Far From Home

For more details about the Far From Home
series, including a timetable for upcoming
releases, visit Tony's website.

You're all used to this by now. I post a quick little story about a book I've worked on, then tell you to go buy it. In this case, I'm going to tell you to go download it for free.

Tony Healey's latest project is a ship-based sci-fi adventure that he and I (okay, more me than him) are having way too much fun with. It's camp. It's pulp. It's a bit old school. It's a lot of homage to the numerous TV series that influenced both of us as kids. It's the many Star Treks, Star Wars, Buck Rogers, and Battlestar Galacticas. It's a fun romp through 1970s and 1980s television (and movies) with just a touch of the 1990s thrown in for good measure.

The first volume, Legend, is free on Amazon and Smashwords. The second, Commander, is available in both locations for a mere $1.99. The third, Hero, is currently in the works and should be hitting my desk any day now in time to be edited for its October release. The remaining nine installments will be spread across the next thirteen months, then the entire saga will be released in December 2013 as one large volume.

That's the plan anyway.

Follow us as we travel, won't you? But be prepared. We'll be straying Far From Home.

Happy Reading!

(By the way, as a personal favor, once you've read this terrific adventure, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and/or Smashwords. Reviews are like gold to indie authors. Good reviews are like platinum.)

Boldly Going... and Going... and Going...

I really had no intention of doing this all so quickly, but I finished another project this week that's near and dear to my heart. Therefore I must share. My buddy Tony Healey is getting to be a permanent fixture around here, with good reason. I love the way he writes. Even if he didn't pay me to read his work, I would. Editing him is simply a bonus associated with my awesome job.

So I am filled with pride to be able to say that we've completed another project together. This one, unlike the rest, is actually the first in a twelve part series entitled Far From Home. Installment number one, Legend, went live on Smashwords and Amazon on Friday, August 10, a full ten days ahead of schedule.

Far From Home is set in the same literary universe as his previous novel The Stars My Redemption, but it's not a sequel. I'm not privy to all of the plans Tony has for the series, nor do I want to be. I prefer to experience a first read of an author's work the same way most readers do: ignorant of any writerly intent. That said, I can't wait to see Volume 2: Commander.

I've gushed enough. If you'd like to see what all the fuss is about, take a run over to Smashwords and download a FREE copy of Legend. And if you're so inclined, Tony and I would be eternally grateful if you would inform Amazon that you got it cheaper elsewhere. (Due to contractual obligations, writers must charge at least .99 per copy for books unless they are part of Amazon's KDP Select program.) By informing them, you'll help us to ensure that this volume will be available for free there as well.

THEN pop over to Tony's website for news and information about the series including updates regarding availability of future volumes.

While you're at it, we'd also love to have you post a review.

What? You'd like to read my review? It's right below the cover art, just scroll down.

I know it's bad form for someone who's directly involved with a book to write review, but I assure you, I am an editor, not a ghost writer.

I'm also already quite attached to its characters. I love that the main character is female. That she's strong but vulnerable. That she's got a depth of which we catch glimpses and discover bit by bit.

While it's intended to be the stage-setter for a continuing saga, this book is so much more than that. Legend begins in battle and carries you through the toughest few days this crew has ever faced. It's fast paced, emotional, full of surprises, and very well written.

Most important: it's squeaky clean. Created for an intelligent reader from teen to infinity, this book, and I expect this series, is wholly satisfying on multiple levels.

Happy Reading!

We're Expanding!

I am crazy excited about this. I've gone on numerous times and talked about my job as the Head of Editing Services for the Kindle All-Stars organization, but nothing makes me happier than to say that we've built up enough of the business end to warrant pulling in a few associate editors to carry some of the workload. The details are below.

PROFESSIONAL EDITING SERVICES

Reliable, Affordable, Invaluable

• Suffering from one-star reviews?
• Readers complaining that your book was not proofread?
• High rate of return?

The single biggest complaint authors receive from readers is that their books are not properly edited. Let the Kindle All-Stars turn your book into the professional product it needs to be in order to compete. 

There is a glut of free books on Amazon right now, as well as .99 wonders that are leaving readers confused and desperate for quality reads. The simple fact is that if your book has not been professionally edited, it is not ready for publication. 

• What About the Cost?

Of all the investments you should make in your book, editing is the most important. There are multiple services out there that provide varying qualities and costs, but at the KAS we offer a pre-arranged fixed price and a proven track record.  

KAS editors will help your individual voice to shine through during the initial draft and provide a final proofread to make sure your book is publication-ready.

Contact Laurie Laliberte at KindleAllStars@gmail.com today to take the first step toward making your book a best-seller.   

For a current list of books edited by the Kindle All-Stars, see below.

Laurie Laliberte is the Head of Editing Services for the KAS. Read her essays about Editing to get a better idea of what to expect here and here.

SIMPLE FORMATTING FOR KINDLE AND NOOK

By Tony Healey:

"Burial" (Mar 2012) -- edit, proofread

"Dark Orb" (April 20112) -- edit, proofread

The Stars My Redemption (May 2012) -- edit, proofread

Double Feature (June 2012) -- edit, proofread

tutti frutti (July 2012) -- edit, proofread

Far From Home: Legend -- edit, proofread still in progress

By David Hulegaard:

"The Night Shift" (Jan 2012) -- edit, proofread

By Kindle All-Stars:

Resistance Front (Dec 2011) -- edit, proofread

By Laurie Laliberte 

"Fear of the Dark" (Apr 2012) -- edit, proofread

Quick Crochet for Kitchen and Bath (June 2012) -- edit, proofread

Strange Kisses (June 2012) -- edit, proofread

By Jon F. Merz:

Zombie Ryu (July 2012) -- proofread

By Shaina Richmond:

Safe With Me: Complete Collection -- edit, proofread still in progress

By Richard Roberts:

Wild Children, first edition (Oct 2011) -- final proofread

By Bernard Schaffer:

Guns of Seneca 6 (Oct 2011) -- proofread, minor editing

Ancient Rituals (Jan 2012) -- edit, proofread

Superbia (Jan 2012) -- edit, proofread

Codename: Omega (March 2012) -- edit, proofread

Superbia 2 (March 2012) -- edit, proofread

Simple E-book Formatting (May 2012) -- proofread

Magnificent Guns of Seneca 6 (July 2012) -- edit, proofread

By Susan Smith-Josephy:

Two as-yet unnamed short story collections -- edit, proofread still inprogress

By William Vitka:

Infected (coming soon) -- proofread, minor edits

Emergence -- edit, in progress