Category Archives for My projects

MERGE: Sparks and Tinder

If you still haven’t cottoned on that I’m taking part in the MERGE series, then… then… well now you know!

What is MERGE?
A 13-story paranormal thriller series written by me, Kit Iwasaki, Yvonne Reid, and MCM. Four authors, four storylines, all published over four weeks. Each story is stand alone, so you can jump in and start reading wherever… or just read mine, heehee!

And guess what? Follow the blog tour and you could win an iPad!

Previously…
The first week in the blog tour has seen the release in each author’s first stories!
1. 5 Days At A Time by Kit Iwasaki
2. Long Way Down by Yvonne Reid
3. Everything Must Go by MCM

Today’s Release!

Of course the reason I’m talking about MERGE today is because my first story in the series has come out. Woo!

Sparks and Tinder by AM Harte

Kate thought she was safe, but she was wrong.

The death of a transhuman has sparked riots in the city, only minutes from her front door. Policemen guard every street corner, but there is no one to protect Kate from herself, and the danger may be closer to home than expected…

Is she really safe from the transhumans, when her newest neighbour might be one of them?

Set in a world reeling from the discovery of transhumans, MERGE is a series of thirteen short stories that charts the loves, the betrayals, and the struggle for survival in a world where humans and transhumans are uneasy neighbours. Tensions are high, riots are brewing. The human race is about to come undone.

Exclusive Excerpt

“The protest got out of hand,” he said, quietly now. Now that they were facing each other, she noticed the dark circles under his eyes, his cheeks thin with little sleep. Even tired he was handsome, his high cheekbones dusted with the faintest hint of red. Sun-kissed, her mother would have said.

“Her death….” Adam paused, looked away. “The city’s already unstable as it is, and we all know what you get when you mix sparks and tinder.”

Kate glanced at her watch. 8:30am. Only half an hour to get to work, and she was spending precious minutes talking about ghetto residents. For a moment she felt a surge of irritation, strong enough to overcome her crush. “So, that favour?”

“I—” An awkward pause, then: “Kate, if anyone asks….” He closed his eyes as if in pain, opened them. “Tell them I was with you last night. Please.”

Kate’s stomach tightened. Adam had been at the riots. Either he was a sympathizer, or he was something much, much worse. “Are you…?” And again she couldn’t finish the question.

“Please, Kate,” he said, staring right at her, through her, as if he could see her every secret. “Trust me.”

The elevator doors closed, swallowing her reply.

Buy it today on Kindle!

Want to an iPad? Enter to win now!

Zombies in Oxford’s Not the Literary Festival

As you might have seen in my previous blog post, eight cuts gallery staged a literary take over last week with their Not the Oxford Literary Festival.

Calling for poetry submissions via email or twitter, eight cuts revolutionaries spotlighted alternative & indie authors by leaving leaflets at bus stops and in phone boxes, putting posters through cafe doors and various other things.

Eager to join in, I submitted Electricity (the closing poem of Hungry For You)… and guess which poem made The Oxford Times?!

Yup – pictured is eight cuts gallery ringleader Dan Holloway, with a leaflet of my poem!

Check out the full article on The Oxford Times — I’m not mentioned by name, but I still think it’s pretty darn cool. Dan tells me the article made the print edition, too.

So yes. Me = happy.

How was your weekend?

Indies Unlimited: celebrating indie authors

Indies Unlimited is a collective for indie authors, by indie authors.

From the about page:

We are at the beginning of a technological revolution in how books are written, published, marketed, purchased, and read. This site is dedicated to the independent authors, publishers, reviewers and readers who are on the cutting edge of that technological revolution.

A major challenge for any indie author is the lack of established infrastructure in place to market indie books. It can be challenging and time-consuming to get the word out about your book, to find reviewers, and to drive traffic to your website or Facebook page. As a new author, I was delighted to discover a very high level of mutual support and camaraderie in the indie author community. This platform is born from that spirit of mutual aid and support.

Please make Indies Unlimited your home for engagement with others who are interested in the Indie Author Movement. Be sure to “play nice” with others. Write informative, educational, or opinion minded comments, guest posts and other contributions. You can promote your books or yourself by participating in discussions and providing valuable content. Please do not spam us or use this system to send unrequested self-promotion, marketing, or sales materials. Instead, please use this platform to engage, inform, discuss, and build quality relationships.

I am currently featured on Indies Unlimited – they’ve posted a sneak peek of Hungry For You — so please stop by to say hi, and be sure to check out the rest of the site!

Valentine’s Special: Get Hungry For You FREE

Feeling the love?

NO? How about if you check out that sexy zombie on the right?

I’m celebrating Hungry For You’s first birthday… by giving away FREE books!

That’s right, for Valentine’s Day you can download Hungry For You for free from the Kindle store.

The giveaway will run throughout February 13th and 14th, so feel free to pass the message on to any Kindle-owning-friends.

Grab your copy today from Kindle US or Kindle UK.

UPDATE: So, Amazon effed up and has not put the book up for free yet. The promotion will, however, run as planned tomorrow (February 14) — so bookmark the page today, and download it tomorrow! Teaches me to not schedule posts ahead of time….

Interview on Free Book Reviews

Free Book Reviews is a blog that reviews indie books, interviews indie authors and generally talks about whatever amuses them in the literary world.

Yesterday, Free Book Reviews posted an interview with yours truly. I discuss poetry (and Gabriel Gadfly), horror, chocolate, and other things I can’t remember saying.

Some choice excerpts:

FBR: Why do you write?

Me: Because not to write is to despair; I simply cannot imagine life without it.

There’s an immense satisfaction in crafting a story, in finding the right turn of phrase, in seeing the little characters in my head come to life. But there’s an even greater satisfaction in having my work read, and finding that others, too, can fall in love with my worlds. Sharing the joy of writing and reading is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

FBR: Did researching and writing Hungry For You teach you anything or influence your thinking in any way?

Me: It’s made me appreciate horror as a genre — I’ve come to realise that horror is more than just gore and guts. There’s a lot to be learnt about the human condition in extreme situations; I think people really show their true nature when faced with life or death situations.

FBR: What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Me: I think my greatest strength is that I believe nothing I write is sacred.

It can always be improved, rewritten, changed. I want to tell the best possible story, and if that means cutting out 30,000 words and writing new stuff, I’ll do it.

You can read the rest of the interview here.