A Fire in the Shadows is the next Bolingbrook Babbler book (Non-fiction)

The book cover for A Fire in the Shadows: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story by William Brinkman

A Fire in the Shadows: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story

The next book in my Urban Fantasy series, The Bolingbrook Babbler Stories, is A Fire in the Shadows. in the story. It’s the direct sequel to Pathways to Bolingbrook and leads into The Rift.

Lydia is a vampire who has regained the ability to feel love and compassion. Her companions tease her for having feelings. Traditionalist vampires want to kill her for having soft feelings. Lydia is exceptional, and exceptionally lonely.

She wonders if Sara, the editor of the Babbler, could be the one who ends her loneliness. Lydia sees so much in Sara, yet fears Sara will reject her for being a monster.

When vampire enforcers from Chicago threaten to capture Sara, Lydia feels compelled to defend her. She’s a skilled fighter, but that might not be enough to defeat them. Will Lydia risk her immortality to protect Sara?

I will release a Fire in the Shadows on 3/7/23. Look for my preorder announcement later this month. I might also add a special preorder incentive.

In the meantime, if you want to get my updates about my books delivered to your inbox, you can subscribe to my newsletter. I update it at least once a month.

 

A sneak peak at what I’m working on for 2023 (Non-Fiction)

Part of a book cover

The next Bolingbrook Babbler Story. March 7, 2023.

I’ve got a new novelette coming out in March. It’s Book 1.5 of my Bolingbrook Babbler Stories and follows up on Miriam and Sara from Pathways to Bolingbrook. I’ll be posting more details later on, including how to get an advance review copy.

In the meantime, you can take advantage of the Smashwords End of the Year Sale, which includes my novel The Rift: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story for 50% off the retail price. You can also get a free copy of Pathways to Bolingbrook: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story. The sale ends after New Year’s Day.

If you like Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi stories with a humanist twist, gives by books a try! You can learn more at my author site as well.

USA Today Bestseller list ‘suspended,’ Smashwords Sale, and a new book update (Non-fiction)

One of the few good things about USA Today was its bestseller list because independent and self-published authors had a chance to make the list. Granted, it required either being part of a multi-author anthology, or spending extra money on marketing, but it was possible. Until this week. USA Today has “suspended” publishing the list and laid off the editor responsible for it. USA Today’s parent company, Gannett, laid off 3% of its workforce this week as well. USA Today’s announcement also stated they would announce the future of the list next year. I suspect it will either be removed, or diminished in some way. We’ll see.

On a brighter note, Smashwords will hold their annual end of the year sale from 12/15/22 to 1/1/23. Smashwords was one of the first self-publishing storefronts on the Internet, and is still one of the best sites to get indie published ebooks. My novel, The Rift: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story, will be 50% off during the sale. Pathways to Bolingbrook will still be free during the sale. Plus hundreds of other books as well. If you don’t want to give your money to Amazon, or want another option, check out this sale. Note: These are not affiliate links.

Last, what was going to be a bonus short story for my newsletter subscribers has grown into a novella, which I will release early next year. It’s a direct sequel that bridges Pathways and The Rift, plus it offers a hint of what’s to come in the other stories. I’m going through another of editing, but I hope to be able to share some details starting in January. I already have the cover, and it looks great!

Since everyone else is having a Black Friday sale…(Non-Fiction)

Cover of The Rift

Since everyone else is having a Black Friday sale, I’m going to as well.

The eBook version of my novel, The Rift: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story, is on sale this week go $1.99. At the intersection of feminism, New Atheism, and the paranormal is a Sci-Fi/Urban Fantasy tale. Skeptic blogger Tom Larsen’s quest to infiltrate the Humanist Heart Conference leads him to discover the unbelievable truth about Bolingbrook, Illinois and organized skepticism. He used to debunk aliens and secret organizations , but now they’ve taken an interest in him. With a weredeer army gathering near Bolingbrook, Tom  will have to make decisions that will not only affect organized skepticism, but the future of humanity as well. Currently has a 4.8 star rating on Amazon. It’s the X-Files meets Fargo in a novel that takes the conventions of self-publishing and nukes them from orbit

Now is a great time to get The Rift. (I might be slightly biased.)

While it’s the second book in my series, you don’t need to read book one to enjoy.

Also available in paperback and as an AI audiobook book on Google Play.

TikTok reading of The Rift by Teri Schnaubelt on 10/17/22 at 8 PM CST

Actress and audiobook narrator Teri Schnaubelt will read an excerpt from my novel, The Rift: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story, and excerpts from other self-published authors. It will be live-streamed on her TikTok starting on Monday at 8 PM CST.

@terischnaubelt Never before heard in audio! Live Oct 17 8pm central. Scenes from books by indie authors! Different genres. #booktok #audiobooktok #audiobooknarrator #audiobooks #live #listenlive #bookish #books #indieauthorsoftiktok #terischnaubelt @William Brinkman_Author @Lisa Amowitz YA fantasy author @Ruby Duvall 〜 Romance Author @emilycolinbooks @Vicky Walklate – Author @Melinda_Valentine @Kenzie Macallan📚 Author ♬ Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones

I’m looking forward to it. Right now, I don’t have plans to release an audiobook version of The Rift with a human narrator. I have an auto-narrated version on Google Play, but that’s just so people with visual impairment can hear it. AI narration isn’t ready for fictional works. When I have the budget, I will replace it with a version narrated by a person. While I have some of the equipment to record an audiobook, I don’t think I could pull off the character’s voices for 6+ hours.

Fortunately, I have an audiobook version of Pathways to Bolingbrook narrated by Rachanee Lumayno. Her performance outshines any of the current AI voices. I hope you’ll check out the audiobook, which is available on Amazon, Kobo, and other sites.

Sample from the Audiobook version of Pathways to Bolingbrook (non-fiction)

The cover of Pathways to BolingbrookI finally figured out how to post an audio sample from my current audiobook, Pathways to Bolingbrook. It’s a collection of two paranormal/contemporary fantasy stories that kick off The Bolingbrook Babbler Stories series. Rachanee Lumayno narrates both stories. It features Sara, who also appears in The Rift, and Miriam, who will be featured in future works.

It’s also available in eBook and paperback. For a limited time, you can get a copy when you subscribe to my author newsletter.

 

 

 

Being an author this week (Non-fiction)

This week I’m working on an exclusive short story for my newsletter subscribers. Years after the events in Pathways to Bolingbrook, Miriam is now a vampire named Lydia. While investigating why an army of weredeer is gathering outside of Bolingbrook, Lydia crosses paths with Sara, now the editor of the Babbler. But she isn’t the only one who’s taken an interest in Sara. Can Lydia protect Sara from a threat that’s even more dangerous than the gathering weredeer?

I’m hoping to have it ready in October. If you want to make sure you catch the debut, subscribe to my newsletter. And the other books in the series, Pathways to Bolingbrook, and The Rift are on sale at Amazon and other vendors. Back to my other screen!

Brand new covers and a new audiobook.

Big book updates this week. First, the audiobook version of Pathways to Bolingbrook is out now. It’s narrated by Rachanee Lumayno and you can hear a sample here. It should be on Amazon by the end of the month. I’m really pleased with it, and I hope you’ll give it a try.

To celebrate, I’m also debuting new covers for both of my books,  Pathways, and The Rift. The eBook and paperback version are available now at Amazon, and other vendors. You can even ask your local bookstore to order copies, and they won’t have to go through Amazon to get either one. If you like Urban Fantasy mixed with science fiction with a dash of humanism, give them a try!

The cover of Pathways to Bolingbrook

Cover of The Rift

I’ve got more releases in the works, including the third book in the series. Watch this space.

 

New book covers and the Pathways to Bolingbrook Audiobook (Non-Fiction)

I have book news!

First, the new audiobook version of Pathways to Bolingbrook will be out in September. Rachanee Lumayno is the narrator for this audiobook, and her work is far better than the auto-narrated version I had online. I’ll post links once I have them.

Second, I’m revising the covers for Pathways and The Rift so it’s clear they’re part of the same series. At the very least, the new Pathways will debut on September 1st. Here’s a sneak peek:

You can see it first if you subscribe to my author newsletter.

Third, I’m putting together two eBooks that will be newsletter exclusives. The first is a collection of pre-FtB Babbler and the second is a short story that is a direct sequel to Pathways. I’m shooting for a late-September or October release.

The next novel is in the outline stage, and I hope to start writing the first draft in November, if not sooner.