Black Blade series

  • · ·

    Audiobook available for Cold Burn of Magic, Black Blade #1 …

    Black Blade #1The audiobook for Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, has been released today, Sept. 29. Woot!

    The audiobook is available through Audible and Amazon, and Brittany Pressley is the narrator.

    It seems like audiobooks are getting more and more popular, and I’m glad that the book is now available in that format as well.

    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. There will be print, e-book, and audiobook versions for those books as well.

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

  • · ·

    Cold Burn of Magic giveaway …

    48 Comments

    I’m gearing up for the release of Dark Heart of Magic, Black Blade #2, on Oct. 27. Only about a month to go now. Woot!

    Dark Heart of Magic is available 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 is once again the narrator.

    But while we’re waiting on Dark Heart of Magic, let’s go back to Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade series. I haven’t done a contest here on my blog in a while, so let’s fix that. 🙂

    Black Blade #1I’m giving away 5 copies of Cold Burn of Magic. The contest is open to those 14 and older, U.S. only. To enter, use the form at the bottom of this post.

    Here’s the book description for Cold Burn of Magic:

    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…

    So basically, the book features magic, monsters, and mobsters. The heroine 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 also does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But when she saves a member of the Sinclair Family during an attack, Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.
    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • · ·

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

    14 Comments

    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.

  • · ·

    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!

  • · ·

    Writing something new …

    14 Comments

    Note: This post appeared at Magical Musings last week, but I wanted to share it here on my blog too.

    Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, was released on April 28. Woot!

    Having a new book out is always exciting, but it always makes me a little nervous too. As an author, you always hope that folks will enjoy a new book as much — or more — as they have other books that you’ve written.

    Black Blade #1But this release has been a little more nerve-wracking than most because this is the first time that I’ve had a new book series out since 2011.

    Touch of Frost, the first book in my Mythos Academy young adult series, came out in 2011, and I wrapped up that series with Killer Frost in 2014. And I’m still writing my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, which debuted in 2010.

    Cold Burn of Magic has many of the same elements that my other books/series do — a strong heroine, magic/world building, and lots of action and fight scenes. But it does take place in an entirely new world with entirely new characters. Here’s 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…

    So basically, the book features magic, monsters, and mobsters. The heroine 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 also does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But when she saves a member of the Sinclair Family during an attack, Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.

    As an author, I want folks to enjoy each new book more than they did the last. But it’s a little trickier when it comes to creating a new series with new characters. What if folks don’t like the magic and world building of Cloudburst Falls? What if they don’t like Lila? These are the things that I worry about.

    We’ve all read books/series by authors that we like more than some of the other books/series those authors have written. In the end, I guess writing a book and trying something new is just a roll of the dice. Some folks will like it, and some folks won’t.

    That doesn’t keep me from worrying, though. LOL.

    What about you guys? Do you try new series by your favorite authors? Why or why not? Are there some series that you like more than others?