Auctions and awards

Remember the Booknest.eu fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders that I mentioned in my last post? Their final auction is going on right now, and a signed copy of The Whitefire Crossing is included in this pack of 20 awesome books on the block:

Heck, I'll even doodle a special drawing on the inside of Whitefire Crossing if the winner prefers extra decoration (no promises about my art skills, though). Highest bid by 9pm on Jan 13 wins all 20 books, and all money goes to Doctors Without Borders. So if you've some extra cash you'd like to go for a good cause, head on over to Ben Galley's website and bid. If you don't have cash, no worries, it's also great if you can help spread the word.

In other news (far more fun news than what's coming out of Washington DC), r/Fantasy announced this year's Stabby Award Winners. Lots of excellent books and stories are among the winners and runners-up, and to my surprise, I won two Stabbies, one for "Best Comment" and one for "Best Review." (The comment in question is an essay-length response I wrote to some questions about women authors in fantasy, and the best review was one I wrote for Janny Wurts's excellent Wars of Light and Shadow series.) Added to my Stabby win last year for Best Self-Published/Independent novel, I now have quite the arsenal! I'm not sure if the real meaning of this is that I've been spending way too much time on reddit, but more seriously, I'm honored that people have found my contributions to r/Fantasy worthwhile.

One final note, for those of you in the US. If you, like me, are deeply dismayed at the thought of loved ones and friends with pre-existing conditions losing access to healthcare with the repeal of the ACA, please don't give in to despair and assume it's too late for anything to be done. Call your representatives. Make your voice heard.

Arrival of the Stabby Award

Look what came in the mail today! 

The Labyrinth of Flame's lovely, pointy "Stabby" award for winning r/Fantasy's Best Independent/Self-Published Novel of 2015

Seriously, how awesome does that engraved dagger look? God knows my 7yo can't keep his hands off it. I have to be very stern that this is MY dagger to play with, not his. In any case, both he and I agree that r/Fantasy has the best awards.

You know, sometimes the whole publishing process (whether trad or indie) can make an author feel like you’re slogging up a sledding hill through thigh-deep snow in a blizzard…

My intrepid kiddo on his way up our local sledding hill during our recent massive snowstorm

Then you reach the top at last (finish the book, get the deal, whatever), and you’re anticipating this thrilling ride, but then you find your sled won’t even move because the snow is too thick and wet and deep…

"Arrrrrggghh!!! Mommy, my sled WON'T GO!"

And you just want to collapse in the snow and give up the whole idea.

Maybe you think about taking a different publishing path, but that can feel as intimidating and difficult as considering a drop into Corbet’s Couloir on a day when the snow is hardpacked ice…

"So...who wants to drop in first?"

But if you take that risk, if you keep pushing onward, the reward is moments like this—whether an award, or a lovely detailed thoughtful review, or a reader email saying how much your book means to them—that are proof you’re not just shouting into the void. That you’ve attained your goal of giving people joy through your writing.  And all at once, you’re no longer stuck in the snow, but blazing down the slope, yelling “WOO HOO!”   

Having the best day ever! 

So thanks again, to r/Fantasy and all the readers out there who’ve enjoyed the Shattered Sigil trilogy. When times are hard, it’s your encouragement that gives me the strength to keep writing, and I’m forever grateful for it.

The Labyrinth of Flame wins an award! Plus a short update on print release

The combo of business trip and cold recovery made last week less than stellar, but I came home to some truly excellent news: The Labyrinth of Flame won the r/Fantasy "Stabby" award for Best Self-Published/Independent Novel of 2015! I’ve been hanging out in r/Fantasy for several years now–it’s a terrific community, thanks to the tireless efforts of the mod team and the many awesome folks that post there–but I never expected to win one of the awesome Stabby daggers when there are so many talented authors, both indie and trad-pub, in the community. Such a wonderful surprise; I've been dancing on air since getting the news. (It's a measure of how busy/crazy this January has been for me that it's only now, days later, that I've had the chance to post here about it!)

Fellow author Mark Lawrence posted the top 5 finishers in the three novel categories, and I'm going to repost them too, because all these books are well worth checking out. (Also check out the full list of nominations in the voting thread!)

Best Novel:
Shadows of Self - Brandon Sanderson
The Liar's Key -  Mark Lawrence
Fool's Quest - Robin Hobb
The Autumn Republic - Brian McClellan
The Fifth Season - N.K Jemisin

(In addition to the above I particularly recommend Carol Berg's Ash & Silver, V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic, and Kate Elliott's Black Wolves, among the many great books nominated. Also Teresa Frohock's Los Nefilim novellas, which were nominated in the Best Serialized Fiction category.)

Best Debut:
The Traitor Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
The Grace Of Kings - Ken Liu
Beyond Redemption - Michael R Fletcher
The Vagrant - Peter Newman
The Library At Mount Char - Scott Hawkins

Best Self-Published/Independent Novel:
The Labyrinth of Flame - Courtney Schafer
Forging Divinity - Andrew Rowe
Fae - The Sins of the Wyrde - Graham Austin-King
Bloodrush - Ben Galley
Malus Domestica - S.A Hunt

In other Labyrinth of Flame news, I've been getting emails from people wondering when the book will release to the general public in print. (It's already for sale in ebook on all the major retailers.) I'll be honest, the hold-up on the print version is that I'm still working to figure out a print & distribution option that will offer the same quality as the Kickstarter copies but not result in me coming out at a loss due to distributor fees. (I know everybody else just does CreateSpace or Ingram Spark, but I don't feel comfortable with their PoD print quality, especially for a book with illustrations.)

So I apologize that I don't have any definite print release date yet, but rest assured, I won't give up, and as soon as I decide on the best path and get a release date, I will announce it here. In the meantime, I do have a few extra copies from the Kickstarter print run that I'm willing to sell direct--contact me at courtney (at) courtneyschafer (dot) com if you're interested.