Ned Marcus — Blog

Feb 23, 2019

Intuitive Animal Communication

Intuitive animal communication (listening and speaking directly to animals) and is a part of my fantasy, as well as something I’m investigating in real life…

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Feb 16, 2019

Blue Prometheus Sale & Free Novella Giveaway

As I've mentioned before, I'll sometimes be putting my first novel, Blue Prometheus (#1 Blue Prometheus Series), on sale.

Tomorrow (Sunday, February 17th), for one day only. Blue Prometheus will be on sale at $1:99/£1:49 (reduced from the regular price of $4:99). A great deal!

Amazon (US)

Amazon (UK)

Kobo

The price on Kobo will be adjusted to your local currency. Make sure to get your copy!

Also, I'd like to announce another promotion. Young Aina (which is already free of course) is joining a short story and novella promotion. This is running until February 28th.

Apart from my book, there are many other free novellas and short stories on offer (the promotion is for all genres, so not just fantasy).

Next Saturday, I'll be publishing a longer article, about to speaking to animals—a skill that Lucy and other characters in the Blue Prometheus Series have mastered.

Feb 09, 2019

Spin, Span, Spun

As language fascinates and excites, I thought I'd discuss some of the linguistic choices I've made in my stories, which some see as wrong.

These, are of course, intentional choices (my books go through a developmental edit, followed by a copy edit, and finally a proofread, apart from the checks I make myself—so not many mistakes, I hope none, get through).

One of the language points people sometimes point out is my use of span as the past of spin. I was surprised when I first discovered that this is considered an archaic form (even in the UK—where I've often heard it used, and seen it in newspapers).

For me, it's natural, and it's how many people I know, speak. Switching to a standard version feels too jarring to me :)

Other differences (British variations) are the use of further for physical distance as well as figurative distance; and round, as in he turned round. Spelling differences are numerous, of course.

Hopefully, you'll be relaxed about these, and accept them as the variations of the planet of Prometheus—where most of my stories are set. But, at the very least, you'll know that they're an intentional part of my world.

Feb 05, 2019

Journey to the Centre of Prometheus

The Darkling Odyssey, the latest novel in the Blue Prometheus Series, is now available at all online bookstores.

Join Thomas and Lucy on an exciting journey to the centre of the planet of Prometheus.

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Feb 03, 2019

The Darkling Odyssey Available for Pre-Order

The Darkling Odyssey #2 in the Blue Prometheus Series, is now available for pre-order at all major online bookstores. It will be released on Tuesday, February 5th.

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Feb 02, 2019

Developing Intuition

Developing intuition is important in life and fiction. Find out how one woman develops her intuition—and how you can do the same. The magic is optional…

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Feb 01, 2019

Books by Ned Marcus

The Blue Prometheus Series—fantasy books by Ned Marcus

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Jan 26, 2019

The Darkling Odyssey

The Darkling Odyssey is the second book in the Blue Prometheus trilogy. I've received the manuscript back from my proofreader, and I'm now busy making some final checks. The planned release date is Tuesday, February 5th, but I hope to have it up for preorder the week before (January 29th).

The story continues from Blue Prometheus...

Thomas Brand is imprisoned in darkness, deep beneath the surface of Prometheus. When Aina died to save his life, so did the magic and hope within him.

But when a fiery creature visits him in the night, telling him that Aina lives, and demanding that he descend to the centre of the planet to where she waits—and to take the magic Fire—Thomas begins to question his beliefs of life and death.

The discovery that his friend, Lucy, might still be alive, and the arrival of dark sorcerers intent on killing them, forces him to attempt escape, and to consider the dangerous journey to the centre of Prometheus.

Why does this creature demand he take the Fire?

And could Aina really be alive?

You can find out on February 5th...

Jan 19, 2019

Pink Birds

Since reading Arthur C. Clarke's Rama series, I've been fascinated by the possibility of highly intelligent birds, and they've already made appearances in my fantasy series: the rocs are giant highly intelligent birds and are important in the first and third novels in the Blue Prometheus trilogy.

I've also had many semi-intelligent bird species, but I'd like to create a second truly intelligent species of birds—something like these ones in the picture, which I took at Taipei Zoo.

I love imagining how they would react with humans, and humans with them. What would happen if they were to somehow come to Earth? Which might just happen in a future second fantasy series, when rifts open up between the Promethean world and ours...and some things—not all good—start falling through the gaps.

The deep pink birds will, of course, be the good guys!