Category Archives: New Release

Blood Silver Is Here!

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I’m so excited about this!

Somehow the pre-publication tasks for this book felt a little more complex than usual, no doubt because I’ve been trying a few new things. But they are all done now! (Or most of them.)

One of the new things has been the use of an advance review service. I chose Hidden Gems. (Love it that my book is one of the hidden gems they showcase.)

The way the process works is:

1 • Upload the book’s file to the Hidden Gems website—in three different formats: epub, mobi, and pdf—along with some information about the book

2 • Await results as they solicit interest from their reviewers from amongst those who enjoy the book’s genre

3 • Pay the Hidden Gems fee

4 • Following the date when Hidden Gems distributes the book to its reviewers, watch in wonder while reviews accumulate on the book’s Amazon page 😀

The idea is that these reviews give prospective buyers more information on which to judge whether or not the book is something said buyer might like.

As I write this post, Blood Silver has 23 reviews! It’s been a bit of a thrill to watch them appear. And it’s been lovely to read so much praise for one of my books!

Of course, not every Hidden Gems reviewer loved Blood Silver. But a lot of them did. Here’s a sampling from a handful of the reviews:

“…a nice quick little read. Great characters, interesting story line, good pacing, and well written.” —JMD

“…I couldn’t put it down. It reminded me of Le Morte d’Arthur and Mists of Avalon even though it has nothing to do with the King Arthur legend. This author just brought back those feelings…” —Tricia Schiro

“…simple and thought-provoking in a beautiful way. …smart and wise. It’s peaceful and otherworldly. I felt like a new fairy tale had been written and that gave me a lot of joy.” —Ambrose Crotts

“The characters felt real, like they could step out of the pages…” —Stephanie Wachter

“It felt familiar like an old fairy tale, but was also very fresh and new.” —Erin K.

So what’s Blood Silver about?

Faie knight Tahaern loves the bright world of mortals, but the darkness of the faie realm under the knowe relinquishes its denizens but rarely.

To learn more, check out the book’s webpage on Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Kobo, or Books2Read.

Blood Silver currently has the low price of 99 cents especially for its release. After the weekend, this will go up to its normal list price of $3.99.

I hope you’ll take advantage of the deal and immerse yourself in a story of knightly chivalry, faie trickery, and the beguiling beauty of the bright world.

Amazon I B&N I iTunes I Kobo I Smashwords I Universal Link

Note: The promotion with its sale price is over now, but many, many of you snapped up a copy for 99 cents. May the story bring you delight! 😀

 

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Mythic Tales Bundle

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I told you all about story bundles when my own Serpent’s Foe was chosen to be in a bundle called More than Human. Now I have another story appearing in a new bundle! Caught in Amber.

To refresh your memory about bundles…

A curator chooses a theme for her collection and then seeks high-quality stories that fit that theme. The idea is to give readers a chance to conveniently and inexpensively try new-to-them authors.

Because I call one of my own series “Mythic Tales,” this new bundle of Mythic Tales made me wonder if the curator had been reading my mind! But many fantasy writers are inspired by the myths and legends of the past, so I shouldn’t have been so surprised.

The Mythic Tales bundle includes 14 titles, and I’ve enjoyed every one of the four that I’ve read so far. I’m looking forward to the rest! Eight are novels; one is a novella; four are short story collections; and one is a gem of a short story.

My first selection to read was the first title in the bundle, the short story Beneath the Knowe by Anthea Sharp. I’ve read some of Anthea’s work before and liked it, but this story just happens to hit the heart of my taste and I found it especially excellent.

From the official ebook description, here’s a little bit about Beneath the Knowe:

From USA Today bestselling author Anthea Sharp, a magical faerie tale featuring an ancient Celtic setting, music, and the ageless denizens of the Bright Court.

Can music overcome fey magic? When the chieftain’s infant son is stolen away by the fey folk of the Bright Court, Maeve Donnelly journeys beneath the faerie hill to save the child. Her only weapon is a simple pennywhistle, and the music running in her bard-gifted blood…

I plan to say a few words about several of the titles in the bundle in future posts, because there are so many good choices. But I’ll conclude this post with a description of the collection as a whole.

Remember those epic legends of heroes and monsters? Stories of great adventure woven with magic and myth live once more in this collection; read of ancient lore, magic swords, wicked beasts, courageous souls, desperate champions, and unholy bargains. Fairy tales and bold ventures come together in this boxed set.

Beneath the Knowe by Anthea Sharp
Tales of Erana by A. L. Butcher
A Sword’s Poem by Leah Cutter
On the Edge of Faerie by Stefon Mears
Sorcha’s Heart by Debbie Mumford
Tales Fabulous and Fairy by Kim Antieau
Tempus by Janet Morris
Caught in Amber by J.M. Ney-Grimm
The Warden of Power by Karen L. Abrahamson
Beautiful by Barbara G. Tarn
Lost: Cinderella’s Secret Witch Diaries by Ron Vitale
Tales of the Faie: The Beginning of Days by Diana L. Wicker
Raziel’s Shadow by Joseph Robert Lewis
Magic for a Rainy Day by Alexandra Brandt

Bundles remain available for a short time only, usually about 6 weeks, sometimes a bit longer.

The Mythic Tales bundle is now gone, but the stories that were in it remain available separately. A few are so good that each was worth the price of the bundle all on its own.

I urge you to check out the individual titles with an eye to purchasing the ones that particularly appeal to you.

Beneath the Knowe is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.

For more reviews of the stories and novels from the Mythic Tales bundle
(plus the odd character interview), see:
Mythic Tales: Caught in Amber, Character Interview – Fae
Mythic Tales: A Sword’s Poem
Mythic Tales: Tales of Erana
Mythic Tales: Tempus
Mythic Tales: Author Interview
Mythic Tales: Raziel’s Shadow
Mythic Tales: Magic for a Rainy Day

For more about other bundles, see:
Here Be Dragons
Spring Surprise
Immortals
Remembering Warriors
Winter Warmer
More than Human

 

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Released! The Tally Master

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The Tally Master is now available for purchase as an ebook on Amazon. I’m excited that all of you finally get to read it!

Seven years ago, reeling from a curse in the wake of battle, Gael sought sanctuary and found it in a most perilous place.

The citadel of a troll warlord—haunt of the desperate and violent—proves a harsh refuge for a civilized mage. But Gael wields power enough to create an oasis of order amidst the chaos.

Now master of the metals that flow to the citadel’s weapon forges, Gael rules his tally room unchallenged, until he discovers a theft within its vaults.

Gael loves the quiet certainty of black ink tally marks on smooth parchment, but his search for the thief leads to a maze of unexpected answers, putting his hard-won sanctuary—and his life—at risk.

Set in the Bronze Age of J.M. Ney-Grimm’s North-lands, The Tally Master brings mystery and secrets to epic fantasy in a suspenseful tale of betrayal and redemption.

The Tally Master is available as an ebook. Amazon

The paperback edition is coming soon! 😀

 

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5 New Books!

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5 New Titles

I read about the Liliana Nirvana technique more than a year ago, in August 2014, on the blog of SF author Hugh Howey.

The technique is simply described: release 5 new books on the same day or one after the other with little delay in between. The idea is to boost your visibility to readers. Howey said this about it: “You hit bookstore shelves with a handful of titles at once, and they prop each other up. They direct attention toward each other. They amplify your signal.”

I decided to try it, and I’ve been working continuously toward my own 5-title release since that day.

Now – more than 14 months later – my 5 new stories are finally available on Amazon! I’m thrilled, because I hit a patch in the middle of my preparations when I began to wonder if I’d ever pull it off.

I’ve priced each title at 99 cents for release week to give my most assiduous readers a chance at a deal. I’ll raise the prices on the longer works when the initial spate of sales slows.

Here they are for your reading pleasure. 😀

Hunting Wild200 pxYoung Remeya worships the forbidden horned god. A worship made taboo half a millennium ago. Performed still in secret by a few. Quietly tolerated by the king. Epic fantasy in which old beliefs and old loyalties clash with hidden magic in the Middle Ages of the god-touched North-lands.

Ebook at Amazon

Paperback at Amazon
 
 
 
 
 

Serpent web cover 200Once she stalked the duat by Ra’s side, carrying his light in her eyes and battling the monsters that assailed them. Now, tormented by confusion and her own fury, she longs to regain the unique powers which – inexplicably – elude her in captivity. In this mythic tale of pride and revelation, a fight beyond death delivers one last chance at redemption.

Ebook at Amazon

Paperback at Amazon
 
 
 
 

Glory web cover 200Caught in a cold and snow-shrouded wilderness, far from home, Ivvar confronts the woman he once cherished and an ancient scourge of the chilly woodlands in a complicated dance of love and death. Ivvar’s second chance at happiness – and his life – hang in the balance.

Ebook at Amazon

Paperback at Amazon
 
 
 
 
 

Fate's Door, web cover 200Secrets, like troubles, come in threes. Nerine, a sea nymph of the ancient world, knows too much about both. Love and coming of age in a mythic Mediterranean where the gods and goddesses of old shape history.

Ebook at Amazon

Paperback coming soon!
 
 
 
 
 

Amber cover 200When young Fae awakens in a locked and deserted castle, she remembers nothing. Who she is, where she comes from, none of it. A mythic tale of family and betrayal told with all the twists and moments of sheer joy that belong in epic fantasy.

Ebook at Amazon

Paperback at Amazon
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Quantum Zoo in Paperback!

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I’m always excited when one of my books releases in paperback. But there’s something really special about Quantum Zoo doing so. Probably because it was such a big project, an ambitious project, and involving so many people. Regardless of the reasons…I am totally doing the happy dance!

:: happy dance, oh, happy dance, happy dance, so happy dance ::

Okay, maybe I can calm down now. Here’s the more sedate statement:
Quantum Zoo is now available as a paperback. Just in time for holiday gifts! Yippee!

(Okay, maybe not so calm after all. I can’t be calm with all this excitement fizzing inside me!) Here’s what the book looks like. More about the contents below.

QZ POD photo 600 px

From a haunted old zoo filled with ghosts to a dying starship on its way to a new home – humanity’s final gasp, Quantum Zoo presents a dozen compelling stories featuring a dozen exotic and unusual menageries.

Jack the Ripper arrives for one last murder, while a dinosaur – out of place and out of time – bridges the gap between two poignant lovers in the wonderfully atmospheric England of Hugo-­ and Nebula-­nominated Bridget McKenna.

Quantum Zoo propels you on an enthralling journey through awe and emotion, highs and lows, with tender romance following hair-­raising action.

Join some of the hottest independent science-­fiction and fantasy authors writing today in the fascinating worlds they create from the zoo!

Quantum Zoo as a paperback:
Amazon.com I Amazon DE I Amazon ES I Amazon UK I CreateSpace

PRAISE FOR QUANTUM ZOO

“What a terrific anthology! Quantum Zoo brings together a great collection of stories by both new and seasoned authors. Given only the starting concept of “zoo,” each author was then allowed to explore that theme in any way they chose. The result: a head-spinning collection of amazingly inventive stories ranging from high fantasy to horror to science fiction.” – Michael Major

PRAISE FOR QUANTUM ZOO AUTHORS

Morgan Johnson writes a “fast, fierce and gritty cyberpunk space lovecraftian tale. Seamlessly honed to a wicked point.”

“Definitely a page turner, exciting, funny, and heart-wrenching at the same time. Gelner ‘knocked it out of the park’!”

“Furie has an eye for witty detail that keeps you turning the pages. More, please!”

“A.C. Smyth has written a gripping, captivating page-turner… Sylas owns my heart, and his journey alternately makes me want to laugh, cry, smack him upside his stubborn head, scream, and most of all, keep reading!”

“McKenna’s subtle style and deft handling are practically textbook perfect for short form fiction.”

Stegall “clearly loves two things: historical research and San Francisco. I’m not sure if I learned more about San Francisco or Wyatt Earp, but I had a great time in the process.”

“Batt has done it again. This story is just unfairly funny. I couldn’t stop laughing, which got me plenty of odd looks in public, I’ll tell you…”

“…always fun to discover a new, talented author, and Scott Dyson is my latest find.”

“A brilliant new fantasy concept, intelligent writing… [McCoy’s] innate story-telling ability combined to produce a tale that I could not get enough of.”

Ney-Grimm “has an ethereal sort of quality to her writing…it’s almost mystical…absolutely unique, and absolutely engaging.”

“Damn you John Hindmarsh – I am on vacation in Turkey and am waking up late every day because I start reading this book in the evening and can’t put it down until 2:30AM!”

Quantum Zoo continues to be available as an ebook.
Amazon.com I Amazon AU I Amazon CA I Amazon DE I Amazon ES I Amazon UK

QZ spine photo 600 px

 

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Three Paperbacks Newly Released

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I’ve gotten behind announcing new paperback releases, so I’m going to catch up!

The most recent one – just 2 weeks ago – was Resonant Bronze. It was the second story to be inspired by Rainbow’s Lodestone. I got to wondering about the ruins that formed the setting for Rainbow and the people who had lived in them. Resonant Bronze is the result.

Resonant Bronze has been “in print” as an ebook for a year, but it’s exciting to have it release as a paperback.

Resonant Bronze paperback

The warriors of Torbellai brought back a prize in the night, and young Paitra wants to see it. Even hidden away in the armory, the artifact changed the whole mood of their mountain citadel from dread foreboding to hope. But the warlord hid the fighters’ plunder for good reason. Forged by trolls and radiating magic, it presents grave risk to any who approach it. Will Paitra survive his curiosity?

Trade Paperback: Resonant Bronze
Amazon.com I Amazon UK I CreateSpace

Ebook: Resonant Bronze
Amazon.com I Amazon UK I Amazon DE I Amazon ES I Amazon AU
B&N I iTunes I Kobo I Smashwords

* * *

Devouring Light released as an ebook last December – 8 months ago – and as a paperback this June, roughly 3 months ago.

In it, I departed from my North-lands to tell a story in which the constellations performed a circus for the Greek gods. The circus ended up being somewhat of a sidenote in an adventure that spans our solar system. It’s fantasy, even though Mercurio (aka Hermes or Mercury) travels to Pluto, while Draco (the dragon constellation personified) leaves the environs of Sol altogether, flying far into outer space.

D Light paperback

Can one good deed offset ultimate destruction?

Mercurio guards the first planet, guiding it through the perils of the void. Part messenger, part prankster, he cocks an eye for danger.

When a beautiful celestial wanderer seeks refuge at his domicile, will he recognize his role as cat’s paw? Or will a looming menace – more lethal than Mercurio imagines – threaten the solar system’s very existence?

Trade Paperback: Devouring Light
Amazon.com I Amazon UK I B&N I CreateSpace

Ebook: Devouring Light
Amazon.com I Amazon UK I Amazon DE I Amazon ES I Amazon AU
B&N I iTunes I Kobo I Smashwords

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The release of A Knot of Trolls is especially thrilling for me. I’d envisioned creating a collection of my shorter works almost as soon as I had a few short stories and novellas out. It took me rather longer to make that happen than I’d expected! A Knot of Trolls released as an ebook February 2014 and as a paperback April 2014.

A Knot of Trolls paperback

North-lands spellcasters who reach too boldly for power transform into trolls – grotesque villains wielding a potent magic and destined for madness. A Knot of Trolls features seven of these evildoers, each pursuing a unique design for troubling their neighbors. Across the ages of the world, ordinary youths must rise to the challenges laid down by trolls. Destiny and hope lie in the balance.

Seven tales of magic and troll-mages – ancient error echoes down through time.

Trade Paperback: A Knot of Trolls
Amazon.com I Amazon UK I B&N I CreateSpace

Ebook: A Knot of Trolls
Amazon.com I Amazon UK I Amazon DE I Amazon ES I Amazon AU
B&N I iTunes I Kobo I Smashwords

* * *

 

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New Release! Devouring Light

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I started this story with the idea it would go into an anthology of short stories – all with roots in a zoo theme.

In my mind, I labeled this story Star Circus, so it was a little off from the theme. But I was longing to tell it, so I figured: “Close enough!”

As I wrote, Star Circus veered further off course and got long, too long for the anthology.

Since I’d dreamed up another idea for my “zoo” story, which I was also aching to tell, I let this one, Devouring Light, have its way with me. All the way to its glorious conclusion.

And now it’s ready for you to enjoy! Devouring Light, in a bookseller near you! 😉

* * *

Can one small good deed offset ultimate destruction?

A goddess of ancient times under a volcanic sunMercurio stands watch over the first planet, guiding it through the perils of the void. Part messenger, part prankster, he cocks an eye for danger, but not from afar. Close to home lurks the real risk that his festival for Sol’s 25th anniversary will be a bust.

Failed negotiations with constellations and his fellow guardians send him to the brink of complete frustration…when a beautiful celestial wanderer fetches up at his domicile, seeking refuge.

Her form beguiles. Her mystery intrigues. And Mercurio’s fascination with his visitor poses yet another threat to Sol’s celebration.

Will Mercurio recognize his role as cat’s paw soon enough? Or will a looming menace – more lethal than any of the guardians imagine – threaten the solar system’s very existence?

Devouring Light is available as an ebook in electronic bookstores.
Amazon.com I Amazon UK I Amazon DE I Amazon ES
B&N I Diesel I iTunes I Kobo I Smashwords I Sony

 

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