Speculative Fiction Worth Reading - Review for Faebourne

Blurb: Duncan Oliver was in every respect an unremarkable gentleman. 

When mild-mannered Duncan Oliver is abducted by the Milne brothers and taken to their legendary home of Faebourne, his unexciting life becomes much more interesting. Adelia Milne has been cursed, and Duncan is her chosen champion to break the spell. Duncan may not be a hero, but he is a gentleman, and he refuses to leave a lady in distress. He becomes determined to take on the quest on Miss Milne's behalf. 

Meanwhile, an unlikely rescue team forms in the pairing of Duncan's best friend George and valet Davies. As they set out for Faebourne--and also perchance to learn more about Davies' obscured family history--what begins as an unequal partnership quickly blooms into friendship... and possibly something more.

My review: Duncan Oliver's sedate life is turned on its head when he's kidnapped by two odd men he's just met at the local club. They bring them to their mysterious manor Faebourne to help remove a curse from their sister, Adelia Milne. A task which Duncan is unsure he's up to. Yet his trusted valet, Davies is quick on the case to find his employer. Duncan's best friend George accompanies him on the journey, hoping for some excitement. The two men find so much more.

This is not what I expected from a Regency Romance, but in the most wonderful of ways. The writing is light and crisp, true to its genre, but coming to the beautiful Faebourne we have a whole different type of story. It is like a fairy tale of old with its curses and quests. Grass slippers and a song who is many songs. Plus Adelia's fox familiar Aloysius who is quirky and clever and makes me want my own! The Milnes are odd themselves and often had me smiling. While I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the book, it is the cast of characters that shine. Duncan is the polite and boring everyday man who must stretch himself to try to become a hero. Davies wrestles with his newfound lineage and his attraction to George. While George himself is surprised by what he finds in himself traveling with Davies and what he wants in life.

I'd love to read much more from the author and this of this type of Regency Romance. Well done!

Buy the book!

Huzzizzle of the Realms: #ScienceFiction and #Fantasy News from Top-Selling Authors

Put on Your Shades and Ice up your Tea!

The temperatures are heating up in the Northern Hemisphere, and it's time to kick back a little with some great reads.

Here's what's up with the Untethered Realms authors:

M. Pax: The Officer launches June 28th!

The Officer is an anthology of eleven science fiction short stories by writers from across the globe. Being an officer means balancing many conflicting demands. Making the wrong decision can have serious consequences. It takes a special kind of person to cope with the responsibility. It includes my story, "Patchworker 2.0."

AMAZON / KOBO / GOOGLEPLAY / iBOOK 

Other OUTLETS

Patchworker Evalyn Shore leads the investigation of a homicidal Artificial Intelligence. The AI is taking over minds, leaving Patchworkers and AI managers as sacks of bio matter ready for the recycling bin. Can she create the patch to repair the AI? Or will it kill her first?

*****

Cerise Laudine: Fire and Mist is out!

Fire and Mist, Book 3 of the Wells of Souls series is out now, and Immortal Desires, Book 1, is only .99! All three in the series are free to read in KU. Romance, Time-travel, and Highland alpha males await you. Get swept away this summer!

Cerise Laudine's Amazon page

Derek Mackay, 16th century laird and Druid extraordinaire, is doubly cursed—with knowledge he isn’t supposed to have, and by a goddess whose wrath he didn’t mean to incur. The curse promises sure death to any betrothed of his, including the beautiful woman surrounded by Immortal magic who suddenly appears in his life and arouses in him a wellspring of bittersweet desire. The only way to save her is to stay away from her.

Erin Kelley is restless, craving the missing piece in an otherwise contented life. Romance. A man to take her breath away. A man to keep for life. A family to cherish with him. Swept back in time on a dare, she’s confronted by an angry Highland laird—an alpha male both irresistible and determined to keep her at arm’s length. His words push her away, but his emotions pull her in. Ordinary contentment will never again be enough—not when the world contains the extraordinary Laird Mackay.

*****

Jeff Chapman: The Black Blade paperback giveaway!

Paperbacks for The Black Blade are here and there's still time to enter the giveaway on Goodreads. Three signed copies are up for grabs (for residents of the U.S. and Canada). The giveaway ends on June 30. Follow the link below to enter.

Enter the Giveaway on Goodreads

An enchanted blade. An evil old man. An ancient spirit behind a mask. The Weird West just gets weirder.

The Black Blade is a weird western novel in Jeff Chapman's Huckster Tales series, mixing horror, fantasy, and comedy in an Old West setting. Climb up in the wagon and follow Orville and Jimmy as they once again plunge over their heads into supernatural trouble.

*****

Hekate's torchbearer and a muddy prophet

We've heard all about the drama between the Greek gods. Who the cheaters were, who got turned into what an animal, and who tricked his fellows into doing something idiotic. I've always been fascinated by the myths, but I wondered about all the poor souls we never heard about. Ones with stories just as enthralling and suspenseful.

"The Torchbearer" was inspired by a loyal lampade named Desma. A what, you ask? Lampades are the nymphs of the Underworld gifted to Hekate by Zeus for her help in the Titanomachy. They accompany Hekate on her journeys and carry torches with flames which can drive mortals mad.

Desma's story takes place in the shadow of Persephone's kidnapping by Hades. You know the one, how Persephone became the Queen of the Underworld? Well, what if there was a chance that it could have been avoided? It's that possibility which drove me to write this mournful tale.

Hekate commands Desma to visit a handsome prophet at a crossroads and listen to his words. The Fates have a sense of humor in that his foretelling is spaced out over six nights. Desma must keep returning to the crossroads, and each time, she finds the prophet closer to death.

With Demeter's neglect of the land and the chaos of the Underworld, it is a simple torchbearer and a muddy prophet who can stop it all. I wanted to know what happened. And I hope you do too.

Did he think me hollow, an empty illusion, like my torch's fire seemed to me?

5 Tips for Creating A Book Ad

Marketing is one of the toughest jobs of an author. And it's not usually one we enjoy. We're reclusive creatures and that does not mesh with being promotional gurus.

But we want to share our work with the world. One of the best ways to do so is with book ads. Maybe it's just the image of your cover with your tagline or a picture of you on your knees begging readers to buy your book. Whatever you choose to do, here are five tips for creating ads.

1) Know your audience. This means not only knowing your genre, but where your work fits in that genre. Dark, mysterious, funny? What is the theme or mood you wish to portray? What do your readers like best about your book? If it's that weird little robot sidekick, find a picture to represent it and shine the spotlight on it.

2) Make certain the font is readable. I encourage playing around with different fonts and effects, but so many times I've run across ads I couldn't read because of the font. Yes, the fancy swirls are nifty and the reflecting light looks cool, but if I can't read the ad, I won't want to read your book.

3) Images. Yes, many people suggest that displaying your book cover is essential in an ad, but I disagree. You can find images to represent different characters or scenes or a magical item. (Always make certain you have permission to use those images!) You could make your ad look like a movie poster.

4) The message. There isn't a lot of room to explain all the reasons someone should buy your book. So what can you say? Use a clever tagline or a snippet of a great review. Even a line from the story itself can work.

5) Once you've put it all together, DO NOT forget to link it to your book's buy link. Your website is okay, but if the person is interested enough to click on the ad, you want to take them to where they can buy the book immediately.

Do you have any book ad tips to share? What captures your attention when seeing an ad?

Here are a few examples of my latest ads!

Huzzizzle of the Realm - April 2016 UR News #amreading

Check out these awesome reads from the Untethered Realms authors!

Coming Out on 30 April

“First, do no harm.” Blake Ryan swore that oath to become a doctor. Ironic, given that he spent most of his thousand year life sucking souls out of other immortals.

Things are different now. Using regular shots of morphine to keep his inner monster at bay, Ryan has led a quiet life since the Second World War. His thrills now come from saving lives, not taking them.

Until a plane crash brings Aleria into his hospital. Her life is vibrant. Crack to predators like him. She’s the exact sort of person they would hunt, and thanks to a severe case of amnesia, she’s all but defenseless.

Leaving Aleria vulnerable isn’t an option, but protecting her means unleashing his own inner monster. Which is a problem, because his inner monster wants her dead most of all.

Pre-order Now At:

AmazonUS | Amazon Universal | Apple | Barnes& Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

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Coming April 28th!

 Big Burning (Sasquatch Susies #3)

Life for Susie Russell couldn’t be better. Her lingerie business won international fame and her sister had found irrefutable proof of Bigfoot’s existence. So confident about the authenticity of their evidence, Susie even agrees to let a skeptic join their group on a research exhibition near Mt. Hood. Her world comes crashing down when the man who broke her heart turns around to shake her hand. Brach Stevens might be smart and gorgeous, but Susie refuses to let him so easily charm his way back into her life. Their trek into the woods turns deadly when they’re trapped by a forest fire. Will they be able to escape the hungry flames or will Susie perish without letting Brach know she has always loved him?

Pre-order the book:

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Google Play * Goodreads

*****
Witch of the Cards is on SALE for only 99 cents 
& FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Fiera discovers she’s a sea witch, but someone is out to stop her blossoming powers forever. Secrets, lies, even murder, lace this sizzling historical fantasy.

“Stine weaves a spell with magic, tarot cards & exquisitely terrifying underwater scenes.”

Get it exclusively at Amazon US & Amazon CA 

*****

Don't Forget To Breathe 
On SALE for 99 cents Today!!!!

• "Bone chilling horror and heart pounding romance come together to make an enthralling read. Constantine knows how to weave a riveting and intriguing plot.  It's a YA novel and Constantine understands her audience. In short, it has all the elements reader's expect from the best in genre and it's sure to keep the pages turning at a frantic pace. It is strongly recommended!" ~ Book Viral Review
• "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
• 
  
• AMAZON: One Click: smarturl.it/dontbreathe

*****
BEACON is part of an awesome Amazon giveaway!
Get in for you chance to when your copy.

Tsunamis reduced the USA into a shell of itself, called The Fold. Surviving humans and vampires joined forces to form The Colony, where registered citizens do as they're told. 

They donate blood quarterly and dream of being chosen as Attendees for the Jubilee celebrations, that is, everyone except Macie Breen. With high school graduation near, she’s anxious to ditch the rules in hopes of starting a new life with Thane, an unregistered and also her best friend. 

Her hopes fizzle when Macie is selected as an Attendee, forever registered. Any future with Thane…impossible. Being chosen comes with another unexpected price. 

Truths about The Colony blaze into ashes and lies when she discovers the vampires haven't kept their part of the bargain. Worst still, Macie’s life unravels as her stint in the city of Bliss forces her to face daunting truths about who, and what, she really is

"Beacon is filled with action. There's never a boring moment in this book! So many elements are streamlined into this story and work so well with the world that the author has created. The world building is absolutely awe-inspiring. I enjoyed Macie so much. She was a great character that I loved reading about." ~ 5 * Amazon review

Go here for your chance to enter and win: Giveaway

*****

What inspired Witch of the Cards, my historical fantasy

My historical fantasy Witch of the cards launches in mid-March. I want to tell you about specific elements from the real world that inspired this dark fantasy. It's set in 1932 in Asbury Park, NJ, a beach town I've been going to for years. A while ago, I wandered into one of the boardwalk stores and saw old photos of a shipwreck that beached on the shores of Asbury for an entire year.

It was a party cruise boat called the Morro Castle that sailed from New York City to Cuba during prohibition, so high-rollers could drink without penalty. In my novel, the disaster at sea was caused by very different events! Peter Dune, one of the main characters in my novel sails on the Morro for a business meeting. For fun, I added cameos on the Morro of Bela Lugosi (the actor who played Dracula), Irene Ware (a 1930s movie star), the great surrealist Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli, a famous clothing designer who collaborated with Dali.

Schiaparelli

Ware

 

Dali

Lugosi

From the nucleus of a real life paranormal museum in Asbury Park, I created Peter Dune's Tarot and Seance. A salt water taffy store on the boardwalk got transformed into a magical place with a very strange speakeasy in the basement. 

The novel summary:

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

Witch of the Cards is historical, supernatural romantic suspense set in 1932 on the Jersey shore. 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 short vacation in Asbury Park. One evening, Fiera and her new friend Dulcie wander down the boardwalk and into Peter Dune’s Tarot & Séance, where they attend a card reading. 

Fiera has 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 ethereal force, a chain of revelations and dangerous events begin to unspool. For one, Fiera finds out she is a witch from a powerful sea clan, but that someone is out to stop her blossoming power forever. And though she is falling in love with Peter, he also has a secret side. He’s no card reader, but a private detective working to expose mediums. Despite this terrible betrayal, Fiera must make the choice to save Peter from a tragic Morro Cruise boat fire, or let him perish with his fellow investigators. Told in alternating viewpoints, we hear Fiera and Peter each struggle against their deep attraction. Secrets, lies, even murder, lace this dark fantasy.

Join the Facebook Witch of Cards launch party! Check when book links go live.

What real life elements would you love to turn into historical fantasy?

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.

* * * * *

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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Huzzizzle of the Realm.Introducing June #SciFi #fantasy & #Horror Deals & Reads #amreading

Get your summer read on!

The 6th installment of the Backworlds series is here!

Available in ebook from: Amazon or Amazon.com / B&N / iBook or main iBook / Googleplay / Smashwords / Kobo / inktera / Scribd

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendants to survive in a harsh universe. This is the sixth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.

The Backworlds hang by a Quantum string, a thread about to snap. Annihilation is coming if Craze can’t stop it.

The genocidal alien he had trapped breaks free, destroying a ship belonging to the Backworlds’ oldest enemy, the Fo’wo’s. The murderous alien wants to overtake the galaxy. The Fo’wo’s want another war.

The Backworlds’ best chance to survive is to overcome a century of hate and forge an alliance with the Fo’wo’s. Because of his history with the alien, Craze is recruited to represent his people. Now he’s the most hated man in the galaxy.

The looming war will be a holocaust unless Craze can stop it, knowing salvation comes at a price.

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Geeks are sexy.

The second book in the Dice & Debauchery series will be released on May 29th!

Amateur cosplayer Emily Solis is determined to win the costume contest and the heart of her biggest competition.

It isn't the first time Emily has shed her costume with the gorgeous Russell Morrison. Not even her best friend knows she's been having wild convention sex with him for over a year. It was supposed to remain physical, but Emily couldn't help falling for him and his kinky ways. In a moment of passion, she rolls the dice and tells Russell she loves him. He doesn't say it back. Can she convince him they're perfect together or will she roll another critical failure?

Buy the book:

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

Add it to read on Goodreads.

Get Loose Corset, the first book in the Dice & Debauchery series:

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

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Six Stories of Fantasy and Weirdness

"Blood and Beauty"

      satyr's tragic love for a dryad

"Sutter’s Well"

      Lovecraftian monster in Appalachia

"Morphine and Chocolate"

      weird rendition of Pearl

"The Facts in the Case of M. Hussman"

      Poe meets steampunk

"Shafts to Hell"

      gold miner gone mad

"Good King David"

      Hamlet meets Absalom in Biblical fantasy

Amazon US * Amazon UK * Goodreads

A to Z Challenge - E is for Enre

The A to Z Blogging Challenge is heating up!
If you haven't heard of it, check out the A to Z blog and join in the fun.
Here at Untethered Realms, we're taking on the Challenge as a group. Each day, one of us will be sharing with you a teaser from one of our books.

E is for smokin' hot Enre.

Cloaked in Fur by T.F. Walsh

Join us for #SpecFicChat:
What happened to the future? The flying cars & time machines? Next #SpecFicChat Fri. April 17th, Noon EDT. Hosted by @UnRealms & @EllieMGarratt

A to Z Challenge - C is for Cloaked

The A to Z Blogging Challenge is heating up!
If you haven't heard of it, check out the A to Z blog and join in the fun.
Here at Untethered Realms, we're taking on the Challenge as a group. Each day, one of us will be sharing with you a teaser from one of our books.

C is for Cloaked

Cloaked in Fur by T.F. Walsh

Join us for #SpecFicChat:
What happened to the future? The flying cars & time machines? Next #SpecFicChat Fri. April 17th, Noon EDT. Hosted by @UnRealms & @EllieMGarratt

What was I thinking?

What was I thinking? I've spent months working and reworking an outline for a romantic adventure serial, and then weeks more writing the first draft. (I've almost finished part 1.) Now I'm neck deep in fashion, jewelry,  romance, and understanding the desires of women (that's a losing battle right there!), and telling all of this from a female perspective.  I've learned a valuable lesson: Writing romance is hard!

Certainly I've written romance and sex scenes before, but from the male perspective. Now I need to get inside a woman's head. I thought I knew what women find romantic. I thought I knew what women want from their heroes. I thought I knew how to make female readers tingle all over as they breathlessly turn the pages of my tale of love lost and love gained, and hot trysts in the night beneath the stars...

What was I thinking?

I have gained a gargantuan respect for romance authors. It's not at all as easy as they make it look. Hour after hour I sit at the keyboard, out of my depth, spinning my tale of a desert princess who is in love with a man she cannot marry. I pause after very paragraph and run over the rules in my head. Who knew romance has such strict rules but it does. The hero and heroine must think about each other constantly. Everything they do must be with the other in mind. I must tease the reader with an upcoming night of passion and then tear my lovebirds apart. Oh the pain of the separation. But they must come back together. They must have a happy ending but the reader has to sincerely worry that they won't. I must torment my couple, putting every obstacle in their way, yet let them sneak hurried kisses every now and then, until, finally, nothing can stop their eternal love.

Or something like that.

Truth is, I'm winging this one in a way I have never winged a book before. I know I am breaking a few of the rules of romance, and I think it's ok. The story will make up for it. The reader will forgive me as long as I deliver on my promises. I have never been so tortured at my keyboard, never felt so terrified of writing. Why did I think I could write a romance? From a female perspective? What made me think that, as a man, I could write sensuously?

What was I thinking?

Truth is though, even as I agonize over every page, I am thrilled by the challenge. This is the hardest writing I have ever done, the deepest I have delved into that abyss known as a woman's emotions. If I can pull this off, I will be so much stronger as a writer, so much stronger at character development.  But do I really know what I'm doing or am I making a big fool of myself? I have to put enormous trust in the women of my writing group, and my critique partners and beta readers. I am certain they will laugh and tell me what a woman would really think, what she would really do, how she would really feel. I will listen, and nod, and learn, and rewrite. I might even understand women better after this experience, and I'm sure my wife will appreciate that.

I think I can pull this off. My confidence is shaky but it's there. Look for my 3-part serial in 2015. Then you can read for yourself about my desert princess, Majara, and her adventures on the way to true love and self-determination in a world dominated by men. Then you can judge for yourself whether I did pull this off.

A male fantasy writer penning a romantic adventure?

What was I thinking?