Speculative Fiction Worth Reading - 3 Reviews for Untethered Realms Authors

Nora's life goes from rotten to worse when she moves with her newly divorced mother to a decrepit farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. As soon as they move in, strange things start to happen, and Nora discovers a magical journal in the attic. She learns about the past and what is going to happen again, if she doesn't stop it. All the while, she finds herself falling for a gorgeous local boy whose parents may have been victims of this horror. Will Nora be able to figure how what's happening in time to save not only those she cares about but herself as well? 

This is a fantastic YA paranormal read. I was sucked into the detailed setting of the old farmhouse and little town. The perfect creepy atmosphere for all the supernatural happenings. There are a lot of layers to the plot. What was happening in the past, how it is touching the present, and everyone going on in the modern day. It was very well done how Nora is dealing with her parents' divorce, and even how her writer mother is dealing with it. It is in no way painted as an easy thing. Then to add just being a teenager moving to a new place, trying to fit in and make friends, and falling for a guy named Rebel who may or may not be trouble! Plus ghosts, a beast, and magic. It was so much fun!

Buy The Upside Down of Nora Gaines here!

Indigo Rain discovers an ancient plaque in a seabed burial site and is asked to become an esteemed Keeper. She is paired with the handsome Bay Finley, who is a Royal merfolk Keeper. His haughty attitude infuriates her, but there is something that draws her to him. Indigo must unravel the mystery of the plaque before the threats on land and in the sea kill her.

This is another incredible book in the paranormal romance series, The Keepers of Knowledge. I love the author's take on merfolk. The marvelous history of the merfolk and how they evolved to mingle with people on land. Indigo is not your typical sea beauty. She's the daughter of a kelp farmer and an intelligent scientist. Bay seems like a playboy prince at first, but his layers peel back as Indigo gets to know him. I love the twists and turns this story took me on, and the unique settings underwater alongside the now familiar town of Pyreshore.

Buy Secrets of the Mermaid here!

Ami and Luke are immortal coincidence makers, but it isn't a fate Ami would wish on anyone. When they are tasked with getting two people to meet to become like them, Ami isn't certain she wants it to happen. Luke disagrees, and things are rocky as they meet up with old friends as they discover that perhaps the bio-terrorists they believed they had thwarted are readying for another attack. While they have not been tasked to stop it, can they stand by and let millions of people die or will they take the chance and do this on their own?

This is the second book in this thrilling speculative fiction series, and it is even better than the first. It's immensely well-written and smart with a layered plot. I empathized with Ami as she struggled with wanting to recruit the new coincidence makers and wanting to let them choose their own fates as she did not feel she got to choose her own. The rogue coincidence makers had decided they're not taking orders any more and want to act as gods, but that's not the role Ami wants to play either. All the while there is a job to be done and a huge terrorist attack to stop. There are twists and turns which made me gasp, and while this could be a stand alone book, it sets the stage for even bigger things to come. I can't wait!

Buy In Defiance of Fate here!

New Release - Spirits in the Water #shortstories #sciencefiction #fantasy

The fourth anthology in our Elements of Untethered Realms series, Spirits in the Water is now available.

A haunted journey on a riverboat, water sprites borne of pennies, preternatural creatures, ancient serpents, and the Lady of the Lake lurk in dark waters. Raging storms and magical rainbow fountains. Water is spectacularly beautiful but also treacherous.

Gwen Gardner gives us Shake, Rattle and Row. Harlow Grayson has the chance to rid herself of a pesky ghost but she must first brave a haunted riverboat and recover a family heirloom. What she finds might be more than she can handle.

Jeff Chapman offers The Water Wight. When a drowned girl changes her mind about suicide, Merliss and her associates face a fearsome, preternatural creature.

M. Pax presents The Wallows. Evernee Weems wants to escape this world in the worst way. Her daughter needs everything, the rent is being raised, Evernee’s job barely pays minimum wage, and she has little hope for better. Inside a puddle is a different reality. She jumps in, happy to trade her problems for a life in which worries don’t exist. Or do they?

Angela Brown gives us Extraordinary. Puberty hits Angelique like a gut punch and brings about a change, forcing an unexpected revelation about her past. All seems well until a vicious storm tears through her Texas community, and Angelique learns there are worse things than a little change.

River Fairchild presents You Can’t Go Home Again. A young woman, filled with regret about the past, goes on a journey and discovers more than she bargained for.

Simon Kewin offers us The Waters, Dividing the Land. Hyrn the horned god of the woodlands is learning the meaning of fear. Death magic blights the land, threatening everyone and everything. To save what he can from spreading corruption, he turns to the ancient river serpents, but they’ve grown old and distant and may not hear his call at all.

Christine Rains gives us Frozen. A necromancer is on the frozen moon of Saturn where the dead do scream.

Meradeth Houston presents The Flood. Sometimes a flooded kitchen isn’t the unluckiest thing to happen to you.

Catherine Stine offers Maizy of Bellagio. April still searches for her mother who vanished nineteen years ago from the fountain at Hotel Bellagio in Vegas. Can Maizy, a water sprite who works the fountain’s pink colors, begin to help the three generations of eccentric women tortured by this tragedy?

M. Gerrick gives us The One Who Would Wield the Sword. Nikka is supposed to be nothing more than dragon bait so a real dragon hunter can do his job, but the Lady in the Lake has other plans for her.

Cherie Reich presents The Folding Point. Aimee’s fight against those who banned paper magics has begun.

From USA Today, Amazon bestselling, and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Spirits in the Water, a supernatural anthology of eleven thrilling tales. Spirits in the Water is the fourth, long-awaited Elements story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

 

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Add on Goodreads!

Read some excerpts from Spirits in the Water.

To celebrate the release for Spirits in the Water, the first Elements of Untethered Realms anthology Twisted Earths is free on all major retailers. Pick up your copy today!

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

9 Twisted Tales Set in 9 Twisted Worlds #SpeculativeFiction #Giveaway

Untethered Realms is celebrating the upcoming release of the 4th collection in our elemental story series: Spirits on the Water. We're celebrating by making the first in the series, Twisted Earths, FREE!

That's right, 9 outstanding, fantastical stories for the price of free.

Twisted Earths Available at:

Amazon / AmazonUK / Google Play / Smashwords / iTunes / B&N / Kobo

Here's what you get:

Twisted Earths is a collection of tales from Untethered Realms, a group of speculative fiction authors. The stories are as varied and rich as the types of soil on this and other planets—sandy loam, clay, knotted with roots and vines, dreaded paths through unexplored planets, and in enchanted forests, lit by candlelight and two moons. 

M. Pax, author of the series, The Backworlds and The Rifters spins a tale called Patchworker 2.0. Specialists with digital interfaces are the only ones who can distinguish between biological energy and mechanical pulses, and “patch” AIs, which hold the world together. Patchworker Evalyn Shore meets up with an AI with deadly intent.

Cherie Reich, known for her epic fantasy series The Fate Challenges and The Foxwick Chronicles, presents Lady Death. Umbria, a beautiful and powerful swordsmith, is given an impossible task by her brother Leon when he asks, “You are the assassin. Are you scared to destroy Death when you are up to your elbows in it?”

Angela Brown is the author of the paranormal Shadow Jumpers and NEO Chronicles series. In her story, In The Know, Jacob, a loyal family man is struggling to stay out of debt when he’s hired to report on big plans for a future Detroit. He’s given a mysterious manila envelope with instructions to “open it alone” or pay the price. With switchback twists you won’t see coming, a debt of a much steeper cost is what he just might end up paying for his involvement.

Catherine Stine, author of the futuristic thrillers, Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire, offers The Day of The Flying Dogs, a sinister tale of brilliant, troubled NYC high-school student, Theo. He experiences a day at Coney Island that includes drugs, delusions, a lonely capybara, Nathan’s hotdogs and a mind-bending lesson in our very twisted universe.

Christine Rains, known best for her paranormal series The Thirteenth Floor, gives us The Ole Saint, a story at once sweet, horrific and heartrending. Ezra longs to fit in and have boys stop calling him witch and freak, yet his unique supernatural skill sets him apart, and the last gift from The Ole Saint cinches the deal.

Graeme Ing, known for his young adult fantasy, Ocean of Dust presents The Malachite Mine, a gripping, scream-inducing ride. Whatever was Mary thinking when she accepted her husband’s gift of a most terrifying twenty-first birthday celebration in an abandoned Russian mine?

River Fairchild, author of her Jewels of Chandra series, presents A Grand Purpose. Rosaya and her cousin, Drianna are soon to be married off, but Rosaya is unhappy with her assigned match. She’s much more intoxicated by the older Firrandor, a wizard she hardly knows. When Rosaya is accused of killing an oracle boy, all bets are off, not only for her love, but her freedom.

Gwen Gardner, who pens the cozy paranormal mystery series, Indigo Eady, adds to her collection with Ghostly Guardian. Indigo and her rib-tickling ghost-busters must travel to a dangerous pirate-laden past in order to unearth a curmudgeonly eighteenth century spirit that is plaguing the Blind Badger Pub.

Misha Gerrick, whose War of Six Crowns series is forthcoming, gives us a story called Red Earth and White Light. Emily, a young ghost bride has long haunted a house. She longs to cross over into the afterlife, but she’s trapped in memories of lilies and betrayal.

The stories in this collection are marvelous, strange, frightening, and otherworldly. And we know you're ready for more. They're coming in Spirits of the Water! Huzzah!

Ceylon, Elle & April - 3 generations of women & the water sprite who helped them

For our last Elements anthology, Sprits in the Water I spin a three-generational tale of strong women and the sprite who helps them. Ceylon was a dancer who followed the Grateful Dead. Her daughter, Elle performed in water ballets, and her daughter April, not a dancer herself, now follows Britney Spears from concert to concert because she's obsessed with Britney's dancers. There's a problem... Back in the mid nineties, Elle made a wish at the Hotel Bellagio fountain in Vegas, and was never seen again. Hope you enjoy the little excerpt!

The new anthology cover!

The fountain at Bellagio in Vegas

Maizy of Bellagio (Or Little Helper) 

excerpt by Catherine Stine 

Maizy was born in Vegas from a wishing penny someone tossed in the musical fountain at Bellagio. Most of the color sprites were born of pennies, though some were attracted there from afar by the fantastic reports. Rumor had it the fountain sprites at Bellagio enjoyed gourmet eats, lively company and splendid karma if they were lucky enough to connect with the human who flung the coin and grant the wish. The magic strings that connected the sprites to the owners of the coins were gauzy and ethereal, and the sprites needed to navigate skillfully up the center of the strings in order to make contact. This part was tricky because the newborn sprites needed to test their veined wings. Often the sharp nubs of their wing-joints broke the strings, which melted away, leaving the sprite lost in flight.

Before the sprites born of the pennies were able to work in the fountains, they had to prove they could beat their wings at 180 beats per second, and produce colors as they did. Many couldn’t whip their wings that fast, or only emit a flickering gray shade. Others fainted from the effort.

In the dead of night, when the humans finally straggled to the elevators after a long night of debauchery, the sprites would minnow up from the water and flit into the lounges, bars and cavernous dining halls. There, they would fill their bellies on exotic flowers from Bellagio’s stunning gardens, and slurp spilled wines from the long mahogany bar tables—velvety reds from the south of France, virgin blush from Sonoma’s most rarified vineyards.

The humans assumed the fountains’ colorful patterns coordinated to the music were the result of high-tech digital processors. That’s what the Bellagio brochures boasted.
But the color sprites knew better. The water show depended on their ability to gather seamlessly in arcs and circles, pulsate their wings at high velocity while dancing just under the water’s surface.
Maizy’s special color was pink. Her spot in the fountain alternated between the pink and yellow wielding sprites. The colors appeared to rotate, but it was only because the sprites themselves fluttered back and forth between two bands.
But she learned this all later. After she met her wish-maker, April.

***

April Tulle, a pretty twenty-one year-old human, sat in front of her bedroom’s faux Rococo vanity in the Bellagio and glued the last paper flower onto her floral halo. She’d made it herself, paper dahlia by paper daisy, leaves as pert as the first bursts of spring, tiny berries on winding vines, and a sprinkling of paper butterflies—a teal one here, a polka-dot one there. She applied a creamy lipstick to match the crown’s baby’s breath, and a lavender eye shadow to play off the forget-me-nots.

April sighed at the thought of not forgetting. As excited as she was to see Britney’s newest show live, she was committed to remembering her mother, Elle. Staying here at Bellagio unearthed upsetting emotions. It wasn’t that April herself had stayed here before. She hadn’t.

It was because Elle had been found in the mid-nineties when Bellagio first opened, floating in the fountain. Or more accurately, her floral headpiece. Her body was missing and the mystery never solved. So, if April was being completely honest, she didn’t actually remember her mother. April had only been a year and a half when her mother disappeared and April was shuttled back to Arizona to live with her granny, Ceylon.

Sure, April recalled sensations—Elle’s gentle hands stroking her head, the glide of a baby spoon around her mouth to clean away food puree. And she remembered her mother’s perfume, because every time April smelled Muguet des Bois her chest filled with a welter of sad-happy emotions.
April honored her mother by making her own flowered halos, and wearing them at every concert. She was obsessed with expert choreography like the ones in Britney Spears’ troupe. OMG, the oiled men in loincloths, the women slinking around like lionesses. April wasn’t a dancer herself, she was into writing dark song lyrics, but she so admired them. She came from a dancing dynasty.

Her granny, Ceylon had been secretly hired by the Grateful Dead in the seventies to pirouette and freeform in the front of the stage. A Rolling Stone cover was tacked to Ceylon’s tree bark wall: of her dancing braless, her diaphanous paisley gown billowing in the wind. She boasted that her lithe movements and white-blonde hair captivated as many people as Garcia’s guitar extravaganzas.
“Sure, there were drugs,” Ceylon explained, “distributed with fanfare. Little helpers,” she called them, and showed April the beaded purse she’d kept them in, hung from her unbleached hemp belt.

In the mid-nineties, April’s mom, Elle had met the members of Starfish, a synchronized swimming ensemble at one of Ceylon’s garden parties. Elle swore she’d found her true calling, and soon after she toured the country with them. The swimmers formed swirling pinwheels, water cartwheels and stood on their heads as they held their breaths, scissoring their legs to the roar of the crowds.

Gazing into the vanity mirror, April blinked away tears as she shaped the color on her lips. Where had her mother’s body gone all those years ago? Against her will, she asked this question every single day. Had it gotten stuck in a large drainpipe? Decomposed in the bowels of the Vegas sewers? Or had a gambling necrophiliac stolen it? Too much lurid speculation was bad for April’s mental health. She snapped her lipstick case shut and shrugged off the horror.

To be continued in the forthcoming anthology!

Post-Election Thoughts & Two Questions for Authors

 

 In my post-election daze, I realize it's my turn to write the UR blog. I've been in a profound state of shock and thus, tempted to pawn my duties off to a fellow UR member. But, like the trooper I am (LOL) I decided to persist.

My neutral author cover has been blown on Facebook. And I did it intentionally, albeit with extreme trepidation. This election cycle was just too important to stay in my shell and pretend I didn't care. I've been posting a lot.

Yet, for the sake of this post, I am going back into that shell, or at least crawling halfway under, so it's not too lopsided, so I can speak to all sides. Many of my fellow authors vowed to not speak out, for good reason. We authors, do business on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and blogs. As the week unfolded, I noticed that other authors were very outspoken. Some well-known, some less known. Authors are thoughtful beings, and whether the post was weighted to one political party or the other, they felt it was their duty to speak out.

Authors like Bruce Coville, Chris Crutcher, Ellen Hopkins are passionate spokespeople, as is science fiction darling, John Scalzi and indie star, Hugh Howey. Oddly enough, they all post on Facebook, maybe to speak to the most amount of folks as they can.

Coville writes, "In nearly seven decades of wandering around on this planet, one thing I've learned for certain is that making a decision out of anger almost invariably leads to bad results. So what does it tell us that tens of millions of Americans made their decision on who to support for president based on their feelings of anger? Not a good sign, in my opinion." He posted this link to a glimpse of a lesser heard view.

I was afraid that I'd get flack. Sure, I've unfollowed a few people and a few have unfollowed me. BUT, through my transparency, I've gained so many new friends! People seem eager, even desparate to talk, to bounce around theories and ideas, to talk about their frustration, their pain, their joy. So, I have no regrets. And though I may not post as many political/cultural rants, I won't be scared to anymore.

Authors are talking about the power of fiction to heal. They're speaking about being led to pen new dystopian novels. This time does speak to the dystopian... what with border walls and terrorism and the possible loss of human rights and freedoms. I've been thinking again about 1984, and a couple of Big Brother's doublespeak slogans, Ignorance is Strength. War is Peace.

My question to you... well, I have two of them:

1. As an author, do you prefer to speak out or remain neutral?
2. If you had to describe the last year as a novel, which one comes to mind?

Huzzizzle of the Realms - September 2016 UR News #amreading

Catherine Stine

My futuristic thrillers in the Fireseed series have all new covers, updated interiors and a brand new sequel novella called Blue House Magic. To celebrate, I've put Fireseed One (book 1) on sale for 99 cents (free on KU), and made the sequel novella absolutely FREE! If you haven't read the series, it's a great time to nab book 1.

Here's a link to the landing page, with all the info and links. And here are the pretty new covers!

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Buy links:

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

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Cathrina Constantine

"Don't Forget to Breathe encompasses so much: heartbreak, mean girls, the bad boy, the good boy, murder, mystery, and ghosts. Seriously what more could you ask for???" ~ MYBLISSFULBOOKS review

A Great Read for this time of year!!! A Psychological Thriller!!

AMAZON: One Click: smarturl.it/dontbreathe

Available in AUDIO: smarturl.it/dontforgetbreathe-au

Which seeds will aid Bex in saving her world?

In a world ruined by long-forgotten ancestors, Bex sets off to establish a new homestead with her ideal man. The fact he’s a robot and has to do everything she says is wonderful. For a day. When she arrives at the plot of earth, from which she will nurture the precious seeds she’s been entrusted with, it’s already occupied. By a man. And he’s no robot. He has radical ideas as corrosive as the air.

Also included is the Deadly Sins Collection:

The Fall: A battle with aliens for the last habitable planet will determine humanity’s fate. Are we the supreme life form in the galaxy?

Poetic Greed: The wrongs keep piling up as a heroic doctor attempts to right her life. Two greeds don’t make a right.

Blood is Thicker than Time: An anger so violent, so virile, it transcends time.

99c ebook at: 

Amazon / UK / AU / CA / DE / FR / ES / IT / NL / IN / JP / MX / BR / Googleplay /iBook / B&N / Kobo / Inktera / Smashwords

Corrosive story only (no sins) at Bookcessories for 75c

The Journeys story bundle. Three women face the start of their life. 

Plantgirl   /  A journey from hopeless to hope. Ba Rainey can barely make the effort to get through each day. In hopes of bettering her life, she puts Miracle Gro in her shoes.

Translations  /  A journey brushed by magic. Nora Elliot travels to the Mid East with Mr. Allen to translate ancient inscriptions. He barely notices her until the tomb seals him inside and she’s the only one who can save him.

Omens and Lifesavers  /  This new New Yorker’s journey begins with a naked man on the No. 7 train. This story was a contest winner and based on true events.

75c Available for all ereaders HERE

Huzzizzle of the Realm - February 2016 UR News #amreading

Check out these awesome new reads from the authors of UR!

(Book #1 of The Sasquatch Susies)

Suzetta Hughes has it bad for gorgeous forest guide Rayce Webb, but her best friend already called dibs on him. He hasn’t shown interest in anyone other than Suzetta, though. Clearly that means the claim is canceled, right? But after Suzetta shares more than a kiss with him by the river, everything goes wrong. Suzetta flees into the woods alone, leaving behind both her pissed friend and a hot guy who’s actually attracted to her. And exploring a potential Sasquatch hideout only makes things worse—and more dangerous.

Buy the book:

Ellora's Cave * Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Goodreads

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Heart in a Box by Catherine Stine

Joss Olstad wins the fight to switch from her private school to a public high to “find her pieces” she lost when the Indian artist father she never knew died. There, Joss struggles with a slutty friend, who flirts with her new love, club girls who press her on her shady past, as well as her stoner mother’s lies back at home. Armed only with her handmade heart boxes that hold private messages, Joss’s search for identity leads her to a scary industrial section of Queens, and a shocking family secret that changes everything.

9+ weeks in Amazon Top 100 Teen & Alternative Family

“Found myself completely intrigued!” - Go Read a Book

“Really moving” - 5 Girls Book Review

Find it at Amazon, Amazon UK, B&N, Kobo, iTunes, All Romance eBooks

Coming soon from Catherine, Witch of the Cards!

(paranormal historical suspense)

Fiera was born a sea witch with no inkling of her power. And now it might be too late. 

Join the Facebook launch party with a huge lineup of guest authors for fun & games on March 23 right here.

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FABLE RANGER: SUMMONS (an MG fairy tale mash up)

Take care of what you wish for. You just might get it.

Twelve-year-old Casey doesn’t think life could get anymore unfair. Plans for her special basketball tournament are tossed aside by her sister’s change in wedding plans. She even has to be a bridesmaid now, with all the lace and silk and - oh the horror! All she wants is an escape, but she never imagined she’d be swept away to a world of Mother Goose rhymes, fairy tales, stories of Arabian Nights, and oh, by the way, all but one fairy godmother is kidnapped.

Casey learns she’s been summoned as the Fable Ranger to lead the search and rescue of the missing wish-makers. She also discovers she isn’t the hero they would accept. In the world of fairy tales, damsels are meant to swoop in to save the day.

Now all Casey wants is to go home, a wish easy to grant if the veil between worlds weren’t on lockdown. Taking fate into her own hands, she embarks on an airship flight to find the phoenix tears that can help open her way home. Her journey would’ve gone as smooth as the perfect layup if it weren’t for that pesky bounty the evil Dovetail placed on her head. Casey refuses to fail knowing it would allow the legends of Arabian Nights to disappear forever and leave her trapped in a world unraveling one fairy tale at a time.

(Available February 23rd) Buy link: Amazon

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Phasers: The Vanished Knight, Giftcard and Ebook #Giveaway ! #RealmsFaire

Welcome to Phasers!

The Rules

I, the game master, will offer up a word associated with a popular work of speculative fiction (scifi, fantasy, horror), such as phaser. The first commenter would then give a word he or she associates with phaser, such as stun. The next commenter would then give a word he or she associates with stun, such as shock. The next commenter would then give a word he or she associates with shock, such as electric. And so one...

All commenters will get put into today's drawing. No comments will be counted after 10:00 p.m. eastern time US each day. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Today's Prizes

1. The Vanished Knight by M. Gerrick, ebook
2. Twisted Earths by Untethered Realms, ebook
3.  $5 Amazon giftcard from M. Pax

Today's Game

The Vanished Knight by M. Gerrick is today's inspiration. The game word is:

Sword

More Games, More Prizes! Visit these other Realms Faire games!

Riddle Me This ~ Dueling Bards ~ Phasers ~ Unicorn Hunt ~ Who Roams Here? ~ Beware the Vortex ~ VelociRaffle ~ The Hero’s Dilemma ~Stockade Brigade ~ Hall of Doors ~ The Joust ~ Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke

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Fantasy Uprising on sale!

Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Googleplay / iTunes / B&N / Kobo

Win a $40 Giftcard! Mayhem in the Air is on tour!

Queen of the Night Reviews is featuring a tasty snack from Catherine Stine's "A Strange Penitence" today. Ooo!

Amazon / GooglePlay / Smashwords / Nook / iBook / Kobo

Tuesday Tea with Mistress Snark

Welcome to the Untethered Realms edition of Mistress Snark's Tuesday Tea. Afternoon tea is a most civilized British invention – an opportunity to snack with impunity. However, in Mistress Snark's parlor, you never know what might be floating in your tea or what those cute little sandwiches are hiding under the bread.

As full disclosure, any guest appearing here must sign the usual waivers regarding food poisoning, bodily harm caused by Jezebel, random attacks by minions, or permanent brain damage resulting from the questions posed.

Today's guest is Catherine Stine, Untethered Realms author of Fireseed One, Ruby’s Fire, and Dorianna. It's so nice to have you here today. Would you like some tea? Or perhaps Jezebel's special punch? I don't know what's in it but it could prove detrimental to your health.

Catherine: Greetings and thanks for the invitation. I am accompanied by Ruby from Ruby's Fire, and Fiera from my historical paranormal (which is almost done!). Ruby knows how to make many types of elixirs and some of them are quite toxic. And Fiera happens to be a powerful witch who not only harnesses the power of her Tarot cards, but the wrath of the ocean, since she's part sea witch. So, Miss Jezebel best not be lacing her tea and crumpets with anything that would curl my tongue or my ladies will work their dark magic on her. 

Mistress: No worries. I’m sure you’ll enjoy Jezebel’s punch. As for Ruby and Fiera, they are comfortably contained backstage, no doubt learning how to uncurl tongues as we speak. Perhaps you’d prefer curled hair instead? Your locks are becoming more Rapunzel-like with each sip.

Please enlighten my gentle audience about the setting for your historical paranormal. A sea witch sounds quite fascinating.

Catherine: Well, it's set in Asbury Park, NJ during Prohibition. I've vacationed near there for years, and it fascinates me. The idea came out of a dream I had the night before we went there for the first time. In it, a witch on an abandoned boardwalk sold me taffy. When we walked there for real, only one store was open--a creepy taffy shop with an ancient proprietress. Here's the premise of Witch of the Cards:

Twenty-two year-old Fiera has recently left the Brooklyn orphanage where she was raised, and works in Manhattan as a nanny. She gets a lucky break when her boss pays for her vacation on the Jersey shore. One evening, Fiera and her new friend Dulcie wander down the boardwalk and into Peter Dune’s Paranormal, where they attend a Tarot reading.

Fiera's always had an unsettling ability to know things before they happen and sense people’s hidden agendas. She longs to either find out the origin of her powers or else banish them because as is, they make her feel crazy. When, during the reading, her energies somehow bond with Peter Dune’s and form an undeniable etheric force, a chain of revelations and dangerous events unspool. For one, Fiera finds out she is a witch from a powerful clan, but that someone is out to stop her blossoming power forever. And though she is falling in love with Peter Dune, he also has a secret side. He’s no card reader; he’s an undercover agent working to expose false mediums. Told in alternating viewpoints, we hear Fiera and Peter each struggle against their deep attraction. Secrets, lies, even murder, lace this dark fantasy.

I love writing Fiera, she's fierce yet vulnerable. And subaquatic magic is fun!

Mistress: Thank you for sharing a glimpse into such a unique world. I’m thrilled to hear of your affinity for subaquatic magic, my dear, since Jezebel has decided to add some rather sea creature attributes to your form. Wave goodbye now to our gentle audience so we can get you into the ocean before you gasp for air. Ruby and Fiera will join you on the shore…once they’ve recovered from their encounter with Jezebel.

Catherine: Thanks, it's been a lovely visit. Let me leave you with a bit of absinthe from the speakeasy. Smuggled in, in a soda bottle, mind you. Oh, and Ruby has a present for you too: a vial of her dragon lizard elixir, which will heal any skin condition. Good day, and now back to the beach...

Congratulations, Catherine! You’ve earned the Tuesday Tea Survivor badge, suitable for your blog or hanging on the bathroom wall. Go ahead and take it with you.

Catherine Stine hails from Philly and lives in NYC. She’s passionate about writing and reading speculative tales where her imagination has wild reign. Her YA futuristic thriller, Fireseed One that she illustrated won finalist spots in both YA and Sci-Fi in the 2013 USA Book News International Book Awards and an Indie Reader Approved notable stamp. Ruby’s Fire, its companion book was a 2014 Next Gen. Indie award finalist. She writes new adult fiction as well, under the name Kitsy Clare. Her first career in NYC was showing her paintings in galleries. She says writing is painting with words. A serious travel buff, she’s visited China, India and Russia and more with her husband and two sons. She loves to hear from her readers! Come visit at her website and blog.

The A to Z Challenge: Y is for Yellow Party

In Dorianna, my YA horror - paranormal novel, a twist on Dorian Gray, she has a series of meetup parties that go increasingly bad. The first, her Yellow Party is the most innocent with only hints of the dark terror to come. Here is her online party evite:

What was the most disastrous party you went to and why?

For more peeks at Dorianna visit my website!

Beware Internet Obsession. Mwah ha ha!

Cheers, Catherine Stine