Smashwords Summer/Winter Book Sale!

ALL MY BOOKS ARE HALF-PRICE 

THROUGHOUT JULY, 2016

AT SMASHWORDS

SEE THEM ALL HERE:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TermiteWriter

CLICK ON THE BOOKS YOU WANT

AND USE THE COUPON CODE AT CHECK-OUT!

IT'S SO SIMPLE A TERMITE COULD DO IT!

Read an E-Book Week (March 6-12) - Special Prices on Smashwords

I've made all my books 50% off on Smashwords

for the period of March 6-12.

The purchase page will give you a discount coupon to use when paying. 

Imagine getting both volumes of The Termite Queen for only $3.00! 

-- or all seven volumes of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head for only $7.00!

Or if you're not ready to commit to the series, 

get started with v.1 The War of the Stolen Mother for only $1.50.  

See all my books at 

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TermiteWriter

TermiteWriter Is Being Interviewed on Internet Radio!

Annette Rochelle Aben kindly invited me to be interviewed on her program "Tell Me a Story" on the internet radio channel "The Magic Happens."  The interview will be live at 1:30 pm EDT, or you can access the Archive after the program airs.  Here's the URL for both the live broadcast and the Archive:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/themagichappens/2015/10/23/termite-writer-lorinda-j-taylor-on-tell-me-a-story

There is also a Facebook event running simultaneously.  The URL for this is

https://www.facebook.com/events/102978683396844/ 

Furthermore

I've made the ebooks of both volumes of The Termite Queen and 

v.1 of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head (The War of the Stolen Mother)

only 99 cents

at both Amazon and Smashwords from today through Oct. 25!

So you have no excuse not to get acquainted with my writings!

Here are links for all Amazon outlets for the three books:

The Termite Queen, v.1: http://bookshow.me/B007RFYSWC

The Termite Queen, v.2: http://bookshow.me/B0084NKIR0

The War of the Stolen Mother:  http://bookshow.me/B008PGVGIG

I hope you'll join Annette and me!  I'll try hard not to bore you!

Genres Revisited: What Genre Do I Write?

So what genre would you assign
to this book?  Oh, I know!
It has to be about an
exterminator named
Ki'shto'ba who labors at
destroying termite colonies
 by abducting their Queens! 
Right?!

What genre is this?

Hmm ... hard to tell from the cover.

In fact, I call it speculative

literary science fiction, future 

history, psychological fiction, plus a 

rumination on future religions.
With a provocative theme and

 great characters-- 

don't forget that!

READ AN EBOOK WEEK

at Smashwords!

March 2-7, 2015

All My Books

are 50% off,

so none is over

$1.50!

Jane Dougherty recently wrote a blog post entitled Does Literary Have to Mean Dull and Boring?  She defines literary fiction as "something that could never be accused of being genre fiction."  She goes on to say, "since authors are obliged to fit their work into a genre when pitching it to publishers and agents, or just to sell it on Amazon," anything that didn't fit in a genre was disqualified as poor literary production, in effect. "In the label 'genre' writing there is an implicit sneer," she says.  She mentions "magical realism," saying, "our magical realism is just plain fantasy (I wrote that with a sneer)."

       In her final paragraph she says, "Why can't we go back to the good old days when there were just books and children's books?  I like to think I write books.  I don't like to think that they are so similar to other people's books that there is a handy tag for them."

       I couldn't agree more, Jane!  And I want to elaborate on this idea a bit.  I originally planned to become a college professor of English literature, so I spent the early part of my career reading "literary" fiction.  Frankly, I didn't even know that was what I was reading -- books by Jane Austen, William Makepeace Thackeray, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, James Joyce, William Faulkner -- they were all "just books."  I daresay those authors are all considered writers of literary fiction.  But they are definitely not boring, for starters!  Lately, I've read several books that are "literary" -- The Great Gatsby, for one, and a recent book by Simon Gough (a grandnephew of Robert Graves) entitled The White Goddess, in which Graves is a main character. (The links take you to my reviews of these books.) Boring? Not on your life!  (Parenthetically, I should point out again that I consider all significant books to contain elements of fantasy -- see my post Defining Fantasy According to TermiteWriter.  To impart a shiver of wonder can only enrich any "genre.")

       In midlife I discovered Tolkien (is he literary enough for you?) and I started to write somewhat similar fantasy.  I also started to read a lot of fantasy and finally got into science fiction.  It never occurred to me that I was somehow betraying my educational background -- that I had sunk low in matters of taste.  I was just looking for good books and I kept the same standards.  Thus, although I read a good deal of Marion Zimmer Bradley, I considered her a pretty pedestrian writer.  But then there is Ursula K. LeGuin, who is one of the most skillful writers around.  And there  was C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams (one of the Inklings)  and other older writers like E.R. Eddison (The Worm Ourobouros et al.) and William Morris (The Well at the World's End) and ... well, I could go on and on.  They definitely cross genre lines and nobody seems to condemn them for it.
       As for "magical realism," I've only read one example -- Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits.  It's full of fantastical elements, of course, but it's also very dark and not particularly comfortable to read.  It's never boring, though.  I would say, if having seriousness of purpose makes a book boring for you, well, then most literary fiction would fall in that category.  And most of my books have a serious purpose, even the termite epic, so I guess I have the only literary termite people in existence!

       When I started to write again in 2000, it never occurred to me to worry about the genre I was writing.  I didn't realize at that time that I was supposed to fit my fiction into a category.  I was just trying to write exciting and fascinating books. I happened to enjoy both science fiction and fantasy, and obviously a tale laid in the 30th century with extraterrestrials who are giant intelligent termites cast The Termite Queen in the SF mold.  But it also includes the tale of Kaitrin Oliva and her enigmatic lover.  One early reviewer called my works literary science fiction and stated that they reminded him of Mary Doria Russell (I see Wikipedia calls her a writer of "speculative fiction" novels -- I presume that designation elicits more respect.)

       I was always taught not to write in cliches, so why in the world would I want to pump out books that were carbon copies of other people's books?  My aim was never to get rich selling millions of books to thoughtless readers looking only for sensation or escape -- I wanted to attract some attention for my ideas and gain some respect and a following.  Those are still my goals.  I wouldn't even know how to write a stereotypical vampire romance or a nasty zombie tale or a cliched space opera or one of these sword-and-sorcery Tolkien rip-offs.  If I tried, the characters would soon develop all kinds of psychological complexities and gain a back story to explain it, and probably the outcome of the whole thing would be tragic.  Even my termite characters fit that picture.  It's just the way I write, and I have no intention of changing.

If you're interested, I addressed this genre question before, way back in 2012, from a slightly different perspective in a blog piece called What Genre Do I Write and Whom Do I Write For?

Two Weeks' Worth of FREE Books!

Sorry, folks!  The coupons have expired!
But the regular price on all my ebooks is only $2.99
except for Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder,
and it's only $1.99!
and if you buy a paperback, you get a Kindle FREE!
Amazon

I don't want to commit a lot of time to a Christmas promotion because I have no idea what I'll be required to do over the next few weeks, so I'm having a SMASHWORDS COUPON GIVEAWAY.  Starting Monday, December 1, 2014, I'll be publishing coupon codes for different books each day.

I've changed my mind!  I'm going to be tied up for the rest of the week!
So I'm adding all the codes at the end of this post.

 

Back and front cover of v.1

 

Monday and Tuesday, I'm featuring both volumes of
The Termite Queen,

because, since it's a two-volume novel and not a series,

you really need to acquire both volumes of the book.

All coupons will expire on 12/14/14!

 

Codes

 

Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead

SC86E

 

Volume Two: The Wound That Has No Healing

LA29P

 

Go to Smashwords, buy the book,

enter the code at checkout,

and voila! 

You are the proud owner of one of my books!

Here are the rest of the codes,
which make all the books free!

You can find all the books in the series
The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head
in the Smashwords series entry:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/1028

v.1: The War of the Stolen Mother
MJ62Y

v.2: The Storm-Wing
VF99S

v.3: The Valley of Thorns
XA28F

v.4: Beneath the Mountain of Heavy Fear
KM63V

v.5: The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine
EQ75F
v.6: The Revenge of the Dead Enemy
HW33T

Again, offer will expire on 14 December 2014

Download the books, read, enjoy, and review!

 

Third Summer Special: The Termite Queen, v.2

ATTENTION!

ALL SUMMER LONG

I'LL BE HAVING WEEKEND 99-CENT SPECIALS ON MY EBOOKS!

WATCH THIS SPACE TO LEARN WHICH TITLE

IS BEING FEATURED THIS WEEK!

 

You missed out on v.1 The Speaking of the Dead

but the regular price is only $2.99

which is quite reasonable.

Volume 2 completes the novel

(this is not a series!)

 

JUNE 6-9
THE TERMITE QUEEN, v.2:
THE WOUND THAT HAS NO HEALING

 

Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head and the Seer
Kwi'ga'ga'tei receive The Speaking
of the Dead in the opening chapter.

PURCHASE FROM AMAZON, AMAZON UK,
SMASHWORDS, BARNES & NOBLE,

AND OTHER ONLINE EBOOKSELLERS
ALSO ON SCRIBD

SYNOPSIS

 

"In The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead, the death of a specimen of intelligent giant termite impels a team of scientists to mount a new expedition to the alien planet where the specimen was captured. During the voyage out, the linguistic anthropologist Kaitrin Oliva and the expedition's chief, the entomologist Griffen Gwidian, fall in love and form a union, after which Prf. Gwidian begins to exhibit some troubling changes of mood and behavior. Meanwhile, on the alien planet, civil discord is brewing among the termites; Mo'gri'ta'tu, the Queen's Chamberlain, hatches a plot to murder the Holy Seer Kwi'ga'ga'tei, a plot foiled only by the sudden reappearance of the Flying Monster.

"In Volume Two, the team arrives at the planet to a combative reception, but, aided by Kaitrin's insights into the termites' unique language, the "Star-Beings" and the Shshi are soon communicating and learning to know each other. The Shshi accept Kaitrin as a friend and even come to revere her as the Mother of her people. Meanwhile, Griffen's inexplicable insecurities escalate, while the dastardly Mo'gri'ta'tu continues to foment conspiracies. Ultimately, the two plotlines intersect in an explosive climax, after which the team must return to Earth and try to come to terms with what they have experienced."

 

AUTHOR'S COMMENTS

 

 I got my idea for a species of intelligent termites way back in the 1970s when I first saw the documentary "Mysterious Castles of Clay," about the African fungus-growing, castle-building termite. At the time I was writing heroic fantasy, but I was reading a good deal of science fiction and I was struck by the idea that an intelligent lifeform might evolve from similar insects on another planet. They would retain many of their social insect characteristics while developing a language that humans would be unable to accesss. A specimen of this lifeform would be brought back to Earth and a female linguistic anthropologist would discern that it was intelligent and learn to communicate with it. When I returned to writing in 2000 after a long hiatus, I still had this idea in the back of my mind and I decided to pursue it. The Termite Queen (a 2v. novel) was the result.

 

EXCERPTS FROM REVIEWS OF VOL.2

"The technology is there, but doesn't take center stage. Taylor gives just enough description of this far future world, its technology and history to set the stage; then lets her characters act out the story. It really is the story of people -- humans and off-worlders alike -- engaged in the whole gamut of sophont existence. From the highs of the quest for new knowledge to the depths of jealousy and hatred of what is not understood, Taylor gives us a well and rather tightly woven web of story." --Chris Brown

"Yes, it is a long story, but I found it to be interesting and thought provoking all the way through.
I disagree with other reviewers regarding having the Shshi and Human stories separated -- I felt that they both complemented and contrasted each other -- plus, gave a very satisfactory end to the two book series, with little or no loose ends left dangling.
I also liked the way the next series of books were introduced near the end of this story - can't wait to get into those! [The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head]" -- Chris Graham

"Though the author modestly characterizes TQ as literary Sci-Fi, the description doesn't begin to capture the full flavor of Taylor's accomplishment. Rather, in TQ V 1 and 2 the author serves up a tome that crosses genres as easily as her intergalactic cast of characters crosses from real time space travel to temporal quantum space travel and back again. In fact, the complete TQ saga is part traditional love story, part epic adventure tale richly seasoned with mythic and religious overtones, as well as copious references to literary classics (each chapter is introduced by a literary epigraph). That said, it is not incidental that Taylor's epic is set in the thirtieth century (2969--2971). Hardcore Sci-fi aficionados will appreciate that Taylor's literary recipe includes science so convincingly researched and/or fabricated as to concoct a perfectly plausible and believable future." -- JackAUrquhart

Second Summer Special: The Termite Queen

ATTENTION!

ALL SUMMER LONG

I'LL BE HAVING WEEKEND 99-CENT SPECIALS ON MY EBOOKS!

WATCH THIS SPACE TO LEARN WHICH TITLE

IS BEING FEATURED THIS WEEK!

 

So ... you missed out on the 99-cent special on

Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder.

Shucks!

But the regular price is only $1.99,
so it still won't break your budget!

 

MAY 30-JUNE 2

THE TERMITE QUEEN, v.1:

THE SPEAKING OF THE DEAD

JUNE 6-9
THE TERMITE QUEEN, v.2:
THE WOUND THAT HAS NO HEALING

 

PURCHASE FROM AMAZON, AMAZON UK,
SMASHWORDS, BARNES & NOBLE,

AND OTHER ONLINE EBOOKSELLERS
ALSO ON SCRIBD

SYNOPSIS
 

"In the 30th century, an off-world expedition returns to Earth with a specimen of giant termite whose behavior suggests intelligence. Kaitrin Oliva, a strong-willed and ambitious young linguistic anthropologist, is charged with finding a way to access its unique form of bioelectric communication. However, the insect dies and the team members realize too late that they have unintentionally murdered an intelligent lifeform. A second expedition is mounted with the purpose of making first contact and reparations. Griffen Gwidian, the entomologist heading the expedition, is a complex man with a dark personal secret. He falls in love with Kaitrin and against her better instincts Kaitrin responds. The result is a love story by turns turbulent and funny, passionate, tender, and troubled. Meanwhile, civil discord is brewing on the termite planet. Mo’gri’ta’tu, the Queen’s Chamberlain, resents the power of the Holy Seer Kwi’ga’ga’tei and plots to assassinate her. She has engaged the services of an outland Champion, Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head, to fight this terrifying entity which has descended on them from the skies, murdered one of the fortress’s citizens, and abducted another. This alienates the aging Commander Hi’ta’fu the Unconquered, who is lured by the word-crafty Chamberlain into joining the conspiracy. At the very moment that the murder is about to be committed, the second expedition arrives at the planet … Discover the conclusion of the adventure in "The Termite Queen: Volume Two: The Wound That Has No Healing."

 

AUTHOR'S COMMENT



 I got my idea for a species of intelligent termites way back in the 1970s when I first saw the documentary "Mysterious Castles of Clay," about the African fungus-growing, castle-building termite.  At the time I was writing heroic fantasy, but I was reading a good deal of science fiction and I was struck by the idea that an intelligent lifeform might evolve from similar insects on another planet.  They would retain many of their social insect characteristics while developing a language that humans would be unable to accesss.  A specimen of this lifeform would be brought back to Earth and a female linguistic anthropologist would discern that it was intelligent and learn to communicate with it.  When I returned to writing in 2000 after a long hiatus, I still had this idea in the back of my mind and I decided to pursue it.  The Termite Queen (a 2v. novel) was the result.

 

EXCERPTS FROM REVIEWS OF VOLUME ONE

 

"Author Lorinda Taylor takes the reader 1000 years into the future where planet Earth is radically changed by wars, pollution, revolutions, political upheavals, dark ages, and technology. Despite all, human society remains resilent and progressive. Humans remain human, with all their foibles and insecurities, striving for knowledge and understanding, having an abiding need for love. ... The inquisitive mind will find this an irresistible and intoxicating tale." -- Termite Tim [Timothy Myles, entomologist]

 

"Really great story, characterizations, plot, and brilliant descriptions of how language works. For all of these very positive reasons, I encourage any reader who is not daunted by the length, to jump in and purchase both volumes of Lorinda Taylor's great science fiction tale." -- Marva Dasef

 

"Volume 1 of The Termite Queen has a compelling story. As a lifelong fan of Asimov, I appreciate Lorinda Taylor's focus on one aspect her future rather the sensory overwhelm that is cyberpunk. The science in question is linguistics. The rapidity with which Our Heroine discovers the Big Secret is a bit unrealistic but excusable in lieu of 100 pages of slow and detailed linguistic analysis. The use of substitute sounds was brilliant. The romance plot did not engage me as much as the science, but that's a fault that lies in me, not in Lorinda's stars. The aliens are based on termites, and think like termites, not people. That's good." -- Marcus (Goodreads) 

 

Attention! Summer Specials!

ATTENTION!

 

ALL SUMMER LONG

I'LL BE HAVING WEEKEND 99-CENT SPECIALS ON MY EBOOKS!

WATCH THIS SPACE TO LEARN WHICH TITLE

IS BEING FEATURED THIS WEEK!

 

MAY 23-26

MONSTER IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER (novella)

PURCHASE FROM AMAZON, AMAZON UK, 
SMASHWORDS, BARNES & NOBLE,

AND OTHER ONLINE EBOOKSELLERS
ALSO ON SCRIBD

 

 

SYNOPSIS

"In this dark and edgy first-contact story, a team of anthropologists discovers a species of truly bizarre intelligent lifeforms called the Kal. The team consists of the leader, an experienced, highly respected female Professor of Xenoanthropology and Linguistics; a young female biomedical specialist; and a still younger male, an expert in alien artifacts. Each team member reacts in a different way to the Kal, building toward a disturbing climax and a conclusion with an unsettling twist of perspective."

 

AUTHOR'S COMMENT

This was the first book I wrote after I recommenced writing in the year 2000.  I had just bought my first computer and it made writing so much easier!  I had a very bizarre dream -- something that could have been terrifying, but instead it conveyed an aura of peace and light and provoked only curiosity and wonder.  I jumped out of bed and rushed to the computer and wrote down the dream before I could forget it, and I knew immediately that I had to write a story based on it.  "Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder" was the result.  It was also the first piece I published when I began self-publishing, because it was short and made a good learning object.

 

 

EXTRACTS FROM REVIEWS

 

"Lorinda J. Taylor's imaginative and entertaining science-fiction novella, Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder, reminded this reader of Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow (1996). Both works are first-contact stories that turn on what happens when human beings, acting with best intentions, behave in ways that cause catastrophic damage. Doria Russell and Taylor both explore the nature of good and evil, cultural difference, and prejudice, and both choose to tell their stories, for the most part, in framed flashbacks." -- Jack A. Urquhart

 

"I literally said 'Wow' out loud when I finished this book! Before I started it I had thought it was going to be a bit hard going, but it wasn't at all, it was very readable. I sat down on a Sunday afternoon thinking I would make a start reading the first few pages, but as it turned out I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. It's shocking and compelling, and has a moral message, but it's one that feels incidental rather than the story being contrived to bring out the moral point.
I've never read anything quite like this and it's not a story I'm going to forget in a hurry." -- Vanessa-Jane Chapman

 

"Stylistically, the work evokes what I would call "classic SF" writing and pacing. The early works of Ursula K. LeGuin come most prominently to mind--something like The Left Hand of Darkness." -- Athena Brigitte [Katherine Anthony]

 

"The Kal are among the most innovative and unexpected aliens I have ever encountered in sci-fi. None the less, this is not "gadget fiction"; as is generally the case with the best science fiction tales, it's the human side of the story which takes center stage, and that story is both believable and moving.
Get it, and read it -- you won't regret it! (And you won't forget it, either, not for a very long time!)" -- Christian Daddy [Stephen Lawrence]

 



Some Random Thoughts, and a Cover Reveal

     I've been posting more regularly on my other blog lately, because most of what I've had to say involves either the Ki'shto'ba series or material about myth.  I have a special ongoing at the moment:

THE WAR OF THE STOLEN MOTHER

 (v.1 of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head)

will be priced at only 99 cents through Sunday, Sept. 8,

for the Kindle version at Amazon or for the Smashwords edition.

 

       I just participated in Tidbit Tuesday, a monthly event run by Patrick O'Scheen on Facebook, and I ended up increasing my likes on my FB page from 45 to 98 (at this moment of writing). A really nice reward!

       That brings up a question.  People always seem interested in my work and my ideas, and they say nice things about my drawings.  But none of this produces any sales, particularly of my Ki'shto'ba series, which I still say is superior to anything else I've written, especially for its originality. 

       Why is this?  I think I might have some idea.  My termites naturally talk is a high style -- they simply don't speak colloquial English.  That is, to preserve the fiction, Kaitrin Oliva envisions them as talking is an elevated, literary style (I had nothing to do with it -- ha, ha!) and she translates them that way.  And probably the scholarly apparatus, which I so love, puts people off (the footnotes, in particular, and possibly the asides between Di'fa'kro'mi and his scribe, something I find really entertaining, and also maybe the "difficult" names).  One person told me he didn't like the narrative form -- the fact that somebody was telling the story.  My opinion of that is that it's a personal quirk.  Lots of books are written in the first person, including The Great Gatsby.  And Di'fa'kro'mi is a Bard, after all -- it's his job to tell tales.  He participated in Ki'shto'ba's quest and it makes sense to have him tell the story as a reminiscence, as his own memoirs.  We may know he survived, but that doesn't mean that anybody else in the quest made it back home (after all in the present moment in which Di'fa'kro'mi is speaking, we never see a single other person who went on the quest), so it doesn't damage the suspense.

 

       Now a random and disconnected remark ...  I've noticed lately that a lot of book covers show closeups of one or two heads with serious, strained, or possibly lustful expressions on their faces.  Hmm.  That would work only for books in The Man Who Found Birds series (yes, it will be a series).  I may have to find somebody to do the covers for those, if I can find somebody who won't charge me thousands of dollars.  I'll repeat, I can do termites and I can make my own maps, but real people?  Forget it!  The faces I've attempted improved with practice, but they are still basically cartoons.  I don't think anything I could do would work.  So stay tuned.

 

       And now I present the back cover for The Valley of Thorns.  It was Marva Dasef who suggested I incorporate the map so I could employ a colorized version.  I did a detail showing the region around the battle area.  For the full black and white map, go here. 

 

Click for larger view

 

      

Why Do I Have a Conniption Fit Every Morning?

Conniption:

Informal. A fit of hysterical excitement or anger [Dictionary.com]

Derivation: Americanism, origin uncertain
 

       Because I'm having a terrible time getting any serious work done, that's why!  I work best first thing in the morning.  Every morning my plan is to get right on the final proofread/revision of The Storm-Wing with a view to publishing the paperback very soon.  But that email is irresistibly enticing. 

      Will somebody have reviewed one of my books?  Will I have a communication from one of my online friends with whom I really enjoy contact?  Maybe I'll have new Twitter and Goodreads followers! Will there be a new blog post that I just have to read, or a message on Facebook, or a comment on Google+ or on one of my blogs?  Maybe I will have sold a book on Smashwords, which notifies you of sales by email!  So I can't resist looking before I start working. 

       And of course I find about 50 emails, and become engaged in deleting about 40 of them.  Then there are the spam notifications.  That gets me into my own blogs, which leads to checking stats, and then certainly I have to check the sales stats on Kindle and Createspace, and check whether anybody has downloaded any samples on Smashwords ...  And what about Goodreads and some of the other groups I belong to?   There might be something interesting there ...  (And oh, look, that little red 1 just popped up in the Google+ box!  I have to check that out!)

 

       By that time the morning is at least half gone and the conniption fit is in full bloom!  "I'm never going to get this book ready to publish!  Grrr!  It's hopeless!"  It's promotion that's keeping me from publishing my next book!

       It's been especially bad these last four days, because I have been having this Smashwords Giveaway of "Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder" -- promotion ends tomorrow morning as soon as I log in, which will be about 7:00 AM Mountain Standard (US) time, so hustle on over to Smashwords  and download a copy.  The Giveaway has required me to do more tweeting and posting on social media than usual.  However, it's been worth it.  I've gotten one review out of it, thanks to Chris Graham, whom I met on Goodreads (check me out there), and Kat Anthony recently put up a review of "Monster," although in her case she bought the book, I believe, some time ago.  And as of a few moments ago, I had given away twelve copies in a little less than three days.  Some people may not think that's many, but look at it this way -- if all twelve of those people read the book and decide to review it, I'll be making a pretty good showing!
       I've also given away 34 copies of the novelette "The Blessing of Krozem."  It will remain free on Smashwords, so you can get it any time you like.  It's not a piece of major literature and it isn't as meaty and strenuous as "Monster," but it makes for a pleasant hour's reading and I'm not at all sorry I resurrected it and published it in this manner.

       Now why am I writing this post, in the midst of a conniption fit?  I'm supposed to be working on The Storm-Wing, for goodness' sakes!  But not only did I need to vent -- I figured I needed a new post on this blog to stimulate people's interest.  And I needed a publishing update.
       I do plan to finish that proofing this afternoon!  I swear!  Will I be foresworn?  Stay tuned!  But that won't mean I'll be ready to publish, because I've decided to compile a glossary of Shshi words that are used in the book.  My conlanging friends prefer that a piece of fiction containing constructed languages have a glossary, so I've decided to oblige them.  It means searching the book for italicized words (thank god for the Word Search feature) and then copying the words into a table or list, alphabetizing them, writing definitions and other possible explanations ...  Well, you can see it could be time-consuming.
       But that will give me time for some heavier promotion of both The Termite Queen and the first volume of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, which as you all know is entitled The War of the Stolen Mother.  I also need to do some work on the termitespeaker blog, where my posts on Evangeline Walton's Prince of Annwn are attracting page views but only one comment so far.  I'm going to let those cook awhile longer, and then I'm going to put up another bird-myth post.  This one will be on the Jewish bird, the Ziz.
       So expect some things to come.   But definitely it will all go smoother if I can just discipline myself to get to work before I check my email.  After all, I don't need to be first-thing-in-the-morning sharp to delete emails and respond to them!

       More notes on origin of "conniption":

       Wiktionary (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conniption) says: "American origin, perhaps related to corruption or captious."

       http://wiki.answers.com says: "The origins of the word conniption, which appeared in usage in the 1830s, are cloudy and several theories have taken root into possible origins of the word:
1) Conniption is a literal corruption of the word 'corruption' which at one time meant feelings of anger or sadness.
2) Conniption is a nonsense word hinting at a mock latin origin.
3) Conniption is of Yiddish origins, such as the word Knish, due to the use of hard Ks and Ns."

       http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-conniption-fit.htm compares a conniption fit to a hissy fit or tantrum.  I don't think mine is quite on the level of a tantrum, but hissy fit works pretty well!

       

An Anniversary Special & Giveaway! "Monster" Is One Year Old!

My novella "Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder" was published on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11 -- easy to remember!)  So Sunday is its first anniversary and in celebration I'm mounting a special on Kindle and on Smashwords.  Starting Friday (November 9) and running through next Friday (November 16), the price will be reduced to 99 cents!  I'd love to give you a lower price on the paperback with its pretty new cover, but that can't be done.  However, for people who still prefer print (and I know there are many of you), the price is only $5.49.  

I WANT TO GIVE AWAY SOME FREE COPIES!

 

HERE'S WHAT I PROPOSE!

 

If you would like to have a free Smashwords copy

of "Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder,"

send me a Twitter Direct Message at any time
 on Sunday (the anniversary) or Monday
(since Sunday is Veterans' Day)
 

Tell me "Yes, I'd like a free copy of Monster"!

If you're one of the first ten messages I receive,

I'll send you a return message with a coupon for a
FREE SMASHWORDS COPY!

 

I tweet @TermiteWriter

 

NOW, DOESN'T THAT SOUND LIKE FUN?

Here is a description of the book:

 

In this dark and edgy first-contact story, a team of anthropologists discovers a species of truly bizarre intelligent lifeforms called the Kal. The team consists of the leader, an experienced, highly respected female Professor of Xenoanthropology and Linguistics; a young female biomedical specialist; and a still younger male, an expert in alien artifacts. Each team member reacts in a different way to the Kal, building toward a disturbing climax and a conclusion with an unsettling twist of perspective.

 

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