06 February 2016

The Sleeping Life


Back in 2010, I was halfway through writing The Sleeping Life when I decided to embark on self-publishing my backlist, so I set it aside and distracted myself thoroughly in other worlds.  It's a pleasure to come back to this one - although, typically, by the time I had reached the end of this I had thought of at least three other stories I'd like to write in this world!  TOO MANY BOOKS TO WRITE!

The cover, as many of you probably already know, is by Julie Dillon (and is so gorgeous).

Anyway, for my blog readers, here are Smashwords 50% off coupon codes not only for TSL, but for SGM if you don't have it already.  Although TSL is technically a self-contained plot, it is so bound up in the aftermath of SGM that I really don't recommend trying to read it as a standalone.  The coupons are good until 14 February.

Stained Glass MonstersFE73P
The Sleeping LifeVY77R

Fallon DeVries has a sister who lives only in his mind.  Paying the price of magic gone wrong, Aurienne is trapped watching a world she cannot touch, only able to communicate with her brother while he sleeps. And it's slowly killing him. Fallon and Auri's best chance of untangling their lives is to win the help of a mage of unparalleled ability. But how can they ask for help when the warped spell prevents him from speaking? Besides, Rennyn Claire - once the most powerful mage in the world - is a shadow of her former self: ill, injured and unlikely to recover unless she can hunt down the monster who once tried to make her his slave. But that Wicked Uncle is nowhere to be found, and other dangers, once slumbering dormant, are stirring...

Buy Links (I'll update as I receive them):

Amazon US, UK, AU, DE, FR

34 comments:

  1. I was on Amazon and decided to look your name up, just in case the new book was there...half way down the list was a random other fantasy book not written by you and then at the bottom a book on baby shower planning and another on the role of size in multispecies systems (Ecology text). It was such an odd selection. Now off to smashwords.

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    1. Yes, you get some odd search results some time! I think it might occasionally grab books that a review has said "like Andrea K Host" or something...

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    2. I think Amazon have broken their own search function so they can advertise books. It drives me crazy when I set up a search with clearly defined parameters and get results that in no way, shape or form fit them! Anyway, thanks to your generous coupon I went to Smashwords this time :-) I think I will reread Stained Glass Monsters first though, as it has been a couple of years since I last read it.

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    3. I am fairly sure that some authors mention names in their metadata in order to get those results. I don't think Amazon likes it -- they want metadata to be honest -- but there's not a lot they can do about it with millions of books on the site and more being added all the time.

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  2. Yup! Finally! I've got it, and now it is time for reading;)

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  3. I have it, too! Thank you for the early Valentine! Will now go to reading . . . .

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  4. Yay - thank you! I just started a re-read of SGM in preparation for TSL, will have to speed up now...

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  5. Downloaded it this morning and read it. Love it!!! Thank you so much.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it Jenny! [Always nice when the first reader feedback is positive.]

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  6. So looking forward to reading it! I didn't realize it was a sequel to Stained-Glass Monsters so I might have to give that one a reread first, but that's no hardship. Congratulations on publishing!

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  7. BOUGHT ALL MINE. Also alerted my friends who read you, but rely on me to tell them when you release new books.

    Thank you for the Smashwords code! I will, as I have in the past, be buying this via Kindle and print copy once I have money again (need to keep my library complete!)

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  8. Oooh, shiny!
    I immediately bought it on Kobo and just opened the first pages.
    I noticed it started with a few sentences that look like 'notes to self' for the author during editing. Is that correct, or did the just-before-final version get on Kobo?

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    1. Sorry for not signing my name, it's Hanneke. I don't have one of the right logins and forgot that without that I'm "Anonymous".
      The sentences I meant, at the beginning of chapter one, start with:
      Add early on that golems are "a set of instructions given form" ... and end with:
      Slow and steady DeVries.

      After that, the story starts. I have to go to work so I can't read further yet, but I've been looking forward to this book ever since you mentioned it. Very happy anticipation of starting to read it tonight!
      And the cover is gorgeous.

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    2. Ah, thanks for letting me know, Hanneke. Looks like the epub version still have a bit that was meant to be deleted. Will fix now!

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  9. Thank you Andrea. I am excited to read this one!

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  10. I loved it, and hope you will eventually find the time to write more in this world. I'll buy and read everything you write as it's all good stuff I know I'll enjoy, but this world is a favorite. Though, come to think of it, so is the world of And all the stars, and that of Hunting, and that of Touchstone (though that story feels complete), and ...
    I guess the conclusion is: just write what you enjoy writing, and I'll enjoy reading it!
    Hanneke
    Oh, the things in the 'notes to self' were incorporated into the story, so I expect it was the finished final version wiyh just those few extra sentences. I'll reload the book from Kobo when the new fixed version is up, and reread it then instead of immediately.
    Thank you!

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    1. It _should_ now have the correct version available. Thanks again for letting me know Hanneke.

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  11. Amazing book! and I love your covers! Speaking of covers, who is sleeping on your cover? I can think of a variety of characters who may fit the bill, but I'm so curious to hear who you intended.

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    1. That's Rennyn. Of course, she doesn't sleep in a vine-covered bed actually in the book...

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. thank you! oh but what a wonderful bed it is. i just love the play of light on the bed covers.

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    4. Yes, I think what Julie did with light on this cover was spectacular.

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  12. I've read SGM and TSL in one approach, it was kind of marathon. After this I needed time to rethink things, to embrace them. It was very pleasant journey and few surprises. For instance the second meeting between Rennyn and her Wicked Uncle, I was taken aback and not in bad way! It was very elegant solution to the complicated situation. And I really like Kendall and her stubbornness and her comments about people, magic and reality. After reading almost all Your books (before me The Pyramids of London, but I'm waiting for Tangleways), I see similarities between Your characters and I'm just curious, how much of You is there in them?

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    1. Characters are inevitably influenced by their author, and so my characters tend to seek practical solutions (I'm a problem-solver by nature). But overall there are a lot of differences (I can't say I'm anything like Kendall, for instance!).

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  13. first off lovely, lovely writing and i love all your books, though must say i'm one of the ones that loved champion of the rose more than touchstone trilogy!
    but this comment is purely materialistic, wanted to use the coupon (for the sleeping life) and it's expired, which i know coupons do, but since you haven't given any expiration date wanted to make sure that i am doing it right and it's really expired. thanks

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  14. and the previous comment was by me, not sure why it came out anonymous.

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  15. Hi Katayoun - as mentioned above, the coupons expired on 14 Feb. However! Here is a bonus coupon for TSL. PK68A It will expire on 20 Feb.

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    1. thanks sooo much, i didn't see the feb 14th expiration date and it's super lovely of you to offer another one, i just bought my lovely book and can't wait to read it, thanks!

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  16. Andrea, you may want to update your FAQ page where the first question is about the Next Book.

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    1. Done! Updated the bibliography while I was at it.

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  17. My print copy of TSL has arrived, and looks good -- Gorgeous Cover. I note that, oddly, Chapters Eight and Nine seem to be in a smaller type size. With Chapter Ten the size goes back as it was in Seven. It's readable, just something I noticed.

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    1. Weird! Thanks for letting me know - I'll look into it. Let me know if you'd like a replacement copy.

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  18. Just started re-reading Stray, and was very amused to discover that Cass had been reading The Sleeping Life prior to her walking into Muina (November 22 entry). Love it!

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    1. Yes - the release date doesn't work, of course, but it's a fun link.

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