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Author Updates
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Blog postNo, not shifting like a werewolf (but maybe like a where-wolf). I'm moving my blog's location to a page on my website. So you can now find my blog at www.darian-smith.com
Posts will be more frequent than they have been this last year (I've been a bit distracted by life and work on Starlight's Children) so be sure to check in regularly.
You can also sign up for my newsletter which will include sneak peeks stories in the Kalanon world.
See you there! -
Blog postOur household has expanded in the last couple of days. We now have two adorable black kittens in our family, named Apollo and Athena. And much like the ancient gods they're named after, they have quickly adapted ways to boss their humans around.
Here are a few life lessons I've learned from my kittens:
If something's worth doing, do it with passion
Kittens don't do anything by halves. They don't just jump, they pounce. They don't just run, they r -
Blog postWhat kind of gifts should you get friends and family for Christmas? Why BOOKS of course!
Here's a Christmas shopping guide to the books I've been involved in. For each one, I've included a suggestion for who to buy it for, what it's about, and a random point of interest.
They are available through your local bookstore, through Amazon, or by contacting me at darian-smith@vodafone.co.nz
Enjoy! And have a wonderful Christmas holiday!
Ka -
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Blog postSo normally I tend to focus on the e-book versions of my books, with the theory that that's where most of the sales happen these days. Sure, some bookstores are stocking the paperbacks (please go to your local bookstore and ask them to get my books in!) and some libraries are too (please go to your local library and ask them to get my books in!) but mostly it's ebook sales on Amazon that I see in my sales reports. There's a logic to that - ebooks are cheaper, and you can access them
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Blog postThe first of the Agents of Kalanon mysteries is available for preorder. Each book in the series features an action packed murder mystery in the fantasy world of Kalanon for Brannon and his team to solve. Magic, murder, and mayhem, with a backdrop of a country recovering from war and a supernatural battle brewing.
Check out the first couple of chapters below:
Prologue
T he gas lamps on the street corners of Alapra cast deep shadows. Keldan Sandilar sk -
Blog postYou may have asked yourself (if you've been following my career and are exceptionally astute), "What happened to that prize winning novel manuscript, Agents of Kalanon?"
For those who aren't aware of it, Agents of Kalanon won first prize in an unpublished novel manuscript competition run by SpecFicNZ a few years back. It's a murder mystery in a fantasy world recovering from war and where things are not always as they seem.
I'm thrilled to say that the book, now titled -
Blog postI'm thrilled and grateful to say Currents of Change has won two Koru Awards! One for Best First Novel, and one for the Best Short and Sweet category. I'm on cloud 9 and don't plan on coming down any time soon. Look at the pretty trophies!
The Korus are given out by RWNZ to recognize excellence in published books from the previous year. There was some hot competition and a lot of talented authors so I was pretty much just enjoying the awards dinner without any -
Blog postAuthor Tahlia Newland talks about her latest book and answers the question, "what is magical realism?" Tahlia Newland has written and published nine books, three of which have won a BRAG Medallion and an Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence. She writes inspirational magical realism and fantasy, and also makes masquerade masks and steampunk hats and accessories. Her wardrobe is full of steampunk clothing which she wears every day because beautiful clothes deserve to be worn.She works
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Blog postThe finalists for the 2016 Sir Julius Vogel Awards have been announced!
I'm thrilled to have made the cut in three categories - Best Novel for "Currents of Change", Best Collected Work for "Shifting Worlds", and Best Short Story for "Drag Marks". I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to all those who nominated my work and to the organisers of the awards - as well as congratulations to the other authors who were nominated. This is a great op -
Blog postAward-winning author Mary Brock Jones is a shining example of a writer who manages to straddle who seemingly separate genres. She writes historical romance and futuristic science fiction and is a very active member of both Romance Writers of NZ and SpecFicNZ. She also straddles traditional and indie publishing as a hybrid author. I recently got a chance to talk to her about how she manages to balance these sides of herself and, in particular, how she was able to bring romance a
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Blog postI've never been in a Blog Hop before so here's my chance. Time to find some great new paranormal stories to read. Information on my book, Currents of Change, is below, followed by a link to Paranormal Love Wednesdays, where you can hop to other blogs and find more books! Have fun.
Currents of Change
A suspenseful novel about magic, secrets, a haunted house, and a touch of romance.
Haunted house. Haunted heart.
When Sara O'Neill goes on the -
Blog postIt's that time of year again - the nominating period for this year's Sir Julius Vogel awards. Don't forget to put in your nominations before the February 28 deadline!These awards recognise New Zealand Speculative Fiction and the more nominations a work receives, the better its chances of making it to the final ballot.
If you liked a work released in 2015, please support it with nominations. Each nomination needs to be in a separate email to: sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz which should -
Blog postWith Valentine's Day looming, it's interesting to note the impact that grammar, spelling, and all around good use of language can have on a person's luck in love.
https://www.grammarly.com/spell-check has done some research based on response stats for online dating and the results might surprise some of us...but not others. Knowing the rules of language makes you attractive. Good grammar is sexy! So double check your apostrophes, make sure you know whether it's their, th -
Blog postTowards the end of last year, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the launch of a new book for children.
Taniwha is a delightful story, written by Mike Johnson and illustrated by Jennifer Rackham, about New Zealand's most intriguing mythical monster. Intended to be read aloud to youngsters or used as an early reader, it asks the pressing question: Just what does a Taniwha look like anyway?
The launch was part of the Writer's festival on Waiheke Island, where Mike lives, and -
Blog postWith the launch of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (loved it!) people are letting their fandom run free and it's great!
One of the fun aspects of the Star Wars universe is that it is populated with fun, quirky characters. None more so than Yoda. Check out the Grammarly.com guide to speaking like a Jedi master, using Yoda as your guide. It's kinda hilarious.
Thanks to https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check for providing this. -
Blog postAs the year comes near the close and I'm busy working on my next novel, it occurred to me that it might be fun to release a few of my short stories from the Shifting Worlds collection as single short reads available on their own for $0.99.
Those of you who have seen the Shifting Worlds cover may have realised that the objects in each of the bubbles relate to particular stories within the collection. The stories being released on their own will use the related bubble as their own cover, sho -
Blog postWhether you're constructing the next great literary novel, writing a short story for the magazine or anthology market, or hammering the keys as you power your way through NaNoWriMo, these are good things to keep in mind.
Thanks to https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check for this graphic. -
Blog postNo Preview Available
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Blog postTrick or Treat!
It's time for some treats. I've put my books on sale in the lead up to Halloween. What could be better than reading a discounted book while eating candy? But act fast - the sooner you buy, the better the deal.
Currents of Change
Sara's sanctuary is a haunted house. Can she find love and safety with the ghosts and secrets of the past?
US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00U8Q968I
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Blog postGhosts have been a popular part of storytelling for as long as there have been humans. There's something fascinating about the idea of a person coming back from the afterlife to interact with the living.
When I was writing Currents of Change, I wanted to make the ghost of Great Aunt Bridget a living (excuse the pun) part of the house. The book is as much about her story as it is Sara's.
Halloween is the time of year that we honour the ghosts in our world and I thought it -
Blog postIt's been a busy couple of months but lots of FUN.
Being an introvert at heart, I've tended to take time out to recharge so my blog has been a bit quiet of late and I think it's about time I shared some of what I've been up to.
Love Thrills RWNZ Conference
First up, the RWNZ conference at the end of August. I was honoured to have been asked to be the MC for this, despite my work being more speculative fiction than romance per se. Of anyone, romance writ -
Blog postToday I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Auckland SpecFicNZ members monthly gathering. I always love getting together with other writers and talking about our latest books, covers, promotions, etc. It's a lot of fun and there's a lot of passion in the room for what we do.
Today's main discussion topic was on choosing a perspective to write from - in particular, the value of first person versus third person.
For those who are unsure what this means:
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Blog postJennifer Fallon, Author of Demon Child Trilogy, The Hythrun Chronicles, The Tide Lord Quadrilogy, The Second Sons Trilogy, The Rift Runners Trilogy and The War of the Gods Trilogy, wrote the foreword for my short story collection, Shifting Worlds. Here's an advance peek at what she said:
Shifting Worlds ForewordAny experienced writer asked to judge a short story competition would probably confess they approach the task with a mixture of caution and trepidation -
Blog postPre-orders are available now.
Don't forget - you can join my Readers' Group for special deals and release dates sent direct to you at www.darian-smith.com -
Blog postJan Goldie is the New Zealand based author of the Young Adult book A Mer-Tale. She has also had short stories published alongside mine in The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales and the award winning anthology, Baby Teeth: Bite-Sized Tales of Terror.
I've met Jan at various fan conventions and recently got to interview her about her novel's modern take on the mermaid myth.
· What made you think of bringing the alien invasion an
Books By Darian Smith
The Psychology Workbook for Writers: Tools for Creating Realistic Characters and Conflict in Fiction
Aug 17, 2015
by
Darian Smith
$6.96
Other Formats:
Paperback
Kalanon's Rising (Agents of Kalanon Book 1)
Oct 15, 2016
by
Darian Smith
$3.95
Other Formats:
Paperback
Battle's Legacy (Agents of Kalanon Book 3)
Dec 1, 2020
by
Darian Smith
$5.95
Other Formats:
Paperback
Starlight's Children (Agents of Kalanon Book 2)
Oct 8, 2017
by
Darian Smith
$5.91
Other Formats:
Paperback
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