Early August News Round-Up

Well the first part of the 'Sword and the Ring' Kindle giveaway was a fine success, with a couple of hundred units shifted in three days (and a good few dozen in Germany, fittingly enough - the spiritual and mythical home of the 'Ring' Cycle!) We still have 2 days left of that promo to run so will keep you posted when we plan to run that. The artwork for this series continues to generate a good buzz on Deviantart, probably because there is already a well-defined audience for this kind of myth-based fantasy - albeit in a very idiosyncratic style.

Art and writing work on the Book 2 of this series is going well, although Book 1 will no doubt continue to be tweaked and revised as we gather more feedback. A review with Readers Favorite had been scheduled, then postponed, as I pondered whether to tone down some of the more mature content. That's still on the cards for sometime soon, though.

Morgen Bailey ran this interview with me last year, but she's now re-publishing all her author Q&As on a new blog to raise a little more awareness for folks. Be sure to check out her new pages and give her some support, won't you!

Chaz Talks Books with Morgen Bailey

Following on from Morgen Bailey's helpful guest post earlier, Morgen also recently hosted an extensive interview with Chaz, in which he discusses writing, books and publishing in depth on her blog.

It's a long interview but Morgen posts many of these with writers - and is always happy to hear from new people, so if you're a writer, feel free to drop her a line. Submission guidelines are clearly posted all over her site.

The full interview is right here.

Gothic...? Me? With My Reputation?

Recently, FWB opened a new account over at Gothise.com. It appears to be a new-ish social network site for 'alternative' people, which these days may usually be interpreted to mean 'miserable teenagers who like dying their hair black', but which also has wider significance for the frequently dark and strange subject matter that we present here. Originally intrigued because we noted that this very blog was getting some referrals from the site, we thought we might as well give the members something to look at over there as well.

If anybody else is inclined to join up, then feel free to add us and expand the network.

We're not convinced yet how useful, friendly or successful this site will prove to be, but we have to do our best to get ourselves, and our works, out there. Don't we?

The Wish & the Will's No. 1 Fan Writes...

Fellow writer and publisher Alison DeLuca recently read the first three episodes of the series to date, and enjoyed it so much she decided to blog about it, right here on her site.

Thanks a lot for all your support, Alison (readers, be sure to check out her other blogs, too).



And in the meantime, here's something brand new - a sneak preview of the art for the cover of Episode 4, featuring Loxxi, Mr. Sundancer, and a pseudo-steampunk'd Gatling gun. Chaz isn't making any promises (due to other projects and ongoing commissions) but he hopes to have the text-only Kindle version of TWatW available before the end of the year.

The Wish & the Will Reviewed...by a Fan

Recently, I ran a giveaway competition over at Natasha Larry's blog. Fellow writer and blogger Alison DeLuca won the competition to receive a bunch of digital Wish and the Will goodies - and she liked the first episode so much, she has just posted her review of Episode 1 on Amazon.com.

Getting reviews for the series hasn't been easy to date, due to the serialized nature of the episodes. It looks as if Alison's become the No. 1 fan of WatW so far. She's even planning a blog post of her own about the books very soon...

In the meantime, be sure to check out her blog and her works.

Chaz Interviewed on the 'Paranormal Wire' Blog

Writer and blogger Natasha Larry has just posted an interview with Chaz at her Paranormal Wire page.


Chaz discusses his work on the Wish & the Will fantasy series, tries to show some humility (and humour), and also has some free goodies on offer.

You can read the full interview here.

Thanks to Natasha for the support!

Writing For Fun, Profit and Other Reasons...

Another guest post from Chaz - this time, over at Natasha Larry's Paranormal Wire page.

This was a little piece discussing the relative merits (and otherwise) of commercial writing, writing for personal pleasure, and whither the twin may met.

Read the full article here!

Thanks to Natasha for having me. Check out her page and her friends while you're over there!

Book Reviews: Chaz's Views

Chaz just got another guest article featured over at Erin o'Riordan's 'Pagan Spirits' blog - all about the value of reviews for writers (with just a hint of personal experience thrown in).

Read the whole post here.

We hope you find something there of interest. Be sure to check out the rest of Erin's pages while you're there!

Guest Post: “Wolf Bites” by Erin O’Riordan

Introducing a brand new guest blogger this week, Erin has compiled a collection of lupine links for fans of wolfish writings, in tune with this very blog's own mascot...



'Fenriswulf is the perfect name for a publisher of quirky, eerie, dark fiction. The Norse myth of the terrifying son of Loki who is unleashed at the twilight of the gods, after his fellow wolves have devoured the sun and moon, fascinates and terrifies. Fenris even appears in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The wolves in my writing tend to be less horrifying and more sensual, but they also refuse to be leashed or tamed. In honor of fiction’s nocturnal, howling canines, I present these short bites of some of my favorite wolf tales.

“The Bella Coola Indians believed that someone once tried to change all the animals into men but succeeded in making human only the eyes of the wolf.”
-- Barry Lopez, Of Wolves and Men

“I noticed her when I went to the bar to refresh my Manhattan. She stared at me. Her eyes were piercing. They were green, I think. If not green, then yellow. Lupine…She wore a silvery gray dress with black spots. It must have been an animal print, because I could not (indeed, still cannot) shake the impression that she was covered in a silvery gray fur.”
-- “Animal Appetites” by Erin O’Riordan, Encounters Magazine Fall 2009

“Thy desires
Are wolfish, bloody, starved and ravenous.”
-- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

“Badhu shook her head. ‘Hairy, with eyes the color of honey. His teeth are too large for his mouth, and sharp. He bites, and he makes wild noises. He’s one of those men who shifts between the worlds of humans and of animals. In the land where I was born, we know of men who live in the village as men, and in the forest as elephants. He is one of them, Raven. Only not an elephant, but a wolf.’ Raven snorted. ‘You sound like a Polish peasant woman, talking about werewolves. There’s no such thing. He’s just a fisherman, one who happens to like to bite.’”
-- “Fall of the Estrela” by Erin O’Riordan, Midnight Times Summer 2008

“Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue.” -- “Speak of the wolf and you see his tail,” French proverbial equivalent of the English “Speak of the devil”

“The most curious legend about my nautical ancestress, however, regards her third child, a boy named William, also called Guillermo after the Spanish fashion. William was born later in Rachel’s life, when she was in her forties. Family legend has it that while raiding a Portuguese slave vessel, Rachel took as her prisoner a crew member who spoke no Portuguese. His name was Milos, and he was impressed by the Portuguese from the Adriatic isle of Vis, now part of Croatia. The Croatians recognize Vis for two things: its superior fisherman, and the strange legend that claims the inhabitants of Vis are werewolves.”
-- “Olivia Going Native” by Erin O’Riordan (unpublished)

“Darling it is no joke, this is lycanthropy
The moon’s awake now with eyes wide open
My body’s craving, so feed the hungry…”
-- Shakira, “She Wolf” lyrics

" ‘I’m never too tired to cook for your kind,’ Oliver said. ‘Werewolves are my favorite customers. Do you know why?’ Matthew shook his head. ‘Because you’re omnivores. You have the sophisticated palates of modern human beings, and the raw instinctual thirst for blood of ancient predators. No ingredient is off the list. It brings out my…’ He paused, looking Natalie up and down. ‘…Creativity.’”
-- “Oliver’s Famous Clam Chowder” by Erin O’Riordan. Love Bites, Torquere Press, 2008

Video trailer for “Oliver’s Good Night Kiss:”

Guest blogger biography: An adolescence of staying up late on Fridays nights, eating junk food and watching films such as Satan’s Cheerleaders has influenced Erin O’Riordan. She reads obsessively and writes compulsively. Her favorite lycanthrope is Werewolf Flanders. Erin says, "Howl at ya girl at www.aeess.com, preferably at midnight while the moon is full." '

Many thanks for that, Erin. It was great to see something new and different.

Be sure to drop by Erin's places online, or contact her, via the following:

Visit her Pagan Spirits blog
Find Erin on Facebook
and on Twitter

Chaz Interviewed on the 'Upper Kingdom' Blog

Thanks to the readers/writers social networking site Goodreads.com, Chaz met up with writer Farida Mestek, who was seeking other authors to interview for her blog, The Upper Kingdom.

She posed some very interesting questions, and the full interview is now up on her blog, right here. There's talk about Chaz's earliest days as a writer, as well as details of Maranatha and The Wish and the Will.

Be sure to check out her other pages and interviews while you're there.

Guests Bloggers & Writers: Welcome!

Following the recent flurry of interest in Rainy's recent and very helpful guest post, we'd now like to extend this offer to any blogger or writer who has something to share. We're now looking for guest posters for this very Fenriswulf Books blog.

Whether personal experiences, advice, or anything interesting relating to the world of writing and self-publishing, we'd be interested to hear it.

Generally we'll accept mostly any pieces that are on-topic: self-publishing, fantasy/sci-fi/thriller writers, graphic artists who also write - graphic novels, writers' experiences when it comes to dealing with Print on Demand suppliers, etc. Feel free to contact us with ideas for content.

All-out promotional items won't be considered at this stage but if you can give it a spin and tell an interesting story of creative development, discovery or personal advice along the way, then feel free to include links, images and such. Also if anyone's interested in banner or link exchanges - as a graphic designer I've no problem throwing together a banner for someone who wants one, so long as we can add our banner to your page in return.

Where to Find Your Audience: A Guest Post by Rainy

In the first of what we hope will be a new phenomenon here at the Fenriswulf blog - featuring guest bloggers and writers with something to say - here's Rainy getting us off to a flying start with a thoughtful article on targeting your potential readership. We've shared many interesting views on promotion and marketing for the indy and self-published writer in the past, and that looks set to continue. So, take it away...

When Rainy Kaye isn't plotting world domination, she enjoys coaching others about it on her blog. She also likes fluffy kittens.

The word "platform" is making authors squirm more than ever. Because publishing houses are cutting costs, writers are turning to self-publishing, and the internet is becoming the primary avenue for marketing, artists are becoming aware of what it means to create their own platform. For some, a platform is the matter of pinpointing where their art belongs and then amassing followers of the genre.

But what about those who are carving out their own niche? Where do the entrepreneurs of the artistic world begin? Creating a platform with defined followers is hard enough, but it requires even more creativity for those who aren't following a well explored path. More work, yes. Impossible, no. Here are a few ways to get started:

What is it at the essence? No matter how creative your project is, it's still something familiar at its core. For example, it's still electronic music, a comic book, or handmade art. Forget the enthusiasm (or horror) that you've created something never seen before, and strive to find its most basic foundation.

What makes it different-and why does anyone care? Now that you've concluded what makes your project like everything else on the planet, decide what makes it different. Write down three points that make it unlike anything else you've seen, and what that means to your potential audience. These are your selling points. Even artists with a fairly common niche has to understand what makes their work the same, and then what makes it different, than others on the market.

Now, sum it up. I've talked many times about how important it is to be able to explain your work in 140 characters. This has nothing to do with Twitter; it has everything to do with the short attention span of your potential audience. If you're marketing something extremely different, you should be able to tell someone what it's like, why it's different, and why they should care, also in about 140 characters. Work this into your normal pitch. You do have a pitch, right?

Once you've completed the above-and I do mean, completed it, not just skipped down to the next steps-consider where to find your people. I know, you want to get right to the people, but if you don't know how to pitch your idea to them, then you're only going to annoy them. And depending how different your work is, you may have a limited audience, anyway. Have a perfected pitch before you even think about talking to people. Then try these ideas:

Branch out your partnership. You may feel like there are no partnerships available because your work is so different. Wrong. Check out the first step above, when you concluded what your work is at the core. Now find others who also fall into that simple niche. Remember, most people are also trying to promote their own endeavors, so they are often willing to exchange links or other promotional activities even if your projects are slightly different. Ideas don't have to be identical to be successful together.

Consider your audience's other interests. This one is not fool-proof and certainly doesn't apply to all artists. However, for some, it might be the golden ticket. Consider what other entertainment your potential audience might like. For example, what movies and TV shows would they watch, what music would they listen to, what book they would read, what locations would they hang out at, etc. Not sure what your audience would be into? Chances are, many of these answers will be the same as your own.

Go get 'em! Now that you have a solid pitch and can answer what your project is like and why it's different, as well as have an idea of who your potential audience is, go seek them out. Join standalone forums and community groups (GoodReads, Facebook, Ning etc) on not just your "essential" niche, but ones pertaining to your audience's potential other interests. When you find someone who enjoys your work, mesh into their world. Get to know their friends (don't spam!), comment on their blog (don't spam!), follow them on various social networks (don't spam!).

Finding, and then creating, your platform is never easy. Take the time to understand a few simple rules of thumb, such as why a pitch is so important, and that people usually have a pattern to their interests and tend to hang out with like-minded individuals. Then you'll not only be able to develop your platform, but meet interesting people along the way.

Thanks again, Rainy.

Additional: Rainy asks - "What creative ways have you found an audience for your project?"

Feel free to post a comment and share your views.

'Surfeit of Mandrake' Reviewed...on Amazon, and Elsewhere

While 'Maranatha' has been notching up some good press in recent months, that other stalwart of the original Fenriswulf catalogue, 'A Surfeit of Mandrake', hasn't been so lucky in finding reviewers of late. Possibly because anthologies are so difficult to review and sum up, especially ones as eclectic as this which features poetry, drama in blank verse, short stories, artwork, comic strips and a mini sci-fi saga as the centre piece.

However, that's all changed now thanks to the extremely generous and helpful Trevor, over at Bookophile Reviews. True to his every word, he's written a damn fine review and shared it not only at Amazon and his own blog pages, but at Goodreads also (where Chaz and Fenriswulf have a growing presence).

The new 'Mandrake' review is online at Amazon, here. While you're at it, pop across to Trevor's pages and show him some support too! If you have a book you'd like reviewed, drop him a line - he's a great guy to chat with, as well.