Bestselling Hale Fiction on Amazon - 31 May

1. (-) Beyond the Storm by E. V. Thompson (Paperback - 30 Nov 2010)
From £7.79

2. (N/E) Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange (Hardcover - 31 May 2011)
From £7.83

3. (+2) Churchyard and Hawke by E.V. Thompson (Paperback - 30 Nov 2009)
From £7.72

4. (-2) No Less Than the Journey by E.V. Thompson (Kindle Edition - 31 May 2010)
Buy: £5.78

5. (-2) No Less Than the Journey by E.V. Thompson (Paperback - 30 May 2010)
From £6.08

6. (N/E) Constable in the Country by Nicholas Rhea (Paperback - 30 Apr 2010)
From £2.74

7. (-) Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange (Kindle Edition - 1 Jan 2011)
Buy: £6.39

8. (-) The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes by Paul D. Gilbert (Kindle Edition - 1 Jan 2011)
Buy: £6.23

9. (N/E) Constable Over the Hill by Nicholas Rhea (Hardcover - 31 May 2011)
From £11.11

10. (N/E) The Tewkesbury Tomb by Kerry Tombs (Hardcover - 29 Apr 2011)
From £16.14

DRAGON WIND RISING

DRAGON WIND RISING








Now in e-format with a stunning new cover, this is the first of two books about the adventures of Lea Stafford.

DRAGON WIND RISING is the story of Australia's first female foreign correspondent, the enterprising Lea Stafford, who has arrived in Peking in 1900, unaware of the gathering storm of anti-western feeling. She is fascinated by the colour and pageantry of the mysterious Forbidden City and the contrasting life of the crowded alleys surrounding it.

While screaming hordes of Boxers stream across China, slaughtering missionaries and promising death and destruction to all foreigners, western leaders procrastinate. They continue with their lavish dinner parties and soirees, assuring one another that the Empress would never permit them to be harmed.

However, the reactionary Iron Hats within the palace prevail, and soon the Boxer hordes are joined by military units which surround the legations. The hated 'round eyes' find themselves under siege, bombarded and cut off from all support.

Amidst the mayhem Lea finds love and commitment in the unlikely person of Michael Attwood, a mysterious trader in antiquities with the shadiest of reputations, both in business and in his dealings with the ladies. But it seems all too late. For 55 days their lives hang in the balance, as the embattled representatives of the western nations begin to starve behind their crumbling walls, fighting off attack after attack while searching the horizon for help that does not come.

Hale novel republished under title - THROUGH GLASS EYES

When first accepted for publication, Hale did not consider my working title, Through Glass Eyes, appropriate, arguing that the doll element in the story was not strong enough to support the name. I disagreed but acquiesced.
I remember Mark Twain’s short story, The Million Pound Bank-Note (later to become a book and movie staring Gregory Peck). In that tale, the story evolves around the note. In Through Glass Eyes the doll is not always present, but is always hovering in the background.
Furthermore, changes in the doll’s dress over a period of 25 years can be regarded as a metaphor for the fluctuating fortunes of Lucy Oldfield reflecting her times of hardship, struggle and eventual triumph.
To my mind, the title could not be more appropriate.

In setting out to produce a cover for the paperback, I wanted to feature the doll, a 24-inch French bisque Bru of the 1890s. Of course to buy one of these rare antiques today would cost tens of thousands of dollars.
By chance, I learned of a one-day Doll Fair in Launceston (Tasmania) and went along with my camera.

On the first stall, a beautiful doll caught my eye. To my amazement, I discovered it was a replica Bru cabinet doll of the late 1800s – though only about 8 inches tall. And the only one at the fair.

Exhibitor Derrise Mahoney was delighted to share her story with me. She is a local doll maker who creates and paints the porcelain heads from Bru moulds, adds the mohair wigs and designs the dolls’ dresses. With Derrise’s permission, I took several photos of her beautiful Bru and, as a result, was able to produce the book’s cover which I am delighted with.
Through Glass Eyes is a story for the ladies. It’s a heartfelt rags-to-riches saga set mainly in Yorkshire in 1895. Here is the outline:


“When Lucy Oldfield steals an exquisite French doll from her dying mistress, she is unaware of the roles it will play as time goes on. Love, loss, pain and joy are the ever-changing facets of Lucy’s life, and throughout her journey, the Bru doll is never far away.”

Now approved for print, Through Glass Eyes will be available on Amazon in July or you can find it at GRINDELWALD.
Marg Muir

FLOATING GOLD by M C Muir in paperback

Another of my titles is now available in paperback and you can read the opening pages on the Amazon page.
FLOATING GOLD was first published mid-2010 in hardback by Robert Hale Ltd. I never wanted this novel to be published in my full name, so in this edition the by-line bears only my initials.

As you can guess, this is a nautical fiction adventure.
Being a second edition provided the opportunity to add a brief blurb and extracts from reviews to the back cover.



The iceberg is appropriate to the story. I purchased the image from Big Stock Photo which is an excellent on-line outlet for quality photos of just about anything imaginable, and for just a few dollars.

FLOATING GOLD is now available at a discounted price direct from the publisher, GRINDELWALD. It is also available via Amazon.

THE BLACK THREAD now in paperback

The paperback edition of THE BLACK THREAD is now available on the major websites including Amazon.com.
First published in hardback by Robert Hale Ltd in 2007 then in large print by Ulverscroft.
The Black Thread is a dramatic historical fiction story set on a Yorkshire canal in 1895.
Having created the basic cover myself, I used a photo I took in England a few years ago.



Also due for release as an ebook August 2011 with Belgrave House.

Also Available with discount at GRINDELWOOD press.

Image: original Hale cover.

THE CONDOR'S FEATHER now in paperback

I'm delighted to announce that THE CONDOR'S FEATHER, first published in hardback by Robert Hale Ltd (2009) is now available in paperback.
I have undertaken this publication myself through Lulu Press under the name GRINDELWALD.
It is printed in Melbourne and will be on the major on-line retail sites such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble in about 6 week's time.
Having received a copy of the book, I am delighted with the quality.

THE CONDOR'S FEATHER is a historical Equestrian Aventure based loosely on the real-life journey undertaken across the wilds of Patagonia by Lady Florence Dixie in 1885.

Here's an excerpt of what MyShelf.com had to say about this book:

If you are an armchair traveler like me, you will happily curl up with this tale of travel and adventure. I could imagine this book being made into a western, as it is replete with the sorts of events those wonderful old films always feature. The strong silent cowboy, jail breaks, bad hombres on the trail who will stop at nothing, and lots of descriptions of the beauty of a savage, untamed landscape.


Thanks to Robert Hale for publishing in hardback in 2009.
The Condor's Feather is also available in library quality Large print from Ulverscroft (2010).
And as an e-book with Belgrave House (2011).

Available now at GRINDELWOOD press.

Marg Muir

The Condor's Feather now an e-book

I am pleased to announce that one of my 5 Robert Hale published titles – The Condor’s Feather (Halebooks 2007) - was released today in the US by Belgrave House as an e-book.

Belgrave House ebooks are on sale for $5 or discounted, and are available in 10 formats to suit most reading devices.

"We offer ebooks in ten formats: epub (industry standard), PRC (Mobipocket, Kindle), PDF, Microsoft Reader (LIT), PDB (Palm, eReader), HTML, Word, Rich Text Format, RB (Rocket and ebookwise), and Hiebook (KML), etc."

Update: 14 May - Now featured on Amazon at a discounted price.

I selected the cover image from www.bigstockphoto.com - Belgrave added the condor.
The Condor's Feather is an Historical Equestrian Adventure set in Patagonia in 1885.
I hope to see my other Hale titles up there very soon.

When the Flowers are in Bloom

Although this isn't a Hale book, I felt you wouldn't mind it being mentioned here as it's in a good cause. All author and publisher royalties will go toward aid for the survivors of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The Foreward says, ‘Reading about the cataclysmic devastation that hit Japan in March, I was greatly moved by the attitude of the survivors. People of all ages went out of their way to help each other. Looting seemed a rare event. There was a determination to overcome this terrible adversity. Lives and towns would be rebuilt, eventually, even if it would take years. The people would endure.

‘It is this theme, the strength of the human spirit that I have attempted to capture over the years in many of my short stories. Some of these tales may seem sad or traumatic but, despite that, I trust that hope, love, honor and integrity shine through, transcending the blight of evildoers, disability and natural disaster.

‘As writers, we strive to walk in the shoes of our characters. Fiction writers lie in order to grasp the truth. In some small way, I hope these stories reveal truths about the human condition.’

Blurb
These twelve diverse stories travel far and wide, over the globe and through history, to examine the human condition. Whether a quest for atonement decades after the Second World War, or to repay a debt of honor, Japanese characters reveal their fragility. In Sarajevo, Bosnia or the grim projects of New York, life must go on.

Characters show us that disability is not a handicap. Forgiveness and redemption are human qualities the world is short of today, perhaps. They’re needed by those who disinter the past and graves from an old war in Spain. Birth and death – they’re here. So is honor, duty, courage and love.

When the Flowers are in Bloom - Solstice Publishing