FINIAN BLACK

Everything, it would seem. ANGELS OF WAR has gone down well with readers. They enjoyed the story, were moved by the characters and are excited about a sequel. But….

….but, there’s just one thing that has been said again and again.

The title stinks more than a dead fish down the back of a radiator. It hums like a ripe cheese on a hot summer’s day. It’s that big pile of dung just where your flip-flop is about to land.

And that’s just the repeatable stuff.

Now, I’m not proud. I know when I’m wrong. ANGELS OF WAR needs a new birth, with a new title. And that’s where you come in.

So here’s the good bit. It’s COMPETITION TIME!

And like all good competitions, it’s very simple – read the blurb below and come up with a new killer title.

1914. War returns to Europe. Death will soon come on an industrial scale.

Madeleine Dubois – the baker’s daughter, her parents missing in the chaos of the battle for Mons.
Thomas Moreau – the blacksmith, haunted by the voices of his long dead siblings.
Henry Weybourne – the British officer, cut off from the retreating Allied forces, his fate in the hands of others.
Engel – the Prussian officer, his eyes everywhere, his secrets hidden.

As the war takes hold, they will be forced to confront their own fears and desires, as revenge and redemption overwhelm them all.

Award winning author Finian Black’s second novel is a compelling tale of love, loss and belief, set against the backdrop of the early days of World War One, a time of saints and ghosts, of angels and mortals.

That’s it.

The winner gets a £25 Amazon voucher. I’ll also post an interview and help promote a book, if you have one to promote. If not, just spend £25 on books and make some other authors happy.

So, what are you waiting for? Send me your entry by clicking on the lovely picture below. Put ‘competition’ as the subject…

…and I’ll let you know once I’ve decided.

Competition closes at midnight on 30th April 2013.

Oh, and one last thing – Great Expectations, 50 Shades of Grey or The Bible are probably not going to win.

FINIAN

…since I wrote anything on here. It’s been a busy few months so indulge me a quick catch-up.

ANGELS OF WAR was published on 12/12/12, my daughter’s birthday. She gave her name to the heroine, Madeleine Dubois. It was great fun writing as a woman, just as it was fun writing as a girl (Mary Callaghan) in THE NIGHTMARE STONE. Other voices are always more interesting than our own, don’t you think?

The skull and wings cover didn’t last long. It just didn’t look right once the book was up there on Amazon. I know that sounds hopeless. After all, surely something as important as the cover should have been nailed down before publication…?

Fair point. Guilty as charged. I got that one wrong. So, the cover was changed, to something more ambiguous, more sepia-tinged. I like it. Here it is:

Now, on the last post, I said that the sequel would be released in 2013 and the third book of the trilogy in 2014. That’s changed now.

ANGELS OF WAR was a tough book to write. It took a lot out of me. I’m not sure the next one is ready to come out yet. It feels like it needs to grow a bit more before the words land on the paper.

But there is a new book to tell you about. It’s called THE FINAL RAVEN and it marks a departure from the first two. I’ve toyed with YA/teen fiction (don’t you hate these labels?) before but now, I’ve found the story I want to tell. That’s all you get for now, other than it’s the first book of a series and should be out this year.

I’ll post more as it gets nearer to publication.

And also, watch out for some other stuff that will be of interest to those of you writing/struggling to write/interested in how entrepreneurs approach the next big thing/who like sport. Is that a vague enough list?

Thought so. More soon…

FINIAN

2012. Wow, this has been some year.  THE NIGHTMARE STONE was published in May. The response has been phenomenal. Over the last six months, more than twenty thousand copies have been downloaded.The reviews are great. Many readers have told me that it is crying out to be made into a film. I’ve been overwhelmed by it all; it’s been a blast.

If you haven’t read it yet, here’s a shameless plug:

But that was then. This is now.

ANGELS OF WAR, the first in my ILLUMINATION series, is now released.

A few years ago, I came across a wonderful book. Ben Macintyre’s A FOREIGN FIELD is a compelling read. It’s the story of a group of British soldiers who were stranded behind German lines during the chaos of the retreat from Mons. It’s easy to forget that the early weeks of the First World War were a time of fluidity and movement. It took a while before the industrial carnage began; two great armies stuck in the trenches, trading random death with little to gain, did not happen immediately.

A FOREIGN FIELD grabbed me and would not let go. I was utterly intrigued by the enigmatic soldier Robert Digby and his love for Claire, the teenage girl he met in the village of Villeret as he hid from the advancing Germans.

For eighteen months, the Allied soldiers were hidden by the villagers. Then they were betrayed and executed as spies.

Robert and Claire’s daughter speaks with poignant eloquence of what happened and how the consequences resonate to this day. Download it here:

I was inspired enough to want to use it as the basis for my next novel. I tried to weave the fact into a fiction, but could not find the right voice. Macintyre’s book was better than any story I could make up. There was nothing new I could bring to it, and the idea ended up dormant in the back of my mind, in that box marked ‘unfinished business’.

Then I stumbled across another book that changed everything:

Don Farr’s book is just brilliant. I devoured it like a novel. The section on the angels of Mons myth brought it vividly to life; it helped me understand more clearly how I could use it as the basis for my story.

So, here it is. Here’s ANGELS OF WAR:

I’m so proud of this novel. It’s a more ambitious story than THE NIGHTMARE STONE and I hope I’ve done justice to the ideas in my head. It’s the first book of a trilogy that is called ILLUMINATION.

Book Two will be called VALLEYS OF THE EARTH and will come in 2013. Book Three will be called THAT FEARFUL DAY, to follow in 2014.

Once again, I’ll be pleased to receive your feedback. Reviews are great and help a lot when amazon calculate chart positions, so don’t be shy – leave a few words of support or criticism, whatever suits.

And keep checking here for more news on ANGELS OF WAR and the other ILLUMINATION books.

FINIAN.

December 2012

Here’s a sneak preview of the cover for ANGELS OF WAR, coming in December…

If you hadn’t noticed, there’s a small sporty thing going on in the UK at the moment. The sun is shining and there seem to be more gold medals appearing for team GB every time I blink. It’s fantastic, riveting drama of the highest order and truly inspiring.

To think, the next generation of Olympians is watching these games, either on the television (or increasingly online) or there in person. These kids will be learning the names of their new sporting heroes and talking about sports they did not even know existed a few weeks ago. I love it.

Every time one of the medallists is interviewed, they inevitably mention all of the people who have helped them get to the top of their game. Family, friends, coaches and the wider public. It reminds me that the event itself is just part of the story.

Which leads me rather clumsily to my own ‘gold medal’ moment, in the not so sporty field of writing. If any of you have read my previous posts, you’ll have some idea of the journey I’ve taken over the last few months – the writing and publishing of THE NIGHTMARE STONE, and now the same process with the next novel, ANGELS OF WAR.

Sales have been steady but not spectacular. My charity promotion raised a few quid for Naomi House but that was all. Thank God they’ve got plenty of other fundraisers supporting them and I’m grateful I’ve got a day job.

Then, last weekend, the stars came into alignment. Let me tell you what happened.

The Olympic opening ceremony was wonderful, a uniquely British celebration of the quirky genius of this great nation. I watched it, along with millions of others, and loved what I saw. Then, suddenly, a pivotal moment. JK Rowling stood up and read from Peter Pan. A shiver ran down my spine. I looked at my wife and she smiled. It seemed almost unreal.

THE NIGHTMARE STONE is inspired by the life of JM Barrie, and takes as its central theme a ‘what if?’ moment in Barrie’s life. By a strangely compelling coincidence, the following morning saw the start of a four day promotion on amazon; THE NIGHTMARE STONE free to download.

I started to tweet about it JK Rowling’s reading, never really believing that I could influence the promotion by doing so. But something remarkable started to happen. Within a few minutes, copies of the book were being downloaded. Over the next few hours, A LOT of copies of the book were downloaded.

By the end of the four day promotion, an utterly mind-blowing NINE THOUSAND copies of my book had been downloaded.

I still have to read that twice to believe it.

Since then, sales of my book have exceeded all my expectations. It continues to feature high on various amazon bestseller charts. It is, by any measure, a success.

One word says it all – Wow.

So, there’s my ‘gold medal’ moment, during this most special of Olympics. A bit cheesy? I’m sorry, but I hope you’ll forgive me that.

I want to thank two wonderful people who have helped immensely. I don’t know them outside of the world of the internet but they are great individuals who go the extra mile to help independent authors like myself and therefore create an environment where independent publishing has a voice and can flourish.

Firstly, Joey Pinkney. His website can be found here:

www.joeypinkney.com

Joey is generous with his time, is always willing to re-tweet and wants independent authors to succeed. I thank him for his efforts so far and look forward to working with him in the future.

Secondly, Miranda Stork. Her website can be found here:

Miranda Stork’s blog site

What to say about Miranda? She is a prodigious reader who loves books. She loves words and stories. That shines out of every sentence she crafts. Miranda is also a reviewer who is not afraid to take a chance on an unknown author. I contacted her, out of nowhere, and asked her to read THE NIGHTMARE STONE and review it. She didn’t have to say yes. There was nothing in it for her. But Miranda agreed, read my book and posted a review. It does help that she enjoyed it, but even so, reviewers like Miranda provide the oxygen that allow independent novels to breathe. A huge thank you, Miranda.

In addition, I would like to thank an old friend, Adele Parks. Adele is a stunningly successful author, with over two million sales over the last decade. I have known her since our university days and have watched her career reach new and greater heights with a sense of real pride. She’s a great writer, and a great person. Her success has driven me on to believe that I can too one day see myself as a writer. I wish her all the luck in the world and I know how passionately she feels about her work.

www.adeleparks.com

Plenty of others have supported me, re-tweeted about me, emailed me and generally just helped the steady path that THE NIGHTMARE STONE is taking. I cannot thank everybody enough. My dream has come true. I am an amazon bestselling author.

And that is a gold medal sentence I never imagined writing.

THE NIGHTMARE STONE IS AVAILABLE HERE:

For one week only, all sales of my novel THE NIGHTMARE STONE will generate money for my favourite charity, Naomi House Children’s Hospice in Hampshire. This wonderful place provides care for children with life-limiting illness and respite for their families. (Take a look at the website if you want to know more about the work that goes on there.)

NAOMI HOUSE

In 1929, JM Barrie bequeathed all the royalties earned from sales of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).

All these years later, GOSH continues to benefit from an undisclosed annual revenue as per JM Barrie’s wishes. I mention this because THE NIGHTMARE STONE was inspired by some of the remarkable events that shaped Barrie’s childhood and life.

Writing THE NIGHTMARE STONE was the culmination of an ambition. Publishing it on amazon was made possible by the rise of e-readers, smartphones and tablets.

 The reviews it has gathered have been nothing less than spectacular. These reviews have commented on the book as a page-turner, with realistic dialogue, characters that you care about and a genuinely shocking ending that comes out of nowhere. Some have even said how it made them cry! What a feeling as an author; it’s incredible.

I want more people to read THE NIGHTMARE STONE. I believe if enough people get to read it, the book will stand on its own merits and be successful. More importantly, I want to steal a little of JM Barrie’s fairy dust and make some money for Naomi House.

A couple of years ago, two friends and I completed the gruelling Hell Runner Down South in the cold and ice of a freezing November day, and raised a lot of cash for this great cause. This should be a doddle in comparison.

All I need to do is convince enough of you to buy THE NIGHTMARE STONE. I need you to spend 99p. That’s all. Not run a marathon wearing a chicken suit, or sit in a bath of cold baked beans for twenty fours. And if you buy the novel, everybody wins. Here’s why:

1. Naomi House earns 99p for every book sold because I will donate my royalties and make up the difference back up to the cover price.

2. You get to read the book and realise what a great read it is.

3. I get more exposure for THE NIGHTMARE STONE and it rockets up the amazon chart.

A bit sneaky? You bet.

And why not? We all need a few breaks, not least the kids who rely on Naomi House. So, please buy the book. There’s a link below. Read it, enjoy it, review it and tell your friends. I’ll keep promoting this blog post for a week and we’ll see how well we can do, together. I want to give lots of money to Naomi House. To do that, I need to sell lots of books.

I’ll let you know how it goes. I hope JM Barrie (who knew a thing or two about getting publicity) would approve.

Here’s the link:

Firstly, an apology. I’m sorry if you read this and think it’s a pile of self-satisfied guff. You might well do. I might think that if I came across a blog post like this.

So, (and it’s worth repeating) I’m sorry. Look away now if you’re not in the mood for a bit of self-congratulation.

I received a revew today. No big deal? It is to me. So far, in the six weeks since THE NIGHTMARE STONE was released, I’ve sold a lot of books and given away a whole load more (thanks to the KDP free book thingy). I’ve received great reviews on amazon. Those seem to be random and come out of nowhere but they’re all welcome and help me to keep the faith.

This review is different. I contacted the wonderful Miranda Stork after coming across her website. She reads a lot, she writes about the books she reads. She writes honest reviews and tells it fairly.

I wanted to know what she might think of mine.

We exchanged emails and Miranda agreed to read and review the book. Nothing more than that. We don’t know each other, we live in different parts of the country, but we share a love of good books.

I received an email from her today. She was as good as her word. I’ve posted the link to the review below.

I don’t want to say any more. I think it speaks for itself. So, a huge thank you to Miranda for her time and comments. She didn’t have to do it, she did so because she cares about books.

That sound you can hear is my jaw still bouncing off the ground.

THE NIGHTMARE STONE REVIEW

A little story. Stick with it. There’s a point to it.

Once, there was a man who loved ice cream. He was partial to any flavour, except that horrible blue bubblegum one you sometimes see at the seaside. Or anything with nuts.

So, this man who loved ice cream so much, decided that he could sell ice cream.

Why not? He thought. I’m an expert ice cream eater. I can invent my own flavours, and sell those.

It sounded a lot more fun than his usual day job.

He made a flavour that was a lot like many other flavours, but different enough to excite him. It was his own secret flavour, because nobody else had ever made anything quite like it.

A few friends told him how lovely it was. He set up a stall near to where other ice cream sellers were, and he waited for people to buy his ice cream.

He called it ‘a flavour similar to ones you know and like, but different.’

Not the catchiest of names, but that was what it was, so that was what he called it.

Day after day, he stood by his stall, offering his ice cream near to where the other sellers offered theirs. It was delicious. It was worth it.

People came and looked, then they frowned and shook their heads. They kept their money in their pockets and walked on to the ice cream sellers they knew. And they bought vanilla, and strawberry, and mint choc chip. Some of them even bought the horrible blue bubblegum flavoured stuff, or one with nuts.

What’s going on? The man thought. My ice cream is lovely. If only people would try it, they would see.

Then, as he was beginning to despair of ever selling any ice cream, a young boy approached his stall.

‘How much is your ice cream, Mister?’ The small boy asked.

The man told him, and the boy frowned and shook his head, just like the others.

‘I can buy a flavour I know I like over there for a bit more than that. Why don’t you let me have some for a lot less than they’re asking? That way, if I don’t like yours, I can still go and buy a strawberry ice cream with what I’ve got left.’

The man thought about it, and realised the boy was right.

He thanked the boy and gave him some of the ice cream for nothing. The boy loved it. He bought some more. He told all his friends and they loved it too. Now, the man sells lots of ice cream.

But he still only asks what he thinks people will pay.

And when they find out they like it, everybody’s happy.

My novel is that ice cream. It’s similar to others you’ve already tried, but it’s different. It’s mine.

You don’t know me. You’ve never seen a review of my book in a newspaper. You’ve never heard an interview with me. You probably don’t know anybody else who’s read it. So why would you pay the same for my novel as you would pay for one by J.K Rowling, Stephen King, Adele Parks, or (God forbid) E.L James?

I wouldn’t do so, so I can’t possibly expect you to. That’s why my ice cream flavour is nice and cheap. If you try it and don’t like it, I don’t think it will trouble your day too much.

And if you do like it, then I’m pleased. It took a while to get it right but I think it’s there. Plenty of people have bought it. The feedback has been phenomenal. I’m humbled and excited by the reaction I’ve had.

So, here comes the plea.

Please buy THE NIGHTMARE STONE here for just 99p

and leave a lovely review if you feel inclined. Nothing fancy, just a couple of lines. I would be flattered and excited if you did.

And don’t try the bubblegum flavour. It’ll never be worth it.

ANGELS OF WAR available December 2012.

…that’s right.  Free.  Zilch.  Nil to pay.  All yours for a big fat zero.

Today,   THE NIGHTMARE STONE   is available to download at no cost to you, intrepid reader. I’m making use of the free promotion facility that exists, courtesy of KDP SELECT .

Got a kindle? Great. Not got one yet? Don’t worry. You can download a free app for your smartphone/iPhone/iPad/PC.

Here’s how:

KINDLE APPS

The free offer is for 24 hours only, then you’ll have to go back down the back of the sofa to find enough coppers to buy my book.

Why am I doing this?

Because I’m a generous soul who wants to give away something for nothing.

Because I’d like to shove my book a bit nearer to the front of that big old virtual bookstore.

Because I hope plenty of you will download it, read it, enjoy it and then write me a great review.

I’m under no illusions. It’s a congested market place. My book is a great read, but only if people are actually reading it. I need to connect with you. Then you can decide if I’m right.

So, go on. Press that button. Follow the link. Download my book and read it. I know you’re going to enjoy it. Then tell all of your friends!

…sold some books. People have parted with hard-earned cash and bought my book. And more importantly, I don’t have the first clue who they are.

THE NIGHTMARE STONE has been available on amazon for kindle and kindle apps for two weeks. In that time, I’ve gone from being one of millions who dream that one day they will have a novel out there in the world, to being one of thousands who actually do it.

It’s been a strange journey. A year ago, I was scratching around trying to find the motivation to move forwards with a manuscript that was little more than a series of sketches, linked together by ideas in my head. The word count was a pathetic fifteen thousand and I was in danger of turning into what I always feared the most – someone who thought they could write, but always found an excuse not to, for fear of being found out.

And who would do the finding out? Me, mainly. Instead of finishing the book, I would just let it wither away until it became another pile of dog-eared paper in the back of a drawer, like so many other unfinished novels. That was the easier option. And I could always carry on saying that I was writing a novel. Because if you never get close to finishing it, you’re on safe ground.

I came very close to giving up on it. The characters weren’t flesh and blood, the story was vague and nebulous. I had no idea how it would end and even less of a clue how to pull it all together. In short, it was a bloody mess.

So, what happened? Well, two things. Firstly, my wife believed in me; she believed in the story I was wrestling with in my head, and more importantly she believed in me as a writer. She had read my previous work, stuff that may one day see the light of day. She knows what she likes in a book – a good story, engaging characters, interesting dialogue.

She told me to stop making excuses and just write it.

‘You’re good,’ she would say. ‘I want to read this book.’

Her belief was paramount in me striving to get somewhere with the story. At that point, I had no plans to do anything with it except write the damn thing. Just to show (myself) I could do it. I went back to the manuscript and began to work on some of the bits that I knew were worth keeping. I scrapped ten thousand words that took the story nowhere, were sloppily written and were never going to be good enough for the final edit. I started to build up some momentum again.

That’s when the second thing happened. Over a few too many bottles of good red wine, my wife told two of our closest friends about my novel-in-production. They had no idea I had ever written a word in my life. How could they? Writing has always been an intensely private thing for me. I’ve never gone around talking about it.

Their reaction was a revelation. Instead of mild interest, or the kind of sympathetic look usually reserved for a child whose puppy has just died, they were genuinely excited about it.

‘You’re writing a book? How come we didn’t know about it? What’s it about? Can we read some of it?’

The questions came at me. I really didn’t know what to say.

But I knew what to do. I had to finish it. There was a purpose now; an understanding that if I wrote it, others would read it. And with that understanding came an even greater pressure. It had to be good. There was just no way that I was going to foist any old crap on good mates.

I had a plan – I would finish it by Christmas. Then, I would let people read it. Just a handful, those I trusted to give me their honest opinion and to tell me if it was a complete stinker.

I got there. You might have read the previous posts. If not, take a look. They tell you about the journey. Now, THE NIGHTMARE STONE is born.

If you’re writing your first novel, don’t give up. Every word is a word nearer the end. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. You may not know where you’re going, but you’ll know when you get there.

I’m already half way through my second novel. An idea for a series of novels is germinating. At last, I can say I’m a writer. And I’m so grateful to those who showed me that’s what I am.