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Blessed Samhain and Happy Halloween!
Welcome to the Witching Season. This is my favorite month of the year. We're having massive windstorms here, as I write this. The worst one is coming tomorrow night (Saturday the 14th) so I'm getting this written in advance, just in case the storm proves to be as bad as they think it can be. Probably will be fine, but I firmly believe in being prepared.
Anyway, this is the season of all things dark and stormy, of ghosts and creatures lurking in the shadows, it's the season of Samhain (pronounced Sow-een), when we honor the part death plays in the life cycle, and remember our ancestors. I decorate heavily each year starting in September for Mabon and going through Yule--so the house is always filled with lights and decorations, and my pumpkinscape is up outside--I'd take pictures but right now, things are battened down because of the wind.
So I have fun news! First, at the bottom of this newsletter is an exclusive excerpt from FURY'S MAGIC. Then...remember how I said I was releasing the Chintz 'n China Series again in e-format? Well, I decided to do so early! Ghost of a Chance is out in e-format (I'll put out my own PB version soon).
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GHOST OF A CHANCE
Chintz 'n China Book #1
Emerald O'Brien is the owner of the Chintz 'n China Tea Room where guests are served the perfect blend of teas and tarot readings. She never set out to be a detective, but once word gets out that she can communicate with the dead, there's no turning back... When the ghost of Susan Mitchell asks for Emerald's help in convicting her own murderer, Emerald can't refuse. Along with her friends-an ex-supermodel and a cop-and her new love interest, Emerald must search for clues to put the killer behind bars, and Susan's tortured soul to rest.
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Nook |
iBooks/iTunes |
Kobo
UPCOMING RELEASES:
New Release Tentative Schedule:
October 31:
Taming the Vampire (with my prequel to fun new series in it!)*
November 1:
Fury's Magic (Fury Unbound #2)
November 15:
Silver Belles Anthology (short romantic winter solstice story in that)*
December 6: (a surprise)*
January 17:
Moon Shimmers (Otherworld #19)
Re-Release Tentative Schedule:
October 25:
Legend of the Jade Dragon re-release (Chintz 'n China #2)
November 8:
Murder Under A Mystic Moon re-release (Chintz 'n China #3)
November 15:
A Harvest of Bones re-release (Chintz 'n China #4)
November 25:
One Hex of a Wedding re-release (Chintz 'n China #5)
*-E-format only
I'm working on FURY'S MAGIC and almost done. Now's a great time to read FURY RISING if you haven't yet.
Kindle | Nook | iTunes | Kobo
Book Video
AND...don't forget... On October 31st, I've got a short novelette coming out in TAMING THE VAMPIRE--an anthology containing over 25 authors, all surrounding vampires!
My novelette--BLOOD MUSIC--will be a prequel for my new Bewitching Bedlam series I'll be starting next year! (I know I said Blood Song last newsletter--that was my mistake, song...music...easy mix up!)
BLOOD MUSIC
When fun-loving witch Maddy Gallowglass moves to Bedlam to restore an old mansion and turn it into a magical bed-and-breakfast, the last thing she expects is to meet her match in the gorgeous vampire Aegis, a former servant of Apollo. You can preorder TAMING THE VAMPIRE.
So, to answer some questions:
Q: What about SOULJACKER--is it still coming out?
A: Yes. We've had some sticky issues with it, but it's finally slated for a March 7, 2017 release from Diversion Books. And here's the cover--AND I got news that an audio deal has been made so it will be coming out in audio!
Q: What about Whisper Hollow?
A: After SHADOW SILENCE is out, I do plan on continuing the series with one--maybe two--books a year. I plan on releasing CROW SONG in 2017 and MORRÍGAN'S BLADE in 2018.
Q: Why can't we buy your indie work in the store?
A: Because indie work is primarily in e-format, and the POD (Print on Demand) print versions are only available via Amazon and Createspace. So you'll have to order my books online from now on, whether they are e-format or print. But hey--you'll get nice quality copies. The paperbacks are quite a bit more expensive than the e-books (which are a lot cheaper than my usual e-books from traditional publishers), but they will be available for as many of the books as I can make them.
A few other things:
- Remember, you can also follow me on Bookbub if you want new release/sales blasts for my novels. And check my blog for news, pictures, updates, and contests.
- Thank you ALL for your support and all the wonderful messages I received about my decision to go indie as an author--I need my readers more than ever now!
And now: An exclusive excerpt from FURY'S MAGIC for you!
My legs were burning with the cold, but the pain took my mind off my sides and arms. I moved to the center--giving Elan better latitude with her bariclore--and we plunged forward into the storm. We had been walking for awhile longer when there was a flutter nearby. I froze, my skin crawling with the same feeling I got when I was near an Abomination.
"Something's near and it's bad. So bad..." I wanted to turn and run--I had never felt quite so overwhelmed, but the sounds were coming from all sides now. I slapped my thigh and my whip came off in my hand. Elan raised her crossbow, and Hans his hammer as we turned to stand, back to back, to from a triangle of protection.
A flicker here. A flutter there. A whisper of sound all around. They're here. They're here and they're hungry.
The whispers echoed in my mind as I raised my whip, the light of it glowing with a comforting fire. I unsheathed my dagger with my left hand, poised and ready, all thoughts of the pain gone as adrenaline fueled my body.
And then, they came, swarming in. Birds with razor sharp beaks, but twisted in the way no bird should be. Their wings beat so fast they were surrounded by a blur of movement, and their brilliant eyes shone, a gaudy candy-colored pink. They were black, like crows, but their heads and eyes were oversized and as they darted toward us, I realized they were trying to peck our faces. Elan shouted as one dove to the side and stabbed her wrist. As the blood began to flow, the swarm of Starklings went into a frenzy, creating a massive flurry that mingled with the snow to blot out everything else.
I raised my whip, pulling away from Hans and Elan so I wouldn't hit them, and brought it down through the center of the swarm with a massive crack. The fire blazing off the thong met the moisture in the snow and set up a web of sparks that raced through the nearest Starklings. They shrieked as the lightning crackled along their wings, frying them. I let out a battle scream, stabbing one with my dagger that was near enough to reach. As my blade pierced the body, the Starkling exploded, spraying my hand and dagger with a viscous liquid that burned like liquid nitrogen.
My first instinct was to drop to the ground. I plunged my hand in the snow but the cold only made the pain worse. Without thinking, I thrust my hand in the air, pulling every drop of heat I could to me. The faint glow of fire began to surround my fingers, soothing the ache, and as the relief grew, so did the flames.
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