One Step at a Time

As you can probably guess, I'm not getting anywhere fast. I'm still struggling with fatigue and executive function failure, but I am making slow progress on Folds in Life and Death. What I've written so far has been edited. I still have several things to accomplish before publishing the collection. These things included:

1. Finish writing "Paper Faces." I have probably another 2,000 words to go in that story. I also need to write the book's description and an acknowledgements' page.
2. Self-edit "Paper Faces" and send the collection to my critique partner.
3. Implement my CP's suggestions and do a Kindle proofread.
4. Format for print and do a print proofread.
5. Make necessary changes in the print/election formats and publish.

As you can see, I have decided to make a print book of the collection. For one, I want to see how publishing in print is through KDP instead of Createspace. For two, I like having a print copy for myself, and I think this collection will just be long enough for a small book (100-150 pages).

So I'm shooting for a spring launch (hopefully by April). *crosses fingers*

I've turned off comments on this post as I still have many blogs to catch up on. Plus, I would like to point you to my post on Untethered Realms. I talked about the inspiration behind the stories in Folds in Life and Death.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Sale July 1-2 Over 100 Books 99c

For July 1-2, my novel Reborn is one of the over 100 books on sale for 99c in this massive science fiction and fantasy sale. Either click the image or click here to fill you ereader!

Double, Double Toil and Trouble - 10 Witch Fantasy Books in One Bundle #StoryBundle

The end of April and the start of May–exactly six months from Halloween–has always been a time for witches, magic and the influence of the Other World in pagan folklore. The Celtic festival of Beltane is traditionally observed on May 1st, and April 30th is also known as Walpurgis Night–or in Germanic folklore Hexennacht, literally "Witches' Night."

What better time, then, to partake in the Witchy Bundle, your chance to grab a collection of ten truly magical books that involve witches of one sort or another. This collection takes us all across our own world as well as into other lands that touch upon ours. There are American witches and witches battling the Nazis in war-torn Europe. There are dark twists on fairy tales and witches in the wild west. There are witches who don't know they have the power or the sight until dire need comes upon them.

Thrillers, fantasy, romance, horror, mystery–there are books here to suit every taste.

The bundle also includes a newsletter bonus book!

Books in the Witchy Bundle

The Tatterdemon Omnibus by Steve Vernon

Hedge Witch by Simon Kewin

Coyote Cal by Milo James Fowler

Academia of the Beast by K.N. Lee

The Full Moon by David Neth

Muddy Waters by Sara O. Thompson

Nine Candles of Deepest Black by Matthew S. Cox

Darknight (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 2) by Christine Pope

Witch of the Cards by Catherine Stine

The Gray Tower Trilogy by Alesha Escobar

*Bonus Newsletter Novel: Darkangel (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 1) by Christine Pope

Buy Now

*The Witchy Bundle ends May 18*

If you're looking for this month's IWSG post, click here.

I have turned off comments for this promotional post.

A.A. Charmberlynn's Huntress Found #fantasy #newadult #newrelease

From the author of the bestselling Zyan Star fantasy series comes a new world of magic...

Evryn’s got mad skills at playing hide and seek. She can find lost children, hack the most secure databases, pretty much anything. Except for the one thing she desires most: the knowledge of who her parents are, why they abandoned her, and what her special talent means about who and what she really is.

So, when a guy named Seeker appears quite literally out of nowhere, claiming to know about her past and offering her a job, Evryn can’t say yes fast enough. Even if it does mean following him to another realm. As in, mind-blowingly, not Earth. Apparently she’s part of an elite clan of Hunters descending from Artemis who can find just about anything in all of time and space. As the last of Artemis’ direct lineage, Evryn is her clan’s best shot at finding a lost city before rival clans do.

Not just any city, but the flying, realm-hopping city of Skye. Aboard Skye is the Artifex, a magical device with the power to create or destroy worlds. Everyone wants the device, and with Evryn’s super-powered lineage, it means everyone wants her, too. It’s hard to decide who she can trust, even within her own clan. After she discovers a strange, alluring connection to the Artifex, she’s not even sure she can trust herself. Worse yet, the only person who may be able to help her is the Timekeeper, the sadistic ancient being who created the Artifex. An interdimensional war is brewing, and Evryn is right at the epicenter of it all. 

Let the hunt begin.

Purchase for 99c!

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Add to Goodreads.

Title: Huntress Found

Series: The Timekeeper’s War, Book One

Author: A.A. Chamberlynn

Release Day: 11/11/16

Category: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy, Mythology Mashup with Sci-Fi and Steampunk

Suggested Tweets:

Huntress Found is out! Join the party and enter a $50 #AmazonGiveaway: http://bit.ly/iMzJ1m

#FantasyBooks #99centbooks

She can find anything in all of time and space. Huntress Found is here! Enter the $50 #AmazonGiveaway: http://bit.ly/iMzJ1m

Happy book birthday, Huntress Found! Join the party - enter the $50 #AmazonGiveaway: http://bit.ly/iMzJ1m #FantasyBooks

A big congrats to Alexia!

Also, thank you all who served. Happy Veterans Day!

Comments are turned off for this post. I'll be back on December 7 for IWSG, and I apologize for not visiting/commenting more yet. I'm getting to it, but between the day job, being sick, and the Election, I haven't had the chance.

A Ghosts of Fire Sneak Peek on the Untethered Realms' Blog #fantasy

I'm over at the Untethered Realms' blog today with an excerpt from my story "On Day 168," which is one of ten short stories featured in the forthcoming Ghosts of Fire anthology.

"On Day 168 by Cherie Reich - For 168 days, a dragon imprisoned Astryd in his cave, but the chieftain’s daughter has escaped to discover the dragon may not be her only enemy. This story takes place several hundred years before Reich’s series The Fate Challenges.

Reborn, the first novel in The Fate Challenges, was published back in 2014, and I hope to publish the rest of the series sometime next year.

Click here to read my excerpt from "On Day 168."

I've turned off comments on this post. I'll be back on the blog for IWSG in October.

Fantasy Uprising: 99c Sale July 2-3 #fantasy #scifi #ebooks

Over 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for just 99c!

Fantasy Uprising is included in this sale.

The Untethered Realms' boxed set includes my novel Reborn.

Get your books HERE

I've turned off comments for the promo only post. The next post is IWSG on Wednesday, July 6.

Two Excerpts from Catherine Stine's Witch of the Cards #historical #fantasy #witches

“Oh, Ivy?” Mr. Dune implored. He grabbed a card deck from a basket on a shelf. In three long strides, he was in front of me, looking as imposing and dashing as he had when we’d entered his establishment. “I want you to have this.” He held it out. 

One of his illustrated Tarot decks wrapped in cellophane! A hot flush of pleasure and embarrassment shivered up my neck. “Oh, I couldn’t, really.” I didn’t even know him. Why would he do this? “It doesn’t seem right. I can’t pay you.”

“I insist.” He held it out further, the light glinting off his silver fox-head ring.

***

“Have you always had a talent for the unseen?” Peter asked me.

“Whatever do you mean? It was you who saw things that weren’t there.” I had to right myself because I was swooning and swaying so much I nearly fell into his lap. 

“But it was you who eked it out of me.”

“Little old me?” I giggled.

Fiera was born a sea witch with no inkling of her power. And now it might be too late. 

Witch of the Cards is historical, supernatural romantic suspense set in 1932 on the Jersey shore. Twenty-two year-old Fiera has recently left the Brooklyn orphanage where she was raised, and works in Manhattan as a nanny. She gets a lucky break when her boss pays for her short vacation in Asbury Park. One evening, Fiera and her new friend Dulcie wander down the boardwalk and into Peter Dune’s Tarot & Séance, where they attend a card reading. 

Fiera has always had an unsettling ability to know things before they happen and sense people’s hidden agendas. She longs to either find out the origin of her powers or else banish them because as is, they make her feel crazy. When, during the reading, her energies somehow bond with Peter Dune’s and form an undeniable ethereal force, a chain of revelations and dangerous events begin to unspool. For one, Fiera finds out she is a witch from a powerful sea clan, but that someone is out to stop her blossoming power forever. And though she is falling in love with Peter, he also has a secret side. He’s no card reader, but a private detective working to expose mediums. Despite this terrible betrayal, Fiera must make the choice to save Peter from a tragic Morro Cruise boat fire, or let him perish with his fellow investigators. Told in alternating viewpoints, we hear Fiera and Peter each struggle against their deep attraction. Secrets, lies, even murder, lace this dark fantasy.

Purchase at Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Inktera | Amazon CA | Amazon AU |Amazon DE | Amazon IN

One $40 gift card, two hand-painted heart-boxes (by Catherine) with secret treasure inside, one signed paperback of Dorianna by Catherine Stine, one signed paperback of Witch of the Cards by Catherine Stine, one brand new collector Tarot deck along with an envelope full of special swag!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I had the honor of meeting Catherine in person on Saturday, April 2 at the Roanoke Author Invasion. It was awesome to meet her, and I'm looking forward to reading my signed copy of Witch of the Cards soon.

A is for A to Z Flashes of Foxwick

 

This year's A to Z Challenge theme is: All About Foxwick, but first, I would like to thank the A-Z hosts, particularly Arlee Bird. Without him, we wouldn't be having this crazy fun in April. Thank you, Arlee!

A is for A to Z Flashes of Foxwick

Last A to Z Challenge, I'm embarked on an adventure in the magical Kingdom of Foxwick and its surrounding neighbors. Each day of the challenge, I had a flash fiction piece ready to share this fantasy world with you. At the end, I decided to self-publish the collection, but A to Z Flashes of Foxwick is just the beginning. Foxwick is such a fascinating place, though, and I have more stories to come, so this month you'll hear about these forthcoming stories, be the first to see excerpts from it, and hear about the magical creatures and people from Foxwick and their surrounding lands.

A Fantasy Flash Fiction Collection

In honor of the A to Z Blogging Challenge, A to Z Flashes of Foxwick​ gives a glimpse to the characters, magical creatures, and lands in the fantasy world of the Kingdom of Foxwick.

A young dragon befriends a dragon seer. A phoenix bursts into flames in mid-flight. A man must choose between his simple life and one of fame. A queen will find her heart turned into ice and many more!

This collection includes the bonus short story "Lady Death" from Women of Foxwick. 

To download for free: iTunes / Kobo /Amazon / Smashwords / Sony

And now an excerpt from one of my favorite pieces in A to Z Flashes of Foxwick.

Dragon’s Domicile

Bones littered the cave’s floor. Smoke trailed from the dragon’s nostrils and collected among the stalactites.

Crunch, crunch.

The dragon munched lazily upon a femur. Its tail swatted back and forth, sweeping the debris against the stone walls. Bats fluttered and escaped from its home. If the dragon hadn’t had a full belly, it would’ve snapped at the flying creatures. A metallic clang echoed. The dragon paused its chewing and listened.

Did the king send more men to die at its sharp claws and even sharper bite?

No, it’d knocked a knight’s helmet farther into the cave. For now, the dragon would feast and wait.

Wednesday's Writing Update: A Short Story and Susan Kaye Quinn's The Debt Collector

 

Happy Wednesday!

If you've been following this blog at all, then you'll know I like to re-evaluate my goals. I swear sometimes they change by the hour these days. My goals have changed again to some extent. Frankly, I was trying to do too much in too short of a time. Yeah, I have that problem, so I decided to simplify my life.

This month, I'm working on the short stories in Men of Foxwick. Before the end of February, I finished "Dragon Spy" and in January, I wrote "Blind Scribe." That means I have three stories to write before the end of the month: "Sword Master" (done!), "Courting Magic," and "Monster Hunter." Once I finish these stories, I'll do a self-edit and then send them to half my critique partners. Then, once I get them back, I'll do another edit based on their comments and send it to the other half. Another set of edits or two, then proofreading and publishing. If all goes as planned, people might be able to purchase Men of Foxwick in June. *crosses fingers*

As for everything else I had planned to do this month, it's now been shoved off to other months (Part III of The Phoenix Prophetess in April and The Loveless Princess in May).

I think simple will be better, right?

What are you working on?

By the way, there will be no more Friday Flash for a while, so I'll see you on Monday for Bookworm News.

And Susan Kaye Quinn has a new serial series out today! The first episode in The Debt Collector is Delirium.

The Debt Collector by Susan Kaye Quinn

From the author of the bestselling Mindjack series comes a new future-noir serial, The Debt Collector. The first episode, Delirium, launches today (3/20).

What’s your life worth on the open market?

A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He’s just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja’s sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane… until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn’t what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone—a dark pit he’s not sure he’ll be able to climb out of again.

Contains mature content and themes. For YA-appropriate thrills, see Susan’s Mindjack series.

Delirium is approximately 12,000 words or 48 pages and is one of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. You can find out more about the series at the DebtCollector website and facebookpage. The DebtCollector newsletter is a special list just for episode releases.

Early Praise

 “The street-smart science of LOOPER meets the cold, just-the-facts voice of DOUBLE INDEMNITY in this edgy, future-noir thriller that will have you holding your breath, looking over your shoulder, and begging for more.” —Leigh Talbert Moore, author of The Truth About Faking, The Truth About Letting Go, and Rouge

“Do you owe more than your life is worth? No worries. A more deserving person than you can benefit from that excess life—and someone else will get paid with it. Enter the Debt Collector.” —Dianne Salerni, author of We Hear the Dead, The Caged Graves, and The Eighth Day (HarperCollins 2014)

The first three episodes of Debt Collector will be released a week apart, starting Wednesday 3/20. The remaining episodes will release every two weeks. Delirium can be found on Amazon, BarnesandNoble, iTunes, Kobo. Or add it to your TBR on Goodreads.

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling YA SF Mindjack series. Debt Collector is her more grown-up SF. Her steampunk fantasy romance is temporarily on hold while she madly writes episodes to keep Lirium happy. Plus she needs to leave time to play on Facebook. Susan has a lot of degrees in engineering, which come in handy when dreaming up dangerous mind powers, future dystopias, and slightly plausible steampunk inventions. Mostly she sits around in her pajamas in awe that she gets make stuff up full-time.

Fantasy Chat: Top Ten Movies Blogfest Fantasy Style and Cover Reveal

 

For today's Fantasy Chat, I decided to merge it with the Ninja Captain Alex's Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest. Today I'll tell you my top ten fantasy movies.

 

Click here to see the other participants.

My Top Ten in Fantasy Movies

(in no particular order)

10. How to Train Your Dragon

Such a cute, touching movie! And it has dragons!

9. Alice in Wonderland

Such a trippy story and movie. I've enjoyed most of the versions I've seen. And I remember being terrified of the Jabberwocky in the Through the Looking Glass movie they had back in the 80s.

8. Indiana Jones

I wanted to be an archaelogist because of these movies.

7. Cinderella

It's the first fantasy movie I ever owned. Plus, it's my beautiful cat's name too.

6. Batman

Yes, all the Batman movies, although I particularly love the newest ones. Superheroes are awesome, but Batman is the best.

5. Jurassic Park

Yes, I'm fudging a bit here, since it is more science fiction, but it's such a fantastic movie.

4. The Hobbit

Loved the movie and can't wait to see the other two.

3. Beauty and the Beast

Yes, I love the Disney version. I just find it magical.

2. Lord of the Rings

Don't make me pick one movie out of the three.

1. Harry Potter

Ditto as LotR. Love them all!

What's your favorite fantasy movie?

And here is the cover reveal of 1305 and 1306 - The Oracle and the Vampire by Christine Rains.

Having fallen for her gorgeous neighbor might not be so bad if Harriet McKay wasn't in her hideous banshee form every time Kiral saw her. Such is her curse. True, he's a vampire struggling with a drug addiction, but he's a good soul. Yet no one could love a cursed witch, especially one not even her cats respect.

After having a vision of Kiral's death, Harriet makes it her mission to save him. Never before has she attempted to change fate, but so strong is her love.

How can Harriet convince Kiral to see past her vile appearance and return her love? If only she can force him to listen to reason coming from a raving crone, perhaps she can save him from the demons hunting him and from himself.

Release Date: May 13, 2013

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has six novellas and twenty short stories published.

Website / Blog