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    Cold Burn of Magic, Black Blade #1, released …

    4 Comments

    Black Blade #1Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, has been released. Woot! Woot! Woot!

    Cold Burn of Magic is available at all the usual book retailers, including the following:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon paperback / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / IndieBound / Google Play /  Kobo

    And here is the book description:

    THERE BE MONSTERS HERE…

    It’s not as great as you’d think, living in a tourist town that’s known as “the most magical place in America.” Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

    I try to keep out of it. I’ve got my mom’s bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

    But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend’s pawn shop, and I have to make a call—get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn’t. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I’m stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I’m going to end up just like her…

    You can read the first chapter of Cold Burn of Magic here. Scroll down and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    So basically, Cold Burn of Magic features magic, monsters, and mobsters. The heroine is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who does her best to avoid the Families (mobs) that run her town, a total tourist trap known for the monsters that haunt the area. But, of course, Lila finds herself in the middle of a feud between two of the Families. There’s a cute guy in the mix too. As of right now, there will be three books in the series.

    Dark Heart of Magic, the second book, is tentatively set to be released on Oct. 27. The third book will probably be out in May 2016, but that is subject to change.

    I hope that everyone enjoys Cold Burn of Magic. Happy reading!

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    Cold Burn of Magic, Black Blade #1, up for pre-order …

    2 Comments

    Black Blade #1So we are only a week away from from the release of Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series. Woot! I’m excited (and a bit nervous) for the book to come out. I hope that everyone enjoys reading about Lila’s adventures.

    Cold Burn of Magic is up for pre-order at all the usual book retailers, including the following:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon paperback / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / IndieBound / Google Play /  Kobo

    And here is the book description:

    THERE BE MONSTERS HERE…

    It’s not as great as you’d think, living in a tourist town that’s known as “the most magical place in America.” Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

    I try to keep out of it. I’ve got my mom’s bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

    But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend’s pawn shop, and I have to make a call—get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn’t. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I’m stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I’m going to end up just like her…

    You can read the first chapter of Cold Burn of Magic here. Scroll down and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    So basically, Cold Burn of Magic features magic, monsters, and mobsters. The heroine is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who does her best to avoid the Families (mobs) that run her town, a total tourist trap known for the monsters that haunt the area. But, of course, Lila finds herself in the middle of a feud between two of the Families. There’s a cute guy in the mix too. As of right now, there will be three books in the series.

    Dark Heart of Magic, the second book, is tentatively set to be released on Oct. 27. The third book will probably be out in May 2016, but that is subject to change.

    I hope that everyone enjoys Cold Burn of Magic when it is released next week. Happy reading!

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    Blogging, e-newsletter, and social media sites …

    Here is a roundup of places where you can find me online and get my latest book news:

    1) If you don’t already, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter. These are the two online sites where I am the most active. I usually post on both sites several times a day, respond to comments/tweets, and more. I also do weekly features on these sites:

    Teaser Tuesday — a brief excerpt from one of my books

    Waiting on Wednesday — a book I am looking forward to (this is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine)

    Friday Reads — what I’m reading

    Weekend Watch — what movies/TV shows I’m watching

    I also respond to friend requests and comments over at Goodreads.

    2) I blog here on my own blog on Mondays. I have four books out this year, so I’ll be posting a lot about those books — back cover copy, cover art, excerpts, and more. You can subscribe to my blog feed by clicking the icon at the top right corner of this page or going here.

    3) I also blog over at Magical Musings, a group blog with several authors. My blogs usually appear every fourth Tuesday. My next blog dates are Feb. 17, March 17, April 14, and May 12. I will probably be posting those blogs here to my site as well.

    4) I also send out an e-newsletter every month, which features my latest book news, upcoming guest blog schedule, book recommendations, and a recipe. I try to send that out the first week of each month. Also, when I have a new book out, I also send out an e-blast about that book, usually on its release day.

    To subscribe, go to my home page, scroll down, and fill out the form in the right sidebar. You will get an e-mail asking you to opt-in and confirm your subscription to my e-newsletter. I do not share anyone’s e-mail address.

    And that’s where you can find me online.

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    Carniepunk e-book on sale for $1.99 through Oct. 21 …

    Short StoryI wanted to let everyone know that the e-book version of the Carniepunk urban fantasy anthology is currently on sale for $1.99.

    So if you’ve been wanting to check out the entire anthology, now is the time to do it. From what I’ve been told, the e-book sale will run through Oct. 21.

    The e-book is on sale at a variety of booksellers, including the following sites:

    Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Kobo

    As part of this promotion, Simon & Schuster is also offering several other e-books for sale, like Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett. You can see all the e-books on sale here.

    My story is called Parlor Tricks and is set in my Elemental Assassin world. In Parlor Tricks, Gin and Bria go to a country carnival in search of a missing girl and find some unexpected sights and danger along the way. My story is about 9,000 words long, and you can read an excerpt here.

    Here is the anthology description:

    A star-studded urban fantasy anthology starring bestselling authors Rachel Caine, Jennifer Estep, Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire, and Rob Thurman, and including Delilah S. Dawson, Kelly Gay, Mark Henry, Hillary Jacques, Jackie Kessler, Kelly Meding, Allison Pang, Nicole D. Peeler, and Jaye Wells, whose stories explore the creepy, mysterious, and, yes, sometimes magical world of traveling carnivals.

    The traveling carnival is a leftover of a bygone era, a curiosity lurking on the outskirts of town. It is a place of contradictions — the bright lights mask the peeling paint; a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away from the direction of the Barker’s seductive call. It is a place of illusion — is that woman’s beard real? How can she live locked in that watery box?

    And while many are tricked by sleight of hand, there are hints of something truly magical going on. One must remain alert and learn quickly the unwritten rules of this dark show. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns — or maybe some magic of one’s own.

    Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed, Carniepunk is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban fantasy into the bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and vivid new magic.

    CARNIEPUNK: PARLOR TRICKS FREE DOWNLOAD

    Short StoryI also wanted to mention that Parlor Tricks, my Elemental Assassin short story, is still available as a free download.

    The cover for the e-download is shown at right, and it is very similar to the Carniepunk anthology cover above.

    The e-download also features some short previews of the other stories in the anthology.

    Note that this is available as an e-story only — not in any print or audio versions. Here are some of the sites where you can download the free Carniepunk: Parlor Tricks story:

    Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Kobo

    Here’s the Carniepunk: Parlor Tricks description from Amazon:

    Come one! Come all! Witness Gin Blanco — aka the Elemental Assassin, aka the Spider — go toe to toe against the Esmerelda the Amazing’s Wheel of Death and some dangerously creepy clowns! Only at The Carnival of Wondrous Wonders!

    A free story from the forthcoming Carniepunk urban fantasy anthology starring bestselling authors Rachel Caine, Jennifer Estep, Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire, and Rob Thurman, and also includes Delilah S. Dawson, Kelly Gay, Mark Henry, Hillary Jacques, Jackie Kessler, Kelly Meding, Allison Pang, Nicole D. Peeler, and Jaye Wells. Samples of all fourteen tales are included to tantalize and to tease. Come to the Carniepunk midway and explore the creepy, mysterious, magical world of traveling carnivals today!

    Hope everyone enjoys the Gin short story and the entire anthology. Happy reading!