The Dark Fantastic

After filing a justice court suit against Damnation Books on November 15, 2012 for multiple counts of breach of contract, I won a small financial judgment against the publisher on April 26, 2013. The judge, however, did not feel it was within his power to rescind the disputed contracts despite finding in my favor, referring me instead to a higher court. (My previous post on the subject can be found here.)

However, as of my Q1 2013 royalties, I have met and well exceeded the contract terms set by Damnation Books regarding the early termination of my works, Resurrection and At the Gates.

As per Damnation Books’ contract terms (bolding is mine):

• Once a work has gone into editing and forward and the Author wishes to terminate this contract prematurely, a penalty shall be charged to the Author to cover costs of staff and artists for work already performed. This fee shall be at a minimum of $50.00 to a maximum of $1000.00 to be determined by the time spent on preparing the work for publication and money recovered from sales of the work.

On June 6, 2012, after receiving my request for termination on April 14, 2102, the lawyer for Damnation Books set the fee for each of my contracted works through Damnation Books. He stated (again, bolding is mine):

• “The Company has calculated the costs and time spent which the termination fee is intended to cover and in each instance the termination fee is $1,000.”
  

As of February 28, 2013, Resurrection has earned Damnation Books (per their official royalty statements less 10% editing fees deducted by contract terms) a total of $2682.02. At the Gates has earned them $2257.60. Both amounts are substantially over the $1,000 termination fees set by Damnation Books, effectively paying above and beyond the requisite (and excessive) fees for release. (These numbers do not reflect profits from March or April 2013)

As such, the rights for both Resurrection and At the Gates should be returned to me, effective immediately, as the thresholds for release have been exceeded (all associated costs paid) and my request for termination persists.

Therefore, I file this notice publicly as a statement of intent. It is on Damnation Books to do the right thing and release the rights to these two books, per our signed agreements, or I will take further legal action against Damnation Books to force them to abide by their contract terms.

(Damnation Books has been notified of this privately and has chosen to ignore my lawful request.)

** Here’s a link to Mark Edward Hall’s blog, another author having problems with Damnation Books. (The link details some of his issues.)

And here is Mark’s statement on my Facebook page, posted in its entirety with his permission:

“I feel for Tim and his plight. I too have a pending suit against Damnation Books. Out of ignorance I gave up three of my titles to them in 2009, not realizing that they were an author mill and that they didn’t really care about working with individual authors. From the beginning there was no interaction. The kindle formatting was atrocious and when I asked to have the formatting corrected I was told by Kim Gilchrist that because I asked I would be put at the end of the line. Three years later and the formatting still hasn’t been corrected. It’s embarrassing that my name is on those books. The entire text of The Lost Village and The Holocaust Opera is totally in italics. Hello! If you want to have a good laugh go to my book page on Amazon and see for yourself. Reviewers have pointed out the formatting issues but the lazy publisher still hasn’t corrected it.

Out of frustration, and using the terms of their own contract, I legally obtained the rights to The Haunting of Sam Cabot back when DB refused, for whatever reason, to upload the nook version to Barnes and Noble. After going through the proper legal steps per their contract I asked DB to take the book down from Amazon. When I got no response I uploaded a new clean copy with my own publishing imprint. DB subsequently contacted Amazon and said that I was in breach of contract. When I explained that I had legally gotten my rights back Amazon told me that contracts aren’t their problem and that DB was the publisher of record. They subsequently pulled my copy and warned me that stealing other publishers work was a crime.

That was the last straw. I now have a lawyer and I don’t just want my rights back anymore. That would have been fine by me if DB had just played fair. Not anymore. Now I’m suing for damages. They have damaged my reputation and they will pay. I guarantee it.

Please, if you are a writer looking for a publisher, heed these warnings. Don’t do business with these awful people. But don’t take my word for it, check their rating on Preditors and Editors and see for yourself.”

While there are minor adjustments to be made, specifically the blurb (it’s fake) here is the cover for Heir to the Blood Throne, the first part of my young adult duology, out late May, early June.

The fantastic design is by Joe Martin of Nine Worlds Media. Check his page out for other awesome covers. With him and Carter Reid in my corner, I look awesome until folks open the covers.

Today, I welcome author Faith Hunter to The Dark Fantastic to talk a little about urban fantasy and herself.

Why write Urban Fantasy?

FH: Twisty plots, lots of action and the occasional romance… I love reading it and I love writing it.

What, to your mind are the core elements of good urban fantasy?

FH: Good UF is a good mystery with danger to the main character or people the MC loves. Danger & mystery. And a few good fights. And some romance. (nods head) Gotta have romance in there somewhere!

Your Rogue Mage and Yellowrock books use first person Point Of View. Is that a favorite? Do you always use 1st person?    

FH: There is an immediacy a writer achieves in first person POV, and an intense suspense. It isn’t impossible to achieve immediacy, intensity, and suspense in limited third person, but it is harder. The advantages of first person POV are feeling what the character feels with a closeness not as easy to attain in third, and knowing exactly what the character knows. The biggest disadvantage is knowing only what the character knows. Sometimes a writer needs to let the reader know something that the character doesn’t and there is no way to tell or show this info. And worse, sometimes a writer needs to keep something from the reader to build suspense, and it comes across cheesy to not tell. This is much easier to achieve in limited third. So both POVs have positives and negatives.

As Gary Hunter, Gwen Hunter, and now Faith Hunter, I’ve written in 1st POV and 3rd. First offers an immediacy that 3rd doesn’t. So yes, I like first. But when I pitch a new series (a spinoff of the Jane Yellowrock series) I may use 3rd. We’ll see.

How did it feel to hit the New York Times Bestseller List, that first time?

FH: I cried. Seriously. This was back in 2011, the first week Mercy Blade was out. I was at my PC, doing PR stuff. My editor, Jessica, called and she said, “Faith, do you know how the bestseller lists work?”

Call me clueless because I was. I said, “Um, yeah, sorta.” (And I kept typing.)

Jessica gave me the course Bestseller List 101. And I was still clueless, but something must have penetrated because I stopped typing and I was listening, wondering what this had to do with me. Honestly, I figured she was telling me a bestselling author wanted to blurb me or something. Then Jessica said, “Well, Mercy Blade hit at 24 on the New York Times.”

And tears burst out, instantly flooding my face, my shirt, and I was catching them on my hands to keep them off my keyboard. I tried to hide it from her. I mean, come on. Cheers and handsprings and the sound of a Champaign bottle opening maybe, but waterworks? Jessica, totally shocked, says, “Are you crying?!?”

And I say, “Yeeesss…” and start weeping out loud. (rolls eyes) I cried all evening and looked sick for my signing the next day. The next time I hit, I was much more adult and professional. No tears. Until I hung up.

You have graphic violence, but avoid graphic sex and cursing, an unusual choice that makes the books widely accessible. Why?

FH: Violence: Lots of reasons. In no particular order: Dad taught me to shoot guns at age 12 in an outbreak of rabies in our rural county. As eldest I had to be ready to protect my brothers from rabid animals as well as human predators. Emotional, but also physical violence, were part of my young home life. Also, I was bullied in school because I was a Christian and had to stand up, without violence, to the bullies. In my heart-of-hearts, I still want to bash any bully see or read or hear, but I can’t, so I do on the pages I write. I have internal demons (my own spiritual but evil Beast) that I want to kill, and I kill it over and over on the page.

As to sex? My sex scenes suck. Wait… That isn’t what I meant. Really.

As to language: Language is a tool. If it brings in more readers then it is a good tool. If it pushes away even one reader then it is a bad tool. I can just as easily say, she cursed, or she swore. As long as I don’t overdo, no one misses the actual cuss words. And readers who would be offended by the words themselves are not offended and buy my books. It’s good business sense.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?                    

FH: I work in the laboratory of a small rural hospital, for the benefits, and I’ll be there until I retire. If I hadn’t made it as a writer, I’d likely gone back to school to be a nurse, or maybe into law school. Or maybe I’d have made jewelry for a living. But frankly, nothing is as satisfying as writing. Except chocolate…

Website: http://www.FaithHunter.net 

Faith’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/official.faith.hunter

Jane Yellowrock’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janeyellowrock 

Beast’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeastNotPrey 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HunterFaith 

http://www.faithhunter.net/wp/media-page

BLOOD TRADE ISBN info:

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Roc (April 2, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0451465067
• ISBN-13: 978-0451465061

Reviews & Images can be found at:

Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15732001-blood-trade 
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Trade-Jane-Yellowrock-Novel/dp/0451465067 
Barnes & Noble:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-trade-faith-hunter/1114860452 
Shelfari:   http://www.shelfari.com/books/29756151/Blood-Trade 
Google Books:   http://books.google.com/books?id=ieNTeY9c7KYC&dq=blood+trade 
World Cat:   http://www.worldcat.org/title/blood-trade-a-jane-yellowrock-novel 

Here is the almost final version of mine and Tyson J Mauermann‘s Angelic Knight Press anthology of urban fantasy awesomeness. (The headliners have yet to all be sorted but I’m too impatient to wait any longer to show this off, so expect minor changes and more awesome.) The fantabulousmegasuperspecialgroovyhellanice art is courtesy of Carter Reid. Stop by his page and pat him on the back.

Here’s Nathaniel Connors to tell you a little about his latest book, The Chronicles of Lucifer.

The Chronicles of Lucifer is the complementary anthology written to bridge the gap and fill in missing pieces left unanswered in my previous books Revelation: Creatures Rule the Night and Revelation: Lucifer’s Legionnaire.

Based on six short stories (The Seer, The Spaniard and the Storyteller, Resurrecting the Dead, Escaping Ireland: The Recruitment of Jonathan Armand, The Realm of Man and Demon, and The Palatine Stone), discover the origin of the void, the reign of Mordon and the Korzak tribe, the story of Frederick Armand, and the trials and tribulations of a god determined to preserve his bloodline.

Staged over thousands of years, what was once hidden is soon to be revealed!

The Chronicles of Lucifer is available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in both paperback ($7.99) and Kindle/Nook ($2.99).

Beyond the Veil, the fifth book in the Demon Squad series has had an awesome release week and an even better day. As I write this, Frank is #16 in Amazon’s Top 100 list and #10 in Amazon’s Hot New Release list.

Beyond the Veil is loose in the wild! If you’re looking for more Demon Squad craziness, your wait is over.

Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or Smashwords.

You can read the first chapter here and don’t forget about the chance to win a $50 or $25 Amazon gift card!

Frank’s woman kidnapped, a frantic chase across worlds, an inter-dimensional uprising, and all with the surly father-in-law to be in tow.

What could be worse?

How about being drafted by the Almighty?

Trapped on a strange and hostile planet, forced to deal with an alien insurrection, Frank and Longinus scramble to save Karra from the clutches of a rebel overlord bent on revenge.

All in a day’s work for the Devil inherent.

Super Awesome art by Carter Reid!

In an effort to promote the latest Demon Squad novel, Beyond the Veil, I’ve devised a contest that is absolutely brilliant or bat shit stupid. You decide, but here it is.

During the entire month of March 2013 (1st through midnight of the 31st) anyone who posts a legitimate review* of Beyond the Veil on Amazon is entered to win one of two Amazon gift cards (one $50 and one $25.) Two names will be drawn at random to determine each winner, first name getting the $50, second the $25.

(After posting a review, email tim at tmarquitz dot com to confirm your entry and provide email address for contest entry. I must have a valid email address for prize delivery.)

*This review DOES NOT need to be positive. Good, bad, indifferent, you fucking hate the book, whatever. I’m only looking for honest reviews.

*The specific content of the review will NOT bias the choice of winners so don’t kiss up thinking it will help. (Winners are chosen at random, quite likely by a third party or program)

*There is no specific review length requirement. Write what you feel but random inanity not based on anything resembling an actual review (be it good or bad, as noted earlier) will NOT be counted.

*DO NOT leave more than one review. Multiple reviews will be discounted. (Please, follow the Terms of Service of Amazon: no multiple accounts, family members’ accounts, etc. I don’t want folks getting booted off Amazon for this, so play fair, please.)

*Winners will be chosen from the reviews available on Amazon on April 1st. 

Frank’s back! February 28th.

(The awesome art by Carter Reid!)

Not the final edit, and for those of you who haven’t read book 4, I don’t suggest you read this.

One

 ”Tell me where she is.”

Mihheer grinned, his mouthful of piranha teeth glistening for the wideness of it. He was seated comfortably in a chair just a few feet out of reach. Katon lurked to my right and Rahim hovered off to my left. The alien’s smugness was salt in the wound his master had inflicted by kidnapping Karra. He crossed his arms and settled back, unrestrained for the power dampener that had been injected into his spinal column. The hamburger meat of his cheery face was healing nicely after the beating I’d given him, though it didn’t look like the horn was ever gonna grow back. Can’t say I cared.

DRAC had been holding him for a week now, and it was clear they’d been treating him pretty damn good. It was far kinder than I would have, which was why dark and darker were up my ass deeper than a TSA agent on a hunt for bomb residue. They knew me too well.

Mihheer gave a little snort of a laugh, his lip curling into a sneer. Up to then, I’d been calm, under control. I drew a deep breath and let it sink into my lungs. Rahim made me promise I wouldn’t do anything stupid, wouldn’t go after the alien shit no matter what he said or did to provoke me. When I agreed, we all knew I was lying, but they let me in anyway.

I exhaled and my shoulders slumped, my chin drooping, but there was nothing I could do to hide the fury that seared my cheeks. My knuckles sang out like Snap, Crackle, and Pop when I forced my fists open and turned my back on Mihheer. He’d been asked that same question about Karra a thousand times and wasn’t talking. Nothing DRAC had done had broken him, but I knew there was a line they wouldn’t cross…not for Karra, at least. Not for me, either, it seemed. That was why I was there.

“Okay, I’m done with his ass.” The words chiseled their way through gnashed teeth while I took a step toward the door. The tension left the room with an almost audible whoosh, Rahim and Katon shifting to follow after me, probably proud of me for doing what I promised.

That’d been what I was waiting for.

Unlike the Pantera song, I didn’t need five minutes alone with Mihheer to get what I needed out of him…I only needed five seconds.

My fingers on the knob, I yanked the door open with a pissed off grunt I didn’t have to fake. For just an instant, Katon disappeared behind the steel of the door. I couldn’t see him, and he couldn’t see me. It was my one chance.

I spun and dropped low, diving across the room at Mihheer before Rahim realized what I’d done. The alien’s eyes went wide and he cursed while trying to get up. His feet scrabbled for purchase, but they just slid on the slick tile floor. Both he and the chair toppled to the ground with a crash.

“Damn it, Frank!” Katon growled at my back. He’d be on me in a second, but there was no stopping what I came here to do.

Mihheer squawked like a prison-raised chicken when I got ahold of him, my hands pawing at his face. The terror in his eyes set them to swirling, yellowish-orange kaleidoscopes in their blackened wells. My fingers sunk into cold flesh and grabbed hold, the tips clawing at his wide eyes. He opened his mouth and screamed, which was just what I wanted.

I felt Katon at my back, but he was too late. I forced my thumb into Mihheer’s mouth. Sharp teeth tore open the flesh as I forced the digit deeper and deeper into the jagged maw. He gulped hard and swallowed, instinct taking over at the warm gush of fluid hitting his throat. Katon’s hands locked about my waist and yanked me back. I didn’t bother resisting. We tumbled to the floor in a mass of entangled limbs, but there weren’t any weapons in the mix. Despite it all, Katon wasn’t trying to hurt me.

“Enough,” he growled in my ear, and I nodded, raising my hands in meek compliance.

Katon rolled me to the side, away from the alien, and stood between us, keeping a restraining hand on my shoulder. My gaze crossed the room to where Mihheer crouched in the corner. He wiped at the blood, which stained his chin and teeth, spreading the mess across the back of his hand and down his wrist. His lips quivered, and he huffed to catch his breath, but I could see the subtle flickers of his arrogance resurfacing. His eyes flared with it, certain now that Rahim and Katon would keep him from harm. I choked back a laugh.

I got to my feet with deliberate slowness, not giving Katon any reason to think I was gonna go after the little shit again. The enforcer hung over me, and I couldn’t blame him. Rahim was in my face a heartbeat later.

“What the hell was that?” He stood tall, forcing me to look up at him, jabbing a long finger into my chest. “I know his master took Karra, but do you really think some pathetic attempt at hurting him will help you get her back?”

Behind the anger that darkened his cheeks was a disappointment I’d remembered seeing on Abe’s face a couple of times in the distant past. It was a swift kick in the balls to spot it now, having thought those days long over. I’d expected to feel guilty when I came to DRAC’s headquarters for the sole purpose of confronting Mihheer, but I thought I could handle it. I was clearly wrong.

In spite of the alien scuzzbag having helped his boss to kidnap my woman, the inferno of my anger sputtered and fizzled out under Rahim’s frigid gaze. Though it wasn’t the first time I’d let him down, it looked as though he’d pinned some miraculous hope on the off-chance I wouldn’t do it this time. A ragged sigh slipped loose as I realized that. His hope never stood a chance.

“I’m sorry.”

He drew a deep breath at my words, a father believing his child’s penance as nothing more than reactionary training, an effort to mitigate its losses, but there was more to my apology than that. I wasn’t sorry for what I’d done to Mihheer. That was nothing. He deserved every bit of the agony that came his way, but my little outburst was only the very tip of what I’d have to atone for later.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, turning to make sure Katon knew I was speaking to him, as well. His dark eyes narrowed as he assessed me, widening suddenly as he caught on.

“Oh shit. What have you done, Frank?” His gaze shifted to Mihheer who went still under his intense scrutiny, realizing perhaps that things weren’t as cut and dry as he believed.

“Only what I had to.”

Rahim looked to Katon, and then to me, and finally back to the alien. Just then, Mihheer twitched, his body shuddering as though he were suffering a seizure. He gasped, a drowning fish out of water, and was gone, only the vague outline of his form still visible before it, too, faded into nothingness. Katon and Rahim spun to glare at me, spears of accusation hurled from their eyes. A bitter sickness welled in my throat as time ground to a halt; it was the sour taste of betrayal.

“This is the only way to find her.” The words fell from my tongue like stones, broken and brittle, tumbling hollow into the space between us. These were my friends, and I’d not only let them down, but I’d stabbed them in the back, the pre-meditation of it obvious even to Stevie Wonder. I’d come into their home and took a big ol’ Taco Bell dump on their kindness and smeared it into the carpet and drapes for good measure. That stink wasn’t coming out.

I sighed as I felt the subtle tingle of magic wash over me. The twin of the transportation gem I’d snuck into DRAC embedded in the tip of my thumb–the same one I forced down Mihheer’s throat–warmed inside my guts as its energy took hold. In a moment, I’d be gone, too. I muttered one last apology before the magic whipped me away. Their crestfallen expressions lingered on my retinas long after I was gone.