Photos of my matte createspace cover

My proof copies came in the mail today. I spent hours writing an overdue essay before allowing myself to open the box. I was happy with the proofs except for two small things, so I'll get those out of the way.   1. My map was still low resolution. That's my fault for not having proper programs.   2. The end of more than half the chapters had part of the last letter and the punctuation mark cut off. That may have to do with my font...

CreateSpace Matte Covers Now Available

They're actually here! It feels sort of surreal. Just last week I was researching Lightning Source and their matte covers that don't curl. But when the price can go up to a few hundred dollars per book, you can see why I hesitated. I love my CreateSpace books in most respects. There's one thing I don't like about the copies I have, and that's the way the covers don't lie flat. Ever. At first there's a little lift. Once you open the book it's there for good. Then over time, it curls upwards. Apparently this is worst with dark covers,...

Why "Three Bridges" is getting a prologue

While writing Aundes Aura, it went through a number of stages where it either had a prologue or it didn't. By the end of the first draft, I'd decided the prologue was unnecessary, showing a scene many years before that could have easily been referred to in the course of the book. So the prologue went, and I had my characters talk about the events instead. For the final book I added in a new prologue as suggested by the editor. When I planned out Three Bridges, I felt it didn't need a prologue. I often can't stand prologues, especially if...

Introduction

What better way to start a blog?   Hi, I'm Ryan. I write fantasy. I currently have one book out, and I have another coming early next year. I have another blog, The Dark Corner of the Mind, where I mostly write about how my writing's going, as well as some writing tips that work for me.   But writers aren't my audience -- readers are. That's who this blog is for.   I've been grappling for almost two weeks as to what I can...