Sirens Anthology Out Today! I Blurbed It!
I had a story in FAE, the first book in the Magical Menageries series. The newest book in the sequence doesn’t include my work, but I did get an early copy of it, and I loved it, and I blurbed it!
Sirens are beautiful, dangerous, and musical, whether they come from the sea or the sky. Greek sirens were described as part-bird, part-woman, and Roman sirens more like mermaids, but both had a voice that could captivate and destroy the strongest man. The pages of this book contain the stories of the Sirens of old, but also allow for modern re-imaginings, plucking the sirens out of their natural elements and placing them at a high school football game, or in wartime London, or even into outer space.
Featuring stories by Kelly Sandoval, Amanda Kespohl, L.S. Johnson, Pat Flewwelling, Gabriel F. Cuellar, Randall G. Arnold, Michael Leonberger, V. F. LeSann, Tamsin Showbrook, Simon Kewin, Cat McDonald, Sandra Wickham, K.T. Ivanrest, Adam L. Bealby, Eliza Chan, and Tabitha Lord, these siren songs will both exemplify and defy your expectations.
Buy Sirens at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or from the publisher, World Weaver Press.
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Excerpt from Auston Habershaw’s NO GOOD DEED
I’m happy to welcome Auston Habershaw to my site! The second book in his Saga of the Redeemed series came out Tuesday from Harper Voyager Impulse. You can read an excerpt here today, and grab the full book for only $2.99!
More about No Good Deed:
Cursed with a magic ring that forbids skullduggery, Tyvian Reldamar’s life of crime is sadly behind him. Now reduced to fencing moldy relics and wheedling favors from petty nobility, he’s pretty sure his life can’t get any worse.
That is until he hears that his old nemesis, Myreon Alafarr, has been framed for a crime she didn’t commit and turned to stone in a penitentiary garden. Somebody is trying to get his attention, and that somebody is playing a very high-stakes game that will draw Tyvian and his friends back to the city of his birth and right under the noses of the Defenders he’s been dodging for so long. And that isn’t even the worst part. The worst part is that the person pulling all the strings is none other than the most powerful sorceress in the West: Lyrelle Reldamar.
Tyvian’s own mother.
Now for sale:
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No Good Deed Excerpt
Prologue
The main courtroom in Keeper’s Court, Saldor’s hall of justice, had five sides, one for each of the arcane energies that made up the world. The accused stood in the center, chained by the wrist to a large squat stone at the center of the floor. Dull, black, and trapezoidal, “the Block” was so old that the courtroom itself was several centuries its junior. It was said that, in the old days, the condemned would have their heads struck off the moment the verdict was read. Those were primitive times, however—blood was no longer spilled in the Saldorian courts. They had other ways of making the condemned regret their actions. Ways that would not stain the woodwork or upset any children present.
Read More#SFFchat on Wednesday, Plus Huge Book Giveaway
About #SFFchat
Back in December, a bunch of Harper Voyager US/UK authors got together on the #SFFchat hashtag to talk about writing, publishing, and the sci-fi/fantasy genre with aspiring SF/F authors. We had a fantastic discussion (read the highlights), so we’re going to do it again.
On Wednesday, June 22nd at 3pm Eastern and 9pm Eastern, 18 Voyager authors will be answering questions on Twitter under the #SFFchat hashtag. Each chat will last an hour. We’re also doing a massive giveaway of Voyager e-books and print books, which you can enter using the widget below. All are welcome! Please join us if you want to talk about SF/F and maybe win some free books. A list of what you might win:
The Brass Giant- Brooke Johnson
The Oldest Trick- Auston Habershaw
Elixir: A Changeling P.I. Novel- Ruth Vincent
Desert Rising- Kelley Grant
Breath of Earth- Beth Cato
The Rogue Retrieval- Dan Koboldt
Grudging: Birth of Saints- Michelle Hauck
Mercury Retrograde- Laura Bicklel
Across the Long Sea- Sara Remy
Los Nefilim (print)- Teresa Frohock
Dissension- Stacey Berg
Three Days in April- Edward Ashton
Unexpected Rain- Jason LaPier
Hero Born- Andy Livingstone
Shadow of the void- Nathan Garrison
Darkhaven- Afe Smith
The Drowning God- James Kendley
If you’re an author seeking representation or publication, we hope you’ll also join the #SFFpit Twitter pitching event on Thursday, June 23rd.
BONUS: And the Voyager authors have started a Facebook group just for SFF fans called SFF Junkies. It’s a new place to hang out and talk SFF books or even writing. You can find it in the rafflecopter or use this link.
Enter the Giveaway
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Read MoreInterview with Sara Dobie Bauer, Author of Bite Somebody
I’m excited to welcome my dear friend Sara Dobie Bauer as we celebrate the release of Bite Somebody from World Weaver Press! This book is fun and flirty, the very essence of a summer beach read.
Oh hey, I even blurbed the book! I said: “Witty banter and hot sexy-times make BITE SOMEBODY sparkle in all the right ways.”
Seriously, read this interview and go order this book.
Celia is so frumpy and utterly relatable. And Ian… yeah. You often use celebrities as an inspiration for your male leads. Was that true here?
In regards to Ian, yes … and no. There’s this one photo shoot of Benedict Cumberbatch that sort of nailed Ian’s “look.” I mean perfectly. However, Ian’s personality is a mix between the goofy Benedict I’ve seen in interviews, my husband’s general laidback-ness, and the sweet Boy Next Door stereotype. Ian is his own man, truly. He may have been inspired by outside sources, but he came to life when I wrote him. He’s so ingrained as a real person in my head, we sometimes play Jeopardy! together. Which isn’t weird, okay? It’s just a writer thing. Don’t judge me!
The romantic chemistry zings in this book. Is that sort of banter easy for you to write, or more slow and deliberate?
When I was single, banter was my Mona Lisa. Banter was my David. Banter was my 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers. Now that I’m married, I still banter with my Jake, but there’s a surplus of romantic one-liners in my head, which seems to come out on the page. I utilize dialogue to build chemistry, which might be a crutch, but it’s worked so far. If two people can talk to each other (through one-liners, innuendo, and even thoughtful confessions), romance naturally grows from spark to flame. I can’t do anything slowly or deliberately … except maybe mix cocktails. That’s an art form, damn it.
One of the things I appreciated about Bite Somebody was how you stayed pretty true to traditional vampire lore (no sparkles) while making it modern and fresh. What are some of your favorite vampire books?
This is weird, but I love dark and twisted vampire books, even though the only thing truly twisted about Bite Somebody is Imogene’s hair. My most recent favorite is The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman. (The man can do no wrong.) Funny, I grew up reading Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. I tried reading one recently and didn’t like it. Go figure.
Let’s talk setting. This is based on a location in Florida you know quite well, right?
You bet! Longboat Key! I renamed it Admiral Key for Bite Somebody, because I didn’t want to have to get everything exactly right, like street names and stuff. (Lazy writer.) I head down to Longboat Key every year for a pilgrimage with my Aunt Susie, where we drink rum punches and hang at The Drift Inn, just like the vamps in my book. It’s a place of peace, quiet, and immature hilarity.
How do you plan to celebrate on release day?
I’ll have a rum punch, put on my highest heels, and dance to 80s rock. While wearing vampire teeth.
Order Bite Somebody on Amazon or World Weaver Press
Sara Dobie Bauer is a writer, model, and mental health advocate with a creative writing degree from Ohio University. She spends most days at home in her pajamas as a book nerd and sex-pert for SheKnows.com. Her short story, “Don’t Ball the Boss,” was nominated for the 2015 Pushcart Prize, inspired by her shameless crush on Benedict Cumberbatch. She lives with her hottie husband and two precious pups in Northeast Ohio, although she would really like to live in a Tim Burton film.
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Interview with Nathan Garrison, Author of Shadow of the Void
Shadow of the Void is out today! This second book of the Sundered World Trilogy promises to be awesome. Author Nathan Garrison is one of my peers in Harper Voyager Impulse, and I interviewed him about the new release.
– Who are some of your favorite epic fantasy authors?
Along with classic authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Jordan, my favorite ones still writing today are Steven Erikson and R. Scott Bakker. It’s hard to top the scope and complexity of their worlds, yet they still manage to get deep down into their characters, and the personal struggles they all go through amidst events that shake the world. I also recently discovered Janny Wurts, and based off what I’ve read so far, those top two are going to have some competition for their spots!
– Do you have a favorite character in your cast? Why this person?
Vashodia is hands down my favorite character to write. I have to limit scenes from her point of view, however, because she simply knows too much–probably more than me even. She’s so fun because not only does she have unspeakable power, but she also takes such delight in proving others wrong.
– You get to choose your own magical power. What will it be?
Flying is close, but if I was able to choose anything, I could never pass up time manipulation. Though, I’d probably just use it to catch up on sleep and read more books.
– Epic fantasies are notoriously complex. How do you keep the details straight as you write in your Sundered Worlds trilogy?
Very. Meticulous. Outlines. That, plus my wife, editor, and copyeditor keep me honest, and my manuscripts coherent. You don’t want to know what my books look like before a thorough scrubbing from them.
– Your new release is the second book and you’re working on the third right now. Can you share the title and a projected release date?
The Light That Binds is the final book in my Sundered World trilogy, and has a projected release date of February 15th 2017. One day past Valentines Day! Which is appropriate, since it deals (far more potently than the first two books) with the theme of love.
With comparisons to N.K. Jemison, Michael J. Sullivan, and Joe Abercrombie, readers have fallen in love with The Veiled Empire, the first book in The Sundered Worlds trilogy. Now, Nathan Garrison takes the story to the next level Shadow of the Void.
The Veil has fallen . . . and the gods have been woken.
For many, a new dawn has risen, as freedom from the tyrannical Emperor Rekaj has created a land replete with opportunities. But for those who had lived outside the Veil for generations, the sudden appearance of a new nation is not cause for celebration–it is the cause for war.
Yet, even as the political machinations of men and mierothi and valynkar start to manifest on a global scale, there are a few playing their own games. Whether it’s the powerful combination of Vashodia and Jasside trying to carve out a country for those freed from the Veil, or the warrior Mevon and assassin Draevenus forming an unlikely alliance in search of the dark god Ruul, the world is in chaos…which might be exactly what some are counting on.
Continuing where Veiled Empire left off, Shadow of the Void shows us how individuals can shape their own destinies, but not necessarily control them.
Buy the 1st book, Veiled Empire!
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Buy the brand new 2nd book in the trilogy!
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Born in 1983, Nathan Garrison has been writing stories since his dad bought their first family computer. He grew up on tales of the fantastic. From Narnia and Middle-earth to a galaxy far, far away, he has always harbored a love for things only imagination can conjure up. He counts it among the greatest joys of his life to be able to share the stories within him. He has two great boys and an awesome wife who is way more supportive of his writing efforts than he thinks he deserves. Besides writing, he loves playing guitar (the louder the better), cooking (the more bacon-y the better), playing board/video/card games with friends and family, and reveling in unadulterated geekery.
Website | @NR_Garrison | Facebook | Goodreads
Read MoreRelease of The World Weavers: A Desert Rising Novel by Kelley Grant
I’m happy to spread the word that one of my fellow Harper Voyager Impulse buddies is releasing her third book today! Congratulations, Kelley!
World Weavers follows the events of Desert Rising and The Obsidian Temple. Grab the whole trilogy and read’em all in a row!
It has been a year since Sulis Hasifel fled to the desert, narrowly escaping death at the hands of a vengeful god. The time of the final battle, the final confrontation with the deities of her world, is nearing. Lured by the call of their long-trapped powers, the deities will descend upon the Obsidian Temple, where the Chosen await.
But the war between gods and humans has enveloped the entire land. Sulis’s twin, Kadar, joins forces with the nomadic warrior tribes of the desert. Little by little, the desert armies draw the deities away from their stronghold in the north, towards their doom.
In the face of a battle that will reshape mankind’s destiny and the face of the earth itself, old friendships will be tested and new alliances forged. In this spellbinding denouement to Desert Rising and The Obsidian Temple, Kelley Grant brings her epic trilogy to a thunderous and powerful conclusion.
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