New Bundle! A Trove of Tomes

A new curator has appeared on BundleRabbit—Christopher Schmitz—and he invited me to contribute The Tally Master to his new bundle of epic fantasy.

So I did!

I’m excited about it, because this bundle includes books by a whole new set of authors, writers I’ve never encountered before. Maybe I’ll discover a new favorite. (Maybe you will, too!)

I’m also excited because Christopher is doing a bunch of effective marketing for this bundle. In just a week, it’s already sold 173 copies! I hope some more readers will discover my work and find it to their taste.

So, what about A Trove of Tomes?

That’s the title of the bundle, and it’s comprised of 10 novels plus one novella, the collection forming a mix of epic fantasy and sword & sorcery.

For all of December, it’s on sale for a discount price—$1.99.

The price will go back up to list—$7.99—in January. Now’s the time to get it, if you’re interested. At the very least, you’ll acquire my Tally Master for $1.99 instead of $4.99. And you might discover something(s) you like from one of the other nine authors.

Three of the other novels especially caught my attention—they’re the ones I’ll try reading first. Let me tell you a bit about them.

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The Dragon Princess by Paris Hansch

The dragon princess is missing.

War is imminent.

And someone pulls the strings behind the scenes…

Can a fractured family of angry brothers and sisters pull together to awaken their forgotten spirit arts and defeat “The Mistress”?
 
 

*

 
 
Grinden Proselyte by Christopher D. Schmitz

They took everything from him.

They branded his hands and killed the girl he loves.

Revenge is all Rashnir has left…

But when revenge suddenly looms imminent, the former ranger wonders…what comes after?
 
 

*

 
 
The Dragonslayer’s Sword by Resa Nelson

Astrid has a dark secret. A dragon once chewed her up and spat her out.

She hides the old scars covering her body through shapeshifting.

But the time for hiding is over…
 
 

*

 
 
And here’s a little about my own contribution to the bundle.

The Tally Master by J.M. Ney-Grimm

Managing supplies for a warlord’s arsenal, an accursed mage purposefully ignores the fact that he’s enabling the destruction of his former people.

But when he discovers the precious metal needed to craft the weapons is being stolen from under his nose, he resolves to find the culprit at any cost.
 
 

*

 
 

Dragons. Elves. Curses. Blood pacts and orcs. . . and a few Chosen Ones.
Unlock portals to adventure for less than a dollar a book!

Rise & Fall of the Obsidian Grotto
    by Christopher D. Schmitz
The Tally Master
    by J.M. Ney-Grimm
A Veil for the Vanguard
    by Danny F. Santos
Kakos Realm: Grinden Proselyte
    by Christopher D. Schmitz
The Dragonslayer’s Sword
    by Resa Nelson
Apprentice Storm Mage
    by Douglas Van Dyke, Jr
The Avant Champion: Rising
    by C.B. Samet
The Chronicles of Agartha:
    The Green Boy
    by Sherif Guirguis & Isaac Michaan
Severance Lost by J. Lloren Quill
Prelude to Insurrection by JC Kang
The Dragon Princess by Paris Hansch

The A Trove of Tomes bundle is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

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For more bundles with my stories in them, see:
Here Be Trolls
Here Be Elves
Here Be Magic
Eclectica
Here Be Unicorns
Here Be Merfolk
Here Be Fairies
Here Be Dragons
Immortals

 

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New Bundle! Here Be Trolls

When I think of all the trolls who walk the pages of my stories—as villains, as victims, or as heroes—I can only say…where has this bundle been? It’s about time!

I have enough books featuring trolls to make a bundle from them without any additional authors contributing!

However, the two chosen by the curator for Here Be Trolls are A Knot of Trolls and The Tally Master. So if you’ve been thinking about giving either of these a read, this is the bundle for you. Not only will you get my two, you’ll get 8 more besides. And some of those look particularly appealing.

The Changeling Troll by Leah Cutter (a novel) had me reading all the way to the end of the Look Inside on Amazon. I was tempted to click the buy button, instead of waiting for the bundle to release!

I always enjoy Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s short stories, so I’m eager to read her “Renn and the Little Men.” And “The Great Orc Cook-Off” by Stefon Mears looks like pure fun.

I could go on, but I’ll cut to the chase instead. Check out the blurbs below for the titles that especially caught my interest.

*

Christine seeks solace in books. But after she loses a bet with her brother, she forces herself to leave the sanctuary of her fictional worlds for the real one.

She hates the bar scene—the noise, the music, the people. Until the impossible happens. Christine meets her identical twin. A twin she never knew about. A meeting that will make her question all she ever knew about herself and her family, as well as what it means to be human.

The first book in a new-adult, urban fantasy trilogy, The Changeling Troll puts a delightful new twist on the ugly duckling story.

*

In the Wild West, gunslingers populate the legend of many a dime novel.

Renn knows her way around a gun—and a book—better than most of them, including her famous brother, who can credit his skills to Renn.

So, when the strange little men show up looking to hire her missing-in-action brother, Renn takes the job.

She soon realizes she’ll need every bit of her gun skills and book learning to finish it.
 
 

*

What can you do when a fairy tale nightmare comes true?

Annie knows the troll is coming back for her and her sisters—and their children. But when she tries to convince her sisters that the danger they faced as children is on the hunt again, they can’t—or won’t—believe her.

She’s on her own.
 
 
 

*

OLD MAGICK. NEW WORLD.

In 2017, little remains of magick save scattered, beleaguered pockets of magickal community and scholarship—and a vast, but rapidly decaying, heritage. How can any of it survive the pace of modern life?

As an agent of the Society for Magickal Heritage, Cordelia “Ves” Vesper has an important job: to track down and rescue endangered magickal creatures, artifacts, books and spells wherever they are to be found. It’s a duty that takes her the length and breadth of Britain, and frequently gets her into trouble. But somebody’s got to keep magick alive in the modern world, and Ves is determined to do whatever it takes.

*

Orc clans rule the grasslands.

The Broken Tooth Clan stands mighty enough to make even the cursed elves hide in their Wailing Forest, but are they so stalwart as to triumph over the new threat rising beyond the woodlands?

Gorek, a fierce warrior of the Broken Tooth clan, has bested every enemy with the guts to face him in battle. But he’s an even better cook.

That’s fortunate, because the future of the Broken Tooth rests on Gorek’s cooking. First, he must gather the savoriest—and most dangerous—of ingredients.

“The Great Orc Cook-Off” is a rollicking fantasy adventure, set in a rich world you won’t want to leave. Fans of World of Warcraft and The Forgotten Realms, don’t miss this one!

*

And here’s a bit about my own The Tally Master and A Knot of Trolls.

Only in exile can a fallen mage escape death. Where does he go when exile proves just as deadly?

Seven years ago, reeling from a curse in the wake of battle, Gael sought sanctuary and found it in a most perilous place. But the citadel of a troll warlord—haunt of the desperate and violent—proves a harsh refuge for a civilized mage.

The Tally Master is the gripping first book in the Gael & Keir series of fantasy mystery novels. If you like characters who seem to step right off the page, twisty plots, and vividly immersive worlds, then you’ll love this suspenseful tale of secrets, betrayal, and transcendence.

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A medieval lady stands in an ancient stone hallNorth-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.
 
 

*

A reclusive young woman ventures out of her library to meet her identical twin, a twin she never knew about. How many more secrets lie in her past?

A fallen mage believes he’s reached sanctuary. But when three ingots vanish from the vault he protects for a troll warlord, his search for the thief once again thrusts him in harm’s way.

A troll shaman calls from her deathbed, sending her heiress on a quest to return their people’s magical gemstone to its place of origin. If she succeeds, she becomes the leader of her tribe. If she fails, there will be no tribe to lead.

A wise old auntie and her kin must defend their remote homestead against a marauding troll of old, a fearsome beast bearing great fangs and claws—and gripped by a hunger for human flesh.

An agent of the Society for Magickal Heritage must find the source of an occult disease decimating Britain’s troll enclaves—and fix it. Simple in theory, tricky in practice, for the only place that might hold the information she needs is the ancient and inconveniently lost enclave of Farringale…

A princess faces war on two fronts: demons outside in the forest and hidden enemies in the caves of home. If she loses either battle, everything is lost, even though she’s a badass warrior troll.

From nightmare monsters who enjoy dining on children to spiritual mystics in tune with the natural world, from gritty champions to peculiar cooks, from shy hermits to paladin mages—greenskins, trolls, and orcs feature as heroes or as villains in these 10 tales of magic, myth, and mayhem.

The Changeling Troll by Leah Cutter
“Renn and the Little Men” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The Tally Master by J.M. Ney-Grimm
The Stolen Tower by A. L. Butcher
“Troll Country” by Marcelle Dubé
The Road to Farringale by Charlotte E. English
“The Meat Shield” by Blaze Ward
“The Great Orc Cook-Off” by Stefon Mears
A Knot of Trolls by J.M. Ney-Grimm
The Troll-Troll War by Leah Cutter

The Here Be Trolls bundle is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

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For more bundles with my stories in them, see:
Here Be Elves
Here Be Magic
Eclectica
Here Be Unicorns
Here Be Merfolk
Here Be Fairies
Here Be Dragons
Immortals

 

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New Bundle! Here Be Elves

I’ve been longing for this one for ages. It stayed stuck in the planning stages for nearly a year. But here it is at last!

I’ve already devoured and enjoyed both of the Rusch stories. I plan to dive into Kirwan’s Son by Marcelle Dubé next.

A shapeshifter who spies for the fey conquerors of the mortal world fights her urge to help an oppressed human child. Her duty points one way. Her inclination, another. How will she choose?

The only elf able to stand in for the big guy—Santa himself, away on sabbatical—can’t be found. His cohorts hire an elf PI plus partner—Diz and Dee—to track down the necessary missing fellow.

A faie knight, banished from the realm under the knowe, loves the bright world and the mortals who dwell there. But the faie king wants his knight back, and he prefers tricks and cheats for tactics.

A healer mage discovers a young man dying of fey magic on the steps of her perfume shop. Battling the fairy queen to save him puts her heart at risk.

Celtic elves, dangerous and beautiful. Scandinavian elves, mischievous pranksters. Norse elves, warriors and consorts to the gods. Santa’s elves, practical and plucky. The Fair Folk beguile imagination with their mystery, allure, and hints of madness.

*

Written as a prequel to Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s popular Fey saga, “Destiny” follows the Shapeshifter Solanda on Nye.

The Black King wants her to use her special abilities on a job that will change the Fey forever.

But Solanda wants to change the life of one child. Can she do both? Or should she do nothing at all?
 
 
 
 

*

Christmas comes early for private investigator Dee and her partner, the grumpy but drop-dead gorgeous elf Diz, when Santa’s elves hire Diz and Dee to find Santa’s missing stand in.

Santa’s taken a sabbatical, and only one elf at the North Pole can fill the big man’s shoes.

An elf who’d rather make his mark in the real world than spend one more holiday in Santa’s sleigh.
 
 
 

*

A roadside rest stop—crossroads of the modern world. Where the barriers between worlds run thin. Where travelers may wander into Faerie.

Lex Frisk, fleeing from heartbreak. On the road for thirty hours. Lex needs to stretch his legs. Find some coffee. Instead he finds a beautiful stranger…

…and an unbelievable party.
 
 
 
 

*

Where two worlds meet, the jealous eyes of a Faerie King peer from the darkness as he gathers a slave army of subjugation. Set against him and his dark horde is:

• Bill Strike, a naive, girl-shy youth with exploding hands
• the girl he’s shy of
• three witches
• and a pioneer of chicken-powered aviation.

For fans of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

*

In a world of tortured tree nymphs and madness, the Fey king needs only one Kirwan, the eldest son, to save the trapped Fey, but all four Kirwans become pawns in the struggle for power between Seelie and Unseelie.

The Kirwans will risk everything—love, honor, and life—in the name of an oath taken centuries earlier.

But will it be at the cost of spreading the Fey war to their own world?
 
 

*

Punishments for elven crimes vary. So, when Rolf finds himself serving time as a toy on a mantel during the Christmas season, Rolf figures he got off easy.

But when a lonely child asks him to deliver a message to Santa, he realizes his rehabilitation comes with a price—one he might not be prepared to pay.
 
 
 
 
 
 

*

Finding an unconscious man on the steps of her magical perfume shop is just the beginning of Seattle sorceress Avery Starling’s troubles.

She’s drawn to Braxtan Rhodes, a handsome and intriguing young man who reeks of a strange dark magic that is slowly killing him.

Pushing her healing air magic to its limits, Avery puts her heart on the line to battle a powerful Fey queen for Braxtan’s soul.
 
 

*

Here Be Elves also includes my own Blood Silver.

In a mythical Ireland that never was, mortal villages perch all unknowing beside enchanted knolls. Beneath them dwell the cruel and capricious faie folk.

Tahaern, a faie warrior by birth but not in spirit, eschews his vicious origins. Loving the bright world, he serves a mortal village as healer.

But when the faie declare war upon their neighbors, Tahaern must again take up his sword…
 
 

Consort with the fey in the 13 tales of Here Be Elves—magic, myth, and mayhem await you.

“Destiny” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“The Case of the Missing Elf” by Annie Reed
“Hidden in Mist” by Chrissy Wissler
“Forty Years Among the Elves” by Stefon Mears
Myths and Magic by Kevin Partner
The Shining Citadel by A. L. Butcher
Kirwan’s Son by Marcelle Dube
Blood Silver by J.M. Ney-Grimm
“By the Chimney With Care” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Jar of Souls” by Lisa Silverthorne
Hidden in Myth by Chrissy Wissler
“The Merchant of Elves” by Robert Jeschonek
Elf Saga: Doomsday by Joseph Robert Lewis

The Here Be Elves bundle is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

 

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Upcoming Release! Tales in a New Bundle

Tales of Old Giralliya is an experiment for me.

I conceived of the stories as the fairy tales that mothers and fathers of my North-lands tell their young children at bedtime, and I recounted the stories in the spare style typical of fairy tales.

Characters are sketched in with just a few details, leaning heavily on archetypes. We have the young, inexperienced king, who tries something that an older man would not. Or the young girl, kidnapped from home, held captive by her enemies, and faced with a chance to save her village, but lacking any obvious means to do so.

Each story is comprised of just one scene, or two, embedded within a scant narrative frame that is the equivalent of ‘once upon a time.’

I loved telling the stories, writing in hope that some of my readers would enjoy reading them.

But would they? Would they really?

And who might like to be my first reader, the one to give me necessary feedback—feedback that would allow me to revise the stories to be their best?

I needed someone who not only had loved fairy tales as a child, but who still loved them. Someone who might pull out her battered copy of East of the Sun and West of the Moon and read it for pleasure (not mere nostalgia) now.

Really, my choice of a first reader was simple. I asked the curator of the bundle for which Tales of Old Giralliya was created.

She graciously consented to help me, and I sent her the file.

Then I waited. Nervously.

I thought she would like the stories, but . . . would she really?

Well, good news: she did! 😀

And she provided me with excellent feedback.

My collection has now been revised, edited, and proofread, and will release sometime this month in the bundle entitled Might Have Been.

Here’s a little bit about Tales of Old Giralliya.

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A troll-mage rains death upon the land from his citadel in the sky. Who—if anyone—can defeat him? Despite the oracle’s prophecy, few believe the beggar’s son might be the people’s champion.

A magical plague infests the villages, the cities, and the lonely manors. Will the realm descend into ruin before a cure is found? Or could wizened, old Eliya convince the stricken that something improbable might save them all?

Three ducal brothers fight for the rule of their duchy, crushing fields and hamlets under their chariot wheels. Can young Andraia, kidnapped from her village, bring the destructive struggle to an end?

Instead of Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, or the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the Giralliyan Empire has Ravessa’s Ride, the Thricely Odd Troll, the Kite Climber, and more. Tales of Old Giralliya presents six of these fresh, new fairy tales for your enjoyment.

Adventure and magic in the tradition of The Red Fairy Book and the Tales of the Brothers Grimm.

*     *     *

For more about Tales of Old Giralliya, see:
Rebirth of Four Fairy Tales
Two Giralliyan Folk Heroes
Caught Between Two Armies

 

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New Bundle! Blood Moon

I’ve been invited to participate in a bundle featuring shapeshifters!

Many of the stories showcase traditional were creatures turned by the power of moonlight, while mine involves the ancient Egyptians and the mutable forms of their gods. But several of the authors put unusual spins on the trope, including the adventures of a feline fey, the call of the Wild Hunt, and the spiritual heart of the First People.

Among those that especially caught my attention were By Howl & Claw by Rebecca Senese (a collection of 5 stories), “Big Bad Wolf” and “The Night Mischief Became a Real Cat” by Annie Reed, Family, Pack by Michael Jasper, and “Wolf Warlock” by Meyari McFarland. Here’s a little bit about them…

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What kills and leaves a strange, elongated print?

What howls in the dark Yukon night?

What stalks these burglars in an empty house?

What follows an old woman in the woods?

What chases squirrels in the full moon?

By howl and claw, monsters roam the wilds.
 
 

*     *     *

Carla hated blind dates.

Hard enough just living in the city and trying to fit in with a bunch of regular people who didn’t know she was a werewolf.

Why didn’t everyone believe her when she told them she liked being single? No attachments? No commitments? No one to accidentally disembowel when the moon was at its fullest and she wolfed out during a particularly vivid dream?

This particular blind date, though, might be too good to be true.

Right up until the lights go out, and everything goes to hell.

*     *     *

Some family curses really should be passed on…

Tommy Roling does everything humanly possible to raise his infant daughter Corinne the right way. But a half year out of high school, Tommy finds himself a single parent as well as flat broke.

And, with every full moon, he can’t fight the urge to strip off his clothes and run wild through the pastures outside town.
 
 
 

*     *     *

Once 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.
 
 
 

*     *     *

Mischief never expected to encounter a shadow creature.

Especially not on the night her wings fell off and she became a real cat.

She just wants to find a home where she belongs. Instead, Mischief runs into the biggest shadow creature she’s ever seen. A creature that can transform itself under the light of the full moon into something solid and dangerous and hungry.

Mischief comes from a long line of feline fey. Proud hunters who protect the world from shadow creatures who stalk the unwary. But Mischief’s no longer fey—she’s just a cat.

One very determined cat.

*     *     *

The new Lady of the Wild Hunt called.

Tamara, Etelka and Dax answered the call even though they were barely more than pups.

They slipped into the physical world, running to the Lady’s call. Only to find that she hadn’t called them, not exactly.

Call or not, the Lady needed them, needed their support and their training and their ability to channel her anger into something useful.

Unfortunately, only one of them could be Chosen to stand by the Lady’s side.

*     *     *

When the sun has set, when the moon is full, the shapeshifters gather—wolves, cats and totemic creatures, nightmares and revelations.

Seeking answers, seeking revenge, seeking a cure to affliction, seeking blood, seeking answers or seeking love—a gathering of beasts abounds. Dare you walk beneath the moonlight?

By Howl & Claw by Rebecca Senese
“Spirit Dance” by Douglas Smith
“Big Bad Wolf” by Annie Reed
“Badlands” by Michele Lang
Family, Pack by Michael Jasper
“Serpent’s Foe” by J.M. Ney-Grimm
“The Night Mischief Became a Real Cat” by Annie Reed
“Silver Light” by Rita Schulz
“Wolf Warlock” by Meyari McFarland
Stolen by the Werewolf by AJ Tipton
“Beware the Easter Moon” by De Kenyon
“Moon Spell” by Rita Schulz

The Blood Moon bundle is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

 

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Here Be Magic

Two of my titles have been chosen for a new bundle!

In addition to my own Troll-magic and Hunting Wild, Here Be Magic includes 5 novels plus 5 shorts and a short story collection.

I’m a fan of Dayle Dermatis’ work, so I’m particularly eager to read her “Good Scrying Gone Bad.”

The opening for “Shakespeare’s Curse” hooked me, as did that of “The Warrior’s Curse.” And the premise of “Words of Rain and Shadow” intrigues me.

I suspect I have some good reading ahead of me. Perhaps you do, too! 😀

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The First Rule of Witchcraft: Harm none.

The Second Rule of Witchcraft: Practice magic only when you’re clear of mind.

That includes not practicing magic while drunk.

When drunken scrying goes awry, Madison connects with Brody, a cute guy trapped…somewhere. Freeing him becomes her obsession.

Does the Second Rule of Witchcraft count when it comes to love?

*

Prince Kellor, cursed by the troll-witch Mandine to live as a north-bear, wrestles with the challenges of his beast form. Pain wracks his body, and unpredictable rages blur his mind.

His childhood friend Elle holds the key to his escape, but should he endanger her by seeking her help?

A lyrical Beauty and the Beast tale, rife with shining glory, dark magnificence, and unexpected significance.
 
 

*

Teneyros—a young and ambitious wizard—hears rumors that the Elder of Scrolls Anansi intends to retire.

Anansi loves tricks. He envisions his successor as the trickiest of tricksters. Only the wiliest must win his position and lead the wizards of the world.

Teneyros plays Anansi’s game against his brother as well as their rival, Ben Jonson. Who will win and who will lose? Who will be the Elder of Scrolls?
 
 

*

Young 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.
 
 
 
 
 
 

*

He who bargains with monsters beware!

A hero forges an unholy bargain with a witch and learns that magic never forgets.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

*

The Shadow Folk attack when it rains.

Only Irinia can hear their voices. But the village seer refuses to listen to her. Women can’t be seers.

She must earn the trust of the village, and fast.

Because the rain brings death.
 
 
 
 
 

Magic invites . . .

Curses and blessing, sorcerous time travel, shape-shifters, hidden enchantment and corrupted blood.

Magic demands . . .

Saving those you love, courage, betrayal and fights against unspeakable forces.

Magic promises . . .

Last best hopes, reluctant and desperate heroes, ancient power unleashed and the compulsion to overcome death itself.

Magic risks . . .

Forbidden spells and deadly bargains.

Here be magic!

From life to death, from realm to realm, from past to future and in between—dare you adventure with wizards?

“Good Scrying Gone Bad” by Dayle A. Dermatis
Troll-magic by J.M. Ney-Grimm
“Shakespeare’s Curse” by Karen C. Klein
Lords of Dyscrasia by S.E. Lindberg
The Spell by Barbara G. Tarn
Hunting Wild by J.M. Ney-Grimm
“The Warrior’s Curse” by A. L. Butcher
Legacy of Mist and Shadow by Diana L. Wicker
A Sudden Outbreak of Magic by Michael Jasper
“Words of Rain and Shadows” by Linda Maye Adams
Tales of Erana by A. L. Butcher
Mage of Merigor by Alison Naomi Holt
“Drinking & Conjuring Don’t Mix” by Stefon Mears

The Here Be Magic bundle is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

For more bundles with my stories in them, see:
Eclectica
Here Be Unicorns
Here Be Merfolk
Here Be Fairies
Here Be Dragons
Immortals

 

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Here Be Monsters

The Here Be Monsters bundle is appropriately of a monstrous size—that is, it possesses 19 titles, which is huge for a bundle. Bundles usually have 10 – 12, at most.

I’m looking forward to Here Be Monsters myself, because I checked Amazon’s Look Inside for every story that had one, and nearly every title seems to be one I want to read! It will be a wonderful cornucopia for my summer.

Of course, one of the Monsters titles is my own, A Knot of Trolls. In previous posts about bundles, I’ve included a little bit about my own contribution, but I think I won’t this time. There are too many choices that aren’t mine that I want to feature, for me to spend space on Knot. If you want to learn more about Knot, check it out here. I will just mention that it’s a collection, with 7 shorts/novellas.

I did say that Monsters has a lot of reading, didn’t I? 😉 With 19 titles, one of which collects 7 titles together (mine), that’s 25 total, consisting of a mix of shorts, novellas, and novels. Perfect for a lazy day on the beach or lounging in a hammock in the shade or staying up too late of a summer night.

Edited to Add: No, I was wrong. A Murder of Crows is also a collection. Since it contains 16 tales, that makes 40 total in Here Be Monsters. Good grief! What are we waiting for?! Go click that buy button!

Check out the 8 titles below (of 40), and then go snap up your copy of Monsters. Links follow.

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A young woman discovers her own brand of magic in a pre-World War II Budapest teeming with monsters, vampires, and demons…

Eva Farkas has managed to survive in fascist Budapest despite her heritage and her congenital lack of magic. But after seeking the help of the Vampire Lord of Budapest, Eva comes to realize that mere survival isn’t enough. She must find the magic hidden inside of her, and not just survive, but fly.

The Magic of Fabulous is a novella set in the world of the Lady Lazarus historical fantasy series, and contains both an afterword by the author and excerpts from the other books in the series.

When the deck is stacked against you, how will you play the game?

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A collection of short horror, ghost, and dark fantasy stories for adults, woven together by a flock of crows, telling stories to entertain a girl trying to survive a tragedy…

“It was we crows who took your daughter, in case you were wondering. She didn’t run away. We had—I had—been watching her for some time, listening to her tell stories in the grass behind the house. She would sit near the chicken coop and watch the white chickens pick at the dirt, pulling up fat worms and clipping grasshoppers out of the air as they jumped toward the fields.

“Some of them were good stories. Some of them were bad. But that’s what decided it, even more than any issue of mercy or salvation or anything else. Crows are, for one, possessive of stories.”

*

Reaper Hawk—mightiest warrior in all Lysandria—tells the true tale of the minotaur in this gripping adventure of sword and sorcery, monsters and mayhem. Questing for adventure in the far east, Reaper meets the minotaur and becomes embroiled in his quest to recover his stolen humanity and reunite with his lost love. Before they are done, they’ll have to fight wizards and wyrms and overcome their own greatest fears, but if they’re successful, they’ll turn back the tide of chaos and restore order to the world.
 
 
 

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Monsters hide among the suburbs. Roland McReedy knows because he works for one, under duress. “The Rajah.” Roland and his partner Nelson hunt down occult oddities under threat of death for themselves, and worse for their families. Roland and Nelson face the night with only their knives, billy clubs, and wits to protect them.

But the Rajah’s latest demand pits Roland and Nelson against the foulest creatures in the San Francisco Bay Area, including a horror older than time itself.

In a world full of monsters how can mere humans survive?

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Magic has a cost. Sarah Beauhall, blacksmith and dragon slayer doesn’t know just how high. Her lover, Katie Cornett, has finally been overwhelmed by this spiraling cost and her spirit is blasted from her body and flung into a world of nightmares and monsters.

As Katie’s coma deepens and her chances of survival fade, Sarah’s spirit must make a journey of its own through a world of crystalline eaters and malevolent spirits who exist only to hunt and to consume.

Night after night Sarah delves beyond the hidden paths, going from crystalline landscapes into the wild lands and lost worlds far beyond the great sea of dreams.

When the spirit of a long dead murderer—known only as the Bowler Hat man—begins gathering an army in the forgotten lands, Sarah discovers that more than eaters and feeders pursue her.

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Dani’s family is unusual. She’s the youngest—and only girl—of seven. Being the lone female, her family would like her to be all girly and sweet like her best friend Allie. But Dani is a tomboy born and bred, and on her fourteenth birthday she discovers why.

Life is about to get decidedly strange!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Scylla is caught by surprise when her mother, the river nymph Crataeis, shows up unexpectedly. Mother’s infrequent visits are welcome, but also serve as a painful reminder of what Scylla’s life had been like before the evil witch Circe turned her into a hideous, people-eating monster.

The cliff Scylla lives on juts out into a narrow straight of water; an arrow-shot away lives the monster Charybdis, who sucks water – and any ships unfortunate enough to be close by – down a whirlpool and into her great maw several times a day. Mother asks Scylla to allow a ship that belongs to a young man named Odysseus to pass by unharmed a few days hence; that way his boat won’t have to venture too close to the whirlpool. Scylla agrees, on the condition that her mother go to Circe and plead with her to return Scylla to her normal human form.

But when Odysseus’ ship appears, Scylla realizes that perhaps things are not as they seem…

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Private eye Nick Beasley lives in a world where fairy tales ended a long time ago—where zeppelins now soar the skies instead of dragons, and where the first automobiles have taken the place of flying carpets. He’s made a name for himself across the Afterlands by debunking fake magicians and exposing fraudulent monsters. This is the modern age, after all. Magic and monsters are long gone.

At least, that’s what Nick believes. Until he gets magically transformed into a monster, that is.

The only person who may be able to help Nick is Lady Cordelia Beaumont, one of the last enchantresses in the Afterlands. But in order for her to cure him, they’ll have to retrieve a powerful artifact from a ruthless crime lord—who is also Cordelia’s father.

The fate of the Afterlands lies in the hands of a runaway enchantress and a monstrous ex-detective. What could possibly go wrong?

Perfect for fans of Doctor Who, Once Upon A Time, Indiana Jones, or The Dresden Files, the Beaumont and Beasley series features high adventure in a world where fairy tales are history.

We love to fear them and fight them. Monsters come in many forms, from the monsters within to the monsters outside and under the bed. Dare you venture into the caverns and the castles? Dare you enter the darkness of an accursed soul?

An eclectic collection of dark creatures and those who confront them. You have been warned.

Here Be Monsters features 19 tales (really 40) of myths, monsters, and mayhem.

The Here Be Monsters bundle is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

 

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Summer Shimmer

The latest seasonal story bundle curated by A. L. Butcher is out!

I’ve not had a chance to read it yet—super busy with design work on the paperback of my upcoming novella Blood Silver—but there are several titles that especially catch my eye.

I’ll list them below, along with my own novella, Skies of Navarys, also included in the collection.

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IT HAPPENED in early September, the time of year when the city does its damndest to remember what heat was, just one more time before winter rocks on in…

This is a story of horror and haunting regret.

A group of homeless men—fishing for a little fun and folly—latch onto something that MIGHT be a mermaid.

Regret lives on and lingers—long after the last tear drop has fallen.

“If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon.” —BOOKGASM

“Steve Vernon was born to write. He’s the real deal and we are lucky to have him.” —Richard Chizmar, CEMETERY DANCE

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SAN FRANCISCO. Haight-Ashbury. It is midnight in the Summer of Love. Thomas Brock and Evelyn Love are attorneys who crusade for the rights of OTs—Other-Than-Humans. Their clients include ghosts, gargoyles, vampires, and things that have not yet been given names. The city’s OT element is sometimes malevolent, sometimes misunderstood, and often discriminated against. Brock and Love represent them, whatever the case, whatever the species.

Magic hangs heavy in San Francisco, and danger and intrigue is as thick as the fog around the Golden Gate Bridge.

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WHEN ETHAN RILEY earned a summer internship in Yellowstone National Park, he thought he’d won the world’s best lottery, but that was before he met the girl of his dreams, Jenny Leigh.

Jenny’s family had lived and worked in Yellowstone for generations, and the beautiful and fascinating young woman knew all its secrets.

Including a few that might just be the death of Ethan!
 
 

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QUITE HOW Ashley Mason made the journey from rural Kansas to working atop a lookout tower in the Montana wilderness eludes her. This summer’s challenge: coping with isolation.

Brent Tucker dedicates every summer to learning something new. In the past he pursued competitive swimming and ballroom dancing. This summer’s goal: to master hang gliding.

This year they both will learn more than they bargained for during the Summer of Fire and Heart.

~a Firehawks Lookouts romance story~

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WHEN THE KING’S GEOMANCER announces that a tidal wave threatens Navarys—the Atlantis of the North-lands—every citizen on the island springs to action. Amidst the uproar, the aeromancer Palujon steals unique and magical lodestones.

Mago, son of the lodestones’ creator, vows to retrieve his father’s precious artifacts. But Mago’s friend Liliyah questions Palujon’s motives.

Why would a man of his stature break the law? Is he truly a dastard?

Life and death hang on her answers.

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Hot lazy days, cracking thunderstorms, paddling a canoe upriver, long twilights filled with chasing fireflies, picnics under shady oak trees, overnights with friends and ghost stories. The days of summer carry us back to memories of the delights from childhood.

But summertime offers abundance even when we leave the realm of innocence—perhaps especially then. It’s a season of warmth, growth, and strength, embodying the powerful move from inspirations and ideas into reality: action, decision, and works we can touch and use.

This mixed-genre bundle of summery sensations features romance in the wilds of Montana, an alien invasion, revelation in a tropical and buggy third-world country, paranormal adventures during the Summer of Love, a serial killer who targets telepaths, and more.

Available for 3 months only—June, July, and August.

The Summer Shimmer bundle (with 11 titles) is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

 

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A Bundle of Fairies

My story The Troll’s Belt is in the Here Be Fairies bundle along with 12 other titles.

I’m excited about it, because some of the other participating authors are amazing. I’ve enjoyed the works of Leah Cutter, Anthea Sharp, and Kristine Kathryn Rush for several years now. But this bundle also features two of my newest favorites: Alexandra Brandt and Leslie Claire Walker.

Here’s a little bit about the bundle:

Fairies, fair folk, imps, trolls, and pixies—they haunt our myths from Ireland to Iceland and everywhere else. Join in the fairy fun, or fairy fear, as good, bad, and mischievous they show themselves. Dare you take the trip to Fairyland? No one who returns is ever quite the same.

And here’s a quick rundown of the titles that especially caught my interest:

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FUNERAL DIRECTORS DEAL with everything at a funeral, but only a few must handle an influx of flower fairies. Or worse: the arrival of a flower fairy child, alone and unsupervised.

Flower fairies are unpredictable…except when they get angry. And then they become terrifying.

So, what will they do if they think one of their children faces danger?

 

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~ USA Today Bestselling Urban Fantasy ~

WHAT IF A HIGH-TECH computer game was a gateway to the dangerous Realm of Faerie?

Feyland is the most immersive computer game ever designed, and Jennet Carter is the first to play the prototype. But she doesn’t suspect the virtual world is close enough to touch—or that she’ll be battling for her life against the Dark Queen of the faeries.

Tam Linn is the perfect hero, in-game. Too bad the rest of his life is seriously flawed. The last thing he needs is rich-girl Jennet prying into his secrets, insisting he’s the only one who can help her.

Together, Jennet and Tam enter the Dark Realm of Feyland, only to discover that the entire human world is in danger. Pushed to the limit of their abilities, they must defeat the Dark Queen… before it’s too late.

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ON GULL ISLAND in the cold North, Eithni awaits Winter Solstice with pride, resentment, and fear. All signs point to a Taking year. And Eithni, chosen to enter the chamber of the gods, prepares to leave her human community forever.

On the other side of the Stone Door, Sable stands guard in anticipation of a successful solstice, when the veil between worlds will lift…and when her liege, a lightlord of the fae, will claim the human woman who willingly steps across into the Summer realm.

But everything changes when Eithni breaks the rules.

Everything changes when Sable hears a voice from the stone.

A fantasy love story set among the Picts in Iron Age Scotland.

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A faery sword — A haunted mermaid — A fallen angel

WHEN THE FAE SWORD named War transports Amy to the scene of a magical crime, she finds more than a dead man. The oldest Watcher, Shadow, newly reborn, saw the murder. The victim isn’t innocent, and the killer remains on the loose.

Haunted by the past, Amy wields a powerful weapon. But the source of her mermaid magic—her wild, untamed feelings—frightens her. She’s no hero, and yet the fight comes down to her.

She must learn to trust her her magic, her emotions . . . everything, or she and Shadow have no chance of stopping the killer.

If they fail, enchantment—and with it, all the worlds—will never be the same.

A story about awakening magic and lighting the fires of hope.

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THE GREATER OREGON Fairy Kingdom hides beneath the Pacific Ocean cliffs. Between their own lost dreams, battles with the dwarves, and the encroaching humans, the kingdom continues to diminish. Only two young humans can save them now.

Will Dale, the young human Tinker, answer their dreams? Can he repair the malfunctioning clockwork of the kingdom? Help them finish their great machine? Can they make him care enough?

Or will Nora, his twin sister and a human Maker, align herself with the hated dwarves and destroy the fairies instead?

The Clockwork Fairy Kingdom—the first novel in this exciting New Adult trilogy—combines fast-paced action with magic and modern day clockwork. A delightful read for all ages!

Be sure to read the other two books in the trilogy, The Maker, the Teacher, and the Monster and The Dwarven Wars.

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And here’s a little about my own contribution to the bundle, along with some kind words by reviewer James J. Parson.

YOUNG DECEIT sprouts timeless trouble.

Motherless Brys Arnsson digs himself into trouble. Bad trouble. Tricked by a troll in J.M. Ney-Grimm’s richly imagined North-lands, Brys must dig himself and his best friend back out of danger. But that requires courage … and self-honesty. Traits Brys lacks at depth.

A twist on a classic, The Troll’s Belt builds from humor-threaded conflict to white-knuckle suspense.
 
 

The writing style is fantastic. It’s somehow youthful (as it’s through the eyes of a twelve year old) and mature at the same time. Normally, it would be a challenge to discuss…responsibility, loyalty and forgiveness with such a young ‘voice,’ but Ney-Grimm does so easily. The result is a thought provoking tale…” —James J. Parsons

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The Here Be Fairies bundle (including The Troll’s Belt and 12 other titles) is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

For more bundles with my stories in them, see:
Eclectica
Here Be Unicorns
Here Be Merfolk
Here Be Dragons
Immortals

 

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Here Be Dragons

The Here Be Dragons bundle has three of my titles in it!

They stalk our myths and hunt our past—dragons—humankind’s greatest and oldest foe. Good, bad, legendary and deadly. Dare you enter the dragon’s lair?

Thirteen tales of dragons, their friends and their foes.

The Crown and the Dragon
        by John D. Payne
Dragon Writers (an anthology)
        edited by Lisa Mangum
Of Blood and Scales
        by A. L. Butcher
Devouring Light
        by J.M. Ney-Grimm
Ascension of the Whyte
        by Karen Wrighton
Of Dragons and Centaurs
        by Deb Logan
Night of the Clockwork Dragon
        by Louisa Swann
The Legend of G and the Dragonettes
        by Russ Crossley
The Dreamweaver’s Journey
        by Diana L. Wicker
Graybill by Rita Schulz
Star-drake by J.M. Ney-Grimm
Like At Loch Ness by Karen L. Abrahamson
Winter Glory by J.M. Ney-Grimm

The Here Be Dragons bundle (with 13 titles) is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, or direct from the BundleRabbit site.

For more bundles with my stories in them, see:
Eclectica
Here Be Unicorns
Here Be Merfolk
Here Be Fairies
Immortals

 

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