The Sky Pirates Revenge World Blog Tour

When Thomas Riley (1) came out, I did a huge 32 day blog tour (The Sky Pirate's Barrage Blog Tour) that took me from people's personal blogs to Tor.com. It was an awesome journey and I really appreciate those that hosted me and helped Thomas Riley become what it is today.

I'm excited to announce The Sky Pirate's Revenge World Blog tour that will best my last endeavor by one extra stop. I have already gotten a great response but I need more dates and have a bunch more to fill so I'm asking anyone, my friends, family, fans and wonderful geeks around the world if I might be able to get a spot on their website, blog, podcast, radio show, anything that you do online in promotion for my second steampunk novel, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom (ZOVA Books).

Anyone that helps out will get my undying love, special entries in contests and a cool treat later down the line. You all know I love patches right? ;)

So, if you would honor me with a spot on your Internet, please message me here or send me an email at: Hazeltherabbit@yahoo.com

The Blog tour starts Tuesday June 25th and ends Monday July 29th.

Thank you all in advance!
~Nick

Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom 3D cover

I'm super excited to see the Thomas Riley books with 3D covers. After all this time, it really gives a neat view of what the book will look like. I have to say, I love what I'm seeing. The details that Zova Books gave the spine and typography is really cool. I really like the addition of the book number on the spine. There's nothing quite like opening the box with your books in them,  holding your print book in your hand for the first time, and reading through your own copy.

Also, both books are featured on the top of Zova Books website. Check it out here.

Here are the 3D covers for Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom and the reissue of Thomas Riley (1).

Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom cover revealed!

It's been a long time coming but the day is here that I can finally reveal the brand spanking new cover for my second steampunk book, Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom! As promised, my awesome blog readers will get the first peek a few hours before I spread the word all over the Internet. As I know, these are slated for a June release. I don't know the exact day but when I do, I'll be doing some really fun pre-orders with special features for my "Sky Pirates" new and old. Also, be on the lookout for a huge blog tour which is in the works now.

First off, here is the new tweaked cover for the first Thomas Riley novel which has been re-edited and with the first chapter of book two at the end. (Out on Zova Books)The new chapter will not only provide a fun teaser for book two but will also answer a few questions left by book one.

Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom is a darker book, a true act two if you will where a now even more famous Thomas and Cynthia leave their home country of West Canvia again in search for unlikely hero, Sam Burgess. In their latest adventure, Thomas and Cynthia's loyalty is put to the test as they face a new and even crazier evil genius, Doctor Wolfgang Gerhard who is in control of the very secret and world changing airship, the Maelstrom, which has the mysterious ability to control the weather. So without further adieu... the cover for Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom by the fabulous, Will Routon.

ShadowCon and More!

Shadowcon
I had no idea what to expect when going to Memphis for Shadowcon. There isn't much of a web presence and there aren't a lot of pictures online. So off I went and finally arrived at the hotel which was an odd strangely sprawling Holiday Inn. Immediately after hauling my stuff to the con area I was greeted with nothing but kindness by the staff. Ok the guy at the regi desk game me a little crap but everyone was amazing. Right off the bat, the organizer greeted me and opened the vendor room so I could load the books and whatnot.


Shadowcon is a laid back wonderful little con (complete with panels)that in a way is liek a family con. Everyone is welcome and everyone is treated like family. Really, what more could you ask for? There were little gaming rooms, good vendors, but most of all the people were wonderful. Yeah, I just can't get away from how nice everyone was. Here's little Sophie complete with Thomas Riley sticker on the stroller.



The majority of Shadowcon attendees are part of the SCA and more prescisely, the Gleann Abhann Kingdom. While this may sound odd and different to many of you, I can't say how welcome these people made me feel. Did I mention that the SCA people make their own mead? Well, they do and from what I tasted, it is unreal how good this stuff is. Not only that, but I managed to grab my own bottle of Liam's Mead... I'm yet to open it as I don't want it to be gone.



I was asked to do the "steampunk- genre" panel with Darlene Bolesny and Debra Parmley which I thought went very well. So thank you Shadowcon I had a blast. And while leaving, I saw this. I have no idea what it means other than it has to do with the SCA but found it interesting none the less.



This weekend
Saturday the 16th is insane for me. Ok, First off I'm signing at "The Bookstore" in Huntsville AL at Noon - 2PM. (2246 Winchester Rd NE Huntsville, AL 35811 (256) 858-2170) From there I'm busting it to Atlanta for the Mechanical Masquerade to vend and sign. I'm really excited about both these events but man, I'll be driving all over the South in a few days.



Patches!
I told you the Thomas Riley, "The Blood Countess" patches were coming in and... da da dada! They've arrived. If you're a Sky Pirate already, you'll be getting an email soon. If not... what's wrong with you? ENLIST HERE!
Anyway, you'll be able to buy these at any event I attend as well as online... or if you are already a Sky Pirate, then you'll be given special opportunity's to not only get free patches, but also bumps in rank!

On Tour!

I'm so impressed with everyone. I can't thank everyone that bought a copy of Thomas Riley enough. The response has been overwhelming and I appreciate every one of you as well as the people that have signed up as Sky Pirates.

Here are my first quarter tour dates. Keep in mind that there will be more added, but as it stands the next 3 months are filled. Now if you have enlisted as a Sky Pirate and if you attend any one of these events and are wearing your Flight Credentials, you will automatically get something special which I will talk about later. So come out, say hello and remember to sport your flight credentials!

January 8-10 ShadowCon- Memphis TN

January 16 The Bookstore- Huntsville AL 12:00-2:00PM

January 16 The Mechanical Masquerade- Atlanta GA 8:00PM-Midnight

January 22-24 Chattacon- Chattanooga TN

January 30 Davis Kidd- Nashville TN 2:00-6:00PM

February 6 Books A Million- Madison TN 12:00-3:00PM

February 12-15 The Southern California Writers Conference- San Diego CA

February 20 The Little Professor Book Center- Birmingham AL 12:00-2:00PM

February 26-28 The South Carolina Book Fest- Columbia SC

March 5-7 Stellar Con- Highpoint NC

March 12-14 MidSouthCon- Memphis TN

March 17-21 Virginia Festival of The Book- Charlottesville VA

March 27 Borders- Brentwood TN 12:00 - 3:00PM

With that said,I'll be in Memphis TN this weekend for ShadowCon. This is my first ShadowCon experience, so if you are going, come by the table and say hi. Pictures and recound to follow next week.

You can still get signed copies of Thomas Riley HERE

And hurry to sign up to be a Sky Pirate. More really good things are coming for current Sky Pirates. In fact, I'll show you one thing below.

I've been getting a lot of requests for Sky Pirate patches. So I decided to take it a step further. Not only will you soon be able to get Official Sky Pirate Patches, but there will be an officer's program complete with different ranked patches and merit awards. I'll let you know how to get your patches as well as lifting your rank next week when they come in. Until then, enjoy the prototype:

Thomas Riley Out Today!

Today is the day!
My first published novel Thomas Riley comes out on Echelon Press. It feels like forever, although this entire process really didn't take so long in the literary world.

I'll be at The South Carolina Writers Workshop for the release, which is even more exciting. So if you happen to be in or around Myrtle Beach... well stop by. If not you can get the book at my website www.sirthomasriley.com

Soon enough it will be everywhere, so if you want the specials that come with getting it now... they only last through today (Oct. 23rd)

From here I'm planning a grand Con tour for 2010 so look for massive dates as I'll be all around the country. Some stops include, San Diego, Atlanta, Highpoint NC, Chattanooga, Trenton NJ, St. Paul MN, Chicago, Los Angeles, and a bunch more.

Also, I wanted to recognize my huge influx of Swedish Sky Pirates! You all are awesome! If you want to be a Sky Pirate (It's free) go here: ENLIST ME NOW

The Sky Pirate's Barrage World Blog Tour

In preparation for the book release, I'm embarking on a 30 day blog tour which I've aptly named "The Sky Pirate's Barrage World Blog Tour". If you don't know what a blog tour is, here's the short and sweet version. For 30 days I will "guest blog" on different blogs. Each one will be different and blog specific. So if I'm writing for an author's blog, I'll probably be writing well, about writing. If I'm on an art blog, I'll be saying something about art, cover art or design. If I'm on a Sky Pirate blog, I'll probably talk about wind resistance versus cannon velocity. You get the picture right?

I've gotten such a great response from everyone, I officially owe my first born to at least 30 people for being so generous with the private blogs. If you are hosting me for one of these days, I am truly in your debt. With that said, I'm always looking to add more dates to the tour and to do a second leg later on down the road. So If you have a blog you would like to share, please email me so that I may also be in your debt.

Email this address: Hazeltherabbit@yahoo.com

So without further ado here are the dates and locations for

The Sky Pirate's Barrage World Blog Tour:

Friday October 23- Interview by Jaymee Goh for TOR
Monday October 26- Writing & Life
Tuesday October 27- Life Of A Publisher
Wednesday October 28- Mysteries & Chitchat
Thursday October 29- Four-Door Handbasket
Friday October 30- The Magical Buffet
Saturday October 31- Inert Nashville
Sunday November 1 - Thomas Riley
Monday November 2 - Cicero's Children
Tuesday November 3 - Candid Canine
Wednesday November 4 - Write or Wrong
Thursday November 5 - Ubiquitous Ghosts
Friday November 6 - Teen Seen
Saturday November 7 - Rivet Gallery
Sunday November 8 - Dave Gates Design
Monday November 9 - Another Writer's Life
Tuesday November 10- Making Stuff Up
Wednesday November 11- On the Edge of the Chair of Literature
Thursday November 12- East Nashville Blog
Friday November 13- My Overstuffed Bookshelf
Monday November 16- Book Blab
Tuesday November 17- Opinionated? Me?
Wednesday November 18- Emeraldfire's Bookmark
Thursday November 19- Razlover's Book Blog
Friday November 20- I Read...
Monday November 23- Revenge Of The Book Nerds!
Tuesday November 24- The Adventures of B. Freret
Wednesday November 25- Myskoteket
Thursday November 26- Straight Jacket Chillers
Friday November 27- For Writers

In the meantime, Thomas Riley is on pre-sale right now and I'm giving everyone that pre-orders FREE shipping and signed copies of the book. Get your copy today and save some money. ORDER HERE

And if you just want free steampunk stuff, offers, discounts and exclusive contests Enlist to be a Sky Pirate HERE.

Pre-Orders Available Today!

I'm really excited. Sorry I've been a bit removed from the ole blog lately, but I've been concentrating on the book promotion and blog tour almost every waking hour. So, the moment has arrived. Thomas Riley is officially for sale via pre-sale on my website www.sirthomasriley.com

Sure your book will not ship until after October 23rd, but by pre-ordering I'm offering you a really good deal. 1) Free shipping until October 23rd. Get your order in and you've saved $3-$4. (Not bad.) 2) Every pre-order book will be signed and stamped. (You'll see, it's very cool.)

So summon your inner sky pirate and order soon before the discounts disappear.

Now's the time. Order Here

Cut and paste if the above link doesn't work.
http://thomasriley.bigcartel.com

Blog Tour!

I know I've been talking a lot about the promotion of Thomas Riley. To be honest, it encompasses most if not all of my free time. I'm really hitting this hard, so please forgive my one track mind.

The newest plan is a 30 day blog tour. That's right 30 blogs in 30 days. So far I have 15 lined up starting on Monday October 26th. Well, what about the other 15 days Nick? That's where I need your help. Yep you who's reading this right now. (Thank you by the way.) I'm looking for anyone with a blog that wouldn't mind me guest blogging for 1 day on your site. Don't worry, I won't need access to your blog or anything weird like that. We will agree on a day, I'll write the content and I'll send it to you weeks in advance so you can program it on our day. Boom we're done. It's easy, free and fun.

Of course in return for your generosity, I will drive traffic to your blog as well as welcome you to guest blog here or I can just write something about you, your book or whatever it is you're doing.

If this sounds like fun to you, email me: hazeltherabbit@yahoo.com

Also, don't forget to sign up to be a Sky Pirate HERE. This will get you in exclusive contests, random fun things and secret discounts. I must reiterate that your information will never be shared.

Also I'm proud to announce our first Canadian, Australian and Swedish pirates!

The State of The Union

Here's an update on how things are going with the book.


I'm prepping the launch of Thomas Riley with a ton of crazy and fun things. Contests, giveaways, and hopefully some pre-order goodness. Some of the things will include direct mailing, email blasts and my favorite pet project right now which is the "Sky Pirate Enlistment Program". You can sign up for free at my web site www.sirthomasriley.com

Just send me your name, email, and your mailing address if you like and you will be enlisted in the Canvian Sky Pirates & Privateers group. As always, your information will never be shared, but you will receive an occasional email, fun stuff in the snail mail and exclusive offers and discounts for Sky Pirates only. Fun huh?
Sign up here:
http://www.sirthomasriley.com/recruiting-sky-pirates/

I have so much in store for the promotion of this book that it's making my head spin, but hey it's all about getting the opportunity to work this hard isn't it? So sit back, relax, sign up to be a sky pirate and enjoy the good things coming your way.