Tag: The Trials of Renegade X

If You Got Your Kindle Daily Deal Email This Morning…

…then you already saw THIS:

 

 

Both The Rise of Renegade X and The Trials of Renegade X are the Kindle Daily Deals for the Sci-fi and Fantasy category, which is majorly cool.  I’d gotten an email from Amazon back in December saying it was a possibility–I had to agree to being included in the promotion if I got chosen–but I didn’t really think it was going to happen.  Then yesterday I found out that they were going to be part of the Daily Deal today.   Which was pretty amazing.

 

The Trials of Renegade X is out!

Okay, so, The Trials of Renegade X wasn’t supposed to come out until the 26th, but it’s actually out right now. The hardback edition I created through Lightning Source appeared on Amazon and Barnes and Noble this weekend.  Oops.  And I think Goodreads has been emailing people that the book is out.  So I’ve been working on getting the other editions up and running.

Which means that you can now get the book.  Like, right now.  Here’s a breakdown:

  • The hardback books are $19.99.  They’re available through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  They should be available through other outlets soon, including Book Depository.
  • The ebook is $4.99 and available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.  It should be available through the Apple store soon.
  • The paperbacks will be $12.99 and available through Amazon, but I don’t have those up yet.

So there you have it.  I leave you with the excerpt from the back of the hardcover:

I don’t know what happens then, only that I don’t pull the trigger. But a wild tendril of fear flashes through me. Electricity sparks hot in my hand. It feels the same as it did the other night, when the light socket practically exploded. Except this time, I know it’s not coming from some outside source—it’s coming from me. I can feel the charge all the way down to my bones. But it all happens so fast, and before I really get what’s happening, sparks shoot into the gadget I’m holding, and then there are ninja stars flying. Not just at their target—who is apparently a superhero and not a jewel thief—but in every direction.

Cover Reveal – The Trials of Renegade X!

I have, of course, been dying to show you guys this for a while now, and today is the day! This is the ebook cover for Trials, made by Raul Allen, who was also the amazing artist behind the first cover. The print books will feature the full wraparound, like the first one had, with the city continuing off to the left.

And here’s blurb again:

Can a half villain ever be a full hero?

Damien Locke didn’t choose for his supervillain mom to disown him — just because he sort of defied her and ruined her evil plans to take over Golden City — and he didn’t choose for his superpower to be flying, a superhero ability that involves his least favorite thing: heights. But now that he’s living with his dad’s superhero family and enrolling at Heroesworth Academy, he’s ready to embrace his new life, get his H, and finally belong somewhere. But belonging isn’t as easy as signing up for classes, and Damien finds himself struggling to fit in more than ever.

Just when he’s sure his fate as a hero has been decided, though, he gets a new villain power that he can’t control. And things only get worse when he accidentally screws up one of his sidekick Sarah’s gadgets, altering her personality and turning her into a crazed, anti-supervillain vigilante — leaving him no choice but to team up with her annoying superhero boyfriend if he hopes to have any chance of getting the old Sarah back, before she captures — or kills — another supervillain like him.

I think it goes without saying, but I LOVE this cover! I love how bitchy and evil Sarah looks (I know, I know, that’s a weird thing to say, but it’s true).  And I love the city in the background, and the mist on the roof, and the creepy machine there. And of course Damien looks awesome, too! And their belts have Xs and Thetas on them, and it’s just all very cool and amazing.

Many Cool Announcements

So many announcements, in fact, that I can make a BULLETED LIST.

  • The kickstarter for The Trials of Renegade X was a rousing success!  It ended at 125%, which is pretty amazing.  Especially since there was a time, for about an hour or so after I first launched it (and, well, all the months leading up to it), where I was pretty sure it was going to finish at zero percent.  Or maybe more realistically like one percent.  (Okay, okay, five percent.)  BUT my doubts were foiled again and everything is coming up awesome.
  • If you missed out on the kickstarter, don’t worry!  Trials now has a release date and will be out September 26th.  You’ll be able to get it in ebook, paperback, or hardcover.  (Though if you want a print copy, brace yourself for print-on-demand prices, which are a bit pricier than you might be used to.)
  • I have THE COVER, and it’s freaking AWESOME.  Raul Allen, the same artist who did the cover for The Rise of Renegade X, did an amazing job.  It’s everything I could have hoped for and more, and a perfect follow-up to the first one.  I can’t reveal it yet, but soon, precioussss.  Soon.
  • You may or may not have noticed–or seen me talking about it–but the first book is currently unavailable, due to me getting the rights back.  But I’m happy to announce that it will be back up in the near future–probably in the next few weeks–and should be out in time for the sequel’s release!  I’m in the process of licensing the cover art now, but once that’s done I can relaunch.  It will be back up in ebook and hardback and will be making its paperback debut. ;)  (Though what I said earlier about POD prices still applies.)
  • The movie option for Renegade X got renewed!  I have no idea where they are with the project (well, I have some idea, but my knowledge on it is several months outdated, and I’m not sure what I’d be allowed to tell people even if I did know something), only that it’s still in the works.  So, as always, getting renewed doesn’t mean there will actually be a movie, but it’s still a possibility!
  • And, finally, with both books for sure coming out and having covers and all that, I’m thinking of doing audiobook versions as well through ACX.  (ACX is awesome and makes audiobook production an option for authors and helps them find narrators.  I went through them for Harper Madigan and was really happy about the whole process and especially with how the book turned out.)  I have to admit to being kind of nervous about hearing someone else read for Damien and the other RRX characters I’ve had in my head for so long.  (And what if I hear their voice in my head from then on instead of mine???)  So if I don’t find the right narrator, it will be a no-go.  But there are a lot of talented voice actors, so I am hopeful that the right one is out there.

And so my bulleted list comes to an end!  This next month is going to be really exciting as I get ready to launch all this, and then of course everyone finally getting to actually read the sequel is pretty mind blowing, too! 

Renegade X Sequel = DONE!

Wow, it’s been a while since I posted (guess I was in the writer cave longer than I thought).  I looked at my last post, where I had 19,000 words in the sequel. HA.  Now I have 115,000 and it’s DONE!  That’s right–this book is going to exist.  It’s going to come out this September.  And it’s going to be really freaking awesome (but I think you guys knew that part already).  And if you’re wondering what 115,000 words actually means, I’ll tell you that the first one was 85,000 words, making this a much bigger book.  I would estimate that gives you guys another 100 pages to read.

Of sex and math jokes.

Just kidding.  There aren’t any math jokes in this one.

I had so much fun writing this book.  And drank so much coffee. And, while I miss the characters again already, it feels good to have it done.  I finished the first one nearly six years ago.  Six freaking years.  And there were times since then when I was absolutely certain there would be a sequel, and times when I was absolutely certain there would not.  But you guys kept writing to me, telling me how much you loved Renegade X and asking when there would be another one.  And if it hadn’t been for you guys telling me all that, I don’t know if I would have ever written it.  But you did, and I did, and now I’ve finished the best book I’ve ever written.  And I can’t wait for you guys to get to read it in September!

And since, no matter how much planning I do, books have a way of morphing and getting away from me as I write them (or at least the best ones do), I reworked the book description.  The old one wasn’t inaccurate, but it wasn’t so much the story anymore either.  So here’s the new blurb:

 Can a half villain ever be a full hero?

Damien Locke didn’t choose for his supervillain mom to disown him—just because he sort of defied her and ruined her evil plans to take over Golden City—and he didn’t choose for his superpower to be flying, a superhero ability that involves his least favorite thing: heights. But now that he’s living with his dad’s superhero family and enrolling at Heroesworth Academy, he’s ready to embrace his new life, get his H, and finally belong somewhere. But belonging isn’t as easy as signing up for classes, and Damien finds himself struggling to fit in more than ever.

Just when he’s sure his fate as a hero has been decided, though, he gets a new villain power that he can’t control. And things only get worse when he accidentally screws up one of his sidekick Sarah’s gadgets, altering her personality and turning her into a crazed, anti-supervillain vigilante—leaving him no choice but to team up with her annoying superhero boyfriend if he hopes to have any chance of getting the old Sarah back, before she captures—or kills—another supervillain like him.

The Trials of Renegade X – The Blurb!

Newsletter subscribers got a sneak peek at this last week, and now, as promised, I am proud to present the description for The Trials of Renegade X:

 Can a half villain ever be a full hero? Damien Locke didn’t choose for his supervillain mom to disown him—just because he sort of defied her and ruined her evil plans to take over Golden City—and he didn’t choose for his superpower to be flying, a superhero ability that involves his least favorite thing: heights. But now that he’s living with his dad’s superhero family and enrolling at Heroesworth Academy, he’s ready to embrace his new life, get his H, and finally belong somewhere. But belonging isn’t as easy as signing up for classes, and Damien finds himself struggling to fit in more than ever. Of course, it doesn’t help that his sidekick Sarah has a new hero boyfriend—not that he’s jealous or anything—or that, just when he’s sure his fate as a hero has been decided, he gets a new villain power he can’t control. And it’s so easy to slip into his old ways when he catches his supervillain girlfriend Kat committing a crime at Heroesworth and covers for her, charming his way out of trouble. But as Damien’s attempts to lead a purely hero life continue to backfire, he’ll have to learn to embrace both his hero and villain sides, or else risk pushing away everyone he cares about and losing any chance he has of ever finding his place in the world.

And there it is!  I’ve tried to keep it exciting but not too spoilery.   I’ve got about a week left on the current WIP, and then I’ll be back to working on Trials full time!

P.S.  Today is coincidentally the four year anniversary of the day I got the offer for The Rise of Renegade X.  Crazy how time flies!