’s latest projects are going to have serious repercussions, how will he convince the rest of the University’s apprentices and mestrari to heed his words of warning

 

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STORM Volume II

Volume II is a mix of contemporary stories where people’s lives are influenced by the occurrence of a storm, physical, moral or imaginary. Set in a modern day setting, four authors of the Pretoria Writers’ Group brings real life in sometimes difficult circumstances to this anthology.

Dandelions for Mother is story about a young girl whose heart is broken when her mother dies from cancer. She is left behind in the big house with her father who is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the church people, his so called family, did nothing as they suffered alone.

In Dahlias and Daisies Carla lives in a poor, gang-infested community on the Cape Flats, and dreams of one day leaving this area. Is it really possible to truly leave such a life behind or are the physical and mental shackles too deeply entrenched?

In Once Upon a Storm a new child joins Lauren’s little group for story time in the orphanage, the evening takes an unexpected turn. As the little storm in the story goes in search of courage, the children test the boundaries of their own limited existence.

In The Cutting Horizon Bryce has been drifting away from his wife of ten years. House bound as the result of a thunderstorm, the Sinclairs have to face the facts, and decide if their future should continue on the same path or separate ones?

STORM authors – Charmain Lines

I asked my fellow writers a few questions so you could get to know them before STORM comes out.

First up is Charmain Lines. I’ve actually not seen her in a while because she was doing research in the UK for a book that took far more time than she had initially planned for, but she was one of the first two to sit down for the interview!

 

Charmain Lines

Tell me about your journey as a writer.

I write for a living – articles, newsletters, employee magazines and the occasional coffee table book for corporate clients. In 2010, I attended a workshop on dream mapping and goal setting and walked away from it with the wildly improbable goal (WIG) of living abroad, writing and researching a novel. With my mind and heart opened to the notion of fiction writing, I enrolled for an online writing course (where I met Lizette) and started writing my first novel, Unfinished Business, that I self-published in 2013.
How did you decide on the name for your story in STORM?

I’m still not 100% of my story’s title, but because it has a fairy tale quality about it “Once upon a time” seemed appropriate.
What was your favourite part of the writing process for your STORM story?

Experiencing its unfolding. I learn every day that fiction writing is an almost magical process of the story taking over when the writer gets out of the way.
What was the most difficult part of the writing process for your STORM story?

I was incredibly busy with work writing at the time I was doing my story, hence it was difficult to find the time to get my mind back into my story.
What other projects are you working on?

The first draft of my second novel is a few thousand words away from being completed and I’m busy writing a book for a community in Ireland who’ve succeeded in saving a local wetland (bog) from being destroyed. It is a fascinating story of a town standing together, even invoking EU legislation to force the Irish government to do the right thing, and now finding the best way to preserve a unique habitat.

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And try out her published works on Amazon or Smashwords!