At the Stillpoint

David Kudler, PublisherWhen I started Stillpoint Digital Press in 2011, all that I intended to do was to take my own varied experience as a writer, an editor, a narrator, and an ebook designer and offer a service that was both more professional and more personal than that offered by the ebook self-publishing “services”: digital publishing with … Continue reading At the Stillpoint

Waiting for Kuniko (Kunoichi Tales #3)

When eternity comes to visit

A Hōjō commander is delighted when two pretty young shrine maidens enter his camp on the evening before a battle. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been.

A Risuko prequel story showing Mieko and Kuniko on a mission — at their sweetest and at their most deadly.

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Book Covers 101: You CAN tell a book by its cover

Let’s Talk Covers… Your mother probably taught you many things, among them the truism “You can’t tell a book by its cover.” Now, while that wisdom holds in most of our lives, one place where it doesn’t, ironically, is in publishing.

Book Marketing 101: What to do BEFORE you pay for ads

The first thing you need in order to sell your book(s) is a quality product — well-written, well-edited (not by you), and well-designed (both the ebook, the print edition, and, possible, the audiobook — not to mention the cover). But that’s not enough. If you build it, they probably will not come. Creating books is … Continue reading Book Marketing 101: What to do BEFORE you pay for ads

Toss them out the window! Using and forgetting the Hero’s Journey

This morning, I was giving a talk to a group of writers on Joseph Campbell and the Hero Journey or Monomyth (in this case, specifically with regards to setting, rather than plot or character). I ran the group through a basic overview of Campbell’s schema, and gave them a number of examples from movies (since … Continue reading Toss them out the window! Using and forgetting the Hero’s Journey

David Kudler | Narrator

I am a warm, friendly voice… except when I’m a bit scary. I am a tough, masculine voice… except when I am comforting and gentle. I am a SAG-AFTRA/AEA voice actor with over three decades of experience, including over 70 audiobooks. An Audible Approved Producer , I can handle a wide variety of narrative styles, … Continue reading David Kudler | Narrator

Darcy and Desire: A Steamy Pride and Prejudice Variation

My Dearest Darcy…

Is Happily Ever After just the beginning?

Lizzy and Darcy are married. They’re ecstatically happy newlyweds. But a journey to London separates them.

Whatever will they do?

Write letters, of course!

In this sequel to Jane Austen’s masterpiece, read the witty, passionate correspondence between her most beloved pair as they survive separation, sisters, and surprise guests. The giddy newlyweds keep the flame alight the old-fashioned way…

All while reminding each other — and us — just what a perfectly matched couple they are.

Into the Forest

Everyone needs an escape!

Here are six fantastical fairytales — retellings, reimaginings, remixings — that will amuse, delight, and entrance.

  1. THE THRICE-PLANTED SEED by deadwoodpecker: From antiquity, the infamous lilac fairy has been near alone in her battle against evil. The defeat of the evil fairy Carabosse left Lilac drained, weary, and longing for another strong fae to help her. She enlists those she has helped to help her in turn.
  2. ROSE & LILY by K.D. West: When her father fails to come back from an attempt to save Princess Lily from a neighboring kingdom from the notorious and mysterious Black Knight, Rose does not hesitate to strap on her father’s old armor, and ride into the dark forest to defeat the knight and rescue the princess herself.
  3. LEGENDS AND LIES by Shannon Meyers: It isn’t unheard of for princesses to go missing in the Land of Legends and Lies, but the truth of these disappearances is rarely spoken of. Alexander doesn’t believe the stories told about dragons and knows more than enough about the royals to know about lies of every kind, but that doesn’t stop Princess Clara from believing or trying to prove him wrong.
  4. THE PRINCESS AND HER PEA by Arden Wiles: An old, bitter queen enforces strict requirements for her son, the prince, to be wed. When a princess stumbles in from a storm with her dress torn and no one accompanying her, the queen pushes her harder than any of the previous others. As she encounters the queen’s tests and her hidden pea, it becomes a not only question of can she pass, but can she overcome her notions of the prince and his past?
  5. UNNAMED by LegendDairy: What’s in a name? Only the power to keep your life together as Julia is learning. Just as everything in her life was going so right along comes an imp.
  6. THE UNEXPECTED PEA by Pumkin at 11: A search for the perfect princess leads one prince to understand the importance of listening to both heart and mind, and makes him realize that there are some things worth giving up the crown for.
(72,000 words — anthology of original fairytales and fairytale retellings; fantasy, romance)

Elements of Style: CSS for Ebooks

I originally published this post on Joel Friedlander’s wonderful resource for self-publishers, TheBookDesigner.com If HTML is the blueprint, showing how an ebook (or a web page) should be laid out, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are the interior design, saying how everything should look. While that may sound superficial, in fact learning to use CSS can … Continue reading Elements of Style: CSS for Ebooks