Uncategorized – Page 5 – M. L. Mackworth-Praed

Week One – TFK Logres Goodreads Giveaway!

February 1, 2016January 25, 2016Leave a comment

Giveaway dates: Feb 01 – Mar 02, 2016
Availability: 5 signed copies (1 copy per winner)
Available: Worldwide (see giveaway page for list of eligible countries)

The grand opening of my Goodreads Giveaway is here! Today marks the first day when you can enter for the chance to win one of five signed paperback editions of The Future King: Logres. All you need to enter this raffle is be a Goodreads account holder, and enter the giveaway via the Goodreads Giveaway page. This raffle is available to everyone and runs for one month until the 2nd of March 2016. Once the Giveaway has ended Goodreads will select five winners at random – who will then receive signed copies of The Future King: Logres, posted by me!

Please see the Goodreads terms and conditions for this giveaway.

You can find the event page for this giveaway here, where you can invite others to enter. The purpose of this free raffle is to get as many people involved as possible – so don’t forget to share it with your friends! Remember to add The Future King: Logres to your ‘to read’ list as well.

Thank you and enjoy the Giveaway!

Britain, 2052. In a world of war, disease and hunger the UK stands alone as a beacon of prosperity under an all-powerful ruling party. Life at new school Logres seems promising for fifteen-year-old Gwenhwyfar, and quickly she falls for the school’s handsome catch, Arthur. When Arthur’s rival, Lancelot, returns after a suspension, her heart is soon divided. Realising that behind the UK’s prosperity lies unspeakable cruelty, Gwenhwyfar sets off on a path to dismantle everything the government stands for. Suspenseful, raw and awash in a dystopian setting, The Future King: Logres is a story of identity and discovery against this backdrop, the second coming of the Arthurian legends.

100% of readers liked this novel. Check out their reviews here.

M.L. Mackworth-Praed creates a multi-layered and inventive story, based on the Arthurian legends, through concise and descriptive prose and a unique sensitivity to the elements of successful storytelling. The Future King: Logres is an amazing novel and a great literary achievement.

Check out more reviews from Amazon here.

What this book does beautifully is describe and explain the world it is set in without you even realising it. You never have to read through a history or exposition explaining the background; you learn through the conversations, narrative and action of the story about the England that Gwenhwyfar and her friends and family live in.

Good luck!

The Sorting Hat Quiz, Pottermore

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So, fellow Potter fans. We’ve all been waiting for it, and despite frequently checking the new Pottermore website I feel I’ve missed the memo. The new Harry Potter Sorting Hat Quiz has arrived, and this time – it’s official.

I remember having several accounts on the old Pottermore website. First, when I discovered the movies – back then it was a very basic version of the site but quite interactive, and second, just before the website closed for its revamp. I couldn’t remember my old username or sign in so had to be sorted twice, and both times I was put into Ravenclaw.

Keen to experience the magic of the Harry Potter books, I’m usually one to try every sorting hat quiz that I come across. The silly ones, the more serious ones, and the ultimate one which was based on all the questions from the old official Pottermore website. Usually my results were pretty mixed but consistent – Ravenclaw, less often Gryffindor, and two or three Hufflepuffs. Over the years I accepted that, despite the occasional quiz result, I was no Gryffindor, and came to think of myself as Ravenclaw instead.

Then finally, along came the new Pottermore quiz. The pressure was real. We all know how those sites don’t give you the option to redo the quiz if you honestly feel that you’ve been incorrectly placed, and so the stakes were high. I think I was trying to be too clever, trying to remember what I put last time rather than answering instinctively – because then came the unexpected result, Hufflepuff.

There’s nothing wrong with Hufflepuff, of course. For some reason people seem adverse to being placed in it, though I think that’s mostly because in the films they don’t see much screen time. I quite like the Badger motif and I love the house colours. They have, I think, the best Quidditch jumpers, and their house personality traits are pretty admirable.

So then why did it matter so much? J. K. Rowling had spoken. Hufflepuff. Except it was a shock. I’ve only got Hufflepuff a few times before, and none of them were from official quizzes. The most in-depth non-official one I did ranked me in order of Ravenclaw 70%, Gryffindor 20%, Hufflepuff 10% and Slytherin 0% (roughly), so this seemed like a huge curve-ball. I’d answered the same as the last Pottermore quiz, right? So why was it different?

I had to try again. With multiple email accounts already available to me (work, personal, etc.) I decided to double check. It was sensible. Then, if I got the same answer twice, I’d know that I was officially one of those many people whose house colours had changed.

Queue account number two. The quiz commenced again. This time I answered instinctively, without thinking of the end result. Queue drumroll: Ravenclaw. Phew. A sigh of relief.

Except then it kind of felt like cheating. What if I was a Hufflepuff? What if by retaking the quiz and choosing the result I was used to, I was being untrue to myself? To my true Hogwarts house?

I used my third email address. Yes, I do have one. This time I answered exactly as before, hoping for either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw to sway the results and give me a best of three. But then, queue drumroll: Gryffindor. What next?

My results were starting to mirror my results over the years, confused, yet at this stage with no real predominance. I began to think I was being silly. If I’d just got Ravenclaw in the first place I’d probably have thought nothing of it. Then again, I’m pretty sure I would have done another quiz anyway, just to make sure I was 100% Ravenclaw. I mean, I have to know. I’m planning to go to the Harry Potter Studio Tour and buy the relevant house jumper, for goodness’ sake.

Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor. I couldn’t leave it at that. I’d made a right mess for myself, and half-wished I’d just stuck with Hufflepuff. But the results of the following quizzes had made me doubt the very quiz itself. It was supposed to be official, all knowing. And yet, it didn’t seem to know anything at all. One more account was made. I had to do it. If I got Slytherin, I’d try again. I was committed at this stage. The first house to duplicate would become my house. Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Slytherin; I’d sit with it, and buy the jumper – I just had to know. It’s important. So very important.

The fourth quiz. Again I answered honestly, though much of my answers were of course the same. There’s a little variation in the questions and order but the gist is generally what it was on the old Pottermore site, which is why my original result of Hufflepuff was so surprising. What was it to be? Black and yellow, red and gold? Bronze and blue? Green and silver?

Bronze and blue! Ravenclaw. That settled it, there was no way I was taking it again. No. Way. It was far too confusing, far too much of an identity crisis and a bit too confronting. I mean, why did it matter so much? I can’t even answer that. It just did.

I felt a little disappointed. By this stage I was leaning towards the possibility of being in a house that has book-correct merchandise to purchase. Embracing Hufflepuff seemed like a way to defy all the Hufflepuff haters and go against the grain, and being in Gryffindor spoke to the prestige of being in the same house of Harry, Hermione and Ron. And then because of the previously confused results I doubted the quiz even now. Despite me sticking to my own rule.

But then there was relief in there somewhere. I hadn’t been identifying with the wrong house all those years after all, I was still a Ravenclaw. Am still a Ravenclaw. At least I think. Who but the actual Sorting Hat could know, really?

It seems I’m going to have to just accept the results of all the quizzes I have taken over the years, the ones that have pushed me towards Ravenclaw, with a hint of Gryffindor and some Hufflepuff thrown in there too. I’ve never got Slytherin, so I can say at least that I’m definitely not that. The wand result was a little more decisive, and had some wonderful personality descriptions to go with it. Ebony, Unicorn hair, 13 ¾”, Slightly Springy. I got it every time, so I can’t argue with that.

In the meantime I’ll have to come to terms with realigning with my correct Pottermore house. Because of my history and the 2 out of 4 result I’m sticking with blue and bronze. The excitement and loss of the new possibility of Hufflepuff will pass and I’ll be content with Ravenclaw once again. Besides, I’ve run out of email addresses and can’t test it anymore. Know how to delete accounts on the new Pottermore, anyone?

Five books ordered for Goodreads Giveaway!

January 20, 2016Leave a comment

The books are ordered, all five of them, ready for the giveaway and ready for me to sign. I’m still coming to terms with scribbling in books (I was always taught that defacing a book was hugely immoral), but I suppose that scrawling one’s John Hancock doesn’t really count. Then again, my ‘actual’ signature really can’t be counted as anything other than an irregular, scribbled mess.

Not so for my ‘author’ signature though – you know, the one you put in books – because I have been practicing on several scraps of paper to get something different than what I might scribble in a chequebook. Not that I expect anyone to forge said signature if I do include it in the leaves of my own book, but I’m sure that I once read somewhere that having an ‘artist’s’ signature is the thing to do.

What with my free trial of Amazon Prime, the books should all arrive via courier tomorrow; though I have experienced a certain amount of guilt as a result. It seems a tall task to print five copies of my novel, pack them up and then drive them over to their delivery destination in what is effectively 24 hours. I’m fairly certain that I’m not yet making enough sales for The Future King: Logres to be on the ‘print-and-stock-it-just-in-case’ list, so they’re probably being run off the printing press as we speak. With the novelty of being a published author still relatively new, I must admit that I am looking forward to handling so many copies of my ‘brain-baby’ at once.

In other news, I’m awaiting the moment when it’s appropriate to start spreading the word about my signed copy Giveaway on Goodreads (this will be a fairly labour-intensive task, I assure you), and have been struggling through writing the opening of book two (well, technically Volume One: Book Two, as Logres will be published as two instalments). It’s proving a challenge to get right. I think I’m going to have to accept that after all the polishing I did in the editing process of Book One, I can’t expect the prose for Book Two to be immediately as ‘perfect’. It seems I’m going to have to force myself to take my own advice, which is along the lines of, write and don’t stop. No looking back, no thinking it could be better, you can do all that later in your months of editing (which will inevitably take months) – just go for it, ignore that niggling in your head that it’s not quite there yet – ignore, ignore, ignore – until you get your groove back, get back into the flow of things, finish the story – only then can you go back and rewrite the whole not-quite-good-enough book (thrice, probably).

That said, it is natural to want to get the first few scenes absolutely right from the beginning so that you’re setting off at the right tone and pace. It’s exciting to be starting from scratch (despite the blank-page syndrome!), but writer’s block is still trying to unsettle me, and to top it all off a recent move means that I no longer have my old writing desk (everything is now done on the edge of a very cluttered dining room table).

But don’t despair, if you have read Logres: Book One and are looking for an indication of when Book Two will be on the proverbial shelves: the answer is soon, hopefully either the end of 2016 or near the start of 2017. To avoid the risk of getting myself into a George R. R. Martin-book 6-type scenario, I’m not going to promise too much too soon; but do keep checking back for progress, which I assure you I will undoubtedly post (probably in the form of word-count updates) as regularly as it’s worth.

In the meantime keep sharing The Future King: Logres, Volume One: Book One with anyone you feel might enjoy it, rate and review it on Amazon and Goodreads, enter my free signed copy giveaway on the 1^st of Feb, and have a good, creatively embellished week. I will probably be sat at this dining table writing, then rewriting, and tapping out notes for The Future King: Logres, Volume One: Book Two.

Free Giveaway! 5 signed copies!

January 17, 2016January 17, 2016Leave a comment

The first snow of the year has fallen, my 27th birthday has passed, and the weekend is nearly over. Oh, how Mondays seem 5 to 7 of the normal week! The reviews are starting to arrive for The Future King: Logres on the various hosting websites (mostly positive), and they’re highlighting (quite naturally) just how subjective this whole reading business really is. With various other commitments dominating my schedule, I feel I’ve failed to really get a good chunk taken out of the task of writing book two, but am comforting myself with the knowledge that much of my creative process involves a short waiting period, one in which I wait for a particular scene or chapter to bubble away in my head until it feels ‘done’.

With the excitement of my ebook giveaway over, now comes the lull in which sales and shares drop slightly. Both will pick up again, I’m sure, but I’m not one for sitting and waiting if I feel I can be doing something constructive (mind-scene-bubbling counts as constructive too, by the way, just not immediately productive). Presently I’ve been wasting my time running about Middle Earth as a Warg warg11 warg11 (I know, I know), but today I’ve also prepared my next trick: a free hard-copy giveaway (signed, five to be exact) of The Future King: Logres, on Goodreads.

This won’t be open for entry until the 1st of February (I had to list it at least seven days in advance for some reason), but once the giveaway is available all you have to do is click ‘enter giveaway‘. I’ve even put a handy Widget in the sidebar for your convenience, so there’s no excuse for you not to enter. All you need to do is supply your address to Goodreads if you win, and then I’ll post you a nice crisp copy of The Future King: Logres, personally signed by me, the author.

book12

Meanwhile I’m trying to get the start of the second instalment right. It picks off right where it left off, in the middle of the action, and I’m aiming to ensure that Volume II is much faster-paced than Volume I with much higher stakes. I’m excited about continuing to develop my characters, who are essentially still growing into their ultimate roles, and am particularly excited about unravelling some of the key twists (some my entirely own, and some slightly more inspired by the Arthurian legends).

Mostly as I await more feedback about how people are finding The Future King: Logres (trying not to page-stalk my own stats too much), I’m just hoping that people are actually enjoying reading it more than anything else. Naturally, I’ve been taking note of any feedback and have been creating a bulleted list. Do I agree with what the reviewer has said? Are other readers saying the same thing? Yes? No? Partly? I’m sure a seasoned author will tell me to avoid reading your own reviews, or to perhaps avoid worrying too much about them, and though the book you write should firstly be written for yourself – if you enjoy it, that’s the main thing – it’s also meant to be enjoyed by others and interpreted, and perhaps someone might give you a point for improvement that (when you think about it), might make a little bit of sense.

Or not. You may disagree entirely. Such is the nature of taste. It is, quite naturally, entirely subjective.

Got to No.5 in Arthurian – and a tip or two!

January 7, 2016Leave a comment

So it’s over! My five day giveaway has come to an end, and downloading has gone quite well. Well enough for The Future King: Logres to shift up a spot and make it to number five in the free Arthurian charts on Amazon (see below)! Now that it’s no longer available for free, it’s been removed from the charts temporarily, and will probably be slotted back in much lower down until the paid sales start to trickle in.

Giving away your work for free isn’t something that is instinctive, and given the amount of work and time that goes into producing a self-published book it is compelling to have readers actually buy your book, especially after launch. You’ve got to earn back all those hours spent working for nothing but the love of your craft somehow. However, the reality is that a reader is more likely to give less for the work of a complete unknown than someone with an established track record, so despite any reservations I had it suddenly seemed instinctive to take the plunge and give my ebook away for free.

The whole five day thing worked out well (Amazon allows you to supply your ebook for free for a maximum of 5 days out of every 90 days), as it gave me time to build up momentum and get word around. Despite my modest social media following I managed to top 260 downloads, which quite honestly is many more than I was expecting.

If you’re in the same boat as me and you’re considering promoting your book (particularly if you’re about to or have just released it), then I would definitely recommend offering it for free for a short period. Obviously I’ve yet to see what number of reviews my giveaway will ultimately produce, but the more people who read an unknown book (and hopefully like it) the better – it should result in increased circulation and future sales.

If you are considering a free giveaway with zero budget I suggest the following:

Prepare some eye-catching graphics that you can present across all your social media channels, a new one each day with a similar look and feel – sort of an e-flyer.
If you have WordPress or a Facebook page, spend an afternoon preparing all your promo material and schedule your posts in advance – they’ll appear when you want them to and will give you more time on the day itself for actual book promotion.
Ask your friends and family to reblog/share your posts to their friend networks – the more eyes that see your free ebook giveaway the better.
Make use of the Goodreads website (or equivalent). I’ve only recently joined Goodreads myself, but there are thousands of members on there who are all looking for their next read – and they all appreciate a free book! Spend time posting in forums to build up your contacts, but more specifically look for groups that have specific threads where you’re encouraged to post news of your new book or free giveaway – I did this and it really helped circulate my ebook and gave me a boost on downloads.
If you are on Goodreads you can create an event on your author page (good idea to set one up – just add your self-published book to the site, then declare that you are the author through your regular account – Goodreads will merge your account with your author account for you) and invite your friends. Send out as many invitations as you can, because the people you invite can also invite others to attend the event, maximising exposure.
Don’t let things rest for too long. If you’re running your promo for multiple days, advertise, share and keep posting on every single one of those days. Don’t have a day off. Eventually your deal will get noticed by people outside of your regular friend sphere, and someone might be kind enough to share it.
Make your offer very clear with exact start and end times, along with instructions on how use the offer. I found that a lot of people were having problems with the Amazon extensions. I was supplying a UK link, which meant that US or French customers couldn’t get the book for free because they were trying to make a purchase through the UK link. In the end I linked to those regions as well and detailed how to find the book when using a different Amazon site (you just change the site extension to your relevant region – e.g. .fr or .com).

Now that the free ebook promotion is over, I’m going to take a short break to a) apply to jobs, and b) continue with my other projects. Book promotion will have to be ongoing, but part of it is now a waiting game to see how those 260+ readers will take to TFK Logres and what sort of reviews they will leave (assuming everyone reads it!). I am hoping of course that they will love it enough to share it, but time will tell, so in the meantime I shall keep my head down and perhaps get back into writing book 2 instead.

Now to end with some more promotion as per my own advice. Though the 5 day deal has ended subscribers of Kindle Unlimited can still pick up TFK Logres for free, whilst it is now also listed at its regular price of £3.99. Still a steal for a 517 page book, no?

LAST CHANCE – FREE EBOOK!

January 6, 2016January 1, 2016Leave a comment

DAY FIVE, the final day of the free ebook deal is here! Today is your last chance to get The Future King: Logres on ebook for completely free. Take advantage of this offer before it ends by sharing it with anyone who might be interested in reading Logres, the first instalment in The Future King series. To claim your free ebook just click here. This deal is only available until Midnight Pacific Time tonight, so this is your last chance to spread the word about this giveaway! You can read this ebook without a Kindle, just download the Kindle reader from Amazon. Reviews and ratings through Amazon or Goodreads are still welcomed and definitely encouraged. Thank you to everyone who has already taken part in this deal for your interest and support. Have a great 2016, happy reading and enjoy your new ebook!

Britain, 2052. In a world of war, disease and hunger the UK stands alone as a beacon of prosperity under an all-powerful ruling party. Life at new school Logres seems promising for fifteen-year-old Gwenhwyfar, and quickly she falls for the school’s handsome catch, Arthur. When Arthur’s rival, Lancelot, returns after a suspension, her heart is soon divided. Realising that behind the UK’s prosperity lies unspeakable cruelty, Gwenhwyfar sets off on a path to dismantle everything the government stands for. Suspenseful, raw and awash in a dystopian setting, The Future King: Logres is a story of identity and discovery against this backdrop, the second coming of the Arthurian legends.

Day four – TFK FREE ebook!

January 5, 2016January 1, 2016Leave a comment

The deal is nearly over! Day four of five where The Future King: Logres is available for free on ebook. Yep! A whole book for free! So if you’re hankering for a new read, feel like embarking upon a whole new series to be, then click here and enjoy. This deal is available through Amazon until tomorrow, so last chance to tell your friends and relations and share the goodness of this giveaway! You can even read this ebook without a Kindle, just download the Kindle reader from Amazon. Reviews and ratings through Amazon or Goodreads are of course welcome and encouraged. Happy reading and enjoy your week!

Britain, 2052. In a world of war, disease and hunger the UK stands alone as a beacon of prosperity under an all-powerful ruling party. Life at new school Logres seems promising for fifteen-year-old Gwenhwyfar, and quickly she falls for the school’s handsome catch, Arthur. When Arthur’s rival, Lancelot, returns after a suspension, her heart is soon divided. Realising that behind the UK’s prosperity lies unspeakable cruelty, Gwenhwyfar sets off on a path to dismantle everything the government stands for. Suspenseful, raw and awash in a dystopian setting, The Future King: Logres is a story of identity and discovery against this backdrop, the second coming of the Arthurian legends.

Day three – TFK FREE ebook!

January 4, 2016January 1, 2016Leave a comment

Day three of my five-day book giveaway is here! Once again The Future King: Logres is available free on ebook. Free! So if you’re searching for a new read for 2016, are a YA fantasy and dystopian fan or are keen on the Arthurian legends, then click here. This deal is available through Amazon until the 6th of January, so tell everyone and share the goodness of this giveaway! Reviews and ratings through Amazon or Goodreads are welcomed, so click on the link, find somewhere to relax, have a read of The Future King: Logres and share your thoughts!

Britain, 2052. In a world of war, disease and hunger the UK stands alone as a beacon of prosperity under an all-powerful ruling party. Life at new school Logres seems promising for fifteen-year-old Gwenhwyfar, and quickly she falls for the school’s handsome catch, Arthur. When Arthur’s rival, Lancelot, returns after a suspension, her heart is soon divided. Realising that behind the UK’s prosperity lies unspeakable cruelty, Gwenhwyfar sets off on a path to dismantle everything the government stands for. Suspenseful, raw and awash in a dystopian setting, The Future King: Logres is a story of identity and discovery against this backdrop, the second coming of the Arthurian legends.

A self-publisher trying out self-promotion.

January 3, 2016Leave a comment

So it’s going well! This whole “promote your own book” thing. After realising that as an unknown I was going to have to do some serious book promotion once my Kindle was out (that list I made is now redundant, with Dreamweaver everything became so clear), it was apparent that some sort of deal had to be offered – and when you’re doing a deal to get your book distributed as widely as possible, why bother with Amazon’s 0.99 cent approach? May as well go all the way, and offer it for the maximum amount of time at the maximum discount, five days, absolutely free.

With a reasonable amount of downloads amassing, I have entered the Amazon Best Seller Kindle charts. The most notable being in the Best Sellers list in Arthurian Fantasy – no.6 out of 100, evidence of which can be seen below!

This is of course terribly exciting, and now I am waiting with baited breath to see if my debut novel will crawl any higher. The Future King: Logres is also in the top 100 Free Contemporary Best Seller chart, but is still a long way off being in the overall top 100 best selling (free) list on Amazon. My main excitement however comes from knowing that my book is now available to many people and will soon be read by them, which hopefully means that a few more reviews start to surface. Hopefully this will help other readers find the first instalment in The Future King series!

In the meantime if you haven’t yet taken advantage of this free deal, do so here: Amazon UK, Amazon US & Amazon FR. This offer is available worldwide!

Happy reading, and Happy New Year!

Day two – TFK FREE ebook!

January 3, 2016January 2, 2016Leave a comment

Good morning! Today is day two of my five day deal, where you can get The Future King: Logres for free on ebook! That’s right, free. Just click here. This deal is available through Amazon until the 6th of January, so keep sharing and get everyone you know to take advantage of this giveaway. Reviews and ratings through Amazon or Goodreads would of course be most welcome, but most of all just enjoy the book, happy holidays, and have a very happy new year!

Britain, 2052. In a world of war, disease and hunger the UK stands alone as a beacon of prosperity under an all-powerful ruling party. Life at new school Logres seems promising for fifteen-year-old Gwenhwyfar, and quickly she falls for the school’s handsome catch, Arthur. When Arthur’s rival, Lancelot, returns after a suspension, her heart is soon divided. Realising that behind the UK’s prosperity lies unspeakable cruelty, Gwenhwyfar sets off on a path to dismantle everything the government stands for. Suspenseful, raw and awash in a dystopian setting, The Future King: Logres is a story of identity and discovery against this backdrop, the second coming of the Arthurian legends.