NobleDead.org - High/Dark Fantasy Fiction by Barb Hendee and J.C. Hendee

General Update: The Saga and the Tales…

Just a brief note about where we are, what we are doing, and what is to come (that we can foresee at the moment). We received print “proofs” for S3B3: A Wind in the Night (Jan. 2014) and are working our way through this coming novel for the last time. Any corrections from us must be returned to the publisher soon, so this work will fill the rest of this week.

In September will come another entry in T·N·D·S: Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga. It will be released mid-month, as J.C. needs time between online / offline management duties and his own writing to compile the ebook and a new cover.

MB2: The Forgotten Mistress, by Barb, is the sequel to MB1: The Forgotten Lord in the “Tales of Misbelief” collection. Keep an eye out for the release announcement coming next month. And of course there is even more to come as we figure out our ever-shifting schedule of other things to fit around our work on the Noble Dead Saga. Thanks for stopping by!

Wistful Writer’s Kitty

When I was mainly posting over at the Barb Hendee website, every few weeks, I’d put up a photo of Ashes or Cinders—the new “writers’ cats.”

JC and I had two cats for nearly twenty years, and a little over two years ago, they both passed away within months of each other. It was difficult, and we spent over a year with no kitties and no intention of adopting new kitties. But two small kittens who desperately needed a home came into our lives about a year ago. They are cats now, but still filled with the energy of kittens. We adore them.

However, they are soooooo different from our first pair. Our darling Cinders is happiest when she’s outside, but JC and I won’t allow them to play outside if they are unsupervised. We do take them out two or three times a day, but we watch them and play with them. This morning, we are busy, and here is Cinders gazing longingly out the window, wishing she was outside.

(Re)Finding the Path to Writing Short Fiction

Barb here. I have never considered myself a short story writer.  Most of the ideas that hit me are “novel length.” I think JC is similar. Also, most magazines that publish short fiction consider a seven thousand word story to be quite long. I’m just gearing up at seven thousand, and JC is worse.

We sold Dhampir in 2001, and it was published in January of 2003, by which point we had finished writing Thief of Lives. To date, I’ve now sold nineteen novels. I’m more comfortable working at the novel length. 

However, when we came up with the idea for the TNDS: Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga, we found ourselves drawn to the idea of longer-than-short stories. Since we were to e-self-publish them, they could be any length we chose. I find that one of the more liberating aspects of this explosion in e-self-publishing…

Lincoln City Signing

JC and I had a great time yesterday driving out to the coast, to Lincoln City, for a multiple-author signing.  There were about thirty writers in attendance at Bob’s Beach Books. 

When we arrived in the morning, it was raining lightly, but the event was well organized, and the tables had been set up beneath white tents.  JC and I sold some Noble Dead books and a few Vampire Memories books, but by the time the event ended, we  had only one copy of The Mist-Torn Witches left.  That book seemed to be our big seller of the day.  I think this was because it’s the first book of a new series, and the Noble Dead Saga is starting to look a little over-whelming when the whole series is laid out.  Hah!

UPDATE: Silent Bells now available at B&N

Certainly a quick catch-up, Nook readers can now get this new release in T·N·D·S: Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga.

SILENT BELLS
sequel to The Sleeping Curse
Barb Hendee
$2.99 USD
Short story, 13k words

So pop on over or use the link provided above for convenience.

NOW AVAILABLE: Silent Bells (“Homeward” Collection)

SILENT BELLS
sequel to The Sleeping Curse
Barb Hendee
$2.99 USD
Short story, 13k words

For more information please visit the “Tales” section at NobleDead.org. While you are there have a look at previous “Tales” in the “Homeward” and other collections. Though set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga, all “tales” and their collections do not require knowledge of any books or series written by Barb and/or J.C. Hendee. You can easily pick up and read one as your first venture into this world. And one more detail…

The Writer’s Corner: Stay in Touch with Your Readers

Online systems are wondrous tools for authors. We not only use them in private work and to market books but to interact directly with readers in ways never before possible. While this can be an exceptional opportunity, it can also get some authors into trouble.

It is not just about remembering to “think before you speak”—or if you should speak at all—but when and how to make the option of a personal conversation available to your readers.

All of us have heard tales of authors who reacted badly and/or too personally to reader comments. Like everything else on the internet, those stories spread quickly—along with exaggerations, misconceptions, and fabrications of epic proportions. Such authors end up better known for a flub than for their work; and that flub can now have an astonishing longevity.

Some might think even that kind of notoriety is good publicity amid the rising flood from e-self-publishing. Trust us, you do not want to be that author… because you could be stuck with the reputation for longer than a book remains in print. So, here follows some advice for the “how” as well as the “when” to respond to readers about your work... or about you.