Seven Gods of Luck Giveaway — Two Days Left to Sign Up!

There are just two days left to sign up for our Goodreads.com giveaway of fifteen copies of The Seven Gods of Luck to Goodreads users:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Seven Gods of Luck by David Kudler

The Seven Gods of Luck

by David Kudler

Giveaway ends December 07, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

Review: Cold Days Holds ‘Em

Cold Days by Jim Butcher - see jimbutcher.com

I’ve been reading fantasy adventure novels for a long, long time. When you read a series of books by the same author, it’s hard not to expect the stakes to get raised with each title: new thrills, new surprises, new tie-ins with earlier plots.

If you read enough books by the same author, there comes a point where you find yourself beginning to wonder if perhaps, this time, the writer is bluffing — that s/he has pushed the stakes so high (yet again) that the hand the writer’s holding — the story s/he’s written — can’t possibly support the kind of rash bet s/he’s just made. As a reader, you sigh, swearing you won’t get suckered in yet again, but hey — you’re reading this book because you want the author to win that bet. So you call the bluff. Continue reading Review: Cold Days Holds ‘Em

Review: Cold Days Holds 'Em

Cold Days by Jim Butcher - see jimbutcher.com

I’ve been reading fantasy adventure novels for a long, long time. When you read a series of books by the same author, it’s hard not to expect the stakes to get raised with each title: new thrills, new surprises, new tie-ins with earlier plots.

If you read enough books by the same author, there comes a point where you find yourself beginning to wonder if perhaps, this time, the writer is bluffing — that s/he has pushed the stakes so high (yet again) that the hand the writer’s holding — the story s/he’s written — can’t possibly support the kind of rash bet s/he’s just made. As a reader, you sigh, swearing you won’t get suckered in yet again, but hey — you’re reading this book because you want the author to win that bet. So you call the bluff. Continue reading Review: Cold Days Holds 'Em

Seven Gods of Luck — Goodreads Give-away!

We wanted you to be the first to know — we’re giving away fifteen copies of The Seven Gods of Luck to Goodreads users:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Seven Gods of Luck by David Kudler

The Seven Gods of Luck

by David Kudler

Giveaway ends December 07, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

The End Approacheth… and Recedeth: Apocalypse as Myth

La Mojarra Inscription - Mayan Long Count Date

The world is coming to an end.

Perhaps it will be on this year’s winter solstice, when the Mayan calendar says that the current pictun or aeon will end, and the universe will be obliterated and reconstituted– as it is supposed to have been seven thousand years or so ago. (Like Hindus, Buddhists, and many physicists, the Mayans believed that history moved in cycles rather than a straight line.)

Or perhaps it will be in five billion or so years, when the sun goes nova, burning the earth to a crisp.

Or perhaps it will be some other form of metaphysical or manmade apocalypse.

What is certain is that the idea of apocalypse — the myth of the word’s end — exercises a real, enduring power over the human imagination. Not a year goes by when some would-be prophet or other begins counting down to doomsday. Continue reading The End Approacheth… and Recedeth: Apocalypse as Myth

Lend Me Your Ears: Stillpoint Produces Audiobooks

Confessions of a Sex Maniac
and The Seven Gods of Luck
now available as audiobooks
(Visit Stillpoint’s page on Audible.com or see below for details)

When I started Stillpoint Digital Press, my intention was to focus on the growing field of ebook production and distribution.

A funny thing happened on the way to the iBookstore. Actually, several funny things.

Continue reading Lend Me Your Ears: Stillpoint Produces Audiobooks

Interested in more information about the Seven Gods of Luck?

Netsuke (carved ivory belt ties) of the Seven Gods of Luck
Netsuke (carved ivory belt ties) of the Seven Gods of Luck (© 2012, David Kudler)

Do you want to know more about the tradition of the Seven Gods of Luck? Here’s a great page rom the online A to Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Statuary:

    The Shichifukujin 七福神 are an eclectic group of deities from Japan, India, and China. Only one is native to Japan (Ebisu) and Japan’s indigenous Shintō tradition. Three are from the Hindu-Buddhist pantheon of India (Daikokuten, Bishamonten, & Benzaiten) and three from Chinese Taoist-Buddhist traditions (Hotei, Jurōjin, & Fukurokuju). In Japan, they travel together on their treasure ship (Takarabune) and visit human ports on New Year’s Eve to dispense happiness to believers. Each deity existed independently before Japan’s “artificial” creation of the group. The origin of the group is unclear, although most scholars point to the Muromachi Era (1392-1568) and the 15th century. Today, images of the seven appear with great frequency in Japan. By the 19th century, most major cities had developed special pilgrimage circuits for the seven. These pilgrimages remain well trodden today, but many people now use cars, buses, and trains to move between the sites.
    >>READ MORE

Click the link to read more of an excellent discussion of the history and traditions related to the Shichi Fukujin, with lots of wonderful pictures!
Continue reading Interested in more information about the Seven Gods of Luck?

Seven Gods of Luck Available Now!

The Seven Gods of Luck – Now Available!

Limited-Time Special Offer:
Print, Ebook and Audiobook for $23.95 $9.99!

Stillpoint Releases Classic Folktale

November 1, 2012 – Stillpoint Digital Press announces the release of the fifteenth anniversary edition of the picturebook retelling of the classic Japanese folktale, The Seven Gods of Luck by David Kudler with illustrations by Linda Finch. Set during O-Shogatsu, the Japanese New Year festival, The Seven Gods of Luck is a magical holiday tale of generosity rewarded.
Continue reading Seven Gods of Luck Available Now!

Thanks for helping us choose our cover!

Thanks to all of you who voted and who shared your wonderful insights regarding the cover for The Seven Gods of Luck! Here’s the final design (which has been uploaded to the printer–we’re waiting, again likely children before the holidays, for what we hope and trust are the final proofs):
Continue reading Thanks for helping us choose our cover!

Seven Gods Cover Art – A Poll

I need your help!

So I’ve been working away to prepare The Seven Gods of Luck for simultaneous release as an ebook, a paperback, and an audiobook. Great fun! It’s almost ready…

Except for one thing — the cover.

I’ve been assuming that we’d be using a cover very similar to the one designed for the original edition:
Continue reading Seven Gods Cover Art – A Poll

The human face of digital publishing

Stillpoint Digital Press