Falling for #SpecFic: 3 Ebooks = 99c a piece | Wattpad Wednesdays | Awesome Giveaway

I'm running a sale on three of my ebooks: Reborn, Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection, and People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors. You can purchase all three for less than $3 or one for 99 cents. Here are ten facts about the books:

1. Reborn and Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection had different original titles. Reborn used to be known as The Phoenix Prophetess and Once upon a Nightmare was The Nightmare Collection.
2. Reborn is my longest work to date. The first draft came in a little over 96,000 words, and the final draft is around 95,000 words.
3. The first Foxwick short story written was "Lady Death." Umbria showed me the magic of her world, and I'm still learning more about it.
4. Once upon a Nightmare is a second edition, and I wrote over 8000 new words in it. The collection's word count is around 46,000 words.
5. People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors is nearly 80,000 words long and has seventeen short stories within the collection.
6. "Lady Death" is published in three different places: A to Z Flashes of Foxwick, People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors, and Twisted Earths. "Lady Bard" is published in two places: People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors and Spells: Ten Tales of Magic.
7. Once upon a Nightmare is available through Kindle Unlimited (KU) and Kindle's Owners Lending Library (KOLL).
8. A to Z Flashes of Foxwick is free to newsletter subscribers.
9. Reborn is the first book of The Fate Challenges series. The next books in the series are Marked, Forged, and Destined.
10. I make no promises and have no current plans to write one, but I do have an idea for another book featuring the monster within Once upon a Nightmare.

To purchase Reborn: Amazon.com | Other Amazon Sites | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | OmniLit | Smashwords

To purchase People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors: Amazon.com | Other Amazon Sites | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | OmniLit | Smashwords

To purchase Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection: Amazon.com | Other Amazon Sites

By the way, this is the last Falling for #SpecFic post of its kind. The third Wednesday in November will be a Bookworm News and Writing Update post, and I'll be taking a blogging break after the second Wednesday in December. Falling for #SpecFic will be revamped in 2016.

Read Reborn from the beginning or Chapter Thirty-Five.

Here's the deal, all you need to do is visit the Rafflecopter page and enter. It's as simple as that. At the end of the month one winner will be randomly selected to win an e-book copy of all five books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Falling for #SpecFic: Cover of Cathrina Constantine's Snow on Cinders | Wattpad Wednesdays | Awesome Giveaway

How far would you go to protect your family?

A peculiar metamorphosis has taken shape since the final days. And the planet is in the throes of healing.

Fulvio McTullan leads his family and a band of misfits to form a new settlement, far from Tallas and it’s nefarious Elites. Their journey takes them into uncharted territories where strange creatures are lurking. It’s a battle of survival, not only from the creatures, but the mutated earth as well. 

Meanwhile, Pomfrey Addler, an oppressive Elite squashes the insurrection in Tallas. Suddenly, citizens begin to vanish in the middle of the night and his daughter, Paniess is hell bent on revenge.

Fraught with mishaps, Fulvio finally locates the perfect place to settle. They begin to rebuild until they receive a call. A call which will lure them back into the clutches of Tallas.

Snow on Cinders by Cathrina Constantine

Publisher: CHBB

Cover Design: Melissa Stevens of The Illustrated Author

Release Date: October 24, 2015

Genre: Dystopian/Family Saga/Paranormal Thriller

SNOW ON CINDERS is a TALLAS sequel.

Read Reborn from the beginning or Chapter Thirty-Three.

 

Welcome to the kickoff for September's giveaway. All of the books are fab and the authors are amazing. Seriously you don't want to miss out. Here's the link to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. And here are the books.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Falling for #SpecFic: Summer TV | Wattpad Wednesday: Reborn Chapter 29 | Smashwords Sale

I sometimes wish there weren't new TV shows in the summer. I used to get a lot more reading done during those few months between the season finales and the season premieres, but it's sometimes nice to have something new to watch. Summer has its speculative fiction shows too. I'm only talking about network TV since I don't have cable/satellite or good Internet for Netflix.

Extant - Season 2 - CBS

Extant is a great science fiction show. The premise is what if a female astronaut became pregnant by an extraterrestrial. The show is set in the near future with computer-controlled houses, driverless cars, and even androids as children. I wouldn't be opposed to having an android child. Ethan is awesome. Smart, sweet, caring, and more humane than the majority of humans. Season Two has started out with a bang, and I'm excited to see what will happen next.

Under the Dome - Season 3 - CBS

Stephen King's Under the Dome was the first long book I read on my Kindle (2nd generation), so I was looking forward to seeing the TV show. It has completely gone off script from the book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it keeps me guessing. At times I think the show would have been better as a mini-series. The premise is what if a dome cut off a small town from the rest of the world. Even though I feel like the series has drawn out too much, I keep watching for the characters and the mystery of the Dome.

Zoo - Season 1 - CBS

Zoo is a book by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge and has now been turned into a TV show. The premise is what if the animals woke up and realized they outnumbered us. The idea has hooked me. In the commercials, they say there are 7 billion of us and 700 billion animals. That sounds like a whole lot of animals. I enjoyed the couple episodes and plan to see what Zoo has in store for us viewers. And I think we all need to be even nicer to animals because you never know when they will wise up and realize they outnumber us.

Wayward Pines - 10-episode event - FOX

Wayward Pines is a series of books by Blake Crouch and has been turned into a 10-episode event on Fox. The premise is what if a FBI agent woke up in a strange town with no way out. The twists are amazing and have kept me guessing. Although the premise of such a strange town isn't new, the reason why they are that way is mind-blowing. If you pick up any spec fic show this summer season, I would suggest Wayward Pines first. I'm looking forward to reading the books too.

What speculative fiction TV shows are you watching this summer?

Read Reborn from the beginning or Chapter Twenty-Nine.

The Summer/Winter sale is still going on at Smashwords. So if you're looking for some spec fic reads, look no further!

Falling for #SpecFic: Jurassic World | A Faerie's Secret by Rachel Morgan | Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 27

I'm a huge fan of the Jurassic Park series from the books to the movies, so when I heard they were making Jurassic World, I knew I had to see it. To prepare myself for all the dinosaur goodness, I re-read Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World. The weekend before Jurassic World debuted, I re-watched Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Jurassic Park III. Last Friday, I went to see Jurassic World with high hopes the movie would be as awesome as the trailers made it out to be, and it didn't disappoint. I loved it. And if they ever do make a real park with genetically engineered dinosaurs, I would be saving my dollars for it. Let's just hope they start out with the herbivores first, though. *winks*

Michael Crichton may have secured my love for dinosaurs, but Rachel Morgan has made me love faeries, particularly her kick-butt fae in her Creepy Hollow series. Rachel introduced us to Creepy Hollow with Violet Fairdale's story told in The Faerie Guardian, The Faerie Prince, and The Faerie War. Now ten year's has passed in Creepy Hollow, and we're introduced to Calla Larkenwood's story in A Faerie's Secret.

Calla Larkenwood wants nothing more than to be a guardian, but her overprotective mother has never allowed it. When circumstances change and Calla finally gets to join a Guild, she discovers guardian trainee life isn’t all she hoped it would be. Her classmates are distant, her mentor hates her, and keeping her Griffin Ability a secret is harder than she thought. Then an initiation game goes wrong, landing Calla with a magical ability she can’t control. She needs help—and the only way she can get it is by bargaining with the guy who just discovered her biggest secret.

Purchase at Amazon | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords

Add on Goodreads!

Rachel Morgan is the author of the bestselling Creepy Hollow series and contemporary romance Trouble series. Find her books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and other online retailers.

Haven't read books 1-3 of Rachel's Creepy Hollow series? Then pick up the boxed set now at Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo | Smashwords.

Read Reborn from the beginning or Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Since I'm on a book blog tour June 22-26, I've decided to post my writing update on Monday next week along with all the tour activities.

Falling for #SpecFic: Grimm / Cover Cafe Nominations / Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Part III and Chapter 25

I have fallen in love with NBC's Grimm. It's part detective show and part supernatural goodness. The premise is that the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales are true. Grimms stop Wesen, people who can transform into a beast, but not all Wesen are bad, of course. Or Grimms.

I came into Grimm late. When the show first premiered in 2011 our NBC station was spotty, so we often didn't watch anything on NBC. A year or two later, we purchased a new antenna and were able to get that station again, but it wasn't until the start of Season Four that I watched Grimm live, so to speak. I used Amazon Prime to watch Season One of Grimm and was into Season Two when Season Four came on TV. Last November, I purchase Season Two and Season Three and was all caught up before the end of December.

I've always been a big fan of detective shows. Add fantasy elements, and I'm so there! Plus, I love there are scary moments and humorous ones. Nick Burkhardt is a Grimm and a homicide detective, and his partner is Hank Griffin, who is a regular human. Most of Nick and Hank's cases are Wesen-related. Within the first couple episodes, I had developed a soft spot for Monroe, a lovable quirky clock repairer who happens to turn into a ferocious Blutbad (wolf). He and Rosalee (a Fuchsbau--a fox-like Wesen) are adorable. Sergeant Drew Wu (yes, I laughed when I learned Wu's first name was Drew and rhymed) has turned into a great addition to the Grimm team. Captain Sean Renard is sexy and mysterious, and I'm still not 100% certain I trust him. Nick also has an on-and-off relationship with Juliette Silverton, who works as a veterinarian. I could say many more things about Juliette based on what's gone on recently in this season, but I'll try not to spoil the show for those who haven't seen it yet. And I must not forget Bud, an eisbiber, who always makes me smile.

And the last episode of Season Four... Wow! Let's just say certain persons totally had it coming to them, even though the last one made me more than a bit sad. It still had to happen, especially since that certain someone torched the trailer.

What excites me the most about Grimm is their use of fairy tales, myths, and legends to create Wesen. The world-building is phenomenal. They make terms like Wesen, Blutbad, Fuchsbau, Hexenbiest, and more common place to us Grimmsters. I look forward to Friday nights, not because of the weekend, but because of Grimm being on.

And they've been picked up for a fifth season, which should be darker than the seasons before, although I hope they keep some of the humor too!

Have you seen Grimm? Are you a Grimmster?

A reminder: The full covers of Reborn and People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors have been nominated on Cover Cafe in the Two-Image Cover category. Voting takes place May 5-May 25, and you do have to vote in three separate categories for the vote to count. Thank you!!

Read from the beginning, Part III, or Chapter Twenty-Five.

Falling for #SpecFic: Untethered Realms / Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 23

You may write or read speculative (spec) fiction (fic) and not even know it. Speculative fiction dwells in the realms of the what if and encompasses genres such as science fiction, alternate history, fantasy, horror, and more.

I'm part of a great group of SpecFic authors over at Untethered Realms. And this month we're taking part in the A-Z Challenge. So you may find a new book or two to add to your reading list. Today is my day, and I have a teaser from Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection. Although I'd hoped to have the collection published by now, it's almost ready. The virus from doom--or it may just be a cold--has attacked me and slowed my progress in my goals.

So head on over to Untethered Realms!

 

Chapter Twenty-Three is here or start from the beginning here.

 

Join us for #SpecFicChat on Twitter!
What happened to the future? The flying cars and time machines?
Hosted by @UnRealms and @EllieMGarratt
Next #SpecFicChat Fri. April 17th, Noon EDT.

Falling for #SpecFic: A Date with the Lady from Christine Rains' Of Blood and Sorrow / Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 21

THE LADY

“Summer has filled her veins with light and her heart is washed with noon.” C. Day Lewis

You'll wake in the morning to the wonderful smell of waffles and coffee. The Lady will greet you with smiles as she sings along with the radio and serve you a breakfast fit for royalty. She's a lovely young woman with a love of life and a 1950s fashion sense.

But don't linger in the kitchen, no matter your appetite. Just before noon, you might notice she has aged ten to twenty years. Run now. You don't want to see The Lady in her midday form. She's at once beautiful and terrifying, radiating golden light. This is when she's most powerful and the least tolerant of those who vex her.

Before the sun sets, she takes on her final form: a white-haired old woman that doesn't always make sense when she speaks. There is wisdom hidden in her words, and maybe you'll spy a plate of brownies left on the kitchen counter. She'll shuffle off to retire for the night and sleep as if she does not exist.

Favorite line from The Lady: “I do like that demon. It’s a pity he won’t come into my house. It’s not like I bite the heads off my mates anymore.”

Tidbit from the author: The Lady was inspired by the Slavic myth of Pscipolnitsa, the Lady Midday. She could be a young girl, a beautiful woman in white, or an old hag. She would bring heatstroke at noon to workers in the field and sometimes madness.

Erin Driscol works the perfect job consoling fellow demons by feeding off their grief at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home.

When fledgling vampire Nicolas Reese comes to Erin for help, she learns the truth behind the legends and hides him from his sire and the vampire hunters who seek him. But when the Putzkammers begin to die one by one, Erin is caught between her act of kindness and the need to save her adopted family. Only by facing her own personal demons can she stop the slaughter and still rescue Nicolas from his dark fate.

Add it to read on Goodreads.

Purchase on Amazon / Kobo / Nook / Smashwords

About the author:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She's married to her best friend and fellow geek living in south-central Indiana. They have one son who is too smart for his parents' own good and loves to pretend he's Batman. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has several short stories and novellas published. Of Blood and Sorrow series is her first urban fantasy novel.

Please visit her website and blog.

You can also find Christine on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Read Chapter Twenty-One here or click here to start from the beginning.

Untethered Realms hosts #SpecFicChat on Third Fridays on Twitter.

Next chat begins March 20, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. GMT/12:00 p.m. EDT
Topic: Build a better hero/heroine.
Use #SpecFicChat to join the conversation any time.
The chat is ongoing.

Falling for #Specfic: Are You DC, Marvel, or Both? / Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 19

DC, Marvel, or Both? Can you choose a side?

Picture found here.

I love superheroes. A lot of people are probably getting tired of all the movies and TV shows coming on featuring superheroes and villains, but I must admit I'm not tired of it at all. In fact, it makes me want to read more books and comic books featuring my favorite heroes and villains. But do we have to pick the DC universe or the Marvel universe or can we be fans of both? Marvel, to me, is a bit more relaxed and uses more comic relief. DC tends to be much more serious and gritty.

When asked the question "DC or Marvel," my first thought is I'm a DC girl. Batman is my homeboy. I grew up with Batman in comics, movies, and cartoons. On my shorter lunch breaks at work, I watch Batman: The Animated Series, which debuted in 1992. Yes, I remember watching it when it originally came on. I was ten at the time. We sang "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" on the bus that year. In sixth grade, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have answered Catwoman--or would have wanted to answer it that way if I thought grown ups would understand. I also love how in the Justice League Batman, even though he has no superpowers, always seems to be the guy to save their butts.

The Flash is my second favorite superhero. Whereas Batman is dark and gritty, the Flash is lighter, more comical. I love, love, love the new TV show on CW. Barry Allen is perhaps the perfect guy, and I must admit I have quite the crush on him, even though he doesn't have the wealth that Bruce Wayne does.

Because of the Flash, I am now getting into Arrow too. I've started watching the TV show on CW, but I need to catch up on the previous seasons.

So I'm clearly in DC's camp, right? Well, not completely. I've never been a big fan of Superman or Wonder Woman, although I'm very interested to see how Wonder Woman works out in the upcoming Batman v Superman movie. Superman kinda grates on my nerves. He is too goody-goody and seems rather stuck up.

As for Marvel, I do have a soft spot for some of their characters. I've always loved Spider-Man, even though I'm not fond of spiders. *laughs* Peter Parker has a wonderful geeky and awkward side. I've enjoyed the movies I've seen as well as the cartoons. I absolutely loved The Guardians of the Galaxy movie and now want to learn more about them. I am Groot. And I have enjoyed the X-men as well as the Avengers, although I've never been a fan of the Hulk or Captain America.

As for villains, I'm sorry, but DC has Marvel beat in my book, although Marvel does have a few good villains out there like Loki and Magneto.

In the end, although I may lean toward DC as a favorite universe, I do enjoy Marvel too. It might be 60-40 for me.

What's your favorite universe: DC or Marvel? Or do you enjoy both?

Read Chapter Nineteen here or click here to start from the beginning.

Untethered Realms hosts #SpecFicChat on Third Fridays on Twitter.

Next chat begins February 20, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. GMT/12:00 p.m. EST

Topic: What makes #fantasy believable?

Use #SpecFicChat to join the conversation any time.

The chat is ongoing.

Falling for #SpecFic: The Hobbit - Book and Movies / Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 17

After watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in movie theaters, I decided to read the books. I read The Hobbit back in 2002 and followed it up with The Lord of the Rings. Last year, I re-read The Hobbit so I could compare it to the movies.

I must say I had forgotten a lot between reading the book in 2002 and watching the first two movies before re-reading the book, including who died at the end. I enjoyed re-reading the book. The movies didn't stray too much, with some exceptions.

What I loved about the book and movies equally:

• Bilbo
• The dwarves
• Gollum, the riddles, and how Bilbo gets the ring
• The eagles

What I loved in the movies more than the book:

• The elves
• Smaug
• Orcs/goblins

What I loved in the book more than the movies:

• The lack of the love triangle
• The focus on Bilbo's story

What I disliked about the movies:

• The love triangle
• The battling of the Necromancer (It was a little anticlimactic for me.)
• The splitting of the book into three movies (Two would've been better.)
• The way the third movie lacked a beginning, middle, and end and felt more just like the end
• Radagast (Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy this strange little wizard, but I felt his scenes were a bit too long.)

What I loved about the movies that wasn't in the book:

• Tauriel (So I didn't care as much about the love triangle, but she was pretty kick@ss in general.)
• I liked the earlier Necromancer scenes, just not the final one
• The connection with The Lord of the Rings (Now I want to re-read The Lord of the Rings and re-watch the movies!)

Have you read The Hobbit or seen the movies? What did you think of them?

It's time for another chapter of Reborn to go up on Wattpad. Read Chapter Seventeen here or start from the beginning here.

And speaking of Speculative (Spec) Fiction (Fic), Untethered Realms will be hosting #SpecFicChat on Fridays on Twitter.

Next chat begins January 23, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. GMT/1:00 p.m. EST
Topic: Punking it up. What's the attraction of Steampunk?

Use #SpecFicChat to join the conversation any time. The chat is ongoing.