An exclusive Excerpt of Alex Cavanaugh's CassaStorm!

News about Alex Cavanaugh's newest book in his Amazon bestselling Cassa space trilogy is all over the Net. But Idea City has a brand new CassaStorm excerpt to whet your appetite. First, a synopsis:
A storm gathers across the galaxy…
Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

And now... drum roll... the excerpt!

They had reached the outer doors and Byron paused. Lips pressed together, he nodded at her. Remain here and see what you can accomplish. Impart on Ubarce and the others the gravity of the situation. It’s in their best interests to formally side with our alliance.

    Athee grasped his arm, her thin fingers pressing hard on his muscles. Would they really remove everyone from the base?

    It’s a possibility.

    Even after all these years of working together?

    If the situation grows desperate, that won’t matter to High Command.

    Her hand dropped from his arm and Athee stared at him. The indignation in her thoughts matched the scowl on her face. His patience strained from the council meeting, Byron was in no mood to pacify his mate.

    Athee! Nine of the ten races have declared war. Never in our history have the races aligned so decisively into two sides. With Tgren uncommitted, it sends the wrong message to High Command.

    And what message is that? she thought, chin raised in defiance.

    If we’re not for you then we must be against you.

Praise for CassaStorm:

“With a talent for worldbuilding and a compelling cast of characters, Alex J. Cavanaugh combines high powered space battles and the challenges of family dynamics to provide readers a space opera with heart.” - Elizabeth S. Craig, author of the Southern Quilting and Myrtle Clover mysteries

“I thought the revelation was going to be one thing and I was completely wrong … CassaStorm pushes the limits…” - Tyson Mauermann, Speculative Reviews

“…mesmerizing story of survival, personal sacrifice, tolerance, and compassion. It’s a rare jewel that successfully utilizes both character and plot to tell a story of such immense scope and intimate passion…” - Nancy S. Thompson, author of The Mistaken

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperbk., 268 pp, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find CassaStorm: Barnes & Noble, Amazon paperback, Kindle, Goodreads, Trailer on YouTube! 

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Find Alex: Twitter, Goodreads and on his website

Help Celebrate Christine Rain's 13th Floor novella collection-What a Cover!

Christine Rain's collection of all 13th Floor stories launches October 13 (Of course; on lucky 13!) To help celebrate, I'm previewing the fabulous collection cover. Stunning, eh?

The Collection cover!!!

Six supernatural tenants

Living in a haunted apartment building

On a floor that doesn't exist.

Six novellas telling their tales...

A retired demon acquires a price on his head. 

A werewolf is hunted by her pack.

A modern day dragonslayer misses his target.

A harpy challenges Zeus for the soul of the man she loves.

A vampire is obsessed with a young woman he can't find. 

A banshee falls in love with someone who's death she has seen in a vision.

And a sweet ghost must battle a primal monster to save them all. 

All stories take place at the same time, intertwining lives together on the 13th Floor.

You know you want this for Halloween! Or for that perfect gift to get your paranormal romance on! Mark your calendars for OCT 13.  

Her books on Amazon

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's 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 eight novellas and twenty-one short stories published.

Find Christine: website, blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter

The covers together, lookin' good!

Push to Publish, Realms Faire & other Fabulous Fall Happenings!

Every year, I'm a Writing for Kids and Teens panelist, and on the Speed-Dating with the Agents & Editors team at the amazing Push to Publish event, sponsored by Philadelphia Stories. It's located at Rosemont College, 1400 Montgomery Avenue, in Rosemont, PA. This is a great place to mix informally with writers, social media experts and freelance editors to talk shop. Authors like the fabulous Gregory Frost and Beth Kephart make regular appearances, as well as the talented indie author, Alison DeLuca, and of course, yours truly, MOI! Oh, and check out Marie Lamba, an agent with the De Chiara agency who's running an intensive workshop this year.
Do you need advice on your work in progress?
Want a seasoned manuscript advisor to edit your WIP?
Um... that would be me!
So, if you are anywhere near the Philly/Rosemont/Bryn Mawr area on OCTOBER 12th, from 9 am to 5 pm join us for this great event.
To register, click here. And click here for a full list of participating editors, agents & authors.

More news... I recently announced that I've joined a great group of authors who write speculative fiction. We're called Untethered Realms. M Pax, and some others are organizing a Realms Faire, with TONS of fun ACTIVITIES and PRIZES. Mark your calendars! It's November 11 through 15th. For a jumpstart on all of the games and sign up sheets, click here. Follow our blog for the latest on this, and other news on everything spec. Oh, and check out our newly launched, and more established novels--everything from horror to YA sci-fi to space opera.

One last but very cool thing, it's official, I'm an MFA thesis advisor! That's right, I am the thesis advisor for all writers taking on YA and NA projects at Rosemont College. Rosemont has an excellent MFA in Creative Writing program! Yay, Rosemont, and yay me! I love working with students and aspiring authors, and this will be an exciting venture.

What thrilling events do you have lined up for the fall?
Book launches, conventions, panels, classes?
Share it here.

Release Day for Elizabeth Arroyo's Second Shadow!

I'm back to blogging after a lovely, if short vacation. Today I'm helping celebrate the launch of Elizabeth Arroyo's new novel, The Second Shadow, out today with Sapphire Star. It is book 2 in her Second Sign series. Here's the lowdown on it:

Jake thought being demon meant a shredded humanity, stripped of all human emotion. Chaos and self-preservation dominates a demon’s instincts. But Jake feels every ounce of pain and despair around him. 
And it’s driving him deeper into Hell.
Gabby’s choice to save him last summer left a fissure in Hell’s gate that released a malevolent evil. When Jake’s given a mission by the demons to shadow a human girl who may know the whereabouts of an ethereal weapon, he doesn’t expect to see Gabby. But Fate has her own agenda.
When Jake and Gabby are thrown together on a camping trip with a group of delinquent teens, Jake begins to grapple with the haunting choices he made in the past.  When the evil finds them, the group begins to battle for their lives, alliances are made, and truths revealed. 
As the evil begins to influence Jake, he questions his link to the demons, his purpose, and his love for Gabby. But the answers to those questions are only found in Hell. And it may cost him his soul.

Where to buy book 2, The Second Shadow: Amazon Kindle, Amazon paperback, B&N Nook
And book 1, The Second Sign: Amazon

About the author:
Elizabeth has worked in the community for the bulk of her professional career. She enjoys quiet moments, action flicks, and dancing with her four-year-old.

Where to find Elizabeth's website

Great, sizzling cover, and edgy plot, eh?