Plague Arcanist by Shami Stovall – Spotlight and Giveaway

June 8, 2020 By 19 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Shami Stovall will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Deserts. Rogues. A secret hidden in an underground maze.

Every moment counts as Volke Savan races south to the city of New Norra. His goal: find Theasin Venrover, the famous artificer who may have a cure for the arcane plague. Separated from most of the Frith Guild—and even his sister—Volke must rely on the crew of the airship, the Sun Chaser, to help him find Theasin in time.

To complicate matters, the desert city of New Norra is steeped in mystery, and the massive maze under the streets could potentially solve all of Volke’s problems. With hunters after him, and dread pirates in the port, Volke finds himself forced to choose between equally terrible options…

Continue the Frith Chronicles with the fourth book, Plague Arcanist!

Praise for the Frith Chronicles!

“Perfect for those who enjoy the Codex Alera series, the Homas Wildus series and the Harry Potter series. Stovall is quickly becoming a name I look for.” – Seattle Book Review (for Knightmare Arcanist, Book I)

“Dread Pirate Arcanist is a brilliant novel from start to finish.” – Coffee Pot Book Club (for Dread Pirate Arcanist, Book II)

“Marvelously entertaining!” – The Prairies Book Review (for Coliseum Arcanist, Book III)

 

Enjoy an Excerpt

I had never seen an airship up close before.

Even in the dying darkness of dawn, this airship—the Sun Chaser—was everything I had imagined and more. It had the appearance of a sailing ship, specifically a brig. Brig ships prioritized maneuverability, and while they were large, they were also long and sleek. Typically, brigs had two square masts to hold the sails, but this ship was different. Sixteen sails were positioned on the sides of the ship, jutting out like fins.

Winds whipped through the woodland trees, rustling the leaves.

The Sun Chaser flew at a slow pace, descending lower and lower, arriving with the first light of day. The oak wood used in the airship’s construction shone with an amber brown. While sailing ships were often damaged by shipworms—sea water parasites—the Sun Chaser had no rot or damage. It was more beautiful up close than from afar.

I waited for the Sun Chaser at the edge of the royal hunting grounds, just outside of the Thronehold castle. Chaos still reigned supreme inside the city as everyone scrambled to deal with the aftermath of the queen’s assassination.

The Frith Guild would help with the fallout. Master Zelfree, Hexa, Zaxis, Atty, Gillie, Guildmaster Eventide—even my adopted sister, Illia—they would all do what needed to be done, no doubt in my mind.

After a deep breath to calm myself, I removed my guild pendant and dropped it in the grass. I wasn’t one of them anymore.

I had been infected.

About the Author: Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction, with several best-selling novels under her belt. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.

If you would like to find a full list of her novels and audiobooks, you can do so at the author’s Amazon page.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Email: s.adelle.s@gmail.com

Buy the book at Amazon.

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Strawberries and Sidewalk Cracks by Marilyn Barr – Guest Blog

June 4, 2020 By 5 Comments

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Marilyn Barr who is visiting with us today to celebrate yesterday’s release of Bear with Me, the first book in her Strawberry Shifters series published by The Wild Rose Press.

Strawberries and Sidewalk Cracks

Why are strawberries so romantic? Is it because they are red, heart-shaped, or a remedy for halitosis?

In Strawberry Shifters Book 1: Bear with Me, Grant Luther is hoping Strawberry, Kentucky is the most romantic place on Earth. His wife, Alison, has given him one last chance and Grant is pulling out all the stops in their relocation to the rural town. From a restored plantation home with acres for her beloved gardens to the freedom to homeschool their son instead of visiting the principal’s office daily, Grant has engineered this move to give her everything he thinks she wants. This way she will happily wait for him at home while he saves the world one innovative life-saving medicine at a time.

Grant’s naivete can be blamed on the Romans. They were the first to give newlyweds strawberries as wedding presents to help…fertility. This tradition is still carried on by the French who serve a cold strawberry soup at weddings. The Romans declared the strawberry as a symbol of Venus and wrote poems about its beauty. Even Ovid and Virgil wrote poetry about the gentle, sweet fruit. However, in Roman times, strawberries weren’t considered snacking food. They were weeds harvested for medicinal purposes or for decorating altars to goddesses such as Venus. (Source University of Illinois “Strawberry Lore”)

What gave the strawberry a horrible reputation as a weed? They grew between the stones that made up all of Rome’s famous roads. The pest’s runners caught in the wheels of carts while the fruit stained the feet of those unfortunate enough to step upon them. They were the original Venus growing between the sidewalk cracks. Perhaps this is why Grant was absolutely enchanted with Alison when she declared:

“I’m not the delicate flower to be left in a greenhouse alone all the time, only to be taken out to be admired when you feel like it. I’m more like the dandelion growing between the sidewalk cracks. I look small and sweet despite the inhospitable conditions. It is only because of my strength that you enjoy my softness. I choose to be docile. Do not mistake that for my only option.”

Oops, looks like giving his wife an isolated paradise was not his best move. Grant should have given Alison the one thing she wanted when they moved. A husband who listened. However, Grant will be the first to tell you that Alison didn’t learn to express her needs until a paranormal encounter pushed her to the breaking point. What encounter? Find out in Strawberry Shifters Book 1: Bear with Me.

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Blue eyes, dimples, and silky brown hair; Grant Luther has all of Alison’s weaknesses.

When he asks for one last chance to save their marriage, she agrees to relocate their family to isolated Strawberry, Kentucky in pursuit of his career dreams. Grant views Alison’s sensory issues as limitations and protects her from outside threats. When he finds his new job includes changing him into a shifter in a war against the soul-sucking Sluagh he vows to keep the changes a secret. What he doesn’t know is Alison has been hiding a magical secret of her own. One that makes her a target of the Sluagh.

Will Alison emerge from Grant’s shadow to protect her family? And can Grant learn that being different can be a strength not a weakness?

About the Author:Marilyn Barr currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. When engaging with the real world, she is collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula.
She has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, biodefense microbiologist, high school science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant, and advocate for the autistic community.

Website

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Ashes and Blood by Katie Zaber – Spotlight and Giveaway

May 29, 2020 By 10 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn commenter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

“I’ll start at the beginning. Long ago, before roads, before we built structures, before medicine was discovered, before the government was created, before man gained any knowledge, there were The Five. Independent from each other, The Five had a mutual respect for one another. They knew their roles in the world and their duty. They were gods…”

An adventure begins when an otherworldly tree captures the attention of Megan and her friends. The environment morphs around them, transferring them to an exotic planet. Stuck in a rural town still maimed by the plague, a chance encounter with a familiar face gives Megan and her friends some security during their adjustment period.

While settling into new, promising lives, they are attacked and stalked by planet Dalya’s humanoid inhabitants, who focus on Megan. One dark night, after an epic, magical attack, the Fae King’s knight is sent to fetch Megan. When she wakes up a prisoner, she learns that there is much more to this strange world, and it is oddly more like her own than she ever would have expected.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Megan

It gives me chills to stand in front of the forest that morphed in front of my very eyes. I’m hesitant to walk through the tree line and down the path. The last time I walked down a path for leisure was a week ago. We had planned a picnic. Something simple, always easy to organize and do. It wasn’t hard planning our walk to Brynjar’s cabin today. What could go wrong?

I try hard not to think of all the possible outcomes—from returning to Earth to traveling to a completely new world.

Sarah and Dana were able to walk by without stopping to take notice or reflect. Ciara paused for a moment and then smiled gleefully, saying she had a good feeling.

I don’t. I feel dizzy, angry, and like I need to vomit. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go into the woods that changed my life, I don’t want to meet Brynjar, and I don’t want to go back where it all started.

I don’t.

About the Author

Katie Zaber writes new adult fiction. With multiple projects spanning from being transported to an alternate universe, to past lives, reincarnation, and trapped souls, to prophesied pregnancies—there are more stories to tell. She lives in North New Jersey with her boyfriend.

Facebook | Website


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Interview and Giveaway – Heather Ewings

May 27, 2020 By 3 Comments

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Heather Ewings, who is visiting with us today. Leave a comment or ask the author a question for a chance to win a copy of “Maggie and the Selkie,” a short-story prequel to What the Tide Brings, her debut published work. In addition to her novel, she’s written short stories that range from contemporary YA to dark fantasy. Her novels and novellas are all speculative fiction, but where they have mostly been fantasy or containing magical elements, the most recent novella she finished is more science fiction, involving mechanical time travel (as opposed to magical time travel).

“What is it about fantasy that attracts you?” I asked.

“The magic, mostly. The possibility that there is a little more to life than what we see on the surface.”

Heather has been writing as long as she remembers. She wrote stories as a young child and her interest is writing was fueled even more when local author Sally Odgers visited her primary school. Later, Australian author Isobelle Carmoday also visited the school, and Heather was lucky enough to have a writing workshop with her.

I asked her, “When did you first consider yourself a writer?”

“I tend to be of the opinion that if you write, you are a writer. But the point when it actually felt like others considered me a writer was when What the Tide Brings was accepted into The People’s Library, which was an project by ‘A Published Event’ that was part interactive artwork, part performance library. Just over 100 Tasmanian authors were selected to have their stories/collections/memoirs/poetry etc printed and on display in an art gallery for the month of September in 2018, during which time authors did readings, were involved in conversations, and offered interactive multi-media presentations. It was brilliant.”

She is fortunate to have an office separate from her house in which to write. It overlooks some bushes that the local birds like to visit.

“If I need to pause my writing and have some thinking time I get to look out the window and watch superb fairy wrens, scarlet robins, grey fantails, yellow-throated honey eaters, silver-eyes, and eastern spinebills, depending on the time of day/year,” she said.

She told me that the hardest part of writing for her was about the three-quarter mark.

“It’s the point where I usually know how the story is going to end, and I’m starting to get a bit sick of all this writing, and I just want to get it done, but there’s all this stuff that has to come first to wrap up the story properly.”

Here are the main reasons why it can lead to osteoporosis in elderly people and they are prone to dizziness, stand up cialis free consultation from a lying or seated position gradually. Brantingham presented the case study of a 32 year old golfer received 17 therapy sessions during a period of 10 super cialis cheap months and resumed normal physical mobility and range of motion after just a few therapy sessions. Some patients even refused to give back remaining drugs, and one of them even broke into the generic cialis tadalafil laboratory in order to claim more pills for further use. Still, they were deprived check soft tabs viagra of therapy and medicine. She told me that she was surprised to learn that there was folklore about male selkies. All the stories she’d come across were about the seal women whose magical skins were stolen, forcing them to become a wife and live a life on land. But there are male selkies too, and they have their own stories.

“It was this discovery that led me to write ‘Maggie and the Selkie’ which is the prequel short story to What the Tide Brings,” she explained.

“Are you a plotter or a pantser?” I wondered.

“I’m evolving,” she said with a laugh. “I tend to be a pantser, but after doing some ghostwriting last year, where I was given a plot to write from, I’ve realized how much faster I can get stories written with an outline, so I’m working towards being a little more of a plotter. I’ve seen the term ‘plantser’ recently, which combines the two, so that’s probably a good word to describe what I do.”

In most tales of selkies it is a woman whose magical skin is stolen, who is forced to marry the lucky thief and live a life of misery, pining away for her home in the sea.

But what if the stolen skin belongs to an infant, taken before they have memory of life under the waves?

When Myna’s labour results in a disfigured infant, it doesn’t take much for the midwife to convince her husband the child needs to be dealt with. Years pass, and a healthy child is born. But just as Myna’s life is settling into place, she learns her first-born is still alive, that she and the child are selkies.

Myna has a choice, retrieve her skin and return to the ocean, to the family she never knew and the daughter she’s long grieved for, or remain on land with the husband she loves, and the daughter who can never enter the sea.

This edition of What the Tide Brings is a revised version of the one printed by The People’s Library in 2018.

About the Author:Heather Ewings is an Australian author of speculative fiction. She has a Masters Degree in History, and a fascination with myth and folklore, leading her to write stories that explore the more magical elements of reality. Her first book, ‘What the Tide Brings’, is available now. For more information visit her website at www.heatherewings.com.

Buy the book at Amazon.

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Diary of a Lost Witch Blog by Reut Barak – New Blog Introduction and Giveaway

May 22, 2020 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly dawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.


Visit http://reutbarak.com/diary-of-a-lost-witch-april-10/ to begin the story featured on Reut Barak’s new blog

Molly is in trouble. Running away from home to escape the dangers of her coven, she ends up in Edinburgh at a time of Corona. Homeless and running for her life, she must find a new coven and get the help she needs to protect herself, or she is not going to make it back.

Read a Blog Entry:

April 10

The streets were empty today, which was expected, considering the circumstances. I guess that worked well in my case. I still have to figure out where I would be spending the night.

I had to pack light. To not seem immediately like a traveler. Only the best of my things. My jeans, which I liked to wear with everything, my favourite sweater, which I was hoping would be warm enough for the weather here, some essentials and the blank diary my moms gave me for the road.

Sally, my birth mom, from whom I’d inherited my powers, always said that writing was my gift. Joe was the one to push me to study something else in college, to have a variety, so I majored in journalism. She waited so anxiously for my graduation. My whole family was going to be there, including my grandpa, George, who would travel to us all the way from New York when I was a child and we lived in Florida, to give me lessons on how to use my powers. But, like a few strong witches before me, that was both a strength and a weakness.

I never made it to graduation. I had to take off in the middle of the night, the night before, because of May’s coven. A group that I used to be part of and that I now wish I had never met.

That was two weeks ago.

So far I’ve been hitching rides and staying away from any main cities.

I managed to talk my way into a private flight to Scotland, I still have no idea how. They must have really needed a stewardess. Two of them were sick. It was funny, serving a rich Asian family, dressed in a uniform that almost fit me.

But I made it. Edinburgh. There would be strong witches here. A few covens. I’d have to be careful. Make sure I get the right support. Eventually May’s coven would figure it out. So I would have to be quick about it too.

Two police officers looked at me suspiciously as I was walking the large street called Princes street.

I needed to find a place to charge my phone so I could look for somewhere to spend the night. And groceries. My stomach was telling me I’d need something better than the bits and pieces I’d been munching on in the past few days on the road, too afraid to use my magic for food. My back was also aching for a normal bed.

The adventurous feeling that I’d first felt, running away from home is now gone. I hope it doesn’t stay tough for long.

Molly Evans

About the Author:Following a short stint in the military, Reut graduated as a trained Opera Singer from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and then worked in Berlin, singing church music by Mozart, Haydn and Bach. While arranging concerts in the city and managing artists, she discovered her passion for business. She joined fellow entrepreneurs in the 2013-2014 class at the University of Oxford, with a scholarship to study business (MBA), where she founds that creativity goes far beyond art. She later had a taste of corporate life, seeing the inside workings of some of the world’s largest finance, energy and manufacturing companies, and wrote for National Geographic. Leaving the world of corporate drama behind, she now pursues her dreams of becoming a fiction novelist, a self-published vegan author, blogger and youtuber. She first arrived in Scotland as a hiker, eager to explore the mysterious highlands, where she got her inspiration for her books and blogs.

Well, no not really… The true story is:

Once upon a time…

Reut was born in Camelot in the year 1201, following the famous explosion of the northern dragon tower. She has a degree in fantasy and science fiction from the University of Atlantis and this record can be found in the central library, now twenty thousand leagues under the sea. She likes phoenix riding, dragon fighting and painting the roses red. And Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

Website: Website | Diary of a Lost Witch Blog |
Start reading from the beginning of the diary | Instagram |
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Character Creation by Victor Arteaga – Guest Blog and Giveaway

May 14, 2020 By 13 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Victor Arteaga will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Character Creation

Coming up with, fleshing out, and developing a character is one of my favorite parts of writing fiction because I love character-driven narrative. I’m going to illustrate my process by breaking down how I created the main character of Unrest, Aless.

Appearance

I’m a visual learner, so it helps when I have a good sense of what my character might look like. I start with a broad idea like hair color, skin color, eyes, body shape, height, and so on. I get narrower once I have the big picture. I knew I wanted Aless to be South American, so I went with curly black hair, dark tan skin, dark brown eyes, and she’s pretty short. I googled some images of Peruvian women and created an amalgamation of those images in my head. Once I had a good grasp on what she looked like and where she was from, I was already developing some great ideas for her backstory. Which brings us to…

Personality

This is where I think a lot of people fall into a black hole and focus on minor quirks like, “What does your character like for breakfast on Sundays when they’ve already had coffee but not food?” and they take over what I believe should be the focus of making a living character. This is also where the practice of writing what you know is the most important. Because Aless was the first character I created, I used a lot of myself in her. That doesn’t mean I gave her my story, but I infused a lot of my own faults, drives, and wants into her. What’s that look like? I’m telling on myself a bit but she’s passionate to a fault, emotional, driven, and stubborn. Now that I’ve told you that, I’m willing to bet you’ve got a better feel for who she is. The quirks my characters have tend to come through more in editing phases when I can start to add more detail to create a full mental picture for my readers and after I’ve put them through the paces of the story. A lot of habits are borne when people are young, and so it is with my characters.

Backstory

Spending an exorbitant amount of time on Aless’ backstory is another pitfall that I fell into early on. I researched everything. I knew she was going to be from Peru because I used to live in Lima when I was a kid. But she’s from Chiclayo. So, I google mapped the city to get a feel for what it looked like, and even talked about it with an old friend who still lives in Lima. The truth is, though, it didn’t wind up mattering all that much. What did matter were the more intimate parts of her backstory. Where were her parents, who was she close to, what happened to her? How did her personality play out with those around her? I drew from my own experiences here again. When I was a kid, I was close to my cousins when we moved to Florida after having lived in Peru. So, I created Grisela, who is her polar opposite best friend. Aless’s aunt raised them both but was resentful for having to do so. How did that play out? We know Aless is passionate, emotional, and stubborn. I know from experience that resentful authority figures don’t handle strong-willed children well. So, we have someone who grew up in an unhappy home, had a cousin who allowed her to feel love, had an authority figure but no parents, and has a strong, fiery, passionate will. The only thing missing was, Who does she love romantically? For Aless, that’s other women et voila. Once I got all of this sorted out it was easy to place her in the world I built. Her personality and how she feels at any given time gave me a lot of different avenues to pursue her path to the main story. It also built a template for answering other questions about how she might interact with other characters.

Final Thoughts

It’s important to remember that not every character will start out the same and you might not have the exact process I do – which is great! However, I am of the firm belief that the fundamental part to writing a well-rounded character is to home in on the biggest questions of what makes them who they are and answer them. I didn’t plan out every character in my stories in the same way, but I can tell you the biggest things that make them tick. I can tell you why Nate joined the military, why Evelyn wanted to be a cop, and why Barrett chose to be the leader of The Daybreakers. Given what you know about Aless, I think you could likely figure out why she was drawn to a group of misfit rebels. Once I know what makes them tick, the rest comes easily.

Fun Tip

If you’re bored or stuck on a certain part of character creation, try having a character interview another! I did that with one of my characters and even though the scene didn’t make it into any book (I tried, but shoehorning it in just wasn’t working) it helped me iron out one of my villains quite well and practice some other writing techniques. Give it a shot!

Remembrance Day is just an excuse for vampires and humans to throw themselves a parade. They like to pretend they did us werewolves a favor. But I guess it’s not all bad. I do get cheap booze, live in an underground lunar city, which some would find cool, and I am employed. Sejanus Industries isn’t a benevolent corporate ruler, but they’re the devil I made a deal with. My life is quiet and mostly non-violent but one message from my cousin could cause me to lose everything I’ve sacrificed for my peaceful life.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Abandoned hope thickened the air as people streamed between polished stone pillars that fronted this house of false promises. Equity and justice for all were laughable concepts the powerful wielded to fit their will and whim. The sky drizzled and misted enough to be cold, damp and miserable. Its gray cloud cover blunted the vibrant colors of the sparse, yet immaculate landscaping, and the wet air smothered the flowers’ sweet fragrance. I trekked past the throngs of caged miscreants as a lone wolf would pass through a swarm of rodents. The weight of my misdeeds forced my shoulders low, lined my mouth, and left my gaze fierce and steady. Guilt over leaving the cousin who called me sister slowed my steps. Betrayal of my chosen family left the bitter taste of regret on my tongue. Lady Justice, the sullen patron saint of my temporary home, was painted and carved on every available surface. We were told the cloth around her eyes meant Justice was blind and fair. But I know now she didn’t mask her eyes to symbolize the blindness of her virtue. Justice wasn’t blind. She just couldn’t bear to see the truth.

About the Author:Victor Arteaga is a writer of science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal stories. Though he’s always been an avid reader, his dream to be a writer was jump-started when he got sober in March of 2015. What began as an exercise to keep his sobriety billowed into a deep and unbridled passion to create. His experiences with addiction and being a first-generation American from immigrant parents inject a flavor of unique authenticity to his characters and worlds that he creates. His imagination is given free rein to conjure worlds and experiences on the page which enthralls and captivates readers.

Website | Twitter | Patreon

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Ten Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me and My Books By Gail Z. Martin

April 23, 2020 By 9 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Gail Z. Martin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ten Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me and My Books

I’ve been writing epic and urban fantasy for over a decade, and I’ve been a guest at a lot of conventions, logged a lot of panel time, posted a lot out on social media, and I’m pretty active in fandom. But I’m betting there are at least a few things you might not know.

#10 I can play the piano. Not as well as one might expect given how long I took lessons, but tolerably so.

#9 My day job before I started writing full-time was running marketing departments.

#8 I have an MBA in Marketing, which also explains why I’ve always been very involved with helping to get my books into the world.

#7 My first paying job was as a graveyard-shift DJ at a local radio station.

#6 I like roller coasters and theme parks.

#5 I love Chinese food.

#4 I also write urban fantasy MM paranormal romance as Morgan Brice

#3 All of my urban fantasy, as Gail or Morgan, crosses over, so the characters all know each other.

#2 Assassins of Landria is my fourth epic fantasy series, and it’s designed to be different with shorter books and more humor for a ‘buddy flick’ feel!

#1 I can promise there will be six books in the Assassins of Landria series, since the audio contracts have already been signed!

Buddy flick epic fantasy! The second in the Assassins of Landria series from the award-winning, bestselling author of Scourge: A Novel of Darkhurst and The Chronicles Of The Necromancer books!

Wandering mystic Yefim Makary, known to his followers as the ‘Witch Lord’, disappeared before he could be accused of inciting dissent against King Kristoph. His supporters among the disenchanted aristocrats who weren’t arrested have fled or died by their own hand. The king is happy to put the matter behind him. Yet Burke, the commander of the elite King’s Shadows, doesn’t believe the threat is over, and he assigns his two most troublesome, rule-breaking—and successful—assassins to ferret out the real threat and put a stop to Makary’s plots.

Joel “Ridge” Breckinridge and Garrett “Rett” Kennard rose through the ranks of the Landrian army together, from teenaged conscripts to seasoned fighters. Together, they became the most feared team of assassins in Landria, surviving longer that most in their profession by virtue of excellent fighting skills, legendary bravado, peerless strategy, and an uncanny synchronicity.

As the threads of a new plot come together revealing disloyalty among the priests and generals, Ridge and Rett once again find themselves on the run, hoping they and their allies can figure out the Witch Lord’s latest scheme before it costs them their lives—and the king his throne.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The trick, when setting off gunpowder, was to be far enough away.
Ridge had never been good at that part.
He’d almost reached the embankment when he heard the shot from Rett’s matchlock. Knowing what was about to happen next, Ridge dove into the ravine, taking his chances with brambles and thickets over flying rocks and shattered glass.

Behind him, the country manor exploded in a fireball as Rett’s shot touched off the barrels of gunpowder on its roof. That would bring down the ceiling and blow the bombers on the roof sky high while trapping the traitors inside, where they’d either be killed by the blast or buried in the rubble for the king’s guards to collect.

Ridge grunted as he tumbled over roots and rocks, tucking his arms over his face and trusting his leather cuirass to take the brunt of the hits. Even so, rock dust settled like snow over the whole area, and small bits of stone pelted like hail.

To keep it all official, Ridge had nailed the letter of marque to a tree in front of the manor, after he had ensured that no one but the smugglers were inside the abandoned country house. The smugglers—and their rivals on the roof—were already in the process of setting explosives when Ridge and Rett arrived to carry out the assassination. That was a bonus, killing two sets of troublemakers in one swoop and without the personal danger of getting close enough to throw a knife or slit a throat.

He trusted Rett to stay in position, where he would be able to pick off stragglers from his vantage point high in a sturdy tree. Ridge dragged himself to his feet, brushed off the worst of the dirt, and climbed back up the slope. Once he got to the top of the embankment, he would have a good view to spot anyone who might have escaped the explosion and eluded Rett’s aim.

“Damn,” he muttered when he reached the top and saw the results.

About the Author: Gail Z. Martin writes epic fantasy, urban fantasy and steampunk for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, SOL Publishing, Darkwind Press, and Falstaff Books. Recent books include Witch of the Woods, Sellsword’s Oath, Inheritance, and Night Moves. With Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of the Spells Salt & Steel, Wasteland Marshals, Joe Mack and Jake Desmet series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance including the Witchbane, Badlands and Treasure Trail series. Recent books include Loose Ends and Unholy.

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Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds by Matt Betts – Spotlight and Giveaway

April 21, 2020 By 4 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter to win a physical copy of the paperback of Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds (continental US only). Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Carson of Venus is back in the first novel of groundbreaking Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe series!

When a mysterious enemy attacks his adopted nation of Korva, Earthman Carson Napier discovers his own arrival on Venus years ago may have unknowingly triggered the strike. The invaders’ trail of death and destruction leads Carson and his beloved princess Duare headlong into battle against a seemingly invincible, primordial race. But that is not Carson’s only challenge, for an uncanny phenomenon has entangled him with two strange individuals from beyond spacetime. Will Carson be able to solve the mysteries of his past and the enigmatic visitors before the entire planet descends into chaos?

Also includes the bonus novelette “Pellucidar: Dark of the Sun” by Christopher Paul Carey, introducing Victory Harben, the ERB Universe’s newest heroine:

The very principle of physics behind the Gridley Wave has mysteriously failed, cutting off all communication between the hollow world of Pellucidar and the outer crust, and now inventor Jason Gridley must seek help from his brilliant young protégé, Victory Harben. Together they recover timeworn records from deep in the ruins of a dead Mahar city, hoping to use knowledge of Pellucidar’s former reptilian overlords to jumpstart the Gridley Wave. But when their experiment goes terribly wrong, Jason and Victory suddenly find themselves drawn into the inscrutable machinations of an ancient evil.

THE FIRST UNIVERSE OF ITS KIND

A century before the term “crossover” became a buzzword in popular culture, Edgar Rice Burroughs created the first expansive, fully cohesive literary universe. Coexisting in this vast cosmos was a pantheon of immortal heroes and heroines–Tarzan of the Apes, Jane Clayton, John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Carson Napier, and David Innes being only the best known among them. In Burroughs’ 80-plus novels, their epic adventures transported them to the strange and exotic worlds of Barsoom, Amtor, Pellucidar, Caspak, and Va-nah, as well as the lost civilizations of Earth and even realms beyond the farthest star. Now the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe expands in an all-new series of canonical novels written by today’s talented authors!

Enjoy an Excerpt

“My liege, let us take you to your quarters,” Lisant Or said, moving to the jong’s side. “If one of our nearby towns is under attack, there may be a danger to Sanara as well. We must get you to safety.”

Taman was having none of it. “Nonsense,” he said. “Carson, can you get us to Jovita swiftly?”

“Absolutely,” I said. Jovita was one of the closest settlements to Sanara, but it still lay nestled near a valley some half an hour away by air. “The anotar we arrived in should still be flight-ready out on the landing strip,” I went on, “and my personal craft is waiting inside the hangar near that. We could take a few people with us, but not many.” My anotar was designed to hold only a pilot and one passenger, though I knew we could squeeze in one more safely. The other anotar was a little more forgiving; meant to hold four in comfort, it might allow for another two or three passengers before the added weight would be a detriment to lift and velocity.

The jong said, “I will go with you and Duare.”

“Very well,” I replied. Unlike Lisant Or, I knew better than to suggest that the jong remain behind in safety.

Copyright © Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. All rights reserved. All logos, characters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Used by permission.

About the Author:

Matt Betts worked for years in radio as an on-air personality, anchor and reporter. His fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. His work includes the steampunk novel, Odd Men Out, urban fantasy crime novel Indelible Ink, and his recent cryptid/horror novel White Anvil: Sasquatch Onslaught. His current release Carson of Venus: The Edge of all Worlds continues a series begun by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

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Buy the book at the publisher or Amazon.

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A look behind VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD by Richard Hacker – Guest Blog and Giveaway

April 10, 2020 By 9 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Richard Hacker will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A look behind VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD

Battling evil through time and death.

Six hundred years after a fifteenth century scryer gains the alchemical knowledge to create a dark future in his own image, Addison Shaw inherits a destiny: to fight this ancient war that threatens all he loves with extinction. Using an alchemical pen, he writes himself into past lives, leaving his body in the present. Upon completion of his mission, he must die in order to break the link and return home. Addison, and his inking partner, Jules, are members of the League, a secret alchemist society of Inkers who protect the time continuum. They believe they defeated their enemy, Cuthbert Grimwald, known to them as Kairos. When he resurfaces filled with vengeance, intent on destroying the League, and acquiring the Alchimeia, a book of such power the League has hidden it for millennia, Grimwald leaves a path of destruction across centuries. As he quests for absolute control of reality, Addison and Jules pursue him through time and death in a desperate struggle to save the world from his vengeance.

You might wonder where a story like this comes from. People who know me would say a twisted mind. LOL. But actually, it started with a fountain pen. I was holding a fountain pen one day and my mind wandered to the power of words. Human beings have been naming things since the beginnings of language. It’s how we find our place in the world and in some cases I think, gives us a sense of control. Or at least the illusion of control. So, what would happen if a character had a pen filled with alchemical ink that when he wrote the name and a date for someone living in the past, his consciousness would be transported into that person? What would he do with that astounding capability? And as with most technology, what if someone decided to use the alchemy to acquire power and control time itself? How would the protagonist fend off this attack on the time continuum and reality as he knows it? And then I put the fountain pen down, pulled out the laptop, and started writing.

The story goes all over the world, past, present, and future such as ancient Egypt; 19th century Alexandria; WWII Belgium; an altered present day Seattle and Tokelau Atoll in the Pacific; 1940’s Padang, West Sumatra; 17th century Delft, Dutch Republic; and Cromwell’s England. As the story in Book 2 unfolds the time continuum once again shifts, sometimes with subtle changes and sometimes with radical shifts in culture and technology. And my characters have to play on this multi-dimensional chessboard. So, I’m sure you can imagine, I had to be structured to the point of working from an outline and making notes to myself at the end of each writing session to keep me oriented.

But what drives a story are characters. I think you’ll find the protagonist, Addison Shaw, to be both an interesting and a complicated guy. He has a deep guilt and sense of responsibility for the death of a girlfriend when he rolled their car on a mountain road in a snowstorm. He carries the scars of that night, emotionally and physically with a damaged knee requiring him to use a cane to walk. He went from school athlete to disabled loner. As the story progresses, he will face even greater challenges and will have to find a way to heal himself enough to move forward. He’s also a bit of a smart ass, a little compulsive, more shy than he’d like you to think, and willing to act even when he’s terrified.

His partner, Jules, takes more center-stage in VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD. She is a strong character, well-grounded, with a burning desire to seek justice for the murder of her parents, who were also inkers in the League, by Kairos. Unknown to her, she has died in one continuum, to exist in another. Given that a relationship can be challenging in one-time dimension, her relationship to Addison, who has known her in each, becomes complicated.

In in the fantasy world, many of the books lean toward fantastical world building far from our own reality. The Alchimeia Series has its feet on the ground, anchored in the actual. There’s a sense that, even though the story is fantasy, the speculative and historical elements feel very possible. I once heard Ken Burns say the attraction of professional baseball is that you can watch in the stands and think you can actually play the game. But of course, it takes tremendous skill to hit a 95 mph fastball. But it sure is fun imagining the possibility! In VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD, readers can realistically imagine they could do the things these characters are doing. It seems possible. Which I think is an important message in our day and time. When life looks hopeless, when everything seems to be turned upside, the people who make a difference are not superheroes, but people like you and me, people who persevere in spite of the odds and do the best we can.

Thanks for having me on the blog and thanks readers for dropping in today.

BTW, I don’t have a trailer for Vengeance of Grimbald, but I do for Die Back and it’s a good visual introduction to the series. You can find it here.

Addison and Jules, members of the League, a secret alchemist society of Inkers who protect the time continuum, believe they defeated their enemy, Cuthbert Grimwald, known to them as Kairos. When he resurfaces filled with vengeance, intent on destroying the League, and acquiring the Alchimeia, a book of such power the League has hidden it for millennia, Grimwald leaves a path of destruction across centuries. As he quests for absolute control of reality, Addison and Jules pursue him through time and death in a desperate struggle to save the world from his vengeance.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“You’ve done well my friends. A bit of a shaky start, but in the end, I am pleased with the result.”

Jules glanced to Addison, who was also pulling himself up to stand. “What are you talking about? You could have killed us.”

“If I wanted you dead, we wouldn’t be talking.” Boggy raised his hands as if to parry their blows. “Today’s lesson is partnership. Do you see?”

Addison slowly rotated an arm with a grimace. “Keep talking.”

“Inking is a dangerous enterprise. You find yourself in a foreign world in an earlier time, often fighting to survive long enough to complete your mission. But the physical dangers of inking do not hold a candle to the emotional and psychological dangers. Your consciousness, the essence of your being, occupies the mind of another. With each passing moment, a small part of who you are slips out of your grasp unless you master the relationship between Inker and host. You must die to live, right? But all living creatures naturally gravitate toward life and away from death. The world of an Inker is therefore a paradox of conflicting realities. Without a partner, you struggle alone against insurmountable odds. Partners have each other’s backs, keeping the hosts alive and the mission viable. And upon completion, partners ensure their hosts die. Because we never leave an Inker behind. Never.”

About the Author:Richard Hacker, lives and writes in Seattle, Washington after living many years in Austin, Texas. In addition to the science fiction/fantasy novels of The Alchimeía Series, his crime novels ride the thin line between fact and fiction in Texas. Along the way, his writing has been recognized by the Writer’s League of Texas and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. As a judge in literary contests shuch as PNWA and ChicLit, and as a freelance development editor, he enjoys the opportunity to work with other writers. In addition, he is the Sci-Fi/Fantasy editor for the Del Sol Review. DIE BACK was his first novel in the Alchimeia series.

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Books by Richard Hacker are available at Amazon

The Alchimeía Series

DIEBACK: Book One

VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD: Book Two

Other books by Richard Hacker:

Nick Sibelius Crime Series

KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE
BUZZARD BAIT
ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE

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The Making of an Epic Fantasy Writer by Paddy Tyrrell – Guest Blog and Giveaway

March 31, 2020 By 10 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Paddy Tyrrell will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.  The book is only $0.99! Buy it at the links at the end of this post.

The Making of an Epic Fantasy Writer
Writing an epic fantasy is not for the faint hearted! Your first challenge is the length, with each book the equivalent of 1 ½ to 2 books in other genres. That doesn’t just mean it takes longer to write, but it is more unwieldy to edit and costs considerably more for any external services.

The next challenge is the complexity of the plot, the characters, and the world they live in, but this is also the fun part. Let’s take a look at some of the key elements involved in this type of fantasy writing:

Firstly, there has to be some imaginary system that does not exist in real life. That can be magic and sorcery but also could be fantastical creatures, or perhaps characters, animals, or objects with special powers. For example, in Lumina there are snow-wolves and dragons, a light-star and a golden race created by sorcery. When I created monsters like the Slitherns, I used inspiration from nature. I researched the ugliest fish in the sea, the strangest insects, and the most deadly reptiles in the hope that a few of these would spark ideas for my own fantastical creatures.
Another challenge is building the setting for your story: how the world looks, what the inhabitants are like, how the society and power structure works. The latter is particularly important for upping the stakes and giving depth to the story. There are two conflicting powers and societies in Lumina. One, Lumina itself, is sophisticated and civilised, governed by reason not magic; the other, Kuhla, is brutal, barbaric and controlled through tyranny and sorcery. Some fantasy authors love the other aspects of world-building – what people wear, the flora and fauna, the buildings and so on, but I find this less appealing, partly because I don’t want to slow down the pace of the adventure with too much description.

Of course adventure is key and, like all genres, conflict on many levels is essential to create that adventure and to ensure enough complexity in the plot. Epic fantasies like Lumina normally involve a series, with each book a great read on its own but with a large-scale overarching conflict that runs through the series.

And what about characters? To create an epic you need a large cast of characters and you will normally want to write from multiple points of view. Managing to interweave plot lines and different character viewpoints without confusing the reader is essential. There are three main ‘good’ characters and three ‘evil’ ones in Lumina, but each with their own weaknesses and strengths, as well as minor characters on either side of the equation.

So to be a fantasy writer you need to be comfortable with complexity, to love adventure and to have a strong visual imagination to bring your fantasy world alive.

A generation designed by sorcery to destroy your people. Two races mired in conflict. Can a pair of outcasts unite them against an enemy who would enslave them all?

The birth of ‘bronzite’ babies in Lumina heralds the onset of war. The people take fright at the golden children and banish them from the land. A dangerous move. King Zheldar, commander of the black dragon, is attacking Luman borders. If he wins bronzite support for his army of monsters, Lumina is lost.

Davron Berates cannot share his people’s hatred of the children and, on discovering he has a bronzite brother, sets out to find him. At his side travels Chrystala. A bronzite, she has twice his strength and three times his determination.

When the black dragon kidnaps Chrystala, Davron is faced with a terrible choice: save his friend or save his nation.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Jaldeen strode towards an ancient font at the far side of the tower and opened wooden shutters in the wall behind it. Leaning out, he checked the platform outside for any decay. It looked solid enough and he stepped over the windowsill and walked to the center. He cupped his hands around his mouth and spelled a summons, his voice a rasp of vowels that floated on the damp air. He ducked back inside. There was a thrash of wings and the tower shuddered. Xeralith, black dragon of Kuhla, had answered his call.

Any fleeting sense of power deserted him in the terror of her presence. She was as old as the moss that ate the castle walls. Evil had putrefied her beauty, her once crimson scales stained black by Rach’s corruption. She thrust her head through the opening in the wall. Bony nodules covered her upper jaw and the dark armor plating of her head. Steam belched from her nostrils.

Jaldeen ran and hid behind the font, clinging to the carvings of the demons that served his god, as though they could protect him. He averted his face from the scalding droplets. Xeralith’s breath, heavy with malevolence, contaminated the air with the stench of burning metal and rotten meat. Stomach heaving, Jaldeen forgot to maintain his shield. Her eyes swirled and she locked her gaze on his. Trickles of flame erupted through teeth that could rip him in two. He lost control of his limbs and fell. She lunged at him and he scrambled back, his heels banging on the stone floor. The horns on her sinewy neck snagged against the outer wall and pulled her short. She screeched in frustration.

About the Author:I was raised in Kent, the garden of England, and lived in an Oast House whose round rooms were once used for drying hops. Must be why I’ve enjoyed a drink ever since!

At university, I fell in love with medieval French writing, discovered The Gormenghast Trilogy, and became hooked on fantasy.

I have sailed down the Yangste, survived an earthquake in Cairo, and picnicked in the Serengeti. My travels for work and pleasure have inspired my fantasy world. I now live in France with a naughty Australian Labradoodle, a jealous cat and a squash mad husband. Our two huskies, Ice and Sapphire, are sadly now gone but are transformed into wolves and immortalised in my book. Lumina is my debut novel and the first in a trilogy.

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