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The Last Pendragon for free . . . (historical fantasy)

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SarahWoodbury
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The Last Pendragon for free . . . (historical fantasy)

Post by SarahWoodbury » Tue December 7th, 2010, 1:58 am

I've not given up on the traditional publishing route, but my agent feels that we need to move on to other projects. Thus, rather than have The Last Pendragon moulder on my desktop like the other four books I've written, I've put it up for free. Some of you may have already found it, but I wanted to share it with as many people as possible who might be interested. Thus:

At Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-La ... +pendragon

At Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/25340


The Last Pendragon: A Story of Dark Age Wales

He who searches for enlightenment,
Shall find confusion.
He who seeks to slay another,
Shall slay himself.
He who travels to the deepest reaches of the Underworld,
Shall find heaven.
He who has lost his soul and cannot save himself,
Shall save us all.

–Taliesin, The Black Book of Gwynedd

Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon (Cade) is the Last Pendragon, heir to the throne of Arthur and like him, a flawed human who is the last and best hope for his people. Rhiann is the bastard daughter of Cadfael, Cade’s sworn enemy and the man who usurped the throne of Gwynedd and murdered Cade’s father. When Cade’s initial foray into the usurper’s realm is unsuccessful, he is rescued by Rhiann, who chooses flight with him over a forced marriage to one of her father’s Saxon allies.

Unbeknownst to Rhiann, however, Cade has been chosen by Arianrhod, goddess of time and fate, to be her champion. Arianrhod has given Cade the power of the sidhe so that he may face not only Cadfael and the Saxons, who encroach on his people at every turn, but Arawn, Lord of the Underworld. Cade pays a price for the goddess’ gift, however. In order to serve her—and his people—he loses his immortal soul and the ability to live among those he loves as one of them. Cade must learn to be both Christian king and pagan hero, and Rhiann must decide how much she is willing to risk to follow her heart.

The Last Pendragon finds its inspiration in the myths and legends of the Dark Ages that have been passed down to us through the centuries. Geoffrey of Monmouth immortalized Cadwaladr as the heir to the throne of Arthur and the last of the Pendragons. It is through his writings, along with the songs of the bard, Taliesin, that Cade comes alive as a man—and yet also as a war leader who conversed with the gods and was able to lead his companions from our world to theirs and back again. The Last Pendragon is the story of Cade and Rhiann, but is also about the very human choice between good and evil, the cosmic battle between life and death, and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for another.

annis
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Post by annis » Tue December 7th, 2010, 2:16 am

Thanks, Sarah - I've started reading the online version as a I don't have an ebook reader. I was curious about it after seeing you mention it on the thread about the origin of the Arthurian story, so very timely :) Hope you still get the opportunity to bring it out in traditional book form at some stage.

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SarahWoodbury
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Post by SarahWoodbury » Tue December 7th, 2010, 3:10 am

Me too :)

But for now . . . I put it up about two months ago, thinking if 100 people downloaded it, it would be great and worth the effort. Instead, thousands and thousands of people have downloaded it, and while I know historical fantasy isn't for everyone, the response has been so positive, I can't be anything but happy to have shared it.

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Libby
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Post by Libby » Tue December 7th, 2010, 8:23 pm

That sounds interesting Sarah. I'm hoping for a kindle for Christmas so if I get one I'll download your book. Perhaps if you can build up a loyal readership it will help your sales when you do find a print publisher.
By Loyalty Bound - the story of the mistress of Richard III.

http://www.elizabethashworth.com

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Rowan
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Interest in HF: I love history, but it's boring in school. Historical fiction brings it alive for me.
Preferred HF: Iron-Age Britain, Roman Britain, Medieval Britain
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Post by Rowan » Tue January 4th, 2011, 4:08 pm

Sarah, what's the format available from B&N? My lovely firewall here at work is blocking download of the book from your publisher, but I might get it from B&N.

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SarahWoodbury
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Post by SarahWoodbury » Tue January 4th, 2011, 4:52 pm

At Barnes and Noble it's an epub book and is still free. If that format doesn't work for you, you can try smashwords again--I've started charging both there and on Kindle (Kindle doesn't let you give it away anyway) but you can at least read the first 50% for free and see if you like it. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/25340

Hope that helps!

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Rowan
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Interest in HF: I love history, but it's boring in school. Historical fiction brings it alive for me.
Preferred HF: Iron-Age Britain, Roman Britain, Medieval Britain
Location: New Orleans
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Post by Rowan » Wed January 5th, 2011, 2:39 pm

I am going to be getting an iPad within the next few months and want to use it to read ebooks. I know most people here are against ereaders, but when you live with parents and are limited to one cell block for space, real books aren't always an option. :)

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SarahWoodbury
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Post by SarahWoodbury » Wed January 5th, 2011, 11:41 pm

As I've said before, it's all good, whether print, electronic, or audio, and no one way is the 'right' way. At least 10,000 people have downloaded my book since the beginning of October. It's only through epublishing that I've been able to do that, at no upfront cost to myself. It's incredibly cool.

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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Thu January 6th, 2011, 4:06 pm

I wouldn't say most of the people here are against eReaders, Rowan. I think most of us are concerned about the future of printed books now that eReading is taking off.

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Julianne Douglas
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Post by Julianne Douglas » Sat January 22nd, 2011, 1:21 am

10,000 people? How awesome! Congratulations!

If you don't mind my asking, how does your agent feel about this? It sounded from your original message that she was part of the decision-making process. Is she hoping to use your e-book's popularity as a stepping stone to a traditional sale?
Julianne Douglas

Writing the Renaissance

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