IFCON Victoria BC

So Lizzie and I are guests at IFCON in Victoria BC this year and I can't tell you how stoked we are! It's going to be a fabulous con, and a super big one! I love Victoria and I can't wait to go back.

Yesterday, we received the IFCON Magazine and we were on the cover with a full spread and a dual interview. The man putting this on is Bill Code, a friend I originally met at the Victoria Steam Expo in 2010. It's so awesome to meet people achieving long term goals and that are constantly in "the scene". Bill is one of those people, always with something amazing and exciting on his plate.

Not only will Lizzie and I have a booth at IFCON, (we're right next to the Tardis) but we'll also be doing panels and special things all weekend. If you are in or around the Victoria BC area, we'd love to see new and old friends. Come say hi. We will have lots of issues of the Scary and Naughty Dreadfuls, Posters, Buttons, as well as copies of Thomas Riley, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom and maybe... just maybe some ultra new awesome surprises!

For more info, check out the official IFCON website

Here's some shots of the magazine.

The Cover

Our interview

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

I was going to post this a few days ago but I got caught up in Steamcon V and somehow didn't have any time. I saw on Twitter that Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books did a review on Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom and what a sweet one it is!

I won't post the review here so you can discover the awesomeness of Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books yourself so here are a few movie-esque teasers:

"told in fantastic great detail"

 

"high octane action"

 

"it will have you gripped to the airships steering wheel on a straight course to the deadly perils ahead." 

Pretty awesome, eh?!
Check out this and a bunch of other awesomeness at Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books HERE.

July Updates

Some cool things are afoot! First off, the release of Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom is going very well! I'm in the planning stages now for some signings so I'll let you know when and where I'll be with the brand spanking new book in hand. You know I love rubber stamps right? If you haven't seen it yet, here's the stamp that will come with every signed copy of TR2.

If you haven't gotten your copy yet, here's where you can get it: (TR2 is now available for the Nook!)
Amazon.com

Kindle

Barnes and Noble.com

Get Thomas Riley for Your Nook

I can't say a lot about this yet but I think I can say that Liz and I are working on the story book for a steampunk RPG game coming out in 2014 from the Harsh Realities game company. It's going to be huge and super fun! I'll let you know more about it when I'm allowed to do so.

Life is good, we are as busy as can be.

Day one of the massive Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom Blog Tour!

Day one of the massive Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom Blog tour! 

The day has finally arrived! My second steampunk adventure novel, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom (published by ZOVA Books) is available! It's been a very long road but worth every second as I feel like this book is the perfect sequel to book one. It's a much darker story and the reader gets immersed into the characters neurosis that fuel their unique desires.

Centered around a massive airship that can control the weather in nefarious ways, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom has taken the original story to a new level of action and peril that I'm most proud of.

Before I go on, tomorrow's blog tour stop is an interview at Book In The Bag so be sure to check it out. 
Also, if you'd like to get the new re-edited reissue of book 1, Thomas Riley click here: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Riley-1-Nick-Valentino/dp/0615790283/ref=sr_1_29?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372211444&sr=1-29&keywords=Thomas+Riley

How do you get a copy? There are a lot of different ways depending on your favored delivery method. Note that for signed copies, be sure and let me know how you'd like the book signed in the note to seller section right before you submit payment. Another cool thing is that the book is on sale everywhere! So you'll get discounts everywhere you order.

Get signed copies here:

Amazon.com Paperback $14.39:

Kindle $2.99:
 
Barnes & Noble Paperback: 

FROM THE BACK COVER

Thomas Riley and Cynthia Basset's adventures in their steampunk world have turned down a dark path. After an assassination attempt, the West Canvian heroes receive a message from a mysterious woman about the whereabouts of Cynthia's missing suitor and famous sky pirate, Sam Burges.

Cynthia insists on pursuing the lead despite great risk, so the two of them take off with a rogue colonial sky pirate and his eclectic crew to find the man that she loves. On their journey, Thomas and Cynthia learn that Sam has joined with their enemies, the Lemurians, under the supervision of the mad man, Doctor Wolfgang Gerhard.

To make matters worse, Sam is in a commanding position on board the secret airship, The Maelstrom, that has the ability to control the weather in a most nefarious way.

Thomas and Cynthia's loyalty to their country and to each other are laid on the line in this steampunk tale of love, loss and adventure.

PRAISE FOR THOMAS RILEY AND THE MAELSTROM

"Valentino does it again with a Thomas Riley story packed with high-stakes action, full of fantastical figments of science, and incredible description guaranteed to transport you on a grand adventure. An epic tale you won't want to miss."
Theresa Meyers, award-winning author of The Legend Chronicles series

"Nick Valentino takes us back into the steampunk world in this second Thomas Riley book, giving us more Riley, his friends, and enemies in an action
and intrigue packed volume that starts with a bang and hurtles toward an unforgettable conclusion. A definite must-read for steampunk and action fans!"
H. David Blalock, author of Angelkiller

"It's another adventurous journey for Thomas Riley and Cynthia Basset as they confront perils from new adversaries, new weapons, and new mysteries. Assassinations, captivity, and several races against time keep the duo charging forward from battle to battle and airship to airship. A captivating and creative story for readers of all ages!"
Kevin Steil, Airship Ambassador

"Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom picks up where the last left off, with the danger escalated, action raised, and tone matured. It's a must read for any fan of steampunk fiction."
Doctor Q

Super Fun Updates

Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom
The pre-orders for my second steampunk novel, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom are going very well! There are only 7 days left to pre-order your signed copy and get free shipping! So order here while there's still time. :) 
If you'd like your book signed a certain way, there is a link at the very end of the ordering process just before you click to pay that says, "Note to seller". Just tell me how you'd like the book to be signed and you're good to go.

Other things
The cover art above is going to be a touch different. Will Routon, the cover artist did some amazing detail work. I'm very excited to show you soon.

Nashville
I flew to Nashville last week mainly for a doctor appointment but I have to say, the time I spent there was a blast. I got to see my parents and briefly my friends Beebs, Stormie and Granny. Good times, Nashville is such a fun place.

Gail Martin
Author extraordinaire, Gail Martin will be guest blogging on my blog on June 21st. Be sure to check her out!

RPG Game
Liz and I are working on the story book for a new RPG game from the company, Harsh Realities... That's all I think I can say right now.

Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom available for preorder now!

I'm insanely excited to announce that my second steampunk novel, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom available for preorder now!

When you order through the preorder site, you'll get free shipping for your order.
All books will be shipped on June 25.
Also each book will be signed but if you'd like your name or a message, just let us know in the comment section of the order form.
Order Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom HERE

You can also order your signed and stamped copy of the re-edited reissue of the first book, Thomas Riley, now on ZOVA Books.
Thomas Riley Reissue

And finally, you can get both bundled signed and with free shipping!
Yes, send me both books


If you liked the last book, you'll love the second one. It's darker, deadlier and with even more insane steampunk action.

Here 's the blurb for the new book!

Thomas Riley and Cynthia Basset's adventures in their steampunk world have turned down a dark path. After an assassination attempt, the West Canvian heroes receive a message from a mysterious woman about the whereabouts of Cynthia's missing suitor and famous sky pirate, Sam Burges.

Cynthia insists on pursuing the lead despite great risk and they take off with a rogue colonial sky pirate and his eclectic crew to find the man that she loves. On their journey, Thomas and Cynthia learn that Sam has joined with their enemies, the Lemurians, under the supervision of the mad man, Doctor Wolfgang Gerhard. To make matters worse, Sam is in a commanding position on board the secret airship, The Maelstrom, that has the ability to control the weather in a most nefarious way.

Thomas and Cynthia's loyalty to their country and to each other are laid on the line in this steampunk tale of love, loss and war.

Praise for Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom:

"Grab your goggles and strap in for a (steam-powered) roller-coaster ride! Nick Valentino has done it again!"

- Jon Klement, Host of DragonTalk Radio

"Gadgets, gizmos, airships and automatons; the essentials of what a good steampunk novel needs and Nick Valentino does not skimp on any of them! Once again we follow Thomas Riley through murder, mayhem and plot with the valiant Cynthia Basset by his side. Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom is a rousing tale; Steampunk enthusiasts will be clamoring for more"

- Diana Vick, Vice Chair of Steamcon

Thomas Riley 2nd Edition OUT NOW!

I'm super proud to announce that the reissue of my first Steampunk adventure novel, Thomas Riley, is out today on ZOVA Books!

So you may be asking yourself, what do I get out of the reissue? What's so special about the second edition?
Well, the first edition is all but gone. I have a few copies in my stash but that's all that exist. So if you haven't read it yet, well, that's pretty much the only way you're going to get it. The cool parts of the second edition is that the entire book has been re-edited and looks quite different than the original. The second edition also has a revamped cover, sure the art is primarily the same but now it has different lettering, and a nifty back cover. In my opinion, the coolest part of the reissue is that there's an extra chapter at the end, which also happens to be the first chapter of the second book, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom, which isn't due out until June 25. So, I'll promise this much, you're going to get several answers to some burning questions that book 1 left hanging... hey, and you get a sweet teaser for book number 2. Depending on you're reading speed, you might just wrap up book one by the time the second one comes out.

How do you get your hands on a copy? I've got ya covered.

Amazon Paperback

Kindle

Nook 

Barnes & Noble Paperback 

The Thomas Riley Re-issue OUT TOMORROW! Tonight Sounds of Steam

Tomorrow, the re-edited, re-issue of my first Steampunk adventure novel, Thomas Riley, comes out on ZOVA Books! It has an extra chapter (that will immediately answer a few burning questions) for those that can't wait until book 2, (Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom) on June 25. It has a redesigned cover as well!

In celebration of the book release and for all things Steampunk, the fine folks at Sounds of Steam, internet radio, are having me on as a guest tonight!!! 9PM Eastern time, 6PM Pacific time.
They have a lot of amazing guests on tonight and some great music! Here's the details:

Sounds Of Steam, Why We Do, What We Do, in Steampunk, May 13th, 2013

Why Steampunk? What makes you passionate about this hobby, pastime, aesthetic, lifestyle, or whatever you want to call it? We tell you the our personal answers to those questions, as well as ask others. Interviews with Steampunk darling, Airship Captain, and Steampunk Murder Mystery Host, Nim Derringer; Author of the Thomas Riley series, Nick Valentino; and convention creator and host, Jeff Mach.

Featuring music from Professor Elemental, This Way to the Egress, Frenchy and the Punk, The Aeronauts, The Bewitched, Unwoman, Victor Sierra, Abney Park, The Extraordinary Contraptions, Vagabondage, Veronique Chevalier, BirdEatsBaby, CosbySweater, Bad September, Violet, The Cog is Dead, and The Dresden Dolls.

***Please let your friends know, and invite others to join in on this, live or download! Spread the word of the Steampunk show for all sides of the Steampunk lifestyle! Make sure to "Like" and "Share" our page for all updates!

What is Sounds of Steam?
It is a weekly, Steampunk-themed, internet-radio show, hosted by Travis I. Sivart and Chris Hall.

We have our usual weekly segments of Drink-Du-Jour, This Week In History, Opening and Closing Toasts, Upcoming Events, and Steampunk Music Hour. We discuss the influence of Steampunk in the world of movies, literature, music, gaming, and every other corner of culture we can find. We interview convention goers and hosts, artists, bands, writers, inventors, time travelers and craftsmen. We explore the hobbies, sub genres, geographic influences and fringe cultures that help shape Steampunk every day. All of this blended with wit, sarcasm and a pub-like atmosphere.

To listen to Sounds of Steam live broadcast, tune in to:

http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel-steampunk/tune_in

or

http://wightpartyradio.com/wightparty-radio-player/

To listen on your iPhone or Android http://tunein.com/radio/Wightparty-Radio-s182957/?popout=true

To download Sounds of Steam's previous episodes: http://www.SoundsOfSteam.com/episodes/

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 2 Edits Round 2 Done

Edits
I'm happy to announce a few cool things. One that the Thomas Riley 2 (Round 2) edits are done and sent off. My editor, Amanda Shults from ZOVA Books has been insanley wonderful through this whole process and has been such a huge help. She's helped me hone and shape this into a wonderfully detailed story. I'm absolutely excited for everyone to read this! The book has several big turn of events.

Thomas Riley 1 Reissue
So ZOVA Books will be rereleasing the first Thomas Riley novel. (All three will be under the same house now) I'm excited to report that the reissue will have the first chapter of book 2 at the end of the novel. This will not only answer a very important question, but it sets up book 2 quite nicely. I'm excited to see it!

In random news...
I'm working on the plotting of Thomas Riley 3 and it's looking to be even more detailed and in depth than #2. Somehow, this crazy steampunk story is going to get even crazier. In my in between time, I'm also fooling with a new book which all I will tell you right now is a horror novel called Tribes.

Thomas Riley Edits Round 1

The edits for Thomas Riley 2 are complete and sent to my wonderful editor at Zova Books. While this sounds awesome, don't get me wrong, it totally is, there is quite a lot more to do. The round one is the first set of edits for the first seven chapters. (There are 23 in all) So, we have two more sets of first round chapters, then a final edit as well.

The great part is that I now have Open Office and I'm on a bullet train (for me) pace. I feel good and I want to get this out asap and kick some booty with Thomas Riley 3. I'm extra inspired because I saw The Dark Knight Rises yesterday and what a bad ass trilogy that was! I loved it and it put me in the mindset to possibly close out the Thomas Riley series with a great ending.

I'm still chipping away at Thomas Riley 3 plot points, character bios and even getting some ideas for the rewrite of Chapter one. If you don't know, I started it and didn't like the scene at all so I'm redoing it. Okay, here's a hint. Right now I'm thinking about starting book three off with a funeral...

Look out for a blog tomorrow on my awesomely kooky weekend.

Thomas Riley 2 is done

I'm done! After way too long and the roughest yet most amazing and wonderful time of my life, I'm so happy to say that Thomas Riley 2 is finished. I promise, this won't happen again. I'll literally be starting Thomas Riley 3 tomorrow. Thank you to everyone that have been so awesome waiting for the next book. I hope that the extra time it took to finish this has yielded a more dynamic novel. Musically, it took everything from Cradle of Filth to Made out of Babies to La Dispute and Touche Amore to get the steam to write this. Also the art above is a rough in progress look at the cover art by the amazing Will Routon (who did the art for book one). I figured he wouldn't mind me sharing.

Thomas Riley 2 (which doesn't have an official title yet) is a much darker story than book one. It's definitely an act two kind of tale. It's a love triangle that has turned into a love square. The story follows Thomas Riley and Cynthia Basset into a new battle against their longtime enemies, the Lemurian nation where Cynthia threatens everything with her love for famous sky pirate and now Lemurian recruit Sam Burges.

This instalment in the Thomas Riley series has a title wave of new characters and dangers ranging from Lemurian sharpshooter Joseph Allerberger, the even more insane than his predecessor, Doctor Wolfgang Gerhard and an airship larger than the Titanic that has the futuristic ability to manipulate the weather. Also there's an "American" pirate, Captain Bradford Booker who assists Thomas and Cynthia on their journey with his ethnically diverse crew to find Sam Burgess when he was taken prisoner after saving Thom and Cyn in book one. And finally, a young Sophie, or (Long Form) Sophie Marie Franziska Antonia Ignatia Alberta von Hohenberg, daughter of the Lemurian ruler takes center stage in book two. You may remember her from book one when Thomas and Sam infiltrate the Lemurian palace to rescue Cynthia. You'll also get a more in depth look into the characters from book one. Ann Read has become more bitter and vengeful while her counterpart Kathleen Benika has become completely mad. The latter may or may not have cannibalized a priest...

I like to think that more time was taken for the reader to really get involved with the characters, you get some back story as well as a hearty look into their personalities (even though many of them are completely crazy). Also for those who were wondering where the phantoms come into play in book one... all of that is explained and actually is now a part of an evil Lemurian scheme to win the twenty year war. Also, for those wondering what happened to Lillian Beuafort's soul? You'll get all the answers while being given a host of new ones.

So again, thank you to everyone that has been so patient waiting for this to be finished. This includes everyone from friends and family to Zova Books and fans that have been so great during this process.

Thomas Riley Is Here

Thomas Riley has officially and undeniably arrived. I'm kind of speechless right now, mostly because I now have a ton of work to do. If you could equate man hours into tons, well, I might have two tons.
Here's what the cargo ship parachuted in yesterday:


With that said, I want to thank all of my pre-order people for being so kind and patient. I know it was a long wait for some of you, but finally they have arrived and are on their way to you at this very moment.

Alright, if you haven't ordered a signed book, you can now have one shipped to you right away. Click here for instantly shipped signed copies. (Don't forget if you want them personalized please make a note of how you want it signed in Paypal.)
Click Here to get your signed copy.

And what's this I hear??? You have not enlisted as a Sky Pirate yet? The pirates have already gotten their first contest... so don't miss out.
ENLIST ME AS A SKY PIRATE!

Blog Post Burnout

BPM
So you need to know I've been avoiding blogs for the last bit because of a sickness called BPB, or Blog Posting Burnout. 32 Blogs, & 3 interviews in 30 days really put a damper on my need to give you a lot of new information recently. So, I apologise and with that, I'm officially back. If you have any desire to see my blog tour exploits, see the bottom of this post for the entire list with links.

The Books
Ok... I don't know what to say about the books. I realise that many of you have not gotten your copy and for that I can not apologise enough to you. I want to thank you for your patience and I promise the second I get my copies in I will have them signed and in the mail to you ASAP. Apparently there is a bit of a back up at the printing press and Thomas Riley is basically in limbo. The copies could arrive today (which would be ideal) or they may not arrive until... well, the information is cloudy. Either way, I know a lot of you have been asking and I promise I will get these to you as fast as humanly possible. Your continued patience is much appreciated.

The Schedule
Starting January 16, 2010 my life goes crazy. Crazy in a good way of course, but crazy none the less. As it stands now I have one weekend off between January 16 and March 31... I'll make another post about where I will be and I hope to see many of you on the road. So look out, Huntsville, Birmingham, Nashville, Columbia and San Diego, I'm coming back!

Star Wars
I need to take a "non-book moment" and say that I saw Star Wars in Concert last night. This was the London Symphony Orchestra playing Star Wars music with the (In person) Anthony Daniels hosting the event. There isn't much I can say than it was actually and literally amazing. (Isn't it nice to be able to use that word and actually mean it?) If you were lucky enough to catch this two and a half month tour across the US, well, you know what I'm talking about. Here's a picture from my seats. Thank you to everyone that was ever involved in Star Wars, you have made a truly epic picture.



More Thomas Riley
You can still order signed copies of Thomas Riley HERE
You can enlist as a Sky Pirate HERE You'll get some pretty nifty stuff in the mail if you do so.

Blog Tour
Here are the links to each blog tour stop I made. Enjoy!
• http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=58084
• http://nickvalentino.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-tour-day-2-extras.html
• http://mysteriesandchitchat.blogspot.com/2009/10/steampunk-101-nick-valentino.html
• http://evilamy.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/guest-post-nick-valentino-author-of-thomas-riley/
• http://themagicalbuffet.com/blog1/2009/10/30/thomas-riley-blog-tour/
• http://inertblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/valentino-takeover.html
• http://www.marywelk.com/2009/11/nick-valentino-and-thomas-riley.html
• http://candidcanine.blogspot.com/2009/11/welcome-to-nick-valentino-author-of.html
• http://teresaburrell.blogspot.com/2009/11/v-word-is-valentino.html
• http://opheliajulien.blogspot.com/2009/11/ghosts-steampunk-and-nick-valentino.html
• http://teen-seen.blogspot.com/2009/11/story-of-pavlov-and-moose.html
• http://rivetgallery.blogspot.com/2009/11/art-of-thomas-riley.html
• http://davegatesdesign.com/myblog/a-pause-for-steampunk/
• http://ascamacho.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html#1296011591779317798
• http://frazer-makingstuffup.blogspot.com/2009/11/nick-valentino-guest-blogs-on-making.html
• http://gaylecarline.blogspot.com/2009/11/down-thru-chimney-with-good-saint.html
• http://eastnashvilleblog.com/2009/11/12/an-east-nashville-query-guest-blog-by-author-nick-valentino/
• http://myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com/2009/11/guest-post-author-nick-valentino.html
• http://bookblabbing.blogspot.com/2009/11/guest-post-nick-valentino-author-of.html
• http://readingwatchingliving.blogspot.com/2009/11/blog-tour-nick-valentino.html
• http://razloversbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/guest-post-nick-valentino.html
• http://sumanam.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/guestpost-by-nick-valentino-author-of-thomas-riley/
• http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com/2009/11/thomas-riley-and-basics-of-steampunk.html
• http://freret.blogspot.com/2009/11/guest-post-thomas-riley-steampunk-twist_24.html
• http://www.myskoteket.se/featured-articles/thomas-riley-steampunk-novel-gastinlagg
• http://www.myskoteket.se/bocker/steampunk-via-posten
• http://straitjacketchillers.blogspot.com/2009/11/thomas-riley-steampunk-adventure-novel.html
• http://straitjacketchillers.blogspot.com/2009/11/evolution-of-thomas-riley-steampunk.html

Blog Tour Day 2 The Extras

So here we are… Officially day 2 of The Sky Pirate’s Barrage World Blog Tour. The tour came together with the help of a lot of people. Twenty seven to be exact. I realize that having someone come to your personal blog and basically say whatever they want can be a kind of space invading proposition, so I want to thank everyone that let me guest blog for a day. It really does mean a lot, not just the trust issue, but the fact that everyone has been so kind and helpful.

It’s so important to get the word out about the book and my aggressive plans for its promotion get more aggressive by the day. You have to think of it this way, there are 100,000 books released a year. That’s 274 books a day. Yeah, a day! What are your chances of anyone even seeing or hearing of it? Slim at best. So for the next month I will be all over the world (blog wise) promoting Thomas Riley. If I had the time, I would do 1000 blogs if I could.

If you know me, you know that I love everything DIY. I love to promote, to make things, to give things away and put personal touches on everything I do. If you’ve enlisted as a Sky Pirate, you’ve probably already received your enlistment papers, and flight credentials, so you know what I’m talking about when I say personal and DIY. It’s fun really. I enjoy those kinds of things. It’s what I would want from anyone that I ordered something from. If I ordered a book, piece of art or anything for that matter, how cool would it be to get an extra sketch from the artist or a secret stamp by the author? (Oops, did I just drop a spoiler?) If you’ve already spent money on something the extras can really mean a lot. What those extras say is “I care about you the consumer. I appreciate you spending your hard earned money on me, so I’m going to give you extra attention because you deserve it.”

That’s what we all want right? More for your money? In the spirit of asking you the reader a question. What is the coolest extra you’ve ever gotten? It can be from anything. An author, an artist, a fast food place… it doesn’t matter. What’s the best addition to a purchase you’ve ever gotten?

As you can see all over this blog, you can now purchase Thomas Riley at http://thomasriley.bigcartel.com
As well as www.echelonpress.com
If you want to enlist as a Sky Pirate or learn more about the book, take a gander at the web site: www.sirthomasriley.com

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

Thomas Riley Cover Art

It's official! The cover art for Thomas Riley is in. (Now I'm stoked to see what the whole thing looks like.) Anyway, enjoy!

The ebook will be available before the print version comes out on October 23rd on Echelon Press, but I'm not sure exactly when. Trust me, I'll let you know as soon as I do. I know I've blogged about this before, but the illustration was done by the magnificent Will Routon.

Go on... click it... I dare ya.