Short Story Collections Galore

From my last post, you'd know that I've been planning to upload reader-friendly collections of all my Amaris Shorts. Grouping the short stories by either genre or theme felt like a good idea. What I didn't think I'd be able to do was to get four collections up and running in one day!

Ouch, my wrist hurts right now... Make that my wrist, my shoulder, my neck... Hmmmm, I'm beginning to get more and more fond of the idea espoused at Joe Konrath's blog with respect to estributors and forking over 15% profits for an agent to handle admin tasks.

But enough grousing about my unhealthy limbs! On to the story collections...

Please be introduced to my very cool array of Amaris Shorts collections!

[Note: Prices for collections have been discounted for the Smashwords July 2011 Summer/Winter Sales Specials. Just key in discount coupons as stated before checkout for a fabulous deal:)]


Fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal short stories

Worlds Fantastic: A Collection of Two Amaris Fantasy & Sci-fi Short Stories

A collection of two Amaris fantasy and science-fiction short stories, ‘The Story-Catcher’ and ‘Amnipur’.

In ‘The Story-Catcher’, a girl accidentally enters the magical world of a mysterious wizard who might have his own reasons for her presence in his realm.

In ‘Amnipur’, an imaginative Amnipurian is at a loss as to what he can contribute to a copycat world built on the theft of other species’ evolution.

Sample or purchase this ebook at:
Amazon's Kindle Store
Smashwords.com

Of Magic and Mayhem: A Collection of Three Amaris Fantasy, Sci-fi & Paranormal Short Stories

With three Amaris short stories (‘The Story-Catcher’, ‘Amnipur’ and ‘The Devil’s Advocate’), this collection will entertain, thrill and confound readers. A girl stumbles upon a mysterious wizard; a civilisation persistently copies the worlds of others instead of creating its own; devilish whispers might persuade a willing listener to betray their better judgement.

Sample or purchase this ebook at:
Amazon's Kindle Store
Smashwords.com


Suspense short stories

The Therapist & I: A Collection Of Two Amaris Suspense Short Stories

A collection of two related suspense short stories. ‘The Shoplifter Never After’ pitches a therapist's wits against the guile of a client hiding the truth behind her thefts of random odd objects, in a psychological thriller with an unexpected twist. In ‘Dreamer’, a woman has an unusual malady that only a certain, rotund therapist might be able to understand...

Sample or purchase this ebook at:
Amazon's Kindle Store
Smashwords.com 

Dancing With Darkness: A Collection of Four Amaris Suspense Short Stories

A collection of four Amaris suspense short stories, 'The Shoplifter Never After', 'Dreamer', 'Junction' and the delightfully fiendish 'The Devil's Advocate'.

Sample or purchase this ebook at:
Amazon's Kindle Store
Smashwords.com



[Note: The above collections are available at discounted prices during the Smashwords July 2011 Summer/Winter Sales Specials. Just key in discount coupons as stated on the Smashwords page for each collection before checkout and you'll be getting a fabulous deal:)]

Short Story Collections Galore

'The Devil's Advocate: An Amaris Paranormal/Suspense Short Story'

It's time for the final Amaris Short that you'll be seeing for some time:) Yes, I'll finally be working full time on my fantasy/romantic fantasy novels after today.

But don't fear - if short stories are your thing, do note that I plan to release collections of all my Amaris Shorts in some fun combinations. Readers who've been waiting for something heavy to sink their teeth into, you'll soon be able to purchase sets of short stories that promise an entertaining ride indeed!

Do watch out for the Amaris Shorts collections, which will be out very soon:)

Till then, feast your eyes and mind on my mysterious 'The Devil's Advocate: An Amaris Paranormal/Suspense Short Story' and may you walk away wondering if he's been whispering in your willing ears all this while without you suspecting a thing:)

When a devilish minion starts whispering sweet, fatal nothings into a weary ear, there seems to be only one bloody way out of the mess that Penny’s life has become.

And the Devil’s Advocate is absolutely convinced he’ll make her take it ...

Sample/purchase at Amazon's Kindle Store
Sample/purchase at Smashwords
Find me on Smashwords

'The Devil's Advocate: An Amaris Paranormal/Suspense Short Story'

Why the online world would greatly benefit from that singular invention - the Chill Pill:D

The pit-falls of being an active writer in an online world have become clearer to me this week. From the fiasco that heralded a certain writer's (admittedly defensive) response to a review online earlier this year, to the arbitrary banning of commentators on a certain online writing forum, to the absurd amount of time I've been spending online to research marketing and promotion and all things self-publishing - it's become pretty obvious that the Internet holds traps for the unwary that can easily leak into one's personal and professional life.

Put simply, my time online - once useful and motivating - has turned akin to a psychic vampire.

I cannot get enough of surfing sites on publishing and writing, but ironically have reduced my writing output as a result.

The addiction to surfing interesting sites to the detriment of writing time is a topic that deserves its own post. Today though, I'm thinking of the impact that cyber bullying can have on one's online experience.

My often introverted self has lately made a push to participate in the active online communities and forums out there. But though my experiences online have been pretty positive, I've noticed a disquieting urge building in me to cater to the mood of others, to stay wary of inviting incidences of cyber bullying that have been popping up on the blogs and forums I enjoy the most.

I was reading a post recently on the effects witnessing/being involved in intances of cyber-bullying can have on online personalities. Natalie Whipple's post 'On Egg Shells' was a thought-provoking read. She seems to have a fun, witty and interesting take on life. That the negative atmosphere that sometimes builds online might inhibit her freedom of speech is a disturbing thought.

In such situations, every reader loses out because of the intense negativity of a few. Surely, this is an absurd and wasteful result of what should be the great, wonderful experiment that is the Internet.

The fact is, the greatest cities and civilisations are built on simple tenets of civility and freedom of speech coexisting. Without the reassurance of dialogue remaining civil, how can freedom of speech possibly rein strong?

I know that it seems like a contradiction in terms - to be free and civil. And yet, this is what prevents the greatest enemy to freedom from holding sway: self-censorship.

The pressure to conform can become intensely strong when one is alone in one's views, especially so when hordes of virtual (often anonymous) commentators decide to descend on one like starving vultures on a hapless piece of meat. I know this feeling well in reality, but to see situations disintegrate to farcical name-calling or malicious strings of hate-comments online... it kind of makes me angrier than I am when faced with a similar situation in real life.

My reaction's probably as strong as it is because I see the online world as one of greater freedom and liberation than anything previously seen in reality - and I can't quite mix online cruelty into this paradigm with any success.

Make no mistake, the Internet is a great, wandering civilisation of its own, one that's growing larger and more varied as days go by. And like all civilisations, it's annoyingly vulnerable to dark moments of persistent bullying, with negative voices clouding discussions instead of encouraging rich dialogue.

It would be a cruel joke though, wouldn't it, if the new and liberating frontier of the online world falls prey to negative traits that would inhibit the liberation it stood for to begin with?

But I'm hopeful that commentators will grow to see the value that being civil can get you, the validity it gives to posts and comments, and the progress a civilised discussion can bring to important issues that need such discussion.

Most of all, I'm hopeful that those of us who do believe in the value of civility will speak out loud and clear when a string of comments begins to degenerate into a hate-fest of absurd proportions.

Until the worlds online draw back from a 'Wild, Wild West' vibe though, and simply chill and enjoy the multitudes of voices that are now open for us to experience, I might just limit my online forays and invest more of my time on my greatest love: writing:) All with positive vibes upfront in my writerly mind:)

Happy writing (and reading) to all!:)

Why the online world would greatly benefit from that singular invention - the Chill Pill:D

'Amnipur: An Amaris Sci-fi Short Story' - for the spark of creative imagination that lies within us all...

This is a weirdly 'coming full circle' moment for me. The first short story I ever wrote was 'Amnipur':) Can't really remember where and when I wrote it, but I do remember being hugely excited over penning down this crazy story that kept spinning around in my head! I'm so glad I did.

A heady mix of SF and Fantasy, 'Amnipur' is a gorgeous foray into the conflict between reality and the imagination - a nod to just how important it can be to realise one's nature as a creature of imagination before creativity slips you by forever under the dull demands our real world can thrust on us.

Only, I was a pretty inexperienced a writer when this story first came to me - though I loved the idea behind it, I could never quite get the vision in my head down on paper with the right atmosphere...

Until now:D

Ah, I can't wait to launch this bit of glorious storytelling out into the world and hope it finds its appreciative audience. I really love this particular Amaris Short and want it to travel as far and wide as it can:) So, here it is, my lovely 'Amnipur: An Amaris Science Fiction Short Story'! I so hope you love it as much as I do:)

In Amnipur, cities and science and libraries are built on the theft of other species’ evolution. But when everything you do is a mere echo of someone else’s hard-won culture, what can an imaginative Amnipurian contribute to his quiet and efficient copycat world?

Perhaps the newly discovered species called ‘humans’ holds the answer ...


Sample/purchase at Amazon's Kindle Store
Sample/purchase at Smashwords
Find me on Smashwords

'Amnipur: An Amaris Sci-fi Short Story' - for the spark of creative imagination that lies within us all...

Writers and Depression - overcoming darkness with light

When I recently received a compliment that likened me to the poet Emily Dickinson, many stars were shining in my eyes... But I couldn't help dwelling for a bit on Dickinson's reclusive tendencies (she famously did not leave her bedroom even for her brother's funeral, though she did open her door a crack that day - no doubt a monumental gesture for her to make at that point in her solitary world)....

The reasons behind Dickinson's introverted/reclusive personality have been debated umpteen times, all the way from agoraphobia (an anxiety disorder) to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Dickinson's fascination with death and suicide - not to mention her gradual withdrawal from the world outside her bedroom door - however seem to suggest that Dickinson was suffering from extreme depression. Further research confirmed that depression/bipolar disorder could indeed have been behind Dickinson's eccentricies.

The results of the study I've linked to above can't be all that surprising, hmmmm?  If you have friends who suffer from depression, you'd probably notice a startling similarity to what Dickinson went through - creativity coupled with a melancholy soul, resulting in a far-too-sensitive appreciation of the effects the darkest of thoughts can cast on all of us.

I hate the thought that my creativity might come packaged with its very own, hard-wired potential for self-destruction. But the link between creativity and depression has always seemed crazily strong to me, no pun intended:) 

It would be hard to pin down though whether it is the writer's solitary nature that enables depression to gather a stronghold on their personality, or whether inherent depression in fact causes a writer's need to be solitary from the start. How frustrating is that? As a writer with potentially depressive tendencies myself, I'm crossing my fingers in the hope that the link between the imagination and depression will be explored in greater depth in the future, if only to stave off the spectre of macabre melancholy for some moments longer:)

This leads me to the most troubling thing about depression - other than turning reclusive (which I do tend towards hmmmm). Sadly, suicide is a scarily real alternative for those suffering from depression. Writers are certainly not exempt from this dangerous aspect to the dark well of nothingness that depression can cause, as a certain letter from Kiana Davenport to JA Konrath shows. You might want to have a look too at a few other articles/posts on this correlation between writers in particular and depression:  Writers and Depression, Writers 'at greater risk of depression' survey finds, and a personal piece by Nancy Etchemendy.

The important thing to remember though is that - no matter the uncertainty, anxiety and downright confusion that surrounds this issue, anyone (and I mean ANYONE) who feels inclined to give in to depression/suicidal thoughts mustn't ACT on such thoughts without giving professional help a chance. Please do not assume that there is no one to help you. With rates of depression going up all over the world, and new treatments being developed all the time, there is help out there for those who seek it.

I really daren't imagine what it would have been like for someone in Dickinson's times not to have had a way to reach for help when she needed it. Writers in this age should ensure they're aware of the many therapeautic and medical options available to them now in the fight against depression - we shouldn't be sacrificing creativity and individuality and simple happiness because of wonky chemicals in a brain not created by us, not when there's a chance to keep illnesses like depression at bay.

And hey, if it's the thought of never being published that's driving you down a spiral of negativity, don't forget that you now have the option to self-publish! Yes, you can actually unilaterally find an audience and continue that dream of writing for a living right now - all this without sacrificing monetary gain, professional recognition and - most important of all - your life.

On that note, much prayers and good wishes to all writers, big and small, depressive or melancholic or euphoric or anything-in-between. May our dreams of starry nights come alive with the knowledge that we can live very long - and very healthy - lives alongside our creative impulses if we seek help when we need it. Goodnight to all, and God Bless!:)

Writers and Depression - overcoming darkness with light