Welcome! If you found this page, you probably signed up for my free books or starter library. For convenience, I’ve added them together into one boxset.
CLICK HERE to download them all.
PS. These are advanced reader copies and contain samples of each book – they are not the same as the full books published on Amazon, though they have the same titles and covers. I can’t give away the full books because they’re exclusive with KU. I asked Amazon specifically about providing ARC copies to my list after publication and they replied that it does not break Kindle Unlimited’s TOC, however I know others who have been told differently.
If we haven’t been formally introduced, I’m Derek Murphy. Since finishing my PhD in Literature, I’ve been travelling the world full-time, exploring ancient ruins, and writing YA novels based on mythology.
Choose your own adventure…
You can also grab these books individually with the links below. I’ve updated many of the covers, and even changed some titles, but the basic stories are the same. The Scarlet Thread is the most popular, but Shearwater tends to earn more glowing reviews (it’s deeper, moodier, and longer…).
Coming soon~!
I’m really excited about Selfie, I think it’s my best… it’s darker, but not in a Gothic/fantasy way, just a “real life sucks and then the world ends” kind of way. I might finish part one up quickly before finishing Shearwater (which is all mapped out) and Scarlet Thread. However, besides continuing the series I’ve started so far, I also have several new ones mapped out.
I’ll let you know as new stuff becomes available, but I don’t email often, so you might want to join the UrbanEpics Facebook page (I post a lot more book giveaways there). You can also follow on me Amazon to be notified of new releases.
More about me
I wrote my MA Thesis on Harry Potter and my PhD Thesis on Paradise Lost, so I love magic and fantasy, mythology and folklore, revolutionary symbolism and the quest for freedom, and believe in telling stories that matter. I’ve been living abroad for about 20 years, mostly in Taiwan (where I met my wife). These days we change countries every month. I love castles and got featured in CNN for hosting a writer’s retreat in a French chateau for Nanowrimo. I also have an #amwriting tattoo to keep me focused.
I also founded the Young Adult Authors Alliance, which means I have a network of 2000 YA authors who I’d love to introduce you to. Between us, we post lots of free books and giveaways.
I have so many ideas I’m excited about, but writing is difficult and some stories are stubborn. I love the challenge, and I’ll try to keep you happy with books you love. If you enjoy my books, please be a rock-star and post a short review. I promise it’ll make my day.
WHY DO YOU WRITE SO SLOW?
When I started writing, I did the best I could and mapped out these stories, which are pretty decent (they have over 1000 reviews and have been downloaded over 200,000 times). I wanted to see which stories you liked before writing the whole series. I’m still working on some of the original books I mapped out when I started, but I have also plotted out several new series which will be even better than these. I do plan to finish everything I’ve started, and I write about six books a year (which is 6X more than most authors), but I completely understand why some of my readers are getting frustrated waiting for me to finish more books.
I do plan to focus on one series at a time from now on, and I also hope to write faster now that I’m doing it full-time, and my books should be getting better with each new series… so I hope you’ll stick around. I make hundreds of books available for free to readers, to thank them for waiting patiently.