Monday, June 17, 2013

Fantasy Chat: Men of Foxwick - Cover Reveal: Ellie Garratt's Taking Time - W4WS


Men of Foxwick is now available!

This fantasy short story collection features five men from the Kingdom of Foxwick.

A blind teen seeks a place in the kingdom. A dragon seer journeys to Wintermill to spy on the queen. A sword master’s worst fear comes true when he fails to protect the royal family. A king falls in love with an herb witch, but will she feel the same way? A hunter will rise to the challenge to hunt down a man-eating monster.

Short stories in this collection: Blind Scribe, Dragon Spy, Sword Master, Courting Magic, and Monster Hunter

 

An Excerpt from “Blind Scribe” in Men of Foxwick

Dallan counted his steps as his mama and he weaved through the busy streets of Foxwick. Twenty-six, twenty-seven. They’d passed the fruit stand and were now farther into Foxwick than he’d ever been in his fifteen summers. People, just moving shadows, brushed against his shoulder. He scrunched toward Mama to make his lanky frame smaller. The odor of sweat and manure combated the more pleasant scents of flowers and baking bread. A bead of sweat trickled into his hairline, and he longed for the comfort of their small house.

“Keep up, Dallan.” Mama’s skirts brushed against his pants’ legs.

“Where are you taking me?” He clung to her arm and dragged his feet. They’d gone too far. The shadows darkened, as if the sun had slipped behind the horizon, and he had no clue where he was now.

She halted mid-step before yanking him forward. “I do not wish to do this, but we have little c-choice.”

“Do what, Mama?” He wanted to dig his heels into the pavement and halt their progress. Had she decided he was more trouble than he was worth? Times were tough, and he was such little help. He tried to plow straight—despite counting his steps and placing one foot in front of the other—but he often tripped over the rocky soil. He tried cooking, but he couldn’t even boil water without scorching it. Though he wasn’t too bad as a tailor because he could count stitches and feel where he needed to go, he still needed guidance.

She pulled him closer. Rough stone rubbed against his arm through his thin shirt. A sob hitched in Mama’s throat as she emitted a mouse-like squeak. She embraced him tightly and then smoothed his damp hair from his face. “My sweet boy, I’m so, so sorry.”

“What’s wrong?” His heart pounded like a horse galloping across an open field, each hoof beating the ground in a frantic rhythm.

To purchase: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Kobo / iTunes / Nook

Click here to add on Goodreads. 

Also, I have a special announcement for my email newsletter subscribers. Click here to sign up for my updates and receive a coupon for a free copy of Women of Foxwick! And tomorrow (Tuesday), I'm going to be on the Untethered Realms blog with an excerpt from "Sword Master," another story in Men of Foxwick.

Please check out the other fantastic bloggers who may be spreading word about Men of Foxwick throughout this week.
 

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Science fiction stories of time and space... 

The future of humanity must be decided in Next Phase. Winning the Planetary Lottery is not as lucky as it first seems in Schrodinger's Gamble. An apocalypse and its aftermath threaten to tear one couple apart in Daiker's Children. In Life As I Know It a reclusive man finds both his heart and home invaded during an alien harvest. In Taking Time a demon seeking shelter on a distant planet finds himself facing a very different kind of demon, after answering a frontier settlement's plea for help.


Stories range from flash fiction to novelette in length.
 
Publication date: 15 July 2013




  
A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror, meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre was published in March 2013 and contains nine previously published stories. Her first nine-part science fiction serial will start in September 2013. 

Author Links:  
Twitter  
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Monday, June 17th, Writers4Writers is helping propel Marta Szemik, into the top selling charts. Get ready to tweet and facebook.

19 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You both have awesome covers! Downloading your book today.

Trisha said...

Downloaded Women of Foxwick from Smashwords today - and also signed up for next year's blog tour/review stuff! :) Should be fun! :D

Kittie Howard said...

Awesome! Giving you a shout-out in this week's post.

Jai said...

My TBR list just went up by one. Love the cover art.

Ellie Garratt said...

Loved the excerpt!

Thank you for helping with my cover reveal. Can't wait to share your release on my blog this Friday.

Marta Szemik said...

The cover for Men of Foxwick is awesome Cherie. Hope it sells like hotcakes :)
Thank you for your support with W4Ws <3

Tyrean Martinson said...

I'm late to the party, but can I help spread the word too? I'm excited about this new addition to the Foxwick world!

Christine Rains said...

Yay for MoF! :) And congrats to Ellie too. Thanks for mentioning W4WS.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats to Elle and you. Both sound awesome and love the covers.

M Pax said...

Hope you hit it mega big, Cherie. I'll say I knew you when :)

Congrats to Ellie, too. Big week in the UR Realm.

jaybird said...

Congrats! Cool covers and I wish you all the best Cherie. I'm adding these to my TBR list, right now!

Cathy Keaton said...

Yay, Men of Foxwick! Good luck with everything, Cherie. :)

Michael Di Gesu said...

HI, Cherie,

CONGRATS on you newest creation. Fantastic cover and excerpts!

Plan to spread the word on Wednesday...


Congrats to you as well Ellie. Really cool cover. I love the use of the deep electric blues....

ALL THE BEST FOR a SUCCESSFUL launch to both you ladies!!!!

Michelle Wallace said...

Such awesome covers! Both of them.
Congrats Cherie!
Writer In Transit

Nicole said...

Cool collection! We've seen glimpses of the women, and now we get the same for the men of Foxwick. Enjoyed the excerpt.

Samantha May said...

Awesome! I want to know what happens to that poor boy...

Sarah Allen said...

Oooh, beautiful covers! Very intriguing :)

http://melissamaygrove.blogspot.com/2013/06/grammar-police-monday-working-girls.html?showComment=1371609226430#c74983554235847396

Heather R. Holden said...

Congrats to both you and Ellie! The two of you have such stunning covers. :)

Christina Lee said...

SO many exciting things going on around here! Love the covers! CONGRATS!