Allen Houston's Blog - Posts Tagged "novel"

You can click to my most recent blog post to find out more information about my new novel as well as other upcoming writing projects that I've been working on over the winter.

http://www.allendhouston.com/allens-b...

I'll be sending out the name of my new novel to my email subscribers on Friday. Sign up if you haven't already. I promise not to slam your in-box and I'll be announcing other goodies, etc. down the road for those who receive my email blast. It's as easy as adding your email.

http://www.allendhouston.com/mailing-...

Well that went by fast.

The Shadow Of All Things has been in the Kindle Scout competition for a little over a week now and has managed to stay in the “Hot and Trending” section for that entire period.

That said if you haven’t nominated my new book for a possible publishing contract with Amazon go do it, I’ll wait here until you get back... http://amzn.to/1UHULmE

Sometime on day 13 of the Kindle Scout competition, my urban fantasy/sci-fi novel, The Shadow Of All Things, briefly slipped off the Hot and Trending section of the contest and I fell into a cold panic._

To be honest, the fact that it stayed at the top for so long was a surprise. I was still hammering social media as hard as I could to get friends and strangers to nominate my book, but my Facebook list had evaporated and while people on Twitter were responsive I couldn’t tell what impact it was having. I banged every other drum I could from Instagram to Linkedin and would have sent carrier pigeons if I’d had them.

Read the rest on my site: http://bit.ly/1MPV8JB

Most authors who take the Kindle Scout challenge will tell you as an aside that the third week stretch is the most difficult part of the month long competition.

You’re not new anymore and you’ve yet to hit the final few days where numbers tend to rise again You’ve emptied the pockets of your social media contacts and turned them upside down looking for change. You’ve contacted everyone you know including the local ice cream truck driver and your Aunt Petunia’s estranged hubby who ran off to become a NASCAR Driver. Obsessive thoughts of asking people in line at your local burrito shop to vote for you skitter through your mind.

Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/24mxusD

There are only two days left to vote for my new science fiction/horror novel "The Shadow Of All Things" as a Kindle Scout book. If Amazon picks my book to publish under it's Kindle Scout banner everyone who has voted will receive a free early digital copy. It's as easy as a click:
https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/3EPK...

​I’m excited to announce that the first book in my new urban fantasy series The Shadow Of All Things is available for pre-order on Amazon now.

Read my new blog post: bit.ly/1Ui0c9o

Lots going on as I prep for the June 9th release of the first book in my new sci-fi urban fantasy series. In case you hadn’t heard, the kindle version of The Shadow Of All Things is currently available for pre-order from Amazon for $3.99. That’s less than the price of a morning Frappuccino from your favorite java joint.

The print edition which will come out the same day includes illustrations from Tulsa-based artist Colleen Beauchamp Stiles. I’ve known Colleen for 20 years and she’s done a great job capturing the spirit of the book. I encourage you to check out her site and to take a first look at three drawings that will be included in the print edition.

http://bit.ly/1TOP7zS

The big day is here at long last.

For the last year I’ve been prepping The Shadow Of All Things, the first book in my new urban fantasy/science fiction/horror series for release. After a bout of personal upheaval, long rounds of editing, feedback from beta-readers and working with the illustrator Colleen Beauchamp Stiles on the cover and drawings for the print edition I’m happy to share my bouncing creative baby with the world.

Order a copy here: http://amzn.to/28n3CPR

Recent years have been a time of pressing questions for humanity. We stand at a historical junction where we can embrace an uncertain future or cling to a rose-colored past that is neither glamorous nor fair as some people desire to remember. Democracy is on a razor’s edge, autocrats are on the march, social unrest has reached a boil, and the earth cries out as climate change sends us warning after warning if only we would listen. And the pandemic, of course, has decimated lives, upended economies, and kicked disinformation into overdrive. None of the issues we face are tidy or will be resolved soon. For a world raised on neat and clear-cut stories, the thought that we may be in this for the foreseeable future is exhausting. It can leave you demoralized, beaten down, and paralyzed with indecision. Like many, I have also hit the pandemic wall. At times it feels like groundhog day with the same routine over and over.
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Each of us processes these challenges in our own way. For myself, this has led me to reevaluate what my priorities are. My writing, for example, has continued sporadically, but all the issues stated above have taken precedence.

Last March, my partner and I contracted a severe case of COVID that went on for two months. There was roughly a week-long period where I wondered daily if we would make it through. The lingering effects of that sickness led me to be more grateful than before. It made me more aware of savoring each moment, whether playing with my children, taking a bike ride, or doing something as mundane as washing the dishes. I have by no means mastered this and probably never will, but I find myself trying more, and that is a start.

I come out of this time of contemplation with a stronger understanding of why I write and a greater responsibility to what I put into the world. I have finished a novel and hope to release it in the fall. I am recommitted to the work that I do, but also understand that I am only human and that it is okay to let go with no feeling of guilt. I don’t need to compare myself to others. The highest success is focusing on my own happiness and being committed to my family, friends, and striving to make the world better than it was before. As I mentioned, there are no easy answers, only the beginnings of understanding and what I hope will lead to wisdom.

What big questions have you struggled with over the last year? What answers have you found?



Allen Houston

http://www.allendhouston.com/