Wednesday Morning Ramblings

According to my publisher, the numbers for the limited edition hardcovers will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis, so the sooner you order, the lower your number will be.  We had several sales yesterday, so please act soon before they are gone.  The limited edition comes with several extras, including a poster, glossy cards, bookmarks, buttons, and a magnet, all featuring original artwork by Bonnie Wasson.  At $34.95, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better value in the publishing world.  To pre-order, please click here.

If the limited edition hardcover is out of reach, you can also order the softcover version for $19.95.  Pre-orders for it will include the promotional materials listed above.  If you pre-order now, it will arrive before Christmas.  Again, to pre-order, please click here.

Tuesday Morning Ramblings

To all my friends and readers, book three is now available for pre-order.  Let’s make the limited edition disappear!  Here is the press release from my publisher:

Seventh Star Press proudly announces The Fall of Dorkhun, Book Three of the Brotherhood of Dwarves series by D.A. Adams.

The Fall of Dorkhun is now available for pre-order in both limited edition hardcover and softcover versions, both of which include special packages of collectibles.  The limited edition hardcover run of 75 signed and numbered copies marks the newest addition to a growing line of affordable, high quality hardcover editions published by Seventh Star Press.  The limited edition hardcover features an exclusive illustration commission not found in any other version, as well as a special signature page and unique ISBN number.

The Fall of Dorkhun also marks the debut of Seventh Star Press’ newest artist, Bonnie Wasson.  Bonnie created the cover art and illustrations forThe Fall of Dorkhun, as well as for the forthcoming reissues of book one and book two in the series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, and Red Skies at Dawn.  She joins Matthew Perry in producing some of the finest quality presentations in the small press world, creating an exciting and fast-growing collection of speculative fiction artwork in the process.

The Fall of Dorkuhn continues the story of the dwarf Roskin.  In the newest adventure of the series, Roskin returns home to a kingdom divided by war with the ogres.  On one side, his father desires to restore peace, but on the other, Master Sondious, seeking revenge for having been crippled, seeks to escalate aggression against the ogres  Roskin and his friends make a desperate attempt to resolve the growing rift, but unknown to the dwarves, new and powerful menaces threaten to destroy the entire kingdom…

Living and working in East Tennessee, D. A. Adams is an established novelist, a farmer, a professor of English, and has contributed writing to literary as well as fine art publications.  He also maintains an active blog, entitled “The Ramblings of D. A. Adams”.

Limited edition hardcover and special softcover collectors packages include an assortment of collectible extras, such as a 14X20 art poster, bookmarks, a set of glossy art cards, a magnet, and a pair of  buttons.  Packages are scheduled to be shipped the second week of December, when the trade paperback will be made available everywhere, along with several eBook formats, including the Kindle, iPad, Nook, and Sony eReaders and other electronic reading devices.

The Fall of Dorkhun was edited by Philip Hopkins.  Book One, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, and Book Two, Red Sky at Dawn, will be reissued by the end of 2011, with two more books remaining in the series.

Those wanting to reserve one of the 75 limited edition hardcovers, or pre-order a softcover collectors package, should visit Seventh Star Press’ online store at http://www.seventhstarpress.com/documents/books.html

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween Ramblings

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  As a kid, of course, the allure was a plethora of free candy, but even as I’ve aged and stopped eating sugar completely, there’s still something about this day that appeals to me more than most.  When people dress up in costume, they often drop their normal facades and become more themselves, so you get a glimpse of their real personalities.  Also, the costumes often generate an energy that’s much more relaxed and lighthearted than the majority of the year.

Those of us who’ve worked the con circuit have experienced these phenomenons throughout the year.  Con-goers, especially the costumers, create a Halloween atmosphere for the entire weekend.  It’s invigorating to spend the weekend around people who are being their true selves, and often, despite working long hours the entire weekend, I return from a convention feeling recharged and refreshed by all the energy and festivity.  Halloween is much the same.  The times when I’ve worked in an environment where costumes were encouraged, that particular workday was the best of the year.

One of my favorite Halloween memories came when I was working at the resort.  If memory serves, it fell on a Saturday, and nearly everyone who worked there dressed up.  Some of us dressed as co-workers, some as movie characters, some as silly inside jokes, and the energy on the sales floor that day was indescribable.  We set a sales record that stood for nearly a year and had a great deal of fun in the process.  That day taught me a lot about the importance of positive energy and excitement in the workplace.  A little fun goes a long way for boosting productivity.

My absolute favorite Halloween memory was the last year I got to take Collin and Finn trick or treating.  Collin was a pirate, I think the one from “The Wiggles,” and Finn was a kangaroo, I believe.  I dressed as Darth Vader and held Collin’s hand as he went door-to-door and said in his tender three year old voice, “Trick or treat.  Thank you.”  It was magical, one of those moments with your kids that sustains you through the long, hard days at work.  As I age and lose my faculties, I hope that memory stays with me until the end.

Happy Halloween, everyone.  Have a safe and fun time, and for those of you with young children, soak up the time and hold onto it.