 The Release of THE GRADONZARAS is 6 weeks away!
Get The Aquithus Bearer on your Kindle for FREE! Ends Sunday 21st THE AQUITHUS BEARER
There's much more that goes into formatting than I ever realised. I say this now because I've been doing so with the third novella in the Beyond Endless Tides series, and once I started I wanted all three to look the same across the editions. Hence, all e-books have now been created the same, and all paperbacks the same. Smashwords, however flagged up too many variants on font size, so it has gone a bit more basic, as I hastily reformatted both mer-worded, and English vernacular editions for a re-upload early this morning. (I eagerly await their approval).
The Show/Hide formatting symbols toggle button is a must whenever undertaking this process. However, you soon tire of seeing those little dots which show you extra space presses where you didn't want them. Gggrrrrrrrr! If you haven't formatted yet, be WARNED. A strong coffee, and a lot of time is needed as you work through your manuscript. And a LOT of patience, especially if the place you are uploading to keeps returning your upload for revisions. TAKE YOUR TIME and get it right to begin with, it will save you much heartache, and headache come to think of it, when you are ready to publish. If, like me, you use Word and are not aware of Styles, learn how to use them. Once they are set, they pay dividends in aiding the formatting process. You can make changes to the whole document, say chapter headings, in a few easy click through's, and if we're talking about a novel of hundreds of thousands of words long you can save a heck of a lot of time if you change your mind about a font size, type, or whether you want it BOLD or not, halfway through the formatting. And, once set up, you can change the main text of your story from one font to another, which is a great advantage if you want to create a difference between editions. The following video is a great guide to getting started, by author India Drummond. Though, please be aware of Widow/Orpan control. Turning this function on will cause fluctuations in where your text ends on each page of your PRINT book, and can make it look untidy. If this is what you want by all means turn it on, I've since removed this feature from all my future manuscripts as I wasn't happy with the end result in my paperbacks.  Here's the full wrap around cover for the paperback edition of The Gradonzaras. Release date for this is 3rd October 2016.
Here you can see the two covers for the e-book editions for Beyond Endless Tides novella 3. The titles, in case you are wondering, are different because THE SEA DRAGONS is the English Vernacular Edition of THE GRADONZARAS without the made up mer-words.
I'll be publishing both because I feel readers may want a choice, should they buy the paperback, and want the e-book edition, too. Soon there will be an announcement of when the third novella in BEYOND ENDLESS TIDES releases. It is the final part of a story that runs further than these three novellas. A story I'll come back to in the years to come.
If you've read THE WHITE QUEEN, and THE MUR OF AQUITHUS, you'll be pleased to know THE GRADONZARAS has been added to Wattpad, where you have the opportunity to read the whole story, for a short while. It is worth noting that the parts added to Wattpad have the made up mer-words included. An English Vernacular Edition will be uploaded later. There are currently 14 of 22 chapters uploaded. Once the last has been placed, it will remain for two weeks and then be shortened to five or so chapters. If you're not a member, it is worth signing up and getting the chance to read some great writing. Here's the link to THE GRADONZARAS on Wattpad. 
It took a good few hours, and although this is the same cover with new fonts, here is a cover reveal for the recently revised short story. You may or may not be aware, this story is based on the world of Evania, a fantasy world rolling around my mind.
I edited the original with the guidance of another great fantasy author I met at a writer's group in Scotland. Her wise words helped me reshape the story, and though she made valid comments, I rejigged the prose, in my own voice. This is ahead of me working on the novels for Evania, yes, my time to spend there is finally almost upon me. As it stands, I'll be writing a first trilogy, though do have approximately 7, maybe 8 books in mind to begin our journey into the troubled lands. Featuring dragons, Gokans, wizards and lore, I'm excited and can't wait to get stuck in. Read an excerpt from THE KEEPER OF THE REALMS (Dragon's Eye Quest Book 1)  The Piggin' Author has been working hard on the piggery these past few weeks, and with this having been the last day for a spell, I wanted to share what I like most about working with these incredible animals. First and foremost, each and every one of the pigs I work with have their own character, and it is a wonder to get to learn their individual traits. I love mostly working in the maternity ward, as it were, or better known in the industry as the Farrowings. There I get the chance to see piglets being born, and move them around between sows to ensure their survival, (I essentially play God) and it gives me great satisfaction when I watch them do well with their new mothers, knowing I have saved lives. Added to this, sometimes piglets get sat on by their mother's, it is a sad and sorry part of the job, but there are instances, like just the other day, when I arrive at a sow's hut in time to get her up after the piglet has been laid on a while, and these, after given a few moments will revive themselves. It is always pleasing to see this happen, knowing I've played my role of God well. One of my personal all time favourite pleasures of this job, no matter where I am placed on the unit, is strawing their pens. It is not so much putting the straw in, but standing back and watching them root around and get excited with their new bedding. They love it, play in it, and love lying under it. (Not merely because it's a cold day).  Generally I can walk around the unit and most sows know, remember, who I am. Whenever I am among them, checking them for the odd lameness, making sure they have good rounded bellies, (meaning they have piglets growing inside), and looking at their general health, I always talk to and pet them wherever I go. Most like the interaction, some a little too much and come to expect a pet whenever I walk their paddock, which can be a nuisance when I have a bundle of straw I want to put in their hut and they nudge my legs on route, and pester me by rub the sides of their necks along the back of my legs when I am trying to put said straw in their hut. They don't leave me alone till they get their way, and I'm always happy to adhere to their demands. With us being on the brink of warmer weather, most I know will be cheering its coming, but I, like most on the outdoor circuit knows what comes with it. Which is that sows, no matter how presentable we make their huts, will take it upon themselves to make their own bed, outside. Yes, they dig themselves a little pit and drop their litter in it. The digging is good because it ensures their new born don't stray far from her protection, and though I'd love to let them stay this way throughout their lactating period, I must, as all piggers do, put the piglets and mother in the nearest hut. This comes with problems because any new mother will always remember where she farrowed, (gave birth), and will always try and get back there. We counter this by locking her in her new home for a night, but the going is never that simple. She hassles all the way and her jaw is like that of a crocodile's, (something I've been warned about, and, thankfully, never had to experience at first, well, tooth.) Added to this, when other mothers in the same paddock here a piglets cry, or squeal, they all come running. So care must be taken, else face the wrath of up to six sows all at the same time.  Though it saddens me each time I'm away from the piggery, it is time for me to get on with the other side of me, my creative side. I'll be finishing novella 3 of, Beyond Endless Tides, hopefully in the next few weeks, and will be moving on to finishing the first book from Evania, my other fantasy world. I did at some point mention an collection, and though between books I do write short stories, I'm a bit aways from having enough to put into one binding. They will be done, as time goes on.
Have a great April everyone. -Charles F. Bond The Gradonzaras (Sea Dragons)So over the last few months, I’ve been busy writing the third Novella in Beyond Endless Tides. I have written around 40,000 words of Morg and Ethos’s part in the story, near enough to a conclusive end, and so now I’m writing in the story of the White Queen. It will reveal her true path in the story, and a little of how she came to be, though not extensively (this may come out in later books, or a separate one). If you’ve read The White Queen, you will have a picture in your mind of who she is, but reading this her world will open up and you will get an insight into why she has so vehemently implanted in the minds of many that a move to land is imminent, no, essential.
The ending I hope will be a satisfactory one, but will leave it open for me to come back to with novels, either in a series, or as stand alone’s. In essence, Beyond Endless Tides is the beginning of a much larger story, one that I will come back to in the years to come. |
AuthorCharles F Bond is writer of fantasy and paranormal fiction. He wishes you much merriment in the pursuit of good reading. Newsletter
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