Fantasy Aficionados discussion

Hello, All.

My name is Arshad Ahsanuddin, and I am the author of two novels that could be considered contemporary fantasy/gay paranormal romance. A third novel in this series should be on its way in mid-summer.

Sunset
Sunrise

Blurb:
Vampires and Sentinels have been killing each other in the shadows of the world for millennia, until the Redeemer offered the two sides a new path, allowing the vampires to reclaim their souls and step back into the sunlight in return for giving up the sword. Now the fragile truce between the races is threatened when the vampire Nicholas Jameson publically intervenes to stop a terrorist attack, and exposes their civilization to humanity.

For more information, check out my Goodreads page: Arshad Ahsanuddin, or my website at http://pactarcanum.com

Respects,
Arshad Ahsanuddin

"A blend of epic fantasy, visionary science fiction and homoerotic romance, the first installment of Ahsanuddin’s Pact Arcanum series breathes new life into the vampire mythos with a grand-scale story about the existence of metahumans and what transpires after these superpowered beings are forced to unveil themselves to humankind...Like the Nightwalkers featured in this wildly ambitious and richly storied vampire epic, the novel is dark, intriguing and unfathomably complex." --Kirkus Indie Review

"What is unforgettable about Sunrise is how artistically the author, a hematopathologist, transcends genres to create a seamless marriage between horror, science fiction, fantasy, and gay literature." --ForeWord Clarion Review

I set up a couple of Giveaways for signed copies of my first two novels, running up to the release of the third novel in the series.

Sunset Giveaway is here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Sunrise Giveaway is here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

I will update when the third book becomes available.

Respects,
Arshad Ahsanuddin

To let you get a feel of my writing, I have uploaded the first ten chapters of each book to Goodreads as free ebooks.



Respects,
Arshad Ahsanuddin

I am participating in the Indie Book Collective's Memorial Day charity event, Blog Tour de Troops, details here: http://www.blogtourdetroops.com/Blog_...

They are linking a number of independent authors' blogs together, and giving away a free copy of each author's ebook to all commentors on their blogs and to soldiers of their choice.

My blog post for the event will go live on May 28th, and can be found here: http://pactarcanum.com/personal/sic-t.... I will be giving away a coupon for the Smashwords edition of Sunset.

Respects,
Arshad Ahsanuddin

Interestingly, I happened to look at the Indie page of Kirkus Reviews, and discovered that my second book is listed as an Editor's Pick: http://www.kirkusreviews.com/indie/

How about that? They didn't tell me or anything, I just cruised by the site in passing.

Arshad

The video trailers for both Sunset and Sunrise are posted on my profile: Arshad Ahsanuddin

Enjoy!

Arshad Ahsanuddin

The print edition of Moonlight: Pact Arcanum: Book Three is now available from Amazon.com and Createspace.com. You can find the links at my website: http://pactarcanum.com/buy-the-books/

Respectfully,
Arshad Ahsanuddin

A new 5 star review is posted for my book Sunset here on Goodreads.

Thank you, Mia, for your comments!

Arshad Ahsanuddin

A new review of Moonlight is posted by Kirkus Indie Reviews: http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-rev...



Arshad Ahsanuddin

I set up a Yahoo! group for people to discuss my books, if they are so inclined. I didn't have that functionality on my website, so I thought I would add it.

Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pactarc...

Arshad Ahsanuddin
http://pactarcanum.com

Hiya Arshad,

I recommend these books to everyone who enjoys some solid characters and a lot of actions. The Kindle sample of Sunset was enough to suck me into the world and I was not disappointed!

Moonlight, the third book in the Pact Arcanum series, is now also available in print and multiple ebook formats from Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. I could use some more reviews. It picks up the story after the events in Sunset.

Blurb: One Sentinel must protect a future leader of his race of mystical soldiers in their war against the vampires. Together, they must match wits with both the enemy they know and a new menace from the virtual world.

The first 20% is available for review here on Goodreads as an ebook sample.

Respectfully,
Arshad Ahsanuddin
http://pactarcanum.com

A brand new set of reviews from Katy S. right here on Goodreads:

Sunset
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Sunrise
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Moonlight
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Awesome!

Arshad

I'm sponsoring a Goodreads Giveaway of my third book Moonlight: Pact Arcanum: Book Three, running from Sept. 3-24, 2011.

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Winners can email me for reviewer copies of the first two books.



Cheers,
Arshad Ahsanuddin

I completed a new novella that comes between Moonlight and Starlight (forthcoming 2012), that focuses on Rory, Lorcan, and Nick. It's called The Best of Times and can be found here:

The Best of Times

Enjoy!

Arshad

The second novella, Radiant Burn, is complete and available from Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. It is predominantly a prequel to the events in Sunrise.

Arshad

AHHHHHHHHHHH! Paul Goat Allen of Explorations: The Barnes and Noble SciFi and Fantasy Blog rated Sunset one of the best vampire releases of 2011!

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t...

How did that happen?!

What he said specifically was: "Arshad Ahsanuddin’s Pact Arcanum saga (Sunset, Sunrise, et. al.) was also a far from perfect read but the ambitious, grand-scale, science fiction backdrop and labyrinthinely plotted storyline was impressive, to say the least."

Awesome!

Congrats.

Sunset just got named one of the best vampire fiction releases of 2011, by the Barnes and Noble SciFi and Fantasy Blog. So, why did I feel the need to have it re-edited? In part, because after two years of writing as a second profession, I learned how many elementary mistakes in sentence structure, cliched expressions, word choice, passive voice, etc. I made by writing from my gut, without first educating myself in the craft of writing. As an exercise in intuitive writing, Sunset is outstanding, but there was a lot of refinement that comes from experience.

So I found a new editor, Karin Cox, who went through the text line-by-line and highlighted areas that could be improved or fixed. The result is a much stronger novel, in my opinion. Jason, my proofreader, said the changes were like reading an entirely new book. Which makes me happy that there was so much room for improvement. It's still not perfect. It never will be, in my jaundiced eye. But it's a fair ways closer to that goal than it was before. Thank you to those who encouraged me over the last few years while I found my footing in this massive undertaking. I hope the updated work earns your favor.

The revised ebook edition of Sunset is now available from Amazon.com, BN.com, and Smashwords. The Smashwords edition will be further distributed to some of the next tier of e-retailers over the course of the next month. The print edition of Sunset will be updated in the next few weeks, and hopefully, I will be able to start on the revised editions of Sunrise and Moonlight by the end of January. Starlight, the fourth novel, is still planned to have a March release, but I want to make sure it's properly edited beforehand, so that an updated edition won't be necessary, and my editors have their hands full with the first three novels of the series.

In the meantime, I am continuing to work on The Red Wind, the third novella, which tells the story of Luscian Firstborn. I will keep you apprised of new developments, and thank you for your support.

Respectfully,

Arshad Ahsanuddin

Congratulations - it looks like you're off to a good start. If you ever have any questions feel free to shoot me a message.

I am hosting a Goodreads giveaway for 3 copies of the print edition of the new version of Sunset, open to US readers only:

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Signup runs from January 7-21, 2012.

Enjoy!

Arshad Ahsanuddin

I have removed the print editions of Radiant Burn and The Best of Times from circulation, as the printing costs for such short books made them prohibitively expensive.

In their place, I have created a new print edition called Pact Arcanum: Interludes, which collects these two stories in one volume.

As a 148 page trade paperback, it's a little more reasonable in cost.

I offer it for completeness, for those who wish the feel of a paper book in their hands.

Copies can be purchased from CreateSpace at https://www.createspace.com/3759492 or from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Pact-Arcanum-In...

Enjoy!

Arshad Ahsanuddin

5 copies of the print edition of Starlight (Pact Arcanum #4) to be given away on Goodreads. Enter from March 1-15:

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Offer open to residents of the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia (not skimping on postage this time).

Arshad

My first book Sunset is going to be free in the Amazon Kindle store on May 26-28th as a KDP Select promotion. It is also now in the Kindle Lending Library for free borrows to members of Amazon Prime.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Pact-Arc...