indie authors

The Aunty Has Landed!

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Well, it’s here! Aunty Ida finally has a second adventure, and you can read it, right now, if you want. Go ahead, stop what you’re doing. Unless you’re driving. Although if you’re driving, why are you reading this blog? Eyes on the road!

Anyway, you can now get Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) on Amazon, if you are so inclined. You might want to read Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only) first, though. Or not if you’re a rebel.

Aunty Ida loves rebels.

Aunty Ida 2 correctly filled in3

 

So I hope it’s another fun visit to the world of Aunty Ida, and I hope you leave it with your brain intact. Or mostly intact. You can’t have everything.

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One More Day Until Aunty Ida is Back!

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So excitement is in the air. At least it’s in the air over here. I could be mistaking it for the frigid temperatures, but I don’t think so.

The Aunty Ida sequel, Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) comes out tomorrow! In case you have forgotten what it looks like:

Aunty Ida 2 correctly filled in3

 

It’s available for pre-order until it is released on January 7, and I really can’t seem to think about everything else. I hope the people who enjoyed the weird and funny world of Aunty Ida the first time will have just as much fun — or more — this time around. Brian’s not going to have as good a time, but that’s pretty much standard for one of Ida’s guinea pigs. I mean experiments. I mean patients.

Hmm.

Anyway, tomorrow should be pretty exciting. For everyone but Brian.

Reminder, Aunty Ida is FREE Today and Tomorrow!

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If you haven’t gotten your copy of Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only), what are you waiting for? It’s free through tomorrow, December 27. Get it while it’s still loony. Or before you’re loony. One of those two things.

Though it’s also convenient if you’re already loony. Oh well, it doesn’t matter, just get reading!

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I hope you enjoy it, and your long weekend, if you have one.

 

 

And the Series is Called…

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Honestly, I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m getting ever closer to making the Aunty Ida sequel available for pre-order, and I’m so excited. And nervous, if I’m being honest.

This will officially be my first series. And here’s the funniest part about it.  When I wrote Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only) I assumed it would be a standalone novel. A series? With that bunch of lunatic characters? How could it be?

And then Aunty Ida started nagging. And nagging. She popped up in short stories, which you can find in Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities (you can pick it up for free, if you’re interested). But short stories weren’t enough for Ida. Nope.

She wanted another book. And more, I’m sure. She’s not the kind of character to let things go.

So I’m off into brand-new (for me) territory. Hopefully everyone who enjoys that funny, strange world will enjoy the sequel, I think it’s another weird, good time.

Oh, and I promised you the series title, and here I am nearly forgetting to put it into the post. So, once again, please get your imaginary drums ready. The series shall be named “An Aunty Ida Comedy Invention.”

Because it is all of those things.

So I have a few more tasks to cross off, and then before you know it, Aunty Ida will be showing off her new adventure. I can hardly wait.

Check out  my full-length novels,  Her Cousin Much Removed,  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only). 

Sign up for my spamless newsletter. And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Someone Else on My Blog is Feeling Pretty!

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So last week I revealed that someone got a bit of a nip-tuck, which happened while I was commissioning art for the Aunty Ida sequel. And after I got that beautiful artwork, I sent Ralf Jürgen Kraft, the artist, the finished cover.

He had a few suggestions. And they were gorgeous.

In all that, someone got a little bit left out. And I didn’t want anyone to feel left out, so Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only) got a bit of a sprucer as well. I can’t believe I’ve managed not to share this for so long, but I wanted to save it until I was ready to show you the cover for the new book. Well, we’re nearly there, so here is Aunty Ida, all refreshed:
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The cover isn’t live yet on Amazon, that might take a day or two, but I couldn’t stand to keep it to myself even a little longer. I think that it shows a very valuable lesson: leave the arting to the artists.
I was lucky to find Ralf, who really gets my quirky, offbeat, slightly unsettling and kind of weird aesthetic. Of course the first piece I bought from him, the image in the cover above, pretty much summed up the book, and that was as stock art. Now I have him to specifically brainstorm for the book itself.
Wait until you see the sequel cover. It’s amazing.
I am sure there are authors out there who get it right out of the gate, but for me, this cover business has been quite a process, mostly trial and error. Hopefully, now, I’ve finally got it.
Check out  Her Cousin Much Removed,  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only). Sign up for my spamless newsletter. And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Very Special Announcement, Now Plus GIF!

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Well, I promised an announcement about that book I kept talking about cryptically, and here it is! What better way to express myself than through GIF form? Actually, there are a lot of better ways, I found this more challenging than I probably should have, given that there are likely thousands of 5-year-olds making GIFs at this very moment. Anyway, enough about that:

 

f8klrThe GIF doesn’t lie! Aunty Ida is returning for a sequel. I’ll be doing a cover reveal, and before you know it, it will be available for pre-order. I told you this was going to be a very exciting week!

For anyone who doesn’t know, Aunty Ida is the overly-intelligent troublemaker behind Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only) and she flatly refused to stay confined to a single book. So she’s getting another one.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to share this news, I’ve been holding it in way, way too long. You could say I feel like dancing. Brain dancing, perhaps.

Here’s hoping you’ll stay with me through the fun of the sequel launch! Hold onto your brains, everyone, you’re going to need them.

Check out  Her Cousin Much Removed (only $0.99 for a limited time),  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only).

 Sign up for my spamless newsletter. And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Somebody Got Plastic Surgery

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Nope, it’s not me. One of my covers went under the knife and it’s time for the big cover reveal! So which one was it?

It’s The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management. Paradox, as I fondly call it, has had may nips and tucks over the years, as the feeling of the book is tough to convey. Like all of my science-fiction, it’s funny and it’s a little off-kilter, and it’s been a tough one to get right.

Its previous cover was nice, I thought, and for a very bargain price, the cover designer used some stock art I had already bought. But I don’t think it gave you a sense of the book, though it did get the whole, extremely long title in there nicely.

I don’t know what my thing is about long titles.

Anyway here is the previous cover for Paradox:

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It’s not bad, but it wasn’t perfect, either. It was a great job for the price, though.

But then I found Ralf Jürgen Kraft, whose art I purchased for Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only) through a stock site. And when I say “found,” I mean scoured the internet until I found his website using Extreme Googling, only to discover the site was in German. Still, I managed to figure out where to get his contact information, and I’m thrilled I did.

I originally contacted Ralf about a commission for the book I’m announcing tomorrow, and he did such a good job, I was signing Paradox up for the full works before I knew it.

And imaginary drum roll in your head, please, here is Paradox‘s brand-new cover:

Paradox Ralf Kraft

All of the artwork is original, and the concept is entirely Ralf’s. The new cover should be live in just a little while, so get it while it’s shiny. Thanks, Ralf, for a great job.

Check out  Her Cousin Much Removed (only $0.99 for a limited time),  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only).

 Sign up for my spamless newsletter. And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!