NobleDead.org - High/Dark Fantasy Fiction by Barb Hendee and J.C. Hendee

Now and again, we notice a stream of new readers have tuned into our social satellite pages or directly to news releases through NobleDead.org. So just a few catch up notices for those who might have missed them.

Barb and J.C. are engaged in more than writing the Noble Dead Saga. So whether you are catching up with the books so far, or awaiting S3B2: The Dog in the Dark, stop by the main site and have a peek at Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga.

The “Tales” project of short ebook only works currently contains two on-going  sequences: “Homeward” and “Bones of the Earth.” Short stories and novellas in the former are not sequential, per se; you can read them in any order. Those in the latter are sequential (so far), but we know of readers who started with either one first and did just fine. And yes, there will be new sequences debuting sometime in 2013 along with the continuation of “Bones of the Earth.”

We will not be releasing new “Tales” until something in February 2013 outside the release window of the S3B2: The Dog in the Dark and after we have a little break from finishing the draft version of next year’s volume. But there are more “Tales” to come, oh yes.

And of course, there is Barb’s coming new series, The Mist-Torn Witches, which debuts May 2013. It is set in the world of (but not linked to) the Noble Dead Saga.

And lastly… we know a lot of you expected the next news from ND.org would be about the new “Noble Dead Raffles.” Hang in there. That notice is coming late tomorrow, guaranteed!

Now, has everyone finished their list of holiday preparations? Cough, cough, ahem… we are probably in no position to talk! And we’ll be back tomorrow.

Listings at Barnes & Noble and iTunes / iBookStore have now been confirmed as complete. Unfortunately, it will still take time for internal data to filter through for searches by title at those sites. In the meantime, click the links above or visit Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga at NobleDead.org if you are a Nook or an iOS user wanting a preview of this new “tale.”

J.C. Hendee
$3.00 USD
Novella, Part 2 of 3, 40k+ words
Sequel to BE1: Karras the Kitten
ISBN-10: 0-9855616-6-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-9855616-6-6
ASIN: B00A03F12Y
English Only
Purchase outside the USA available at all international Amazon outlets, KoboBooks.com (associated vendors), and iTunes / iBookStore.

We are a little late and a little early with this release. Our writing schedule gets busier the closer we get to the end of the year, and a couple of our vendors are a little slow these days in processing submitted titles.

J.C. Hendee
$3.00 USD
Novella, Part 2 of 3, 40k+ words
Sequel to BE1: Karras the Kitten
ISBN-10: 0-9855616-6-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-9855616-6-6
ASIN: B00A03F12Y
English Only
Purchase outside the USA available at all international Amazon outlets, KoboBooks.com (associated vendors), and iTunes / iBookStore.

Yes, you read it right, all “Tales” are now available internationally (to some extent) through iTunes / iBookStore.

NOTICE: this release is now “on the shelves” at Amazon and KoboBooks. It has also been submitted to Barnes & Noble and iTunes / iBookstore, but it has yet to appear on their shelves. It will within another 24-48 hours.

For more information please visit the “Tales” page at NobleDead.org. While you are there, have a look at previous “Tales” releases in the “Homeward” and “Bones of the Earth” sequences.

Though set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga, “Tales” and their sequences do not require knowledge of the saga’s books/series. You can easily pick up and read one as your first venture into this world.

You Do NOT Need an eReader

Free Apps to purchase ebooks directly from your computer or other devices are available for multiple operating systems like Windows, OS X, Android, iOS and sometimes Linux. If you purchase an ebook on your computer and later buy a portable ereader device, all of your previously purchased books from the device's vendor will load to your new ereader automatically. And they will still be accessible in the application on your computer.

• Kindle Apps (AZW/Mobi)
• Nook Apps (EPUB)
• KoboBooks Apps (EPUB)

It has been over a week since we had anything new to share, but we thought we would touch base with all of you for an instant. We are heavily into working on the next book in the saga for 2013 while we all wait for the release of S3B2: The Dog in the Dark [Dec. 31, 2012].

But here is a little something coming by October 31, 2012 in “Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga”…

Bones of the Earth, II: Karras the Cat 
J.C. Hendee 
$3.00 USD 
Novella, Part 2 of 3, 40k+ words 
Sequel to BE1: Karras the Kitten 
English Only 

[ADDITIONAL DETAILS PENDING]

Time for a little update on what is going on around the home office, and what is coming up in the near to not-so-near future. Obviously there is another entry in The Noble Dead Saga that will be hitting the shelves (online and in stores) at the end of December. If you have not taken a peek at it as yet, drop by NobleDead.org.

For the Saga’s Future…

A little while back, we finally finished the outline for the next book to come, S3B3. We have chosen a working title but this is still subject to additional changes—The Wind in the Night. Our collaborative outlines go way beyond what is done for a solo author, so there was a lot of work involved for yet another three interwoven stories in one novel, like you will see in S3B2: The Dog in the Dark.

All appears stable after the release of Homeward, I: The Game Piece on iTunes. So it is time to expand offerings for Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga through our newest vendor.

Homeward, II: The Feral Path has been uploaded to the  iTunes store and should be available soon for all iOS devices. Keep in mind that any device using iOS can also load apps for our other vendors. If you used one of those on your iPod, iPad, or iPhone, you do not need to buy this title a second time. And at present, there are no apps for non-iOS devices… not even a Mac.

We hope that last part changes in the near future, as we are big advocates of people being able to purchase and read ebooks without having to buy yet another device… unless they want to. Freely testing out reading ebooks for the first time is just as important as sampling ebooks themselves.

Tales Update – Change of Schedule

J.C. has been overwhelmed with two Noble Dead books in overlapping phases, our online pursuits and problem solving, and managing the situation with vendors and their portals. He is still working on Bones of the Earth, II: Karras the Cat when spare moments allow as the sequel to BotE, I: Karras the Kitten. So the “Tales” release for September will be Homeward, V: The Reluctant Guardian by Barb.

This last tale (for now) in the Homeward sequence should be available at all of our standard vendors by next weekend after its listing is established on our own site. And yes, some new tales sequences are in the planning phase even now. Any such will likely not debut until early next year after the release of S3B2: The Dog in the Dark in the Noble Dead Saga.

HW5 will not be up at iTunes until J.C. catches up on placing previously released tales at that vendor. But, since he has completed the final version of its cover (another of his duties), here is a little peek just to tease you.

That is all for now, dear readers, but keep your eyes open for further news by this coming weekend. 

Barb Hendee
$3.00 USD
Short story, 12.6k+ words; English Only

This fifth offering in Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga is now available (finally) at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and yes, KoboBooks. For more information please visit the “Tales” page at NobleDead.org.

For non-USA readers, Amazon and KoboBooks offer access and purchase from outside of the USA. For Amazon, you will need to seek the proper site by domain extension (.es, .uk, etc.); see the main Amazon.com site for assistance if you cannot find your region’s domain site. KoboBooks has affiliates in about 150 countries, though their main site (from what we understand) sells directly (with immediate access) to many countries around the world.

It may take a little more time for our privately published titles to filter through these large vendor sites to any of their non-USA subsites, but they will. We thank you for your patience with all of the technical difficulties that delayed this release.

NOTE: Along with this release, Homeward, I: The Game Piece by Barb has also (finally) become available at KoboBooks.com.

You can find the direct link for it through the “Tales” page at NobleDead.org.

While you’re at our site, you can also have a look at the previous “Tales” releases in the “Homeward” and “Bones of the Earth” sequences.

Though set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga, the “Tales” stories and sequences do not require knowledge of the saga’s books/series. You can easily pick up and read one as your first venture in this world.

You Don't Need an EReader

Apps for Windows, OS X, Android and iOS devices to purchase and read ebooks are available for free. If you later buy a device, all of your previously purchased books from the device's vendor will load to your new device as well as still being available through your vendor-based app.

• Kindle Apps (AZW/Mobi)
• Nook Apps (EPUB)
• KoboBooks Apps (EPUB)

KoboBooks.com finally opened up its e-publishing portal four days ago, and we were waiting and ready. All currently released Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga have been published to their online offerings and most are now popping up in their international sites. [Read on for more on this.]

You can find Kobo links on our “Tales” and “Books” pages at NobleDead.org. Oh, and of course Kobo does have free apps for all platforms; you will find links to those as well.

NOTE: Homeward, I: The Game Piece by Barb has yet to complete the publishing shunt to the Kobo catalog after four days. We are looking into any problems and will update when glitches get worked out. Since the Homeward sequence stories are autonomous, this should not be a problem. You can always pick up the The Game Piece later if you are a Kobo customer.

For Our International Readers…

Like Amazon’s AZW/MOBI format, Kobo sells internationally in the EPUB format, the true industry standard for e-publications. This is a bit of relief, as we have heard from some frustrated fans abroad who want access to our privately published works. So if you are outside the US territories, and you use something other than a Kindle app/device, you can now get your hands on our “Tales” at KoboBooks.com

Homeward, III: The Sapphire

Barb Hendee
$3.00 USD
Short story, 12k+ words; English Only

This fourth offering in Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga should (again) please our fans of the undead. For more information please visit the “Tales” page at NobleDead.org or the product pages at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. [Also available at all international Amazon outlets.]

NOTE: This story has been published as well to Barnes & Noble but has not yet appeared for sale in their listings. Keep an eye out for it if you are a Nook or Nook app user; we will also post notice ourselves when it appears there.

While you’re at our site, you can also have a look at the previous “Tales” releases in the “Homeward” and “Bones of the Earth” sequences.

Though set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga, the “Tales” stories and sequences do not require knowledge of the saga’s books/series. You can easily pick up and read one as your first venture in this world.

You Don't Need an EReader

Apps for Windows, OS X, Android and iOS devices to purchase and read ebooks are available for free. If you later buy a device, all of your previously purchased books from the device's vendor will load to your new device as well as still being available through your vendor-based app.

• Kindle Apps (AZW/Mobi)
• Nook Apps (EPUB)

It has been a little while since we posted an update of any kind. Work has been that busy between outlining the next volume in the Noble Dead Saga for 2014 (yes we work that far ahead), writing and prepping more “tales,” researching ways to streamline our e-publishing process, and, well, just daily life stuff. So time to catch up on a number of things…

With the recent release of the first stories in “Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga,” inevitable questions came up. So far, “Tales” has been a fun but sometimes confusing side venture. We did expect some puzzlement from fans and readers as well, so it’s time to share those concerns on both sides…

Bones of the Earth, I:
Karras the Kitten

Amazon
[AZW/KINDLE]

Barnes&Noble [EPUB/NOOK]

 J.C. Hendee
$3.00 USD
Short story, 26k+ words; English Only; Also available at all international Amazon outlets.

Karras, who humans mistakenly call “Carrow,” is not a typical Rughìr’thai’âch, "Earth-Born," or dwarf. In fact, in serving his family’s shipping and trading business, he has taken on too many human ways in place of those of his people. No wonder that, in attempting to “barter” for marriage with the fiery and dour Skirra—"Sliver"—of the fallen family of Yêarclág, he has bungled the deal for years. Dismissed once more by her to salve his heart’s wounds, this time those wounds get salted with the unwanted assistance of a blustery clan-kin—Fiáh’our, or the great "Hammer-Stag."

The old honored warrior has his own notion of what Karras needs. To Fiáh’our, honorable barter for love and marriage is akin to one battle after another. And only the way of their people’s warriors can see Karras to victory… over himself, first of all.

May their people’s eternal ancestors, the Bäynæ, watch over them—especially to keep them from each other’s throats.

Here’s hoping you find this entertaining during the wait until the release of the next book in the Noble Dead Saga, S3B2: The Dog in the Dark, next January 2013.

Charles Shumaker wins the signed hardbound first edition of S3B1: Between Their Worlds.

Delivery instructions have been forwarded to the publisher’s publicity department. Charles’ prize should be shipped by early Tuesday and arrive within ten business days. This concludes the last of the current series of bi-weekly raffles for signed volumes from the Noble Dead Saga.

Don’t be sad, for we’ll have more online events like this in the future. For now, it is time for us to settle into a busy summer schedule of planning for S3B3 [untitled], waiting to see copyedits for S3B2: The Dog in the Dark… oh, and another entry in “Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga”…

COMING SOON!

Yes, indeed, watch for a notice later this week about the (early) release of the first entry in the “Bones of the Earth” sequence, Karras the Kitten. Anyone up for a little dwarven adventure? Also coming sometime in June (maybe earlier) will be the second entry in the “Homeward” sequence called The Feral Path. Of course, this means J.C. has to also find time to do the publishing side. In the meantime, for those who missed it, stop by the “Tales” page at NobleDead.org to check out Homeward, I: The Game Piece, already available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble online.

That’s enough of a teaser for now. And most of all, thank you to everyone who joined in on the fun with the raffles.