Hey, book lovers! National Library Week is once again upon us, and you know us: any reason to read is a good cause for celebration! And where better to find a new book you might come to love than a library, where you can borrow it for free?
According to the American Library Association (ALA), the organization that runs the event:
“First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries—school, public, academic and special—participate.”
National Library Week runs April 7–13, so check your local library this week for any special events they might have planned for the celebration. For more information on the event, visit the National Library Week website.
With the unofficial start of summer having arrived last week with the celebration of Memorial Day here in the U.S., the time has arrived for summer reading—and for many people, summer reading means visiting your local library (either in-person or online) to find books that will assist in your enjoyment of these lazy, hazy days.
Well, librarians, it just so happens that OverDrive, the biggest distributor to libraries—both school and public—has StarWarp Concepts’ titles ready for order directly from their website! All you need to do to get started is visit the author pages for Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) and Richard C. White, where you’ll find all of the available ebooks.
Via OverDrive, the following titles can be ordered for your libraries:
Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 and Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 are the critically acclaimed, character-driven action-fest young adult novels by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) that introduce readers to the title character, a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets an immortal monster hunter named Annie that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. In Blood Feud and Blood Reign, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover!
“Far and away one of the best young adult supernatural fantasy novels. Pan is exactly the kind of teen heroine that readers should be standing up and cheering for.”—HorrorNews.net on Blood Feud
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which fantasy author Richard C. White takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, the book is so popular that it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!
“A solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework on which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang
For a Few Gold Pieces More collects Richard’s fantasy short stories about a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). It’s “entertaining, old-school sword and sorcery, in the tradition of [Fritz Lieber’s] Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser,” according to author Jim C. Hines of the Magic ex Libris book series.
Harbinger of Darkness is Richard’s first fantasy novel for SWC. In it, a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!
“A visceral adventure through a world of magic with well-developed characters, dynamic dialogue and a good dose of two-handed sword fights.”—Experience Writing
So if you’re a librarian interested in adding those titles to your digital bookshelves, head over to OverDrive and place your order today!
