Urban fantasy

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    Cover art reveal for Spartan Promise, Mythos Academy spinoff #2, Jan. 15 …

    I’m thrilled to reveal the cover art for Spartan Promise, Mythos Academy spinoff #2. Woot! 🙂 The cover art was done by the awesome Jenny Zemanek of Seedlings Design Studio.

    Spartan Promise will be released on Jan. 15.

    GET THE  EBOOK:

    Amazon Kindle B&N Nook Apple Books Google Play Kobo Smashwords

    GET THE PRINT BOOK:

    Amazon print B&N print

    Note: Booksellers and librarians can order print copies of Spartan Promise through IngramSpark.

    ABOUT THE AUDIOBOOK:

    There will be an audiobook for Spartan Promise. Unfortunately, I have no idea when it — or the audiobook for Spartan Heart, book #1 — will be released. So if you want to read the book on release day, you will have to get the ebook or print book.

    SPARTAN PROMISE DESCRIPTION:

    Hunting for the bad guys has never been so dangerous . . .

    My name is Rory Forseti, and I attend the Colorado branch of Mythos Academy, a school of warrior kids, powerful artifacts, and mythological monsters.

    I’m a student, a fierce Spartan warrior, and a member of Team Midgard, a group of kids and adults tasked with stopping the evil Reapers of Chaos. There is one Reaper I’m determined to hunt down above all others: Covington, the man who murdered my parents.

    So when the Midgard gets a tip that Covington is going to try to steal a dangerous artifact, I’m ready to fight. But the situation is far more complicated than it seems, and the Reapers aren’t my only enemies.

    I’ll have to use all my Spartan strength and skills to survive this. And even then, it might be my blood that gets spilled . . .

    Note: This series is set in my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy world. This is a spinoff series, and the new books star Rory Forseti, Gwen’s cousin from Midnight Frost and Killer Frost, books #5 and #6 in the original series. Gwen is NOT the heroine in these books, although she and some of the other characters from the original series make cameo appearances in the spinoff books.

    I hope that everyone enjoys the next chapter in Rory’s adventure when it is released.

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    Haints and Hobwebs — Elemental Assassin #4.5 ghost story — now available …

    Haints and Hobwebs, Elemental Assassin #4.5, is now available as a stand-alone ebook. Woot!

    Haints and Hobwebs is my take on a ghost story. The 11,000-word story first appeared in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance anthology in 2012.

    Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Nook Apple Books Google Play Kobo Smashwords

    Note: There will NOT be an audiobook or a print book of this story.

    Over the years, several folks have asked if/when I was going to release Haints and Hobwebs as a stand-alone ebook, and I’m happy that it’s going to be available for folks who want to add it to their Elemental Assassin collections.

    If the demand is great enough, I might also consider releasing some of the free short stories on my website as stand-alone ebooks or perhaps as an ebook bundle. We’ll see what happens.

    Fun fact: The awesome Tony Mauro designed the cover art for Haints and Hobwebs. He is the cover artist for the Elemental Assassin series, as well as for Kill the Queen. I love the spider rune on the tombstone, and I think it’s a great look for a ghost story.

    HAINTS AND HOBWEBS DESCRIPTION:

    Even the Spider can’t escape a ghost’s web . . .

    I’m being haunted.

    As Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, I’m used to being haunted by all the bad things I’ve done over the years. I suppose it was only a matter of time before an actual ghost came back to haunt me. But for once, I’m not the bad guy, and I wasn’t the person who sent this ghost—this haint—into the afterlife.

    But this haint definitely wants something from me, and I can’t help but think that it’s revenge on the person responsible for her untimely demise.

    Good thing revenge is my specialty, whether it’s among the living or the dead . . .

    Note: Haints and Hobwebs is an 11,000-word story that takes place after the events of Tangled Threads, book 4 in the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Haints and Hobwebs first appeared in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance in 2012.

    I hope that everyone enjoys revisiting the ghost story. Happy reading! 🙂

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    Winter’s Web — a brand-new Elemental Assassin novella — to appear in Seasons of Sorcery fantasy anthology …

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    I’m pleased to announce that Winter’s Web, a brand-new Elemental Assassin novella, will appear in the Seasons of Sorcery fantasy anthology on Nov. 13. Woot! 🙂

    The anthology also features novellas by Amanda Bouchet, Grace Draven, and Jeffe Kennedy. Isn’t the cover gorgeous? It was created by the awesome Ravven.

    SEASONS OF SORCERY EBOOK:

    Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Nook Kobo

    You can pre-order the anthology for $4.99. On release day, Tuesday, Nov. 13, the price goes up to $5.99.

    The anthology will also be available on Apple Books and Google Play (I think). There will also be print versions available through Amazon. I’ll share all those links as soon as they are online.

    SEASONS OF SORCERY DESCRIPTION:

    WINTER’S WEB BY JENNIFER ESTEP
    An assassin at a renaissance faire. What could possibly go wrong? Everything, if you’re Gin Blanco. This Spider is trapped in someone else’s icy web—and it seems like they don’t want her to leave the faire alive . . .

    A CURSE FOR SPRING BY AMANDA BOUCHET
    A malevolent spell strangles the kingdom of Leathen in catastrophic drought. Prince Daric must break the curse before his people starve. A once-mighty goddess trapped in a human body might be the key—but saving his kingdom could mean losing all that he loves.

    THE DRAGONS OF SUMMER BY JEFFE KENNEDY
    As unofficial consort to the High Queen, former mercenary Harlan Konyngrr faces a challenge worse than looming war and fearsome dragons. His long-held secrets threaten what he loves most—and he must make a choice between vows to two women.

    A WILDERNESS OF GLASS BY GRACE DRAVEN
    The stretch of sea known as The Gray rules the lives of those in the village of Ancilar, including widow Brida Gazi. In the aftermath of an autumn storm, Brida discovers one of the sea’s secrets cast onto the shore—a discovery that will change her world, mend her soul, and put her in the greatest danger she’s ever faced.

    MORE ABOUT THE SEASONS OF SORCERY ANTHOLOGY

    Note #1: There will NOT be an audiobook version of the anthology.

    Note #2: Winter’s Web is Elemental Assassin #17.5, so it takes place after the events of Venom in the Veins, book #17.

    Note #3: I will be releasing Winter’s Web as an individual ebook later on, but I hope that folks will check out the anthology. I think readers will enjoy the fantasy novellas by all the authors.

    LONGER WINTER’S WEB DESCRIPTION:

    An assassin at a renaissance faire. What could possibly go wrong? Everything, if you’re the Spider . . .

    I might be Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, but even I need a break from the bad guys every now and then. So when Owen Grayson, my significant other, suggests a trip to the Winter’s Web Renaissance Faire, it sounds like a perfect distraction from all my problems.

    The faire starts off innocently enough, but something seems slightly off about the cheery atmosphere and costumed characters. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I can’t help but feel like I’m trapped in someone else’s icy web—and that they don’t want me to leave the faire alive . . .

    Note: Winter’s Web is a 27,000-word novella that takes place after the events of Venom in the Veins, book 17 in the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Winter’s Web first appeared in the Seasons of Sorcery anthology in 2018.

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    Venom in the Veins on sale for $1.99 …

    Venom in the Veins, Elemental Assassin #17, is on sale for $1.99. So if you’ve been wanting to check out the book, now is the time. The ebook sale started on Amazon, although I imagine that it will spread to the other retailers over the next few days.

    Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Nook Google Play iBooks Kobo

    ADD THE AUDIOBOOK

    If you buy the Amazon Kindle ebook, you can also add the audiobook for an additional $1.99.

    Amazon audiobook Audible audiobook

    The awesome Lauren Fortgang is once again the narrator for the audiobook.

    PRINT BOOK STILL AVAILABLE

    Amazon print Barnes & Noble print

    Note: The print book is most likely NOT stocked at your local bookstore, so you will have to order it online through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

    Booksellers: Booksellers at indie and other bookstores can order print copies of Venom in the Veins through IngramSpark. Booksellers at Barnes & Noble stores can order the book through the B&N Press system.

    Blood might be thicker than water, but venom is stronger than just about anything … 

    It was supposed to be a nice, quiet, simple dinner with friends—but nothing is ever nice, quiet, or simple when you’re Gin Blanco, the Spider, notorious assassin and current queen of the Ashland underworld.  

    This time around, someone seems to be targeting Stuart Mosley, the president of First Trust bank. Lots of people have grudges against Mosley, but the more I investigate, the more Mosley’s problems seem to be connected to some of my own, especially when it comes to the Circle, the evil, shadowy group that is secretly responsible for much of the crime and corruption in Ashland. 

    But when another blast from my dark and deadly past as the Spider comes to light, I wonder if I’ll be able to survive this dangerous new enemy, who has a burning thirst for revenge that will only be satisfied with one thing: my death.

    Read an excerpt: To read the first chapter, go here, scroll down, and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    I hope that everyone enjoys Gin’s latest adventure. Happy reading! 🙂

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    Spinnenzeit, Elemental Assassin #10, has been published in German …

    A quick update for my German readers about some new and upcoming book releases by yours truly. 

    Spinnenzeit, book #10 in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, has been released in German.

    This book is called The Spider in English. This book is a prequel story that shows how Gin Blanco became the assassin the Spider. It is set several years before the events of Spider’s Bite, the first book in the series.

    Here is a look at the cover art. I always think it’s so interesting how the U.S. covers differ from the German covers. Almost all of my German covers have a white background, while only one of my U.S. books — Widow’s Web, Elemental Assassin #7 — has a cover with a white background. I think the German covers are really cool. I like their minimalist look.

    Also, if you like superheroes, Karma Girl and a couple of the other books in my Bigtime superhero series have also been released in German.

    Hard Frost, book #2 in my Mythos Academy Colorado series, will be released on Oct. 2 in German. Like the first book, this one also follows the adventures of Rory Forseti, a Spartan warrior who attends the Colorado branch of Mythos Academy.

    As of right now, there will be three books in this series. I’m not sure when book #3 will be released in German.

    When I get a firm release date, I will try to share that on my Facebook and Twitter pages. You can also sign up for my email newsletter to stay up to date on all my book releases.

    Also, this book will be called Spartan Promise in English. I’m hoping to release Spartan Promise in English in January/February 2019, but it depends on my writing deadlines. We’ll see what happens.

    I hope that all my German readers enjoy the books. Happy reading!