My short story, “Snares of Satan,” is now on this site in German.
“Reconstructing the original German” of the story was an interesting exercise, since my German is far from fluent. It’s a manual translation, but I made heavy use of these online tools:
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I thought I had read To Kill a Mockingbird before, but I must have been mistaken. I couldn’t have forgotten so much of so powerful a book.
It must have been the movie that confused my memory. It’s an excellent adaptation of the book, but it focuses more on the Tom Robinson trial. The trial is an important part of Harper Lee’s novel, but the canvas is broader.
The novel presents the experiences of a girl growing up in a small Alabama town in the 1930s. Her father is Atticus Finch, an attorney of impeccable integrity. It presents what seems to me like an honest picture of people’s attitudes in that place and time.
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On Tuesday, April 5, barring unexpected events, Spells of War will be available on Smashwords and Kindle! Since the events of The Magic Battery, Thomas Lorenz has enjoyed success and happiness in Heidelberg, but now the Turks have acquired his secret of creating magical devices and are using it to create weapons of war. While he is off in Vienna aiding his Emperor’s cause, Frieda makes an important discovery about magic. The future of Europe and magic are at stake.
A short-lived discount code will be available when the book comes out, so be sure to check back then. Meanwhile, be sure to bookmark https://garymcgath.com/SOW. Please tell your friends, so they can get the book too. That’s what the sharing buttons are for.
This week I’m participating in Smashwords’ Read an Ebook Week Sale, with 50% off the price of The Magic Battery. Many Smashwords authors are participating in this sale, so you’ll be able to stock up on other interesting books while you’re they’re. The sale runs from March 6 through 12, ending at 11:59 PM Pacific time. The discount applies only if you buy through Smashwords. While Smashwords isn’t as well-known as Kindle, it treats its authors and customers well, and it’s been my preferred publishing gateway for years.
You don’t need any coupons. You should be able to go there and get the $1.49 price. If you run into any problems, please let me know in the comments.
This week, I’ve started rewriting the first draft of Spells of War. The first eight chapters went pretty quickly, without any huge changes. The biggest departure from the first draft, though, is that the action will now span 1556-1557, instead of all taking place in 1556. Things just got too crammed against the approach of winter and Ramadan. With the new timeline, the mages on each side will be able to develop more weapons and train the Landsknechte and Janissaries respectively in their use. This means adding material about what happens over the winter without letting the story drag.
A character who shows up late in the first draft will make his appearance earlier. This will let me build up his role in the story more effectively.
I’ll be putting out a call for beta readers before long, perhaps in early January.