Your Invite to the Mirror World Book Club!

Do you like to read escapism fiction? Do you like to discuss the books you’ve read with other people? Well, Mirror World is starting a book club and it might just be the place for you!

Here’s how it will work:

We have a facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mwpub/

Each month, we’ll put up a poll where members can vote on which book we’ll be reading next. Note: They won’t all be Mirror World books, but they will all be indie titles and all in escapism genres (fantasy, sci-fi, romance, adventure, time travel, ect.) Once the book is selected, we’ll provide a link and a discount (where able) where you can pick up a copy of the book in your preferred format.

Then, we’ll all have a month to read, review and discuss. Bonus, we’ll also make sure to have the author on hand as a member of the group so we can ask them questions or give them feedback. And, for those who write a review and are interested, we’ll feature members reviews in a post on this blog each month as well.

Would you like to participate? Join the facebook group and keep an eye out in the next few days for the first poll to go up!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mwpub/

Oh, and once you’re a member, if you want to suggest a book to add to the monthly poll, we will gladly take your suggestions into consideration. Thanks and happy reading!

 

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Featuring The Time Traveller’s Resort and Museum

It’s November and that means a new featured book! This month, in honour of its upcoming release on November 17th, we’re featuring The Time Traveller’s Resort and Museum, written by David McLain and illustrated by Felix Eddy. As usual, please use promo code: FEATURE for $3 OFF any version of this book in our store. That’s hardcover, ebook, and paperback versions all ON SALE for the entire month of November! Don’t miss out.

 It occurred to me that we never had an official cover reveal for this book, so we should probably do that now:

Like the illustrations within, the cover is by Felix Eddy. If you’d like to see more of her art, you can visit her website here.

Here’s the back of the book:

“If you need to know men’s secrets
Or if there’s something you need to find
If you want to see the dinosaurs
Or the insides of your mind.
If you want to watch the earth begin,
Or see what the apocalypse will leave behind,
You need to thank Alice Anderson,
For Alice is the mother of time.”

That was how the rhyme went. Every time traveler knew it. Everyone that is, except of course, for Alice herself, since she hadn’t invented time travel yet. Since returning to London, Alice’s life has been turned upside down. She’s been accused of murder and lost her position in the scientific community. Her only ally in this journey is a strange man who seems to think that Alice may be about to open up a strange new world of possibilities, but is probably not telling her everything he knows.

What I love about this book is that it’s got one foot in every ‘escapist’ genre. It has time travel, romance, adventure, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, steampunk… you name it.  This book has it all. Want to find out for yourself? Pre-order now, or check out the sample chapter available for FREE right here.

Our Submissions are OPEN – Here’s what we’re looking for…

This is it. The moment you’ve been waiting for;our submissions are open once again!

As a small independent publisher, what we’ve found works best for us is to open our submissions in the fall and leave them open until we’ve confirmed our new releases for the upcoming year. This year we’re looking for 3-5 titles to release in 2017 and we’ll keep accepting submissions until we find them.

So how do you submit to us? Well, it all starts here. On our website’s submissions page we list all the types of books we’re looking for and all the ones we absolutely will not be interested in. We also outline what to send us, where to send it, and how long you should expect to wait for a response. We’ve also included some helpful links to videos we’ve made to help you prepare your manuscript and submission package, not just for us, but for anywhere you choose to send it.

But what’s going to set your submission above the rest? What are we really looking for? Well, I’ll tell you.

Your Query Letter

When we receive a submission, the first thing we look at is your query letter. Typically this should be in the body of your email to us. What we’re looking for here is a sense of who you are and what your book is about. Your ability to write well matters even in your query letter because it is your first impression. We’re also looking for the following bits of information:

• Your genre (or target audience)
• Your word count (or scope of the project)
• Your credentials (or writing history)
• Your concept, what hooks your reader.

Your Synopsis

Next, we’re going to look at your synopsis. This should be no more than one page and is simply a way of introducing us to your story, your setting, your characters, and the plot. We’re looking to see if the story interests us, but we’re also trying to gauge your ability to tell a story and wrap it up effectively. We want to see how the story ends and we want to see your style as a writer. Please include:

• Your setting
• Your main characters
• Your concept, what hooks your reader
• Your major plot points
• A satisfying conclusion

Your Sample Chapters

We ask you to send three chapters with your submission package. We’re looking specifically for an engaging opening. We want to be drawn into your story’s world immediately; We want to care about your main character and we want to be interested in what’s going to happen to them. In short, you need to hook us, your reader. Then, you need to hold our attention for three chapters. If you can do that, we’ll ask to see more. We’re looking for:

• Your style, or ‘voice’ of your writing
• Your inciting incident, (again, what hooks your reader)
• Your writing ability (and level of polish)
• Your world-building
• The believability of your characters
• How well you’ve realized the potential we detected in the query letter or synopsis.

If you receive a rejection letter from us:

There are a number of reasons that we might not want your manuscript and we will do our best to tell you exactly why that is. We strive to provide detailed notes for you so that you will be better prepared no matter what steps you choose to take next in your publishing journey. Keep in mind that publishing is a very subjective and selective business and that what doesn’t work for one publisher, may work well for another. Some of the common reasons we pass on a manuscript are as follows:

• It’s not in our genre, or doesn’t fit with our current list of titles (see our collection here)
• It’s not ready for publication and needs improvement of some kind
• Something in it conflicts with our message or values (learn more about us, here)
• It just didn’t interest or engage us
• We ask for the full manuscript, but the story doesn’t realize the potential we see in the sample

I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful and I look forward to reading your submissions!

Go to http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com/submissions to get started!

 

This World is only the beginning…

First of all, I would just like to announce that Murandy and I finished the first draft of Uncharted the other day! It’s sitting at 96,000 words and 33 chapters as of right now, but I expect that will grow with the second draft as I flesh out some of the setting details.

Speaking of settings, I want to introduce you to a few of the many worlds of Mirror World Publishing as this month’s feature is our new library card program. Read all about our library card here and find out how you can become a member and get UNLIMITED access to Mirror World books all year long. Also this month we’re running a giveaway which members can enter here.

When you pick up a Mirror World Book, you’re getting a whole lot more than a great story. We publish books that take you away and inside each book (or book series) is a world just waiting to be discovered and explored.

Here are 5 samples of places you can pick up a book and visit right now:

1. Ismera

In honour of #Uncharted, which is not a sequel, but is set in the same world, let me introduce you to Ismera:

The world of Unintended by (myself) Justine Alley Dowsett and Murandy Damodred is entirely fiction, but it is loosely based on pre-colonial Europe. Ismera is the English-speaking nation which is sandwiched between the Gaelic-speaking clans of Haldoram in the North and the Italian nation of Welland in the South. Across the Ismeran Channel to the east is the cosmopolitan island of Saegard – whose primary language is French.

Unintended largely takes place in the Palace in the capital city of Ismer where Mackenzie en Shareed, the daughter of Haldoram’s clan chief, has been sent to fulfill a treaty by marrying the Ismeran Prince. The romantic comedy is full of Palace intrigue, love triangles, and mistaken identities and is honestly just a whole lot of fun.

2.  A  Post-apocalyptic world with Dragons

The two epic poems by Joshua Pantalleresco, The Watcher and Stormdancer take place in a distant future where the details of our world today exist only as relics. The Watcher is a slave who lives in a compound of humans who farm the land to feed their dragon masters. Braver than most, The Watcher escapes captivity because what he desires more than anything is to learn what else exists beyond the compound’s walls.

3. The Mirror Worlds

We’ve already talked a little about the Mirror Worlds on this blog, but these two parallel

universes are the setting of Mirror’s Hope and Mirror’s Heart by (myself) Justine Alley Dowsett and Murandy Damodred. These two fantasy worlds mirror each other in interesting ways and each character

has a double of themselves called a Mirror who lives in the world opposite the one they were born into. Let’s just say politics and intrigue can get kind of messy when there are two of everybody walking around!

4. The Coliseum

In Adam Gaylord’s Sol of the Coliseum, the Coliseum where the main character Sol is born and raised is reminiscent of ancient Rome, but in fact it is set in a fantasy world of its own. Through Sol’s eyes, you can experience what life is like for an orphaned slave boy thrown into the gladiatorial ring, and then wonder with him what freedom might taste like beyond the Coliseum’s impenetrable walls.

5. Rural Ontario

At first glance Forbidden by Matthew Freake may not look like it belongs on this list, but trust me, it does. As an LGBT historical fiction, Forbidden offers a glimpse into the reality of the life of a young gay man in rural ontario in 1957. Nathan takes a job at a rail yard where he meets the love of his life. Alex. They pursue the romance, but at great personal risk due to the nature of the times.

 

To check out these books and more, please visit our Bookstore!

And this month only, get $5 off your Mirror World Library Card with promo code: MEMBERS

What are you waiting for? Come out and join us!