Many thanks to Scott for allowing me to set out my stall in his front garden (so to speak). As things stand, I have a lot to thank Mr Pack for. Not only because of his support and faith in my series of Victorian-set fantasy/detective/adventure series The CORNELIUS QUAINT CHRONICLES but also faith in me as one of his band of authors for The Friday Project/Harpercollins.
I suffer from a condition some writers might be envious of, and that’s an abundance of ideas. It’s not something that I generally think of as a problem per se, but it can get awfully frustrating waiting for a book to come out, knowing that you’ve got loads more stacked up that might never see the light of day. Some are completed and ready to go, whereas some are in various states of undress, and on top of all them, I am also continually writing new ones too...
So when Scott and I spoke a while back about the direction of my career (and I use the word loosely) he advised me to look into indie/self-publishing as a way to clear the decks, as well as forge a new direction in an area that has surprised many. I’m still a newbie at the indie-publishing game (with only one book out so far, details below) but already I am feeling rejuvenated as an author. At certain times in my career (there’s that word again) I have found myself writing for other people instead of myself and it didn’t work out. I went through the whole “Am I really any good?” phase – probably after being slaughtered by those pesky Amazon reviewers – and now I'm in the “Yes, I am actually, and I’ll prove it” phase, which is a much better place to be.
My first release as an indie-published author is ‘The Lantern Menace’, a traditional Middle Grade/YA fantasy quest with a nontraditional twist. Okay, so there’s a stubborn Princess – CHECK. A wise wizard – CHECK. A heroic stable-boy – CHECK. Evil forces plotting against them - CHECK but there’s also plenty of humour, adventure, surprises, shocks and (if I can be so bold) balls-to-the-wall action.
It’s very much me. As if someone reached into my head and pulled out everything that I love about Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and comic books, and moulded it into a nutritious patty before frying it with onions, adding a generous slice of cheese and slapping it in an ebook-shaped bun. What’s more, it’s cheap!
If you (or if your Middle Grade/YA kids) love fantasy books without all the fluff and histrionics, then ‘The Lantern Menace’ is definitely for you (them). There is plenty to enjoy and I hope that readers take it to their hearts as much as I have.
The Lantern Menace is available right now from the Kindle store for only £1.02. Or for other eReader platforms such as iPad, please visit my author page at Smashwords. And if anyone fancies getting in touch, perhaps telling of successes and pitfalls of indie-publishing, my email address is corneliusquaint@hotmail.com, or I also tweet @DarrenCraske my Facebook page is here, and I am on Goodreads.
Thank you!