Playlist: May 2023

Playlist: May 2023

Playlist: May 2023

Of Blood & Oil

This month’s playlist is inspired by my latest release, Of Blood & Oil, which is book three of my Not the Same River series.

It follows Violet as she goes from gobby orphan to treasured warrior in six books.

A hunted portrait. A twisted duke. An embarrassing crush.

When a hunted portrait arrives at the priory for safekeeping, Violet makes a disturbing discovery or two about her immortal neighbour. And an unwelcome one about herself.

As the resourceful Penhaligons try to figure out what’s so special about the painting, a sinister duke makes a bold move in his bid to claim it. But the painting is not the only thing he’s after.

Can Violet and the Penhaligons outwit the duke and bargain their way to victory? Or will they learn that they’re not the only ones with betrayal in mind?

This book features a vampire who doesn’t know where his trousers are, a stray nephilim, judgemental goats, and an MC who hasn’t quite got a handle on romance.

Happy listening!

Gothic Christmas witch with amber eyes and fiery red hair

Coloring the void – M83

Anachronism – Crywolf

Colder – Edwin Raphael

Angel’s Song – Arlo Parks

Under My Skin – SPC ECO

Speak Loud – Trills

Call Me What You Like – Lovejoy

From Eden – Hozier

Hypnotic – Zella Day

Fade Into You – Mazzy Star

Neptune – Sleeping at Last

Milk & Honey (Alt Version) – Billie Marten

I Found – Amber Run

Breathe – of Verona

Blood//Water – grandson

Litost – X Ambassadors

Illuminate – WILDES

Monster – Half Moon Run

Make It Holy – The Staves

Moon Begins – Florist

Pay – Ramsey

Heavy in Your Arms – Florence + The Machine

Swell – Twin Caverns

You Made Me Human – Richard Wells

Your Name – Lissom, Julien Marchal, Lowswimmer

Great News for Readers: Kobo Plus Comes to the UK & US

Great News for Readers: Kobo Plus Comes to the UK & US

Great News for Readers

Kobo Plus is now available in the UK & the US

 

It’s been a long time coming, but there’s finally an alternative to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited programme for readers in the UK and US. Kobo Plus has been available in its native Canada since 2020, when it was also made available to readers in the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal. The programme was expanded to Australia and New Zealand the following year, but I’ve been waiting somewhat impatiently for it over here in the UK.

 

So, why do we need an alternative to Kindle Unlimited?

Well, that’s down to personal preference. For me, it’s a number of things, the first being Amazon’s stranglehold on the ebook and audiobook market (through Audible). You can read about Audiblegate here. The reason I sell my books widely in the first place is because I want readers to be able to access my books wherever they shop as well as from libraries.

Kindle Unlimited’s requirement for exclusivity would put my books out of the reach of libraries, international readers that KU/Amazon doesn’t serve, my own subscription platform, my own website, and all other ebook retailers. I’m not prepared to do that. Not when among the perks of going exclusive with the world’s largest ebook retailer are having your books removed from sale because the Amazon bots found them on a pirate site, having your page reads stripped* for unspecified and alleged suspicious reading activity that they don’t have to explain, having your rank stripped**, and having your publishing account shut down without warning, explanation or recourse, while they “withhold” your royalties. Let’s just call that what it is, shall we? It’s theft. Imagine being the sort of company that behaves like this in 2023.

*Page reads are how KU authors get paid. If someone reads your 100-page book, you get about 40p. If Amazon decides the reader didn’t actually read the book, they can, without providing proof, claim there was “fraudulent page read activity” and just… not pay you. Fun, right?

**Rank stripping is where Amazon makes your rank in the store, or in your categories, invisible to readers. This behaviour tends to coincide with author promotions. For example, an author has just paid a huge amount of money to promote their free/99c book with a Bookbub Featured Deal. This is the holy grail of promotions, costing anywhere between $100 and almost $4,000 USD, depending on your genre and how much you’re selling the book for. The advert for the book goes out to Bookbub’s mailing list, who click and buy. The book goes flying up the charts, where more readers can see it and buy it. That’s what promotions do for authors. It’s why we use them. Amazon notices a lot more movement on the book than usual. But instead of assuming an author has a promotion running (something authors do all the time), Amazon thinks something shady must be going on, so they strip the rank, making the book invisible, and crippling the promotion. This lowers the return on investment on the promotion itself and stops it from catching the wave that makes promotions worth it in the long run. In short, this behaviour costs authors money instead of giving them the boost they paid for. For the sake of transparency, Amazon does this to indie authors in general, not specifically KU authors. And I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Amazon wants us to pay for ads on its own ad platform. Nothing at all.

Obviously, Kobo Plus isn’t available everywhere either, but because there is no requirement for exclusivity, this is just another channel through which our books can be made available.

Another perk from my side is that I get paid every time someone reads my books, so if you go through my entire series a second or third time, I’ll get paid for each read through. Kindle Unlimited only pays authors for the first read, so if you spend an entire month going through an author’s back catalogue for a second time, the only one who gets paid is Amazon. With Kobo Plus you can support your favourite authors even more.

 

What’s in it for readers?

Kobo Plus’ ebook subscription is cheaper than KU in both the UK and the US, since Amazon recently raised its UK price. And in fact, readers in the US will get a particularly good deal. For the current price of KU’s ebook subscription, you can get a combined ebook and audiobook subscription at Kobo Plus. That’s $9.99 a month for all the books you can read or listen to.

In the UK, it’s £8.99 for ebook OR audio and £11.99 a month for the combo deal. Is that a bargain, or what?

There are fewer books in Kobo Plus right now than there are in Amazon, but it’s only three years old. There are still over a million books in there, and you can expect it to grow as more authors take their books wide.

With Kobo Plus, you can support authors, knowing that they’re not getting shafted behind the scenes. You can support them over and over again with re-reads. Everybody wins.

There’s also a free 30-day trial, so you have nothing to lose by giving it a go.

Check out Kobo Plus

The first three books* in my Not the Same River series and the first book of Tales from the Noctuary are available to read in Kobo Plus.

*book 3 is in preorder, but will be available in Kobo Plus on its release.

 

Out Now! Secrets at the Door

Out Now! Secrets at the Door

Out Now! Secrets at the Door

 

The first book of the Tales from the Noctuary series is available now from all major online retailers. This series currently has four books written, each taking place in a different historical setting. This one features characters who can be found in the first two books of my Not the Same River series. If you’ve read them, you’ll recognise the Merryweather coven, Adam Castle in his younger days, and his friend Amos Blackmore.

Each book in the Tales from the Noctuary series can be read as a standalone.

The secrets aren’t at the door. They’re already in the house.

Betsy’s reluctance to lead the Merryweather coven puts her entire family in danger, and with an injured vampire showing up on their doorstep and a bloodborn harvest to resurrect, they can’t afford mistakes.

When the coven is targeted on neighbouring Castle land, the only reliable witness is a young girl found hiding in the family mausoleum. But the girl is not what she seems.

Lotus is a secret keeper with a bind on her tongue. When one of the Merryweathers finds her unconscious in the woods, Betsy helps Lotus unravel her tongue, slowly learning the terrible truth about what her coven has been harbouring for years.

~~~

This book features a fat, beekeeping lesbian vampire, a well-demon in need of a haircut, and romantic elements (f/f & m/nonbinary). Although this book is a standalone, it features characters from the Not the Same River series, so reading both will provide a richer experience.

Due to certain graphic elements, this is recommended for readers aged 18+

Amazing Deal on my Books, Only at Kobo

Amazing Deal on my Books, Only at Kobo

For a limited time only, the first two books of the Not the Same River series are available with a 30% discount, only at Kobo.

If you like your YA urban fantasy with a hefty dose of British humour, sibling banter, functional families, mystery, and LGBTQ+ characters, these books are for you.

You have until March 27th to claim your discount.

Add the code MAR30 at checkout.

Happy Reading!

Playlist: February 2023

Playlist: February 2023

Playlist: February 2023

From Tangled Roots Come Twisted Wings

This playlist was inspired by From Tangled Roots Come Twisted Wings, book two of my debut series, Not the Same River, which released on all major online retailers at the end of January.

Navigate to the Books or Not the Same River sections in the menu above for more information on the series.

Happy listening!

Gothic Christmas witch with amber eyes and fiery red hair

Touch – Daughter

Oxytocin – Billie Eilish

Demon – Sad Night Dynamite, Moonchild Sanelly

I Must Cry Out Loud – Mother Mother

Stakes – Vancouver Sleep Clinic

Faux – Novo Amor, Ed Tullett

Murky – Saint Mesa

Torches – X Ambassador

Dangerous Game – Klergy, BEGINNERS

Play with Fire – Sam Tinnesz, Yacht Money

You Made Me Human – Richard Wells

Temples of Our Gods – M83, Anthony Gonzalez, Joseph Trapanese

SkyWorld – Thomas Bergersen, Two Steps from Hell

Singularity – Elephant Music

Muddy Waters – LP

Don’t Close Your Eyes – Sam Tinnesz

Despicable – grandson

Made for the Battle – UNSECRET, GAITS

I’m Sending You Away – M83, Anthony Gonzalez, Joseph Trapanese

Outro – M83

Time – Mikky Ekko

Marigolds – Kishi Bashi

Resolutions – Scott Buckley