An International Debut!

FREE 'til Sunday!

Authors, have you ever considered having your book translated into another language? It allows you to reach out and touch a whole new audience!

I've just released the German translation of HAPPILY EVER AFTER, which is entitled UND WENN SIE NICHT GESTORBEN SIND... (literally, "and if they are still alive...")

The book is FREE THIS WEEKEND - here's a link to the German Amazon site - http://amzn.to/S0AZyF - so if lesen Sie Deutsch, I cordially invite you to grab a copy... If you don't read German, but have any friends who do, won't you please help me spread the word by forwarding them the little link above, or recommending this blog post?

Also, if you're on Twitter, a Tweet to the world would be wunderbar! Here's a cut-and-paste sample you can use!

Tauchen Sie in die Welt der „bösen Hexe“ aus Ihren Lieblingsmärchen, selber zu Wort kommt http://amzn.to/S0AZyF #frei #buch #deutsch #marchen

OK, enough with the promotional stuff, here's a little more about the process.

Translation requires you to find a good translator - I found the wonderful Sabine Ströbele by talking to my friend Julia, another German translator who was too busy to do the work. Translation does cost money, unless you have a friend who's willing to help you out. Some translators may work for a percentage of the profits... Do NOT use Google Translate unless you want to be laughed at, and if finding a freelancer on Craigslist or elsewhere, it would be wise to have them translate a short passage, and then have a friend who is a native speaker of the language read through it and comment on the quality of the work.

Translation also benefits from having an appropriate story. In the case of UND WENN SIE NICHT... it's based on the old German Märchen that we know as "fairy tales" - thus, a German translation seemed appropriate, and this assumption was justified after a couple of German friends, who had read the English version agreed that it would be a great read in German.

That said, I doubt I'd have SEVEN LIVES TO REPAY OUR COUNTRY, a WWII story featuring Japanese and American soldiers on Saipan translated to German - even though I know a good translator, the audience connection just isn't there. However, SEVEN LIVES... would be a perfect book to translate to Japanese, because it's written from the perspective of a Japanese soldier.

So, when you're looking at your bookshelf, consider this - to get a new book out on the market, you can write another one - or consider having an English title translated into a new language! The choice is yours!

Bonne chance!

Edward

Indie Artist Crossover Karma Post #2

A Lovely Lace Cuff!

Once in a while, I like to take a moment out from whatever else I've got going on to share a little something about one of the many awesome independent artists that I know who works in some other medium besides writing!

Last time it was the band 7Lions - who are continuing to rock their way around the West Coast and up the charts!

Today it's my fabulous friend Ashley DeCarli... I've known Ashley for years, and while I always knew she was an amazingly creative person, I was still delightfully surprised when she opened a store on Etsy, revealing a whole new side to her that I never knew existed - she makes great, wearable art in the form of scarflettes, cuffs, bracelets, necklaces, etc.

So, as this week's little act of good karma, I'd like to cordially invite you all to pop over to her virtual store, and check out all three pages of wearable art, jewelry, and more! It's a great way to support an independent artist, and make yourself (or a special sister, friend, wife or lover) stand out from the crowd! Today's the perfect day for it, because everything's 10% off when you use the coupon code GLISTEN10...

I know I'll definitely be doing some shopping here for my many sisters, and if she ever comes out with a line of manly accessories, peut-etre pour moi!

Have a great day, and more writing-related stuff will be coming your way soon!

Best to all,
Edward

The Awards Issue...

So, this is a special post.

I usually find myself updating my status in A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) or announcing some new book or project, but this post is all about a couple of awards.

The first is for the short story that started it all for me, Seven Lives to Repay Our Country, which has recently been nominated for the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) award for Literary Fiction - time will eventually tell if it wins this award, but you can make your voice heard here: 

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/23214.MWSA_Awards_2012_Nominees#13056832

If you've read this story and are a Goodreads member, please take a moment to cast a vote - it would be much appreciated!

The next award is a "Versatile Blogger" award which I received from Lynn Thompson. Thanks, Lynn!

To accept it, I'm supposed to share 7 random facts about myself, and to nominate 15 other bloggers for this award... Now, I have some issues with these sorts of awards, because shouldn't writers be writing, not passing around electronic badges? But OK, I'll play along...

First, here are my nominees... Check out their blogs, you'll be glad you did:

http://lindsayandjaneviewsandreviews.blogspot.com/ 
Great reviews, and a beautiful site!

http://shahwharton.com/ 
Oone of the prettiest (and most diverse!) blogs I've seen...

http://jenniferblood.net/ 
Crime & Mystery readers / writers check this out!

http://www.mohanalakshmi.com/ 
Lots of reviews and some craft pieces...

http://thethingsthatcatchmyeye.wordpress.com/ 
Historical fiction resources and more!

http://www.bibliogrind.com/ 
A lot of great short pieces on this one!

http://westceltgypsy.com/ 
"Meet the Writer" interviews and other great stuff...

http://site.kristinecayne.com/ 
Romantic suspense? Look no further!

http://www.sarenastraus.com/ 
The wait is almost over for her new book...

http://www.meredithbond.com/ 
Because the list needs at least ONE paranormal romance blog!

http://universecityblog.wordpress.com/ 
Reviews, travel, writing - this site has it all!

http://newenglandmuse.wordpress.com/ 
My newest Tribemate on Triberr - check her out!

http://www.albertaross.co.uk/ 
A great (British!) connection!

http://ttoria.blogspot.com/ 
A great UK review site... She got me started!

http://www.charityparkerson.com/ 
Hot stuff... Mmm, yeah, THAT kind of hot!

OK, now my 7 things...

1. Wiener-schnitzel isn't all it's cracked up to be.
2. I enjoy swimming with sharks, within reason.
3. I like big butts and I cannot lie... Well, sometimes I can...
4. My writing knows no genre.
5. I am a good, bad influence on my nieces and nephews.
6. I have a lot of scars. Some of them are on the outside.
7. It is a minor miracle that I've made it this far.

Right, the rain has let up, and so it's time to mosey down the cobbled Bavarian streets to the snug little apartment that I'm calling home for the next few days.

Best regards,
Edward

New Story and a #ROW80 Update!

The Zugspitze on a clear day...

When it's a rainy day in Bavaria and the Zugspitze is covered in clouds, there's no hope for hiking, so it's the perfect time to post an update on writing, etc.

I'm in Germany for a 3-week course in international and military relations as they apply to Europe, Central Asia, and the Trans-Caucasus, so I've put the French on hold and am learning to sprechen sie Deutsch instead... By the time I leave, I hope to be good enough to get around, which I've always considered to be "order a drink, be polite, check in to a hotel, and buy a garment." If you can do those little things, you'll probably be OK... And of course, many people here speak great Englisch, which is both helpful, but also makes it harder to learn Deutsch, since you aren't actually forced into it...

My latest release!

Since I'm here, I thought it would be a great opportunity to release the German translation of Happily Ever After, whose translated title, Und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind... means, literally, "And if they have not since died..." (then it is implied that they must be living happily ever after...)

Translation is wonderful! You learn so much through it... For instance, when my translator, the wonderful and talented Sabine Ströbele sent me the draft, I noticed that a line in which the Queen observes that she was never an ordinary, average princess now included a strange-looking numeric code: 08/15.

I thought this was a typo, and asked Sabine about it - it turns out, this is a German idiom that dates back to the first World War when the MG 08/15 machinegun was the "standard issue" weapon, and was so ubiquitous that even today, someone or something that is ordinary, average, or lacking in originality is referred to as being "08/15."

So, if you read German (or know someone who does!) please recommend this short, fun Märchen (fairy tale) for their reading pleasure!

This announcement is also the biggest part of my ROW80 update, because it's the final check in the block for my publishing goals category in this round:

WRITING
- Write 10 Chapters of The Perfidious Mister Wickham COMPLETE!
- Write 3 Chapters of my Learning Indonesian book
- Finish Charming
- Finish The Welsh Mouse
- Finish The Artillerists
- Finish Merry Christmas, Mister Washington
- Finish Intercepts

PUBLISHING
- Publish the German Translation of Happily Ever After COMPLETE!
- Publish A Matter of Honor COMPLETE!

FITNESS
- Score 300 on the Combat Fitness Test
- Bench Press over 100 kg

LANGUAGE
- Five hours of studying French per week (replaced this with German until 15 September...)

NETWORKING
- Execute my “Social Media Plan”
- Build my “Core Group” to 25 people

ADMINISTRATION
- Re-Design my blog COMPLETE!
- Create a Kickstarter Project to support The Perfidious Mister Wickham COMPLETE!

Well, obviously (and disturbingly, from the perspective of an author) the biggest thing I have left to do in the next 3 weeks is write! (And not blog posts, either!) So, back to the drawing board (errr, keyboard!)

Wishing you all a great week, and will try to have some more interesting posts in the next few days about awards, electronic newspapers, etc...

Auf Weiderzehn!

Edward

#ROW80 Update!

Finally, a ROW80 update post, but unfortunately, there’s not a lot new to report.

On the writing front, I’ve been so busy with work and family of late that it’s been about all I can manage to crank out my weekly chapter of The Perfidious Mister Wickham – and I’m enjoying working in the serial format because it keeps me honest about getting a minimum amount of writing and editing done every week. Looking forward to getting back into my short stories (and sketching out the world and plot of a new novel) as soon as the pace of work slows down a bit.

Fitness and French goals are coming along – I’ve been pretty consistent about logging half an hour of French practice Monday through Friday, which means I’m making about half my required study hours. I’ll look forward to reporting better progress in my language studies in the weeks to come.

I’m 2 weeks into a 3-week cleansing fast, which has reduced my overall weight as my various workout programs have been making me stronger, and while I am looking forward to the end of this rigorous program, it has given me a renewed appreciation for both the pleasures of eating, and the importance of a very healthy diet.

One of my other non-writing goals for this ROW was to re-design this website, and I’ve managed to get that done this week as well... Would love to hear your thoughts on the new look!

I’m getting ready to head to Europe for a 3-week seminar class focused on politics and security in Eurasia, which will be a great learning opportunity and also a nice change of pace from my daily duties here in South Carolina.

It also seems be a most appropriate opportunity for me to release Und Wenn Sie Nicht Gestorben Sind..., the German translation of Happily Ever After. That will complete the publishing goals for this round, and leave me with just social networking and writing to focus on (but not necessarily in that order!) 

Well, that’s where I’m at this week – not a terribly thrilling update, I’m afraid, but it is what it is.

Wishing everyone a happy and productive week to come,

Best,
Edward

A New Nephew (Circle of Life, Part Two) + #ROW80 Update

Among the other things that have been keeping me very busy lately, to balance out the sadness of losing one of my Marines, I have the joy of becoming an uncle (again!) to the lovely and very talented Kieran Andre Carpenter.

He's a snuggly little lump of joy, and I try to get up to Charleston at least for a day every weekend or so to take a turn carrying him around (he sleeps best when he's being held) and taking his 2-year-old brother out looking for worms, feeding geese, or on trips to the park and aquarium.

Now, on the writing/publishing front, the free release of A Matter of Honor went well - almost broke the 1000-copies-downloaded mark (994, so close!) - now it's back to releasing a chapter a week of The Perfidious Mister Wickham, and finishing up a handful of short stories.

A quick review of my ROW80 goals reveals:

 WRITING
- Write 10 Chapters of The Perfidious Mister Wickham - 90% complete!

PUBLISHING
- Publish A Matter of Honor - Complete!

ADMINISTRATION
- Create a Kickstarter Project to support The Perfidious Mister Wickham - Complete!

I've been making progress on both my fitness goals, but have fallen off a little on the French studies, and have been even worse with the networking end of things. 

Will try to focus on those weak areas, as well as getting even more of the important stuff (writing!) done in the weeks to come.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and productive week!
Edward

#ROW80 Goal Achieved! New E-Book #FREE 'til Friday!

Well, I actually pulled an all-nighter on Sunday night, re-releasing all 3 of my previously published works with  new and improved back matter (samples, works list, etc) but more importantly for this ROW80 round, published A Matter of Honor: A Mister Wickham Adventure.

Then, I went off to work, got quickly sucked into a busy day, and logged onto the Amazon KDP Select dashboard at lunchtime to find that, unpromoted, the book had 300+ downloads and had jumped to #488 on Amazon's free book list.

Of course, that's all very exciting, especially since this short fiction is a tie-in to my on-going serial novel, The Perfidious Mister Wickham.

I'd like to think that this one has a shot of getting into the Top 100 by the end of the week, but in fact, it was only released to maintain continuity with the serial novel (a post for another time, but it turns out there is no better or more stressful way to keep yourself on-track writing a novel than to promise legions of fans that there will be a new chapter out every Monday!)

So, I wasn't really prepared or planning to do much promotion, and I guess we'll just see where Monday's momentum takes this one.

I hope you'll take a moment out of your busy day to grab a free copy for yourself, (click here for US readers, or here for UK readers) - and of course all Tweets, FB posts, etc. will be greatly appreciated!

Have a great day, and I'll look forward to penning another post sometime soon!

Best,
Edward