It finally happened, my book “Shapeshifters – The Beginning” got translated from German to English and you are now able to buy either a copy here (6.95$, but careful the cover got messed up) or an eBook (4$, 3.55€, £2.59)
It’s a fantasy novel about Leara, a girl who just turns 15. She lives in a kingdom of Shapeshifters who get their animal form on their 15th birthday. The form can be anything, from a bug to a dragon, although dragons usually don’t happen as this is one of the forms of the rulers.
But Learas ceremony doesn’t go as planned and she finds herself the center of a prophecy, that is hundreds of years old which she is now forced to fulfill, although she really would rather not to, as she has to leave her home and will be hunted by the rulers.
Cerin, the son of two of the rulers, runs away from home and meets Leara, keeping his identity secret, as does she. But Cerin isn’t your usual prince. After only a short amount of time, Leara gets horribly annoyed by him.
On her travel through the kingdom, Leara has to learn a lot about who to trust, and also that a lot of people underestimate her, just because she is a girl. Although the prophecy never mentioned the gender of the one to save the people, everyone just assumed it would be a boy…
I wrote that story when I was around 14 years old and actually found a German publisher willing to publish it, without charging me money. Over the span of only a year, it sold almost 1000 times, hardcover and eBook versions combined. The second volume is already written and published, but only in German. If this one sells well enough, I will put money into getting the second one translated too.
It has been my dream to be a writer since I was about 9 years old and I was thrilled, when my book got published at 16. This was also the time, when I joined tumblr and it influenced my writing big time. Although “Shapeshifters – The Beginning” was written before, it’s rather feministic, as I already refused to write my main character as a damsel in distress.
When I began to write the second volume, I decided that I would try to put in more and more diversity, testing, how far I could push my publisher. For the beginning, I included a gay main character, who doesn’t fulfill stereotypes and whose character ark doesn’t revolve about being gay. I also tried to make one of the characters transgender, but it’s only slightly recognizable.
After that got through, I began my third book, the one I’m writing at the moment, that hasn’t got anything to do with the “Shapeshifters” but has a really diverse cast. Most characters are mixed or have a really dark skin, one is asexual and I’m planning to maybe make another one bisexual. I’d be really glad if I get that one through too, because that would mean that I can provide more diversity and relatable characters for young readers, who want to identify with their heroes.
You maybe ask yourself why I’m telling you all this, maybe you don’t. Maybe you already understood, that I need more publicity, to fulfill my plan. 1000 books sounds a lot, but it’s not even enough to pay bills. To be honest, I barely make 1000€ a YEAR. That’s why I had to try to have an English version, to make the book more accessible and gain a greater fanbase.
Maybe fantasy isn’t your genre. But the books aren’t expensive and a reblog doesn’t hurt. If you want to help me, order a copy (don’t matter if eBook or physical copy) of the book or spread the word. Maybe give the book to your younger siblings (starting at the age of 12 is fine, but there are some bloody scenes).
But always remember, to me, the most important thing is that you actually enjoy the story. I don’t write to make money, I write to make other people happy. So let me know if you liked it!
Also, you can order a German copy if you want. Just go to my homepage (http://laura-bitterlich.de) and look at “Bücher”. My current goal is to create a second homepage in English, but that will still take some time.
And check out http://blueberry-me.deviantart.com, she designed the cover after all!
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