Publishing a Book Is an Act of Faith

I've discovered that it's very difficult to publish novels and then wait to see if anyone actually reads them, so I'm pleased that my second book, Fire Whisperer & Circle of Souls: Two Novellas of the Supernatural, has been well-received. It's always a battle getting reviews, and I appreciate when readers take the time to post them. One reader even sent me a personal message telling me how much she enjoyed my writing and encouraging me to continue.

Since everyone is now a potential critic, you're never quite sure what to expect from readers. When I published The Home Child, I did a Goodreads giveaway, which involved providing free copies of the book to the winners as well as incurring the significant mailing costs of Canada Post. I received a two-star rating but no review from the first contest winner to post a rating, so not only was I out $20 for the book and mailing costs, but I had no idea why she didn't like the book. (Fortunately, I have received informative reviews since that time.)

I also discovered a few months after the publication of The Home Child that there was an online pirated version of my novel with more than four hundred downloads for which I received no compensation. That money would have gone a long way in paying for future publications.

My point? Publishing a novel is an act of faith and trust.

You need to love writing to keep moving on.

Fire Whisperer & Circle of Souls: Two Novellas of the Supernatural

The Plaid Raccoon Press is pleased to announce the publication of Fire Whisperer & Circle of Souls: Two Novellas of the Supernatural  by Lynn L. Clark. It is now in paperback and can be ordered from Amazon.com, and will be available in electronic format very shortly. Like The Home Child, the new book is set in eastern Ontario and is supernatural fiction interwoven with historical details.

Here are brief synopses of the two novellas:

"Fire Whisperer" - Injured in a hotel fire, Keva Tait experiences auditory and visual hallucinations and is diagnosed with schizophrenia. But is this illness really at the root of her constant encounters with a young, dark-haired woman and an elder who materializes at night on her bed? With the tenth anniversary of the fire looming, Keva wants to take back her life by confronting what really happened when she was seventeen years old.

"Circle of Souls" - A young woman doing research at a small museum in Ottawa is almost pushed down a set of stairs. Her sister-in-law, who restores fossils at a museum of natural history, is touched by an unseen presence. A videographer glimpses unsettling images in his work. A paranormal team leader encounters the inexplicable as he investigates an old mill. A student working part time at an old jail experiences the despair of its former inmates. All of these locations are said to be haunted, but who exactly is the ghost? Or are there many ghosts seeking human intervention?


Fire Whisperer & Circle of Souls: Two Novellas of the Supernatural is currently a Goodreads Giveaway and is also listed in the Early Reviewers Program of LibraryThing.

If you are a reviewer of supernatural fiction and would like an electronic copy of the book for review purposes, please send an e-mail request to llclark136@hotmail.com.

Stay tuned for additional updates!