The Dog With No Name and other stories

Hello everyone! It's time for new things over here at Splashdown Books, and I'm so excited to tell you about it. In this update: Brand new story releases by yours truly - one of them is free! - other refreshed and upcoming titles, and some great news for those of you who write.

Introducing The Vortex of Éire As many of you know, I've been working on my novel Mariah's Dream and hope to publish that in the near future. While you're waiting, dive into the world of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2079 and prepare yourself for the bigger story to come. The Vortexwill eventually span several novels, but for now, treat yourself to Mariah's Prologues, which introduce various characters and locations before their appearance in Mariah's Dream. I plan to release two in the middle of each month, until the novel is published and likely beyond. And yes! Every month, one of the stories will be free for a limited time! So please take a moment to check your subscription details and also add me to your address book, to make sure your updates get through.

The Dog with No Name Free on Kindle from May 15th to 18th only! One eventful night in Belfast, a soulful dog makes a split-second decision that will change his life forever. Add to Goodreads   Mothers of Belfast $0.99 on Kindle and Smashwords Three mothers. Three children. And a man willing to suggest desperate measures to keep them all fed in perilous times of famine. Hint: It involves a compost heap and a cyborg. Add to Goodreads These stories are approximately 3,000 words long, which would be about 10 pages in a paper book. If you don't have a Kindle, you can read the free story directly on the Amazon website using the Cloud Reader, or request a different format from me.

If you're wondering about the covers on the stories above, I created them from a combination of ink drawing, photography, and computer design. I love Celtic knotwork and this was a great way to bring it together with my writing. It'll also make it easy for you to spot items in the series! For Mothers of Belfast, I used the traditional "Motherhood Knot": doubled, and intertwined with a heart. The dots signify the three children, a symbolism you will often see in works of art in Ireland.

What's that with a brand new cover? An old favourite with a new look, and one of Splashdown's long-term best sellers. If you haven't read Kat Heckenbach's immersive young-adult fantasy Finding Angel, there's really no time like the present! That's a talking beetle, by the way.   Angel doesn't remember her magical heritage...but it remembers her. Magic and science collide when she embarks on a journey to her true home, and to herself. Available on Amazon and B&N in print and ebook. Also in audiobook.

Coming soon from Splashdown Books:  The Darby Shaw Chronicles Books 1-3 Liberty Speidel You won't want to miss the fast-paced adventures of a superhuman detective in a gritty future version of Kansas City. Murder doesn't have to be forever, if Darby's on the case. All 3 novellas are already available as separate ebooks, and Emergence, the story of how Darby discovered her powers, is free on Kindle*, Nook,Kobo and Smashwords (all formats). The compilation will appear in print and ebook, and also includes a bonus novelette not published elsewhere. *The Kindle book may not be free in all countries, but Smashwords has Kindle format.

For Authors Is the Time Vortex glitching? Is there a disturbance in the Force? Or maybe we just opened a wormhole to the Delta Quadrant. Things have changed at Splashdown Books, and you'll want to pay close attention if you are writing a novel. Of course we'll continue working hard to produce the best in science fiction and fantasy. It was the right time to adapt to authors' needs and I hope you'll like the result. Check out our brand new submission guidelines atwww.splashdownbooks.com/submissions - and let me know what you think! Also for authors, just in case you haven't heard, coming up on August 7-8 in St. Louis is a fine conference called Realm Makers. I hope to be there myself! You can find all the details at www.realmmakers.com.

Life with Grace I'm currently fostering two adorable wild kittens in need of social skills. Pretty soon, they'll be ready to go to their forever homes. The vegetable garden is still producing lots of silverbeet (that's chard, for the Americans) and yellow courgettes (zucchini) as well as the last of the feijoa crop, which I like to bake into oaty gingerbread. Autumn is a great time to go for walks, especially to my closest beach inside an estuary. An article I wrote about it was published recently: "Oruamo Creek" at The Island Review.

New Releases: November 2014

Dear friends of Splashdown,

I'm very excited to tell you about our three new releases for the season - a great way to round out our year. Telepaths, time travel and epic fantasy make awesome additions to our selection. Check out the details below and then add yourself to the draw for free books - just choose which one you'd most like to read!

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Mindstorm: Parley at Ologo by Cindy Koepp  

Psionic healing. Psionic combat. Inside the mind, there's a landscape of glass.

Thomas McCrady, a telepathic negotiator from Haidar Station in Earth orbit, is faced with his biggest challenge yet when he is sent to broker peace with only a rookie partner to help him. Worse, she's the doctor he blames for the death of his last partner.

Calla Geisman's telepathy is not the same as a standard Haidarian's. Some people think she's a waste of space. Some people want her dead. But she's assigned to go with Thomas to Ologo anyway, and must gain his respect before she can play her part in the war's end.

258 pages / Paperback $13.98 / Ebook $3.99 

(Discounted at some retailers)

Buy Now

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Nook

Book Depository Free shipping worldwide

Smashwords All ebook formats

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Ring of Time by Andrew M. Seddon

Tales of a Time-Traveling Historian in the Roman Empire

In the 27th century, humanity’s greatest technological achievement is the massive, star-powered Temporal Displacement Ring: a portal to the past. Professor Robert Cragg, reeling from his own personal losses, volunteers to be the first-ever time-traveling historian, fleeing into the shadow of the Roman Empire. 

Instead of dry, dusty bygones, he encounters real people. Commoners and nobility, sailors and businessmen, zealots and legionaries, druids, gladiators and philosophers all cross his path. The past, he finds, is not dead and gone, but very much alive... alive with wonder, fear, and, perhaps, love...

274 pages / Paperback $13.98 / Ebook $3.99

(Discounted at some retailers)

Buy Now

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Nook

Book Depository Free shipping worldwide

Smashwords All ebook formats

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The Song of the Wren-Falcon by Mary Ruth Pursselley

"Come. Let us go and sit somewhere comfortable, and I will tell you the story." 

Orienne Seritan is a loyal Adelfian who wants nothing more than peace for her country and a life free from the darkness and violence of war. But when the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy entangles her life and the fates of those she loves with the destiny of an embittered traitor, she finds herself being dragged even deeper into the darkness.

Enemies are pouring over her nation’s borders. People she loves are dying. The cryptic prophecy offers no clues as to who will be left standing at its end...nor does it disclose the magnitude of the role that Orienne is destined to play.

376 pages / Paperback $13.98 / Ebook $3.99

(Discounted at some retailers)

Buy Now

Amazon

Kindle

Smashwords All ebook formats

(Other retailers coming soon)

Don't forget to join the Splashdown Books Fan Page and connect with authors and fellow readers. Come and hang out - and hear the news as it happens! New authors and contracts, updates from behind the scenes, progress reports on coming titles, and yes of course you'll have the chance to win stuff from time to time. We look forward to seeing you there!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/splashdownbooks/

This time we are running our Reader Survey there. Log in to the group above and let us know which of the new releases you would most like to read, and why. One lucky person will win a new release paperback of their choice! Second prize will be a bundle of all three ebooks, and third, fourth and fifth will receive an ebook of their choice.

Coming Up at Splashdown

Very soon now we will be preparing for our next round of new releases! These are going to be very cool indeed!

News from Grace

What a year! Right after publishing 2014's first three Splashdown titles, I headed out to the Realm Makers Conference in Philadelphia to meet with the tribe. I travelled around a little, then moved house 12 days after returning home! Since then I've been working on our new releases and large amounts of translation work (my "day job" although it frequently happens at night). 

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I recently completed my first translation of a novel from German into English - and you can find that here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OD935GU

Though I didn't create the story, I did write the words, and I hope you'll enjoy my style the same as ever! It's a dystopia that reminds me a little of Divergent. Check out the free sample and let me know if it reads like a translation... or not!

Work is proceeding apace on my own novel Mariah's Dream, and I think we can realistically expect a release date in the first half of 2015. I'll be sure and tell you all about it when it arrives!

I've also been dipping my toes into nonfiction and have had one piece published so far - you can read about that here: http://www.gracebridges.kiwi/nonfiction

Call for Reviewers

Do you consider yourself a supporter of Splashdown? Would you like to help us gain a broader exposure? We are always looking for reviewers to read any of our books, and post reviews on retail sites, library sites, blogs etc. You'll be provided with free ebook copies of your choice from our catalogue. If you'd like to get involved, shoot me a reply with the title of the book you're requesting, and which ebook format is best for you (Kindle, Nook, PDF). And once you've posted your first review, you may request another book! 

To check out our full listings, go to http://www.splashdownbooks.com/bookshop - and click on the covers for details and summaries of each book.

Thanks for reading! Come on over to the Fan Group and tell us what you'd most like to read - you've got great odds of winning a book! See you there :)

March 2014 New Releases and News

Hello, friends, and welcome to Splashdown's new publishing season. We've got three new releases to present to you already - and plenty more awesome titles to come, but more on that later. Read on for a chance to win free books - but first, let me introduce the new members of our family!

Aquasynthesis Again is the follow-up to our award-winner Aquasynthesis from 2011. Despite the untimely loss of our first narrator Walt Staples, we can continue in capable hands as Fred Warren took over the reins. This time we have 16 mostly more substantial stories from 16 authors. 

New to Splashdown are contributors Mary Brock Jones from New Zealand (Yay!), the recently contracted Cindy Koepp and Mary Ruth Pursselley, whose novels you can expect later in the year, and Avenir Eclectia alumni Pauline Creeden and Kessie Carroll with brand new unpublished stories from that shared world. Theirs aren't the only connection with Avenir Eclectia - but I'll leave that for you to discover, along with far-ranging tales from our other novelists.

190 pages / Paperback $4.99 / Ebook $2.99

Buy Now

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Book Depository Free shipping worldwide

Smashwords All ebook formats

Isles of Myst by Robert McClain is one of those books that almost defies description. Part fantasy, part science fiction, and all alternate-history, you'll want to dive into the luscious world of these high-tech Celts from long ago. Castles and flying cars, mystics and Mars bases, lizard people and the threat of global disaster. Can you guess how all these come together? No? Then you'd better have a read!

266 pages / Paperback $13.98 / Ebook $2.99 - special introductory offer!

Buy Now

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Book Depository Free shipping worldwide

Smashwords All ebook formats

Brand new today! Alpha Revelation by P. A. Baines is the sequel to Alpha Redemption, another medal winner from four years ago. It's worth the wait! If you haven't read book one, don't worry. you can currently grab the ebook of Alpha Redemption for 99c. However, this sequel very much stands on its own if you want to dive right in. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster as Shor Larkin of Mars Colony Utopia uncovers the devastating truth about his past, everyone's future, and the deadly threat lurking in the colony's servant robots.

342 pages / Paperback $13.98 / Ebook $4.99

Buy Now

Amazon

Kindle

Smashwords All ebook formats

(Other retailers coming soon)

There's a new way to keep up with Splashdown Books and connect with authors and fellow readers. Come and hang out - and hear the news as it happens! New authors and contracts, updates from behind the scenes, progress reports on coming titles, and yes of course you'll have the chance to win stuff from time to time. We look forward to seeing you there!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/splashdownbooks/

Contract News

So far we have three confirmed new authors and books for 2014, and I'm really excited about all of them:

Mindstorm: Parley at Ologo - science fiction by Cindy Koepp

Song of the Wren-Falcon - fantasy by Mary Ruth Pursselley

The Darby Shaw Chronicles - superhero mystery series by Liberty Speidel

Further contracts have been offered just this week, so we're hoping for more news soon. Watch the Facebook group for details.

Reader Survey and Book Draw

Just one more thing! We'd love to hear from you about your reading preferences so we can serve you better. Please click below to fill out the survey and enter the draw. On April 15th, we'll give away one new release paperback of your choice, one ebook bundle with all three, and three single ebooks, so your odds are pretty good!

That's all for this time - thank you so much for reading!

Grace Bridges

Splashdown Books

Greg Mitchell: Dark Hour

Greetings from the southern summer! It's time to announce Splashdown's first title for the year...and it's a doozy :)

The end is here.

Swayed by the demonic Strange Man, the townspeople have sacrificed their freedom for prosperity. Monsters lurk in every shadow and the few who oppose the new regime have been chased out of town, forced to wage their war in hiding. For ex-reverend Jeff Weldon and those under his care, it is a losing battle, but the tale begins to turn with the return of his brother Dras.

Dras arrives at his hometown to find it has descended into darkness - but the worst is yet to come. The Strange Man's final plan is falling into place and the Dark Hour is close at hand. Dras, Jeff, and the last of Greensboro's protectors work frantically to unlock the Strange Man's secrets and uncover the key to stopping the Dark Hour before all is lost. But when Dras discovers the fate of his best friend, Rosalyn Myers, he will realize that he has more to lose in this battle than he ever imagined.

Dark Hour is the explosive final act in The Coming Evil Trilogy. All bets are off as the remnant of light clash with the armies of darkness. The final fates of Jeff, Isabella, Dras, and Rosalyn, along with all of Greensboro, will be decided in a desperate last stand.

Paperback $9.99
Kindle $4.99
Other ebook formats $4.99

If you haven't yet read the first two books in The Coming Evil Trilogy, you can find out all about them at Greg's site, www.thecomingevil.com.

Coming next from Splashdown: Alpha Revelation by P. A. Baines. This twisty-turny sequel to the award-winning Alpha Redemption will give your mind an unforgettable ride through an underground city and the reaches of space.

As always, thanks for reading - stay inspired!

Grace Bridges
www.splashdownbooks.com

November News: Prophetess, 2012 in Review, and an Opportunity

Good morning to all the friends of Splashdown! Welcome to our last regular update for the year - we've now finished with the 2012 publishing schedule. Let us present the year's final book...

Prophetess by Keven Newsome

The sequel to Winter is finally here! Keven and the editorial team have been hard at work all summer to bring you the action-packed continuation of Winter's story woven in both past and present.

One act of violence is not enough to fulfill Xaphan's plans. One near escape does not justify Winter's growing gift. There is more. She can feel it. The warnings swell within her. He's searching for someone. A person of promise...a person of prophecy. And Winter must find her first.

Grab it now in paperback at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or in ebook on Kindle or Smashwords.


2012 in Review

What a schedule it's been! Ten releases: nine books and a CD, covering every genre and including brand new ventures as well as anticipated sequels. Not only Winter gained a follow-up: there was Blood and Brine by Caprice Hokstad and Reality's Fire by R. L. Copple, each completing a trilogy, and Seeking Unseen by Kat Heckenbach, book 2 of the Toch Island Chronicles. Frank Creed was new to our ranks with Devil's Hit List, but it's third in a series we adopted. New authors with debut novels this year were Diane M. Graham and Robynn Tolbert, and Greg Mitchell joined us with a new series. And of course we can't forget Avenir Eclectia, the work of 18 authors, and its very own soundtrack by Michael L. Rogers.

With the release of Prophetess we also reached the milestone of our 25th book! Don't they all look pretty...

A Splashdown Opportunity

This press has come to a point in its growth where we are in need of additional administrative assistance. We are now beginning to search for a person to fill this paid position. If accounts are your forte, perhaps along with a little marketing, and you'd like to get in on Splashdown, please email for further details.

October News: Avenir Eclectia, Devil's Hit List, and Free Ebook

Kia Ora folks! October's a VERY busy one for us here at Splashdown, not least because "here" is constantly changing. I'm sending this to you from Illinois, but just in the last two weeks I've also been in Colorado, Iowa, Oklahoma and Missouri. And in that time we've had two awesome new releases, so let's get onto those first!

Yes, it's finally here! Two years in the making, with seventeen authors and 137 stories, the very first Avenir Eclectia collection has hit the streets. You'll recognise many of the names from our Splashdown novelists' lineup, and there are plenty of new faces too. With 20 interior illustrations by Michael L. Rogers and an encyclopedia section at the back, this volume provides an ideal doorway into the Avenir Eclectia world. And if you've been following along at www.avenireclectia.com, here's a great way to keep track of all your favourite stories. They've been arranged by Travis Perry into a new order that makes it easy to follow each thread. We've been able to keep the price really low even though this is comparable to a mid-size novel.

Avenir Eclectia Volume 1 - Paperback $5.98 (or 4 for the price of 3!)
Avenir Eclectia Volume 1 - Kindle $2.99
Avenir Eclectia Soundtrack by Michael L. Rogers - CD $15.00 or $8.99 on MP3.

Human settlement in the harshest of places. The Avenir: once a generational ship, now a crowded residential station and dominating force over a hard, broken world. Its people have nearly forgotten distant Earth, its wizards ponder the mysteries of the universe, its orphans suffer and beg, while the aristocrats live the high life. Eclectia: the highly unstable planet far below, pulled by its heavy moons into a fast wobble, its crust fractured and tormented with frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Miners and bug hunters eke out an existence through the grit and extreme seasons. The lucky ones live in undersea colonies, where submarines connect cities in the depths. The oceans teem with telepathic life everyone calls "angels." Sheba and Quatermain, the fractured and molten moons of Eclectia, are settled by miners and spacers, while merchants and smugglers ply their trades. For most, survival is an everyday question. Multi-author microfiction gives a many-faceted view of the future.

Devil's Hit List by Frank Creed is a cyberpunk adventure like no other...

The hottest new thing on the street isn't a drug-it's a virtual reality experience that makes crack cocaine look like cotton candy. There is, however, one side-effect: it's lethal. When the One State contracts the Ash Corporation to produce Virtual-e, a highly addictive entertainment intended to reduce global population levels, Calamity Kid and his crew are tasked to stop its production in North America. But how far can the Underground heroes get when battling the combined forces of global government and mega-corporation?

Devil's Hit List - Paperback $11.98

Devil's Hit List - Kindle $4.99

Ebook Specials This Month!

From October 10th to 14th, Finding Angel by Kat Heckenbach will be FREE on Kindle, and reduced from its regular price to $3.99 after that.

For the month of October, Star of Justice by Robynn Tolbert is just $2.99 - for our biggest book ever!

And in preparation for the November release of Keven Newsome's explosive sequel Prophetess, Winter book 1 is now also $3.99. 

If you need an e-reader format other than Kindle, just let us know and we'll sort that out for you - but only while each promotion is live!

Thanks for your support, and happy reading!