WyrdStar News Books Media Music Publishing (c) Steph Bennion / WyrdStar Media 2026 en-gb Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:30 GMT http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:30:00 GMT Books THE AVALON JOB (Hollow Moon #4) is finally out in paperback! This has taken longer than I'd hoped, as like before with other paperback editions I took the opportunity to give the text a full editorial refresh. The blurb is as follows... "Ravana O'Brien is confronted by her past in more ways than one, none particularly welcome. Secret agent Kedesh is back on the scene, seeking help to rescue Artorius from a shadowy American base on the moon of Avalon. Another ancient alien portal has been found, a mysterious machine that can twist space and time. Avalon is no ordinary world. The moon hosts the vicious celebrity show Gods of Avalon, where players fight to survive against robot beasts. The rejuvenated Priest Taranis, now with the might of the Federation at his disposal, has a new chosen one, a man called The Raven who seeks Ravana's doom. A rumour of hidden gold is sowing confusion. Artorius is the key to those who want the alien portal open. Not all interested parties are human..." The paperback edition of THE AVALON JOB is available to buy from Amazon, price GBP 15.00 / USD 20.00. The ebook also has been reissued with the revised text and is available from all the usual stockists with a new recommended retail price of GBP 4.00 / USD 5.00. Happy reading! Steph. http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html#146 http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html#146 Sat, 11 Jul 2026 18:00:00 GMT Books THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY, a 70-metre embroidery illustrating events leading up to the 11th-century Norman Conquest of England, has returned to Britain for the first time in 900 years following a historic loan agreement with France. The year 1066 is ingrained in English history as a pivotal moment in time, while the Tapestry itself has inspired countless artists. Not least myself, in the amateurish parody I drew to create the book cover for my 2016 tongue-in-cheek time-travel novella THE BATTLES OF HASTINGS. Yes, I know I wrote this ten years ago, but this feels a good time to plug my little ebook again! So, do you want to read all about the juicy bloodthirsty bits of the Tapestry's story, served with a dose of humour and science-fiction 'what if' shenanigans? THE BATTLES OF HASTINGS is available from most (if not all) online ebook retailers for a ridiculously low price. The Bayeux Tapestry itself will be on public display at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027 at not so low prices. But hey, if you couldn't be bothered crossing the Channel before now to see it in Bayeux, here's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it in London instead. Happy reading! Steph. http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html#145 http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html#145 Thu, 21 May 2026 10:00:00 GMT Music DITCH THE DEMON's NEW SINGLE is out now as a digital download! "One Kiss" (Prozakville Records), taken from the band's forthcoming second studio album Hail the Fallen, is currently available exclusively on BandCamp. The single will be released on all major streaming services from 12 June 2026. A video is also on the way! Watch this space... Steph. http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html#144 http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html#144 Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:30:00 GMT Books WYRDSTAR EBOOKS of the non-Kindle variety were for many years distributed through Smashwords, then Draft2Digital when this distributor took over the former. Perhaps inevitably, Draft2Digital has recently decided to increase the fees it charges to low-volume independent publishers. Unfortunately, this mean distributing ebooks via Draft2Digital is no longer a viable option for many WyrdStar titles. I'm therefore looking to move ebook distribution directly to online retailers on a store-by-store basis. WyrdStar ebooks for Kindle are already sold on Amazon this way - availability of WyrdStar ebooks at other online stores however may be disrupted over the next few months as I set up new arrangements. I'm not best pleased that I'm having to do this after years of great support from Smashwords, but I'd long suspected that it was only a matter of time before the new owners would seek a return on their investment by squeezing more out of indie writers. But that's capitalism, folks! Creators are always last in line to make a living out of culture... Steph. http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html#143 http://www.wyrdstar.co.uk/news.html#143