New German crime short available – Neuer Kurzkrimi auf Deutsch erhältlich: Familienkutsche

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Cora

It’s once again time for some announcements. First of all, as mentioned before, our e-books are now available at the subscription e-book service Scribd as well as at You Heart Books with more sales channels coming in the near future.

What is more, I have a new e-book available, namely the German translation of my second ever published story, the crime short Family Car.

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Es ist mal wieder Zeit für ein paar Ankündigungen in eigener Sache. Zunächst einmal sind meine e-Books jetzt auch erhältlich bei Scribd, einem e-Book Abo Dienst, und You Heart Books, einem neuen e-Book Händler, welcher zur Zeit allerdings nur englische e-Books vertreibt. In näherer Zukunft wird es noch mehr Vertriebskanäle geben.

Außerdem habe ich wieder ein neues e-Book anzukündigen. Diesmal handelt es sich wieder mal um einen Kurzkrimi und zwar nicht nur um irgendeinen Kurzkrimi, sondern um die deutsche Fassung der zweiten Kurzgeschichte, die ich je veröffentlicht habe.

Familienkutsche
Familienkutsche by Cora BuhlertAlex durfte zwar den Minivan behalten, aber er verlor die Familie, für die er die Kiste gekauft hatte, seine Frau Helen und seine kleine Tochter Sandy. Aber obwohl Alex Helen schon lange nicht mehr liebt, wenn er sie denn je geliebt hat, wird er niemals seine Tochter aufgeben. Und Mord ist manchmal eben eine billigere Lösung als eine Scheidung…

 

 

 

Für mehr Infos, besuchen Sie bitte die Familienkutsche Seite.

Erhältlich für den günstigen Preis von 0,99 EUR, USD oder GBP bei Amazon Deutschland, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Frankreich, Amazon Italien, Amazon Spanien, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australien, Amazon Brasilien, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Japan, Amazon Indien, Kobo, Apple iTunes, Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel, Der Club, BOL, Otto-Media, Donauland, buecher.de, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Bild eBooks, Casa del Libro, e-Sentral und XinXii.

Dieses Buch gibt es auch auf English.

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Two new distribution channels: Pegasus Pulp e-books now available at Scribd and YouHeartBooks

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Cora

Thanks to our distribution partners at Draft2Digital, Pegasus Pulp e-books are now also available at the subscription service Scribd.

You can see the entire range of our e-books available at Scribd here (theoretically, since I can’t actually see them at the moment. But trust me, they’re there). Scribd also has some of the best looking individual book pages I’ve ever seen. Check out the pages for Mercy Mission and Countdown to Death for example.

ETA: The books are visible on the respective Scribd page now, hurray.

We are also pleased to announce that Pegasus Pulp e-books are now available at YouHeartBooks, a new indie focussed e-book store. So far, only some of our books may be found at YouHeartBooks, but the rest will follow within the next couple of days.

There will probably be more announcements about new sales channels soon. What is more, you can see the full list of all our sales channels on our Retailers page, which includes stores around the world.

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Of Penny Dreadfuls and Moral Panics

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Cora

The Guardian has an article about the so-called penny dreadfuls, cheap serialized novels of the Victorian era, inspired by the success of the eponymous TV series (which I haven’t yet seen, hence no comment).

I usually don’t remember where and how I first came across a particular term, but “penny dreadful” is an exception here, because I know exactly how and where I first heard or rather read the term “penny dreadful”. It was sometime in the late 1980s in the Rotterdam branch of De Slegte, a Dutch-Belgian bookstore chain, which offered a mad mix of used and new books, usually remainders. I hung out at De Slegte a lot, because no one bothered you in the labyrinthine interior (except for boys who occasionally tried to hit on me – utterly without success, because I never understood what they wanted of me). My favourites were the comic book section (my Dutch was good enough for comics, but not for novels), the art/design section (who cares what language it’s in) and the movie/TV/media section, where most of the books were in English. It was in this section or rather on the opposite side of the shelf to where I had retreated to escape a lanky youth who seemed uncommonly interested in the backissues of Starlog magazine that I really wanted to look at. And that’s where I came across a large coffee table type book on penny dreadfuls with lots of full colour reproductions of covers (it was probably this book, since the release date fits). And though I had never heard the term “penny dreadful” before, I immediately knew what it was. For I was only too familiar with the German term “Groschenheft” used for a similar form of popular literature, that was often derided as trash. Calling that sort of thing “penny dreadful” was absolutely perfect. Over the next few days I looked through the book several times (as I said I hung out at De Slegte a lot), admired the penny dreadful covers and the tantalizing thrills promised by the titles. I never bought it though, one of my great regrets along with that Encyclopedia of Superheroes I once found at De Slegte and didn’t buy either.

What I found fascinating about the Guardian article is that penny dreadfuls quickly found themselves at the centre of a moral panic (the Daily Mail was of course involved) just like their German cousins the “Groschenheft”. Even the examples given for how penny dreadfuls supposedly corrupted youth are eerily similar to examples given by anti-“Groschenheft” campaigners in Germany. For all of a sudden, every crime or better yet suicide (since suicide victims cannot refute any stupid theories about why they did it) committed by a young person was believed to have been caused by penny dreadfuls. Evidence: the young criminal or suicide was found to have owned and read penny dreadfuls.

The so-called “Schundkämpfer” (anti-trash crusaders) in Germany used very similar examples of crimes and suicides supposedly inspired by reading “Groschenhefte”. One example that always stuck with me was that of a teenaged cabin boy who vanished from a ship en route from Hamburg to New York in the early years of the 20th century. The boy had apparently gone overboard, but it was never even determined whether it was an accident or suicide or even murder. However, several “Groschenhefte” were found in the boy’s cabin, so the culprit was clear, at least as far as the media was concerned. The “Groschenhefte” has inspired the boy to jump overboard. Of course, there was absolutely no evidence, but then a good moral panic doesn’t need evidence.

Unfortunately, I can’t find any detailed info about the cabin boy case on the net, but here is a similar but later example, that of 17-year-old Manfred who lived near Hannover and committed suicide in 1963 by drinking pesticide. Manfred left a suicide note by talking onto an 8-track tape until he died and for some reason, the weekly newspaper Die Zeit decided to print excerpts of Manfred’s suicide tape. It’s a touching document, in which Manfred speaks freely about his problems with his parents, particularly his father, and the neighbours he regarded as surrogate parents. Honestly, after reading this article I just wanted to reach out through time and give Manfred a hug. However, Manfred also read “Groschenhefte” and liked watching westerns and crime movies at the cinema, so guess where Die Zeit sees the causes for his suicide? Yup, blame the “Groschenhefte” and western movies. Because it can’t possibly be the family’s fault. Never mind that if you do the math and calculate when Manfred was born and when he was conceived, you’ll arrive at a much more convincing theory why Manfred didn’t get along with his parents and why he eventually killed himself. But we can’t possibly talk about that, can we? So let’s blame the media Manfred was consuming.

Stories like this aren’t rare, in fact they’re the standard building blocks of moral panics. What makes Manfred’s story unusual is that Die Zeit actually printed lengthy excerpts from Manfred’s suicide tape, which completely refute the theory that reading too many “Romanhefte” and watching too many bad westerns and crime movies drove Manfred to suicide.

But then actual data only gets in the way of a good moral panic and so conclusions are often made up, as the example of Fredric Wertham and the war on comics in the 1950s shows.

I have compared the explosion of indie publishing in the past few years to the rise of the dime novel or penny dreadful in the 19th and later the rise of pulp fiction in the early 20th century before (see here, here and here). In all cases, technological innovation led to the increased production and publication of fiction led to more readers, often people who didn’t read much before, which in turn leads to a moral panic about what those readers are reading. And indeed indie publishing is even doing the penny dreadful one better, since it isn’t just creating new dime and pulp novels, but it is also bringing the old ones back into print as this project to digitally reprint Victorian penny dreadfuls shows.

So if indie publishing is the new penny dreadful or the new pulp fiction, then where is the moral panic? As it is, we already had an indie e-book related moral panic last fall, when Kobo and W.H. Smith pulled all indie titles from their online stores (W.H. Smith never put them back either), because some moralistic busybodies, including of course the inevitable Daily Mail (Why don’t they just rename themselves “Moral panics R Us” and be done with it?), freaked out at some of the more out there erotica titles on offer (see my blog posts here and here).

What always strikes me about moral panics of any kind is not just how absolutely over-the-top and transparently false the allegations usually are (Honestly, why do people keep falling for this shit?), but also how similar the language used is. The media the campaigner doesn’t like is always referred to as “filth” or “trash” or “depraved”. If you’re German, use the term “Schund”. If you’re German and writing post-1945, make sure to mention something about “fascist aesthetics” or “fascist tendencies”, whereby a character with blonde hair and blue eyes is enough to make a work suspicious of “fascist tendencies” (bonus points if the character in question is actually dark-haired). I’ve heard Germans accusing even Captain America of fascist tendencies, because Steve Rogers happens to be blonde and blue-eyed. Just insert your favourite “Steve Rogers crying” gif right here*.

Finally, I want to leave you with this infuriating post on digital culture blog run by the public TV station ZDF, wherein the author laments about self-published e-books sold for one Euro and how this trash is taking over the bestseller lists. The headline: “E-Schund: Kampf um den 1-Euro Leser”

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Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month: May 2014

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Cora

Indie Speculative Fiction of the MonthIt’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some April books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com and one to Smashwords, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

This time around, we have science fiction, space opera, dystopian fiction, YA fantasy, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, historical fantasy, fairy tale retellings, mermaids, dragon shifters, angels, demons, faeries, robotic teachers and werewolves. It’s also a truly international round-up, featuring authors from Australia, Ireland, the US, the UK, Malaysia and Singapore.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

If you’re looking for more indie speculative fiction, check out the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a new blog devoted to all things indie speculative fiction.

And now on to the books:

Assassin's Way by K.S. AugustinAssassin’s Way by K.S. Augustin

Alshandiel Dolrahn wants a new life away from the suffocating world of Qolar. But will the Diplomatic Corps be her salvation…or undoing?
The ideal assassin is young, smart and on the run.

Alshandiel feels suffocated by her home planet of Qolar. She finds her fellow Qolari narrow-minded and xenophobic and the caste system that governs her world rigid and stifling. She is looking for a way out.

The notorious Department of Other Matters deals with things the average Qolari doesn’t want to know anything about—most notably, the rest of the galaxy.
It seems only natural that Alshandiel should consider a career within the casteless, outward-looking Department. But DOM holds its own secrets. And once it has you, it never lets go.

Outage by Ellisa BarrOutage by Ellisa Barr

When fifteen-year-old Dee is left at her grandpa’s farm in rural Washington, she thinks life is over. She may be right.

A high-tech electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attack destroys the country’s power and communication grids, and sends the U.S. hurtling back to the Dark Ages. Can Dee learn to survive without the basics: electricity, clean water… even her cell phone?

The chaos caused by the EMP isn’t her only problem. A sinister plot by a corrupt official threatens Dee and all she holds dear. She will have to fight if she wants to survive in this hostile new world.

Outage is a Young Adult novel of survival with a hint of romance and a lot of action-adventure.

Irradiated by S. Elliot BrandisIrradiated by S. Elliot Brandis

A man thrust a baby into Jade’s hands. It trembled in her arms. The man had a message: escape from the tunnels, and never return. Her parents were already dead. Jade had a sister; she was irradiated.

Thirteen years later, her sister, Pearl, is coming of age. Rows of sucker-caps line her arms and hands. Her skin is coral pink. Each night, her dreams fill with visions: violence, depression, and fear.

On the surface, people have grown wild and dangerous. They scavenge, fight, and steal. Below, in the tunnels, they’re controlled by a ruthless leader and an army of beings known only as Shadows. When both groups come searching for Pearl, sensing the power her dreams may hold, only Jade can stand in the way.

Forsaken by C. Ryan BymasterForsaken by C. Ryan Bymaster

Choices can be such damnable things.
And when Everam is plucked from the afterlife and offered a chance to walk the mortal Earth again, there is only one choice to make. He is sent forth to protect “debatable” souls on Earth, and with each soul saved, he is one step closer to regaining his own soul. Falling for one of the souls he was sent to protect, Everam will learn that his choices—past and present—will have dire consequences.
Yet there must exist a balance between light and dark, and is another sent to oppose Everam. Tasked with ensuring Everam doesn’t succeed, this other will stop at nothing to win the free soul for himself—even if it means killing those mortal souls that are up for “debate.”
With strict rules to follow and a limit to their time on Earth, Everam and the other are pitted against each other in a struggle as old as time, where the demand for results weighs heavily on their conscious choices. And when consequences for breaking the rules begin to blur the distinctions between good and evil, Everam finds that seeking redemption for past choices may cost him more than he’d bargained for.
Some choices cannot be undone, and when contracting with the powers of Heaven and Hell, one should always read the fine print … And remember which side you chose to fight for.

Dark Claw by Joyce ChngDark Claw by Joyce Chng

Gabriel Sutherland, scion of Lord Kevin Sutherland, returns to Singapore, to deal with the resurgence of the Dark Claws, a splinter group of ultra-conservative drakes. Tragedy strikes and he becomes Lord Sutherland, leader of a clan of drakes. Along the way, he also discovers a long-lost sibling. How is he going to balance all these new responsibilities while his inner demons are still not laid to rest.

 

 

Sworn to Defiance by Terah EdunSworn to Defiance by Terah Edun

Ciardis Weathervane returned to the imperial court of Sandrin to unite her foes. But her efforts hit a stumbling block. The imperial kind. She never thought that before rallying an empire, she’d have to fight the emperor himself.

An imposter sits the throne and the court she turned to for help is in turmoil. Ciardis hasn’t survived assassination attempts, torture and really bad luck to be taken down by her own ruler. So she devises a plan. But first she needs to get Sebastian and Thanar to agree. Each seems to love her in their own way. But neither is listening to her. Pushing them to put aside their differences, in an effort to ward off catastrophe, might be harder than displacing an emperor who would do anything to keep his throne.

Butting heads at court isn’t Ciardis’s only problem. With the princess heir’s threat looming she is forced to travel to the mythical city of Kifar, where it is up to her small group to stop the destruction of the entire city while heading a rebellion that could foment a revolution. It wouldn’t be the first revolution that Algardis has ever known. But with Ciardis Weathervane at its head–it would certainly be the last.

This fifth novel in the Courtlight series continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Secrecy.

Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer EllisionThreats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision

Sixteen year-old Breena Perdit has spent her life as a barmaid, innocent to her father’s past and happily free from the Elemental gifts that would condemn her to a life in the Egrian King’s army. Until the day that three Elemental soldiers recognize her father as a traitor to the throne and Bree’s father is thrown in jail—along with the secrets from his last mission as the King’s assassin. Secrets that could help the King win a war. Secrets he refuses to share.

Desperate to escape before the King’s capricious whims prove her and her father’s downfall, Bree bargains with him: information for their lives. It’s a good trade. And she has faith she’ll get them both out of the King’s grasp with time.

But that was before the discovery that she’s the weapon the King’s been waiting for in his war.

Now, time is running out. To save her father’s life and understand her own, Bree must unravel the knot of her father’s past before the King takes his life– and uses her to bring a nation to its knees.

Dreaming of the Sea by Heidi GarrettDreaming of the Sea by Heidi Garrett

Gia Chantal will be called to fulfill an ancient contract. She will promise Cole–an exiled mer prince–freedom from his debt to her–in exchange for help in satisfying the contract. Miriam, an orphan who is driven by visionary tendencies, will be tempted by their offer of a life beyond the convent walls that have kept her safe for over a decade.

The repercussions from the intersection of these three lives will reach all the way to heaven… and hell.

Dreaming of the Sea is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. In the original tale, after falling in love with a human prince, the little mermaid yearns to win his love–and gain an immortal soul–thus her bargain with the sea witch…

In this contemporary retelling, after refusing to heed a merman’s warnings, a young woman will make a different kind of bargain with the Sea Witch…

Zero Sum Game by SL HuangZero Sum Game by SL Huang

Cas Russell is good at math. Scary good.

The vector calculus blazing through her head lets her smash through armed men twice her size and dodge every bullet in a gunfight. She can take any job for the right price and shoot anyone who gets in her way.

As far as she knows, she’s the only person around with a superpower . . . but then Cas discovers someone with a power even more dangerous than her own. Someone who can reach directly into people’s minds and twist their brains into Moebius strips. Someone intent on becoming the world’s puppet master.

Someone who’s already warped Cas’s thoughts once before, with her none the wiser.

Cas should run. Going up against a psychic with a god complex isn’t exactly a rational move, and saving the world from a power-hungry telepath isn’t her responsibility. But she isn’t about to let anyone get away with violating her brain — and besides, she’s got a small arsenal and some deadly mathematics on her side. There’s only one problem . . .

She doesn’t know which of her thoughts are her own anymore.

Willow Witch by Patty JansenWillow Witch by Patty Jansen

After fleeing from the burning ruins of Saardam, Johanna, Prince Roald, Loesie and Nellie have been captured by a group of bandits and are being taken to a place unknown through a forest rife with magic. Loesie, struck mute by an unknown but powerful sorcerer, is behaving increasingly strange. The friends try to escape, but is Loesie helping them or is she a danger to them?

Every step they take through the ghost-ridden forest brings them closer to the duke who is rumoured to be the source of the evil magic, the necromancer whose anger against Saarland’s royal family has lain the world to waste.

Continued from Innocence Lost.

The Edge of the Woods by Ceinwen LangleyThe Edge of the Woods by Ceinwen Langley

‘You’re not the first young woman to try to bend the rules, my dear, but they failed and so will you.’

For as long as anyone can remember, young women have vanished into the woods. Believing them to be weak willed and lured by demons, the zealous Mayor enforces rules to protect them: rules that render the village women submissive and silent, or face being ostracised.

Emma’s only hope of a decent life is to be married by her eighteenth birthday, but her quick mouth and low social standing make her a poor prospect. Lonely and afraid, she finds herself dreaming of the woods, and of a mysterious boy who promises freedom and acceptance if she’ll only step across the border into the trees.

With her birthday fast approaching, she has a decision to make: run away from her future, or fight for it.

The Deadly Seven by Kyoko M.The Deadly Seven by Kyoko M.

Michael O’Brien. 24. New Yorker. Musician. Archangel in charge of Heaven’s army.

It’s been centuries since Michael stayed on Earth for an extended amount of time. Now he’s here because of Jordan Amador–a Seer who helped him restore his life and memories and thwart the archdemon Belial from taking over the city. With Jordan on Belial’s hit list, Michael decides to stick around and live out life alongside her as her friend and temporary bodyguard. But as the days pass, he finds it harder to resist the seven deadly sins that tempt all men. Especially as he and Jordan grow closer fighting the demons that want her almost as much as he does…

This collection takes place in the two month period in The Black Parade between Chapters 15 and 16.

Faerie Apocalypse by Caoimhe McCabeFaerie Apocalypse: Aoife’s Tale by Caoimhe McCabe

December 21st 2012, the day the world as we knew it ended.

Ireland’s ancient inhabitants, the Tuatha Dé Dannan, are free from the subterranean prison in which the Celts trapped them thousands of years ago. And the Tuath Dé, or Faeries, waste no time in making the world theirs again.

Aoife O’Neill, a former surgeon, lives on the rugged west coast of Ireland. She lies low, using her wits to avoid the cruel faerie courts that roam the country. Mourning the death of her younger brother, killed by the first explosive wave of Faeries to escape confinement, Aoife researches the Celtic lore for a way to bring an end to the Faerie Kingdom.

Dallada, a powerful arrogant faerie obsessed with Aoife, learns the hard way that she is stronger than she appears. He will stop at nothing to exact revenge for her insolence in refusing him.

Andrew Tyler, a seasoned British Army officer, leads a small band of soldiers in the Yorkshire dales in hit and run missions. Andrew can see no end in sight, but he’s determined to keep fighting.

When Aoife stumbles onto Andrew’s battlefield, he has a choice. Join her in a desperate attempt to defeat the powerful Faeries, or keep the Irish surgeon against her will as part of his military staff.

‘Aoife’s Tale’ begins the fight against the devastating power of the Faeries.

Queen of Grass and Trees by B.E. PriestThe Queen of Grass and Tree by B.E. Priest

A NEW QUEST BEGINS…
Southwind is in uprising,
and Asher is lucky to escape alive.
With an orphaned Finn and the exiled Healer,
he journeys north to the Queendom’s capital.
He goes to find his mother.
He’ll find only death.

Book #2 in a series of fantasy novellas following Southwind Knights.

 

The Child by David J. RollinsThe Child by David J. Rollins

The schools in the little town of Wonderville are different. They are taught by mechanical teachers that have been programmed to be perfect examples in every possible way. They speak correctly. They move correctly. They even carefully analyze each student for any sign of drug use, and they do that correctly too. They are however not very good at teaching. In fact, they are really really boring.

One particularly bright student, Vayle, often finds his mind wandering in class. He is too smart for his own good. He knows more than most of the students in his class. One day, he starts asking questions, questions his school doesn’t appreciate, questions like ‘What is the Garden of Eden like?’ and ‘How do you tell the difference between the letter O and the number O?’ and others. They are questions to which the school has no answer. Vayle gets in trouble.

To teach Vayle a lesson, the Principal sends him on a tour of the upper classes, and Vayle learns the difference between being enrolled and being admitted. Those that are enrolled make perfect grades and eat warm roast beef for lunch. Those that attend spend their days running from mechanical truant officers armed with shock whips and detention slips. And the only difference between those two types of students is degrees of perfection.

Vayle can’t stop asking questions though. He can’t turn off his brain like that. And he asks the one question every school administration hates. ‘Why?’

And then the real trouble begins.

Werewolf Magic and Mayhem by Stella WilkinsonWerewolf Magic and Mayhem by Stella Wilkinson

New witch Emily Rand and her crow Familiar, Bob, are back for another bout of magical mayhem. Following on from the events of Halloween, Emily is approached by a werewolf called Fletcher who wants her to cure him of his affliction. Despite her lack of experience, Emily decides to try to help Fletcher. Unfortunately her spells aren’t known for going according to plan, and Emily accidentally divides Fletch from his handsome human body and brings forth his inner wolf in a very real sense. Now she has to find a way to put it right by the next full moon or Fletcher will be stuck as a wolf forever. New Paranormal Romance novel from best selling author Stella Wilkinson.

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New German short story available – Neue Kurzgeschichte auf Deutsch erhältlich: Gesetzlose Liebe

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Cora

It’s new release announcement time again. This time around, our new release is another German language title, namely the German translation of Outlaw Love, the lesbian Old West romance that’s one of our most popular stories to date. Coincidentally, this also marks the 50th e-book release of Pegasus Pulp.

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Es ist mal wieder Zeit, ein neues E-Book anzukündigen. Diesmal handelt es sich wieder um eine deutschsprachige Erzählung, nämlich um die Übersetzung von Outlaw Love, einer lesbischen Liebesgeschichte aus dem Wilden Westen, die zu unseren populärsten Geschichten zählt. Übrigens ist Gesetzlose Liebe die 50. E-Book Veröffentlichung von Pegasus Pulp sowie unser 7. deutsches E-Book.

Gesetzlose Liebe
Gesetzlose Liebe von Cora Buhlert Einst war Lola Laverne war einer der größten Stars im Europa des 19. Jahrhunderts, Sängerin, Tänzerin, Geliebte von Millionären und Königen.

Aber all dies ist Vergangenheit, und nun sitzt Lola in einer Zelle in Silver Dollar City, einem Goldgräbernest in Wilden Westen, verurteilt zum Tode durch den Strang, weil sie einen Mann erschossen hat, der versucht hat, sie zu vergewaltigen.

Männer waren schon immer Lolas Verderben. Aber ist dies wirklich das Ende für sie? Wird Lola wirklich ihren letzten Tanz am Ende das Galgenstrickes aufführen oder hat das Schicksal etwas anderes für sie im Sinn? Und wird Lola endlich die wahre Natur ihrer Wünsche erkennen?

Für mehr Informationen, besuchen sie die Gesetzlose Liebe Seite.

Erhältlich für den niedrigen Preis von 0,99 EUR, USD oder GBP bei Amazon Deutschland, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Frankreich, Amazon Italien, Amazon Spanien, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australien, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Brasilien, Amazon Japan, Amazon Indien, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes, Nook UK, Casa del Libro und XinXii.

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Under the Knout hits UK bestseller list

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Cora

My ever popular short story Under the Knout has just hit two category bestseller lists at Amazon UK:

What is more, I also just noticed that The Kiss of the Executioner’s Blade, another popular historical short story, has gotten its second 5 star review at Amazon UK.

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An Italian Bestseller

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Cora

My Russian set historical story Under the Knout has hit several category bestseller lists at Amazon Italy.

Though I am a tad distubed that Under the Knout is apparently listed under “Libri per bambini e ragazzi”, i.e. children’s book, at Amazon Italy. This is a story with a violence warning, which was originally published in a mild erotica mag, for goodness’ sake, and definitely not a book for children.

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Milestone: 100 German books

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Cora

I reached a milestone yesterday, because as of yesterday I have sold 100 German language e-books.

Mind you that at the moment we only have six German language e-books available as opposed to 43 English language e-books. However, we have three new German language titles currently going through the editing and proofing process, namely the German translations of Outlaw Love, Family Car and The Other Side of the Curtain.

Here is the breakdown of sales by title:

1. Der Kuss des Richtschwertes and Unter der Knute (tie)
2. Kurierdienst
3. Honigtopf
4. Reiche Beute and Die Liebe in den Zeiten des Frischkornmüslis (tie)

The two top sellers together make up around 80 percent of all our German language sales. The remaining four books make up only around 20 percent of all German language sales altogether. The lesson to be drawn from this is that at least for me, historical short fiction vastly outsells crime shorts and humour. Which is a bit unusual, considering that crime and mystery are the most popular genres in the German speaking world (unlike the US, where romance is king). However, historical fiction, particularly with lots of blood and guts and drama, is very popular in the German speaking world as well.

Under the Knout and The Kiss of the Executioner’s Blade also sell well in English. However, it is notable that both Courier Duty and Honeypot sell much better in German than in English. Ditto for Love in the Times of the Macrobiotic Müsli, but then it is a very German story, so I never expected strong English language sales in the first place.

Let’s take a look at the sales channels. The breakdown is as follows:

1. Amazon Germany: 74%
2. Kobo: 10%
3. Amazon.com: 6%
4. XinXii: 4%
5. Apple: 2%
6. Amazon UK: 1%
7. Barnes & Noble: 1%
8. Der Club: 1%
9. Casa del Libro: 1%

As with most indie writers, Amazon is still king also for my German sales. It’s kind of obvious that the lion’s share of German language books would be sold via Amazon.de, though Amazon.com is also a notable player and even Amazon UK is good for the occasional German language sale.

As with my overall sales, Kobo is my second biggest sales channel, but then Kobo readers are widely available in German stores. What is interesting is that my German language Kobo sales are not just concentrated in Germany but originate from all over Europe. For example, I sell a lot of German language books via Kobo in Switzerland. I have also sold German books via Kobo in Belgium (which has a German speaking minority) and the UK.

The small German based retailer XinXii still accounts for 4 percent of my German language sales, which is a pleasant surprise, considering most indies barely sell at XinXii. My German language Apple sales are rather anaemic, but then I don’t sell all that well on Apple in English either. Whatever Apple buyers are looking for, it’s not what we’re selling. I never expected many German sales from Barnes & Noble, since they are largely US-focussed in spite of their recent entry into the European market. The lone sale at Casa del Libro, a Spanish store, was a pleasant surprise.

Der Club finally is the online store of Bertelsmann’s German book club, which was a huge player in the German book market from the 1950s all the way up into the 1990s. Der Club is part of the Tolino alliance which supposedly has 37 percent of the German e-book market (Amazon has 43 percent, the remaining 20 percent are Kobo, Apple, Sony, Google Play and smaller stores). Considering that Tolino supposedly has 37 percent of the German e-book market, it’s a bit surprising that the Tolino stores only make up one percent of my German language sales. However, the Tolino stores are not exactly indie friendly – you can only get in via a distributor, XinXii being your best bet – and I only have one book in the Tolino stores at the moment and not a strong seller at that. What is more, Tolino users are more conservative (early adopters have Sony readers, Kindles or Kobo readers) and more trad-pub focussed.

Anyway, that’s it for this snapshot of the German language e-book market from a Pegasus Pulp POV. Stay tuned for more German language releases in the next few weeks.

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Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month: April 2014

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Cora

Indie Speculative Fiction of the MonthIt’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some March books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, all the links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

This time around, we have science fiction, YA fantasy, paranormal romance, historical fantasy, a fairy tale retelling, haunted small towns, magical inns, superheroes, zombies, necromancers, frost mages, death witches, a magical wetnurse, gargoyles and unicorns. We even have a non-fiction book, a collection of essays about science fiction.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books themselves, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books:

Magnet: Scarecrow by David AdamsMagnet: Scarecrow by David Adams

My name is Mike “Magnet” Williams. I’ve come a long way. These days I have my own ship, the Rubens. We stole it from the Toralii Alliance. For the last year the Rubens has been tasked with ‘counter-logistical privateering’ against the Toralii Alliance, attacking their military supply network.

We hit them hard, we get out, we do it all over again. Modern day buccaneers given total autonomy. We’re alone, without another Human within a thousand light years.

If only that were true.

Somewhere out in the black, around a remote moon covered in ice that’s kilometres thick, we found something. Something that was not supposed to be there. Something we were not supposed to find.

Scarecrow.

I can take a lot of pressure. Fighter pilots are supposed to be able to do that. Whatever the universe throws at me, I can handle it. So far I’ve faced aliens, friendly and otherwise, and I’ve seen things that so very few Humans have. I’ve dealt with it all.

But not this. Not my own conscience.

15,700-word story in the Lacuna universe, set after the events of Magnet: Marauder and Lacuna: The Ashes of Humanity, but suitable for reading as a stand-alone story.

The Guests of Honor by Cat AmesburyThe Guests of Honor: Tales from the Virtue Inn by Cat Amesbury

Welcome to the Virtue Inn

Honor Desry’s only employee is a magical nudist, her guest list has an abnormal fascination with eels, and a surprising number of household objects are trying to hurt her.

When Honor’s mother mysteriously disappeared, Honor became responsible for both her younger sisters and the family inn. Now, all Honor wants to do is run the inn, pay the bills, and not get killed by her unusually violent toaster.

Unfortunately for Honor, the Virtue Inn has more secrets than it does rooms and the Guests are restless. If Honor wants to keep her house –and her head- she’s going to have to learn how to please The Guests of Honor.

Warning: Contains some violence, profanity, innuendo, and semi-sentient household objects.

Rosamonde by Christopher BunnRosamonde by Christopher Bunn

The real story of Sleeping Beauty has never been told. At least, not until this moment. Rosamonde is the reluctant princess of Bordavia, a tiny, peaceful country in central Europe. Life is perfectly pleasant until an aggressive prince arrives, complete with a hot air balloon and romantic designs on Rosamonde’s hand. What’s a girl to do? Pigs, trickery and derring-do abound, along with a great deal of napping, of course.

 

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91MkdkcxDnL._SL1500_Girl Out Of Water by Winifred Burton

Awkward know-it-all Tabitha Slate was born and raised in Seattle. Her life consists of Friday night fights with her family for the remote control, her crappy minimum wage job, and convincing her sisters that collecting action figures doesn’t disqualify her from being Black or a girl.
Then Tabitha blunders into the Wardein, those sworn to police the supernatural hybrids and legendary creatures of the city. She reluctantly abandons her dreams of being the popular girl on her new campus, to adopt a position of power in a hidden world with a dangerous learning curve.
When a physicist that uses Seattle’s population for monstrous experiments wants Tabitha as the next subject, Tabitha has to accept the darkness she’s capable of, or lose everything.

Paradox by Daniel A. DennisTales from the Abyss: Paradox by Daniel A. Dennis

“What is the Void?”

The world watched in horror the day the mysterious being known as ‘the Void’ made its presence known to the world. But for John Parker it would be remembered as the day his son disappeared without a trace.

Desperate for answers, John begins a life-changing search for his lost child that brings him to the brink of despair while the FBI uncovers a link between John’s missing child and a Void-worshiping cult called The Brotherhood.

Rebirth by Shaun DowdallRebirth by Shaun Dowdall

For some, death is the end. For others, such as Michael Nolan, death is only the beginning. Reborn into a world unlike any he could have dreamed of, Michael is thrust into The Guild—an elite squadron of supernatural beings. They are the guardians of the modern world and the only thing standing between peace and chaos.

Struggling to come to terms with the loss of his previous life, and to understand his new powers, Michael is forced to adapt quickly when The Guild is betrayed and comes under attack from within.

With time against them, Michael and his allies set out to discover the identity of the traitor before The Guild is destroyed and the world is left unprotected. However, when the one person Michael loves becomes a target, he is left with a difficult decision…

Should he defend the woman he loves or stand by his allies?

Blades of Magic by Terah EdunBlades of Magic by Terah Edun

It is not a peaceful time in the Algardis Empire. War is raging between the mages and seventeen-year-old Sara Fairchild will be right in the middle of it.

She just doesn’t know it yet.

Sara is the daughter of a disgraced imperial commander, executed for desertion. Sara is also the best duelist and hand-to-hand combatant in Sandrin. She lives quietly with her family’s shame but when challenged about her family’s honor, her opponent inevitably loses.

On the night she finds out her father’s true last actions, she takes the Mercenary Guilds’ vows to serve in the emperor’s army. Using her quick wits and fierce fighting skills, she earns a spot in the first division.

There she discovers secrets the mages on both sides would prefer stay hidden. Dark enemies hunt her and soon it’s not just Sara questioning the motivation behind this war.

While fighting mages, blackmailing merchants and discovering new friends, Sara comes across something she’s never had before – passion. The question is – can she fight for her empress against a mage who might unwittingly claim her heart?

This is year one of the Initiate Wars. Sara is hoping it doesn’t become the year she dies.

The Secret Dead by S.W. FairbrotherThe Secret Dead by S.W. Fairbrother

Vivia Brisk knows about the dead. She should. She’s died enough times.

Vivia is a hag – or death witch – one of the last of her race, and can die, visit the underworld and return at will. As a consultant with charity The Lipscombe Trust, she has a job she loves — helping London’s most vulnerable supernaturals, even if her colleague Malcolm drives her round the bend on a daily basis.

Vivia thinks she’s got Malcolm’s measure – sexist, not too bright and generally a pain in the ass, but then Malcolm zombifies and, along with his fourteen year old son Ben, flees the police.

With a zombie on the loose, London goes into lock down and Vivia is roped in into find them. After all, Malcolm can only keep control so long without fresh flesh, and the risk of the zompocalypse increases the longer he’s on the lam.

At first what happened seems simple, but then the police find decades-old corpses hidden near Malcolm’s house, and Vivia begins to realise Malcolm’s missing son is in a lot more danger than from just a single zombie on the loose…

The Fetch by John GroverThe Fetch by John Grover

WAR OF WITCHES
From the author of Creatures and Crypts and Frozen Stiff comes an all new horror.
They are followers of a different path, a way of magic and mystery, of old customs and ancient knowledge. In their world appearances can mean so much but those appearances are not always what they seem.

Isabelle Thicket, a sorceress of the black arts is about to collide with Jacob Norsen, a sorcerer of white magic, and all Hell will break loose. Isabelle will stop at nothing to get what she wants and Jacob will do anything to protect those he loves. Two of the most powerful forces of nature will clash in a battle to the death and their power will unleash a greater evil…an old, hungering evil that will threaten the world.

There’s no safe place to hide from… The Fetch.

White Blood by Angela HolderWhite Blood by Angela Holder

When Maryn loses her baby, husband, and home, becoming a wet-nurse seems like her best opportunity for a new life, especially when she qualifies for a position with the royal family. But nursing an infant prince exposes her to dangers she never could have imagined. Caught in the middle of a bloody struggle for the throne, Maryn will need all her wits and courage to survive. Both her enemies and allies consider her a helpless pawn. But if she can master the dangerous magic of blood and milk she’ll have a chance to defy those who will do anything to seize power—even threaten the child she’s coming to love as her own.

Larkspur by V.M. JaskiernaLarkspur: A Necromancer’s Romance by V.M. Jaskierna

Pierre Salvador has returned to court after graduating early, and a party in his honour happens that very evening. But feeling unwell so shortly after his travels the princeling excuses himself from dancing-and-flirting with Lady Elizabeth Anne, and retreats to his room with a black cat in tow. In addition to medical studies, Pierre has almost finished the last task set by Mora, lady of death, to complete his knowledge of necrocræft. Enthralled with the illegal magic, the power over life and death, he consorts with Mora as he also begins to court Elizabeth.

Recoil by Paul B. KohlerSilo Saga: Recoil by Paul B. Kohler

In a silo where cleanings are a cause for celebration and are handled by a crew of teenage boys, a hazing initiation goes horribly wrong. The silo leadership hunts for the boys to clean – this time without the safety of the silo waiting for them when they finish.

The story is told through the lens of teenage girls Petra and Tavi. Enamored with the cleaning crew, the girls find themselves on the wrong side of a manhunt to find the boys. Just like the girls, the reader doesn’t really find out what is really happening with the adults in the silo until the final, deadly confrontation.

A novella set in the world of Hugh Howey’s Wool.

Brush with Darkness by Jamie MaltmanBrush With Darkness by Jamie Maltman

Creativity is magic, with imagination the only limit to its power. Yet others choose instead to channel the power of destruction. Or so the myths say. Neither has been seen in centuries—until now.

Simon Baroba joined the Pazian legions to make a name for himself, rejecting his father’s failing business, and his late mother’s faith.

Shadush leads the Scentari and lusts for revenge on the Pazian Republic that stole his people’s land. And he will have it—through his mastery of the power of dark flames.

In the aftermath of Shadush’s slaughter of the legion, Simon stumbles across his own buried creative abilities. As he explores the potential of his Talent with Elysia, the intriguing young woman who secretly creates sculptures of incredible beauty, Simon discovers much more about the evil magic he faces.

In order to save his friends, himself, and the entire Republic, Simon must navigate a treacherous maelstrom of political intrigue and shifting allegiances, torn between ambition and curiosity, duty and love.

ARTS REBORN is a new fantasy series set in the Republic of Pazh, home to diverse peoples and cultures, reminiscent of ancient Rome, Greece and the Mediterranean. It follows the story of the individuals touched by these opposing magical forces of artistic creation and malevolent destruction.

Frost Magic by Kathryn A. MillerFrost Magic by Kathryn A. Miller
*** This is a novella of 13,700 words ***

Jackie Frost lives in Normal Springs, Ohio, where nothing is quite as it seems. For example, Jackie is a Frost Mage who can make anything freeze up in an instant — the same way she freezes up around hunky firefighter Dante.

Nonetheless, sparks fly between the two, and not just the magical fireflies that infest Jackie’s apartment. Is it true love, or just the magic of mistletoe?

 

Shade by Marilyn PeakeShade by Marilyn Peake

Thanks to her offbeat mother, Shade’s full name is Galactic Shade Griffin. Having a name like that while being the new girl in school is pretty much catnip for bullies. The summer before Shade’s junior year of high school, her mother breaks up with yet another boyfriend and moves them once again to a new town.
This time, they move into a dilapidated old house where Shade has an entire attic bedroom to herself—at least until she discovers it’s haunted by the ghost of a teenaged boy named Brandon Yates. When Shade’s best friend goes missing, her life becomes even more complicated. With the help of Brandon who’s struggling with his own issues in the world beyond, Shade faces the question of whether or not she has what it takes to become a true hero.

Darkangel by Christine PopeDarkangel by Christine Pope

Finding the man of your dreams can be a real nightmare…

As the future prima, or head witch of her clan, Angela McAllister is expected to bond with her consort during her twenty-first year, thus ensuring that she will come into her full powers at the appointed time. The clock is ticking down, and her consort has yet to make an appearance. Instead, her dreams are haunted by a man she’s never seen, the one she believes must be her intended match.

But with time running out, and dark forces attempting to seize her powers for their own, Angela is faced with a terrible choice: give up her dreams of the man she may never meet and take the safer path, or risk leaving her clan and everyone in it at the mercy of those who seek their ruin.

Darkangel is the first book in The Witches of Cleopatra Hill, a paranormal romance trilogy set in the haunted town of Jerome, Arizona.

The Descendants by Landon PorterThe Devil Came Down to Mayfield by Landon Porter
They survived an evil sorceress. They stood up to an organization bent on experimenting on them. They even weathered their own, internal storms.

Now the Descendants must face a new challenge: living their lives. From reconnecting with their families and mentors, to delving into romance, they’re about to learn that there’s more to being superheroes than squaring off against bad guys.

Of course, while they try tending to their personal lives, evil isn’t lying idle. They face new baddies in the form of New York’s Tongs, extra-dimensional monsters and… cyborg nerds?

They are heroes. They are people. This is their story.

Styled after works from the Bronze Age of Comic Books, The Descendants is presented in a unique manner: as an all-prose comic book complete with issues, specials and annuals, each telling a complete story that ties into the overall tale of the titular superheroes.

It is also written as a throwback and love letter to an earlier age of superheroes, to a time before everything was grim and gritty and when comic books were fun.

Collects Issues #13-20 of the web serial The Descendants by Landon Porter. The previous volumes in the series are We Could Be Heroes and Tome Attacks.

Heart of Rock by Becca PriceHeart of Rock by Becca Price

In the distant past, a city of wizards was menaced by horrible Night Mares. The wizards carved hideous gargoyles out of stone, bringing them to life using the magical Heart of Rock, to defend their city.

Now the Heart of Rock is needed to save another kingdom, and one brave cobbler must find it.

But the gargoyles cannot live without their talisman; will the cobbler’s quest to save his kingdom doom theirs?

“Heart of Rock” is three interconnected short stories that look at the question: when one questing hero finds a magical amulet, what happens to those who’ve lost it?

Southwind Knights by B.E. PriestSouthwind Knights by B.E. Priest

In an age when people lived off the land and the Wild was still wild—when a young Queen warmed the throne and her Bulwark Knights patrolled the unruly borders—the edge of civilization was a place where dreams went to die.

Welcome to Southwind.

Asher’s best friend has been poisoned.
He has three days to live.
The only cure: a unicorn horn.
The only place to find one:
Dragoncliff Cove, where none dare go.

Book #1 in a series of fantasy novellas.

Science Fiction from A to Z by Joe VasicekScience Fiction from A to Z by Joe Vasicek

AN EXPLORATION OF THE TROPES OF SCIENCE FICTION BY A WRITER, AUTHOR, AND FAN

From Empire to Rebel, from Faster Than Light to Wagon Train to the Stars, join one of science fiction’s rising authors as he explores the central themes and tropes of the genre. Originally written for the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, these twenty-six chapters run through the letters of the alphabet to examine the different facets of the science fiction experience. At times forward-looking and at other times nostalgic, this book is both a treatise on what makes science fiction great and a love letter to the genre from one of its most ardent life-long fans.

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“The Great Fraud” hits pulp bestseller list

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Cora

The Great Fraud, the latest adventure of the Silencer, has hit the pulp category bestseller list at Amazon.com.

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