Whenever I start a new story, the first thing I ask myself is “what if?”
That “what if” can be anything. Anything at all. That’s what’s great about science fiction. It lets you ask crazy, off-the-wall questions and then build a whole world to find the answer. At least, that’s how I see it.
And the “what if” for my current series was… what if general artificial intelligence, real artificial life, is nothing we’ve expected it to be?
It’s been an interesting time to ask that question. With the explosion of generative AI over the past year, everything’s gotten a little crazy around the subject. But I’ve found it fascinating; the more we use it, the more possibilities and pitfalls seem to appear.
That’s not to say that the Abiota Series is some dry analysis of real world AI. It’s not. Not at all. We have AIs who project themselves as dragons, AI who host their own art shows, AI struggling to manage their emotions and AI who don’t bother talking to us at all. But it has been fun to weave in some real world details, pulling the threads of what is into what could be.
Blurb and excerpt link
Daelia Hall has a mission.
Self-imposed. Of course. She might work for the Air Guard, but just as a contractor. She doesn’t wear a uniform. And good thing too right now. They can’t order her to back off.
Because she’s seen the truth behind the aliens, behind their Envoy, behind the entire concept of Unity. The grand promise to lift humanity up is hollow. But it’s only left her with more questions.
Why lie about this? And more importantly, how?
Now, she’ll risk everything to uncover the truth. But her involvement isn’t a mere product of chance, and what she uncovers threatens to shake not just the world, but her own sense of who, and what, she is.
You’re seeing me add a few Kickstarter campaigns lately and you might be wondering what this is all about? Why crowdfunding for books?
Not that Kickstarter and Backerkit have pretty much opened the door for Indie and self published authors, but that we have found open arms with the reading, and collecting public!
Unlike retailers who simply put our book covers, a blurb, and review up for our books on their sites, and then add a host of paid-for ads on the pages they allot us, Kickstarter gives us an entire unlimited open book page for us to talk about our stories, our process, our collaborators, and anything we can think of – why we wrote the book, our thoughts, our trials, our fears, and our tribulations.
I love that they give us that much space to introduce our books, and us as authors to the world.
And they leave that page up. Forever. Along with a link after the campaign is done to send the curious to our websites.
Add to that, people looking for something new, something creative, something to put on their shelves, readily comb through the campaigns and add their pledges. Superbackers we’re called (yes I humbly admit I’ve been given that title too).
So you’ll be seeing more campaigns by friends here. More musings about why we write what we write, more introductions to authors who want to go wide and who want to take a step out of the box and show off their hard work.
And yes, writing a book and publishing it IS hard work. Thank you for following!
Signed & illustrated hardcover collector’s edition of the first book in the bestselling fantasy series, celebrating the 5th anniversary
Check out this pretty fantastic best selling fantasy book. The base book features acid-free paper, smyth-sewn binding and gold gilded page edges. Additionally, it has an embossed and foiled satin silk-bound case with art from Ambi Sun and a reversible, double-sided dust jacket featuring custom art from Daxiong and typography by Sarah Anderson Designs.
There are only 14 days left to get this very special limited edition of Sword of Cho Nisi Rise of the Tobian Princess in its Kickstarter campaign. This is the only time it will be available with the gold foil textured dust cover wrapped around the real leather hardbound book. I’m doing the entire series in leather, but only during each book’s campaign will the dust cover be available.
Sand textured full color dust jacket with gold foil
6″ X 9″
368 pages
Customized chapter headings
Hand drawn maps by John Renehan
Signed
Numbered according to the order in which you pledge.
Printed in the USA
Note : this book is not illustrated, but there will be color illustrations and word art available as extra rewards during this campaign and these will be slip-in pages.
Following an ambush at the Upton Rail Station in 1921 Ireland, British troops burn Ailis’ home to the ground and arrest her fiancé, Liam, for murder. She and her younger brother Paddy flee to an enchanted glen. Lured by a haunting song, Paddy is abducted by forest folk. Perilous obstacles, and a questionable stranger, hinder Ailis’ attempts to find her brother or free her fiancé until her only hope for survival rests on the magic of the Fae.
CURATOR’S NOTE
D.L. Gardener is both a talented author and a fine artist – a sensibility she brings to all her books. The chiaroscuro of light and dark, faerie and mortal, combine with the richness of history to delight and entice her readers into her worlds, which often feature portal fantasies and mystical doorways between realms. – Anthea Sharp
REVIEWS
“Thread of a Spider is an absorbing story that smoothly combines key elements from both history and fantasy. Author D. L. Gardner (also a fellow contributor at Amazing Stories) has created a magical little world filled with courage and charm set in an unlikely stage of war and terror.” – Review from Amazing Stories Magazine
“D.L. Gardner’s Thread of a Spider was a pleasure to read – most of all because the author celebrates love of country, family, friendship, courage, sacrifice, and honor. Traditional values – in other words. And those are rare treasures, today.” – Amazon review
“Wow, I just went to Ireland. The sights, the sounds, the smells were all around me and I felt like I could actually reach out and touch the things described in each scene. DL Gardner’s writing is so vivid you are there with the characters, running, hiding, fighting and weeping. Thread of a Spider is such an amazing story, I had book depression when it ended. I wanted to go back to Ireland and spend more time with these wonderful characters and roam in this amazing country.” – Amazon review
When Miss Lilybeth Rose Hathaway and her family arrive in Ardmond for the season, Lily can’t help but be charmed by wealthy, popular Theo Overton’s lovely manners and genuine affection. The Hathaways are soon elevated far beyond what they might have imagined, and like everyone else, they are captivated by rumors of the national hero known as the Wraith, who is saving human children from the terrors of the Fair Court.
The arrival of the Special Envoy of the Fair Court tasked with capturing the Wraith frightens everyone. But the Wraith is far too clever to be captured… until the stakes become personal.
The Wraith and the Rose is a delightful reimagining of The Scarlet Pimpernel in a Regency-inspired setting with dangerous Fair Folk and a love worth dying for.
The Fantastic Fae Bundle – Curated by Anthea Sharp: Top fantasy authors bring you a dozen books, each one filled with otherwordly magic. Which portal will you open first? They all lead to adventure, but beware the bargains of the fae…
The bestselling authors in this StoryBundle are known for their deft use of traditional faerie lore. Don’t expect twinkles and sweetness here! Instead, you’ll encounter the treacherous and lovely denizens of the Realm of Faerie, in all their guises. Whether it’s a mortal stolen into the Faerie courts, or a half-blood changeling struggling to live in the human world, fae magic imbues each of these books with perilous magic.
To find out more about the twelve books in this bundle, click here, and make sure to click on each cover for a synopsis, reviews and preview of each book!
Top fantasy authors bring you a dozen books, each one filled with otherwordly magic. Which portal will you open first? They all lead to adventure, but beware the bargains of the fae…
The bestselling authors in this StoryBundle are known for their deft use of traditional faerie lore. Don’t expect twinkles and sweetness here! Instead, you’ll encounter the treacherous and lovely denizens of the Realm of Faerie, in all their guises. Whether it’s a mortal stolen into the Faerie courts, or a half-blood changeling struggling to live in the human world, fae magic imbues each of these books with perilous magic.
Prepare for:
• Dark Unseelie Enchantments • Portals to Magical Lands • Historical Fantasy • Stolen Away by the Fae • Celtic Myths and Legends • Urban Fantasy • Traditional Faerie Folklore • Twisted Retellings • Necromancy • Treacherous Seelie Bargains • Half-human/Half-faerie Protagonists • An Abundance of MAGIC
Track down fearsome darkling fae in an enchanted forest. Walk the streets of New Orleans searching for magic, or step through a portal of standing stones and be transported to the enchanted land of your dreams (or nightmares).
You’ll encounter all kinds of fae within the pages of these books – but one thing is certain. They are all fantastical!
A note on the charity donation aspect of StoryBundle:
When you support this bundle, you’re also supporting Girls Write Now! Stories are important, and this great organization mentors young women writers to become the next generation of storytellers. Help keep the world full of the magic of words with your pledge! – Anthea Sharp
* * *
For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in .epub format—WORLDWIDE.
Faerie Hearts by Anthea Sharp
The Wraith and the Rose by C. J. Brightley
Irresistible Magic by Deanna Chase
Thread of a Spider by D.L. Gardner
If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus 8 more books, for a total of 12!
Blood So Red (Includes Book 1!) by C. Gockel
Court of Bitter Thorn by Kay L. Moody
Heart of Briar by Laura Anne Gilman
The Fanged & the Fae by Melissa Marr
A Place of Magic by Merrie Destefano
From Storm and Shadow by Rachel Morgan
Fae Away by Rose Garcia
The Silver Stag by Yasmine Galenorn
This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get a DRM-free .epub for all books!
It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.
Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there’s nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to Girls Write Now!
Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you’ll get the bonus books!
StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at @storybundle and like us on Facebook. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.
Ok. So the title of this mini discourse might be a little misleading. I’m not going to give you a bullet list of all the reasons you should write. If you have any interest at all in the literary world, or jotting your thoughts on paper, or journalizing your life in a diary, or story telling, you’ll know that it’s not as simple as a bullet list.
There is some unexplainable prompting from within that causes you to pick up a pen…or pullout your lap top, to externalize your thoughts.
Be it to help you remember later in life, to tell others, or just to put your thoughts into words so you can understand what makes you tick better.
For me, at 75, I have a lifetime of experiences to sort through, to recollect, and to fictionalize. It’s odd, that last. Why would I want to fictionalize a true story? And then you have to ask “what’s true”? Because what happened in my life was through my point of view. Someone else might have a different idea as to what happened. And there is the rub!
When I take my experiences, give them to someone else i.e. fictionalized characters, put them in a world unfamiliar to me, and then build a host of friends and enemies around them, I create a vivid understanding of the Why. Why did they act the way they did? And what is the outcome? The best part is, I can resolve their issues any which way I like, and what I like is to end the story with the sun rising to another day. The Noble Bright ending.
That is the story of Rise of the Tobian Princess.
I’m thrilled to say that today I’m launching a project for a leather cover edition for the series. Each book will have their own campaign but they’ll all be bound in leather with gold stamping and foil dust jackets.
I’m excited about getting this series to more readers. I personally think it’s one of my best. And yes, some of my experiences are woven into it. Please come share the adventure with me. Today!
All these great fantasy writers are putting their books on sale for you so that you can grab them an enjoy them this spring, summer and into the fall. Male protagonists and female protagonists, epic, dragons, war, kingdoms and fairy worlds. You will find it all.
Take a peek at this BookFunnel Promo and fill your TBR list again for this year. We’ve set it up for you, our readers and some of these books don’t go on sale all that often. Enjoy.
Making Believe 