05 Friday Apr 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
Thanks to everyone’s support during yesterday’s promotion, THE PRINCESS OF DHAGABAD is enjoying the following rankings on Amazon today:
04 Thursday Apr 2013
To celebrate the release of THE PRINCESS OF DHAGABAD audiobook, download a copy of this book for Kindle at 83% discount today only from the Amazon web site. Follow the link, along with some other discounted books, at the following web site.
http://www.fkbooksandtips.com/2013/04/04/six-discounted-and-free-kindle-book-offers-2/
18 Monday Mar 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
An essential feature for urban/paranormal genres is that the story has to involve real-life characters and settings, something that could happen to any of us if we were placed in the right situation. Both genres involve supernatural elements — magic and/or magical creatures.
While it is more or less clear to everyone what these genres have in common, there is a range of opinions about the differences between them. One of the definitions I heard is that urban fantasy is rooted in fantasy and paranormal fiction is rooted in horror. Hence, urban fantasy involves fairies, wizards, ogres, and elves, while paranormal fiction is about ghosts, demons, and vampires. However, some stories involve both, so the two genres often intertwine.
Probably the most typical examples or urban and paranormal are Harry Potter (urban) and Twilight (paranormal). I believe these two books are also in a big part responsible for the recent uprise of these genres, but there are other reasons why these genres are timeless and carry a universal attraction.
It is easy for readers to identify themselves with realistic characters in realistic settings. Many people need some anchor in reality to get drawn into the story. These people often read other genres and are not fantasy fans, but the tools of urban fantasy and paranormal fiction allow them to ‘cross over’. Thus, urban and paranormal genres expand the fantasy fan base and tend to draw readers who don’t normally read more traditional fantasy.
I write fantasy because I feel that involving magic, expanding the human abilities to super-human, allows the author (and the reader) to explore the depths of the human soul far beyond what is possible within the real-life limitations. This can stand out even more if the main character is a realistic person from our everyday world.
The oldest bona fide urban fantasy I could think of is The Chronicles of Narnia, however I feel this genre goes back deeper — maybe all the way to the Old China’s epic, Journey to the West?
And of course, urban fantasy is a top selling genre today, one that sees the most submissions, publications, and sales in the fantasy genre.
05 Tuesday Mar 2013
Posted in Book Announcements, Contests and Giveaways, Guest Posts
Tags
Anna Kashina, Clover Autrey, Contests and Giveaways, Drawing, Get Lost in a Story, Giveaway, Raffle, The First Sword, The Goddess of Dance, The Princess of Dhagabad
Author Clover Autrey has interviewed my for her blog, “Get Lost in a Story”. I really enjoyed the interview, and was impressed by Clover’s great questions. Stop by to read and comment at:
The best part is, anyone who comments on this post will automatically enter a drawing to win an electronic or print copy of one of my books.
Thanks, Clover, for the great interview!
28 Thursday Feb 2013
Posted in Book Announcements, Guest Interviews, Guest Posts, Publication News
Tags
Year 1312
Number of Literate People Reading Ennobling Philosophical and Religious Stuff: 50
Number of Literate People: 50
Number of People communicating primarily through the written word: 1 (primarily a nun walled into some little room with quill and parchment)
Year 2012
Number of Literate People Reading Ennobling Philosophical and Religious Stuff: 50
Number of Literate People Reading Trashy Genre Books Like Harry Potter: 400 million
Number of Literate People: Apparently more than 400 million
Number of People communicating primarily through the written word: millions (primarily geeks walled inside little rooms with a computer)
Yeah, reading has really declined in the past 700 years. Cry me an ocean.
There’s been no decline, in real numbers, of those who like to read the erudite and uplifting and obscure. Those of us who are interested in flogging our souls with ink and paper are outnumbered by those who like to watch Punch-and-Judy shows, but that’s nothing new.
The main complaint here, it seems to me, is that some dofus went and taught the tasteless masses how to read.
I think the entire nature of our society is changing. Consider even the lamest, stupidest trolls on the internet, the kind who post profoundly stupid comments which defy the laws of both logic and grammar.
Twenty years ago, these kind of people would have not dreamed of sitting at a keyboard to read or write something.
A century ago, these people would not even have been literate.
A millennium ago, the majority of the human population vastly superior in intelligence to internet trolls would not even have been literate.
Just consider: Even the idiots in our society now have to be better versed in the written language, just to express their stupidity, than the geniuses of ages past.
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/285376
14 Thursday Feb 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
The princess slowly approaches the bottle. Her heart is beating so fast she can barely gather enough strength to touch her treasure. She looks at the mysterious carving on the ancient bronze, the sealing wax with its signet imprint, and the notch where the snake’s curves touch the leaves of the olive branch. As if in a dream she reaches out to the bottle, feeling the familiar cold metal under her fingers. Her hand runs up the smooth surface of the bronze to stop right at the sealed opening of the bottleneck.
The princess throws a glance at the marble table, noticing a golden dagger prudently set here, the dagger of the kind used to cut paper and open letters. She tries to interrupt the smooth movement of her fingers up the bottle, to break contact with the ancient mysterious object, to take up the golden dagger so conveniently prepared for her. But some strange force keeps her hand sliding up the metal, in spite of her certainty that her thin fingers will slip off the bottle without disturbing her grandmother’s seal.
The cork pops out with the ease of a silk shawl sliding through a smooth golden ring. The empty bottle neck draws her eyes, a black opening into unknown depths. And from inside this black abyss, slowly and lazily twisting and curling into rings, rise wisps of white smoke. The smoke pours out of the bottle, filling the center of the hall, flooding it with a heady juniper smell. White clouds circle around, enfolding the princess, creating a curtain that for a while separates the marble table and the space surrounding it from the crowd of courtiers, frozen in terrified stillness.
Suddenly the clouds disappear without a trace, as if blown away by an immaterial wind.
The crowd gasps.
A man kneels before the princess!
His dark handsome face, strong muscular figure, the feline grace of his courteous bow, and his white shirt and dark pants of silk, could easily belong to a nobleman or a traveling prince. But no jewels, embroideries, or other signs of distinction mark his simple garments. His thick dark hair is cut much shorter than is customary for the sons of noble families. His feet are bare, which sharply contradicts the refinement of his clothes. A whisper comes across the hall, and the courtiers stretch their necks trying to have a better look at the mysterious stranger. And then the stranger raises his arms, and everyone immediately sees the sign of distinction they searched for. A fatal sign. The wrists of the newcomer are clad in iron. The foreign prince is a slave.
The stranger speaks, dismissing all doubts, easily covering the murmur rising in the hall with his rich deep voice.
“I am your slave, mistress.”
“Who are you?” the princess whispers in bewilderment.
“My name is Hasan, mistress. I am a djinn.”
Buy the book from Dragonwell.com (print only) or Amazon.com to continue reading
13 Wednesday Feb 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
Arabian Nights, Audiobook, Contests and Giveaways, Djinn, Promotion, Review, The Princess of Dhagabad
Thanks to the 3 day pre-Valentine sale event, THE PRINCESS OF DHAGABAD is up in the sales ranks on Amazon again. And, I was delighted to see three very positive reviews posted on the same day. Thanks to all the readers for your support.
A very early heads up: THE PRINCESS OF DHAGABAD is being developed into an audiobook, narrated by a very talented voice artist Darla Middlebrook. I can’t wait to hear the voices of my characters come to life!
Check out my publisher’s blog for updates, news, and promotions, including chances to win books and gift certificates from Dragonwell Publishing!
11 Monday Feb 2013
Posted by DWP | Filed under Book Announcements, Contests and Giveaways
10 Sunday Feb 2013
Posted in Book Announcements, Contests and Giveaways, Uncategorized
Tags
Anna Kashina, Authors, award-winning, Bestseller, Book Marketing, Books, Contests and Giveaways, Once Upon A Curse, Tales of Love and Magic, The Princess of Dhagabad
For the next 3 days I am participating in a group promotion, where several amazing authors teamed together to discount their books to 99 cents from February 10 to 12. These books all have themes of fantasy and romance and are offered in the spirit of the upcoming Valentine’s day.
My book on the list include THE PRINCESS OF DHAGABAD, and ONCE UPON A CURSE, and anthology of dark romantic fairy tales.
To check out the promotion, or download the whole list for your Kindle for under $10, look at this Amazon Listmania list:
http://www.amazon.com/Tales-of-Love-and-Magic/lm/R3PPCMHQANEPZF
Or check out the official web site for the promotion:
16 Wednesday Jan 2013
Tags
Anna Kashina, Author, Book Review, Contests and Giveaways, Fantasy, Giveaway, Hive, Promotion, Short story, The Hatchling, The Matrix
The giveaway of my short story THE HATCHLING is still ongoing, and I already have two great 5-star reviews on Amazon. This is very gratifying, especially since the market for short stories is so small compared to the books.
Today’s reviewer compared my story to THE MATRIX and suggested it would make a great novel. I felt very inspired by the idea. Most of my novels were born from short stories and — who knows — maybe this would also become one?
Another reviewer characterized this story as THE MATRIX meets CLOUD ATLAS, which also made me feel overjoyed.
Thank you so much for your great support. And, if you haven’t already, download a free copy today on Amazon:
