Karen's Books

Wednesday 1 November 2017

Excellent Value Book Cover Design Service!

If you are an independent author or small publisher, one of the biggest areas of stress is getting the right cover for your books.  The well known saying - "Never judge a book by its cover" is completely wrong - EVERYONE judges a book by its cover. The cover is what sells the book - or, more often, fails to sell the book.  Good designers are worth their weight in gold, and many of the best can charge their weight in gold too!

I have found a great company that offers expert design services at unbelievably reasonable prices. They offer premade eBook covers from only £30.

So if you are looking for a great book designer at a reasonable price - look no further. Just get yourself over to Magic Design Company - The Book Cover Design Experts.

 Go to website




Monday 28 August 2017

HOW TO GET A FULL LIBRARY OF SUMMER READING COMPLETELY FREE!

Hi everyone,

Do you love grown-up fairy tales? Not the traditional kind, but those reimagined, adaptations that send tingles down your spine as you read them. If you do, then you could be in for a treat.

The Fairytale Shelf, in conjunction with Instafreebie, is giving away over fifteen modern fairy tale adaptations/retellings completely FREE!

So if you want all of your summer reading sorted in one go, just click on the banner below and take a free trip to Fairy Land!

Sunday 20 August 2017

Afterland Chronicles Trilogy - Audiobook OUT NOW!

Hi everyone,

I have been working hard to bring you the full Afterland Chronicles Trilogy on audiobook. So, if you are an audiobook lover the book is available on Audible and iTunes. The book is narrated by a first class, experienced audiobook producer and narrator - John H. Fehskens. The audiobook includes all three volumes - ASCENSION OF THE WHYTE, RYTE OF PASSAGE AND ICE AND FYRE.

AUDIBLE OFFER:
If you are not an audible member you can get your first book for FREE with a 30-day FREE TRIAL membership


(Click on the images to learn more)

Happy listening!

Saturday 19 August 2017

SPECIAL BANK HOLIDAY OFFER! Try an eBook or two completely FREE!

Hi all,

I am offering the chance for those who have not yet taken a trip into The Afterlands to grab a copy of the first book in the trilogy ASCENSION OF THE WHYTE - completely free, and for a limited time the first book in my Dark Fairy Tale series THE LAST GIRL GUIDE is also available to download FREE.

Just click on the images to download your FREE books!



Happy Bank Holiday!

Karen

Saturday 12 August 2017

News! - Author & Book Rebranding


Well if you've been paying attention then you may have noticed that my Author brand has been undergoing something of a renovation.

Over the next few weeks, my website, blog and book covers will undergo a complete rejuvenation.  I would love to hear what you think of the new designs.

This month also sees the release of the Audiobooks for Ice and Fyre and the complete Afterland Chronicles Boxset - so if you like audiobooks then you're in for a treat!

Take a look at the newly designed book covers for my two series:

The Afterland Chronicles






The Dark Fairy Tales Series


Saturday 29 July 2017

Rabbit Girl - Cover Reveal and Latest News!



For the next few weeks, I will be busy completing the research and first draft of my new novel Rabbit Girl.

I have been investigating specialised mental hospitals for young people in and around East Anglia, where the story is set and I've got some super ideas for locations.

As the story is based very loosely on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, I have discovered plenty of useful material, inspiring quotes and ideas from the original book as well as from my visit to Alice's Adventures Underground this spring.

Curious? 




Here's a small insight:-

Would you abandon your best friend to save your sanity?

"You're absolutely bonkers - as mad as a hatter - all the best people are..."

Lissie has long had more than her fair share of problems. For one, her only friend Is a six-foot white rabbit called Lewis.

Add to that a childhood traumatised by schizophrenia, confusion over her sexuality, and Lissie generates enough material to keep a team of psychiatrists busy for years.

If she is to recover, Lissie must be prepared to give up the only friend she has ever known.

However, getting rid of Lewis is no easy matter...

To keep up-to-date with my progress check back here or subscribe to my Readers' Community.

Karen


Saturday 1 July 2017

OUT NOW! - MAGIC BOXSET

Hi everyone, 

I've been busy putting together a magical box set this week, getting together with four other authors to produce a box set of firsts in series. Check out the information below if you LOVE Magic...



Love escaping into the world of MAGIC?

Then why not immerse yourself in these five new worlds brimming with enchantment? This unique box set includes the first books in five captivating fantasy series. Explore each new and exciting magical world and discover which of them you would like to spend more time in. A virtual smorgasbord of exciting magical adventure for you to sample.

"Those that don't believe in magic will never find it." -- Roald Dahl

Believe....

Table of Contents
1. "Ascension of the Whyte" by Karen Wrighton
2. "Night Awakens" by Leslie Claire Walker
3. "Terra Incognita" by Karen L. Abrahamson
4. "Zelda Pryce, Book 1: The Razor's Edge" by Joseph Robert Lewis
5. "The Apple of Their Eyes (Juliette Harbinger, Vol. 1)" by Michael R.E. Adams

Click on the cover for details of how to buy.

Karen 

Monday 26 June 2017

Audio Books, Exercise and Taming My Dragon

Hi everyone,

I've had a busy couple of weeks since I got back from my holiday in the Cotswolds. Mainly I've been concentrating getting my audiobooks produced and on sale. I now have three on sale and two more in production!

Available to buy now are the first two books in the Afterland Chronicles series - Ascension of the Whyte and Ryte of Passage as well as The Last Girl Guide, my stand alone post-apocalyptic young-adult survival adventure story.

In production is the final book in the Afterland Chronicles - Ice and Fyre, and my first children's book - Molly Midnight and the Little People.














I have also been putting my new exercise regimen into operation in an attempt to be healthier. Writing is a notoriously sedentary lifestyle so I vowed to walk at least 4 miles a day which pretty much ensures that I smash my 10,000 steps a day target too! My Fitbit stats are now something to be proud of and hopefully, I shall reap the rewards with a little weight loss and improved level of fitness too! My dog Jinks is also, understandably, extremely happy about this new exercise routine!

Lastly, with a view to increasing productivity and improve dialogue authenticity, I have been experimenting with Dragon Dictation software, and hopefully from now on will be writing all my first drafts using dictation.  The great thing is that I can combine the two and dictate while I am walking! So if you pass a preoccupied, dog-walking woman chuntering "Full stop, new paragraph" stop and say Hi - it will probably be me!


Tuesday 13 June 2017

RABBIT GIRL

I've (finally) started writing my new book, working title - Rabbit Girl.

Draft cover:-




As I write, I'm collecting ideas and images in Pinterest.

Some of the images on my board


I'm excited to be delving into the world of Lewis Caroll, investigating new ideas,

and creating a new book based loosely on Alice in Wonderland...

Rabbit Girl - Draft Blurb

Would you abandon your best friend to save your sanity?


"Sanity is overrated. Look at you - you're as mad hatter - all the best people are..."


Lissie has long had more than her fair share of problems. For one, her only friend Is a six-foot white rabbit called Lewis.

Add to that a childhood traumatised by schizophrenia, and Lissie generates enough material to keep a team of psychiatrists busy for years.

If she is to recover, Lissie must be prepared to give up the only friend she has ever known.

However, getting rid of Lewis is no easy matter...

Tuesday 6 June 2017

DO YOU LOVE POST-APOCALYPTIC, BUT HATE ZOMBIES? - THE AFTER BOXSET - NEW RELEASE




I am proud to announce that one of my books has been included in the AFTER bundle - a boxed set of uniquely different post-apocalyptic novels, featuring characters just like you.


What would you be willing to do to survive?


BOOKS INCLUDED:


1. "The Last Girl Guide" by Karen Wrighton
2. "The Tube Riders: Underground" by Chris Ward
3. "Mr Apocalypse" by Mark Gillespie
4. "Of Myst and Folly" by Leah Cutter
5. "The Rift" by Kim Antieau




OR 



Sunday 14 May 2017

BOOK RELEASE - THE AFTERLAND CHRONICLES - Special Illustrated Complete Compilation



The book that every fan of Throne of Glass and Harry Potter needs to read…


This Exclusive, Special Illustrated Compilation follows the adventures of Rose, a girl who died, only to be reborn Into a land of magic, privilege, and prejudice, where wizards and dragons reign. There, she is asked to lead a magical war against a being so powerful that he once obliterated an entire race. Entering the Aurum Oratory, a school of magic and wizardry, Rose is prepared for a dangerous, magical quest. Its aim – to destroy one of the greatest evils of all time…

With over 100 colour illustrations!

What readers are saying:

“An epic fantasy series to rival the great classics.” 

“A spellbindingly romantic, magical fantasy adventure series, I wished it would never end.”

“The beautiful illustrations bring the story to life…

If you loved Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson or Game of Thrones series, then you should enjoy this magical, roller coaster ride of fear, tenacity and courage. 

Friday 5 May 2017

BOOK RELEASE - ICE AND FYRE - OUT NOW!

The waiting is over....

The final book in The Afterland Chronicles Series was published today, along with a Boxed Set of the trilogy.

Take advantage of the book launch week's SPECIAL OFFER PRICE on both the book and boxed set!


Sunday 23 April 2017

Alice's Adventures Underground


Yesterday, I met some interesting people you may have heard of, the White Rabbit, the caterpillar, the Cheshire cat, the Mad Hatter, and of course the terrifyingly malevolent Queen of hearts. 

These are just some of the inhabitants of Alice's adventures underground, an interactive play set in a disused underground tunnel, beneath Waterloo Station in London. My daughter Anna bought me, her partner Dan,  sister Faye, and husband Kevin, tickets for Christmas. 

Yesterday we travelled down to London and the five of us descended into the bowels of the London Underground into Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. 

The settings were dressed in a wonderfully eclectic fashion, each room in the underground rabbit warren skillfully designed to illustrate a scene from Lewis Carroll's wonderful story.

Entering as a large group, we were guided through various tunnels until we reached a room where we were asked to make a decision - Drink Me? or Eat Me? 

Depending on your choice you are sorted into either red cards or black cards each taking their own very different routes around Wonderland. We were black suits, three of us spades, and two clubs, which meant that we also split up to travel slightly different routes around the underground maze. 
All the usual suspects were there,  we soon met the cook who baked the Queen's tarts and of course somebody had to steal them. 

We were introduced to the Cheshire cat and later attended the Mad Hatter's tea party which was truly amazing. Tweedledee and Tweedledum entertained us with acrobatics, twirling precariously over our heads, and finally, we entered the courtroom and find out who had stolen the Queen's tarts and to hear her utter those terrifying words OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

I could go on and tell you more, and believe me there is lots more to tell, but in doing that I would spoil some of the wonderful surprises you are treated to on your adventure underground. I cannot recommend this event enough, in fact, I would go back again tomorrow if I had the chance.

After the big finale, we were led back into the bar area where we played a game of Flamingo Croquet and had the opportunity to drink some more aptly named cocktails - all served in teacups.


When Anna gave me the ticket she was unaware that I had begun a new novel, which is based loosely on the story of Alice in Wonderland. Scarily serendipitous eh? 

However, it was wonderful research for me, as well as it being a great day out and a  truly inspired gift. 

I will be writing more about my book - RABBIT GIRL when I have completed the first draft. You can be certain it will include many ideas gained from my experience underground in London yesterday. I highly recommend this experience for all fans of interactive theatre, especially for those of you with a soft spot for Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland. A truly magical afternoon - complete with a tea party (what more could you ask for?)
For more details on Alice's adventure underground follow the link here or click on the image below.

Karen



Related products:-






Sunday 16 April 2017

Fun with Dragon Dictation

Hi everyone,

This week I have been experimenting with Dragon Dictation. I walk my dog Jinks every day for over an hour. I usually walk her in the woods, on the beach or at the Roman ruins along by the Norfolk Broads. An expert at multi-tasking, I have long used this time to catch up on Writing and Author Podcasts, listen to audiobooks and to use text to speech software to do a copy edit of my work. However, I never thought I could use this time for actually writing the first draft of one of my books - until now.



I purchased the Dragon app for my iPhone and armed with Bluetooth headphones and mic I thought I would give it a try.


I must admit, I did feel a little self-conscious walking around the woods talking to myself. Luckily there were not many people around.  It took a little practice, and the result was rather littered with mistakes, but in one hour I managed to 'write' almost four thousand words!

Consequently, I am rather keen to keep this up and see if I can make the process produce a more accurate transcript of my words.  With that in mind, I have just ordered a new headset with a drop-down mic so the microphone will be closer to my mouth.  I'll let you know how I get on.

So if you are walking in the woods and see a strange woman walking her dog whilst annunciating loudly; "Full stop - new paragraph," say hi - it's probably me!

Karen

Friday 14 April 2017

Afternoon Tea Break



I took a short break from editing the second draft of Ice and Fyre to enjoy a day out with my two daughters.

They treated me to afternoon tea at The Urban Jungle - a local eatery and garden centre where you sit in a virtual jungle to eat. They serve gluten free food by the bucket load. It was great to be able to enjoy a full afternoon tea - sandwiches, pastries, cakes and scones included!

Later we took a trip down to the cinema and watched Beauty and the Beast, which was very good indeed. I got royally spoiled and had a wonderful break from all the hard work of editing.

It was back to work this week though and I am now close to finishing the second draft of Ice and Fyre. Things are moving fast now.

I'm also planning the first draft of my next book 'Rabbit Girl' and really enjoying writing the new characters - a change is as good as a rest (or so they say).

Happy Easter!

Karen

Saturday 1 April 2017

COVER REVEAL - Rabbit Girl



Out This Summer!


A New Young-Adult Romance 


Would you abandon your best friend to save your sanity?


"Sanity is overrated. Look at you - you're as mad as a hat full of cats - all the best people are..."

Lissie has long had more than her fair share of problems. For one, her only friend Is a six-foot white rabbit called Lewis.

Add to that a childhood traumatised by schizophrenia and Lissie generates enough material to keep a team of psychiatrists busy for years.

If she is to recover, Lissie must be prepared to give up the only friend she has ever known. However, getting rid of Lewis is no easy matter...

Sunday 19 March 2017

Boxed Set Preview

Hi all,

I have been very busy on the second draft of Ice and Fyre over the last few weeks. It's slow going, but hopefully, I'm still on track for a spring release.

As this book marks the completion of the Trilogy I will also be releasing a boxed set and I thought you may like a sneak peek at the artwork - so here it is - Enjoy!  Oh, and don't forget to enter my competition to receive a free signed copy of The Last Girl Guide - only 7 days left to enter.


Friday 3 March 2017

Esmeralda Burg: Confessions of a Hippy Dropout (Episode 1 - Off The Grid)





I am convinced my parents were both wasted when they decided to name me, their only child, Esmeralda. Esmeralda Burg literally means Emerald City. Of course, they assured me my name stemmed from their love of my 'beautiful green eyes', but really? Going through my formative years being referred to by my 'friends' at school as 'the little witch' (apparently Esmeralda is a witches name) is not for the faint-hearted. Still, I have always identified with that horse from the Wizard of Oz - you know the one; it changed it's colour every few minutes, like an equine Katy Perry. Though I don't change my hair colour with anywhere near the regularity of those two examples, I do have the habit of changing my mind rather too often.


I am an all or nothing type of person I suppose - try it all but accomplish nothing. Two years ago I bought a potter's wheel and kiln (I made three pots, only one of which was symmetrical and none that held water). I joined a yoga class but gave up when I caught sight of myself doing 'the cat' in the full-length mirror - the pose should have been called the pot bellied pig. I tried intermittent fasting, however, it grew to be rather more intermittent than I intended. Last year I left my job in fashion editing to join a television advertising agency, I embraced Hygge, Low Carb Dieting, Veganism (two idealisms that were hardly compatible) and I took up the guitar. This year's obsessions are the Paleo lifestyle, foraging food for free, and minimalistic living.


My husband regularly accused me of not sticking to, or finishing anything, referring to each of my latest life-changing projects as an 'Esme Fad'. He had a point, of course, but there was no need to reinforce it with such predictable regularity or with that awful expression of disdain, which is why, ironically, our marriage was ultimately destined to become just another 'Esme Fad".


So that brings us to today. The day I left the world as I know it behind me. Today I left my job, my apartment in the city, my credit cards, my phone and my husband. I packed my old rucksack with a sleeping bag, a couple of pairs of jeans, t-shirts an old sweater, my journal and a book on foraging and off the grid living, and I went off the grid.


Last month I sold my car and jewellery, added the money to the rest of my savings and bought a derelict cottage with its own small plot of arable land and two acres of woodland close to the Norfolk Cost. It fitted all of the criteria from the library book I had 'borrowed' - Foraging and Off the Grid Living for New Age Hippies. The plot is south facing, with its own water sources (a fast-running brook and an old well) and there is plenty of wood for fuel.


This morning I took the train from London to Norwich, a bus to the village of Gigglesditch and travelled the last three miles on foot, but as I sit here now on the floor of my new home, I am wondering if I have gone completely batty. My 'cottage,' constructed from wood, is little more than a log cabin if I am being honest. There are holes both in the roof and door, which is swinging on one hinge. The only indoor 'facilities' are a small rusty cast-iron woodburning stove and an old square sink with a pump (cold water only from the well). The floor is littered with leaves, twigs and animal droppings and there is no other furniture. The table, chairs, and sofabed I ordered won't be arriving until tomorrow. A door at the rear of the cabin opens into a large larder cupboard with a meat safe. Outside is a rickety outhouse containing a waterless toilet, which is basically a compost box with a hole in the top.


I tell myself that this is what I wanted, to get away from it all, ditch the rat race, live my life like a human should, a free range human living in harmony with nature, getting up with the dawn and going to bed at dusk. No endless cycles of nine to five, no boss to make me feel incompetent, no husband making me feel unworthy, just me, living my life in the moment, the way life was meant to be.


I went outside and gathered together a few branches binding them to a long straight stick with one of my hair bands, then I swept the floor of the cabin. The sun had dipped behind the trees and the light began to fade so I gathered some wood and lit the stove and then I unrolled my sleeping bag and ate my first meal in my new home - Paleo friendly, gluten free egg salad sandwiches washed down with a bottle of peach tea.


Written by Karen Wrighton


Copyright 2017 Karen Wrighton