PT on the Web

New Releases and a Cool Interview

P.T. Hylton · Sep 8, 2015 ·

You ever have one of those weeks where everything seems to happen at once? That was last week for me. Three exciting things that have been in the works for a while all came to fruition.

The third Zane Halloway novella came out. It’s called LIGHTNING AND THRONES, and it’s a doozy. That’s right, I just typed the wordÂ doozy in the year 2015. That’s how strongly I feel. The reaction has been great so far. Unbiased readers and totally biased readers (like my wife and my editor) all agree that this is the strongest installment thus far.
Check it out on Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo
The audiobook for A PLACE WITHOUT SHADOWS also dropped last week. The narrator is Robin Rowan, and she’s great. She really brought Sophie, Frank, and the rest of the characters to life.
Check it out on Audible | Amazon | iTunes
Finally, I was interviewed on the Rocking Self-Publishing Podcast. We talked about Booktube, conventions, dealing with bad reviews, and more. If you haven’t listened to the show before, please do so. Simon is one of the best interviewers working today, and I think he’s doing important work for the Indie publishing community..

So, what’s next? The fourth Zane Halloway novella is up for pre-order now, and it comes out September 28th. I’m currently writing the fifth and sixth installments. I’m also in the early stages of working with an artist on the cover for the Zane Halloway omnibus, which will collect all the novellas in one massive paperback. Â I’m also doing a readalong of the complete Sandman comic book series over on my YouTube channel.

Finally, I’m preparing for my workshop and two panels of the SFSE conference at the end of the month.

It’s good times! Busy, but good!

But enough about me. Let’s talk about you for a minute. How are you?

New Release and My Con Appearance This Weekend

P.T. Hylton · Aug 1, 2015 ·

The second volume in the Zane Halloway novella series came out yesterday. It’s called Swords and Shadows. I’m really proud of it.

When I started writing these, I thought it would just be a fun way to pay homage to my favorite fantasy stories by creating a new world inspired by all of them. Somewhere along the way I started to care deeply about Zane and Lily. They are both flawed in seriousÂ (and different) ways, but they also embrace life with a zeal I admire. All that’s toÂ say, these stories have become very important toÂ me.

This world is growing, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. I’ve said before that there will be six Zane Halloway novellas, and that’s still true. But I’m starting to strongly suspect that won’t be the last we see of this world.

I’m releasing one of these novellas a month, July through November. This approach appeals to me for a couple reasons. It forces me to be disciplined in my craft so a novella is ready to go out each month. And, as a long-time comic book reader, I feel like a month is the perfect length of time to wait in between stories. Long enough that you don’t get sick of it, but not so long that the excitement dies down and you forget what happened in the last one. It feels like the new-release-gap sweet spot.

Also, because some people have asked, yes, there will be a paperback omnibus of all six novellas when they are complete. I’m looking to release that in December.

Here’s the official description and links to the ebook on various stores.

Zane Halloway must join forces with his worst enemy to prevent a war.

After a run-in with one of the pirate Longstrain’s deadly widows, an injured Zane Halloway is enlistedÂ by the king for a special assignment. The nation is on the brink of war, and the king hopes a quiet assassination will prevent things from escalating.

To complete the job, Zane and Lily will have to join forces with the King’s Shadow, the only man in the kingdom with access to the royal armory of magical devices. His name is Jacob Von Ridden. Long ago, he altered the course of Zane’s life, and Zane has been waiting for the chance to kill him everÂ since.

SWORDS AND SHADOWS continues the story of magic, mystery, and murder begun in THORNS AND TANGLES.

It’s only $1.99, and you can get it here:
AmazonÂ |Â Apple iBooksÂ |Â Barnes and Noble NookÂ |Â KoboÂ

ALSO!

I’m a guest at the 30th annual Rob-Con in Bristol, TN this weekend, Aug 1-2. Stop by and say hello if you’reÂ in the area. If you’ve never met me in person, know that I’m super socially awkward. So that’s something for you to look forward to.

http://robcon.net/

I’ve been a convention guest before, but never as a writer. My old band, Wednesday Heroes, played a few cons, and we even got a VERY short write up in the AV Club in advance of a convention appearance. Back then, I could fiddle with my guitar. Now I’ll have to behave like a human and interact. Which is probably good for me on a personal level. Gotta come out of the writing cave sometimes.

I hope to see you there!

The Broken Clock is out now!

P.T. Hylton · Jun 16, 2015 ·

The final book in the Deadlock Trilogy is out now. It’s called The Broken Clock.

If you’ve read Regulation 19 and A Place Without Shadows,Â you know the kind of time-hoppy, plot-twisty, genre-bendy stuff I get up to. This is more of that, but aÂ swarm of mayflies and a super-powered little girl thrown into the mix.

Here’s the official description:

Frank Hinkle and his friends must stop Zed from achieving his ultimate goal: saving the world.

In King’s Crossing, Wisconsin, lives a nine-year-old girl who can pull on time. Residents of the town know odd details about the future, and there’s a twisted tree growing in a park near the center of town.

It’s here Zed has chosen to enact the final phase of his plan to defeat the ancient beings who pursue him. And it’s here that Frank, Sophie, and Mason will make their stand against both Zed and his enemies.
The final chapter of the Deadlock Trilogy is upon us.

Check it out here:
Amazon | Apple iBooks | Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo | Google Play

Or you can get a signed and personalized paperback copy here. Each signed paperback includes three or four handwritten behind-the-scenes annotations. That means every copy is unique. I’m offering a pretty sweet deal on a bundle of Regulation 19, A Place Without Shadows, and The Broken Clock, so check it out.

Now for the most exciting part (for me): waiting for reader reactions!

Thorns and Tangles is Now Free

P.T. Hylton · Jun 11, 2015 ·

My fantasy novella Thorns and Tangles is now free on:

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

Here’s the description:

_______

There’s only one rule: never kill for free.

Assassin Zane Halloway has been hired to kill Irving Farns, a reclusive genius whose innovations brought about a golden age of magic. Zane and his apprentice Lily will need to infiltrate the mysterious Abditus Society and find a way to assassinate the worldâ€™s leading expert in protective magic.

THORNS AND TANGLES introduces a world of magic, mystery, and assassins. This is the first in a series of novellas, but it also stands alone as a complete story.

________

Already read it? Then it’s time to pre-order the sequel, Swords and Shadow! It only 99 cents and it drops on July 30th. Pre-order it, forget about it, and you’ll have a nice surprise waiting for you at the end of July.

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

These novellas are a love letter to the fantasy genre. I hope you have as much fun reading them as I did writing them.

What I’ve Learned in Twelve Months

P.T. Hylton · Mar 21, 2015 ·

View image | gettyimages.com

Today is the one year anniversary of the the day I published my first novel, Regulation 19. Here are twelve things I’ve learned in my first twelve months as an author/publisher.

The details matter. Things like cover, editing, marketing, etc. Today’s audience is savvy, and you can’t find them if you don’t have a professional product presented in a professional manner. But…
Story is king. It doesn’t matter how slick your cover is if you don’t deliver the goods.
There is no one path. Some things about indy publishing are awesome. Some things about traditional publishing are awesome. People like fighting about these things. I find it’s better to keep my head down and keep writing.
Consistency is key. Every day I take off from writing has a cost. It feels like starting over every time.
There are a ton of awesome people in indy publishing. One of the coolest things about this year has been the friends I’ve made.
Sometimes great stories find their audience. Some of my friends have found great success this year. This is well deserved in every case of which I am aware. Every one of these people is extremely talented and hard working.
Sometimes great stories take a while to findÂ their audience. Other equally talented friends haven’t found anÂ audience as large as they’d like. Yet. I firmly believe they will. The combination of talent and hard work win out in the end. Sometimes it takes a while.
Not every one will read your stuff. This is okay.
Not every one will like your stuff. This, too, is okay. Bad reviews are inevitable. Read them, digest them, and forget them. Better yet, don’t read them. But that’s asking a lot, so if you can’t follow the latter advice, follow the former.
Sometimes bad reviews contain incorrect information. Still okay. Annoying, but okay. You can’t control reviews. Even the ones withÂ poor grammar and misleadingÂ information. See above.
There areÂ things you can control. How hard you work. How much you put your heart into your work. How you react to your readers.
Readers are awesome. It humbles me each and every time I consider all the strangers who have taken a chance on an off-beat, creepy story about a small town in Tennessee by an author they’ve never heard of. Thank you, one and all. My life is better because of you.