New Year's thanks

It's New Year's Eve, and while others are thinking of fireworks, parties and drinking more than they should, I wanted to take a few minutes to thank some people. 2014 was the year I finally achieved a great goal in my life, and it wouldn't have been possible without these fine folks.


First, thanks to Marina and Jason Anderson at Polgarus Studio, who handle the formatting for my books and do a great job of it (even if it's 2015 already where they are). Thanks to Keri Knutson at Alchemy Book Covers, who does such fine work designing the covers; the font still sends me over the hills and far away.


Thanks to the crew at KBoards, and especially at the Writers' Cafe sub-forum, to Harvey, Ann, Betsy and all the contributors. And all the people I've met through there who have helped out in many ways: Heidi, Cora and Jessica at the Speculative Fiction Showcase. K.J. Bryen at Take The Plunge. Patty Jansen and the Mad New Year's Sale. Julie Ann Dawson, for reasons to be revealed on Sunday. The amazing Kate Danley. The folks at BookSignals.com, and at SciFi Fantasy Freak. Everyone who's taken part in the Character Blog Hop.


Of course, I need to thank Willow! Her cover art is wonderful, but I'm still amazed that she finds time to help promote the books as well. I was expecting great art when I started working with her, but I never expected to find a friend and supporter as well. Many thanks, Willow! (And wait until you see her cover for the third Monkey Queen book! Even if you don't wear socks, I guarantee it'll knock them off!)


But my biggest thanks go out you, the fans and readers. I still get a thrill every time I sell a book or find out that someone's read something I've written. Telling stories is my favorite thing, and I'm grateful to share them with you. I hope you enjoy them, and I hope you'll stick around for 2015 – it'll be a big year for Michiko and Beth, with lots of laughs, thrills and adventure ahead! Thanks for reading.

Mad Science Fiction and Fantasy January Sale!

Are you looking to fill up your Kindle, tablet or smartphone with some fun, exciting reading to start the New Year? Well, have we got a deal for you! More than four dozen authors are taking part in a Mad Science Fiction and Fantasy Sale! Their e-books will be available for just 99 cents at Amazon.com, and marked down at other Amazon sites!

 
This sale is officially just for New Year's Day, but many of the authors have already marked their books down, so you can start shopping now! Here's a link where you can see all the sale books; click on the covers to visit their Amazon pages and read their previews: http://pattyjansen.com/blog/mad-science-fiction-january-sale/

And yes, one of those books is the first Monkey Queen adventure, Of Introductions And Abductions! If you haven't read yet about how Michiko and Beth first met and teamed up to save the world (well, rescue a friend), now's your chance to get it on sale!

Sundays will never blog the same

First, a reminder: From now through New Year's Day, you can get the e-book of the first Monkey Queen adventure, Of Introductions And Abductions, for just 99 cents at Amazon.com! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NAKJUG2 It's also been marked down at all other Amazon sites; check the "Christmas Gift To You" post, or search your local Amazon store.

Also, this is part of a multi-author promotion, with many fine novels being marked down to 99 cents; we'll have more info on that later this week.

Some thoughts and spoilers on The Hobbit: Battle Of The Five Armies after the cut.

SciFi Fantasy Freakout!

We wanted to take a moment to thank SciFi Fantasy Freak, who are featuring the second Monkey Queen book, The Brigadoon Boondoggle, as a new release in their daily newsletter! You can get on their mailing list for daily updates by signing up at http://scififantasyfreak.com/

A Christmas Gift To You!

Don't forget that today is the last seasonally-appropriate day (until Black Friday 2015, anyway) to read "Best Christmas Ever!", the short story about Michiko and Beth's first Christmas as roommates, right here on this blog! Find out what presents they got each other, what's been keeping Mec the gremlin busy, and what song (okay, two songs) Mandy is not allowed to sing at work! Click here! http://monkeyqueenbooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/christmas-ever-new-monkey-queen-short.html

And now, a special announcement: We'll be taking part in a multi-author promotion for New Year's Day, with many fine books being marked down to 99 cents US on Amazon.com, and similar reductions at other Amazon sites. We were originally planning to launch the markdown on New Year's Eve...

But then we remembered that it was Christmas.

From now through New Year's Day, if you haven't read the first Monkey Queen book, Of Introductions And Abductions, you can get it for 99 cents at Amazon.com, and on sale at all Amazon sites worldwide! Fill up that Kindle with the first adventure of Michiko and Beth, and if there's room after that, go back for more with their second book, The Brigadoon Boondoggle! Here are the links:

Amazon.com - $0.99! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NAKJUG2


Amazon Canada - $1.15! http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

 Amazon France - EUR 0,89! http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon United Kingdom - GBP 0.77! http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon Netherlands - EUR 0,89! http://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon Germany - EUR 0,89! http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon Spain - EUR 0,89! http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon Italy - EUR 0,89! http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon India - 63.00! http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon Mexico - $14.45! http://www.amazon.com.mx/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon Brazil - R$ 2,63! http://www.amazon.com.br/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon Australia - $1.22! http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Amazon Japan - 118 yen! http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00NAKJUG2?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Merry Christmas!

No plugs, no links, no excess. Just a simple "Merry Christmas"! May all of you have the Best Christmas Ever!

Read it in the Sunday Blogposts

Quiet Sunday here, getting ready for Christmas. We will have a special Christmas Eve post, and if the stars align properly, several announcements to make between now and New Year's.

For now, we wanted to remind you that there's still time to get into the Christmas spirit (or break out the Christmas spirits) and read the Monkey Queen short story "Best Christmas Ever!" http://monkeyqueenbooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/christmas-ever-new-monkey-queen-short.html And as a bonus treat, after the cut, we're featuring three videos with songs referenced in the story! Merry! Happy!

Monkey Queen paperbacks!

So, I finally received my first non-proof shipment of paperback copies of the first two Monkey Queen books. Whee!

If anyone reading this is interested in getting copies without going through Amazon, drop me a line at Monkey Queen Books (at) gmail dot com. I'll only accept PayPal, and shipping outside the US will not be cheap, but I'll be glad to help you out, and there may even be a signature in there somewhere...

The big day is here!

Happy Beethoven's Birthday everyone!

("Fur Elise", from A Charlie Brown Christmas, as played by Schroeder. Or the Vince Guaraldi Trio, if we have to be technical.)

The past few weeks' worth of related posts were meant in part as a bit of a jab towards the "War On Christmas" folks. I celebrate Christmas and say "Merry Christmas", but I respect that there are many other traditions in December. I'm grateful for all good wishes, no matter how they're expressed, and I hope I'll remember to respond in kind.

More importantly, it's been a tribute to Charles Schulz. Peanuts, at its peak, is my all-time favorite newspaper comic, and influenced me in many ways. Though I have to say that Schroeder may not have the right idea in this strip. Of course, that could just be because of who made the suggestion:

I, personally, think it's a fine idea! I would like to offer all the readers of this blog, regulars, casual viewers, and first-timers alike, a kiss right "squack" on the nose from yours truly to celebrate Beethoven's Birthday!

However, there is a catch:

(Should you feel that said kiss right "squack" on the nose should have been delivered directly from yours truly instead of through a representative, feel free to comment or contact the management directly. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. :D )

Bonus: Here's a somewhat trippy series from the movie A Boy Named Charlie Brown, featuring Schroeder (or, if we have to be technical, Ingolf Dahl) playing the second movement of Sonata Pathetique.

And One More Thing:

This is almost enough (almost) to get me (and Beth McGill) over what happened with poor Osgood:

Blogtiful Sunday

First, a reminder: If you haven't read the new Monkey Queen Christmas short story, "Best Christmas Ever!" you can do so by clicking here! http://monkeyqueenbooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/christmas-ever-new-monkey-queen-short.html If you like it, feel free to leave comment, share on your favorite social media, and spread the word!

So last night, a somewhat nearby game store that had held a Kickstarter drive to finance an expansion held a celebratory free concert (thank you, EndGame Oakland!). They had given out the first tickets to their backers, but when those had been snapped up, they invited the general public to attend, and I jumped on it...

And that's how I finally got to see the Doubleclicks.

That's Aubrey Webber on the cello on the left, Angela Webber on the ukelele on the right, and Max the cat keyboard in the center. Max, alas, was only on one song, the Doctor Who theme as arranged for cello and cat keyboard, but did splendidly as usual. The show was awesome, with lots of old favorites and new, and they even performed "Happy Holidays Too", the song that made me a fan. Jokes were told, audiences were bantered with, CDs were sold (and bought), and a great time was had by all! Can't wait for their next appearance; by then, let's hope the EndGame cafe is open! And if you want to find out more about them, head on over to http://www.thedoubleclicks.com/

Oh, and we also have our last reminder, before the big day, of the real reason for the season...

Goldurn legal disclaimers...

Amazon paperback sale alert!

We interrupt our run of holiday reminders with this plug: Amazon is holding a sale on paperback books! From now through Sunday, December 14, you can get 25% off the cost of any single paperback book, up to $10.00 off! Just us the code "BOOKDEAL25" at checkout! Full details here: http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=bk_hdibs_bd25_so?ie=UTF8&node=10510039011&tag=viglink20273-20

And, if we may, you can use that code towards the cost of either the first or the second Monkey Queen book! Of Introductions And Abductions (book one): http://www.amazon.com/Of-Introductions-And-Abductions-Monkey/dp/1501085735/

The Brigadoon Boondoggle (book two): http://www.amazon.com/The-Brigadoon-Boondoggle-Monkey-Queen/dp/1503193888/

Holiday Reminders: Electric Boogaloo

It's getting closer - the real reason for the season:

(And Snoopy's so excited, he's walking on air...)

Holiday Reminders Unleashed!

Yes, we have three, count them, three reasons for the season for the price of one today!

And at the risk of sounding cheesy: Ebooks make great Beethoven's Birthday gifts! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NAKJUG2 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PGC39JQ

Goodreads giveaway: We have a winner!

Congratulations to Goodreads member Uofivet08, who was the winner of the "Third Proof" copy giveaway for a paperback copy of the second Monkey Queen novel, The Brigadoon Boondoggle! Your prize will be sent out on Wednesday. Thanks for everyone who entered, and don't forget, you can buy Monkey Queen paperbacks on Amazon and e-books wherever fine e-books are sold!

Holiday Reminders Strike Back

Yes, we took a few days off. Blame the egg nog. In any case, it's time for another reminder of the reason for the season:

I would like to point out that Snoopy has the right idea...

another Pleasant Valley Blogday

You know, considering how much Michiko and I both love the Monkees, maybe I should have used that post title sooner. Anyway, it's been a quiet week, but we wanted to remind you that the Goodreads giveaway we're running ends on Monday, so if you're a Goodreads member and want to win a paperback copy of the new Monkey Queen book, The Brigadoon Boondoggle, enter now! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/117671-the-brigadoon-boondoggle-monkey-queen-book-two


If you've read the Christmas short story we put up a while back, "Best Christmas Ever!" thanks! Feel free to leave a comment, even if it's just to say "hi". If you haven't, grab some peppermint bark candy and get to it! http://monkeyqueenbooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/christmas-ever-new-monkey-queen-short.html


And we'll have more "reason for the season" reminders coming soon, but the Doubleclicks would like to also remind you that we're just ten days (as I write this) from another reason to be filled with holiday cheer...

Speculative Fiction Showcase, round two!

Hey! The second Monkey Queen book, The Brigadoon Boondoggle, is being featured today on the Speculative Fiction Showcase blog! You can check it out here: http://indiespecfic.blogspot.com/2014/12/monkey-queen-book-two-brigadoon.html Cora, Heidi and Jessica do a great job running this blog, and they've been very supportive of our books, so thanks! If you're a reader of fantasy, science fiction, horror, paranormal and the like, add them to your everyday reading! http://indiespecfic.blogspot.com/

Goodreads Giveaway, Round 2! And more!

It was a bit delayed, but for those of you who frequent Goodreads, we've just kicked off our giveaway for the third proof copy of the new Monkey Queen novel, The Brigadoon Boondoggle! (The first stays with me. The second's whereabouts are unknown. Dang robot space cats.) Entry closes Tuesday, December 8, so enter now! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/117671-the-brigadoon-boondoggle-monkey-queen-book-two

Also, thanks to SciFi Fantasy Freak for featuring the first Monkey Queen book, Of Introductions And Abductions, over the past weekend! Find out more about them and sign up for their mailing lists at http://scififantasyfreak.com/

And Willow, our cover artist, has started a fun thread on DeviantArt where she's encouraging people to share their art! There's some wonderful work on display there, so if you like fantasy art, check it out! http://willow-san.deviantart.com/journal/Feature-of-awesome-art-497259090 And if you haven't already, poke around her extensive gallery!