Publishing My First Indie-Novel
On October the 4th, my husband’s birthday, I’ll take my first step toward Indie publishing. “Urchin King”, my first novel, is roughly 71K words long and will be available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes&Noble. I’m terribly excited.
For fourteen years, street-urchin Paul’s miserable existence has kept him safe from an ancient law that sentences all second-born twins to death. When he learns he is the younger twin of the mentally handicapped Crown Prince who’s in danger of being killed for his disability, he agrees to play the role of the miraculously healed royal heir. Paul struggles to learn how to act like a born ruler, but finds that his greatest skill, getting by unnoticed, is now his greatest liability. He knows if he is discovered, he will be executed like all second-born twins.
No, I didn’t realize that this story’s beginning resembles “The Prince and The Pauper” which I read ages ago in school. I only noticed when someone pointed it out to me. But the resemblance of the ragamuffin turned king is vague at best. In “Urchin King”, the main character Paul, a second born twin, shouldn’t exist due to a brutal law. And the story has got magic in it, a sorcerer with a vengeance, and an unpredictable evil spirit. To add authenticity, I included many details about everyday life in Europe during the Middle Ages. I hope you will like it.
I entered this novel 2010 under its former title “Thicker Than Water” to the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s Colorado Gold Competition and was shortlisted in the category “Speculative Fiction” (the only non-Colorado finalist!)
The son of a friend of mine agreed to be my cover-page model (never thought I’d need one), and the castle in the background is from a holiday shot. I think the cover shrinks well. Do you like as much as I do?
Urchin King cover art
Urchin King thumbnail
Surprisingly well-written and informative for a free online arictle.
Thanks for the compliment. I’m trying to do my best.
Hi Cat! You’ve been spotlighted over on my blog:
https://skateorbate.blogspot.com/
And congrats on your book : )
Ah, nice!
I guess it will be coming out some time today. Congrats! 😀
I’m working on it but my Internet is sooo slow!
Congrats on your book and publishing! I like the cover and your book sounds interesting!
Thank you. I hope you’ll like it.
Congrats on the publishing. I always thought only self-publishing happened on Smashwords, guess I was wrong. ^_^
I love the image. If I would change anything, I would’ve tweaked it a bit to make the tower in the middle and have the faces shown in equal portions. But that’s just me liking things symetrical. ^_^
I insisted on it NOT being symmetrical. If you look closely, the two boys are slightly different, too.
I really like it!!
I think it might work better as a drawing but I think that’s just because I’m more used to covers for fiction which are generally drawn rather than photographed – there’s nothing specific about it that I would change.
Can’t wait to read this story 🙂
I would love it as a drawing but I have nil drawing skills.