BLACK GROTTO: Book II of the Alban Saga - Free Kindle Book Offer on Amazon from September 26-30, 2020

 

Free Kindle eBook Giveaway

From September 26-30, 2020, you can get the latest Kindle version of my Fantasy novel, BLACK GROTTO: Book II of the Alban Saga, FREE on Amazon and download it to your Kindle. OR if you have a Kindle reader on your phone or computer, you can sign in to your Amazon account, purchase it for FREE, and it will be sent to your device.

If you don't have a kindle book reader on your phone or computer, simply Google "Kindle Reader App", and you can get one free.

To learn more about BLACK GROTTO: Book II of the Alban Saga, or any of my other books, you can go to the BOB'S BOOKS tab at the top of this blog.

I hope you enjoy your Kindle copy of BLACK GROTTO: Book II of the Alban Saga, and after you read it, I would really appreciate it if you wrote a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or both.

Second edition released of BEATRICE: BOOK I OF THE ALBAN SAGA

2nd Edition Released!

I just released a 2nd edition of my young adult fantasy novel Beatrice: Book I of the Alban Saga. It's a new version of the original novel that has been revised and edited. The second book of the series is Black Grotto, and I will be issuing a new edition of that book as well in a month or so.

The series name is new for the two books as well, and I plan on eventually adding others. The history behind the series' name is that the books all take place in modern day Scotland, but there are aspects of each that are derived from Scottish history. The word, Alba, is an ancient name for the Scottish isles, and I used Saga instead of series because it means long story, and that is exactly what this group of books will be - thus, the name, Alban Saga.

The new edition can be purchased in either paperback or Kindle eBook on any Amazon site around the world. Just search for "Bob Stegner," and you will see the new cover design.

BLACK GROTTO: Interesting News!

BLACK GROTTO 

Interesting News!

I wanted to mention something that was very interesting in relation to BLACK GROTTO. In the novel, Bea, who is the main character, is on a journey through Scotland to discover more about herself and where she came from. One of the many places that she travels to on her quest is an archeological site called Skara Brae on the Orkney Archipelago.  As I was reading BBC news, I noticed an article about a discovery on the Orkney's. The site that I mention within the story may end up being part of a larger archeological dig that could cause a re-write of our pre-history. It could be the actual cradle, or beginning, of our civilized culture.

Click here to go to the BBC page that has the article.

BLACK GROTTO: Change Of Title

BLACK GROTTO 

New Title

I've finished planning and have begun writing the 18th chapter of my new fantasy novel. As I've mentioned before, this new book is a continuation of the Beatrice series. The original title, Cave of Dreams, didn't seem to fit the book nearly as well as another one I've been considering.

This book is much darker than the first and a more complex story. I believe that BLACK GROTTO, for several reasons, sets a better tone and provides a better sense of the mystery inherent in the novel.

I'm only writing about a chapter a week now, as each chapter is taking a great deal of planning and thought. It's a joy to write this book, and I'm having a great time with the characters, scenes, and the plot. It isn't an easy book to write, though, and each of the chapters are much longer than in any of my other books.

So...BLACK GROTTO it is!

Updated Beatrice and Rooms Review

I've just updated my new Fantasy/Mystery/Thriller Beatrice on Amazon. I've changed the cover slightly and made some small changes in the text. I've also included a short description and a quote below.

Description of Beatrice

Magic, mystery and historical events combine in this unique, modern day fantasy written about a family in Scotland. Ewan Bauman was about to have his eighteenth birthday party on his family’s old and venerable estate outside of Edinburgh. On the night of the party, however, a traumatic event occurred that caused his mother, sister and he to lose fragments of their memories, including everything that had happened that night. It haunted them and pushed them apart, but after twenty years, the tug and pull of that night could no longer be ignored. They had to find out what happened. Their search brought them closer together, but it also took them to a very dark and sinister place - one that they could never have imagined - a place from which they might never return.

“I attempted to reach out and touch something solid that I could push against. I had no sense of up or down or movement. I couldn’t feel or hear or smell, but I could see, not in the usual way, but in insignificant bursts that came sporadically as my eyelids opened and closed and opened and closed.  Within those small, fractured moments, I could see that I was surrounded and trapped in a dense, cinnamon-stained vapor that swirled into oblivion. I couldn’t remember how I’d entered that hell, and I had no memory of it ending.”

I've just received a new review of ROOMS that I've placed below.

Beautiful Story With A Timely Message

This book offers a timely view into a future brought on by the consequences of corporate greed and war. As I journeyed with Rad through the Old One's Room, I was not only entertained. I felt Rad's joy and reverence for the Earth and it's people. I felt his growing desolation as he witnessed the slow destruction of the Earth within each successive level of the Room. I struggled with him as he worked with Sparks and Zeer to bring health and hope to the demoralized Terran population.

Since the author left this story open to a sequel, I will be excited to see how his writing style evolves and how he ties the planet Loon (where The Old One and Zeer reside) to Earth and the other human outposts scattered throughout the universe.

New Rooms Review & New BEATRICE Description

Before I talk about Beatrice, I've included below a recent new review of Rooms from Amazon.

Beautiful Story With A Timely Message

This book offers a timely view into a future brought on by the consequences of corporate greed and war. As I journeyed with Rad through the Old One's Room, I was not only entertained. I felt Rad's joy and reverence for the Earth and it's people. I felt his growing desolation as he witnessed the slow destruction of the Earth within each successive level of the Room. I struggled with him as he worked with Sparks and Zeer to bring health and hope to the demoralized Terran population.

Since the author left this story open to a sequel, I will be excited to see how his writing style evolves and how he ties the planet Loon (where The Old One and Zeer reside) to Earth and the other human outposts scattered throughout the universe.

I've included a short new description and a quote from my new Fantasy/Mystery/Thriller Beatrice below. I've just recently published it on Amazon.

Description of Beatrice

Magic, mystery and historical events combine in this unique, modern day fantasy written about a family in Scotland. Ewan Bauman was about to have his eighteenth birthday party on his family’s old and venerable estate outside of Edinburgh. On the night of the party, however, a traumatic event occurred that caused his mother, sister and he to lose fragments of their memories, including everything that had happened that night. It haunted them and pushed them apart, but after twenty years, the tug and pull of that night could no longer be ignored. They had to find out what happened. Their search brought them closer together, but it also took them to a very dark and sinister place - one that they could never have imagined - a place from which they might never return.

“I attempted to reach out and touch something solid that I could push against. I had no sense of up or down or movement. I couldn’t feel or hear or smell, but I could see, not in the usual way, but in insignificant bursts that came sporadically as my eyelids opened and closed and opened and closed.  Within those small, fractured moments, I could see that I was surrounded and trapped in a dense, cinnamon-stained vapor that swirled into oblivion. I couldn’t remember how I’d entered that hell, and I had no memory of it ending.”

BEATRICE IS PUBLISHED ON AMAZON!!

BEATRICE is done and published on Amazon. It's in paperback and can be downloaded to your Kindle as well. It's been about 6 months since I started writing the book, and it's quite different from my first novel. This is an Adult Fantasy-Mystery-Thriller and has been a very intricate and interesting book to write. The characters are rich and varied, and it's been a lot of fun putting all the pieces together to arrive at the climax.

I've included a short description and a quote from the book below. I hope you enjoy Beatrice!

Description of Beatrice

My name is Ewan Bauman, and the year was 1987. It was October, the month of my eighteenth birthday. We were going to have a huge bash at our old, historic mansion near Edinburgh. On the night of the party, however, some traumatic event occurred that caused Mother, Fiona and I to lose fragments of our memories, including what had happened that night. No one in the medical profession could determine why or help us remember. It haunted us and pushed us apart, but after twenty years, the tug and pull of that night could not be ignored. We had to find out what had happened. We did, and the search brought us closer together again, but it also took us to a very sinister place - one that none of us could ever have imagined - a place from which we might never return.

“I attempted to reach out and touch something solid that I could push against. I had no sense of up or down or movement. I couldn’t feel or hear or smell, but I could see, not in the usual way, but in insignificant bursts that came sporadically as my eyelids opened and closed and opened and closed.  Within those small, fractured moments, I could see that I was surrounded and trapped in a dense, cinnamon-stained vapor that swirled into oblivion. I couldn’t remember how I’d entered that hell, and I had no memory of it ending.”

BEATRICE Will Be Published Very Soon & A Recent Review of ROOMS

Before I talk about Beatrice, I've included below a recent new review of Rooms from Amazon.

Beautiful Story With A Timely Message

This book offers a timely view into a future brought on by the consequences of corporate greed and war. As I journeyed with Rad through the Old One's Room, I was not only entertained. I felt Rad's joy and reverence for the Earth and it's people. I felt his growing desolation as he witnessed the slow destruction of the Earth within each successive level of the Room. I struggled with him as he worked with Sparks and Zeer to bring health and hope to the demoralized Terran population.

Since the author left this story open to a sequel, I will be excited to see how his writing style evolves and how he ties the planet Loon (where The Old One and Zeer reside) to Earth and the other human outposts scattered throughout the universe.

"Beatrice"

I've finished all the work on Beatrice, and here's the cover! It's been a joy to write this book, and as always, I've learned a great deal and continue to work hard on my writing. One of the things that I especially like about Beatrice is that it has so many twists and turns. I think there are a lot of surprises and interesting scenes in the story and a unique cast of characters that Ewan and his family discover along the way. I especially enjoyed writing about Fergus lister, the family's favorite taxi driver and Marta Pottinger. She actually has a big part in the book, and there are quite a few scenes that take place in her home.

Today, I finished uploading all the files to CreateSpace and completed the design of the cover. It's done. The book will probably be up on Amazon in the U. S. and other parts of the world within two days or so. Then I can publish the Kindle version as well.

After I finish this project, I'm going to stop writing for a little while and work on getting an agent. I know that will take some time and effort, but I'm looking forward to the process. In the meantime, my books are on Amazon, and people are buying and reading them, which makes me very happy and pleased.

Below I've included a new, shorter description of Beatrice with one quote from the book. I'll also probably include the first two chapters on my blog in a few days, just like I did with Wheatgrass and Rooms.

Description of Beatrice

My name is Ewan Bauman, and the year was 1987. It was October, the month of my eighteenth birthday. We were going to have a huge bash at our old, historic mansion near Edinburgh. On the night of the party, however, some traumatic event occurred that caused Mother, Fiona and I to lose fragments of our memories, including what had happened that night. No one in the medical profession could determine why or help us remember. It haunted us and pushed us apart, but after twenty years, the tug and pull of that night could not be ignored. We had to find out what had happened. We did, and the search brought us closer together again, but it also took us to a very sinister place - one that none of us could ever have imagined - a place from which we might never return.

“I attempted to reach out and touch something solid that I could push against. I had no sense of up or down or movement. I couldn’t feel or hear or smell, but I could see, not in the usual way, but in insignificant bursts that came sporadically as my eyelids opened and closed and opened and closed.  Within those small, fractured moments, I could see that I was surrounded and trapped in a dense, cinnamon-stained vapor that swirled into oblivion. I couldn’t remember how I’d entered that hell, and I had no memory of it ending.”

Tree/Moon Image from:

Forest Blue Moonlight Wallpapers.. Digital image. Travelization. N.p., 30 June 2012, Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <www.travelization.net>.

New Book: "Beatrice" - Sixth and Final Draft & Updated Book Description with Two Quotes

(Forest)

The sixth and final draft of my new book, Beatrice, is almost done. I will be publishing it on Amazon in Europe and the U. S. very soon.

Below, I have placed an updated description of the book and two quotes. The first quote is from Chapter 3 and the second is from Chapter 24.

Please read the description below and let me know what you think, and if you haven't yet, don't forget to check out Rooms and Wheatgrass by clicking on the book images on right-hand menu.

Description of Beatrice

Chapter 3 Quote

“It had been at least two months since I’d seen Mother and spoken to her, and I knew that it wouldn’t be easy to talk with her about that last year we’d lived in our mansion. Just as with me, I knew that her memories were fragmented, and whenever Fiona or I would try to talk to her about it, a dark cloud seemed to surround us. Mother would simply refuse to discuss it. But this time…this time it had to be different. This was something that needed to come out. I knew none of us could ever be happy or content in our lives until we’d faced it. We had to discover together what had happened, and if we could, maybe then we could finally put it all behind us.”

My name is Ewan Bauman, and the year was 1987. It was October, the month of my eighteenth birthday, and we were going to have a huge bash at our old, historic mansion on our estate outside of Edinburgh.

However, the night of the party was also when Mother, Fiona and I lost pieces of our memories. Afterwards, none of us could recall anything that had happened during the party or for the rest of October. We even had trouble remembering some events from the Christmas of 1986 up until that time. It haunted and changed each of us to have a part of our lives simply vanish. We tried to get medical help, but the doctors were never really able to pinpoint a cause or bring back any of our memories.

Whatever traumatic event had produced the loss of memory had also damaged my family. We left our home on the estate, moved to different parts of Scotland, and from then on, there always seemed to be a wall between us - a dark hole that none of us was willing to look down.

Finally, in 2006, the tug and pull of that missing portion of our lives brought the three of us back together again. I’d decided that this simply had to end. I would take three months off work, and with the help of Mother and Fiona, we would dig into this and figure it out ourselves.

We did, and the search brought us closer together, but it also took us to a very sinister place - one that none of us could ever have imagined - a place from which we might never return.

Chapter 24 Quote

“I attempted to reach out and touch something solid that I could push against. I had no sense of up or down or movement. I couldn’t feel or hear or smell, but I could see, not in the usual way, but in insignificant bursts that came sporadically as my eyelids opened and closed and opened and closed.  Within those small, fractured moments, I could see that I was surrounded and trapped in a dense, cinnamon-stained vapor that swirled into oblivion. I couldn’t remember how I’d entered that hell, and I had no memory of it ending.”

Tree/Moon Image from:

Forest Blue Moonlight Wallpapers.. Digital image. Travelization. N.p., 30 June 2012, Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <www.travelization.net>.

New Novel BEATRICE: First Description and Quote from Chapter 3

Before I talk about Beatrice, I just wanted to remind you  to check out my adult science fiction novel, Rooms, and my young adult novelette, Wheatgrass: An Irish Fantasy on Amazon if you haven't yet.

New Book: "Beatrice" - Fifth Draft is Complete & the First Description of the Book

(Forest)

The fifth draft of my new book, Beatrice, is finished. It now has thirty chapters and almost 78,000 words. All that I have left to do is read it one more time for content and very minimal editing, and I will publish it on Amazon.

Below, I am including the very first description of the book with a short quote from the third chapter and another from chapter twenty-four at the end. I am very excited about Beatrice and am thrilled to be this close to publishing it.

Please read the description below and let me know what you think.

Description of Beatrice

Chapter 3 Quote

“It had been at least two months since I’d seen Mother and spoken to her, and I knew that it wouldn’t be easy to talk with her about that last year we’d lived in our mansion. Just as with me, I knew that her memories were fragmented, and whenever Fiona or I would try to talk to her about it, a dark cloud seemed to surround us. Mother would simply refuse to discuss it. But this time…this time it had to be different. This was something that needed to come out. I knew none of us could ever be happy or content in our lives until we’d faced it. We had to discover together what had happened, and if we could, maybe then we could finally put it all behind us.”

My name is Ewan Bauman, and the year was 1987. It was October, the month of my eighteenth birthday, and we were going to have a huge bash at our old, historic mansion on our estate outside of Edinburgh.

However, the night of the party was also when Mother, Fiona and I lost pieces of our memories. Afterwards, none of us could recall anything that had happened during the party or for the rest of October. We even had trouble remembering some events from the Christmas of 1986 up until that time. It haunted and changed each of us to have a part of our lives simply vanish. We tried to get medical help, but the doctors were never really able to pinpoint a cause or bring back any of our memories.

Whatever traumatic event had produced the loss of memory had also damaged my family. We left our home on the estate, moved to different parts of Scotland, and from then on, there always seemed to be a wall between us - a dark hole that none of us was willing to look down.

Finally, in 2006, the tug and pull of that missing portion of our lives brought the three of us back together again. I’d decided that this simply had to end. I would take three months off work, and with the help of Mother and Fiona, we would dig into this and figure it out ourselves.

We did, and the search brought us closer together, but it also took us to a very sinister place - one that none of us could ever have imagined - a place from which we might never return.

Chapter 24 Quote

“I attempted to reach out and touch something solid that I could push against. I had no sense of up or down or movement. I couldn’t feel or hear or smell, but I could see, not in the usual way, but in insignificant bursts that came sporadically as my eyelids opened and closed and opened and closed.  Within those small, fractured moments, I could see that I was surrounded and trapped in a dense, cinnamon-stained vapor that swirled into oblivion. I couldn’t remember how I’d entered that hell, and I had no memory of it ending.”

Tree/Moon Image from:

Forest Blue Moonlight Wallpapers.. Digital image. Travelization. N.p., 30 June 2012, Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <www.travelization.net>.

New Book: Second Draft Completed

New Book: "Beatrice" - Second Draft is Complete

(Forest)

The second draft of my new book, Beatrice, is finished. This draft went from 72,000 to 76,000 words, and there are now twenty-eight chapters. As I thought, the book got bigger with each edit. That seems to be a trend.

Ever since I started this book, the ending was something that bothered me. I just wasn't sure what I would do to end it. The rest of the book had been very intricate and each chapter seemed to almost write itself, but not the ending.

I finished, but wasn't satisfied. The final chapter just didn't work. It obviously was bothering me because one night I dreamed a different ending, and that was it. I got up that night and wrote down the idea. The next morning, I was finally excited about how I would end it, and then I spent time adding and changing to make it right. I'm very pleased now. I'm going to publish the book within a couple of weeks, and then I'm going to stop writing for a while. I'm a bit burned out.

I've planned a sequel to Rooms and now Beatrice has a sequel as well. That wasn't planned from the beginning, but now I know it has to happen.

After I get Beatrice published, I'm going to concentrate only on my agent/publisher search and writing in my blog, and as I mentioned in my last post, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to enter Beatrice in this year's Amazon Breakout Novel Contest. I'm looking forward  to it.

When Beatrice is finally finished and published on Amazon, I'll let you know. I'm really looking forward to it. I think my writing is improving every day, and it will be fun to see how it does.

Also, if you haven't yet, please don't forget to check out Rooms and Wheatgrass: An Irish Fantasy on Amazon.

Tree/Moon Image from:

Forest Blue Moonlight Wallpapers.. Digital image. Travelization. N.p., 30 June 2012, Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <www.travelization.net>.

Rooms Book Cover & Publishing Update / New Book / Next Book / Poem: "60 Years"

ROOMS Book Cover

Well, here is the cover of Rooms! If you click on the image of the cover above, you can see a larger version of it. 

Greg Opalinski did an outstanding job and truly captured the feeling of Rooms for the reader. He was wonderful to work with and is obviously a real talent. The book will be sold on Amazon in both the U. S. and many other parts of the world. You will be able to purchase it in both paperback and the Kindle eBook version. I'll let you know as soon as it's available. It may be a week or so yet, but it will be out soon!

New Book: "Beatrice"

(Forest)

My new book, Beatrice, is now over 51,000 words, and I just completed chapter 20. Each chapter now gets more and more fun to write as I near the end of the book. It looks like the final chapter will be chapter 23 or 24.

For anyone new to reading my blog, Beatrice is a very different book from Rooms. It's a Fantasy/Mystery/Thriller with lots of twists and turns and questions that will make you wonder as you move deeper into the plot. It's interesting because even though the general direction of the story can be seen early on, those questions will keep you wondering until their finally answered.

I have a lot of rewriting and editing ahead, but I am enjoying seeing the story come together. This book is really fun to write!

Next Book: Sequel to Rooms
I've begun planning my next novel. I've known for a while that I'd like to work on a sequel to Rooms, and I have a plan  started and will begin work on it when I've finished Beatrice. It will be a while, but I thought I'd let you know. I even think I have the title for it, but I won't let that out for a while.

Poem
As I near the publishing of my first adult novel, my mind goes to my mom and dad. They have traveled on to brighter lights and a place of harmony and balance that goes beyond earthly understanding, but I still feel them most days and hear them as they talk to me and help me along my path. I know they're proud of what I've accomplished, so I wanted to share a poem that I wrote for them on their 60th wedding anniversary.

60 Years

Seasons play our lives
Like a fine ballad

Weaving melody and harmony

Between laughter and thought

The first note came forth

Played in glorious celebration

As a birthday begun

With song and love

Motherhood

Protects, provides, nourishes

Fatherhood

Protects, provides, nourishes

I, a note in life’s pop-ballad

Mother, coaxing the song from my lungs

Father, showing me honesty, laughter, and work

Family, singing of home

60 years of laughter, worry, and music

60 years together

60 years as one

60 years bringing each other love

My Mom

My Dad

No one knows me better

No one loves me more

Mom and Dad

I love you!

Copyright © Bob Stegner 2006

Tree/Moon Image from: 
Forest Blue Moonlight Wallpapers.. Digital image. Travelization. N.p., 30 June 2012, Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <www.travelization.net>.

Novel Update & Poem: "The Lake"

ROOMS

by Bob Stegner

(Trish Steele)

Wow! I just received the latest update of the cover of Rooms from Greg Opalinski. It's really going to be good! He is a real talent, and the cover will create an image for the reader that will also set the right mood for reading the book. I'm excited!

New Book: "Beatrice"

(Forest)

My new book, Beatrice, is now about 42,000 words long. I don't think it will be as long as Rooms, but it should be between 60,000 and 70,000 words. I'm into the heart of the plot now where more and more is being divulged as it moves towards the climax. It is a blast to write it!

Poem
I like this poem. I wrote it after walking around Green Lake in Seattle, Washington on a brilliant day of sun and color. It made me think of Monet's works.

(Monet)

The Lake

A malleable portrait of dots and scraps of color

On a canvas shifting the world from focus

Step back

Those same brush strokes become lucid

We see

A tree, a running creek, a bridge

A world recognizable, yet nonetheless new

Monet dared us to see

The painter of impression’s journey

From mind to canvas to eye

Giving form,

As the canvas took shape

Around lives, beliefs and memories

Monet taught us to look

Even so,

We recognized these things
From the beginning

As a child turning its head

Staring in that strange way,

Until a slight smile revealed

Awareness

And as we go through time

The earth brings us wonders

Pushing us beyond plain sight

We gaze at sunsets, storms and evenings of light

Mornings of bright, brisk awakenings

We focus

And reach deep

To catch a glimpse
Of it all

Monet remembers

One day, I saw a lake

It embraced me in vegetative abundance

And shades of color beyond knowing

It lay surrounded by mounds of earth and trees

Wild fowl traveled its surface
And set upon it as dots on a dream of light

People gathered
Paid homage

And dared not leave its magnificent shore

For fear of losing
The moment

The vision
Was as if we could perceive

Monet’s painting
Of a perfect Lake

We stepped back and viewed its splendor

Becoming part of it

The people, the plants, the animals, the ground, the sky,

The liquid shimmering ripples of radiance

I sat on a bench, mesmerized

Partially closing my eyes
And caught sight of

The light from the evening
Sparkling and changing shape

Transforming perception

The jewel in my eye

Taught me

How to live

How to love

How to see beauty

Monet smiled

Copyright © Bob Stegner 2006

Image of Door:

Trish Steel [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tree/Moon Image from:

Forest Blue Moonlight Wallpapers.. Digital image. Travelization. N.p., 30 June 2012, Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <www.travelization.net>.
"Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge" by Claude Monet - In U. S. works published before 1923 are in the public domain