Review: Son Of The First, by N.S. Armstrong

I'm so excited to share my review of N.S. Armstrong's debut, coming of age, paranormal-fantasy SON OF THE FIRST.

Disclaimer: N.S. Armstrong and I are both part of the WH,WN Community. However, I voluntarily offered to review Son of the First, and all opinions are my own.

With that out of the way… I came in expecting a laugh-out-loud paranormal romp, but got a whole lot more!

COVER REVEAL: Blight of the Necromancer, by Christine Rains

I'm super excited to share with everyone the cover for Christine Rains' fantasy LitRPG adventure Blight of the Necromancer (Khthonia Book 3).

The series has been one of my favorites from Christine, and I was honored to beta book three. It was amazing, and the perfect ending to a wonderful series.

When offered a choice between tedious research or fighting a dragon, the players always choose the dragon.

Even when they’re dangerously outmatched.

No one rational ever wants to play a bard, but Nora Quinn believed she could use her class’ skills of perception to her advantage as an investigator. As Essaerae the elven bard, she regrets picking the role now that the players are trapped in the dark realm of Khthonia. She desperately desires to go home, but her friends want to stay in the fantasy world, causing a rift in the party. To lift the Specter Plague curse from the land and win the game, the heroes must defeat the conniving necromancer. Yet he’s shadowing them with death the entire way.

Seeking the tools they need, Nora and her friends must survive perilous side quests and hordes of undead. The answer to how to slay the villain lies in the western ruins, but Nora is certain he is the only one who can get her home. And for that, he needs to stay alive.

Nora must choose between killing the necromancer and lifting the curse or siding with him and going home. Neither choice feels like a victory.

A fantasy LitRPG/GameLit for fans of table-top role-playing games.

Pre-Order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJVQWR84

Twilight of the Witch Queen (and other fantasy treats)

 

To build up excitement for the forthcoming Hexes and Heiresses Collection (coming summer 2023), some of the collection participants have written short stories connected to the world in their main collection story.

I have written one myself, called the Setting of the Sun, which features a young Princess Celestia, whose death in the main story is the catalyst for my forthcoming novella The Dark Side of the Moon.

To grab your copy of Twilight of the Witch Queen, and a host of other fabulous fantasy books, check out Free Fantasy December on BookFunnel.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/freefantasydecember/b4mlu8y8zj

SURPRISE RELEASE

My Christmas gift to you all - young-adult fantasy short-story, SOLSTICE SPELL, is out now!

Clara Birch has always loved Christmas, and the story of The Nutcracker Prince is her favorite festive fairy tale. That’s why she’s determined to attend town's annual masquerade ball themed around the classic story.

Once at the ball, Clara is rescued by a handsome stranger, who offers to buy her a drink. After just one sip, she passes out. When she awakens, Clara discovers she’s been spirited away to the Land of the Dolls; a kingdom ruled by the Nutcracker Prince she so loves.

But all is not as it seems in the Land of the Dolls. After happening on a secret passageway, Clara discovers the Nutcracker Prince is hiding a terrible secret. The magical Land of the Dolls is nothing more than an illusion.

Now Clara must escape this once enchanting fairy tale realm, before it costs her her soul.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

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And, if you want to know what I've been up to recently, and what my goals for 2020 are, please head over to my website blog, where I just posted an update.

Magic at Midnight ARC Sign Up and Writing Update

Happy weekend, everyone!

Spring/ summer looks like it's finally here, as the weather in the UK is warming up. We have plans to go to the park a little later, but first I wanted to write a quick update.

I know I have a blog over on my website, but I think I might use this blog to update about my writing only, and then the one on my site to update about my writing AND personal life.

We'll see how it works out...

The rest of this entry is under a read more cut, so please click on the link to find out more about the Snowy Wings Publishing Magic at Midnight: YA Fairytale Anthology, and how I got on doing CampNaNoWriMo in April.

COVER REVEAL: Fangs & Fins, by Amy McNulty

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm here today with the cover reveal for Fangs & Fins, by Amy McNulty, which is book one in Amy's new Blood, Bloom, & Water series.

Title: Fangs & Fins 
Series: Blood, Bloom, & Water Book One 
Author: Amy McNulty 
Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing 
Publication Date: 05/01/2018 

A dapper vampire. A sullen merman. Two heirs to a great conflict—and each needs to claim a beloved to become his kindred’s champion. 

High school senior Ember Goodwin never had a sister, but after her mom’s remarriage, she now has two. The eldest is no stranger to her—Ivy is a witty girl in her grade who’s almost never spoken to the shy bookworm before—but she’s surprised to find the popular girl quite amiable. Their burgeoning friendship is tested, however, when Dean Horne, a pale, besuited charmer, shows interest in them both and plans to reveal his appetite for blood to the one who’ll stand by his side.  

Seventeen-year-old Ivy Sheppard is tired of splitting her time between her dad’s and her mom’s, particularly when her dad uproots their lives to move them in with his new wife and step-daughter. Used to rolling with her parents’ whims, she tries to make the best of it and befriend her nerdy new step-sister. Her hectic life grows more unwieldy when she catches the eye of junior Calder Poole, whom she swears she sees swap well-toned legs for a pair of fins during a dip in a lake. Now she’s fending off suitors left and right, all while trying to get to the bottom of the strange happenings in her town. 

The first book in the Blood, Bloom, & Water series sets family against family and friend against friend as an epic, ancient war comes to a head in a supposedly sleepy suburb. 

Goodreads | Amazon

99¢ for pre-order and first week of sale only. Paperback will be available widely

COVER REVEAL: Snowy Wings Publishing YA Fairy Tale Anthology - Magic at Midnight

Happy Wednesday, everyone! 

Today I'm super excited to reveal the cover for the Snowy Wings Publishing YA Fairy Tale Anthology - Magic at Midnight, which is scheduled for release May 29. 

Once upon a time is eternal…

Turn the pages and fall into the enchanting worlds of beloved, age-old fairy tales made new again in this fifteen-story collection from Snowy Wings Publishing.

A girl with long, long hair is trapped in an attic, ensnared by promises of immortality, the radio her only companion. An android wants to believe in her life, that the feelings she has are real—and that she might be just as beautiful as her famous stepsister. A gamer must save her true love from the mysterious, dark entity that has ensnared him in their MMORPG. A modern teen is lured to the fantastical Land of the Dolls, and only her own cunning can help her escape. These are just a few of the bewitching tales found within Magic at Midnight. 

From sci-fi to fantasy, contemporary to historical, paranormal and more, there’s a fairy tale retelling in this collection for every reader. Featuring stories from bestselling and award-winning YA authors as well as emerging voices, this anthology will take you to distant worlds and back again—all just familiar enough to make you feel at home.

Add on Goodreads now!

Cover by KimG Design

----

My, as of yet, untitled re-telling of the Nutcracker Prince is one of the fifteen stories featured, and here's a little more about it:

Clara Birch has always loved Christmas, and the story of The Nutcracker Prince is her favourite since childhood. 

That’s why she’s determined to attend town's annual masquerade ball themed around the classic fairy tale. It doesn't matter that she's only sixteen, and the ball is held at town's most exclusive nightclub, Sugarplums. Clara and her best friend, Maria, are armed with fake IDs, and they're not taking no for an answer. 

Once at the ball, Clara is approached by a handsome stranger, who offers to buy her a drink. After just one sip, she passes out. When she awakens, Clara finds herself in a strange realm, and though the world is not her own, it’s oddly familiar to her.

She soon discovers she’s been spirited away to the Land of the Dolls; a kingdom ruled by the Nutcracker Prince she so loved as a child.

But all is not as it seems in the Land of the Dolls. After stumbling upon the palace dungeons, Clara discovers the Nutcracker Prince is hiding a terrible secret. The magical Land of the Dolls is nothing more than an illusion.

Now Clara must escape this once enchanting fairy tale realm, before it costs her her soul. 

COVER REVEAL: Crown of Ice, and Scepter of Fire by Vicki L. Weavil

Today I’m participating in a special double cover reveal for the first two books in the Mirror of Immortality Trilogy by Vicki L. Weavil. The all-new second edition of the first book, Crown of Ice, releases on May 9 from Snowy Wings Publishing, with the second book, Scepter of Fire, coming on May 23!

Click through to see the full covers, blurbs and links...

COVER REVEAL: Life and Death, by Selenia Paz

Today I’m helping reveal the cover for Life and Death, a YA paranormal/fantasy by Selenia Paz, 2012 Honor winner of Lee & Low Publishing’s New Voices award. 

The book releases from Snowy Wings Publishing on April 4!

Cover designed by Key of Heart Designs

Title: Life & Death
Author: Selenia Paz
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing

When Natalia’s younger brother disappears while on a visit to Mexico, Natalia is certain that La Llorona, the mythical Weeping Woman, has taken him. Her friend Miguel agrees to accompany her back to Mexico in the hopes that it will help him deal with the recent death of his grandfather. But as they embark on a journey to search for the creature that has taken Natalia’s brother, it becomes apparent that the spirits Miguel had brushed aside as mere legend are very real... and they have a dark connection to his family.

Add Life & Death on Goodreads!

Learn more about Selenia Paz at her website, www.seleniapaz.com, or visit her on social media: Twitter: @seleniapaws, Instagram: @noonvale

Luna 4 Lumos

I was on Tumblr earlier, and saw something called Luna 4 Lumos mentioned. 

Knowing Lumos - as well as being a spell from the Harry Potter Series - is J.K. Rowling's charity for underprivileged children, I Googled what Luna 4 Lumos was.

Turns out, some Youtubers, lead by Tessa Netting and Dayeanne Hutton, have decided to do a fundraising drive for Lumos, in Luna Lovegood's name. 

Why? 

Because Lumos is a great cause, and because Luna Lovegood (from the Harry Potter Series) is an icon for the voiceless. 

She's different and unique, and not afraid to be true to herself, and it's often people like that, people who don't fit into the mainstream, that need our help. 

Many Youtubers have recorded videos for the Luna 4 Lumos tag, including Tessa Netting and Brizzy Voices, to promote the fundraiser. 

And there's fun things to unlock, like Harry Potter Movie Marathons with the Youtubers, each time an amount goal is reached! 

If you're thinking of donating, here's the Luna 4 Lumos page: https://www.crowdrise.com/luna-for-lumos1

And if you can't afford to donate right now, spreading the word also helps, so a Facebook page has been created to help with that: https://www.facebook.com/Luna4Lumos/

I was very tempted to make my own video for the Luna 4 Lumos tag, but I am terrible in front of the camera, so instead I thought I'd post a blog version of the questions. Please feel free to play along!

Curiosity Quills Press 99 Cents Sitewide Sale

Christmas has come early to Curiosity Quills Press, and you’re all invited! Between December 12 and 24, almost all* our titles will be on 99 cents coutndown sale. To make things easier, we’ve broken the sale period down into seven different genre-based categories, with each genre’s books on sale for a two day period.

Click through the following genre-based categories for each of the seven sale periods:

Horror: December 11 - 12 | Contemporary: December 13 - 14

Science-Fiction: December 15 - 16 | Fantasy: December 17 - 18

Historical: December 19 - 20 | Mystery/Thriller: December 21 - 22

Romance: December 23 - 24

* Please note, some titles are ineligible for sale, as they’ve recently been on sale or a separate sale for them is scheduled for some point in December.

NaNoWriMo 2016: The Lost Princess

It's been a while since I did NaNoWriMo, but as November is looking less busy for me, I decided to give it a go this year, with a YA fantasy-romance story that's been knocking around in my head for a few months.

Feel free to add me on the NaNoWriMo site if you want to be NaNo buddies!

And for those who're interested, there's more about my story, THE LOST PRINCESS, under the cut ...

Game of Thrones: I’ve Read the Books, and These Are Six Things I Want in Season Six

Game of Thrones fans, be sure to check out the blog post about season six I wrote for Curiosity Quills! https://curiosityquills.com/game-of-thrones-season-six/

Souless Cover Reveal

Have you met the Soulless and Passionate? In the world of 1770 where supernatural beings mix with humanity, Alexia is playing a deadly game.

SOULLESS, Book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy 

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she's forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

COMING October 13, 2014

PREORDER your print copy or Sign up for Crystal Collier's newsletter to receive release news and freebies.

What people are saying about this series: 

"With a completely unique plot that keeps you guessing and interested, it brings you close to the characters, sympathizing with them and understanding their trials and tribulations." -- SC, Amazon reviewer

"It's clean, classy and supernaturally packed with suspense, longing, intrigue and magic." -- Jill Jennings, TX 

"SWOON." -- Sherlyn, Mermaid with a Book Reviewer

Crystal Collier is a young adult author who pens dark fantasy, historical, and romance hybrids. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend" (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese.

You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

                

Cover Reveal: Destruction by Sharon Bayliss

Happy Wednesday, all! 

Today I'm excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for Sharon Bayliss' Destruction (Book One of The December People Series), a family drama about dark wizards living in Houston, scheduled for release 4/14/14.   

About Destruction:

David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice. Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without. Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children. Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.

Find The December People Series Online:

Goodreads | Facebook | Blog Tour\ARC Sign Up | Newsletter 

I also have a special message from Sharon Bayliss: 

"The butterfly will show up on the cover of all four books in the series, as a symbol of redemption, hope, and re-birth. Despite the dark themes in the series, I believe that the most important themes of the series are hopeful ones, such as love, family, and triumph against adversity, which is why the butterfly is in the center. The broken glass surrounding the butterfly rather obviously symbolizes the concept of destruction, which is also a central theme. The title Destruction refers to the fact that dark magic is inherently destructive, but also refers to how a person can be destroyed, in body or soul. One thing I was sure of, I wanted the word, Destruction, to be in "pretty" letters. I loved the contrast of having a dark and violent word look beautiful. This also fits the theme, as I wish to show the beauty in darkness and destruction, and the good in people who are supposed to be evil."

Destruction Trailer:

About Sharon Bayliss:

An avid daydreamer, Sharon Bayliss has lived in magical version of Austin, Texas for her entire life. So, using a fantastical, alternate history Texas as a setting for her debut novel The Charge, was just “writing what she knows”. 

To her, nothing goes better with barbecue and live music than robots and superhuman royalty. 

 As a child, Sharon lived on a 6 ½ acre patch of land with cows for neighbors. She enjoyed playing in mud, collecting frogs, and was so certain that there was a ghost in her closet that her mother admits that she half-expected to really find one there. 

She began writing her first novel at the age of fifteen (handwritten in a spiral marked ‘private’). A proud Austinite, Sharon never saw much sense in moving anywhere else and got her degree in social work from the University of Texas at Austin. 

As an author and social worker, she has devoted her life to making the lives of real people better and the lives of fictional people much, much worse. In addition to her official credentials, she is also an expert in fictional Texas history and make-believe neuroscience. 

When she’s not writing, she enjoys living in her “happily-ever-after” with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and still playing in the mud (which she now calls gardening).

Find Sharon Bayliss Online:

Homepage | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Google +

The Official Release of THE FAERIE PRINCE, the Favorite Fairytale Prince Blog Fest, and a Giveaway!

Last week, I told you about the awesome new author service Rachel Morgan had started up called Morgan Media. 

Well, Rachel is having a busy time recently, as she's also releasing a new book, the second in the Creepy Hollow series, The Faerie Prince. It features one of my favorite paranormal creatures - fae! I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Before I hand you over to Rachel to tell us all about  The Faerie Prince and the giveaway she's hosting in honor of it's release, I'm also taking part in Rachel's Favorite Fairytale Prince Blog Fest

Tell everyone who your fave fairy tale prince/hero is and why (any day between May 30th and June 2nd, although May 30th would be best).

Everyone who knows me knows I'm not one for following the rules, so instead of picking a fairy tale prince, I've picked a video game prince, because video games are like fairy tales, right? And this video game series has produced some spin-off novels and comics, so that counts, right?!

Besides, who can resist the bastard prince from Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins - Alistair Theirin? I mean, look at this face:

Alistair is one of the companions and romanceable characters in Dragon Age: Origins. 

The bastard child of former King Maric Theirin, who was hidden away by the King's advisers to save the honor of Queen Rowan, Alistair is one of the new Grey Warden recruits - an ancient organization of warriors of exceptional ability dedicated to fighting darkspawn throughout the land - that your character encounters and eventually travels with. 

When most of the army fighting the darkspawn are killed, your character and Alistair find themselves as the two remaining Wardens, and the only hope of ending the Blight.

Alistair takes his responsibility to end the Blight seriously and will stand by your character to see this done, even if your character acts in a way he disapproves of. 

As the game progresses, it's revealed who Alistair's real parents were, and that now his half-brother King Cailan is dead, he is next in line for the throne. 

Why did I choose Alistair as my favorite fairy tale prince?

Well, aside from the fact Alistair

loves cheese, he is so utterly adorable and innocent. Raised away from the royal court, until his conscription into the Grey Wardens, Alistair was trained to be a Templar (the organisation that polices mages), and has little experience of the real world or romance. That doesn't stop him from being a loyal, playful, compassionate companion to your character. He is able to overlook their differences - if you've picked a different race or mage as your player character - and comes to value them as a friend (and eventual lover if you're female and wish to pursue a romance with him). 

Even when life is against him, like seeing the man who raised him - Arl Amon - fall sick or having his long-lost half-sister Goldanna turn her back on him because she's bitter about the life she was given, Alistair doesn't give up, and continues to fight by your characters side, even taking on the role of King if that's the path you choose for him.

As a romantic partner, Alistair is sweet and innocent, explaining his sexual experience by saying "Have you ever licked a lamp post in winter?"and later on after presenting your character with a rose says, "I thought maybe I could say something. Tell you what a rare and wonderful thing you are to find amidst all this … darkness."

Cute, right? That's why Alistair is my favorite 'fairy tale' prince. 

Now that I've finished fangirling,I'll hand you over to Rachel, to fill us in on her latest release ...

It's release day for The Faerie Prince, the second novel in the Creepy Hollow series! Woohoo! If you're keen to read it, you cans find it at the following places online:

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Apple iBookstore

CreateSpace (print)

Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly insane Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.

In celebration, The Faerie Guardian is on sale for a limited time!

**GIVEAWAY**

There will be a giveaway running from now until the end of the blog tour (Sun 9 June). A giveaway where FOUR people could win something! The prizes are a signed copy of The Faerie Prince (or The Faerie Guardian, should the winner prefer that), an Amazon gift card, a mini book pendant and necklace, and a Creepy Hollow pin badge. Check out the pic below!
Giveaway is open internationally

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Second Annual Flash Fiction Blogfest

Today it's Cherie Reich's 2nd Annual Flash Fiction Blogfest.

Here's a quick reminder of the rules: 

1. Entries must begin with the two words: Lightning flashed. 

2. Entries must be 300 words or less and be in prose. I'm not versed enough in poetry verse to judge it properly. 

3. Entries must be posted on your blog between May 21 - 23. 
4. You must sign up in the linky below to have your entry be counted. 

And here's my entry: 

Lightning flashed illuminating the black, leathery wings of the creature. Asta had never seen anything like it before. The span of its wings were as wide as the length of a fallen tree, dwarfing her small, lithe frame, and shrouding her in shadow. She could feel the hot breath of the monster on her skin, making it burn and blister. She looked up into deep red eyes, glittering like rubies. Rows of teeth, shining dully like steel in the mouth of the beast, sharp as daggers and almost as long. Blood dripped down from the over-sized incisors, a drop landing on one of her canvas shoes. The stain bloomed on the grey material like an unnatural blot of ink. The stench was unbearable; rotting, burnt, rancid meat. She reached out a tentative hand and touched the its snout. It was hot under her fingertips, like coals left in a fire, and as tough as scale armour. Tales of legend swirled in her mind. She knew no such beast still existed, yet the inexplicable truth was there in front of her. A single word hovered on the tip of her tongue that Asta knew, if spoken, would change the shape of the world. Yet she could not stop as the horrifying truth tumbled from her lips. "Dragon," she breathed.

90, 000

Today my novel reached 90,000 words.

I'm so proud of myself and completely stunned that I've gotten so far. This is the longest piece of original fiction I've ever written.  At times I feared I'd never reach the end, and though I haven't quite yet, I've hung in there and now the finish line is clearly in sight.

I was aiming to finish on 100,000 words, but I don't think I can wrap everything up in just 10k. We'll see. I wouldn't be surprised if I finish up with 110,00 or more by the end of the story.

And things are still going well.  I know this is only a first draft, and a lot will have to be edited, cut and changed.  But I like how this story had progressed.  I feel once it's finished I will have something decent to work with for draft two.

Now I just have to get to the end!

I've just written big battle number one and it went very well, even if I do say so myself.  I liked the magical action I created.  I've got a shape-shifter lynx fighting a summoned wolf, and a time-traveller outsmarting someone with super speed (among other things).  There's even some zombies in there!

I have a couple of big character revelations coming up next, and possibly a declaration of love.

Then it's only the final battle, and the defeating of the big bad.

After that, I plan on tying up the loose ends and solidifying the romances, and then the book is complete.

I'll leave things here with another excerpt as I go to work on tomorrow's post for the I'm Hearing Voices! Character Blogfest.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Summary

Back again quickly before I head off for bed.

Tonight, in my excitement to get started tomorrow, I've written a basic summary of my intended story, and thought I'd share it here, just so you can all get a feel for what this novel will be about.

Enjoy.

Its the Final Countdown

EEEP

I start NaNo tomorrow. I'm so excited and geared up for it.

I have a basic plot outlined, the main characters bullet pointed, and some notes on the minor characters. For me that's enough to start with.

I also have my opening ratting around in my head, waiting to explode onto the paper.

I'm so psyched.

Also, Ad started to read Destiny's Road  today and gave me some really great feedback on the prologue. I feel confident that when I start on draft two of it I'll have lots of positive stuff to work with.

I'm feeling in a really good place with both novels, and hope I can keep the momentum up in the coming month.

Thanks for reading, and please check back for updates, as I begin NaNo and work on that word count.