Category: EDITOR

Is it taking me longer to publish books?

Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate Front Cover
Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate Front Cover today

Actually, I know the answer, it’s a rhetorical question, but readers keep asking me this question, so here is how I do it. Other processes might be better so please tell me what you do; I am eager to know!

When I first starting publishing books, independently in 2006, nobody had any interest in my books at all. Apart from one short story, which a few kind souls told me had merit, I could get nobody I knew to read my stuff, not friends or even family.

By the time of completion of my first draft for Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate, things had changed. Several people were now interested and I felt lucky to have three readers of the manuscript (MS) before publication. This helped me a great deal to improve the book although I really had to bit the bullet because I needed, among other things, to cut 15000 words from the overlong manuscript. This resulted in a big improvement so I had learned that readers of your pre-publication MS, beta readers, can be a very useful part of the writing process. Continue reading “Is it taking me longer to publish books?”

What WIP are you working on now?

Here is an update of what I am doing. If you are a writer or reader, tell me; what have you been up to?

New Book Covers

I have had new covers designed for The Ice Boat and The Man Who Recreated Himself. Tell me what you think. Thanks to those who have helped me; you know who you are. New covers for Infinite Blue Heaven and the Short Stories volumes are on the way.

The Ice Boat cover
The Ice Boat cover

The lovely new cover says it all about this book. A lonely man searches for love in some of the remotest, as well some of the most urbanised, places on Earth. There is a coldness in his heart that he doesn’t seem to be able to fill. The covers for Volume 2 and the Boxed Set are of the same design.

The Man Who Recreated Himself cover
The Man Who Recreated Himself cover

I love this new design! The tunnel looks like a key-hole to me and that represents the idea that, in some way, James Brennan has the key to the future of man. The butterfly symbolises metamorphosis.

The Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate – Extended Edition sale

The giveaway of this book was quite successful, with about 300 copies downloaded. What has been great is that I sold 3 copies since the sale ended! Continue reading “What WIP are you working on now?”

Free: Ordo Lupus I – Extended Edition

Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate - Extended Edition cover
Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate – Extended Edition cover

Now you have the unique opportunity to download the 5-star Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate FREE on Amazon. From 10-14 October, you can click on the link below and get it absolutely free. This eBook has 15,000 words not included in the standard edition and normally retails for $4.39 so this is a great bargain! Make the most of the opportunity and grab a copy! http://bit.ly/ordo1ext

If vampire sex, werewolf sex, templars, temple gates and occult gates are your thing, this is for you!

Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate – Extended

Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate - Extended Edition cover
Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate – Extended Edition cover

This weekend you will get the unique opportunity to download the 5-star Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate FREE on Amazon. From 10-14 October, you can click on the link below and get it absolutely free. This eBook has 15,000 words not included in the standard edition and normally retails for $4.39 so this is a great bargain! Make the most of the opportunity and grab a copy! Click here to see the book on Amazon.

The extra material is mostly about the main character’s early life; service in the RAF as a Blenheim pilot and his life as an MI-6 agent in Bulgaria, where he met Rose. The RAF section includes a nail-biting account of the attack on Holland which decimated the Squadron. There is much more detail about Rose’s early encounters with John, including a shower and lovemaking scene. None of these are in the standard edition. If you have read the standard edition, download the book to read these scenes!

If vampire sex, werewolf sex, templars, occult gates and temple gates are your thing, this is for you!

Tales of Lazlo Ferran, Freelance Editor

Some people have asked me to write about my editing experiences so here goes:

I haven’t edited a book for another writer since Amit Bobrov’s The Journals of Raymond Brooks. Editing is a marketplace starved of money, but I am determined to find more work to fund my writing.

Consequently, a few days ago I joined an editing group on LinkedIn and posted a link to my editing page and asked for feedback. It was a baptism of fire! I must say that editors are a tough bunch! They didn’t hold back and told me the page was too chatty and unprofessional. If you are looking for an editor, I think you will approve of the new page. I have reduced my rates somewhat because of the tough market conditions at the moment. However, even these prices are only a guide; I am open to negotiation. So if you are looking for an editor for your new book, please contact me. Continue reading “Tales of Lazlo Ferran, Freelance Editor”

Sneak preview of The Synchronicity Code

Here is the second preview of The Synchronicity Code, the third and final book in the series. I hope you like it. Please comment because your feedback is valuable to me.

The Synchronicity Code

Copyright © 2014 by Lazlo Ferran

All Rights Reserved.

We reached the street above the Street of the Salt Sellers and turned into it. Some way along it, Guillaume pointed to a small outcrop of rocks to the left.

“That courtyard. The entrance should be in there.”

Two Roman guards stood guard outside a heavy iron grill in a courtyard.

“Now what?” Hugo asked. Continue reading “Sneak preview of The Synchronicity Code”

What is 1st Century Jerusalem really like?

This week; Sneak Preview returns and a brief discussion about getting historical accuracy in novels: What was 1st Century Jerusalem really like?

Sneak Preview

Today, I have a little treat for you, the first sneak preview of Ordo Lupus III:

Ordo Lupus III
Copyright © 2014 by Lazlo Ferran
All Rights Reserved.

As we climbed up the sloping streets, myself wearing a black kudra, few even glanced at us.
“Are there usually this many soldiers?” John asked, glancing at a centurion.
“No. There are more than usual, even for Passover. The City has been tense for days now.”
We walked towards Herod’s Palace in the north-west corner of the City. Every pavement and street corner was crammed full of busy traders, customers and stalls, selling food, wine, beer from Egypt, every type of cloth and garment.
“What’s that?” John asked, pointing to a tower, topped with a four-sided pyramid.
“King David’s tomb.” Continue reading “What is 1st Century Jerusalem really like?”

Inchoate available in Egypt and it’s FREE!

Short Stories Series (all use same cover)

Egypt or any part of Africa through Kobobooks.com, I am told. I need somebody in Egypt to test this.
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-gb/Search?Query=lazlo+ferran
nb: you will have to convert the book to .mobi using a free software programme called Calibra if you want to read them using a Kindle device.
If you have problems let me know by commenting or emailing me so that I can send you a workaround.

You can always find details of availability and updates on the Catalogue page of this website.

If you live in Egypt please can you test the Kobobooks source and get back to me?

Ordo Lupus: who do you think they are?

This week: Grammar and Onomatopoeia and – Ordo Lupus (The Order of the Wolf): who do you think they are?

Grammar and Onomatopoeia

Grammar
I am just doing a light re-edit of the second book in the Ordo Lupus series: The Devil’s Own Dice. I have been pleasantly surprised how good it is! I occasionally go back to old books to just bring the grammar up to date. This is because, not only do my grammar skills improve as I publish more work but also there are fashions in grammar and these gradually change! Yes, it’s true!

Of course everybody knows that the meaning of a word can change over time. This field of study is called semantics. The obvious example is ‘gay’. When I was young this simply meant ‘happy’ or ‘bright and cheerful’. Now it most usually denotes someone physically attracted to the same sex.

Another word which changes meaning with time is ‘insidious’. The meaning of this word seems to actually fluctuate during cycles of about ten years. It can sometimes mean ‘subtle’ and sometimes mean ‘subtly bad’.

In two of my books, written in the mid-noughties, the phrase ‘in-control’ comes up quite a lot. People actually used said that a lot during the 80s and 90s. Now, nobody seems to use it so I take it out wherever I see it. Continue reading “Ordo Lupus: who do you think they are?”

Secret Codes; Should I use them?

This week: Secret Codes; should I use them? FREE eBook and a Sneak Preview.

It’s been a very busy week. My first newsletter went out on Sunday so today’s blog will be quite a short one.

===== FREE NOW!!! ==========
Share: Occult thriller- Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate is still free until tomorrow at 8am BST. http://bit.ly/15R1xOL “Wild ride” “Exciting read” “Rich, complex” “Well plotted”

“Am I? Beautiful?” She turned her face towards me and I longed to kiss it but I couldn’t.

Download the free Kindle apps here: http://www.amzn.to/13aluuF Continue reading “Secret Codes; Should I use them?”