Above you can see a copy of the final version of my latest novella (which I received earlier today), so I thought this was a good opportunity to post a little update on it. I’m pleased to say that The Diary of Valaryn Syldanor: A Simple Housemaid from the Freelands is now available from a number of places, such as Amazon, Book Depository and Kobo. I think most of these places allow you to read an excerpt from it, so please check it out if you are at all interested! 😊
Note: this article is about the character in Amazon Prime’s El Cid TV show, not the historical figure.
Yesterday I finished watching the second season of Amazon Prime’s Spanish series El Cid (titled The Legend of El Cid in English), which stars Jaime Lorente as the titular hero, a Castilian knight who won renown in medieval Spain. Like all TV shows that are based on human history, I’m sure that there are many who decry the historical inaccuracies in El Cid, but for me it was a thoroughly exciting show which features heaps of medieval military action and political intrigue, plus a bit of sex/romance as well. El Cid himself is portrayed as a brooding and overly intense young warrior, which does not really appeal to me all that much, but I was fascinated by the character of Urraca of Zamora (played by Spanish actress Alicia Sanz), the eldest of the five children of King Fernando I of Leon.
The only real point of reference I have for El Cid (and therefore of Urraca), is the 1961 Hollywood film, also titled El Cid, starring Charlton Heston. In that film, Urraca (played by French actress Geneviève Page) is portrayed as a conniving, manipulative individual, and thus one of El Cid’s main antagonists. In Amazon’s El Cid, Urraca is also portrayed in this way, at least initially. I don’t want to say too much that might spoil certain parts of the show, but by the end of the second season, she becomes quite admirable and even takes part in a battle herself. Mind you, I liked Urraca from the very beginning. Being so confident and fearless, I think it’d be hard for anybody not to like her at least a little bit. On top of that, of course, she is played by the gorgeous Ms Sanz, who I think is a very good actress.😊
I’m not sure if Amazon has a third season for El Cid in the works or not, but I certainly would like to see more of Urraca of Zamora in action. Incidentally, the image at the top of this article of Ms Sanz in her combat outfit is from an article posted in June on Cosmopolitan magazine’s Spanish edition. I can’t say it’s the exact outfit she wore onscreen, but if it’s not, it’s certainly one that is very similar.
Earlier this week (April 13 to be exact), my book Night of the Werewolves turned two! Unfortunately I was unable to do an anniversary picture for it this year, so instead I took a screenshot of its Goodreads’ page. As you can see, Night of the Werewolves currently has a 3.90 star rating there.😄
Night of the Werewolves is still (thank goodness) available as a free download from both Amazon and Kobo. Check out the links below if you’re interested in reading it!😊
So after Amazon started charging for Night of the Werewolves again, I went ahead and added a message in its listing that stated it was available for free on Kobo. And guess what? Straight afterwards, Night of the Werewolves went back to being free! Coincidence? I can’t really say, but I’m pleased it’s free on Amazon once more. And today I’m extra pleased, because Night of the Werewolves is currently number one on both Amazon’s free Fantasy Manga and free Horror Manga best seller lists in Australia!😆
I guess all this proves is that its not very difficult to have a number one e-book on Amazon, as long as you are willing to make it free, because there’s not much competition. Choosing a very niche category also helps. However, since each of Amazon’s websites seem to have their own lists, as far as I know Night of the Werewolves is only number one in Australia. But hey, I’m still happy that it made number one somewhere.😊
And so now it’s time for another shameless plug.😁
If you would like to get the digital version of Night of the Werewolves from Amazon for free, please click HERE.
If you would like to get the digital version of Night of the Werewolves from Kobo for free, please click HERE.
There is also a physical version of Night of the Werewolves, which is available from Lulu’s Bookstore for USD11.54. If you would like to get this version, please click HERE.
Well, that didn’t take very long. In little over a week, Amazon has arbitrarily decided to start charging for Night of the Werewolves again, even though I want it to be free. This is the third time this has happened, so I think as far as Night of the Werewolves is concerned, the time has come to give up listing it on Amazon. But if I do keep listing it there, I’ll add a note in the description telling people that they can get it for free from Kobo.😋 And speaking of which, if you would like to get the digital version of Night of the Werewolves from Kobo, please click HERE.
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