Category: writing

Books, fantasy, favorites, fiction, newsletter, reading list, Sci-fi

Third Annual Epic Sale of Beloved SFF

elouisebates

It’s here!

Once again, Glamours and Gunshots is featuring in the Epic Sale of Beloved SFF. (SFF, here, stands for Science Fiction and Fantasy). Running from September 10-14, all the sale books are being offered for $0.99 or free. You can’t beat that!

Click here to go to the sale page and check out all 42 of the books on there.

But wait! It gets better!

In addition to G&G, I’ve decided to put every single one of my E.L. Bates books on sale. That means Magic Most Deadly, Magic & Mayhem, While Shepherds Watch, and From the Shadows are all on sale for $0.99 from now until Friday Sept 16 (that’s right, I’m extending my personal sale for a couple days beyond the Beloved SFF sale).

So if you’ve been wanting to collect the entire Whitney & Davies collection, now’s your chance, plus you have the opportunity to snag a heartfelt, cozy sci-fi book at the same time.

While you’re still here, don’t forget to sign up for my monthly newsletter! It’s a great way to keep up with sales, publishing news, and other fun stuff that doesn’t always make it to the blog. Plus you get a free short story when you sign up!

Happy reading!

fantasy, goals, newsletter, stories, writing

Newsletter and New Short Story

elouisebates

First things first: Look at that stunning cover. Isn’t it gorgeous? It was created by artist Cassandra Stevens, and I just adore it.

What’s up with this new short story? This is an exclusive gift I have put together for subscribers to my newsletter. Because yes–that’s my other news! I am starting a monthly newsletter, with the first issue being released in September.

Why a newsletter? Social media can be a chancy way to try to keep readers updated on new releases, sales, or other important or exciting happenings in the StarDance Press world. Even blogs can get lost in the midst of all the other online noise that’s out there. As for trying to keep up with folks through Twitter, Tumblr, FB, Instagram, or all the other social media platforms out there … there’s just way too much other stuff competing for one’s interest.

So a newsletter seems a better way to keep all of you up-to-date on new books and short stories. It’s also a great way to let you know about sales ahead of time (which reminds me, there’s going to be an upcoming September sale I’ll need to put in the newsletter …), and let you know about progress (or lack thereof, ha) on current projects. I might even include some other exclusive stories from time to time …

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, you can either type in your email address and click the button in the sidebar or on the contact page to subscribe, or you can do the same right here:

Monthly news and an exclusive free short story? It doesn’t get much better than that! Join today to receive your welcome email with a link to the short story, and then enjoy the first official letter in September. Can’t wait to share this new venture with you all!

goals, publishing, seasons

Back Here Again

elouisebates

The change has been made, and everything looks good on my end. If you are a subscriber, would you mind leaving a brief comment to let me know this post showed up in your feed? I would like to make sure that it works for my followers as well as for me.

If everything is sorted on your end as well as mine, then you may stay tuned for some more exciting posts/news coming soon! I have a book review to share, as well as info on how to subscribe to the coming-soon newsletter, and maybe even some book news to share by the end of the summer.

I hope your summer is going well! If you don’t want to simply leave a boring “it works” comment here, feel free to let me know of any interesting things you’ve been doing this last month-and-a-half (“summer is halfway over,” folks around here keep reminding each other, with doom or relief depending on how one feels about hot weather and tourist traffic). Mine so far has been full of traveling and projects–sounds about right for this time of year!

publishing, writing

Changes

elouisebates

Hi friends,

A brief note to let you all know that I’m going to be moving this website to a different server sometime in the next few days. I am hopeful this will be a simple task, but we all know that nothing is ever as simple as we’d like, right? So this is to let you know that there might be some wobbles in your ability to access the blog/website during the next couple of days. Fingers crossed it won’t be too bad!

One of my reasons for changing servers is to make it easier for folk to subscribe to the monthly newsletter I’ll be starting to send out in either August or September. Right now there isn’t a good way for me to set up a “subscribe” button on my website, but I’ll be able to do that once I’ve switched. I’m so excited to start this newsletter! I’m looking forward to being able to keep in touch with subscribers on a more regular basis than I can through blogging, and to be able to offer some sneak peeks into what stories I have coming out next, behind-the-scenes stuff, and even, yes, even a free short story as a “thank you” to subscribers.

So those are the upcoming changes for StarDance Press–a fresh website and a new newsletter. I’m hoping to be able to announce some new stories to be published soon, but gotta get all this writerly/publisherly housekeeping stuff out of the way first!

Chat soon,

E.L. (aka Louise)

fiction, writing

Snippets of Stories in Other People’s Worlds

elouisebates

I have been diligently working on Book 3 of Whitney & Davies this spring, but in case you’re looking for something light to read while you wait, I have also been slowly posting some of my older (but still loved) fanfiction stories onto AO3 (Archive of Our Own). I have not put up any of the old LM Montgomery works (my main “fandom” back in the day!), but I do have a Narnia story, a Lloyd Alexander story, an Oz story, an Edward Eager story, and a Kate and Cecilia story. And who knows, by the time you read this, I might have more up!

I will let you know the release date of Whitney & Davies #3 when I have a better idea as to when it will be finished, and I’m hoping to have some exciting news related to starting a monthly newsletter to share with you soon, as well. In the meantime–

Enjoy some examples of me playing in other writers’ sandboxes!

Archive of Our Own

Books, characters, fiction, mystery, publishing, stories, writing

Secrets of the Past, Published

elouisebates

It’s been one week since Secrets of the Past published!

Old Secrets Cast Long Shadows …
 
When newspaper columnist Pauline Gray agrees to help a retired schoolteacher write her memoirs, she has no idea it will lead to murder. Someone doesn’t want old memories stirred up … and they are willing to kill to keep the past a secret. Now it’s a race to uncover the truth that the murderer is so desperate to keep buried. It will take all Pauline’s ingenuity to solve this case before the killer strikes again—and this time Pauline herself might be the victim … 

I confess: I forgot to post about it on the blog on the actual publication day. I was so busy updating all my other social media sites that writing a post for here slipped my mind. So I decided I would wait and do a “one week” post instead (and then nearly forgot about that as well).

I am so happy to have this book out in the world. It’s a bit surreal to think that I have completed this series. Originally I had intended for there to be 7-8 Pauline Gray books, but as I went along I started to realize that this was better suited for a shorter series, and when I started working on Secrets, it became very clear that this was the final story. The final chapter was a little emotional to write! But I am satisfied with the three stories, satisfied with Pauline’s character arc throughout the series, and pleased to see the project completed.

The ebook of Secrets of the Past is available at pretty much all the usual retailers, via this link. So far the paperback is only available through Amazon, but it will eventually be distributed through other retailers as well. The process takes a bit longer with print than with ebooks.

I hope you have all enjoyed going back in time to 1930s Canton, NY with me, and getting to know all the characters I chose to people this town with, and I hope you enjoy this final book in the series. Happy reading!

writing

In Defense of the Detective Novel

elouisebates

As I approach the publication of the final Pauline Gray mystery, I am reminded again of this post I wrote six years ago. I have been finding myself turning again to detective novels this past week, as the world has been shaken by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and I am certain that it is due to my instinctive need for the hope of justice and restoration that is implicit in such stories. Tomorrow, Secrets of the Past will be available for purchase in both ebook and print, and my sincere hope is that it brings the same sort of comfort to its readers that mysteries have always brought to me in times of chaos and grief.

Books, fiction, mystery, publishing, writing

Secrets of the Past, Print Release Date

elouisebates

The second proof copy of the print edition of Secrets of the Past arrived in the mail yesterday, and … it’s gorgeous. I’m so pleased with how it turned out.

The first proof copy had some problems with the margins, which I was able to finally sort out, and I wasn’t happy with a couple of details on the cover, things that looked fine on a computer screen but just didn’t work well on a physical book. That’s why we have physical proof copies, to work out all those little details in order to have the final product be as close to perfect as a human can get!

The really good news, so far as my readers are concerned, is that with the success of this proof, I will be able to release the paperback edition of Secrets of the Past on March 1st, right along with the ebook edition. Hurrah!

So mark your calendars for March 1st, 2022, whichever edition you prefer to buy, because you will be able to take your pick.

Less than a week to go!

Books, characters, fiction, mystery, publishing, reading list, writing

Secrets of the Past Release Date

elouisebates
Old Secrets Cast Long Shadows …
 
When newspaper columnist Pauline Gray agrees to help a retired schoolteacher write her memoirs, she has no idea it will lead to murder. Someone doesn’t want old memories stirred up … and they are willing to kill to keep the past a secret. Now it’s a race to uncover the truth that the murderer is so desperate to keep buried. It will take all Pauline’s ingenuity to solve this case before the killer strikes again—and this time Pauline herself might be the victim … 

I am very happy to be able to announce a release date for Secrets of the Past, the third and final Pauline Gray novella. It will be available in ebook form on March 1, 2022. You can preorder it now using this link: Secrets of the Past

I am hoping that the paperback will be available on March 1 as well, but I can’t make any promises with that.

This book was one of my most challenging to write, and one of the most rewarding. I can’t wait to share it with readers! This is a bittersweet release for me–I am pleased to have brought Pauline’s journey to completion, and a little sad to say goodbye to her. I hope all of my readers find satisfaction in how this final mystery works out.

You can also add Secrets of the Past to your Goodreads list here, if you like.

I will update once I have a set release date for the paperback as well!

research, Sci-fi, world-building, writing

Sci-Fi and Physics

elouisebates

In my last post I said I wasn’t sure when the next Caledonia book was going to come out … but that doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun with research, anyway.

I never did physics in college, so most of what I put into From the Shadows was very much seat-of-my-pants, desperately looking stuff up as I thought of it, hoping to technobabble my way through. That only goes so far, though, and so I am hoping to equip myself better for future books.

Besides, the more I know, the further my imagination can roam … who knows how many creative possibilities are out there that I haven’t been able to grasp simply because I don’t know about them?

So when I found Physics of the Impossible and Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku, I knew they were just what I was looking for. Especially since the entire premise of From the Shadows is based on the idea of parallel worlds, and they are traveling through space at faster-than-light speeds, with alien planets capable of sustaining life along their way … yeah, those are definitely some impossible physics right there. Like I said, these books are just what I need for future sci-fi stories.

I have a couple of books I was already reading when these arrived, so I’m hurrying to get through them, and then … it’s physics time!