fantasyauthors

Shadow Of The Wicked

I know I’ve been plugging my novella, but it is now available to purchase! Thank you for following my journey and I hope you finally get a chance to see my writing style in my first book.

Here are some of the reviews for it so far on GoodReads. Check out the rest of them here:
SHADOW OF THE WICKED GOODREADS PAGE.

If you want to read the blurb and PURCHASE A SIGNED COPY (Australian customers only), head over to the page.

SHADOW OF THE WICKED.

Here are the links to purchase them.

“Shadow Of The Wicked was engrossing, the characters were well developed and the plotline (e en though short as it is for a novella) held my interest and kept me turning each page.” 

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The characters were very well written. They both had a reason for their choices in life and the backstory really supported this. They felt very detailed and fleshed out and I found myself heavily invested in their decisions. When things got intense, I found myself routing for them and really hoping they survived. I also found myself physically grimacing at some of the torture scenes which made me feel like they were written very well and gave me a clear picture of what was happening.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I saw the cover of this novella, I knew immediately that I wanted to read it. I absolutely loved it.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The characters are rich, complex, and well developed. This novella is completely and utterly engrossing. It is suspenseful, intense and full of raw emotion. I could not put it down and because of that, it was a very quick read for me.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Overall it’s a super engrossing read. I got hooked on it from the very first page! It’s an amazing page-turner! The characters are solidly written and well developed. Their journeys have been well-crafted and written vividly.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

‘Shadow Of The Wicked’ Cover Reveal

I’m so happy to share this with you. It has begun. The cover reveal event for Shadow Of The Wicked has been taking place on my social media pages.

This marketing campaign is specifically aiming at my Instagram, although it is working on my Facebook page as well. I’ve screenshot my pages below to show exactly how I’m doing this reveal and the effect I’m trying to achieve.

It’s over 9 days, 1 photo a day at 5pm AEST. Look out for the next image of my cover reveal.

Subscribe, follow, and like my pages below to keep up to date with the pre-release dates– 1st of June– and the RELEASE DATE OF SHADOW OF THE WICKED – 1st OF JULY.

Facebook.

Instagram.

Goodreads page.

Youtube.

#DouglasWTSmith #bookrelease

Pre-Release Event Dates!

It has begun.

1st of June and the first day of my Release Event. Subscribe, follow, and like my pages below to keep up to date with the pre-release dates– 1st of June– and the RELEASE DATE – 1st OF JULY.

Facebook.

Instagram.

Goodreads page.

#DouglasWTSmith #bookrelease

How to Choose Your Book Cover

WRITING UPDATE: SHADOW OF THE WICKED is done. The launch date is the 1st of July. I’m doing a 9 day cover reveal on all my social media pages from the 1ST OF JUNE but my mailing list subscribers will see it first, and receive THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS, so make sure you sign up below!

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If you didn’t see my last post, I created a Youtube channel. I’ve been pondering on the idea for a while and thought why not do it to celebrate the launch of my debut novella.

Here is my first video.

Make sure you subscribe, follow, and like my pages to keep up to date with the pre-release dates– 1st of June– and the RELEASE DATE – 1st OF JULY. There are going to be a lot of GIVEAWAYS, READINGS and Q & A’s.

Make sure you don’t miss out on this event!

How do you choose a book cover for your debut novel?

Your cover is the first introduction to your book, before the hook and before the first word. It swings readers to your book and entices them to discover more about your book. Your cover can grab or hinder the reader.

From what I’ve learnt from this whole self-publishing process, the book cover is your primary book marketing tool.

As you can see above in the youtube video, I’m using my cover to try attract readers. Although getting the cover wasn’t easy. Choosing a photograph or illustration for your book’s cover can obviously be a daunting task. No matter how imaginative writers can be, visual imagination is not always included. For many authors, the fact that an entire novel requires only one picture to illustrate it is a blessing. The problem is that you still need to come up with that one picture — and it needs to be a good one. Because it’s just one picture. One. I used a company, MiblArt and they were fantastic. Which you shall soon see…

The following are a few book cover design tips to help you formulate and execute a concept for your cover’s imagery.

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SHADOW OF THE WICKED Pre-release Dates!

I created a Youtube channel. I’ve been pondering on the idea for a while and thought why not do it to celebrate the launch of my debut novella.

Here is my first video. Below are the links I mention in the video.

Make sure you subscribe, follow, and like my pages to keep up to date with the pre-release dates– 1st of June– and the RELEASE DATE – 1st OF JULY.

Also, subscribe to my channel to see more details of the giveaways, prizes, and Q and A’s.

Thank you! Mailing List: https://mailchi.mp/d6107b64867c/maili…

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/douglas.w.t…

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordougla…

Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57952756-shadow-of-the-wicked

A New Name in Fantasy

I have some very exciting news. For those that have been following my writing journey, you shall remember my deal to publish my first novel, To Wield the Stars with publisher Fiction Vortex, however, in short, it went bust from COV-19.

And just as the Phoenix

rose from the ashes,

she too will rise.

Returning from the flames,

More beautiful than before.

Shannon Heartz

As a member of the story verse with other authors, we were hung out to dry with meaningless contracts until our Head proposed an idea. To become a publisher. Thus, Of Metal and Magic Publishing was born. Keep reading below to find out how to get FREE BOOKS!

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How To Build Suspense In Your Novel

Over the past weeks, I posted mini-series for character development. I hope writers and authors took at least one or two things away from my advice. If you are unsure of what I am referring to, you can look at the last post of the series, and there are links to the other posts there.

As for this post, I wanted to roll-on from your well-rounded protagonist, you need to build suspense for you readers to finish your story. Suspense is a wonderful tool to evoke a strong emotional response from readers. Below are Three Suggestions to Build Suspense In Your Novel.

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Three Ways To Start A New Chapter

When your novel is progressing nicely and you finish a chapter, the next chapter is calling but you procrastinate, you do your laundry and you avoid your next chapter.

Writing a novel is difficult. It takes time and persistence.

There are many rules new writers are unaware of. When I was writing my first draft for, A Time of Stones, I finished each chapter and stared at the blank piece of paper, confused at how I could start the next chapter.

If this is you, below are three ways to start that next chapter and three dead-end ways to start a chapter. These rules aren’t set in stone but more of a guide to make your novel the best it can be.

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