Hello fellow book lovers!
It’s almost the end of October and what a wet and wild one it has been! I hope you’ve managed to stay safe and dry(ish). Despite planning on doing one newsletter a month I’ve got so many authors I want to shout about that I’ve upped things a little, so here is October’s second newsletter.

October saw a heap of downloads for The Return of the Queen, during the Stuff Your Kindle event, which is always uplifting for any author.
If you missed it, keep checking the newsletter and my social media for updates on the next one. I’ll keep you posted, plus I’m also hoping to included AVA in the next book blast, so watch this space. I’ll be including more news on the future of AVA in the November newsletter—changes are afoot!

If you haven’t subscribed to our Introverted Indies channel, then click here to find out more. We have interviews and author book readings, so you may just find your next read there!

We also hope to re open our Introverted Indies sign up once we give slots to all the authors currently on our list. So keep your eyes peeled!

Currently reading

Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne

Blurb:
Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails - and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.

But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.

But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective - while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice's death will take him through Scotland's magical underworld, and he'll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he's to survive.

So far this book is brilliant. I’ve struggled to get into a few books recently but I’ve enjoyed this from the first page!

Interview with David Clegg, author of The Aule Stratagem

Thank you, David, for joining me at Indie Author Insight to chat about your book. Firstly, tell me a little bit about yourself. 

I'm originally from Derby and grew up there. I now live in Northampton with my wife, moving here about sixteen years ago. I've been a reader since I was a small child and I've been interested in science fiction and fantasy since then, growing up on a diet of Star Trek, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Babylon 5 and similar. I read almost all the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, from the Thrawn Trilogy to the New Jedi Order when I was in sixth form. I played a lot of tabletop RPGs during this time and dabbled with writing fan fic stories for Star Wars and Warhammer 40,000. I got quite serious and started my own fantasy novel, which never got finished. I still have the manuscript on an old PC.

I love a bit of Star Trek! I’ve recently introduced my husband to it (we are currently watching Enterprise) as he grew up without a TV. So, I’ve actually read your book The Aule Stratage, can you tell me more about it for those who haven’t read it yet?

The Aule Stratagem is my first military science fiction novel. It covers the deployment of CSS Aurora to the Aule Sector, a crucial region of space that lies between the Confederacy of Bellona and the League of Independent Systems, that's being plagued by piracy and slavers. The Aurora is part of the Confederate Navy's response to the crisis. Lieutenant Commander Michael Patterson is the newly-assigned tactical officer, and along with Captain Elizabeth Lewis and her crew, will have to answer the questions hanging over the deployment. How are the pirates evading Confederate patrols? How are they so well-armed and informed? Where are they getting warships built in the Terran Empire? Where is their base? Is there a traitor in the sector? The book deals with themes of duty, sacrifice, resilience and greed. It doesn't shy away from the violence and brutality inherent in piracy and the slave trade, with all the consequences of these things taking place. There's considerable violence, especially when the naval forces corner some of the pirate bands, and it's written for an adult audience. I don't include any trigger warnings, as there's no graphic sex or sexual violence, although these things are implied. I spent about five years writing this, with four major drafts before it was ready to start querying. Once CAAB Publishing picked it up, a fairly substantial rewrite was requested, which took some time to complete. I think I have six versions of the book in total.

Ah the many, many drafts all authors seem to stack up, I know them well. But the rewrites were definitely worth it as it makes for an exciting miliarty space adventure. Are there any other projects on the cards or in the pipeline?

The sequel to The Aule Stratagem is in planning, tentatively entitled The New Albion Mission. Six months after the events of the first book, a diplomatic mission is sent to the League of Independent Systems to renegotiate the military alliance between the League and the Confederacy. The Terran Empire, of course, has other ideas. There'll be a bit more intrigue and ambiguity this time around, with more mystery and suspense, along with plenty of action and big, set-piece battles. I'm also planning to revisit the fantasy genre, with two major settings and story ideas being developed. One is medieval fantasy, inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire, the Riftwar Saga, and similar classic fantasy series. The other is a more ancient-world setting, with fantasy races like elves and dwarves, largely turned on their heads. Both will be quite dark and gritty, with plenty of action and battles.

Fantasy is such an epic genre and there is so much scope in it. I’m sure your next book will be great. I’m a big fan of fantasy with my first full length novel being a terrrible fantasy story written at 16! So cringey looking back on it! Which leads me on to writing highs and lows, that being one of them! Can you tell me about the best moment in your author career and how you overcame any lows?

The first time I saw my book on Amazon, when CAAB Publishing sent me the link ahead of it going live, was a big moment for me. I take most things in my stride and just accept that it's happening, whether it's something I've wanted all my life or a recent idea. Being picked up by CAAB was like this, I just accepted it and signed the contract, but I got a big grin on my face when I saw the Amazon page. That was a good day. I accept the lows the same way I do the highs. Disappointing sales and a dearth of reviews are a real low point after so much work getting the book ready, but I accept it and carry on. I won't say it doesn't bother me, it does, but I'm not hitting the bottle or giving in to despair. It does make motivation to keep working a bit of a problem, but I haven't given up.

It is amazing seeing your book in the flesh and out there for the world to see. But struggling with sales and getting reviews is definitely something so many authors find hard. I know I am in the same boat. I personally find marketing one of the hardest things, do you have any pearls of wisdom in that department?

If I knew anything about marketing, I'd be happy to tell you. I've heard all the tips about "approaching book bloggers" and similar, but I find they're very difficult to approach. Most "Bookstagrammers" don't reply to messages and the only people I get contact me are painfully-obvious scammers. Getting noticed is definitely the hardest part of being a writer.

Oh scammers are the worst and they seem to come in waves. So annoying. Fun question, if you could go back in time to the beginning of your writing career, what advice would you give your past self?

Get on with it. Write the book, don't give up on it, and pursue finding an agent. It was a different industry in the early 2000s, and there's no telling if I'd have been able to get one, but if I had, I'd be twenty years further on than I am now. On the other hand, I didn't react very well to criticism back then, so it might not have been the best thing to do for my mental health. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Ah yes hindsight, what a wonderful thing! But I think we also learn from our writing journey. I definitely know what I won't be doing with the next book. Marketing, writing, social media post, etc its all so time consuming. Do you have other ways that help you to relax?

I'm a lifelong gamer. I've been playing tabletop wargames since I was fourteen, and I was involved in Dungeons and Dragons from about eleven. I've missed a lot of years of gaming with various life issues, but I'm playing pretty regularly now. I'm into Star Wars Legion, BattleTech, Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, Babylon 5 A Call to Arms and Battlefleet Gothic. There's loads of other games I'd love to play, but its time, and money, of course.

There are so many games I’d love to get into. I bought my husband a Dungeons and Dragons starter set last Christmas and we still haven’t got round to getting it set up. Anyway, it’s been lovely to chat to you and hear about The Aule Stratagem. Is there anything you’d like to talk about? And where can we buy your book and how can we keep in touch?

Just to thank you for doing this. It's not easy to get any kind of publicity as a writer, so any opportunity is welcome. Starting a platform from scratch isn't easy, so a huge thank-you for taking on the work and trying to build something for the indie writing world.

Buy David’s Book - The Aule Stratagem here

And keep up to date with future releases and news at David Clegg’s website

Thank you so much for reading and supporting my little newsletter. Next month their will be more Indie Author Insights, more from Introverted Indies and exciting publishing news!

Lydia xx

What do you call a dinosaur that’s eaten a cactus?

A tyranna-sore-arse Rex