Apple

Audio News for The Bow of Hart Saga!

Hey everyone! It’s been a busy few weeks for me and time has been short. There has been some interesting news from my audio publisher, Podium. First, a little background.

Podium Audio discovered my work back at the end of 2016, something I almost missed at the time. Suffice it to say that in early 2018, I signed with Podium and they published all three of The Bow of Hart Saga books in audio by the end of that year.

The audiobooks have always been distributed through Audible only. Since the company’s inception, Podium preferred this retail platform over all others which has been their business model that’s worked well for them as they’ve grown quickly. They were even part of the SFWA virtual conference production this year. Lately, they’ve been gaining partnerships with more voice talent which is excellent news.

This past week, I received and email from my Podium representative informing me that all three books are now non-exclusive, meaning they are no longer exclusive to Audible. That’s right, you can find them most anywhere audiobooks are sold including Chirp, Apple, Kobo and Overdrive.

This development was a surprise to me but I welcome seeing the move to wide distribution of the audio format. Who knows, maybe they will got to physical copies too, but this is one change I like. I’ve wondered if I needed to go back wide with The Bow of Hart Saga and this has me seriously considering the change. I moved the series to KDP Select and access to Kindle Unlimited. The move was very helpful at the time but I’ve still wondered if it was the best move over time. I’ve also considered the move back for other reasons and this might just jolt me into a decision. I won’t be hasty, but it is worth the consideration.

For now, I include the links for the audiobooks at the retailers I know about at this time. As I discover more, I’ll get them posted.

That was the big development for the moment. However, I’m also considering another move with the site to further develop it and also bring in more fantasy related posts between my own. It’s another move that has been on my mind for a while and one that, if I make the right moves, I think will enhance the site for readers while making it easier for me to manage engaging posts regarding the genre.

Anyway, here are the new links and I’m in process of updating the audiobook pages too so bear with me on that front.

The Bow of Destiny

Chirp Apple Kobo Overdrive Audiobooks.com Barnes & Noble (Nook Audiobooks)

An Arrow Against the Wind

Chirp Apple Kobo Overdrive Audiobooks.com Barnes & Noble (Nook Audiobooks)

The White Arrow

Chirp Apple Kobo Overdrive Audiobooks.com (not available yet) Barnes & Noble (Nook Audiobooks)

That’s all I have for today. Thanks for stopping by. I will announce the site changes when the time comes as well as the print release of The White Arrow. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and share this post wherever you wish.

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Author Commentary: More About Withlings

With the publication of The White Arrow last week, readers get to find out more about the world of Denaria, dwarves and even Withlings. I don’t want to give anything away about the book or what’s to come in The White Arrow, but I thought I’d share a little bit more about Withlings today as a bit of commentary.

Withlings are a mystic order who serve their deity, Eloch. Magdronu is in conflict with Eloch and, by extension, with the Withlings as well. These mystics practice their faith in service to Eloch by learning to remain in communion with this deity. As such, various wonders can and do happen around them as seen around Hastra in The Bow of Destiny. However, Withlings do not have magic powers so they can only do as they are instructed – or not.

As is often spoken by Hastra in the books of The Bow of Hart Saga, “What is need is given.” The opposite is also true – what is not needed is not given. Hastra is known for being tight-lipped. She’s aware of certain things but cannot speak of them because this could change things for the worst. In such cases, Hastra, and Withlings in general, ponder these revelations, pray and wait to be of assistance as instructed. What is given to the Withling is usually done. So at this point, it should be well established that Withlings can be used to do some sudden and astounding things. However, Withlings cannot fix everything or know everything. With this in mind, they are as fallible as anyone else.

In An Arrow Against the Wind, more of the history of Withlings is revealed through Hastra. However, while she does know some things will happen, she does not know everything – even when she does do something amazing. She’s not super-human or a magic-user and she’s certainly not all-knowing.

Events unfold in An Arrow Against the Wind that require a higher intervention. After all, the arch-villain is taking a personal hand in events too. But these miraculous changes do not mean that things are so easily resolved for the characters. It is well established in both books that there are some wild-cards on both sides that can make things happen. So what happens in the newest book should be interesting twists that may mean more in The White Arrow rather than be simple resolutions to situations in the present book.

What you think you know from these unfurling events is only seen through the eyes of the characters and nothing more. They happen not as easy ways to get out of a corner but more as a bigger construct within the greater conflict and sets up what is to come and nothing more. The interventions through what is given is not for simple escapes from plot corners on my part but what is needed for the characters to reach the end of the quest and their appointed tasks. I haven’t written these for mere ease of getting in an out of things but to show that there is a bigger plan within a bigger conflict. What readers see through the characters as they consider events don’t just happen for a happy ending but, instead, because what is needed by Eloch is given for his purpose.

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Writing Updates Vol. 2

Hello everyone! Here’s some of my latest writing tidbits:

I forgot to mention it last week but I completed the revision of An Arrow Against the Wind and sent it off to my editor to be given another gutting but it’s much closer to completion than it was. I don’t expect the next round of changes to be quite so messy and extensive so I’m sticking with a late April release date at this time. If that time-frame changes, I’ll post it here. I’ll try to be more specific when I know more about the status of the book.
Since I’m approaching the release of An Arrow Against the Wind, I’m gathering interested supporters to be on the release team. This mainly means taking part in a Headtalker and a Thunderclap. The first 25-50 people interested will receive an advanced release copy of An Arrow Against the Wind. Anyone interested please contact me via email with your name, email address and e-book format you use. Check out my contact page for my email address.
While An Arrow Against the Wind is with the editor, I’m working on the rough draft of the last book of The Bow of Hart Saga entitled, The White Arrow. I’m also beginning work on a couple of other projects including The Black Glove Tales and The Jeweled City Files, both of which are working series titles and not final.
I’ve been posting on Story Empire with the latest piece being last week’s What Is Scrivener?
I’m also interested in making some blog appearances now and around the release of An Arrow Against the Wind. I’m always making a list of sites so if you are looking for someone to be a guest on your site, just let me know and we’ll set something up.
I’ve started a new commentary series lately about The Bow of Destiny where I’m sharing a few tidbits about the opening chapter of the book – here’s part 1 and part 2.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading today. Please leave comments below and check back next week for another post about this topic.

My current novel is The Bow of Destiny which was chosen as Fantasia Reviews Book of the Year for 2016. Here’s a bit more about the book:

Haunted by his past. Hunted in the present. Uncertain what is real.

Athson has seen things that aren’t there and suffered fits since being tragically orphaned as a child at the hands of trolls and Corgren the wizard. When a strange will mentioning a mysterious bow comes into his possession, he’s not sure it’s real. But the trolls that soon pursue him are all too real and dangerous. And what’s worse, these raiders serve Corgren and his master, the hidden dragon, Magdronu, who are responsible for the destruction of his childhood home. Athson is drawn into a quest for the concealed Bow of Hart by the mystic Withling, Hastra, but he isn’t always sure what’s real and who his enemies are. With Corgren and Magdronu involved, Athson must face not only frequent danger but his grasp on reality and the reasons behind his tragic past.

To find out more about The Bow of Destiny, click over to one of these online retailers:

About the Author

P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.