don't be surprised if they turn and blog away

First off, the big Monkey Queen Summer Sale is still going strong! Get the first Monkey Queen book, Of Introductions And Abductions, for just 99 cents US through July 15, and marked down at all Amazon sites! Head over to Amazon and grab it now, or read it for free if you're in Kindle Unlimited! More, including some exciting Willow news, after the cut.

Many thanks!

We've had our best sales week ever for the Monkey Queen! I won't quote figures, but at one point, in one specific category, the first book was outselling Terry Pratchett, The Little Prince, and The Hobbit, which I find quite amazing. Don't forget that this sale continues until July 15, so feel free to share the news about the sale and spread the word!

To everyone who's picked up a copy, who's helped out with getting the books published, or has just taken a moment to give their support and encouragement, I thank you! Creating Michiko and Beth's stories is one of the greatest joys I've ever had, and I hope to keep telling them for a long time to come, and keep sharing them with all of you.

Hi.

(This is a post for new readers of this blog. Feel free to skip this if you're a regular.)

Hi, I'm Robert Dahlen. I'm the author of the Monkey Queen series, in which Michiko (teenage hero with a wisecracking streak) and Beth (fangirl college student) team up to "save the world" (they're starting small). It's fantasy adventure with heroines, humor and heart.

There are four books available so far - Of Introductions And Abductions, The Brigadoon Boondoggle, Under The Stars Of Faerie, and A Tiding Of Magpies. Book five, Redblade, is tentatively scheduled for this fall. You can see all the books in the series on my Amazon Central page. Also, if you click on the "sneak preview" tag, you can read the opening chapters of the first four books. And the "short story" tag leads to four standalone short stories and a story-within-a-story that's from A Tiding Of Magpies.

Me? I live in northern California. I work full-time, but luckily I can still squeeze writing in. I have a really nice hat, a growing Disney Infinity collection, a joke for many occasions and a fondness for penguins. You can find me on Facebook, DeviantArt, and Twitter as @monkeyqueenbks, but I tend put more time in on this blog than anywhere else. Feel free to follow me at any of those places, or sign up for our mailing list!

You may notice that I talk about Willow a lot. She's an artist from France who does the covers for the Monkey Queen books. I discovered her on DeviantArt, and I think her work is amazing...and she's also very friendly and funny. The best place to see her completed work is on DeviantArt. She's also on Facebook, where she posts updates and works in progress. And she has a Society6 webstore where you can buy all sorts of goodies, including Monkey Queen merchandise!

If you have any questions or need more info, feel free to leave a comment here or wherever. I'm always glad to hear from visitors and readers. And thanks for dropping by!

for it's love you bring, no blogger can deny

First and foremost, don't forget that the Summer Sale is on! The first Monkey Queen book, Of Introductions And Abductions, is just 99 cents US through July 15! Head over to Amazon and grab it now, or read it for free if you're in Kindle Unlimited! More after the cut.

The Monkey Queen Summer Sale is on!

We're starting summer (or winter for some of you) off with a bang! If you haven't read the first Monkey Queen book, Of Introductions And Abductions, it's now on sale for 99 cents US, 0,99€, £0.99, and other reduced prices on Amazon through July 15! We're now available only on Amazon, for Kindle devices and apps, and part of Kindle Unlimited, so KU members can read all four Monkey Queen books free! Just search your local Amazon or Amazon.com for "Monkey Queen"!

And we'll soon be announcing sales for the other three Monkey Queen books - The Brigadoon Boondoggle, Under The Stars Of Faerie and A Tiding Of Magpies! Check back here for more details, like us on Facebook, or sign up for our mailing list for the latest updates!

help Willow's journey!

I wanted to remind you about Willow's crowdfunding campaign to get her BD/comic The Journey Of Earth printed as a book! She's already reached her basic funding goal, but she's really hoping to get to 300% of that goal, or 2550€, so she can get the book printed in hardcover. She's only a few hundred Euros away, and she says that if she hits the 300% goal by this weekend, there'll be a little surprise for all her backers! Any donation helps, and even if you don't know French, you can get some nifty art goodies at lower levels. Don't delay - back Willow today!

(And for those of you wondering when this blog will actually be about Monkey Queen Books...check back Saturday for an important announcement.)

timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly

Why yes, this is a Doctor Who post, you clever boy/girl. First, and foremost, our best wishes to Sir John Hurt, who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We know he's going to win. Watch!

So, why didn't anyone tell me that the DisneyXD cable channel was running Doctor Who? At a decent hour, yet? I blame Commander Strax. Anyway, I was surprised that they're letting it through more or less intact; "The Girl In The Fireplace" was on last night, and the references to Reinette's being a mistress and courtesan were left in. And the fact that the show is now, in a way, part of the Disney family gives me hope for a Disney Infinity Tenth Doctor. Or even a Commander Strax.

 And finally, Doubleclicks fans like me know there's another meaning to "Clever Girl"...

The four kings of EMI are blogging stately on the floor

First off: Don't forget to check out Willow's crowdfunding project for her comic, The Journey Of Earth! It's already passed the 200 percent mark, but her goal is to break 300 percent so she can get the book printed as a hardcover! Every contribution gets her closer to that goal, so contribute today! More after the cut.

(And yes, the observant among you may have figured out that the "percent" key on my keyboard is broken. Bah.)

We mentioned that indie author Craig Hansen suffered a stroke earlier this month. He is making progress, but it'll be a long road to recovery. The GoFundMe page to help his family with medical and other expenses has already reach $1750, but they could use every dollar we can give, so if you can, take a look and maybe donate. Thanks!

An old acquaintance of mine, Sharon Cho, has just released her first novel! A Slice Of Quietude is the first novel in the Woven Myths series, and is available exclusively through Amazon! It's darker in tone than the Monkey Queen books, but it's also getting great reviews, and I'm looking forward to reading it!

I also downloaded (no time to read yet) C. Gockel's I Bring The Fire Part I: Wolves, a new take on Norse mythology starring Loki. I have a confession: When I saw the email from Amazon confirming my acquisition, my sleepy head blended two words together, and I thought I had downloaded I Bring The Fart. C., if you ever read this, I am so, so sorry. Especially since I laughed when I realized it.

And finally, Willow's crowdfunding project is on a French site named Ulule, which keeps bringing this minor hit for the Tremeloes to mind:

Post #200

I know there are other things going on, and I'll talk about them soon, but I like to make anniversary posts something special, so:

There's a new hero in town, a young woman who calls herself Redblade, with a magic sword and a knack for finding trouble. Michiko, the Monkey Queen, couldn't be happier...but her partner Beth is feeling envious.

Meanwhile, Beth has made a new friend, Abigail Drake, a fangirl who may be attending Beth's college...and Michiko is feeling jealous.

But Abby has a secret...she is Redblade.

And that secret, and the sword she carries, may lead to the Monkey Queen's doom.

Redblade. Monkey Queen Book Five. Fall 2015.

Craig Hansen needs your help

Indie author Craig Hansen is recovering from a stroke he suffered earlier this month. He's been a poster on the writers and readers' forum I frequent, KBoards, and a friend to many in the indie publishing category. He and his family are facing medical and other expenses in the weeks ahead, and friends of his have started a GoFundMe drive to help. You can also buy his books at Amazon to support him. Thanks for reading, and please share and spread the word.

Willow, The Journey Of Earth, and you!

Willow, the awesome artist who does the awesome covers for the Monkey Queen books, has just launched a crowdfunding campaign to get her BD/comic, The Journey Of Earth, collected as a graphic novel! The only drawback is that it's in French (so you're actually backing Le Voyage de Terre), but even $6 plus postage gets you a postcard and a thank-you by email (and add a pinback button for about $2 more)! And if this succeeds, there will probably be an English version later! So don't delay! Head to the Ulule crowdfunding site and help Willow get the adventures of Earth, Moon and their friends in print!

on switching to Kindle Unlimited

It's now official - the Monkey Queen e-books are now only available through Amazon, and have been enrolled in Kindle Unlimited for unlimited borrowing by KU members. The whys and wherefores after the cut.

And he thought he heard the echoes of a pennywhistle blog

Sunday catchup, and the big news is that Willow has just put up the first few pages of her BD/comic, The Journey Of Earth! The dialogue is in French, but you can get the gist of what's going on, and the art is just as wonderful as you'd expect! (And she'll be working shortly on an English translation!) Go look!

More after the cut.

September 1 is going to be a bittersweet day here, since it'll be the US release date of The Shepherd's Crown, the last Discworld book. I'm looking forward to reading it, and I suspect it's going to be quite a farewell. But I'm still sad over all the stories that Sir Terry had left to tell, the ones we'll never get to read, even as I'm thankful for all that he gave us.

Both the Doubleclicks and the Atomic Robo gang kicked butt with their Kickstarters! Whee! Maybe next time, they can do a crossover...

And while Willow was taking a break from comic creating, she posted a work-in-progess fan art, and now I really really need to rewatch this (Kiki's Delivery Service, since you can't tell from the image in this embedding).

a major announcement

I've decided to take the first steps towards moving the Monkey Queen books into Kindle Unlimited. This will mean that they'll only be available on Amazon. I'll write a longer explanation later as to why this is being done, but I wanted to alert you that if you wanted to buy any of the books from anywhere that wasn't Amazon, you should do it in the next 24 hours. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this will cause.

Neil Gaiman, powerful big rats, and telling your stories

WARNING: To make this blog post work, I'm going to have to give away a little secret I've had going in all the Monkey Queen books to date. If you don't want to be spoiled, skip this post. If you don't mind it, read on after the cut.