Site Update and Free Books

We (at last?) have a completely up to date and finished website (arachispress.com). The latest books are up, every print book we offer is directly linked to our own store (though they may be purchased elsewhere), and all the ebooks are now free to download. Yes, there is a page with them all listed, in PDF and EPUB format.

We had given the free thing thought for quite a long time and finally decided we would prefer to have the books read than to hope to make a few dollars now and again. Especially in that we do not deal with Amazon and no longer create Kindle editions. This includes every book by Stephen Brooke, Sienna Santerre, and Oliver Davis Pike.

Jumping Jack Promo

 The release of Oliver Davis Pike's new science fiction novel is only a month away!

The Walls Between the Worlds

We are pleased to announce that the latest fantasy novel by Stephen Brooke, THE WALLS BETWEEN THE WORLDS, is scheduled for publication on October 2, 2021. Here's the rear cover blurb and the cover (probably in final form):

Hurasu, the greatest sorcerer his world had ever known, was dead. To his son he left his sword, four mystic jewels, a realm in ruin, and many enemies. Urtu was not at all sure he wanted that realm. A wide unknown world lay beyond it; for a lad skilled with both weapons and spells, the path lay away for the great valley of his birth, across the mountains and into the tropical empire of the Molu.

Urtu realized that a mission had been given him along with his father’s jewels, for they were the Eyes of the Wind, too powerful to allow their misuse. To a place of safety he must carry them, with the aid of a shaman and a god and sometimes his mother, while other powerful wizards pursued. But first, a sojourn amid the politics and the women of the Molu—and a certain amount of learning about both the world and himself. Join Urtu as he begins his journey across The Walls Between the Worlds.

 

Coming in 2021

Time to announce some upcoming titles—those for which we have release dates set. Be assured, other books will follow these this year.

First is the science fiction time-travel novel WHEN MAN WAS YOUNG from Stephen Brooke. Release date is set for March 20, 2021. The cover:

And a blurb:

Ken Sasaki and his fellow time-travelers paid well for the Neanderthal experience—two weeks living with an Ice Age tribe, becoming part of that tribe.

Things did not quite work out that way. The last minute addition of a woman scientist to their group caused some grumbling. That proved to be the least of their problems as they found themselves struggling for survival in an inhospitable world, an age ago When Man Was Young.

A novel from Stephen Brooke and the Arachis Press

The second is a poetry collection from Stephen Brooke, THE MOON AND I. Coming May 15.

The moon and I conversed last night ~

These poems are conversations with the moon, with the night, with the soul. The birds and the wind, dreams and memory, speak in this collection from Stephen Brooke, THE MOON AND I.

Further releases will be announced as we decide on release dates.

Wilk Release

Today, June 6, 2020, is the official release date of the new adventure novel from  Stephen Brooke, WILK. This is a the 'origin story' for Jean Wilk (aka Jan Patrokowski aka John Wilkings) and a prequel of sorts to THE DICTATOR'S CHILDREN. Here is the blurb:

A connecting flight — as the aging Wilk returns to his native Poland he reminisces how, in the aftermath of the Great War, a young Jan Patrowski finds himself adrift. From the Russian Revolution to a China torn apart by factions and warlords, he strives to learn who he is. The decorated war hero and pilot? The clever mechanic and engineer? Or maybe a man in love who would throw away the rest of the world and lose himself in the heart of Asia. Join him as he travels across a continent in a novel of adventure and a journey of discovery by Stephen Brooke, WILK

And here is the cover:

This book is available right now in both print and ebook from our store at our distributor's site. However, between the recent slowdown of things due to the pandemic, and revamping of said distributor's (Lulu) site, distribution has been held up some. The ebook should be available 'everywhere' soon, if not right now. The print version may take a while yet.

print ISBN 978-1-937745-71-4

epub ISBN 978-1-937745-72-1

Warrior of the Moon Release

All is ready for the February 15 official release of Stephen Brooke's latest fantasy adventure novel, 'Warrior of the Moon.' This will be his seventh book set among the Mora and the first of a new trilogy. The book should show up in both print and ebook editions at retailers shortly, including Amazon, but is available right now from our own shop.

Here is the official blurb:

Since he was small, Maratoa had held one desire above all others: to become a warrior as great as his heroic father. Yes, he knew he had inherited sorcerous powers and, yes, he been trained in their use. But there was no place for a man with such abilities in Mora society, in the Land of the Sleeping Sky.

Now the greatest of all wizards had traveled across the ocean, on a mission that might decide the fate of their world. Does the fate of Maratoa also hang in the balance? A voyage into the unknown brings answers but asks new questions.

Headhunters, lost aviators, a secret submarine, sea monsters — all these Maratoa encounters on his quest in WARRIOR OF THE MOON, a fantasy novel by Stephen Brooke.

Today, July 15, brings the official release of Stephen Brooke's new fantasy adventure novel, THE EYES OF THE WIND. Available directly from Arachis Press and at retailers everywhere (almost!) in print and ebook formats.

Eyes Release

The date of July 15, 2016 has been set for the official release of Stephen Brooke's new novel, THE EYES OF THE WIND.

The 'long' blurb:

Young Saj only wanted to deliver his wagon-load of goods and be on his way to a new life in the South. How did he end up kidnapping a willful young noblewoman?

Or was it she who kidnapped him? He wasn’t quite sure.

Facing pirates, bandits, and sorcerers, Saj finds himself seeking the four mystic gems known as the Eyes of the Wind for a mysterious priestly order. Accompanied by Marana, who may or may not love him, and the wily wizard Xit, who may or may not be a god, his quest takes him from the sea to the mountains and into his own soul.

For Saj has powers that lie within him, powers of which he is only now becoming aware.

THE EYES OF THE WIND will be available in print and ebook formats through Arachis Press and books sellers everywhere.

Coming This Spring

Exact date of release to be announced soon!

"Michael Malvern returns from across the mountains, united at last with the woman he loves. But the homeland of the Mora people is in turmoil. Could he be the prophesied Hero from the Sea, come to restore the kingdom? All is answered in the third and final novel of the Malvern Saga, Hero from the Sea, a fantasy adventure by Stephen Brooke."

Valley Released Today

Today marks the official release of Stephen Brooke's new fantasy adventure novel, VALLEY OF VISIONS. This is the second of the Malvern  Saga books.

The back cover blurb:

What lies beyond the mountains?

Castaway Michael Malvern crosses the peaks to search for his kidnapped love and for answers to the riddle of a strange world.

 VALLEY can be found at our site and the store at our distributor, as well as most online retailers in both ebook and print formats. Expect a third and final Malvern novel this spring.

* * *

Also, we will announce here that a  new catalog of our titles is available in PDF form, also at the Arachis Press site. Feel free to download your copy.

Video Trailer for Shaper

We put together another simple slideshow video trailer for the latest novel from Stephen Brooke, SHAPER. The book will officially be out Sept 1 but watch for it on our own site before then.

New and Old

This Saturday, August 1, is the official release date for Stephen Brooke's collection of poems for young readers, AWFUL ALVIN AND OTHER PECULIAR POEMS. The book is already available in both print and electronic form at our own site, and the ebook version can now be found at various retailers around the internet. Give it a few weeks yet for print copies to show up everywhere (yes, Amazon included).

We will be releasing the contemporary novel, SHAPER, on September 1. Expect to  see it rolled out over this month---it may be available on our own site by the middle of August. More on SHAPER later!

It should be followed by another poetry collection, THE TOWER. Tentative release date is October 15. That might be moved a couple weeks either way.

We will also continue to get more of our older titles into wider print distribution. The next of these will be the children's chapter book, THE CONTRARY FAIRY, followed by Stephen Brooke's debut novel, the YA book THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Expect both before the end of 2015. We can't guarantee more this year, but it might happen. All suitable titles will definitely be added before the end of next year.

Coast of Spears Video Trailer

We put together a  'slide-show' style video trailer for the new COAST OF SPEARS novel by Stephen Brooke. The novel, a 'fantasy adventure,' is available now in print and ebook at Arachis Press, rolling out elsewhere over the next couple months (which is why the 'official' release date is July 1).

Video Trailer for The Hand of the Sorcerer

We put together a simple video trailer for the release of THE HAND OF THE SORCERER by Stephen Brooke. Music and video  also by Stephen Brooke, for that matter. :)

The Hand of the Sorcerer Book Release Announcement

The fourth and final book of Stephen Brooke's Donzalo's Destiny series, THE HAND OF THE SORCERER, is officially set for release on December 1, 2014. Just in time for Christmas shopping! (We actually hope to have it for sale by Cyber  Saturday.)

More news upcoming, as we finalize design and printing, prepare a video book trailer, and all the other chores that go into the release of a book.

Arrow Video Trailer

We have created a simple video to go with Stephen Brooke's third Donzalo novel, THE SIGN OF THE ARROW.

The Shadow is Here

Today, March 1, 2014, marks the official release of THE SHADOW OF ASAK, the second book in Stephen Brooke's 'Donzalo's Destiny' series. Available at the Arachis Press site: http://arachispress.com in print, EPUB and PDF (as well as at Barnes & Noble and Apple).

Song of the Sword

Just for the fun of it, a blurb for the upcoming publication of THE SONG OF THE SWORD. Currently in rewrites and edit, expected to be available in time for Christmas shopping!

Anniversary

I just realized that this is the tenth anniversary of Arachis Press. In a sense, anyway — I self-published my first chapbook of poetry, ‘Pieces of the Moon,’ in 2003. At that time, I styled myself ‘Nihil Crocodile Press’ and continued to do so until I put out my second book, the YA novel ‘The Middle of Nowhere,’ some eight years later!

That first edition was not only self-published but also self-printed. A laser printer, good paper stock, and a long stapler are really all one needs to put out a quite decent-looking product. Distribution, however, is another matter which is why I switched to printing and selling through Lulu for the second edition in 2005.

So I’ll celebrate. Yay! Okay, that’s taken care of. Now back to business!

I’m working up a new catalog, reflecting the release of the latest book, ‘Retellings,’ and will have it on the site shortly. It might be time I adjusted some prices anyway and maybe even put out some revised editions (too many mistakes in both ‘Pieces of the Moon’ and ‘Dreamwinds.’).

And, of course, I continue to make attempts at more books. As I mentioned a while back, I’m open to working with other authors, but I do have projects of my own in progress. Maybe I’ll finally get that fantasy novel finished.

That would be ‘The Song of the Sword.’ I have decided to retain that title for the first ‘book’ of ‘Donzalo’s Destiny,’ which should consist of two novella-length parts. The first of which is long finished and well-polished — I considered releasing it on its own as a 22,000 word ebook but think I will wait.

Here is a mock-up of a possible cover. I like simple and (I hope) classy presentations.

ebooks

A mention that three of our four books by Stephen Brooke (plus his free short-story, 'A Tale of Two Turkeys') are available at both the Barnes and Noble and the Apple stores. Just search for 'Stephen Brooke' to find 'The Middle of Nowhere,' 'Dreamwinds,' and 'Pieces of the Moon' in epub format.

His picture book for the little ones, 'A Mouse Is In The House,' is not available in epub. We don't think toddlers are using e-readers all that much.

Here are links for 'The Middle of Nowhere,' Stephen's Young Adult novel, at both stores:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-middle-of-nowhere/id479348551?mt=11

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-middle-of-nowhere-stephen-brooke/1106492097