The Search is on to Find the Cursed Kingdom of Morgannwg

The legend of Finndragon's Curse has long since been believed to be a myth, except by a small group of locals in the town of Crafanc y Ddraig. Recently there has been fresh discussion. First @DerekTheWeather revealed new evidence suggesting #Finndragon never cursed the Kingdom of Morgannwg, claiming that a tsunami had caused the kingdom to sink into the earth 15 hundred years ago.

Derek's claim comes in light of a book written by Richie Earl, who says his information comes from a reliable source. In his book, The Legend of Finndragon's Curse, Earl describes the events which led to the kingdom being swallowed up.

The local newspaper, The Crafanc Chronicle, has today revealed there is a crack team of archeologists being put together at no expense. This super team will investigate the hills and mountains surrounding Crafanc y Ddraig, searching for any evidence that the mighty kingdom ever existed at all. The team is being headed up by ex-collier Billy Beanpole who is very excited to be involved in the project.

"I've been out of work since all the mines closed down," he said in an excited state of excitement. "There's not much call in the valleys for ex-miners these days!"

The Chronicle understands that Beanpole and his team will start their quest on the foothills of the Brecon Beacon National Park. "The first thing we need to find is a rock that looks like the eye of a needle," he said.

Meanwhile, local historian Ivor Egghead scotches the idea and claims that the legend is just that. "If there had been a castle around here, there would be lots of evidence, but none has ever been found," he told one of our reporters. "This project is a complete waste of tax-payers money!"

Egghead, though doesn't think Derek's theory holds up to inspection. "There's no way a tsunami could have caused the kingdom, if it existed, which it didn't, to sink into the earth. We're at least 20 miles from the coast! Derek is out of his depth here, he should stick to forecasting the weather. Actually he always gets that wrong too!"

When asked about Earl's book, Egghead dismissed it as a 'load of old codswallop' saying that it's a 'pure flight of fantasy.'

The Crafanc Chronicle will bring all its excited readers any breaking news as it happens.

SmallTownBoy

Over the past two weeks I've contacted over 70 blogs looking for hosts for my upcoming blog tour promoting the release of my second novel. So far I've had nine responses and I'm sure that there'll be more, but it has taken up an awful lot of my time.

Today I came across a great blog offering free blog tours. I had already sent Forever YA a request, but then found a post on Goodreads. So if you write in this genre and you're planning a tour, make them your first stop. It could save you many hours of your precious time.

Then I came across something that made me sit up. I have spent hours searching twitter, Goodreads and Google for book bloggers, particularly YA to host a leg of my tour. I have lived in a small South Wales valley town all my life. Wales has a population of approximately 3 million and Merthyr Tydfil about 50,000. So almost all of my connections on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter are from other parts of the world.

So to find someone from my home town was quite a surprise. Robin Jones has a story to tell on his blog SmallTownBoy. He tells about his addiction to heavy drugs which very nearly cost him his life and how he has since managed to turn his life around. Now he is trying to write a book about his life and is looking for some practical help and advice.

Merhtyr Tydfil has a rich heritage. It is the home of the railway - Richard Trevethick's steam locomotive made the first ever journey on a track and started 500 yards from where I live. It was at one stage the steel producing capital of the world and an industrial giant. Times change and sadly for Merthyr not always for the better. The town suffers from the same economic and social problems as many other towns across Wales, the UK and probably many other towns and cities across the world.

If Robin's story can help to inspire other young people who find themselves in a similar situation, then it is a story that must be written.

You can follow Robin's story on his blog and follow him on twitter. Let's give this SmallTownBoy some support! It might just save a life.

I've Got It Covered!

Well it's been a good week and a bad week for me.

I've been trying to enlist some book bloggers for my planned tour, but have had very little success. Over twenty contacted (primarily YA blogs) and only one reply! But at least they said yes.

I've also tweeted and posted on Facebook. So what am I doing wrong?

I'm not giving up though. I could look for a paid blog tour service to do all the work for me, but I just don't like that idea. I'll exhaust all my other options first. Time to track down some more suitable blogs and this time I'll send 50 emails.

I've also devoted much of my time to finding a professional cover designer for my first novel. The Legend of Finndragon's Curse. I found a great website - Freelanced - where there is no shortage of artists, illustrators and cover designers.

However, I was fortunate enough to come across Gemma Newey at Dark Phreak Arts on a Goodreads thread. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Gemma, who was quick and professional. She immediately grasped what I was looking for and produced some excellent covers within a day. She then tweaked and tweaked, until she met my exact demands and this is what she came up with.

But not only that, she has designed ebook and paperback covers for my second book, Return to Finndragon's Den. And all at an incredibly competitive price. I can't recommend her highly enough, and what's more, if you tell her that I referred you, you get 10% off her already unbeatable prices. You'd better hurry though as offers like this can't last forever.

Time To Throw Off The Cloak Of Invisibility

After 15 months of disappointing sales, The Legend of Finndragon's Curse continues to flounder in the overcrowded sea of indie novels, ranked 170,000 in the UK and 720,000 in the US. I have built up a prescence on Twitter and Facebook, used Amazon's KDP select free promotional days and had articles in several newspapers. Although I haven't had huge amounts of reviews, several have been glowing from readers who don't know me. I have even had the offer of a publishing contract from a small press, which is as yet unsigned. So I know that I have written a book worthy of being read.

I write in UK English and realise that this may not suit my American readers. Scott-Robert Shenkman is someone that I have connected with on Goodreads and has become a friend. He has kindly agreed to 'translate' both books into US English and so I will have two versions of each book available.

So why doesn't anyone want to read my novel?

I have done a lot of soul searching and realise what many other indie authors have already discovered. Nobody knows that I exist and will never know unless I can make myself visible.

I've had enough of shouting on Twitter to followers who are trying to do likewise. I know that I won't sell books to people who are trying to sell theirs. Don't get me wrong, I have made some fantastic friends who have been very supportive. They have been forthcoming with some great, unsolicited advice. They are quick and eager to retweet my shouts, but I now know what a noisy place Twitter is.

So what am I going to do about it?

The first thing that I have to do is get a professional cover designed. Okay, that's something that I should have done before ever publishing, but like many other struggling writers I have a very small budget. I've had several already, but I realise that the cover is my shop window, no-one is going to look inside unless they like what they see. So I'm going to make sacrifices elsewhere and find the cash.

Second, I need to get the book in print. Lulu or Creatspace? that is the question.

The third is going to be a blog tour. A few months ago I didn't even know what that was, but now I am going to plan one. I can't afford to use any Blog Tour Services, so I am going to have to go it alone. But I am not going to plan any old tour. You may think that I'm being over ambitious, but I'm going to  aim for something big. Something taking in as many stops as possible: 50, 75, 100 - who knows how many? And it's going to go on forever. Well maybe not that long, but certainly for quite some time.

My next book is almost ready for publication. Return to Finndragon's Den is the second and final book in the Tales of Finndragon series. Hopefully, I've learned from the experience of the last 15 months and can generate some interest before its release and for some time after.

My research into blog tours tells me that I have to have giveaways and prizes, that seems to be standard practice. But I don't just want to give away a few ebooks and a Kindle Fire or two, I'm thinking of something bigger. More details to follow.

I have started to make a list of book blogs, particularly but not exclusively Young Adult and Fantasy. I don't want to rule any out however small. I want to help start-up blogs and those with only a few subscribers and hope that we all mutually benefit.

If any book bloggers read this post and want to get involved, please contact me. I don't need a sales pitch, if you are kind enough to host a stop on the tour, I'd be delighted to drop by. All I ask is that your blog is suitable for young adult readers.

I'd also love to hear from indie authors who've been on blog tours. How did it work for you? Did it have a great impact on sales?

Also, if you are a cover designer and would be interested in creating two stunning covers, please get in touch. As I mentioned earlier, I really don't have much of a budget. There are many excellent designers out there and I'm looking for someone who is competitively priced. I'm even willing to negotiate on a share of the royalties.

Here goes...............

The Day The Curse Came Down

I'll never forget that day when the curse of Finndragon befell Castell y Mynydd and all of the Kingdom of Morgannwg, even if I live another fifteen hundred years. I had been serving as apprentice wizard to Myrddin for just over a year and he was still filling my time with the most unpleasant tasks, whilst neglecting my tuition in the arts of magic making.

That entire sunny day had been spent scrabbling around at the bottom of the large, filthy duckpond, trying to gather the roots of the countless reeds that adorned the pond. Apart from being dirty, the water was very cold particularly at the bottom which, in the middle, was about twice as deep as I am tall. The task was especially difficult as I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. And of all the days to have such a duty, it had to be right in the middle of the Feast of August when everyone else in the kingdom were having so much fun at King Dafydd's castle.

Of course I had tried to get out of it in the first place, "I can't swim!" I objected, but Myrddin was having none of my excuses.

"You won't need to swim boy, just crawl along the bottom and pull out the roots, but be careful not to damage them as I need them intact for my spells!" he had shouted violently at me.

I don't know why, but I don't think that Myrddin liked me very much. Nevertheless I continued to plea my case, "The water is very deep, so I won't be able to get to the bottom!"

"Don't you think that I'd thought of that, you idiot. You can tie this sack around your waist, I've weighed it down with heavy stones. There's plenty of room in there for the roots too!"

"But I will surely drown if I am weighed down, then what use will I be to you, Master?"

By the look on his face I could see that Myrddin had just about lost his patience with me and the next words he hurled at me were streaked with malice. "I am Myrddin, the mighty wizard to King Dafydd, the ruler of the most powerful kingdom in Wales!" He spat each syllable, covering me in tiny beads of his saliva.

"Don't you think that I would have a spell suitable for such a task?"

With that he swirled an arm around his head and then swung it in my direction. I felt nothing at first, but then a strange sensation came over me. My chest seemed to tighten and try as I might I could not get any breath into my aching lungs. I could feel me eyes starting to bulge and I put my hands to my throat, vainly hoping that that would somehow help. Myrddin stood there laughing and passers-by stopped to see what the fuss was about. In any other circumstance I would probably have felt embarrassed, but at this moment the only emotion that I had was of sheer panic. 

Myrddin continued to laugh as he tied the heavy sack around my waist and I sensed a blackness creeping up on me as my eyes became heavy. The crowd slowly disappeared from the edges of my vision and now all I could see was Myrddin as he started to push me towards the pond. I could barely stand and I staggered, stumbled and then fell to my knees on the water's edge. I knew at that moment that I was about to die, it felt as if I were drowning on dry land.

Then just as I felt that I could last no longer, Myrddin kicked me in the small of my back and sent me sprawling into the muddy water. "You must fill the bag with roots and only then will the spell wear off!" he half laughed, half shouted.

I splashed head first into the pond still gasping for air and my lungs quickly filled with the stagnant, slimy disgusting water. But then the most amazing thing happened; gradually I realised that the suffocating feeling was slipping away and I could actually breath. After a couple of minutes of being half submerged, my head cleared and the pain had left my chest. I pushed my head up and out of the water and struggled to get to my feet due to the weight of the still attached sack. My head had barely been out of the water for a few seconds when the awful feeling of breathlessness returned.

"You are an idiot Gwayne," Myrddin roared with laughter. "Get back into the pond and you will be able to breath water. Fill the sack and you must get out quickly, because you will once again need air."

So I had little choice other than to do as my master had ordered. I didn't know how long I had been down there, but I must have spent many hours clawing at the muddy bottom, pulling out the reeds by their roots, but always being careful not to damage them. When the bag was nearly full I tried to find my way to the shallower water near the edge of the pond. I popped my head out of the water quickly and was surprised to find that it was night-time; the bright sunshine having been replaced by a brightly glowing full moon. I resumed my task and ripped up the last few reeds that I needed to fill the sack. Myrddin was right, for as soon as it was full I was overcome by a new feeling of drowning, a true feeling as I was now actually drowning. 

I stood tall and scrambled out of the water, coughing violently for several minutes before my breathing returned to normal, much to my relief. I was lying on my back thinking that as long as I live, nothing as awful or frightening could ever befall me again, but then a terrible storm came up from nowhere. Suddenly everything was in pitch darkness except for Castell y Mynydd, which was illuminated by a single shaft of moonlight. Every fire and light within the castle was extinguished by the howling wind and the lashing rain. The waters in the pond began to bubble and boil and the ground began to shake.

I saw Myrddin rushing by, saving himself by turning into a hawk as he fled, and he flew away before the kingdom sank into the earth. Everything began to spin around violently in the same way as water gets sucked into a whirlpool. Then a mountain rose up above the spot where the kingdom had been just a minute before. Orange flames suddenly, but dimly illuminated the whole land.

Everything changed that day and has been the same ever since. Fifteen hundred years spent in the largest cave imaginable waiting and hoping for someone to break Finndragon's Curse. And I still have a large sack, full of the roots of all those filthy reeds!

Hello Again

Hello again, sorry that it's been so long, but there's been so much going on lately. Some old friends have returned to the Kingdom of Morgannwg and it's been great to see them. The last couple of months where you are has been over two years down here. Don't ask me how that's possible, it just is. All manner of unusual things happen here since the curse.

I think I'd better update you on what's been happening. Well since I spoke to you last Finndragon has unleashed a new demon upon us. It is bigger, faster and far more fearsome than any beast I have ever seen.

I've also been very busy practicing my magic. Emma, Megan and Scott's father James has been helping me a little. I'm very pleased with my progress, but I'm still no match for Finndragon; I don't think that there will ever be such a magnificent magician, or such an evil one.

Emma has brought some interesting things with her from the 21st century, although I had an unfortunate experience with one of them. I can't go into that just now, but I'm sure that you'll find out. All I can say is that there was much merriment at my expense.

Megan asked me a good question the other day, she said "Could medieval magic work in the modern world above?" As I've never been to this world of theirs, you know the one that you live in, I couldn't really answer that for sure.

Magic is magic and I would guess that my magic would work anywhere. I just need my spell book, potions and my amulet, but as I'm trapped by Finndragon's Curse I'll never be able to visit your world.

What worries Emma is that Finndragon might be able to get through Finndragon's Gate and find his way to your time and place. Now if that happened I don't think that even with all the wonderful inventions that she has told me about, that have come about over the last fifteen hundred years, anyone would be able to stop him.

His demons would bring havoc to any place that the evil wizard should decide to send them and that gives us one more reason why we must break his curse.

The Making of a Wizard

So Finndragon had cursed the Kingdom of Morgannwg and the cowardly Myrddin had fled leaving me with no master wizard to teach me the finer arts of wizardry. The few lessons that Myrddin had taken the time to teach me hardly stood me in good stead to progress to the position of a powerful wizard that I so craved.

You may wonder as to what exactly makes a wizard. Truly great wizards, such as Finndragon, are born with magic coursing through their veins, whilst others have to learn the art over a very long period from their master. It would take even great wizards many years to attain the incredible power of one such as Finndragon, who is probably the greatest that there has ever been. It is said that although he was an old man, he had been able to cast a spell on himself in his later years that had virtually stopped the march of time for him. Thus he had now lived at least five lifetimes.  Unfortunately I fall into the latter category and I now had no master, but I had at least learnt from Myrddin that there are four main aspects to creating a spell:

1) You need a good book of spells. Every wizard has at least one book of spells. Sometimes a book is passed down from a master wizard to his apprentice, but I had been left with Myrddin's as he had no time to collect his belongings before fleeing.

2) A good stock of ingredients for the potions and lotions required to perform a spell are essential. A wizard may take a lifetime gathering all the necessary items to be able to cast any number of spells. Again I was fortunate enough to have been left with everything that had once been Myrddin's.

3) A successful wizard must be able to incantate the relevant spell in a tone suitable for that spell, taking great care to pronounce each word clearly. Alas I had not had anywhere near enough tuition in this important aspect of spell casting. Myrddin had told me on more than one occasion that a spell spoken in the wrong tone could lead to all manner of unexpected and unwanted results. I was to learn at first hand, and on many occasions, how easy it is to get a spell totally wrong just by using the wrong quality of voice.

4) Most importantly, a wizard has to be able to harness the many spirits that are always around us, but are never seen. Spirits that most people will never even know exist. There are good spirits, bad spirits and even mischievous spirits who take a great delight in having fun with a novice wizard. At least Myrddin had helped me to channel my will onto these spirits by giving me what looked like a plain small pebble. I was very surprised at how much importance he had placed upon the simple stone. "When casting a spell it is essential that you focus all of your power into the stone," he had told me during my third and final lesson before he decamped. "Always keep the stone about your person and never let anyone else know that you have it!" So I threaded a thin leather strap through a small hole that seemed ready made for such a purpose and hung it around my neck, the strap long enough to let the stone fall below my tunic and remain out of sight. Unfortunately he didn't explain exactly why this stone was required. It was only when I first tried to cast spells that I realised that this was no ordinary stone as it started to pulsate and began to glow a bright red colour. This was repeated every time I tried to use my magic, but glowing different colours each time.

So here was I, left high and dry, in a world plunged into the bowels of the earth. King Dafydd soon sought me out, hopeful that I may have learnt enough from Myrddin to be of some service to him. He quickly realised that I would be of no use and I was left to my own devices.

For centuries I tried to teach myself the craft of magic, but without even the slightest encouragement of a wholly successful spell, until one day I was visited by a strange group of children. The day that I met Emma, Megan and Scott was the day that I at last started to fulfil the potential that until then only I believed that I had.