Kashallan Press

 by Celu Amberstone I have been asked to document my process, so with that in mind I will put down how I gain ideas and write the books and short stories I create. First let me say that I am of mixed ancestry, First Nation and Scott-Irish. I carry teachings from the Elders of my two heritages and draw upon them in everything I write. The ideas for a story or a novel come to me in dreams. I have had these special dreams since I was a child, but it was only as an adult that I considered putting them into print. I also have been legally blind since birth. I was one of the children back in the 1940’s affected by the birth defects associated with the measles disease. I have never been able to see more than shapes and colors, so when I say these story-dreams are vivid I don’t mean they are visually acute. It’s hard for me to explain in words my process here, being blind since birth I don’t “see” anything, not really, not at least like other people I ask tell me they experience dreaming. The

For a Twitter Colloquium on Self-Publishing, here are some of author Celu Amberstone's thoughts in this discussion:    I think there are advantages and disadvantages to self-publishing. I am a mixed-race, Indigenous author and for that reason my writing perspective is different than what the established publishing industry is used to. I have been told many times by New York agents and editors, in their refusal letters, “Your writing is great, but I don’t know how to market your books.” But with help from online sites like D2D or Smash words I have been able to offer my books in reputable stores like Amazon and Barnes & Noble nonetheless. Self-publishing isn’t a shortcut to fame and glory, however. It means you have to do, yourself, much that would have been done in the past by a traditional publisher. So, if you want to have your writing treated seriously, then you have to do the work needed to insure the books you offer are the very best you can make

 Just as spring is starting, many small publishers and literary presses are banding together for mutual promotion of our books. One of the most enjoyable virtual gatherings is SMOLfair, with several discussions and book prizes. Look on Twitter for @FairSmol talking about @KashallanPress at this link https://twitter.com/FairSmol/status/1503384997545197568 See also what they have to say about other fine independent publishers.

  Terrific to see that R. Graeme Cameron has written a review of Celu Amberstone's novel The Dream-Chosen for the magazine Amazing Stories! Here's a brief excerpt from Graeme's detailed review:   I can’t tell you how refreshing and original this opening chapter strikes me. Not only do we begin to understand the premise of the book and the mindset of the Khutani, we also learn, in a visceral way, how truly alien they are. ... From now on the reader reacts to the alien Khutani in terms of observing their emotional state... Brilliant. In short, the opening chapter introduces the Khutani wonderfully well. Definitely makes you want to read more. ... The last part of chapter two concerns Dunnagh Kai, an officer commanding two squads on a reconnaissance patrol.  ... Again, a dynamic, changing situation, in this case used to introduce humans into the mix, establish their courage and compassion, not to mention describe the level of both their technological and spiritual po

 Starting the new year right, Kashallan Press announces the release of The Outlawed Bond , third novel in the series Tales of the Kashallans by author Celu Amberstone. This novel is available through online vendors around the world. Click on the link http://books2read.com/outlawedbond where the distributor offers links to order the ebook through Kobo, Amazon, and many other vendors.   To celebrate the release of The Outlawed Bond in ebook format, Kashallan Press will be joining an online Zoom meeting with SF Canada, the national association of Canadian writers of science fiction and fantasy. Join the virtual party at 6:00pm PacificStandardTime on Tuesday, January 25th to meet author Celu Amberstone online and read brief excerpts of the first three books in the series: The Dream-Chosen , The Hunted Kashallan , and now The Outlawed Bond . You'll need an invitation for this Zoom meeting, so contact paula.johanson @ gmail.com to send you the link. 

 The first two titles released by Kashallan Press are now available!    Look for The Dream-Chosen and The Hunted Kashallan, now available as ebooks from your favourite online retailers! Here's the link to our distributor for each of these books: https://books2read.com/b/dreamchosen and https://books2read.com/b/huntedkashallan