The Time Has Come

July 19, 2021
At last I can announce that Discord's Shadow is available to pre-order at Smashwords. This means that it now has a firm publication date of 6th November 2021. I was going to make it a week earlier, but the Smashwords site recommends releasing books at the weekend after a holiday, and as 1st November will be a Monday, I decided on Saturday 6th instead. (Never let it be said that I don't pay attention to advice!) This date will not change, barring floods, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes or the internet breaking.
Here's the blurb:

Time is running out. Ro is no closer to waking the Dragon than she was when her family was exiled from Iyessa. 

Her niece was born deaf and Ro's inability to feel the elements was blamed. Then, her only hope had been to find a cure for them both. Instead, they found themselves accused of murdering the king, becoming entangled in treachery and the struggle to make the Worm all-powerful. Now, people are falling into an unnatural sleep from which they cannot be roused, and Ro is blamed again. 

Forced to flee once more, can Ro find the Dragon in time to save the world from chaos?

I've always been really happy with the service Smashwords provides. It's no more fiddly to set up your novel than on Kindle, and it makes it far easier for authors to provide readers with offers. In the years I've been using it, I've never been sent advertising or emails other than the occasional notification about a new feature for authors or how to enrol work in a sale. If anyone has doubts about opening an account, I can only say that I've never had any complaints. Books can be downloaded in a wide variety of formats, so there should be one that suits your equipment. They also have arrangements with numerous stores and libraries.
Until the end of July, Smashwords has a Summer-Winter sale with hundreds of free and discounted books, including Discord's Child and Discord's Apprentice. If you pre-order Discord's Shadow, you receive a discount on the post-publication price. I hope you go to http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ksdearsley and take a look.
Enjoy!


Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon 

 

The Way They See It

July 7, 2021
One of the biggest no-nos of fiction writing, according to those who feel they are in a position to dictate rules, is changing the narrative point of view. They claim that it is hard for readers to follow what is happening, or to identify with the characters unless they see everything through the eyes of one character, particularly within one scene. Hmmm...
I recently read two books–the 2010 Costa Award-winning The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell, and the CWA Dagger Award-winn...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews 

 

Happy Returns

June 25, 2021
Wow! What a long time I've been away. It wasn't my intention to abandon you all, and I hope that when you hear my news you'll excuse me. You see, I've been travelling–armchair travelling, that is. I've been off across continents, getting footsore and weary, being seasick, struggling with different languages, getting lost, trying new food that doesn't necessarily agree with me, upsetting some people and making friends with others. Going on a journey with the Exiles of Ondd has been frustrati...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon 

 

The Three Rs

February 8, 2021
Not reading, writing and 'rithmetic, but repair, reuse and recycle. They apply to writing just as well as they do to saving the planet.
Every writer has a problem piece of writing, one that doesn't want to be pinned down to a page, that refuses to turn out as you envisaged, or that pings back at you with a 'thanks, but no thanks' every time you send it out. Instead of giving up and consigning it to the bin, try applying the three Rs.
Can it be repaired? Make yourself a checklist of features t...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Tweet Mining

January 25, 2021
Hashtag writing prompts on Twitter are great fun and a good way to find other authors. I know I'll like their work, because I've already seen lots of examples online. These fellow authors also know about the ups and downs of writing. For the most part, they are happy to give other writers their support and encouragement.
Many of the regular hashtag prompts are for tweets from or relating to works in progress. I consider Discord's Child and Discord's Apprentice to be parts one and two of a lar...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Keep On Keeping On

January 16, 2021
Chances are that if you expected 2021 to be better than 2020 you've been disappointed so far. Even if you enjoyed a good Christmas and started the new year as full of good resolutions as ever, the reality of short dark days, dingy weather and lockdowns might have already sapped your motivation. Take heart–you are not alone!
I find it's easier when times are hard to write something factual. Doing research, planning articles and the discipline of writing pitches and presenting facts readably ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon 

 

A Dickens of a Christmas

December 27, 2020
Christmas rarely lives up to our hopes or expectations, and this year it's likely that it's been further from our wishes than ever. Christmas Day itself is usually quiet for me, but in other years I've had get-togethers with friends and colleagues to remember, and family celebrations to look forward to. In fact, there was a danger that the so-called 'festive' season would not be Christmassy at all.
My recipe for avoiding cabin fever and the seasonal blues is to share a few days with Mr. Charl...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

Excuse Me!

October 18, 2020
I recently enjoyed my annual reread of A Room with a View by E. M. Forster. On this occasion, I found myself strongly sympathising with one of the characters. Lucy? Mr. Emerson? Cecil? No, it was Freddy.
It was the scene where the reader meets him for the first time at the beginning of part two. He was studying a 'small manual of anatomy' and 'From time to time he bounced in his chair and puffed and groaned, for the day was hot and the print small... and his mother, who was writing a letter,...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Google Discoveries

September 1, 2020
I think I've mentioned before how googling yourself might seem like vanity or procrastination, but that it can throw up some interesting and useful results. In the past, I've discovered that I'd been shortlisted in one competition and actually won another. I've also found a mini-story on someone's website for a hobby related to its theme (origami–'Stone,Scissors, Paper'), and positive reviews of other work.
I'll confess to a little procrastination when I looked last week, but I'm so glad I ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

Good Out of Bad

August 21, 2020
At the start of the lockdown, poet and playwright Trevor Smith included me in a challenge to write something inspired by the pandemic. There has been a plethora of competitions and special submission invitations on the current situation, and I truly have had little desire to respond. I don't know why. Maybe it's too depressing, maybe it's because it's so ubiquitous that it seems every radio and TV programme or conversation has to include it at least once. But this was a friend throwing down t...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon 

 
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About Me


My writing career began as a freelance feature writer for the local press, businesses and organisations. Now a prize-winning playwright and short story writer, my work has appeared in numerous publications on both sides of the Atlantic. I write as K. S. Dearsley because it saves having to keep repeating my forename, and specialise in fantasy and other speculative genres.

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