Busy Writing The Sphere

As you may have noticed, I have not posted in a while.  There's a reason.  I took a little vacation from the blog for the holidays, and have since been hard a work writing The Sphere, the second book in The Magi Series.  It took a little longer than expected to get fully into the swing of writing again, but I have since found my groove and the writing is coming along nicely.  I'm still a little behind my pacing goal to get the book out by late summer, but I hope to play catch-up soon.

I hope that answers the question why I've been absent lately.  Keep checking back for some quick hitters and writing progress of The Sphere.

Kevin

The Magi in Paperback is Here!

Well, that didn't take long!

Amazon has now listed The Magi as a paperback option.  I'm still working on merging the two versions (Kindle and Paperback) onto one customer page, but if you would like to purchase The Magi for paperback, you can click here.

Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas!

Last week, I said that an announcement was coming and should happen in the next few days.  Well, that didn't happen, so for Christmas, I will explain my post.

The Magi will soon be available in print through Amazon.  I will certainly make an announcement when it becomes available, but for the time being, just know that it's coming.  It takes a few days to go through processing to be available at the amazon store, so it should be any day now.

In any case, if you wanted to read The Magi but didn't have an e-reader (or didn't want to read it off your computer), then your print option will soon be available.  Just keep checking Amazon!

Merry Christmas Everyone!   

Review from Xpresso Reads

The Magi is starting to generate just the tiniest buzz...if you listen closely.  As faint as "a wasp walking on a window pane."  (Ten points if you can come up with the source of that quote). 

Xpresso Reads is a blog from which I have been dying to get a review for a while, and the review just came in a couple of days ago.  I'm not exactly sure what to say after reading this review (and the comments that follow), so if you have any ideas, let me know because I'm speechless.

Read the full review at .Xpresso Reads here. 

  

Quick mid-blitz Stats and Links

Hello friends!

Since we're mid-way through the blitz, I thought I'd give an honest share where The Magi is in terms of sales and reviews.

Reviews:  The reviews I've been getting have been GREAT!  The three places to look are Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble for the reviews.  Click on the icons below to see the reviews page of The Magi.  (B&N is not included below because while there are 3 ratings...all 5-star...there are no reviews yet) 

            

At Amazon, The Magi is averaging 4.93 stars out of 5.  On Goodreads, it's averaging 4.86 stars out of 5.  Woohoo!  It may literally be one 5-star review away on Amazon to get on their "highest-rated" list.  (Those lists update daily, so whenever it updates, it may be up...check Amazon tomorrow).  I've been seeing books with less reviews and less star averages that are on the list, so either The Magi will be up tomorrow, or their algorithm is odd.      

SALES:  If you're a nerd like me, it's fascinating how the "Bestseller" list works. 

Right now, the Magi is sitting around a #15,000 rank, which is a little down from earlier today, but up from yesterday.  Each copy sold sees a significant spike in the rankings (especially in the morning). 

The first Bestseller list I'm trying to get on is the Children's Fantasy/Magic list.  Currently at #100 (the last place) is a book that is sitting at rank #3,500 or so.  That may literally be 5 copies of The Magi away from making the list.  Then again, in order to maintain position in striking distance of the TOP 100, The Magi has to sell enough sporatic copies throughout the day (no spike necessary).  Fascinating!  So, if you're wondering what you can do, it seems that just buying the book at your convenience is best.  If it spikes, it spikes.  If not, you're helping the base sales keep in striking distance of the TOP 100 so if there is a spike, The Magi will crack in.  And if it cracks in, the publicity is HUGE!  Wow, that was confusing. 

So a big thank you to all who have helped mid week.  Remember to keep plugging away if you feel so inclined.  I've been so grateful for such wonderful friends and family that have worked to make The Magi successful.  I love you all!

Kevin

Update:  As of the morning of November 17, The Magi has hit two bestseller's lists.  Amazon.co.uk has The Magi sitting at #99 in the Children's Action Adventure category.  Smashwords has The Magi currently at #94 in the bestseller's rankings.  Thank you all!

THE MAGI BLITZ (Day 3)

We're halfway through the blitz.  Thank you all for your help this week in publicizing The Magi.  I hope you enjoy The Magi.

QUESTION AND ANSWER:

I know this may sound unbelievably pompous of me, but someone recommended doing a Q&A for the blitz, and I thought that might be fun.  I'm well aware that since The Magi is no bestseller, there might not be a whole lot to ask yet.  However, I did write a book, and quite a few people have read it or have at least heard about it.  So, I would like to open today up for my readers to ask questions.  I will post answers on tomorrow's post and Friday's (assuming I get questions...most of my visitors have been quite shy).  The floor is open and I will do my best to answer honestly.  It can be as simple as a question about myself or about the book or the series.  So ask away...

Also, I've received a note that there have been some problems with being able to comment.  If this is the case, please shoot me a quick email (kevinmturner1@gmail.com) and let me know so I can fix the problem.  I may have to email google.

Look forward to hearing from you!!!

THE MAGI BLITZ (Day 2)

Welcome Back!

For those of you that have read the book, if you'd like to find out which element you would control, take the quiz below!



For the rest of you, let me briefly explain the quiz:

The Magi world has a power that allows them to control the four elements:  fire, water, wind, earth.  A good portion of the story deals with the main character, Elijah Hawk, figuring out how these elements relate to him and which speak to him the most.  With the help of my friends Corey and David, I have put together a quick 10-question quiz will tell you which element you would be more likely to control if you were trained at Savenridge. 

So what would you study?

The Magi Buzz...

Ttoria.blogspot.com has graciously been publicizing The Magi this week for the blitz.  Ttoria is an independent reviewer from the UK and has an interview with me up here.  Check back tomorrow for her review of The Magi (I actually haven't read it yet).  

Thanks Viktoria!

http://www.ttoria.blogspot.com/

THE MAGI BLITZ (DAY 1)

1.  PURCHASE    2.  REVIEW    3.  CLICK CLICK CLICK   4.  SHARE

For those like me who need quick, simple directions without a lot of information, I've composed a list of bullet points to explain what I need.  If you are just here to check out the site because you're not sure what this is all about yet, click on THE MAGI BLITZ link at the top.

Please, NO OBLIGATIONS!

  

AVAILABLE TO ALL E-READERS 

1.  PURCHASE ($2.99)

-If you have a KINDLE, purchase here.
-If you have a NOOK, purchase here.
-If you have an iPad or iPhone, go to ibooks (or iTunes) and type in THE MAGI.
-If you have another e-reader or phone that handles books not listed above, purchase here.
-If you want a print copy, please contact me.

2.  REVIEW (You can copy and paste a review to all of these places for free.  The more reviews, the better)

-Goodreads (most important)  Click here to review, add to books, or rate.
-Amazon - Click here to review
-Barnes and Noble - Click here to review.
-iTunes (no site, but you can review on the app)
-Smashwords (can only review if you purchase from Smashwords) Click here to review.

3.  CLICK CLICK CLICK

For all of the above sites, the more clicks the better.

-LIKE everything that is a good review.
-CLICK on good reviews as "helpful".
-COMMENT when possible.

-VISIT the sites where some reviews came from (some sites are already listed above on THE MAGI REVIEWS). 

-FOLLOW the blog, facebook, goodreads, twitter (all links are listed on the sidebars)

4.  SHARE 

Stats for The Magi

While these stats are very modest, I am a goal-oriented person, so I like knowing where things stand so I know if there's improvement.  It will be fun to check back next week to see how things go.  Here are some interesting trends lately regarding The Magi:

1.  Amazon - Go to Amazon and type in The Magi, and my book comes up as the second choice.  Last week it wasn't even on the first two pages.

2.  Amazon - While this will hopefully increase steadily as I'm actually telling all of you to NOT buy my book now and wait until the 14, The Magi is ranked #49,525 in all Kindle books sold.  Now there's an uphill climb!  I'll update you all on those stats next week.

3.  Google - I'm not sure how much of Google's search pages have to do with some sort of algorithm from each individual computer, but from multiple computers, typing in The Magi will allude to the book two different places (both reviews) on the first page.  Type in The Magi series, and the whole page is filled with allusions.  It's starting to pop up thanks to all of your help! 

Looking for those stats to improve next week.  Thank you all and I hope to see you around the blog next week too.

Kevin

The Magi Cover

For those of you who have been following for a while, I should have titled it "The NEW Magi Cover" as I technically had another cover.  I had that one for advanced copies sent to reviewers and for my students to read at the beginning of the year.  However, I'm sure you'll agree (if you scroll down and see the other cover), that this one is much more professional. 

                                       -Cover and artwork/design by Jordan Harris-

This is the book's jacket for the (hopeful) hardcover edition.  I say hopeful because while I can finance a handful of printed copies on my own, part of the reason for all the publicity requesting is to get publishers' notice so these editions will become easily available.  

I'd like to take part of this post to thank Jordan Harris for all the work he put into designing the cover for The Magi.  First of all, it's amazing as you can see!  But he was extremely easy to work with and basically took my scrambled thoughts and put them down almost exactly as I imagined it (better than, actually).  If any of you need graphic design or artwork in the computer graphic field, I HIGHLY recommend Jordan! 

This is the cover for the e-books that are available now (but wait until the 14th if you can!).  It will make more sense once you read the story, but a good portion of The Magi has to do with the four elements, and this is their symbol (at least, in the world of the Magi).  Each element is represented by a different color (just like the story), but when they unite, it looks like this.  Again, once you get to about chapter 7, this may make more sense and help with the visualization of the elemental symbols. 

Jordan Harris, you're amazing! 

Profiling The Magi - Elijah Hawk

Elijah Hawk:  Main character

Age:  13 

First of all, let’s start with the name.  While The Magi is not a religious story, there are many religious references throughout.  I’m sure there are some I’m not even aware of yet, but some are obvious starting with the names of the main characters (children only).  Elijah, along with most of the other children in the story, is a biblical name.  I found it more difficult than I imagined picking the name for my protagonist.  I wanted it unique yet subtle, and Elijah just stuck out to me for some reason.  The purpose of the name Hawk I can’t give away at this point because it has significance beyond just a last name.  If you read the story, you’ll probably be able to figure it out, especially at the end.  However, I also like the sound of it.  I would say that about 90% of all the names in the series have significance to me.  Some are named after loved ones, and some are just named after people that have inspired me during my life, and Elijah is on that list. 

In many ways, Elijah takes on the role of the common teenager.  More than anything, I wanted to create a character that we can relate to (yes, “we” meaning everyone, not just teenagers—but teenagers especially).  I think we can all relate to Elijah’s insecurity with his physical appearance at some point in our lives.  It’s rare to find someone who accepts who they are from the get-go (especially at 13), living their life completely secure with their appearance.  They’re out there, but it’s rare!  However, Elijah finds out that he has superior abilities (I won’t give these all away now) and others more than accept him for those strengths.  I don’t pretend to have figured out all the truths about life, but I firmly believe that people are attracted to strength, and I also believe that we all have strength somewhere.  Therefore, when used and cultivated, our strengths can overshadow our insecurities, which is one of the themes I tried to bring out when writing The Magi, and Elijah in particular.

Elijah is also an inquisitive character—something I believe I subconsciously took from my own personality.  In high school, I can remember being laughed at for asking so many questions.  I’m sure it was annoying to my friends and especially, although I never picked up on it, my teachers.  I found that Elijah was just as inquisitive, and I actually find that one of his most endearing qualities (hm…I wonder why?).  You can even read some of his inquisitive nature in the first few chapters that are posted on the blog.

Finally, in taking on the role of the common teenager, I wanted Elijah to be found in the middle of the crowd.  He’s not a natural leader.  He shies away from attention that he cannot control.  He’s intelligent, but not brilliant.  However, what makes Elijah so special is his compassion, which is a total antithesis of his enemies, the Maliphists, and is one of the few human qualities that is a choice. 

I wrote Elijah not to represent the common teenager.  I wrote him to be a model.  He’s not perfect.  He has his flaws (who doesn’t?), but he truly wants to do good and has real empathy for all he comes in contact with (including his enemies).  I hope that for all who read The Magi, I will have succeeded in creating this model.     

Author Interview

Check out my small interview here at www.remarkablereads-sandra.blogspot.com

Also click back for upcoming reviews and release information.

Chapter 5 is up!!!

5 of 21 chapters are up on the blog.  Just go to the READ PARTS OF THE MAGI tab at the top and click the link.  Let me know what you think. 

Kevin

Cover Work

I just received my bundle of self-published books I made for reviewers and my kiddos to check out from me this year, and this is the cover.  I wanted it simple, so this is what I came up with.  Here's the back:

Blogger modifies the size of the images, but this one is much smaller than the cover and takes up just a portion of the back (which is mostly text). 

It'll do for e-copies.

Thanks to The Slowest Bookworm

Thanks to The Slowest Bookworm for agreeing to review The Magi.  Check out her blog here:

http://www.theslowestbookworm.com/

The Magi Coming Soon to Kindle

I'm sorry I've been away.  A promise to put up chapters and Magi profiles this week has been broken.  Not a good way to start.  Those will be up as soon as I can.  The reason is that I've been working on formatting The Magi for Kindle.  Until recently, I've been torn on whether to publish myself or wait around for an agent or publisher to pick it up.  However, with a few reviews coming up (hopefully they will be good), I want those who want to be able to purchase the book.  So I've decided to publish it on an ebook format for now.  

As of now, I do not have a date or details, but they will be coming soon.  Thank you for your patience.  I will be getting up new chapters soon.

Kevin

Two Ways to Experience the Archives

Now that I have a few posts under my belt (just a few), I thought I’d clarify a few things that may not have been so obvious to many readers. 

The purpose of the blog is to give a little supplemental information to my novel, The Magi.  It’s the back story behind the book.  However, if you haven’t read it, some of the jargon might be a little confusing unless you really work to do some research.  So there are two ways to approach the blog:

1.       If you have read the book, enjoy the archives.  As the days go by, some of the archives will begin to connect directly with the book.  Some will just give some of the history and back story of the Magi.  You’ll also see some archives come up in future books.

2.       If you haven’t read the book (which at this point is the majority of you), you can approach the archives as a story of a people you will meet if you (hopefully) read the book.  And when you take the journey with Elijah to Savenridge, you’ll know more than the casual reader.  Either way, the blog is meant to build the world of the Magi.

In order to make some of the jargon clearer for those of you who haven’t read the book, I will begin a posting series called “Profiling the Magi”.  Here I will give small amounts of information on the characters, places, and names that will come up on the blog.  Some of the information may give away the experience of being introduced to these people and places in the actual book, so if you plan on reading it at some point and you don’t want this information yet, you may want to steer clear of those posts.  I’ll put in a spoiler alert in case you fall into that category. 

Thanks again for all the support.      

Kevin

The First Ever Magi Archive

The first ever recorded Magi archive is from a woman named Roshena.  Roshena’s writings come up a few more times in the later part of the 9^th century B.C., and she is mentioned briefly in the Chronicles of Gormandel, which is where the Magi get the majority of their history.  I have obtained several excerpts from the Chronicles of Gormandel, which I will release later.  However, this is the first ever recorded archive period.

While her account is brief, it is rich with information.  The Magi believe that this was part of a larger scroll, which has not yet been discovered.  They believe that Roshena was writing something like a diary or journal for her family history.  As you will read, this spells out some of the first discoveries of elemental control:

(Translated into English)

            "It happened again today.  A few citizens from the Academy
                have spent days out in the natural world all alone and have
                come back saying that they think they have connected with
                the world around them.  I had been trying for weeks and
               haven’t been able to do what they claim they can do.  However,
                just like last week, I think I was able to change the wind patterns
               around me.  I haven’t said anything to anyone yet, but I think it
               has something to do with my mood.  Both times I was able to
                control the winds when I felt impulsive.  I’m not sure what this
               means, or if it means anything at all.  Tomorrow, when the
              Peacekeepers go out to search for truths, I will try
              again.”                                                                          

                                                                               
                   -Roshena (830 BC)

Again, since Roshena talks about another instance where she was able to control the wind, “just like last week, I think I was able to change the wind patterns”, there is reason to believe there is still an uncovered document. 

According to the Chronicles of Gormendel, the Peacekeepers were the group of people who looked for good in the world despite the chaos around them.  They would later call themselves the Magi. 

 

Chapter 4 is up!!!

Lots of anxious sitting while I wait for my daughter's surgery to be over.  Might as well put up a chapter.  Here's chapter 4.  You can visit the Read Parts of the Magi page or click here:

http://kevinmturner.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/chapter-4.pdf

Chapters 1-3 are up as well.  Let me know what you think...

Kevin