Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Greystone Saga Vol. 2 Box Set Available for Pre-Order!

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The second digital box set of the Greystone series is now available for pre-order! Contained within this massive document are The Medusa Coin, Pathways in the Dark AND an exclusive sneak peek at A Circle of Shadows!!!

CRAZY!

Cover reveal

Kit Foster Designs did another amazing job putting together this cover. Keeping in line with the first box set and focusing solely on the dark streets of Portents was an inspired choice.

I can’t say enough about the man and his work. Every time I get a new cover in my inbox I spend way too long staring at it.

There is a lot of talk about covers being on genre. For me, this cover and every cover for the Greystone series has been about building an image, setting the tone for what is within. That is more important in my mind. It may cost me a sale or two but when people find a Greystone book the very first thing they tell me about is the amazing cover image that drew them in.

I can think of no higher praise for Kit and his work on Greystone over the last two years.

Pre-order the box set today!

The digital box set comes out June 12th but you can pre-order yours NOW! It is being offered for the special launch price of $2.99 before heading up to $4.99 post launch. You’re getting an entire book for FREE at that price!

            

Help spread the word…

We’re nearing the end of this journey and anything you can do to help spread the word and make this launch as successful as possible is deeply appreciated.

If you’ve read and reviewed The Medusa Coin and Pathways in the Dark be sure to do the same for this new box set. You can rate it now on Goodreads!

Social media posts, reviews, every little bit helps and I thank you for your continued support of the series!

Thanks for reading!

A Call for Reviews

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I’ve set a few goals for myself this year. There are the usual suspects in the mix. Finish a new series of books, edit a couple sitting in the drawer next to my desk. Maybe spend some time with the family. (That would be nice…)

First and foremost on the list is asking for reviews.

Calling all reviewers

I know how difficult it can be to leave a review. You never know what to say, how long it should be, if you’re giving too much away or not saying enough. The fact remains each review is crucial to the success of a book.

I set a goal for Signs of Portents this year at 50 reviews. I would love to see it hit the mark. Right now it is at 27. Totally workable but I need your help to make it happen.

Tales from Portents and Pathways in the Dark are stuck at 9 reviews. It would be incredible if they both reached 20 by the end of the year.

The Medusa Coin had the strongest review count out of the gate thanks to my fantastic advance reader team but since then has had a total of bupkus. It is currently at 16 reviews. Let’s see what we can do to make that 25 by the end of the year.

If you’ve read both Signs of Portents and Tales from Portents consider leaving a review for The Greystone Saga Volume One which contains both books. I would love to be able to promote the box set more but with only 3 reviews it makes it very difficult to manage. If we could get it to 10 reviews it would be a big help.

I can’t do this without you.

One of the main reasons I love to write is that everything is internal. Everything stems from me and when the chips fall the final product is all mine based on my choices and what I wanted to see in the pages.

But the success of such a book is not up to me. It is up to you. Leaving a review is your voice in the process and I take each to heart. Each one is truly appreciated and I can’t say enough about the folks that have been able to leave one for each and every installment of the Greystone series.

Thank you for your help with hitting these goals.

Also, if you would like a free copy of the next Greystone book, A Circle of Shadows, to review ahead of the release in September please shoot me an email at lou@loupaduano.com.

And now… LINKS!

Signs of Portents

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KLEREBW

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1124265435

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/signs-of-portents-1

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/690511

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1188449431

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31391171

Tales from Portents

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU7MCU0

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1125454110

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tales-from-portents

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/695182

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1193911014

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33872782

The Greystone Saga Volume One

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VHCHZ3

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1126358230

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-greystone-saga-volume-one-signs-of-portents-and-tales-from-portents

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/722910

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1234243174

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35438272

The Medusa Coin

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073FZYYBN

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1126791229

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-medusa-coin

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/736461

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1260418619

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35722978

Pathways in the Dark

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784CX1RY

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1127501454

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/pathways-in-the-dark 

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/760086 

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1342339307

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36636028

 

 

 

Sticking the Landing – A Circle of Shadows Update

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It’s crazy to think that in five months the final book of the Greystone saga arrives. When I started planning the arc out back in 2016 this point seemed so far away, so out of reach.

I spent last week revisiting A Circle of Shadows and I have to say… I really enjoyed it.

I know what you’re thinking. Big deal, the writer likes his own book. Well, if you know me at all then you know I dislike pretty much everything I write. I can see the weakness, the flaw in it. The parts readers will jump on, harp on, and ridicule – though all exist for a specific story purpose. It isn’t a negative outlook, though it might appear that way – it is merely wanting to make the book as strong as possible.

With this book? Not so much on the negativity front.

That scares me. But it also excites me. There are so many pieces in A Circle of Shadows, so many touchstones to the series as a whole, that it seemed planned from the very start. (pssst, it wasn’t…)

Did I stick the landing?

That will be up to you. And yes, some will be greatly upset by the ending of this next novel. The stakes are higher but so are the final costs. No one feels each loss as much as I do, I promise you that. The world of Greystone, the city of Portents, is part of my daily life now and to not hear some of the voices from the past few years is sad, however, it opens the door to the adventures to come.

For my own impressions, I think A Circle of Shadows does an excellent job closing out the narrative started with Signs of Portents. The callbacks to every other Greystone novel are there. Character moments grew organically. Every single player gets their moment in the spotlight, all making their own choice and changing from the repercussions.

If you’ve followed the story so far I think you’ll dig where it ends. I have never been one to write on an epic scale. There have been little moments of it like the climax of Signs of Portents but never has the action been so prevalent as it is in this last chapter.

For now…

I keep saying it because there is more story to tell. In fact, reading through A Circle of Shadows last week brought to light a number of new areas to explore for the second half of the series.

Questions remain but as to what those entail you’ll have to read the novel when it arrives this September!

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Writing Update – April 12, 2018

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Welcome back to the show that never ends!!! I promised myself a quiet March after the launch of Pathways in the Dark, especially with every member of my household celebrating birthdays in a three week span.

I always break my promises when it comes to easing off on the writing.

Instead, I launched into my next series with reckless abandon.

Writing Update

I love school vacations. It is my bread and butter when it comes to productivity. Having my lovely wife home last week gave me the opportunity to jump head first into the first book in a new series.

42,002 words in 7 days.

It’s called The Clearing and it is coming your way in June 2019.

The first in a series of novella type serials, The Clearing is the first of six “episodes” which will make up the first season.

I have a LONG way to go before I feel comfortable throwing more details your way but, holy crap, am I excited about this!

A Circle of Shadows

The next and final installment in the Greystone series (for now…) is heading to my lovely and talented editor at Kristen Corrects Inc this month. So this week I am hunkered down making sure the latest draft is up to snuff and presentable.

I do not want to disappoint on this one. The pressure is on but from what I’ve heard in terms of feedback from my very early readers I think I managed to stick the landing. More on this next week.

Buffalo Comicon – April 15th!!!

Stop and pay me a visit this Sunday between 10am and 5pm!! Bring your paperback to be signed or pick one up at the show!

Can’t wait to see you there! Order your ticket today!

Reading Update

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher – Absolutely love this series. Book Six in The Dresden Files and every time I finish one I want to pounce on the next installment. This book was no exception. Butcher throws a ton at you in the beginning but always manages to juggle the seemingly disparate plotlines with ease. The world he’s developed has grown so much since the first two books. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket – I have never read a Lemony Snicket novel, though I confess I am loving the current Netflix series based on A Series of Unfortunate Events. Reading this book I couldn’t help but hear Patrick Warburton’s narration in the back of my mind, edging me further and further into the bizarre mystery unfolding in the pages. A dazzling array of characters, each with their own quirks on display for the reader.

A fast read and an enjoyable one to boot.

Spring Reading List

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A new season, a new list of reading material. I truly enjoyed the selections of the winter list so here’s hoping for more fantastic reads as the weather finally turns a little brighter.

The Amulet Thief – Luanne Bennett

Alex Kelley vanished twenty-one years ago––the night her mother was murdered. When she comes home to New York City, she wants just two things: a little peace, and answers about the unsolved murder and why she was abandoned in the middle of America at the age of eight.

Greer Sinclair, an enigmatic stranger who knows a little bit more than he should, just might give her both––and more if she’ll let him.

What is she?

What is he?

Who is this beguiling satyr who keeps coming between them?

She attracts the otherworldly like moths to a flame. And why does every stranger on the streets of Manhattan want a piece of her and that pendant hanging around her pretty little neck?

Maybe the answers are in a peculiar shop in the heart of Greenwich Village where ghosts, memories, and secrets are bursting from the walls and the books and the one person who knows her best.

The line between the mundane and supernatural worlds is starting to blur. Which side will she choose? Which would you?

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There’s little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus.

This first installment of Rick Riordan’s best-selling series is a non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions.

Seer of Souls by Susan Faw

The time for hiding is finished. The dead are restless. Fate and destiny collide.

Twins Cayden and Avery Tiernan have grown up in isolation on the fringe of the realm. Gifted with forbidden skills, they hide their growing magical powers. Ancient prophecies speak of the ones with the power to depose the queen.

To protect her throne, Queen Alcina scours the land for evidence of magic, while the darker force she serves threatens the land with chaos. She is not the only huntress however. Primordial seekers discover the twins first but before they can escape, the death of a queen’s guard puts the entire village in jeopardy. To save their town, the twins flee, only to be dragged toward an unknown destiny.

Guided by her gift, Avery senses lies and treachery where others see only truth. Dare she trust her instincts? For Cayden, an irresistible voice whispers to him. Does it belong to the souls of the dead and are they calling him home?

The Einstein Prophecy by Robert Masello

As war rages in 1944, young army lieutenant Lucas Athan recovers a sarcophagus excavated from an Egyptian tomb. Shipped to Princeton University for study, the box contains mysteries that only Lucas, aided by brilliant archaeologist Simone Rashid, can unlock.

These mysteries may, in fact, defy—or fulfill—the dire prophecies of Albert Einstein himself.

Struggling to decipher the sarcophagus’s strange contents, Lucas and Simone unwittingly release forces for both good and unmitigated evil. The fate of the world hangs not only on Professor Einstein’s secret research but also on Lucas’s ability to defeat an unholy adversary more powerful than anything he ever imagined.

From the mind of bestselling author and award-winning journalist Robert Masello comes a thrilling, page-turning adventure where modern science and primordial supernatural powers collide.

Care to join me?

I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on the books above. Email me at lou@loupaduano.com.

I was hoping to add a couple more this time around (I have so much to READ!) but it looks like writing is going to win out as usual.

Happy reading!

Cliffhangers – Story Technique or Story Cheat?

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I’ve run into a wall with this one. I’ve seen arguments on both sides and am wondering where the line in the sand is when it comes to cliffhangers.

I love cliffhangers. I love the feeling that there is a larger story in play or something still to unfold. To me, they are the perfect way to drive readers to the next issue of a comic book, the best way to ensure they “tune in” to the start of the next episode of their favorite television show.

But do book readers enjoy them?

Losing the whole story.

I’ve spoken to dozens of readers on this issue. That there is something they are missing and therefore the experience of reading a book is not complete because of a cliffhanger. Readers mention this issue in their reviews of serialized fiction, the sense that they were cheated by an incomplete plot and forced to read the next installment because of this technique.

But isn’t that what authors want you to do? Read their next book? Find a way to put you back in the world you’ve just visited as easily as possible? What better way than to leave you hanging, unable to know whether a character lives or dies? Or how a situation turns out for your main leads until the next book?

It’s the ultimate tension builder and one used by many industries as the means to keep readers coming back for more.

But is it a cheat?

Not a complete story. That is the feeling of some readers and they would not be wrong in that assessment. A cliffhanger demands an answer, usually in the form of another book – one would hope… So the reader is now forced to buy something else on top of the book they have just read.

So where does the author draw the line? What gives the reader a satisfying and complete experience but also compels them forward to the next installment? What allows the author to tell larger stories in the midst of the installment based series without the power of a cliffhanger?

These are the questions that keep me up at night.

A happy compromise.

I love installment based series. Episodic storytelling. I like to know there is more on the way, a larger story in the telling. What I don’t enjoy is patchwork novels. A piece of a puzzle without any connective tissue with the hopes you’ll stick around for the rest. The first part of a larger novel that was broken up into two or ten pieces that forces you to buy them all to see how things play out.

So how about a compromise? A complete story that can leave a lingering question or two for the reader with the hopes it will be answered in future stories. An “A” plot that has a beginning, middle and end while also engaging the reader with a potential “B” and “C” plot that plays out in the background over multiple stories.

The reader comes first and as I plot away on my next series, I’m curious to know what you think about cliffhangers? Are they a dirty, rotten ploy to scam some bucks from you? Or does it keep you on the edge of your seat, excited for the next book in the series?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. E-mail me at lou@loupaduano.com.

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