Launching a novel by (unplanned!) candlelight 📙🕯️
Apparently newsletters need electricity.
As most of you should be aware, In Victrix is now live and available in both ebook and paperback. I left writing this announcement to the last minute, only to find out that apparently newsletters need electricity…
Tasmania has been battered by intense storms, with flooding and wind damage everywhere. We’ve spent last weekend and this week mostly without power, despite the brave efforts of the technicians working in this weather — the winds kept tearing stuff away. So I didn’t quite get to work on this newsletter as planned.
If one were to look for silver lining, it was father’s day here in Aus, and nature’s gift means I now have an excuse to chainsaw stuff… 😂🪚
This one was the easy to deal with — it was flat on the ground. We also had to climb on some trees to lop broken branches. What does one do with all that wood? Why, keep it for a solstice bonfire in our stone circle! 🔥
Somewhat flooded at the moment, but I foresee dancing and demon summoning — or at least marshmallow summoning. By now we have quite a few more piles on the outside, waiting for drier days.
Anyway… While I was busy with all of this, a few heart-warming missives were waiting for me on social media from the candlelight launch!
The interview with Borax went live on TheProtagonistSpeaks! Those who’ve read the novels know that Felix’s trusty bodyguard may look halfway between Obelix (from Asterix) and Crixus (from Spartacus), but he’s got a surprisingly gentle soul. He had some surprising views about what it’s like to work for Felix. I bet you wouldn’t guess what he actually finds scariest!
Harry Turtledove had received a copy on In Victrix and was showing it off. When asked by his followers on Twitter what he found compelling about the story, he replied:
"The integration of magic into the society. This is the world as the Romans imagined it, with sorcery as real and routine as bread."
Which is amazing, considering it was one of my goals in world-building! I always wanted to explore how the Romans would act if their perception of magic was indeed true.
Then, with all the Kindle pre-orders going out to readers — there were those who stayed up past midnight to read it as soon as it came out! 😍
And, thanks to all you wonderful people, In Victrix has climbed to the Top 100 in the Greco-Roman Fantasy category! Amazon counts this as a best seller, and I certainly do 🥰📚
If you haven’t already, grab an ebook on Amazon, or a paperback in most stores. If you’d like your own signed and dedicated copy, reach out! I ship them at cost for all you fervent Felix fans 😸
For those who have already read it: please, please, pretty please leave a review! Your honest words (whether you liked it or not) mean the world to me and future readers!
That’s it for now! Next time (towards the end of the year), I’ll include a flash-fiction I’ve been working on with Jack Finkel, Unusual Crimes Squad 👮 At some point there will also be a character interview with Felix interviewing Jack… I shudder what these two will gossip about me! 😅
Heartiest congratulations!