Landslide, New Moon, & Solar Eclipse

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Hello, hello, hello! It has been a little too long since our last update or even a post here on the site for Saturn Returns Publishing. For that, the Bookats and I apologize. We’ve been plugging away on several projects of late. Including the final edits for Philipp J. Kessler’s third book in the Dark of the Moon, New Beginnings series. Landslide is due out in Kindle format on August 21st.

We were not intending for Landslide to come out on such an auspicious day. August 21st is not only the August new moon, it is the solar eclipse! SRP and Mr. Kessler are located on the path of totality for that celestial event. What a way to launch his longest novel to date! Continue reading

Update from the Bookats – late May

20160521_102907The Bookats wanted to give you all another update. Seems they think the humans don’t do enough online marketing and updating to all of the readers and potential readers out there. Little do they understand just how much work we do to keep the lights on and food in their bowls.

Speaking of bowls. Give me a second. *scurries to the kitchen and back* Yup, can’t see the bottom of the bowls, so they won’t be thinking they are starving while I write this up for you. Mistress Freya can be very picky about her food and does not like to share.

SRP author Philipp J. Kessler released his second book on May 1, as you may remember. He’s been busy marketing through Facebook author events and elsewhere. He’s also plugging away on book three in the Dark of the Moon, New Beginnings series. Not going as fast with that one as he has the first two books. The further into the series he gets the more research he has to do to keep things interesting and new.

In book three, Landslide, he’s taking you outside of Lincoln for part of the story. That requires even more research.

A reader recently asked him why he has based his stories in Lincoln, NE. His response: “Lincoln has so much going on, people just aren’t aware of it. From a supernatural perspective, there is way more going on in Lincoln than anyone realizes.  Even most of the residents who are sensitive to it. There is a reason there have been so many metaphysical shoppes in town over the decades and why there are so many witches and Pagans around. Lincoln just hums with energy.”

As Philipp has pointed out in numerous conversations, “it is easy to set a magical realism book in Chicago, LA, NOLA, or even New York. People just accept it. But to put such a story into a town that most people think is just hum drum, that takes perseverance and creativity.”Landslide - pos cover 3

Philipp hopes to have Landslide ready for you by July 1. Speaking of… Here’s the cover for Landslide for your enjoyment!

As you can guess from the cover, Landslide is taking you WAY out of Lincoln for a part of the story.

In other updates, we are in continued negotiations for an anthology of nonfiction on Goddess spirituality. We are at the contract signing point in those negotiations. As soon as Josef gets those contracts updated! We are very excited about this project. Securing a printer that can make over seas and Canadian shipping more affordable was one of the hurdles we had to surmount. That has been accomplished now and we are well on our way to getting things done. We are looking at an October release date. We will announce the title, editor, and contributors when everything is secured and green lighted by all parties involved.

Securing that overseas and Canadian distribution has also opened the doors for more contributors to our Modern Mythology anthology. We all know that the publisher makes the bulk of the money on anthologies with the editor(s) a close second. The contributors rarely make anything significant of anthology sales. But with a printer that is more affordable for shipping within the United States, Canada, and in Europe contributors can purchase physical copies of the anthology to sell directly at author events or elsewhere – and that is where they can make their money more readily!

Check back later this week for more updates on the state of Dark of the Moon, New Beginnings and where else you might be able to secure a copy of one or the other for yourself! In the meantime, Amazon has a nifty option for series Kindles. Yuu can purchase them in bundles now! Here is the bundle link for Dark of the Moon, New Beginnings by SRP author Philipp J. Kessler.

 

Waterfall is Out!

Waterfall (1)SRP author, Philipp J. Kessler, released his first full length novel and book two in the Dark of the Moon, New Beginnings series. Waterfall hit Kindle and paperback on Amazon Monday, May 1, 2017. Waterfall is the sequel to Backfire. Along with Philipp, SRP hosted a release party and author takeover on Facebook. Eight authors took place in the party. We are so happy to have been able to work with authors like Alan VanMeter, Diane Morrison, and Hal Greenberg to celebrate the release of this novel.

Leading up to the release of Waterfall, Philipp attended a local sci-fi/fantasy convention, Constellation8, to schmooze with authors and artists as well as cast line to hook new readers. Though he did not have a booth of his own, he was able to make a few sales while at the con and donated a copy of his book to a silent auction later in the weekend hosted by a local Pagan church. Something he was only too happy to do!

While at the convention, he got to meet the local artist who created the cover art for his chapter-a-month sci-fi project, R.S. Pinnacle: Asteroid. The artist, Chris Ralston, was in the dealer room with many pieces of his art, as well as doing on-the-spot commission. Chris’s art can be found online at R10Creations. You can read Asteroid‘s first chapter for free at Philipp’s Patreon page and become a Patron for only $1 a month to get access to the rest of the project as it becomes available.R.S. Pinnacle - wall paper

Philipp also ran into fellow Nebraska authors Sarah Buhrman, Lisa Kovanda, and Arden Ellen Nixon. Arden is also an artist. Constellation is a great local event that Philipp is looking forward to having a table at next year.

April Got Away From Us

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Pardon the mess, Renny is not a very good house keeper.

The Bookats reminded me this morning that almost the entire month of April got away from us! Oh, my! We can’t let that happen! We’ve been busy working through several manuscript submissions from new authors. Well, new to us. We have just not been paying that much attention to the blog. For that, we sincerely apologize.  This is where so many of you come to find out what is going here at Saturn Returns Publishing. Continue reading

Backfire on pre-order

Backfire1We are thrilled to announce that Backfire is now available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle. We’re so excited! Can you tell?

Backfire was started in February of 2016, Philipp tabled it indefinitely because of his bills-paying-job taking up so much of his time. Situations change and time appeared in abundance. He decided to take that time and turn this “failed attempt” at a short story into something. He had set out to write approximately 10k words, but before he knew it things had blown into over 30k! Not quite a novel, but good enough.

Some might say that he is putting the cart before the horse, but Philipp went ahead and got the manuscript up on Kindle today. While he was there he decided to make it available as a print-on-demand. If you prefer your books to be actually paper and ink, the print edition of Backfire should be available by April 1, 2017 for your ordering and reading pleasure.

Philipp is also having a release party and author takeover on Facebook. Please check out the link and attend if you can. There will be all kinds of games and giveaways. Several other authors are participating in the takeover. Should prove to be a lot of fun for everyone!

Backfire cover reveal

Backfire1Saturn Returns Publishing is pleased to present the cover reveal for their next title. Backfire is a short story by Philipp J. Kessler. The beginning of a monthly to bi-monthly serial called Dark of the Moon, New Beginnings.

In this first installment Sandra, Elaine, and Malcolm,  are introduced to the reader. Sandra is a hereditary witch whose best friend Elaine has recently gone through a bad breakup with Malcolm. As the story starts out we see Sandra in her ritual room after casting a spell of peace for her friend. A spell that seems to have backfired. Light bulbs blow at random in Elaine’s apartment and mirrors begin to crack all around Sandra.

Will Sandra and Elaine figure out what went wrong with the spell? Did Malcolm do something that might have caused the backfire?

Backfire is the first of a planned 24 stories. Each one will teach a lesson of magic and witchcraft through allegory. Bridging the gap between fiction and teaching, Dark of the Moon will both entertain and educate the reader. Intended for a general audience of paranormal fantasy readers, this series will also draw the interest of the Pagan and Witchcraft communities.

Backfire is scheduled to be released to Amazon Kindle on April 1, 2017 with each volume in the serial following approximately each month for two years. Follow Philipp and Saturn Returns Publishing on Facebook to keep up with the journey of Sandra and her cadre of friends.

Follow this blog to keep up to date on this and other releases.

 

Historical Fiction & the Ides of March

Image result for et tu brute gifEt tu, Brute, one of the most often used lines, especially on March 15th. Beware the Ides of March, Julius Caesar was warned. Did he listen? Apparently not.

Shakespeare was one of the first creators of historical fiction. He based his plays on events from the past with his own twist on artistic license. His play Julius Caesar being one of his more famous takes on history.

The famed Sir Thomas Malory, author of Le Morte D’Arthur, incorporated the ideals of chivalry and knighthood with the legends and stories of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table. Whether the life and times of King Arthur are a true part of history or just a figment of the worlds’ imagination, it falls into the category of historical fiction when you look at the references to the times. Some may disagree there.

Along with Shakespeare’s plays and Malory’s famous work, there are many other literary figures from history that would be placed under historical history today. Alexandre Dumas comes to mind as well. Whether you enjoy reading historical fiction or not, you have to admit that the thrill of watching the film adaptations of these novels and plays from our own history are quite fun!

Now, let’s step away from the famous authors and playwrights and look at what historical fiction in.

Historical fiction takes a person or event from history and tells their story with fictionalized elements. One of the owner’s favorite historical authors is Judith Tarr. Among other books she wrote Ars Magica, the story of Gerbert the farmer’s son who became a mathematician and later Pope Sylvester II. About the only thing in the book that is factual is that he was born Gerbert to a humble farmer and became Pope. His relationship with the young Holy Roman Emperor and his penchant for magic is pure speculation on Tarr’s part. Certainly made for some good reading!

The Heretic & the Inquisitor.pngSRP author Philipp J. Kessler is working on his own historical fiction, The Heretic & the Inquisitor. The figure from history is Robert le Bougre, an inquisitor in France in the mid-13th Century. According to the Church he was a heretic of the Waldensian flavor who later recanted his beliefs and became a Dominican monk and inquisitor. That much is true.

Kessler is taking that and running with it. Adding in an element of psychology to the story of this person from the Church’s history. Whether any of it might even be considered true is beyond him to say. He is using the modern idea of dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, to explain some of the war being waged on the supposed heretics of the time. Were they mentally ill? Or were they, as the Church claimed, in league with the Devil and possessed by demons? You’ll have to keep an eye out for this release in 2018 to find out how Kessler tells the tale.

SRP Author does Wyrd West Takeover

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Saturn Returns Publishing author Philipp J. Kessler is taking part in another author
takeover on Facebook
. The Wyrd West Chronicles are by friend of the publisher Diane Morrison, wyrd west imagealso known as Sable Aradia. Showdown is Diane’s first book in her series. Diane has ventured into the genre of the weird west, where steampunk meets western. You could view the old tv show Wild Wild West or the Will Smith movie of the same name as part of the weird west genre. Even Brisco County Jr that was on Fox in the 1990’s might qualify.

Philipp doesn’t write in this genre, but that’s not the point. An author takeover is meant to help indie authors get their names out there. Some takeovers are genre specific, like the LGBTQ erotica takeover that Josef Kastle did last weekend. Many are wide open, like the Pagan Fiction Authors takeover Philipp took part in at the last-minute Sunday night.

Friend of the publisher Sarah Buhrman, author of Too Wyrd and other books, has put together a fun little vlog that talks about author takeovers. She will also be presenting a workshop on that topic at this spring’s Nebraska Writers Guild conference.

Philipp will be doing Diane’s takeover at 3pm Pacific time (5pm Central) on Saturday the 18th. He looks forward to seeing you there!

SRP Author does Dark Fiction takeover

Image may contain: plant, flower and textSRP’s Philipp J. Kessler is participating in a dark fiction author takeover this weekend on Facebook. Tales of the Banshee: a dark twist on St. Paddy’s Day is a chance for authors of dark fantasy, dark romance, horror, dark fiction, etc to pimp their works and meet fans. Philipp will be focusing on his dark thriller Only the Paranoid Survive, due out late this year from Saturn Returns Publishing.

Below is the schedule for Sunday’s part of the weekend long event. Times are Pacific. Be sure to scroll through and look for Saturday’s authors to find out more about them.

12pm- Tam May
1pm- Patricia Stover
2pm- Ava Vixion
3pm- Jennifer Demeter
4pm- Adam Reese / Kim Christensen Byrd PA
5pm- Andy Peloquin
6pm- Julia Clare
7pm- Lila Vale
8pm- Author R. Phoenix
9pm- Philipp Kessler

For those of you playing along at home, that means that Philipp will be on at 11pm Central.

Call for Submissions: Pagan Fiction Anthology

Image result for writing quillPagan Fiction Anthology: Modern Mythology, new stories of the Gods (updated 3/25/17)

Call for Submissions

Saturn Return Publishing

Saturn Returns Publishing is seeking submissions for an anthology of Pagan fiction.

Modern Mythology: New Stories Of the Gods is a collection of shorts telling the stories of the Gods and Goddesses from new and unique perspectives. Olympus in Space? Asgard in Manhattan? Abydos the seat of computer commerce? Taking the myths and figures of mythologies from around the world, Pagan authors take a twist and tell these stories in an entirely different light.

For the purposes of this anthology the term “Pagan” is broadly defined as any spiritual or religious path that embraces Earth, poly-, pan-, and non-traditional monotheistic paths, nontheistic paths may also fall into this definition. Pagan themes or characters are central to this anthology. The scope is not limited to any one genre, time frame, or world. Please see below for more details on genres.

Accepted submissions will be edited for grammar, spelling, and continuity. Submissions included in the anthology will remain the property of the original author with the requirement of waiting one calendar year from date of the anthology’s publication before they may be released in any other format. The first run of the anthology will be in eformat on Amazon Kindle and paperback version will be available at the same time through Amazon. Future runs will be available in both formats through other online vendors. Authors included in the anthology will be compensated with one free copy of the anthology and reduced purchase rate for additional copies.

What we are looking for in this anthology: Fantasy. Urban Fantasy. Paranormal. Sci-Fi. Historical Fiction. Religious Fiction. Dark Fantasy. Dark Fiction. Young Adult. Horror. Romance. Paranormal Romance.

What we are not looking for in this anthology: Children’s stories. Erotica. Poetry. The publisher is not looking for graphic depictions of sex or unnecessary violence. SRP does publish these genres, but is not looking for submissions of those flavors for this anthology. Please contact SRP with submissions for these genres separate from this anthology.

Minimum word count: 1500

Maximum word count 5000 (longer submissions will be considered on a case by case basis)

Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2017. Please send submissions to saturnreturnspub@gmail.com attention “Pagan Fiction Anthology”. Planned release date is December 1, 2017. Visit Saturn Returns Publishing for more information about the publisher.