When author Thomas Earl “Tee” Morris published his first epic fantasy book through Dragon Moon Press in 2002, he took marketing into his own hands by inviting pirates to crash his Barnes & Noble book signing and throw him against the bookshelves with their swords drawn.
Little did he know his theatricality and wit would lead to an email correspondence with New Zealander Phillipa “Pip” Ballantine, who would go on to publish her own historic fantasy with Dragon Moon years later.
“We were both playing around with Tudor history. I just did an earlier king,” said Morris.
Ten years later, the couple is married and resides in Bristow with their 8-year-old daughter Serena. Both are successful writers, podcasters and book collaborators. Their current offering, “The Janus Affair,” is a sequel to their first steampunk novel together, “Phoenix Rising,” and the second book in their Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series they are writing for Harper Voyager, the global science fiction imprint of HarperCollins.
The series revolves around New Zealand secret agent Eliza D. Braun, a kind of James Bond in a corset. With a daring heroine and fantastical setting, “Phoenix Rising” took the 2011 Airship Award for Best in Steampunk Literature, and “The Janus Affair” debuted this summer to rave reviews.
On her own, Ballantine just finished writing “Harbinger,” the fourth and final book in the high fantasy series she produced for sci-fi publisher Ace Books. The third book in that series, “Wrayth,” was released this week.
In addition to being fantasy writers, they are both avid podcasters.
“I think one thing we do very well is marketing our books and podcasts while still producing new content,” Morris said.
In August alone, the couple traveled from the Authors After Dark convention in New Orleans to the Steampunk Extravaganza in Harrisburg. They are now attending Dragon*Con, the pop culture event that was expected to bring 75,000 attendees to Atlanta.
At Dragon*Con this year, Morris and Ballantine were nominated for four Parsec awards in three categories for excellence in podcasting Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Short Form); Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast; and Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation.
It was announced yesterday that Ballantine won a 2012 Parsec Award for excellence in podcasting. She bested other finalists in the Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Short Form) category for "Precarious Child" from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurences.
Back home, Tee Morris will be in Manassas, part of a “How to Market Your Book” panel discussion on Sat. Sept. 8. It is being hosted by Write by the Rails, an initiative by individual writer members of the Prince William Arts Council.
They want to provide other local writers with advice on how to market their books based on their experiences in the field, and separate fact from fiction.
“There’s still a myth that if you’ve got a manuscript and a cover letter you’re going to skyrocket like “Fifty Shades of Grey,” said Morris. “You might as well catch lightning in a bottle.”
Instead, he advocates the tireless work of down-and-do-it writing, creative marketing through YouTube.com book trailers and continually producing fresh content through blogs and podcasts.
“You have to build a platform,” said Ballantine. “A lot of our friends write podcasts or blogs before they’ve even got a manuscript published, because it builds an audience. Before I signed with ACE books in 2009, they wanted to know how many listeners we had on the podcast and how many hits.”
For more marketing tips from Morris and other local published authors, the couple invites Bristow Beat readers to attend the “How to Market Your Book” panel discussion on Sept. 8 at 12:30 to 2 pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 9325 West Street in Manassas. The event is free and open to the public.
Other panelists include Bristow resident Carol Covin, author of “Who Gets to Name Grandma;” Lake Ridge resident Nancy Kyme, author of “Memory Lake” and Manassas resident Ross Murphy, author of “You Will Never Dance Alone” and “Dancing with the Devil.”
Dan Verner, “Biscuit City” blogger, will serve as master of ceremonies and Leigh Giza, author of “Found and Lost,” is the workshop coordinator.
Participants will leave with a free handout of marketing tips by Claudia LeFeve, Manassas author of “Parallel," "Paradox,” “unDead Dixie Debs” and “The Fury.” Books by local writers will be available for purchase.
To watch the book trailer for Morris and Ballantine’s most recent book, go to http://Morrismorris.com/ or http://www.pjballantine.com/.
Write by the Rails is working to raise the profile of the local literary community and explore ways to nurture, cultivate and help that community grow. They are looking for writers, published or unpublished, affiliated with Manassas, Manassas Park or Prince William County to consider joining them.
For more information, call 703-361-6941, email writebytherails@gmail.com, or visit their Blogspot.
Cindy Brookshire
Freelance Writer/Editor
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