by

The Melding of Aeris goes Indie

TMOA EBOOK

A month ago, I wrote a post about my decision to cancel my publishing contracts and go indie. The reason for the decision was two-fold. One, to gain control over the actual book: fix typos, edit back matter, and update covers. Two, to gain control over pricing, both retail and promotional.

The first contract came up, and The Melding of Aeris has new life.

Ta da!

The most exciting part of the process was popping on the new cover designed by talented artist Jennifer Munswami. The new one is above and the old one at left. Sort of a no-brainer. Of all my books, this is my brother’s favorite, and he’s a wonderful supporter of my work. When he worked for the Navy in Alaska, the old cover presented a challenge. He couldn’t give it away. Covers matter!

How did the rest of the process go, you might ask? A breeze.

The downside? Yes, there is a downside, which I knew in advance. I lost my ranking and most of my reviews. (Amazon moved 6 to the new book. Why 6 ??) Despite the downside, I’m doing a happy dance!

(UPDATE 4/1/16 – All my old reviews have now returned. I seemed to just need some time. I did it by asking Amazon to combine editions. The result: no downside at all.)

Prolog – The Melding of Aeris

Lasandra’s new lips curved in a bow, blood red and as plump and luscious as a bruise. Barely clad, she posed before her silvered looking-glass, glimpsing in her reflection the potential for perfection. Her transfiguration was almost complete, the last scars faint red seams that would fade in a matter of weeks.

She wanted new eyes, green ones, the bright emerald of spring grass or fresh limes, and a cascade of long curls as black and thick as a moonless sea. She’d spotted the ones she desired in the marketplace. The woman sold yellow onions from a crudely woven basket. Poor and barefoot, she would sell hers, surely. Lasandra could afford whatever the woman asked, and she’d purchase replacements. She wasn’t merciless; she wouldn’t leave the woman bald and blind.

Her fingers traced the tiny jewels arching over her eyebrows, four on each side. She’d decided on fire rubies with simple gold settings, nothing ostentatious. Bone-studding was nothing new, but with the other modifications, the gems dazzled the eye. And it hadn’t hurt at all when Syr Sorelis drilled the dainty screws into her forehead. Thank the alchemists for that little miracle.

A sultry pout over her shoulder, she turned in the mirror, admiring her skin. The designers had schemed with her for more than a year, visualizing something asymmetrical yet precisely balanced. And the Bestiary had grown the species exactly to her specifications, no easy task. The serpent skin scalloped like black lace over fresh snow: sheer, delicate, and soft to the touch. It curled across her skin, beginning behind her ears and swirling across her breasts and belly, down the inside of her thighs where it tapered to slender points near the knees. It sheathed her hands and forearms like fingerless gloves.

The fur alone had required years to cultivate for she desired fine black and white stripes with the texture of velvet. The first animals had been deplorable, their pelts coarse, the fur long and thick. When finally a creature met her expectations, the transfiguration melded its skin to her shoulders like epaulets, formed a curved V down her back, and covered every inch of her legs where she hadn’t already melded the snakeskin. Stripes ringed her long, silken tail.

Undeniably stunning, a human art form…almost.

As she studied her composition in the mirror, it was all too evident that her brown hair and brown eyes simply wouldn’t do.

USA – UK – Canada – Japan

(sorry it’s not available everywhere yet)

(BTW in Japan, the title is translated as The Melting of Aeris 🙂 )

159 thoughts on “The Melding of Aeris goes Indie”

  1. Christine Keleny says:
    April 24, 2016 at 11:15 am

    Who did your cover? I help author’s indie publish and I’m always looking for good cover designers. the new one is lovely! I’m glad you switched. Who did you publish with initially?
    Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    • D. Wallace Peach says:
      April 24, 2016 at 7:17 pm

      Hi Christine, The cover was done by Jennifer Munswami – Rising Horse Creations. I included a link to her site on the post. She does beautiful work and she’ll be doing all my covers. 🙂 Thanks for the visit and comment!

      Like

  2. yarnspinnerr says:
    April 20, 2016 at 9:08 am

    EYe catching. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  3. patriciaruthsusan says:
    April 20, 2016 at 8:15 am

    Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
    Diana has now gone Indie with some great new covers.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Annika Perry says:
    April 11, 2016 at 9:39 am

    Yeah! Brilliant cover, bold – an instant classic! Great gold title – very catchy and I like that it increases in size to the lave flow, grabbing my attention. Your name is visibly placed and then there is the matching gold of the eyes and sword – perfect encompassing cover. Thank you for sharing this new phase in your publishing career with us and warmest wishes to you on this next stage. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Tara Sparling says:
    April 5, 2016 at 3:05 am

    Love, love the new cover. More power to your elbow, as they say over here. Very best of all luck with your new venture and edition!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. cathleentownsend says:
    April 4, 2016 at 4:06 pm

    Awesome new cover–and what a gutsy move! I hope it pays off for you. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Georgina Cromarty says:
    April 4, 2016 at 5:11 am

    Reblogged this on The Little Blue Balloon.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. K'lee L. says:
    April 3, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    Wow, Diana! First off, congrats on the shift to indie and on the new cover. One of your first commenters also mentioned the new font. I’m a font fan too and that one is smoking! Great news all around…

    Liked by 1 person

    • D. Wallace Peach says:
      April 3, 2016 at 8:22 pm

      Thanks K’lee 🙂 I’m really overjoyed with it; the artist surpassed my expectations. Yes, the font is great, isn’t it? Beats the selection in Word. Ha ha. Yup, good news all around. Thanks for much for stopping by and have a great week.

      Liked by 1 person

      • K'lee L. says:
        April 4, 2016 at 7:23 am

        …it’s inspiring in its own way; your sharing the process you went through to make this transition. Not only do other writers like myself get to see the ‘mechanics under the hood’, but we can consider how your process might fit our own literary hopes and goals… Good stuff all around indeed!

        Liked by 1 person

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