C. M. Harald

Writing about writing

New Releases

Buy Now on Amazon! Gas! Gas! Gas!

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At last ‘Gas! Gas! Gas!’, the third instalment of the Royal Zombie Corps has been uploaded to Amazon and is available now.

The third story in the Royal Zombie Corps series by C.M. Harald

I’ve been sitting on this book for quite a while as it was finished in July, but I’ve only just got around to completing the editing.  The great news for anyone following the series is that the fourth book is in the final editing stage.  Also the covers for the fourth book have already been created.

I had quite a bit of fun with this book as the events are closely linked to the developing expertise in the British Army, during this stage of the war.  This was especially interesting due to the ongoing debate about whether the Tommies were ‘lions lead by donkeys‘.  This is a concept that has become shorthand for mainstream British remembrance of the subject.  With the centenaries in recent years, many historians have been challenging this consensus.  It was therefore an engaging academic exercise to investigate these arguments and then assign different characters to represent some of the more obvious points.  By 1918, the British Army was almost unrecognisable.  The failures and experiences of 1915-1917 had created an effective force that married new technology to hard-won experience in a way demonstrated by no other country at the time.

Synopsis – Gas! Gas! Gas!

Following the failure to break through the German lines at Arras, the British look for new ways to turn their fearsome Tigers into a weapon that can turn the tide of the war in the trenches.

Book 3 of the Royal Zombie Corps continues the story of Alfie Marsh, and his friends, as they face the might of the Triple Alliance in the trenches of Western Europe. Along with the horror of zombies, Marsh has to content with the terrors of trench warfare and the ineptitude of some on his own side.

This story is written in British English and is approximately 23,500 words long.

Paperback book available for the first time

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I am delighted to announce the availability of my first paperback print book.  The Butcher’s Funeral is now available on Amazon in the UK, US, Germany, France, Japan, Spain and Italy.

Why did the butcher die?  Was it his wife or one of his many enemies?  Intent on delivering justice, friends Judd and Law become entwined in a situation far more complex than they first realised. As they delve deeper, they soon find themselves at risk of harm.

The Butcher’s Funeral was initially published as a series of short stories on Amazon, before being compiled as an electronic book.

Medieval murder book

Now in paperback, The Butcher’s Funeral
Why a paperback matters?

Obviously as a writer, it’s one of the landmark moments you look forward to, your own book in print.  I have now published several stories electronically and it would have been easy to go down the old fashioned route of vanity publishing.  Indeed some friends have done this in the past.  One friend has a very nice collection of beautifully bound hardback books mouldering in his garage.

Fortunately, it is Amazon to the rescue yet again for the independent writer.  Amazon have recently integrated their CreateSpace offering into the self-publishing toolkit, it is now really straight-forward to convert electronic books into a print offering.  Furthermore, as it is print-on-demand, the up-front costs to the writer are a few hours of work.  This is much better the thousands of pounds that may be required for a vanity print run.

Regardless of how many books sell, I am one happy author.  I am now off to put a paperback copy of my own work on my bookcase for the first time.

Available on Amazon – Tigers on the Western Front

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Now available on Amazon – Tigers on the Western Front

I am pleased to announce that Tigers on the Western Front is now available on Amazon UK and Amazon.com.  In part 2 of the Royal Zombie Corps series, the Allies continue their development of the zombie as a war winning weapon.  Alfie Marsh, and his friends, are in the thick of it as the British find ways to harness the power of the flesh-eating creatures found in the front lines.

Book 3 in the series, ‘Gas! Gas! Gas!’ is now in the final editing stages and I will probably release it in one month.  The fourth, and final book in the series, is almost finished.  It is likely that I will likely release it in November or December.

Amazon description

The British have a new war winning weapon to break the deadlock of the trenches. The zombie knows no pain and inflicts terror on the enemy. The Allies pin their hopes on a great victory at Arras.

Book 2 of the Royal Zombie Corps continues the story of Alfie Marsh, and his friends, as they face the might of the Triple Alliance in the trenches of Western Europe. Not only are they facing the brutal conditions of the front line, but they continue their development of a new form of warfare – that of the reanimated dead.

This story is written in British English and is approximately 24,000 words long.

Artwork release – Tigers on the Western Front

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Artwork release – Tigers on the Western Front

I’ve finally had the artwork made for ‘Tigers on the Western Front’.  Actually I’ve been sitting on the finished product for a week as the release date for the book has slipped.  Over the last few weeks I’ve been tied up by a rather strung-out, and convoluted, house move.  At the start of the month I also started at a new, and challenging, coastal school, so the day job is keeping me rather busy.

Back to the book then.  The final edits just need to be completed, the artwork needs uploading, and then the book will be live on Amazon for the whole world to read.  I’ve just got to fit that around marking 150 pupil’s exercise books this weekend.

Royal Zombie Corps, book 2 cover

Artwork – Reveal of the new full cover of Tigers no the Western Front, book 2 in the Royal Zombie Corps series.

I like this cover, by the same artist as who did the cover for Blood, Mud and Corpses.  This cover has a far more pulpy feel, which fits well with this type of story.  I’m looking forward getting the artwork done for the third book, ‘Gas! Gas! Gas!’ and also the, as yet unnamed, final book in this first sequence.  I’ve not yet come up with a name that I’m happy with for the final book, although I do have a couple of ideas.  Moving further afield, I’ve already got the second and third sequence of books roughly planned, probably a further eight stories of 25,000 words each.

So over the next few days, hoping to get the final edits finalised.  Stay tuned to this blog for the latest information.
Book synopsis

Tigers on the Western Front, as the second book in the series and picks up from the end of book one.  Marsh and his friends are getting to grips with the new weapon they stumbled upon.  The British have a new war winning weapon to break the deadlock of the trenches. The zombie knows no pain and inflicts terror on the enemy. The Allies pin their hopes on a great victory at Arras.

New Book – Blood, Mud and Corpses

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I’m just finalising the artwork on the new book, ‘Blood, Mud and Corpses’. The book should be released before the end of this month.  I’ll upload the cover sometime over the weekend.

‘Blood, Mud and Corpses’ is the first book in the Royal Zombie Corps series.  Book 2 is at the proofreading stage and book 3 is in final editing.  A teaser for the new book is below.

“No one knew when the endless bloodshed and grindingly futile toil of the trenches would ever end. Then a miracle came from a source totally removed from even the most fantastic of dreams.”

The series is set during the First World War, following a group of soldiers as they are conscripted into the British Army during 1916.  The brutality of the war becomes far greater during their first experience of combat as they stumble across something unexpected in no-man’s-land.