Authors Aren't Horses

As wonderful and graceful a creature as a horse may be, I still object to comparing any of my colleagues to an equine.

I'm referring of course to the common practice of labelling a publisher's authors as their "stable". Well, don't let me catch you calling my people that! They ain't horses.

What are they then?
They're a team.

Never have I been so aware of that as in these past couple of weeks, where we've had so much cooking behind the scenes. We've got our people proofing and editing each other's manuscripts all over the show. We've got a new marketing plan in the works. I've been delegating like mad to get on top of the schedule I've aimed at for the time ahead: four books in four months, and a load of prep to be completed by the end of February.

We've got all kinds in our team. Some are the editing type, while others are more the gungho marketers and salespeople, or artists, or image consultants. Yet we are all writers, no matter what else we put our hand to, and this is what unites us in a common cause.

We've added about five people to the team this month: three authors, an artist and an editor, for a total of twenty or so, with varying levels of contribution, and everything they do is valuable.

Twenty! How the blazes did I get twenty wonderful individuals to throw their lot in with me, even just for a time? I really have no idea, but I'm incredibly grateful for every one of them.

Thanks, guys. Here's to you.

 (and of course those not pictured, too!)

Splashdown Newsletter 2

Kia Ora! Welcome to the February newsletter from Splashdown Books. Boy, have we got a lot of news for you this month! I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

CONTRACT NEWS

I’m very happy to announce that Splashdown has added three more authors to the team in the last month!

R.L. Copple writes classic fantasy in the tradition of Tolkien and Lewis. Follow the journeys of a ring with healing powers, and the courageous travellers called to wear it.

We’ll be re-releasing two of Rick’s previously published titles in the Reality series: Reality’s Dawn (expanded version of the novella Infinite Realities) and Reality’s Ascent (formerly Transforming Realities).  A third book, never before released—Reality's Glory—will be published at a later date.

 

Travis Perry and co-author Mike Lynch have created a wonderful romp through the genres we all love in The Crystal Portal, where a time-travelling warrior elf together with a robot from the future and a boy from 1st-century Nazareth fight an evil warlord in an alternate world.

Look for Reality’s Dawn to release in March, The Crystal Portal in April, and Reality’s Ascent in May. In June we’ve got another surprise coming...

NEW IMPRINT

Splashdown has located a number of fresh new manuscripts that fall on the darker side of speculative fiction. So we’ve decided to give them an imprint all their own: Splashdown Darkwater, the world’s only imprint created solely for supernatural and paranormal tales with a Christian worldview.

We have already signed at least one author and novel for this imprint—but I can’t tell you about that just yet! Watch this space!

Splashdown Darkwater...Dare to go deeper. Launching in June.

Podcast Interview

I recently enjoyed an hour’s discussion with the guys at Flying Island Press, on publishing and many related topics. Have a listen at http://bit.ly/gJTj34.

Come visit...

Pre-orders are now available for Reality’s Dawn. Come on over and make sure you get in on the first opportunity!

Take care...and thank you for coming along for the ride!

Grace

Don't forget to visit our partner in science fiction and fantasy soundtracks:

Why Splashdown?

The time has come again to speak of my obsession with water as the physical harbinger of inspiration. I may have written something similar in years gone by, but still I am drawn to tell you how it pulls me in.

There's raw power in the splash of cold water. Whether a mountain stream, a backyard pool, or the open sea - all have the potential to realign the pathways of my brain and provoke concepts yet unimagined, but the sea most of all.

I do my best thinking after a good soaking. Perhaps it is the otherness of it, its unbreathability, its infinite vistas from the earthbound perspective, and the ocean has something akin to space. And since I cannot go to space - at least not yet - I content myself with the sea. I use its strange movements and gravity fluctuations to imagine life in space, its dangers to enter into the exhilarations and risks and fears of the void.

It is the nature of the splashdown that by it, you enter another world - whether a new planet, or merely underwater. Perhaps this is the reason for water's effect on me - but only if I dive straight in. There can be no fearful lingering at beachside or slow acclimatising to the cooler temperature if the maximum imagination effect is to be attained.

It is the same in my business. I have set up Splashdown in such a manner that we are able to move fast and decisively when the opportunity arises and appears appropriate. Many have been surprised at the speed in which we act - the reason: it's all about the splashdown.

Splashdown Newsletter 1

As sent to our subscriber database on 24.12.2010!

If you'd like to sign up for the newsletter, you can do so in the box to the right.

 

Science Fiction and Fantasy from New Zealand

Welcome! You are at the launch of the Splashdown Books e-newsletter from Grace Bridges! You're reading this because I chose you to receive it. If for any reason you won't want future notices after reading through this one, just opt out by sending "unsubscribe" to this address. I won't be offended at all if you do.


THE LATEST

All our titles are now available in multiple ebook formats. Just visit the Bookshop for all the options!

Tales of the Dim Knight
by Adam and Andrea Graham

A hilarious superhero romp that pulls no punches on tough issues. Yes, this book is so funny that we even issue a Beverage Ban as readers have mentioned spewing drink out their noses.
To read a sample and purchase click here now. Just like the rest of our titles you can also find it as an e-book both on Kindle and at Smashwords.

Nor Iron Bars a Cage
by Caprice Hokstad

What happens when a slave poses as a criminal, and the master as a slave? It's all about love and honour in this sophisticated, gritty fantasy, sequel to The Duke's Handmaid.
Read a sample and purchase: click here now. Ebook versions: Kindle and Smashwords.

Grace Bridges: An Ongoing Story

The life of a publisher never gets boring, especially when juggling a day job (most often at night in my case!) as well as acquisitions, editing, marketing and all that comes in between.
Here's what I'm up to:

• I've been placing the remaining titles to be offered online as e-books.
• I'm submitting regular installments of my Comet Born serial to Digital Dragon Magazine.
  
• I'm working on two novels. In CyberDublin, the global hyperweb network falls prey to sabotage and society spins towards chaos around an orphan rebel and her housemates facing a reality far less virtual than they're used to.
  In Godspeed, the sequel to Faith Awakened, we meet Naomi again - the Belfast biologist forced to flee from her own creation, when all she wanted to do was wipe out world hunger.
  
• I'm also at work on a few top-secret projects that I can't tell you about yet, so keep watching this newsletter for more info!

I've got some great titles for you in the year to come. The future is so exciting!

IndieGalaxy Publishers Association
Watch out for that name!

It's a recently founded coalition of independent publishers, aiming at shared promotion of our books and authors, among other things. Collaboration has even begun of its own volition!

My short story “The Ears Have It” has been accepted for publication in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press
Splashdown author Fred Warren has a story in the first issue of Other Sheep magazine from Written World Communications.
• Join the Facebook page
  
• Follow us on Twitter
• Look for an official website coming soon!

- Show quoted text -

Feedback

I always love to see what reviewers say about our books. Here are a few of my favourite quotes:

On Tales of the Dim Knight by Adam and Andrea Graham:
"A hilarious read. I nearly spewed my coffee on myself this morning. Thanks a lot."
~Chris Solaas from Novel Teen

On Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Caprice Hokstad:
"Hokstad’s story unfolds like a beautiful ballet of words; elegant descriptions of simple rituals bring Byntar alive. But romance is only a small part of the story; there is plenty of action and a good dose of humor."
~S.M. Kirkland, author of Higher Honor (The Writers Cafe Press)

"In Alpha Redemption, a story both fascinating and unique, P.A. Baines wonderfully marries two of my favorite themes: the danger and isolation of space exploration and the idea of man’s creation giving him greater insight into his own Creator. If you like your science fiction on the introspective side—on the order of Clarke’s 2001 or Pohl’s Gateway—then this is a must read."
~ Kerry Nietz, author of A Star Curiously Singing (Marcher Lord Press)

On The Duke's Handmaid by Caprice Hokstad:
"Something for everyone! If you like adventure and intrigue and danger, this is the book for you. Ms. Hokstad must be commended for the detailed and rich world she has created."
~ Frank Creed, award-winning author of Flashpoint and War of Attrition (The Writers' Cafe Press)

On Legendary Space Pilgrims by Grace Bridges:
"A brilliant allegory, this powerfully imaginative space epic features emotive characters and carefully described new worlds. Legendary Space Pilgrims engaged all aspects of myself: body, mind, and spirit. I couldn’t put it down!"
~ Christina Berry, author of The Familiar Stranger, Christy Award Finalist 2010

On The Muse by Fred Warren:
"What stands out to me is Fred's hidden beautiful. You will be reading along, laughing and then, BAM! It is a straight-up Batman moment. Fred writes something so beautiful and profound that you have to flip the cover and make sure you are reading the same book."
~Diane M. Graham, The New Authors' Fellowship

 

On Faith Awakened by Grace Bridges:
"Even a month after reading, I still find myself pondering the story. Grace has written a wonderful, unique story and I recommend it to any Christian reader who’s looking for something out of the ordinary."
~ Karina Fabian, sci-fi and fantasy author, Editor of the Infinite Space, Infinite God  Anthologies

Reviewers

I'm always looking for reviewers for our titles and I offer free ebooks for all our titles in all major formats in exchange for an honest review on a retail site and/or your blog. Just say the word!

Networking
Are you on Facebook? Connect up with us there.
Splashdown Books Fan Page


Well, that wraps up this newsletter launch! Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. I leave you with these words of blessing from the Maori language:

Kia Ora!

Grace Bridges
Auckland, New Zealand

______________________

Please visit our partner for Splashdown's soundtracks: Eleon Music

Would Tales of the Dim Knight Be A Good Book for My Kids?

By Adam and Andrea Graham

Frankly, the appropriateness of Tales of the Dim Knight for children depends on the individual child as well as the standards of the parent. The intended audience is the young at heart, as the novel pays humorous tribute to superheroes the authors watched and read about when they were children.

In retrospect, we do see the appeal to kids. Dim Knight is a funny story with a lot action and adventure. So, while our book wasn't written for children, it can be read by teens with parental guidance.

For many parents, this disclosure may prove unnecessary. If Tales of the Dim Knight were a movie, I’d rate it PG-13. In fact, in terms of language and sexual content, the book is cleaner than most PG movies. However, others may have different convictions. The movie, Pamela's Prayer extolled the virtues of chastity before marriage to the point that the heroine didn't kiss a man until the day she was married. One would think no one would complain about a movie like that not being clean enough. However, A reviewer wrote on Amazon:

based on the good reviews that I read on Amazon and on what friends

told me, I thought that this movie would be good viewing for my

family. was I wrong! the whole movie is about kissing, about guys

trying to kiss girls, and about girls not sure if they should kiss or

not and on and on. it started fine, but ten minutes in I knew that it

was not appropriate for my family, but my wife said 'no no no' and

made me keep it on, and I hoped that it would get better. but it just

got worse.

what a disaster! wouldn't you know it, as soon as the

movie is over, my kids start asking 'how do you kiss,' 'why do you

kiss' and on and on. pretty soon, they were running around the house

pretending to kiss everything - the animals, the pets, each other.

While I don't think there's any chance of Tales of the Dim Knight prompting your child to kiss your dog, I do want to be sensitive to varying parental standards. My goal is to empower parents with the information they need to make an informed decision for their children based on what they think is best.

First, consider the favorable reasons parents might want to get the book for their teens:

1) It is fun and fast paced

This can be a big selling point, particularly for boys. It can be tough to get teen boys interested in reading. Indeed, boys lag in reading. This can be caused by reading material that doesn't interest boys. This book will.

2) It is Clean

The book is generally clean. There's no profanity or sex in the story. While the violence may be of concern to parents, it is far tamer than much what is out there in young adult fiction.

3)Solid Messages

Dim Knight has a powerful message of grace and redemption. Dave learns what it really takes to be a superhero, the proper use of power, and what justice really means. The story also shows the importance of forgiveness and sacrifice.

All of this, while offering readers laughs throughout.

Second, consider those issues that may concern some parents:

Violence: As in any good superhero story, in Tales of the Dim Knight, evil uses a lot of dangerous weapons, high explosives, and even an atom bomb. While we aimed to avoid being too graphic, there's plenty of punching, kicking, shooting, whipping, and blowing up, with some casualties. If you've seen any of the recent Spider-Man movies, you have an idea of what to expect.

Drugs and Alcohol: Drug dealers are a major feature in the story, and there's a little drinking.

Mature Themes: Trouble brews in the main characters’ marriage, with a man-hating divorce attorney named Leona Campbell pushing Naomi Johnson towards a divorce based on false allegations of adultery. The book also deals with people grappling with grief and loss after the death of a loved one. The damaging effects of spiritual and emotional abuse are also portrayed, and the Dim Knight goes up against a gang involved in human trafficking.

You may feel that your child is not mature enough to deal with some of these issues. On the other hand, your child's world may have already been impacted by some of these issues, and you may feel it'd be good for him or her to read a book addressing them. You may want to consider previewing the book before giving it to your child to see if you think its right for your child.

Whatever you decide, we respect your decision, and pray God will continue to give you wisdom and grace in raising your children.

Top 10 Reasons to Love Tales of the Dim Knight

10) You're between the ages of 25-45

If you’re in this overly wide demographic, and enjoyed watching Saturday morning cartoons as a child, Tales of the Dim Knight will bring back great memories of shows like Superfriends, Batman: The Animated Series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman (the 1960s series version), Underdog, and Darkwing Duck.

We even had one hopeful marketing conversation with a Mr. Terrance Mann, who said, “People will come, Adam. They'll most definitely come. They'll come to you to ask about the book, as innocent as children, longing for the past. ‘We don't mind if you buy a copy,’ you'll say, ‘it's just $10.95 for paperback, $4.25 on Kindle, and $5.95 for all other e-book readers.’ They'll hand over the money without a second thought. Because it's money they have and wholesome laughter they lack.”Or something like that.

9) We Have a Cool Cover

Payno attention to the old saying, “You can't judge a book by its cover.” Instead, think:

“Cool cover equals really cool book.” And then take a look at this cover by Holly Heisey:

Need I say more? No, but a top ten list that stops with the second item on the list and lists it as 9) is too weird even for me.

8) The Superhero Team Up

If you're a warm-blooded superhero fan, nothing warms your heart like superheroes joining forces to take on really bad dudes. Whether it’s Batman and Superman, Spider-man and Daredevil, or even Darkwing Duck and Gizmoduck, a team up makes the story more exciting. So in Tales of the Dim Knight, Powerhouse joins forces with three other heroes in a battle in which the stakes are (of course), the future of all mankind.

7) Real Christian Characters
The media portrayal of Christians is usually pretty annoying. At one extreme, you have the hypocrites and crazy psychopaths spouting Bible verses that inhabit much of the media. At the other extreme, you have the all-too-perfect characters who act like they memorized Evidence that Demands a Verdict and a dozen other pop Christian books.

With our Christian characters, we seek to introduce you to real, decent-hearted folks who try to do the best they can, but don't always know the right thing to say and don't always come off well. Sound like anyone you know?

6) Great Superhero Gadgets

Consider just a few of the devices featured in Tales of the Dim Knight: a rocket pack, an airship that shrinks down to pocket-sized, a shape-shifting key, force fields, a 50-foot giant robot, shock collars, and a cloaking device that hides all the furniture in the room. To paraphrase one of our characters, we have more hardware than True Value.
5) It’s Serialized Fiction

As my work at Laser and Sword will attest, I'm a huge fan of serial fiction. Reading Tales of the Dim Knight is like watching a season of your favorite superhero show, as he battles for honesty and fair play in his continuous skirmish against evil. While underlying threads weave through out each story, Dave has a wide variety of adventures to please your palette.

4) Multiple Secret Identities

Unlike some poor superheroes who have only one alter ego, Mild-Mannered Janitor Dave Johnson actually has three alter egos in the course of the book: Powerhouse, the Red Flame, and the Emerald Avenger. It's three heroes for the price of one.

3) Great Villains

Great Superhero stories require great villains, and in Tales of the Dim Knight, Powerhouse battles a veritable rogue's gallery of classic villains. Marco Silvano is the father of a mob family who has a soft spot for his kids, Night Lord is a drug lord who refuses to do any hit jobs before evening. The old-fashioned Diablo believes in the tried and true villain methods of tying victims above pools of acid and contends there's no such thing as too much high explosives. Ahmed is an Islamic terrorist threatening to blow up Megalopolis. Leona Campbell is an ice queen divorce attorney and self-help guru who teaches there's way too much loyalty in the world.

2) A Family Story

Tales of the Dim Knight has a serious side. Dave becoming a superhero puts a strain on his family when he doesn't tell his wife his secret and she suspects he's cheating on her. At the same time, she finds herself attracted to Powerhouse. Can the Johnson family survive Dave’s superpowers?

1) It's Lots of Laughs

All seriousness aside, Tales of the Dim Knight parodies countless superhero tropes, supervillain tropes, and even some non-comics stuff, such as a speed-dating scene that features a tactless detective. You'll laugh until you stop laughing. It's guaranteed to be the funniest novel you'll read this year.*
*Legal Disclaimers: This guarantee is not valid, and hence a reason for a cause of action, in foreign countries, Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Territories, commonwealths, or protectorates, or the Continental United States. In addition, the guarantee is valid only for novels which feature both superheroes and speed dating and were published in November 2010. Void where prohibited.

Safety Advisory: Be advised that reading this book while drinking may cause you to laugh so hard your drink spews out your nose. Should not be read while operating heavy machinery.

Feel Free to Share: If you like this post, feel free to repost it on your own website with credit.

What's the Haps 23/11/10

Hello, blog. Long time no see. Well, I'm sorry about that. How about we try starting over? Really, I think we can make this work. You see, there's lots of cool stuff going on behind the scenes here at Splashdown that I think folks would like to look into. And I've never told anyone about most of it! Well, the team knows bits and pieces of it for sure, but it's not like it's a secret or anything. Most of it, anyway.

There is something that is a secret, and that is the list with the authors and manuscripts I am about to contract for next year! It all came together really quickly in the end - just a few weeks back I had nothing at all in the pipelines, but now there are a total of eight or nine manuscripts from five authors on the table. Three of them are even science fiction, my personal favourite genre, even though I do love a good fantasy as much as anyone else. Can't write one for peanuts though, as you'll know if you read my personal blog yesterday.

In any case you can expect a number of announcements on that front in time to come.

So what else is up? Tales of the Dim Knight by Adam and Andrea Graham started shipping yesterday right on time - phew. It was a little hairy there for a day or two. I am going to be working on its video trailer this week, beginning with the music - I always have to have the music first. This is different from other trailers I've done because I'm trying to create the soundtrack myself. One attempt is already behind me, but it was decided that it wasn't superhero-y enough, even if it might be a passable piece of music. You can hear it here for now if you want to, though it will be shifting when I rename it - because the new piece will then be the "real" Powerhouse theme song.

So, nuff said for now, eh. Back to the "day job" for me...