I'm Giving YOU the Power!

Whoever said "you can't judge a book by its cover" clearly wasn't an Indie Author! Let's face it, being your own publicist isn't easy. There's no marketing team, staff cover artist, or editing specialist at your disposal. There's just you, a lot of heart, and a lot of hard work. When your name is largely unknown out there in the book world, your cover might be the first and only thing readers see. If it doesn't stand out amidst the sea of other covers vying for attention, the blurb that tormented you for weeks as you tried to perfect it might not even get read.

My novella, Into the Shadow Wood will be released soon, and I'm excited to say that I have an artist making a custom cover. He just sent two rough concept sketches for me to choose between before he fills in all of the details, and I'm asking you, the Fantasy Fix readers, to help me decide! Which one would you pick up off the shelf first? CLICK TO VOTE

Fantasy writers can find a lot of inspiration in medieval illuminated manuscripts. Glance through a few and you're bound to come across bizarre creatures that defy all reason; part man, part beast, men without heads, or with the heads of dogs. The grotesque physical deformities can be rather alarming.

There are more images than writings about these fantastical abominations. Were they visual metaphors to express common beliefs and fears of the day? Or were they thought to be real, lurking in the remote or exotic places of the world? Maybe a little of both.

Caffeine Fatale originated from the simple question: “What would happen if I didn’t get my morning cup of coffee?” And then it turned into an entire novel!

Check out the Worlds Akilter Series by A. J. Bakke.

Read an excerpt from Caffeine Fatale, featured last week on Sneak Peek Friday.

Want to get your own work featured? Contact Allison for more information.

Nothing kills a great fantasy story like anachronisms; those words, expressions, concepts, and technologies that don't belong in your chosen time period. It's easy to let them slip into your writing--catch them with a thoughtful self-edit. A quick check with an online dictionary will tell you when and where a questionable word was first used. A Google search can tell you when specific technologies came into use, or when and how certain idioms originated.

Show your favorite Indie Author how much you care! Nominate your favorite books as some of the very best self-published fiction of the past 12 months!

VOTE HERE

Get inspired by the new Fantasy Art Wednesday feature on Allison D. Reid's blog. Fun fantasy artwork is combined with a writing prompt to get your creative juices flowing. Great for writer's block, generating new story ideas, or just curing boredom.

Learn More About the Weekly Fantasy Fix Authors!

Joshua Robertson is a dark fantasy author who enjoys challenging the concept of good and evil.

His bestselling novel, Melkorka, is one of three books currently available in the Thrice Nine Legends saga.

Click to learn more about Joshua...

Allison D. Reid is a Christian Fantasy author with a fondness for Medieval history. Her first published series, the Wind Rider Chronicles, embraces traditional fantasy elements but is also infused with deeper spiritual themes. The first book, Journey to Aviad, is now free in ebook format everywhere.

Listen to a live interview with Allison!

Renee Scattergood writes Dark fantasy and is currently publishing a serial called, Shadow Stalker. She is also working on the first novel in her series, A God's Deception. The first novel in the series is due out late 2016 or early 2017.

Read more about Renee.

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