The Beatitude of Suvita

The third book in the Mar Enmig chronicles will be the Beatitude of Suvita. In time it is right after the Daemon of Cormagan, however, the book stands on its own (like the other two books in the series). In this book Suvita is trying to prevent a war between the Romans and the Cathar. I'm currently going through the book for a third edit, and hoping for more comments from people reading the book (if you want to read the current version, feel free to contact me). Marlon Teunissen is again drawing the illustrations for the book, of which two are already done.

Ex Fumigans Vapore Encyclopedia now available for e-readers

The "Ex Fumigans Vapore" Encyclopedia, describing the technology the the Haeven of Punyal and the Daemon of Cormagan is now also available as an e-book and as PDF. There is also a version available on Amazon, which will be updated more frequently than the ones here. Hopefully you enjoy reading this small encyclopedia of steampunk inventions.

The Haven of Punyal published

The Haeven of Punyal is now published on Amazon. The kindle version should follow soon. It is $9.99 for the book, and $2.99 for the Kindle version once it appears. I will update this blog with a link to the sample chapter as well as other important information soon.

Editorial Letter for The Haeven of Punyal

These are some of excerpts from the second editorial letter:
 

"The manuscript is imaginative from the start, causing readers to wonder what sort of world they’ve entered and what sort of creatures inhabit it. Language and technology are used to great effect in the story."

"The story unfolds at a very crisp pace, each chapter proceeding generally in the pattern of flashback/news article/obituary/interview, Chalina’s story, Capa’s story/present day, then commentary from “dead” Punyal. This order is both logical and comforting in a way, as the reader is guided through the ebb and flow of the action at a measured rate.

In Punyal’s musings after death at the end of most of the chapters, he seems to be addressing his sister and then the reader, sort of like a chorus in Greek drama. He offers analysis of what has taken place as well as some foreshadowing of the events to come."

Cover text for The Hæven of Punyal

In a Mediterranean steampunk world Capa finds that her brother Punyal has disappeared, and most likely has been murdered. She investigates what has happened together with her partner Velas, one of the best engineers outside of London. They uncover the mystery that other forces want to keep shrouded and Capa can no longer remain an observer.

Today I finished formatting the interior of "The Hæven of Punyal". It is currently being checked by CreateSpace for issues, and at the same time I worked on the cover. I already had most of the work on the cover done (my name is likely to lose a fraction at the top, but I don't want to reduce the size of the image, as Marlon did such an awesome job on it, that that will just have to be. It all depends on CreateSpace's cutting, and I find it more likely that the name will be fine. We'll see when the proof arrives. The only thing missing is the text at the back of the novel, which is why I'm writing this post. Let me know what you think about the above... Should I add more about Chalina? Should it be longer? More elaborate? I have a tendency to not want to give away anything in the cover text, but I usually find other novels describe half their content.

Editorial Letter quotes

I received the Editorial Letter for the Haeven of Punyal (as well as the edited version, which hopefully I can incorporate this weekend). Here are some of the happy quotes:

This accomplished and absorbing book, a novel blend of steampunk fiction, murder mystery, and code (ranging from the covert speech patterns of the Xivato to the proteins for which DNA codes), was a pleasure to read.
...

Against the backdrop of a fantastic steampunk world where Romans are identified by their tails and the sense of smell is privileged over sight or hearing, this novel is remarkable for being primarily driven not by its admirably speculative setting but by its strong characters of Capa, Chalina, and Punyal, who shift and grow over the full course of the story in response to circumstances beyond their control. Supporting characters also are given room to grow—for example, Black Dog, through his increasingly complex interactions with Chalina.

...

Overall the manuscript’s style is rich but discreet, offering a rhythmically varied syntax filled with descriptive detail, but never calling attention to itself and away from the more important story at hand.

Farsee (temporary title) finished

While "The Haeven of Punyal" is still being edited by the editors at CreateSpace, I just finished Farsee as part of NaNoWriMo, with a total of 50368 words. It is much rougher than my previous two novels, so it will need more editing, but hopefully will be finished on the same time schedule.