Spirits in the Water Available for Preorder and Twisted Earths now Free on Retailers #anthologies #scifi #fantasy

Spirits in the Water is now available for preorder. The fourth Elements of Untethered Realms anthology will be released on October 3.

A haunted journey on a riverboat, water sprites borne of pennies, preternatural creatures, ancient serpents, and the Lady of the Lake lurk in dark waters. Raging storms and magical rainbow fountains. Water is spectacularly beautiful but also treacherous.

Gwen Gardner gives us Shake, Rattle and Row. Harlow Grayson has the chance to rid herself of a pesky ghost but she must first brave a haunted riverboat and recover a family heirloom. What she finds might be more than she can handle.

Jeff Chapman offers The Water Wight. When a drowned girl changes her mind about suicide, Merliss and her associates face a fearsome, preternatural creature.

M. Pax presents The Wallows. Evernee Weems wants to escape this world in the worst way. Her daughter needs everything, the rent is being raised, Evernee’s job barely pays minimum wage, and she has little hope for better. Inside a puddle is a different reality. She jumps in, happy to trade her problems for a life in which worries don’t exist. Or do they?

Angela Brown gives us Extraordinary. Puberty hits Angelique like a gut punch and brings about a change, forcing an unexpected revelation about her past. All seems well until a vicious storm tears through her Texas community, and Angelique learns there are worse things than a little change.

River Fairchild presents You Can’t Go Home Again. A young woman, filled with regret about the past, goes on a journey and discovers more than she bargained for.

Simon Kewin offers us The Waters, Dividing the Land. Hyrn the horned god of the woodlands is learning the meaning of fear. Death magic blights the land, threatening everyone and everything. To save what he can from spreading corruption, he turns to the ancient river serpents, but they’ve grown old and distant and may not hear his call at all.

Christine Rains gives us Frozen. A necromancer is on the frozen moon of Saturn where the dead do scream.

Meradeth Houston presents The Flood. Sometimes a flooded kitchen isn’t the unluckiest thing to happen to you.

Catherine Stine offers Maizy of Bellagio. April still searches for her mother who vanished nineteen years ago from the fountain at Hotel Bellagio in Vegas. Can Maizy, a water sprite who works the fountain’s pink colors, begin to help the three generations of eccentric women tortured by this tragedy?

M. Gerrick gives us The One Who Would Wield the Sword. Nikka is supposed to be nothing more than dragon bait so a real dragon hunter can do his job, but the Lady in the Lake has other plans for her.

Cherie Reich presents The Folding Point. Aimee’s fight against those who banned paper magics has begun.

From USA Today, Amazon bestselling, and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Spirits in the Water, a supernatural anthology of eleven thrilling tales. Spirits in the Water is the fourth, long-awaited Elements story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Add on Goodreads!

Read some excerpts from Spirits in the Water.

To celebrate the release for Spirits in the Water, the first Elements of Untethered Realms anthology Twisted Earths is now free on all major retailers. Pick up your copy today!

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Fantasy Chat: Magna's Plea and W4WS

 

Today's the official release date of Magna's Plea, my YA Epic Fantasy prequel short story from The Fate Challenges series.

A princess will rise and challenge Fate.

While her father, brothers, and people fight against the Kingdom of Apentha, tenacious eighteen-year-old Princess Magna can only watch the destruction of Amora, her besieged city and kingdom. Her mother, Queen Vyvian, has refused to allow her heir to join the fray.

But Magna won't take no for an answer. She seeks out an end of the war from Prince Cyrun of Apentha, their prisoner. If she can't persuade him toward peace, then Amora may fall.

This short story prequel includes a sneak peek of Reborn, Book One of The Fate Challenges, forthcoming May 2014.

YA Epic Fantasy
The Fate Challenges #0.5
A 5500-word Short Story

To download for free: Amazon / Smashwords / iTunes / Nook / Kobo / Goodreads / Wattpad

An excerpt from Magna's Plea

Amora

12-13 Days of Luquiry

Year 1717 AUC

Tendrils of smoke swirled heavenward. The smoldering stench reached Princess Magna at the top of the palace’s northern tower. She wrinkled her nose at the unpleasant odor, yet it still smelled better than the filth plaguing the besieged seven-hilled city.

She’d vowed to protect Amora. Her heart shattered a little more each day at the devastation afflicting her kingdom.

The once grassy and flower-filled plain sprouted dust plumes from the trampling feet. As the sun neared the western horizon, a bloody hue washed over the battlefield. Tiny, metallic dins and men’s shouts rang out. Magical bursts flashed in the sky like Thean’s lightning, beautiful and deadly. A wooden catapult hurled a human-sized stone slab into the city’s wall. Magna jerked away from the opened window she stood before, as if the object had struck her instead. Rock crumbled from the impact, but the barrier held.

When the reddish orb sank lower, the fighting ceased. War’s chaos parted into two orderly sides, and soldiers crossed the field to gather their dead.

She brushed a shaky hand over her cheeks. Tears dampened her face, and she struggled to turn away from the battle before her. Almost two months had passed since the Apenthans had begun their attack Amora. How much longer could the Amorans—she—stay safe behind their impenetrable wall?

A special thanks to all who've signed up to help spread the word about Magna's Plea this week.

And join me tomorrow (October 22) on Untethered Realms as I talk about what's in store for the Kingdom of Amora.

---

It's time for another Writers4Writers this week, and we have Alex J. Cavanaugh and Isis Rushdan as the featured authors. Be sure to send out tweets to help these fabulous people out!

Wednesday's Writing Update: New Review of Once Upon a December Nightmare and more!

 

Happy Wednesday!

I received a new review of Once Upon a December Nightmare. You can read the review here. As a reminder, Once Upon a December Nightmare is still free on Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, Sony, and iTunes.

Writing and editing this month has been pretty sparse. *sighs* Between the writers' conference earlier this month, having more work at the day job, and a family problem during the first full week of February (it's now okay), it's been difficult to find the energy to write and edit. Thus, I'm behind on this month's goals.

As for Starred, between critique partners' comments and time, I've decided not to edit this novel right now. I hope to work on it again in August.

I still hope to finish editing Part II of The Phoenix Prophetess this month. I also should finish my notes for Part III, which I still need to write. If all goes well, I should be able to complete this goal this weekend. *crosses fingers*

I have started writing "Dragon Spy," story two in Men of Foxwick. I have five more scenes, or around 3,000 more words, to write. I should be able to finish this story before the end of February. I also need to do my third edit of "Blind Scribe," so I can send it to CP #3.

Then, there is The Loveless Princess. Last week, I managed to write through Chapter 9, or one-third of the novella. I still have another 20,000+ words to go before the novella is finished, so it's looking very doubtful that I'll finish it by the end of February, since I still have so many other things I need to do. That's okay. I'm loving the story and what's happening with it, so if it needs more time, then so be it. I would like to reach the midway point with this novella, though, by the end of February.

As for the next couple days, I'm working on friends' critiques and blog posts.

How's your writing going? What do you have going on this week?

A Free Ebook - Once Upon a December Nightmare

Although I don't usually blog on Tuesdays, I have great news. Through April, I plan to leave Once Upon a December Nightmare free. That's right! You can download the second edition of this horror novelette, loosely based on a true event that happened to me and a few friends.

A Horror Novelette

They were only going out to dinner and a movie.

But their plans go astray, and friends Cassie, Mary, Denise, and James decide to take a detour down a lonely mountain road. A felled tree blocks their passage and forces them to turn around in a clearing containing a disturbing arrangement of four deer carcasses.

Then their truck breaks down, and their cell phones don't work. They must brave the cold December air, nightfall, and a long hike. Yet their troubles are just beginning. Tension runs high between the four young friends ... and they are not alone. Each step brings them closer to safety, but will they make it to the main road alive?

Includes the monster's origin story "Nightmare at the Freak Show"

To Download For Free: Amazon / iTunes / Kobo / Smashwords

Here are some reviews:
"... a delightfully creepy modern tale, with old-time overtones, believable scares, and a breathless epilogue." - Sheila Deeth, author of Black Widow

"Don't read this story in the dark!" - Aubrie Dionne, author of Paradise 21

"I recommend this one with a cup of tea or a cold, dark brew, read at night preferably." - Lisa Rusczyk, author of Chasing the Dark

"A great page-turner!" - Jessica Yopp, a reader

"She left me asking for more." - David Huffstetler, author of Blood on the Pen

"Be prepared to have it stick in your memory!" - Elizabeth Svigar, author of Qi

"Very scary, well written, a page turner." - Cher Green, author of Escape to Love

"I read the book in one sitting and did not want to put it down, which is always a sure sign of a great story." - Julie Flanders, author of Polar Night

"You'll need a big blanket when those chilly goose bumps crawl up your arms!" - Christine Rains, author of L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo

"The book in itself was brilliant!" - Desere Steenberg, reviewer

"Warning. Don't read this book while camping or before hiking in the woods." - Rachelle Ayala, author of Broken Build

Wednesday's Writing Update: February Goals, Price Change, Free Book

 

Happy Wednesday!

January is almost over. Part I of The Phoenix Prophetess is with my three critique partners. Act I of Starred is with my two new beta readers. "Blind Scribe," short story #1 in Men of Foxwick, is back from CP #2, so I need to make some more changes to it and then send it to CP #3. The only thing I've been unable to finish so far is the first thirteen chapters of The Loveless Princess.

But I do have February's goals:

1. Write "Dragon Spy" from Men of Foxwick. "Dragon Spy" is the second short story in Men of Foxwick. Like "Dragon Seer" in Women of Foxwick, this one will feature a dragon (Kona, this time instead of Attor) and a dragon seer (Harthro, instead of Vesta) as they work to pull one over on Queen Eirwyn of Wintermill.

2. Write The Loveless Princess. I need to finish this novella by the end of February.

3. Edit Act II of Starred and send it to my beta readers.

4. Edit Part II of The Phoenix Prophetess and send it to my critique partners.

I've been thinking quite a bit about pricing my ebooks and such. I've decided to change the price of Women of Foxwick to $0.99. I have also raised the price of Nightmare Ever After to $2.99. For the next few months, I have decided to place Once Upon a December Nightmare to free. So far, Smashwords, iTunes, and Kobo have made the changes. My hope is that Amazon will pick up the price match in the next few weeks. Of course, you can still get Once Upon a December Nightmare and Nightmare Ever After within The Nightmare Collection for $2.99 ($7.95 for print copy).

Oh, it's time to sign up for the A to Z Challenge as well. On my Surrounded by Books Reviews blog, I'll be talking about book series. On this blog, I was going to showcase a short story/novelette prequel to Starred titled Now Starring, but I've changed my mind. Now I'm going to showcase the world of Foxwick.

So what are you up to this week? Have you thought about your February goals?

2013 Stats to Date:

13,245 words written

224 pages edited

Last Day of Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale!

Two of my titles are in Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale lasting through the month of July. Today's the last day you can get:

Defying Gravity free with coupon code SSWIN

And Women of Foxwick half-off with coupon code SSW50.

Breakthrough by Stephen Tremp and my A to Z Flashes of Foxwick

You may be wondering what my fantasy flash fiction collection has in common with Stephen Tremp's science fiction thriller. Well, it turns out that they are both free on Amazon.

BREAKTHROUGH: THE ADVENTURES OF CHASE MANHATTAN by Stephen Tremp will be free for (2) days on Amazon June 18h - June 19th. Be sure to grab your copy!

“In a world about to be radically changed by a scientific discovery that will trump for good or evil purposes, a power-play struggle unfolds with breakneck speed and riveting drama in Breakthrough. Filled with intrigue, romance, betrayal, action scenes that have you gripping, some spiritual contemplation and quandary, emotions that run deep and strong, and packed with a multi-faceted cast of varied and multi-dimensional characters, Breakthrough is a novel you will find next to impossible to put down once you start reading” - Marvin Wilson, author and editor.

Stop by Stephen's Website at www.stephentremp.com or go to Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/6uateg5 to for synopses, reviews, and to download BREAKTHROUGH: THE ADVENTURES OF CHASE MANHATTAN!

Amazon also finally price-matched my A to Z Flashes of Foxwick to free. I'm not sure how long they'll keep it free, so be sure to grab your copy now. Best of all, A to Z Flashes of Foxwick includes a bonus short story from the forthcoming Women of Foxwick, which comes out next week!

A fantasy flash fiction collection.

In honor of the A to Z Blogging Challenge, A TO Z FLASHES OF FOXWICK​, twenty-six flash fiction pieces, 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 the forthcoming WOMEN OF FOXWICK. In "Lady Death," the king’s assassin and princess, Umbria agrees to her brother's insane idea to assassinate Death to save her family. As she journeys to the Shadowlands, she's prepared to die for this assignment, but she may never be prepared to see the shades of her own parents there.

So click here to grab your copy of Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough and click here to grab your copy of my A to Z Flashes of Foxwick.

Wednesday's Writing Update: Catching Up

 

Happy Wednesday!

I'm slowly trying to catch up on things. Between the four-day weekend and the Flash Fiction Blogfest, I've fallen way behind in just about everything. So I hope you'll forgive me for being slower to comment and answer emails.

I also have jury duty in June, so I'm trying to get as many posts done with my summer blog schedule as possible for the month. Who knows? I might get on a murder trial and won't be able to be online for a while. I hope not in many ways, but you just never know.

My summer blog schedule is as follows:

Mondays

1st Monday - Book Chat

2nd Monday - Fantasy Chat

3rd Monday - Ask the Editor

4th Monday - Purrsonal Story

Wednesdays

Wednesday's Writing Update

Fridays

#fridayflash

Depending on how much I get done this summer, then that new blog schedule might last longer than August.

I've also decided to put A to Z Flashes of Foxwick on sale...as in free! But it can take a while for Amazon to change it from $0.99 to free. I could use your help. If you click here, it'll take you to Amazon's page for A to Z Flashes of Foxwick. Scroll down until you see "Product Details" and click on "tell us about a lower price." Then, enter in 0.00 for the price amount and this website: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/152339. Also, if you click that link, you can get it free on Smashwords too. The more people who tell Amazon about the lower price, then the more likely they'll change it before Women of Foxwick comes out. I hope to release that short story collection on June 19th, if all goes well. We'll call it a tentative release date.

So what are you up to this Wednesday?

Fighting Gravity now available!

Today is the official release date of Fighting Gravity, book two of the Gravity series.

Forced into executing Aresia’s people, Phoebus escapes the Aresian Guard by flying his spaceship through a wormhole.

The only single woman of marrying age, Marissa flees town instead of becoming a third wife.

When Phoebus’s spacecraft crashes upon an asteroid-ravaged Earth, he is captured by a rogue Earthling youth and thrown into a cellar. Marissa stumbles upon the spacecraft, but it explodes before she can find any sign of the alien. When she awakens, she discovers the alien’s whereabouts and vows to help him. But Phoebus’s Aresians have landed and are searching for him. Phoebus and Marissa must battle against their despair and their peoples in a quest for their freedom. And through it all, an Earthling and an Aresian will find it easier to fight gravity than their love for each other.

Some reviews of Fighting Gravity:

"Fighting Gravity captivated me until the end." - Review from Christine Rains, writer

"A roller coaster ride with a sweet interstellar romance at its core..." - Review from Aubrie Dionne, author of Paradise 21

To purchase: Amazon  Amazon UK  Amazon DE  Amazon FR  Amazon IT  Amazon ES  Smashwords 

If you join my author newsletter, you can receive a coupon from Smashwords to download Fighting Gravity for free!

To celebrate Fighting Gravity's release date, Defying Gravity, book one of the Gravity trilogy, is now free through May 4th. So if you haven't snagged a copy, then please do. Also spreading the word would be awesome. *hint-hint*

Defying Gravity is free at these sites (May 1-4): Amazon US  Amazon UK  Amazon DE  Amazon FR  Amazon IT  Amazon ES.

I am also on tour with Bewitching Book Tours today at these sites. If you have a chance, please stop by. *grins*

Fang-tastic Books

www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com

Roxanne’s Realm

www.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com

The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom

www.creativelygreen.blogspot.com

Lisa's World of Books

www.lisasworldofbooks.net

Sapphyria's Book Reviews

saphsbookblog.blogspot.com

(afternoon post)

Book Travels

http://booktravels.blogspot.com.br/

Read2Review

http://read2review.com 

Flutey Words

http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com

JeanzBookReadNReview        

http://jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.co.uk/

If the posts aren't up yet, then please try stopping by another time.

Wednesday's Writing Update: The Day I Defied Gravity

 

All links open to a new page, so click away!

First off, my review of Selah Janel's Mooner is here.

*waves to new and former followers* If I haven't followed you yet, please let me know with a link to your blog. I try to follow back.

And I knew I forgot something from yesterday's post. Margo Kelly tagged me on Monday, so I picked three questions and answered them on a previously tagged post. Monday was Margo's birthday too, so please go by her blog and wish her a belated happy birthday.

Also, if you look to the left of the blog, you'll see that I am creating a newsletter. If you want to see cover art, excerpts, and writing news before I announce it elsewhere, then please sign up. I promise I won't spam you or anything like that. You'll most likely not receive an email except once a month or more. 

Before I get to the good news, I have received a few bad reviews on Defying Gravity and I wanted to address something about that. This is normal for authors, and these people were disappointed it wasn't hard science fiction. That is their right, and I respect their opinions. If I loved hard sci-fi and read my story, I would rate it lower too because it wouldn't meet my expectations. Of course, my story isn't hard sci-fi, more space opera/soft sci-fi romance/alien fantasy. I understand wanting to jump at my defense too, but please remember these people have a right to their opinions. Their lower ratings help weed out the people who really wouldn't like my book in the first place. If you disagree with them based on reading Defying Gravity, the best way you can help me is by writing a review on the book. Otherwise, it makes me look unprofessional, even though I don't have control over what my fans think or say or do. I appreciate all reviews.

Okay, on to the good news. *grins*

 

Last Thursday was my 30th birthday, but it was also the first day I put Defying Gravity for free on Amazon. The results were amazing. I definitely had the best birthday watching my space opera novelette climbing the charts. Thank you to all who downloaded a copy and/or spread the word about it.

Yes, that's my book beside of George R.R. Martin's!

When I started out free, I thought it would be great to reach the top 100 in a category or two. I would love to get over 250 downloads in a 24 hour period, but what happened defied all my expectations. Defying Gravity had over 2300 downloads in a 24 hour period (2235 US, 62 UK, 10 DE, 2 FR). It reached #129 Kindle Overall (Free) and #2 in Science Fiction (Free).

When it went off free, I wasn't expecting much, but since then I've had over 100 sales and have seen my Defying Gravity rise in the rankings.

That's taken from March 12 around 1 PM EST.

I've had borrows since then, saw my book as #3 in Popularity in the Science Fiction category on KOLL, and much more. I got my first sale in Germany! It's just been magical and makes me even more excited to finish writing Fighting Gravity and getting it out on May 1st. By the way, you can add Fighting Gravity here on Goodreads and Pull of Gravity (#3) here on Goodreads.

Thank you.

So what have you defied lately?

Time's Running Out: The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk #free

The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk is free just a little longer on Amazon. Be sure to snag your copy now.

Once upon a time, in an Internet that is everywhere and nowhere, blogging writers joined keyboards and computer screens to create a blog of free short stories for the masses. Themes, ideas and morning coffee were plenty. A noisy Siamese cat was let outside. A flute trilled over young students’ heads. A library book was carefully placed in the proper shelf.

With an idea and a dream, Raven and the Writing Desk blog was born. Lisa Rusczyk, Cherie Reich, and Aubrie Dionne created these short stories and poetry within, now in book form.

We hope you enjoy them.