February Fantasy – Get Your Free Books

 

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Hello Readers,

I’ve done a couple of posts about free books this month and I’ve had a great response, so I thought I would do one more. If you want to grab yourself some more free fantasy reads this month, just head over to the February Fantasy Promo by clicking on the image above.

Happy Reading!

Tales of Fantasy – Free Fantasy Books For February.

Hello Readers,

Following on from my ‘Do you like to read?’ – free book sites post yesterday, I thought I would share a ‘February Fantasy Promo’ with you. If you like to read fantasy you can pick up some great fantasy books for free just by clicking on the image below.

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Happy Reading.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here.

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Do You Like to Read? Then Check This Out.

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Hello Readers,

For those of you who love to read (which I’d say is most, if not all, of you who are reading this), there are plenty of books out there that the authors want you to pick up for free. Amazon, Kobo, Apple, etc… they all have them. Just search on ‘Free’ on you should find a heap. But there are other places too that you might not be so familiar with.

There are arguments in the writing world both for and against free books. Some feel that authors should not be giving away the work they have laboured over. Others feel that providing free books helps an author to be discovered and build a fanbase that will go on to purchase backlist and future books. I can see both sides of the argument and I am not here to judge. I think it should be the author’s decision whether or not they make their books free. Personally, I don’t mind giving away some freebies to help readers discover my writing, nor do I mind receiving them in the search for new authors for me to discover. As a reader myself, if I have obtained a free book and enjoyed it, I feel I should pay back the author by rating their book and/or providing a review. But, once again this is a personal choice.

So today I’m going to share a few links with you that are home to free books.

Bookworms Discover provides free books from Indie authors on the 1st Thursday of each month. You can find them at https://www.bookwormsdiscover.com/

Goodreads has regular book giveaways you can enter and a draw determines if you win a copy or not. You can find them at https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway?all_countries=true&sort=featured

Prolific Works (previously known as Instafreebie) is a platform that provides exclusive access to sneak peeks, advance previews, and special giveaways. You can find them at https://www.prolificworks.com/about/

Freebooksy is another site that provides free books, you can find them at https://www.freebooksy.com/

These are not affiliate links; I do not receive any kickbacks if you visit these sites from the links provided. I just wanted to share the details of a few of the sites that I have used in case you find them useful, and in the hope it helps other great authors get discovered. And if you haven’t done so already, you can even pick up freebies from the home page on this site.

How about you? Do you know any good sites for Free Books? I’d love to hear of them if you do, especially if they are specific to the fantasy genre. Feel free to let me know in the comments.

Happy Reading!

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here.

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Time for a Quick Update.

Hello Readers,

We are now at the end of January and I thought it was timely to give you a quick update on my goal progress. As you will probably guess, I have been keeping myself busy. I still haven’t secured a new job, but I’m hopeful something will come up soon. I guess it has given me time to focus on my double diploma. I’m now well into unit 2 and boy is it a lot of work, but I am enjoying it.

I have managed to get some writing done, but not enough to be proud of. I estimate I’ve hit about 2000 words since the start of January and that’s across 2 stories I’m writing, so no real dent in anything there.  I have managed to read 3 books out of my 12 book target though, which has really surprised me.

My newsletter following is also growing and has increased from 350 to 412, so it looks like I’m on track to get to 600 sooner than anticipated. If I keep going at this rate I will have to re-evaluate and increase my goal here.

I’m yet to receive an English student through my volunteer tutoring, I was expecting to get someone assigned to me this month, but it hasn’t happened. I think I will hear something on this soon though.

As for increasing my reviews, this is probably my most ambitious target as I’m looking at an additional 8 reviews on each of my books. It may not sound much, but with 8 titles it comes in at 64 reviews and they are not easy to come by. So if you have enjoyed one of my stories and not yet left a review, you would make me very happy if you did so. Not only would it help me move towards achieving this goal, it would also help me as an author by providing the ‘Social proof’ new readers often look for on my writing.

That’s about it for my goals so far. So what about you? How are your goals coming along?

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here.

Guess Who Got An Honourable Mention.

 

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hello Readers,

I entered a scary short story contest back in October, and while I didn’t win, I was asked to participate in an anthology of the wining stories and receive an honourable mention.

So, if you want to read my submission or if you’re in the mood to read some other short horror stories you can check them out on the link below.

https://www.supportindieauthors.org/s/Whatever-You-Do-Dont-Turn-Around-Compilation.pdf

Happy Reading.

New Year, New Freebies.

Hello Readers,

With the New Year celebrations over, it is time to look forward to the year ahead. I am still looking for a new job, I’ve signed up to a double diploma, and I have completed a volunteer English tutor course and will be taking on my first student in the near future. Even with these commitments I plan to achieve more as an author this year, than I did in 2018. This year I hope to build a larger following, obtain more reviews on my books, finish some of my stories that have been neglected for a while, and much more.

Part of my plan to help build my following involves a little author collaboration and a giveaway. It’s a win/win situation! Readers get to try new authors without forking out for their books, and authors may pick up a new fan or 2.  So what better way to start the new year than by teaming up with another author for a free offer. Well that’s just what I have done. I’ve teamed up with author Carol James Marshall.

Carol James Marshall is a California native that now resides in Warner Robins, Georgia with her husband, two boys, and a couple of dogs that are spoiled by all. Marshall’s books are light science fiction with a splash of horror and a decent douse of creepy.  Her short stories are a bit lighter, being more whimsical, but still pack a mysterious yet comical punch. When Carol is not writing she loves audiobooks, reading, classic science fiction and horror films.

To grab a free copy of Carol’s book Starburst just click on the image below:

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STARBURST:

When everything you know is a lie… Will you seek the truth?

Lisa, our anti-hero, only wants to follow orders from her mysterious leader, Superior Mother, then get back to life in The Grey. When she is sent on her first mission among the humans, Lisa realizes she is more human than Superior Mother led her to believe. In her first mission for the Women of the Grey, Lisa begins to not only challenge her orders from Superior Mother but everything she has ever known. Defiant and on a quest for the truth, Lisa will follow orders no more while she creates a path of her own. If you love books with strong female characters that are both heroes and villains, Starburst is a read just for you.
The Women of the Grey is a science fiction and horror trilogy that dives into alien isolation tangled into a secret society. Read Starburst book 1 today to start the journey into the dark and disturbing world of The Grey.

For those of you that do not know me, I am a writer and artist, born in sun-scorched Australia and raised in the grungy suburbs of West London. I’m a keen martial arts fan, lover of fantasy, and a movie buff. I grew up watching movies like ‘Drunken Master’ and ‘Snake in the Eagles Shadow’. My favourite author is Joe Abercrombie and I love the graphic novels of Wendy and Richard Pini. So you will find I’ve been influenced by the likes of Joe, Wendy, Richard and cult Asian film directors such as Jacki Chan and Stephen Chow. I currently reside in Brisbane, where I enjoy creating new worlds through my writing.

To grab a free copy of my book Darkness In Shadows just click on the image below:

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DARKNESS IN SHADOWS:

Are you afraid of the dark? You should be!

Corporal Jackson’s been assigned a new post on a top-secret project and keeping him in the dark might just kill him. It’s hard to hide things from the Russians though. They know about the machine and they want one… but some secrets should stay hidden.

Darkness in Shadows is a sci-fi horror by Allan Walsh. If you like heart-thumping short stories, hair-raising concepts, and scary twists on reality, this monstrous tale will have you jumping at shadows.

Wrap your fingers around a copy today!

Happy Reading!

AW

Happy New Year!

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Photo by trung nguyen on Pexels.com

Hello Readers,

Happy New Year! Wow, another year is behind us. Doesn’t time seem to have travelled so fast when you look back on it and yet the end of 2019 seems so far away right now. No doubt that when we look back on this new year it will have flown by too.

My 2018 has been busy, but it was not as productive as I would have liked on the writing front. While I have added to a few novels I have been working on, I only finished 1 non-fiction title and a new short story. I haven’t published the short as I want to put into an anthology of tales I’ve written. This year I think I’ll sit down and plan out a schedule to complete the goals I want to achieve by the end of next year.

So, let’s have a look at some of the events and things I achieved over 2018:

  • I read 20 books this year
  • I reviewed 14 books
  • I visited Tasmania for the Dark Mofo Art festival
  • I wrote and published a non-fiction title
  • I wrote a short story
  • I attended 2 monthly writers groups (although I didn’t manage to make every month for both groups)
  • I signed up and completed a course for authors
  • I have created a new website with my own domain name
  • I automated my mailing list sign up process
  • I’ve tried my hand at advertising my books and while I have not had a great deal of success, I have learnt some valuable insights
  • I created an author page on D2D
  • I signed up to Kobo
  • I moved house
  • I got made redundant
  • I updated my resume and commenced job hunting
  • I have started a double diploma

And there you have it. It’s not an extensive list, but more than enough to give you a feel for what I’ve been up to. I hope I can make 2019 a more productive year. I feel I have set some strong foundations over 2018 and once I have my schedule planned out it will keep me on track for a great year to be. I wish you all the very best for your 2019 and hope it is your best year ever, whatever your goals and dreams are.

Happy Reading.

Merry Christmas!

selective focus photography of gift box on brown wooden surface
Photo by Thais Araujo on Pexels.com

Hello Readers,

A very brief post here to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Thank you all for following my blog over 2018 and may you all get a great book to read, under the tree.

Happy Reading.

What is Christmas like in Brisbane, Australia? I’ll share my experience with you.

Hello Readers,

In the spirit of Christmas I thought I would do a quick post around the festive season here in Brisbane, Australia.

As a child, I was raised in England, UK, where Christmas is cold and wintry, everyone rugs up in a coat with a hat and scarf, and there is a traditional roast dinner spent with family. The Christmas cards have pictures of snowmen, vendors on street corners sell roasted chestnuts from wood-fired, oil-drums under the Christmas lights of Oxford Street, and if you are really lucky… it snows.

As an adult, I moved to Brisbane, Australia, where Christmas no longer felt like Christmas. December falls in the peak of summer here and it is hot! Along side the traditional snow pictured Christmas cards, there are those with Santa in sun-glasses and board-shorts, riding a surfboard. Christmas dinner is a barbecue with king prawns, steak, salad and a cold beer. And much of my family are still in the UK.

Well it has taken many years, but I must say that this year feels more like Christmas than any other year I have spent in Australia. I now live in an inner city suburb, and yesterday I went to the theatre to see ‘A Christmas Carol’. It was a great production and I thoroughly enjoyed it (here is a photo of the set before the show started).

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A five minute bus ride took me to the Arts Centre in the heart of Brisbane where the festivities are everywhere. Just look at these photos of the decorated bus I caught (apologies in advance for the poor picture quality).

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When the sun goes down the Christmas spirit continues with things to do and see – like the stories projected onto the Town Hall and the Solar Christmas Tree at King George Square (incidentally, a short story by an author friend of mine was turned into a light show for this years Town Hall projection – Well done Mel).

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Then there is the street parade among the decorations and Christmas lights along Queen Street Mall, that unfortunately I do not have photos of… yet! And I mustn’t forget the Enchanted Garden at Roma street that is on my list of things to see this year.

So for those of you whose lives have changed this Yule, those experiencing a different world this silly season, those who are missing family and friends, or struggling at this time when everyone is meant to be having fun. Hang in there. It may take a little time, but things will change. The things we appreciate… the things you do today… they will shape the things to be.

And for those who have it all and are loving life right now, don’t be a scrooge – why not do something nice for someone less fortunate and spread the Christmas cheer.

Merry Christmas to all.

 

The things you stumble upon in Brisbane City.

I am a fantasy/horror writer and do not usually stray from these genres when I read. I still appreciate authors in other genres though, and when I went for a stroll around Brisbane city today and stumbled across this.

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A Matthew Riley book signing. The queue was at least 500 meters long and wound its way down the mall. This gives me something to strive towards.