Archive for the ‘ascalon circle series’ Category

Victory! (and other updates)

Sunday, December 25th, 2022

The Ascalon paperbacks are live again at last on Amazon! Thanks for the xmas gift KDP!

With this update now complete, I will now restore the corresponding pages here as well as the Planes of Ascalon companion pieces in the downloads section.

As for future works, 2022 having been the annus horribilis that it was, all my timelines have shifted more or less a year. Next year right now is looking to be pretty much entirely focused on sci-fi, as I really want to complete the first draft of TUW and send it for editing before the year is out, for a revised target publication date of 2024. I’m pushing The Commodore’s Gold a bit farther down the line as a result; however, French Ascalon fans rejoice, as the French translation of The Dragon Run will hit the shelves some time this year, probably in time for the summer holidays.

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Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

Done! Ebooks are resubmitted and paperback proofs are underway. If everything checks out, I could have all versions back on sale like before as soon as next week. Stay tuned!

Update on book listings

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

Okay, so updating names on Amazon kinda worked… but kinda didn’t. As it turns out, once published, the print version of a book cannot be unpublished (something something second-hand sales as per KDP support), so the versions with my birth name on them are going to stay there indefinitely it seems, unless I file a copyright claim against… myself. Which yeah, is ridiculous.

Anyway, long story short, I registered a brand new author profile on KDP, and I will resubmit my books for publication from this new profile in the coming days. This way, while the other versions might appear in search results, at least they won’t be listed side by side with the new when someone visits my author profile.

While all this is going on, sorry for any inconvenience caused. (Let’s face, given the popularity of my titles, I don’t think I’m losing any sale anyway! Ha ha *sad laugh*).

Fingers crossed that I’m not flagged for impersonating myself in a different profile, given what I’ve seen of how everything works that’s a risk I guess… At some point, after I publish Ascalon #3 and my profile is more established, I might file that copyright claim and nuke the original profile.

To be continued.

KDP update

Thursday, November 3rd, 2022

As you may have noticed, my books went offline yesterday as I’m the process of republishing them under my real name. This means that the ISBN, listing and URL will be new. This also means, unfortunately, that I am losing the ratings and reviews that I had so far.

The new books have been sent and the links will be updated as soon as the review process clears. For now both TDR and TKC will be only available as ebooks. I need to locate the source files for the paperback covers and this is going to take some additional time. The companion PDFs will be updated accordingly as soon as the books are live at the latest.

The French translation of TDR was scheduled for publication in time for the end-of-year holidays but I am no longer sure I can make the schedule, sorry. There’s been a lot more change behind the scenes than the transition and I barely had time to review it.

That’s all for today. Later folks!

Promotion time!

Sunday, May 15th, 2022

May 15th marks the first anniversary of THE KERGUELEN CAT. To celebrate, both ebooks in the Ascalon Circle series will be priced 0.99 until June 30th. 😁

Are you ready to fly in legendary planes, navigate webs of spies and dubious characters, and travel all over the world, from busy Cairo to rural Hampshire, from the jungles of French Indochina to islands at the end of the ocean? If the answer is YES, join the Ascalon Circle! Books I & II are now priced at only 0.99 in ebook format!


Get it now! Books also available in paperback. Offer applies to ebooks, only until June 30th!

Au revoir, Monsieur Henri

Tuesday, July 27th, 2021

I often cite Bob Morane as a major inspiration behind Yann Vatel and the Ascalon Circle series. You may remember I did a short post about it a while ago, and I also talked about it in my guest post for Susan Shiney’s blog. Indeed, I’d go as far as to say that my Ascalon series would not exist without Bob Morane.

Today we heard the sad news that Charles-Henri Dewisme, a.k.a. Henri Vernes passed away at the not too shabby age of 102.

He leaves us literally hundreds of wonderful (if slightly dated) adventures starring Commander Robert Morane, Bill Ballantine and Professor Clairembart, going against the maleficent Mister Ming and countless other enemies, from Borneo to Kenya to the jungles of South America… Flights and chases all over the world, a James Bond with a French touch, and a great deal of affection and gratefulness for this world he gifted us.

Au revoir, Monsieur Henri, et merci.

Praise for “The Kerguelen Cat”

Tuesday, May 18th, 2021

Praise for “The Kerguelen Cat” – 5 ⭐️!!

Thank you so much! The second installment in the Ascalon Circle series is now out on Amazon in Ebook and paperback! Hop aboard for a flight fraught with dangers amidst spies and conspiracies!

What a journey!

Sunday, May 16th, 2021

Ten years separate the first sentence of “The Dragon Run” from the “The End” in “The Kerguelen Cat”! I wrote this first page in 2011 as a prompt, not knowing where it would take me. I later learned about the raider Atlantis and its 1940 stop at Kerguelen, with a casualty that ended up being the southernmost German war grave in the world. I wondered what other motives could have caused it to make that stop, looked up the distances… And voilĂ , a story was born!

Join Yann Vatel in his first two Ascalon assignments! Fly across 1938 Europe in a DH.89 Dragon Rapide, get ready for frantic car chases and close calls, immerse yourself in the atmosphere of colonial Saigon, caught between gun runners of dubious allegiance and powerful enemies lurking in the shadows… And hop aboard the mighty PBY Catalina for a flight you’ll never forget!

The Ascalon Circle I & II, available now on Amazon for Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and on paperback! And get the Companion PDFs Planes of Ascalon, volume 1 & 2, for free here on my website.

“The Kerguelen Cat” is LIVE!

Saturday, May 15th, 2021

The day has come! It’s my great pleasure to announce the launch of “The Kerguelen Cat” today, the second adventure of Yann Vatel.

Set a year after the events of “The Dragon Run”, TKC finds our hero in Bombay, where the Ascalon Circle uncovers a plot that could put the entire Allied forces in peril. Caught between a formidable foe and unlikely alliances, Yann embarks on a series of events that will put him on his most dangerous flight.

Get it now on Amazon (ebook & paperback): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BLKM6K4/

Download the “Planes of Ascalon” companion PDF: http://www.raphaelrelat.net/downloads/tkc/poa_vol2.pdf

Planes of Ascalon, volume 2, coming along!

Thursday, May 13th, 2021

The “Planes of Ascalon” companion booklet is going well! This PDF features the specs and history of the various aircraft featured in the Ascalon Circle books.

Volume 2 features the PBY Catalina, of course, but also the LiorĂŠ-et-Olivier H-198, the Mitsubishi Type 96, the Caudron Simoun, and several others! A must-have for vintage aviation enthusiasts, and completely free!