• Checking out the TBR pile …

    Today, I thought I would share some of the young adult fantasy books in my TBR pile (note that the descriptions are from Goodreads). I’ve been wanting to read all of these for a while now, but all of my writing deadlines keep getting in the way of my reading-for-fun time. Pesky deadlines.

    Siege and StormSiege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo: Darkness never dies.

    Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

    The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

    The Iron LegendsThe Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa: Enter the world of the internationally bestselling Iron Fey series. Dangerous faeries. Heartbreaking romance. Thrilling action and limitless adventure. The world of the fey has never been so powerful. This collection includes three novellas set in the world of the Iron Fey plus the Guide to the Iron Fey with exclusive information about Julie Kagawa’s unforgettable world of Faery.

    Winter’s Passage

    Never make a promise to a faery. They always come to collect. Now Meghan Chase must fulfill her promise to Prince Ash of the Winter Court and embark upon a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory—while being pursued by a relentless new foe and guarding her own foolish heart.

    Summer’s Crossing

    What can turn enemies into reluctant allies? A call from the Exile Queen, Leanansidhe, ties legendary prankster Puck to his archenemy, Prince Ash, on a journey that may end in betrayal and will set them both on an irreversible path.

    Iron’s Prophecy

    Before she ever knew what she might become, Iron Queen Meghan Chase was warned by the oracle that her firstborn child would bring nothing but grief. And even as Meghan and Ash celebrate their long-awaited union, the prophecy stirs.

    Three Iron Fey novellas for the first time in print!

    Scent of MagicScent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder: Hunted, Killed—Survived?

    As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

    Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

    War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible … again.

    What about you guys? Are any of these books in your TBR pile? What are some of the books in your TBR pile?

  • · ·

    Last call to buy Entangled e-anthology …

    I’m one of several authors who contributed a story to Entangled, an e-anthology that was released in 2011. After the end of October, the e-anthology will no longer be available, so if you want to check it out, now is the time to download it.

    Entangled is available for $2.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

    This was a really cool project to be involved in because the money raised has gone to breast cancer research. 

    My story is called Halloween Frost. It’s about 6,500 words and is part of my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series. The story takes place after the events of Touch of Frost. You can read an excerpt here, and here’s the description:

    It’s Halloween at Mythos Academy, but Gwen Frost and her friends are in for more tricks than treats when they run into a mythological monster intent on killing them.

    And here’s some general info about the anthology, the other authors participating, and their stories:

    Ghosts, vampires, demons, and more! Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal short stories from authors Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Edie Ramer, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, and Michelle Miles, plus a Seven Deadly Sins novella by Allison Brennan.

    Stacia Kane contributed the foreword. Formatting and cover art were also donated to the project by Lori Devoti and Laura Morrigan.

    All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

  • · ·

    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 / iTunesKobo

    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!

  • · ·

    Killer Frost update …

    Killer FrostWith the release of Midnight Frost back in August, I’ve been getting some questions about Killer Frost, the sixth book in my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series.

    First of all, here is the cover for the book at left. Killer Frost is set to be released in March 2014, which means that the on-sale date will be Feb. 25, 2014.

    Killer Frost will be the last book in my Mythos Academy series. I know this will disappoint some folks. I love writing the series and Gwen, Logan, and all the other characters, but ending the series now will give me a chance to bring Gwen’s story to a (hopefully) great conclusion for readers and fans of the series.

    If there is enough reader interest, I may write more works in the series someday or perhaps do a spinoff series. We’ll see what happens. But it’s time to say goodbye to Gwen and the gang, at least for now.

    This doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop writing young adult books. I have a new YA project that I am working on, and I hope to be able to share some news about that soon. Like I said before, we’ll see what happens.

    In the meantime, here is the link to the Killer Frost book page with all of the information that I have for the book so far. And here is the book description. As always, please be mindful of spoilers:

    I’ve battled the Reapers of Chaos beforeand survived. But this time I have a Bad, Bad Feeling it’s going to be a fight to the death … most likely mine.

    Yeah, I’ve got my psychometry magic, my talking sword, Vic–and even the most dangerous Spartan on campus at my side, in Logan freaking Quinn, but I’m no match for Loki, the evil Norse god of chaos. I may be Nike’s Champion, but at heart, I’m still just Gwen Frost, that weird Gypsy girl everyone at school loves to gossip about.

    Then someone I love is put in more danger than ever before, and something inside me snaps. This time, Loki and his Reapers are going down for good … or I am.

    Killer Frost will be available in print, audio book, and e-book formats. It is up for pre-order at the following sites:

    Amazon

    Barnes & Noble

    Books-A-Million

    Brilliance Audio

    It should be up for pre-order soon at other sites, including Audible, Kobo, and iTunes.

    I had a lot of fun writing this series, and I hope that everyone enjoys Gwen’s next adventure.