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    Bright Blaze of Magic, Black Blade #3, cover revealed …

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    Book #3Today, I am sharing the cover art for Bright Blaze of Magic, the third book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series that will be out on April 26, 2016.

    As of right now, this will be the third and final book in the series.

    Bright Blaze of Magic will be available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats from all the usual retailers. The book is already available for pre-order at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon print / Books-A-Million / Google Play / IndieBound / Kobo

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon, and Brittany Pressley will once again be the narrator. Those pre-order links should go up about six weeks before the publication date — so probably sometime in March.

    And here is the book description. This doesn’t contain any real spoilers for the book/series, but if you absolutely do not want to be spoiled, you might want to skip reading the book description:

    BAD THINGS ALWAYS COME IN THREES…

    As a thief, I’m good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls.

    Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families—and kill every last Sinclair. What they don’t know is that I’m on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I’ve got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting right by my side…

    The heroine of Bright Blaze of Magic is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who lives in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America.” Tourists come from around the world to tour all the magic-themed shops and attractions, as well as see monsters like tree trolls, copper crushers, and more in their natural habitats.

    Lila does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.

    Hope that everyone enjoys the look at the cover art and the book description.

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    Listening to and writing for audiobooks …

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    Note: This post first appeared last week at Magical Musings.

    Do you listen to audiobooks?

    It seems like audiobooks are becoming more and more popular these days. I’ve had folks tell me that they listen to audiobooks in a variety of places and ways — everything from while they are in the car or on the train commuting to work or even while they’re at home doing housework.

    Out of my various books, the audiobooks for my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series are the most popular. They are narrated by the awesome Lauren Fortgang, who does a great job of bringing my heroine Gin Blanco to life. Instead of getting e-mails asking when the next book will be out, now I get e-mails asking when the audiobook will be out. LOL.

    Spider's TrapThe audiobook for Spider’s Trap, Elemental Assassin #13, was released on July 28, the same day as the print and e-book versions. You can order the audiobook through Audible and Amazon.

    I don’t usually listen to audiobooks, but I’m interested in trying them. But what has really impacted me is that I find myself writing my books with the audiobook version in mind.

    When I’m writing a new character, I will ask myself questions like “What does this person’s voice sound like?” and “How can I make them sound different and distinctive from the other characters?” Then I’ll put in some tags for the audiobook narrator to pick up on and hopefully use. Here’s are some examples from Spider’s Trap:

    “Well, Blanco?” Dimitri demanded in a low, gravelly voice.

    “I can’t let you go anywhere, can I?” Owen murmured, a teasing note creeping into his deep, rumbling voice.

    “But what about you, sweetheart?” Mallory said in a twangy voice that was far more hillbilly than high society.

    I think adding the voice tags not only makes for a better audiobook, but that it is also a little bit of extra description for folks reading the print and e-book versions as well.

    What about you guys? Do you listen to audiobooks? And for all the writers out there — do you describe your characters’ voices with audiobooks in mind?

    GIVEAWAY TIME

    Thanks to the folks at Audible, I have 3 download codes for the Spider’s Trap audiobook to give away. To enter, use the form below. Open to those 18 and older, worldwide.
    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Audiobook for Cold Burn of Magic to be released Sept. 29 …

    Black Blade #1I’m happy to announce that there will be an audiobook for Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series. Woot!

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon. It will be released on Sept. 29, and Brittany Pressley will be the narrator. If you click on the above links, you can go ahead and pre-order the audiobook.

    Cold Burn of Magic is also available in print and e-book formats at all the usual book retailers:

    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, will be released on Oct. 27. Bright Blaze of Magic, the third book, will be out in May 2016.

    I hope that everyone enjoys the audiobook for Cold Burn of Magic. Happy listening!

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    Dark Heart of Magic, Black Blade #2, coming Oct. 27 …

    Dark Heart of Magic finalToday, I wanted to share the final cover art for Dark Heart of Magic, the second book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, which will be released on Oct. 27. Woot!

    The heroine of Dark Heart of Magic is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who lives in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America.” Tourists come from around the world to tour all the magic-themed shops and attractions, as well as see monsters like tree trolls, copper crushers, and more in their natural habitats.

    Lila does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.

    Dark Heart of Magic is up for pre-order at the following sites:

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

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon. Brittany Pressley will be the narrator. I’ll share those pre-order links when they are available, probably about six weeks or so before the Oct. 27 release date.

    And here is the book description. It doesn’t contain any real spoilers for Cold Burn of Magic, book #1, but if you absolutely want to remain spoiler-free, you might want to skip reading the description.

    SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES…

    As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there’s no escaping the spotlight—or the danger.

    Even though he’s my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot of winning what’s supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious “accidents”, it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt.

    As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone’s going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing’s for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else …

    You can read the first chapter of Dark Heart of Magic by clicking here. Scroll down, and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    I hope that everyone enjoys Dark Heart of Magic when it is released. Happy reading!

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    Bitter Bite, Elemental Assassin #14, coming on Feb. 23, 2016 …

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    Bitter BiteBitter Bite, the 14th book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be released on Feb. 23, 2016.

    Today, I’m happy to share the cover art and the book description. The cover art was once again done by the awesome Tony Mauro, and Alexa Martino is the model for Gin.

    I really love the colors on this cover, along with the icy web in the background.

    Bitter Bite will be available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats from all the usual retailers. I’ll be sharing the pre-order links as they become available. Right now, the book is available for pre-order at:

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

    And here is the book description. Note: This contains spoilers for Spider’s Trap. So if you absolutely do not want to be spoiled, skip reading the book description.

    Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? That’s the question Gin Blanco is asking when a friend’s long-lost relative comes strolling back into Ashland under suspicious circumstances. 

    It’s not easy being queen bee of an underworld abuzz with crooks and killers. Wielding my potent Ice and Stone elemental magic will only get me so far—my real secret is my tight-knit makeshift family, a motley crew of cops and criminals, dwarves and playboys. My foster brother Finnegan Lane is my right-hand man, but when his suddenly not-dead relative comes back into the picture, I’m the one on the outside looking in.

    It’s funny how life works: one minute your best friend is rock-steady, and the next he’s doe-eyed and buying into this whole loving-relative routine to the point of ignoring you. I’d like to be happy for Finn, I really would. But all of my instincts are telling me that beneath the syrupy sweet demeanor and old-fashioned charm, this sudden interloper is planning something. The whole shtick leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. This person might have avoided the grave once, but I’ll put anyone who hurts Finn in the ground—for good.

    I’ll be sharing more info, including teasers from the first chapter of the book, as they become available. In the meantime, hope everyone is looking forward to Gin’s next adventure.