Random Fun for the Halloween Season

Beauty of the dying ferns

I love October! The chilly weather gives me energy, the creepy Halloween decorations thrill me, the Village Halloween parade is just around the corner, and I love to cook apple pie, yams, kale, and all root veggies, especially parsnips. Here are some fall photos I took, including the dramatic transformation from the morning to afternoon photos of October 18 up in the Catskills where I spend some weekends.

Morning, OCT 18

Afternoon, OCT 18

My creepy frog lamp

Creepy frog lamp side view

Manhattan store display

On another note, 

I finally found a moment to write a review of Christine Rain's Of Blood and Sorrow. Her fabulous novel fits right into the ghoulish October spirit, so if you've not yet loaded this baby onto your eReader by all means, go for it now! At Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Smashie

My review:

I’m enjoying paranormal novels more and more. Christine Rain’s Of Blood and Sorrow put me through breakneck twists turns that made the ride quite worth it. With her creative concepts and gallows humor I can tell she has wicked fun as she writes. Oh, and it’s sexy, too.

Erin, the leading lady and a demoness, gains energy from sucking up the sorrow of others—a totally weird but great concept. Rains explores Erin’s character and motivation in depth. Erin is ashamed of how her on mother fed so completely on one of her “victims” she killed them. This is partly why Erin takes sanctuary in the Putzkammer Mortuary. There, she can “safely” feed on the natural sorrow of the grieving, while sparing random outsiders a fatal feeding fate. Erin hates her spots, which engorge as she feeds. They remind her of her mother’s appetite and of her own, which at any moment could rage out of control. There are so many fascinating analogies with these elements: the consequences of any type of appetite gone amok, the dread of potential inherited tendencies, the effects of shame on one’s life and even love. Constrained by the people around Erin and by the demands of her job, she hopes her dark past will never come to light.

But when Nicolas Reese lands in the mortuary and is decidedly undead, Erin’s failsafe shrouds are ripped away. For one, she is falling for the dashing vampire. And then there’s the fact that vamps and demons don’t trust each other. Nicolas’s creator, Hessa a terrifyingly powerful and evil being, is stalking him. He needs Erin’s help but when the Putzkammers, who took her in and gave her a home, start to die off in scary ways, Erin starts to doubt her own allegiances.

I recommend Of Blood and Sorrow to readers who like inventive paranormal with dark humor and spicy romance. And I look forward to the next in this series.

Have a fabulous October. And stay tuned for the Untethered Realms launch of Mayhem in the Air, our Enchanted Drink post on OCT 30 and my regular Village Halloween Parade photo cornucopia! Oh, and the cover reveal for my newest YA novel, Heart in a Box, which launches from Inkspell Teen in early December!

Mysterious & Magical Spring-ish Book Blossoms

My new Art of Love box set paperback!

It's spring, would you even know it?! I took a walk in the park down the street and saw cute snowdrop bulbs peeking through. On a similar note, many great books have recently popped through the proverbial soil. I'm posting some of these "supernatural book blossoms" that fit right into a spring thaw. 

Some have mini-interviews. Oh, and here's a pix of me with my own new Art of Love box set. Even better than spring flowers.

Christine Rains' urban fantasy Of Blood and Sorrow is out. Can't wait to read it!
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.

Shop for Of Blood & Sorrow at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Smashie

Marcus Damanda has all three out in his horror trilogy, The Devil in Miss Drake’s Class. Here's what he says about book 2:

Audrey Bales returns as the main character. She’s much stronger than the girl who attempted suicide in DEVILS IN THE DARK, and fully invested in her continuing recovery as she “reboots” life at a new school. However, her nemesis from the first book, Maggie Lassiter, also returns, fresh out of juvenile detention and burning with the desire to sabotage Audrey’s new beginning. In this book, we also meet Jack Maddox, a classmate of Audrey’s. He likes her very much, and has plans of his own.

What is their biggest challenge or quest?
Audrey’s greatest hurdle, as the book begins, is to make new friendships in a strange place without the safeguards she was given at the psychiatric ward. As the book progresses, she has to weather a storm caused by others—two competing forces, both evil, one of which wants to destroy her, and the other that wants to “save” her in the worst way imaginable.

Give us your favorite line from your protagonist
“Life reboots today.”

From an antagonist:
From Maggie: “See, Mom? This is how my game is played.”
From Jack: “Mr. Downing, you’ve got happy pants. How inappropriate.”

Since bad advice is often funnier than good advice, what was the worst advice ever?

From my video store boss when I told him I was finishing my teaching degree: “Why? Another year or two here, and I can see you becoming a real retail guy.”

Shop for his trilogy at Amazon, B&N
Visit his website and Facebook page.

Krya Dune writes paranormal fantasy & has multiple novels. She says:
My recent release is Bonded, a YA Paranormal Romance, and the first Dual Realm Novel. These books will be part of a standalone series set in the same world, meaning they can be read in any order. But each novel will be told from a different character's point of view.  

Tell us a little about your main characters:
In the Dual Realm novels, another realm (or dimension) co-exists alongside our own. Trey, the main character in Bonded, is from this other realm. He is a young man trying to escape a troubled past. After running to our world, he meets Sarah, a sixteen year old whose brother ran afoul of a local gang. Her brother's disappearance has left Sarah as a target for the gang leader. 

Your favorite line from your protagonist:
“Because it was easier to not care. But I was only fooling myself. I did care. I loved her and losing her the way I did...it almost killed me.”

From an antagonist:
“You don’t speak unless it’s to tell me what I want to hear.” 

Best words of advice?
No matter how hard it gets, always chase your dreams. Never give up.  My father taught me that. 

Shop for all Kyra Dune books at Amazon, B&N. Visit her website and Facebook page.

Angela Brown's urban fantasy dystopian is Beacon. A summary:
Tsunamis reduced the USA into a shell of itself, called The Fold. Surviving humans and vampires joined forces to form The Colony, where registered citizens do as they're told. 

They donate blood quarterly and dream of being chosen as Attendees for the Jubilee celebrations, that is, everyone except Macie Breen. With high school graduation near, she’s anxious to ditch the rules in hopes of starting a new life with Thane, an unregistered and also her best friend. 

Her hopes fizzle when Macie is selected as an Attendee, forever registered. Any future with Thane…impossible. Being chosen comes with another unexpected price. 

Truths about The Colony blaze into ashes and lies when she discovers the vampires haven't kept their part of the bargain. Worst still, Macie’s life unravels as her stint in the city of Bliss forces her to face daunting truths about who, and what, she really is.

Shop for Beacon at Amazon, B&N

C Lee McKenzie's Timelock Disaster, the sequel to Alligators Overhead is out! If you're in the market for fun middle grade adventure (gift it to one of the kids!), take a look.
Becoming a wizard is hard work. For Pete Riley it’s almost impossible. He tries to follow the rules, but he’s impatient and being impatient only leads to trouble. Big trouble. He messes with a time spell when he shouldn’t and he and his bookish friend, Weasel, are swept into Victorian England, where they will be trapped forever if that wizard-in-training can’t find a way to reverse his bad spell by the next full moon.
Shop for C Lee's YA and MG books at Amazon & B&N

What magical book "blossoms" have you read lately? Do you have your own special book coming out soon?

Sneak Peek at the forthcoming Untethered Realms anthology, Twisted Earths. Out this fall!

We're so excited to give you a sneak peek of the cover and stories in the first Untethered Realms collection called Twisted Earths. Isn't the art spectacular?!

The anthology launches on October 1st. We don't yet have it on Goodreads, so the best way to get release deets is to join the UR blog or UR Facebook group. And while you're there check out the amazing new banner that our designer, Erin made for us.

Now, for a taste of the stories!

Twisted Earths is a collection of tales from Untethered Realms, a group of speculative fiction authors. The stories are as varied and rich as the types of soil on this and other planets—sandy loam, clay, knotted with roots and vines, dreaded paths through unexplored planets, and in enchanted forests, lit by candlelight and two moons.

M. Pax, author of the series, The Backworlds and The Rifters spins a tale called Patchworker 2.0. Specialists with digital interfaces are the only ones who can distinguish between biological energy and mechanical pulses, and “patch” AIs, which hold the world together. Patchworker Evalyn Shore meets up with an AI with deadly intent.

Cherie Reich, known for her epic fantasy series The Fate Challenges and The Foxwick Chronicles, presents Lady Death. Umbria, a beautiful and powerful swordsmith, is given an impossible task by her brother Leon when he asks, “You are the assassin. Are you scared to destroy Death when you are up to your elbows in it?”

Angela Brown is the author of the paranormal Shadow Jumpers and NEO Chronicles series. In her story, In The Know, Jacob, a loyal family man is struggling to stay out of debt when he’s hired to report on big plans for a future Detroit. He’s given a mysterious manila envelope with instructions to “open it alone” or pay the price. With switchback twists you won’t see coming, a debt of a much steeper cost is what he just might end up paying for his involvement.

Catherine Stine, author of the futuristic thrillers, Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire, offers The Day of The Flying Dogs, a sinister tale of brilliant, troubled NYC high-school student, Theo. He experiences a day at Coney Island that includes drugs, delusions, a lonely capybara, Nathan’s hotdogs and a mind-bending lesson in our very twisted universe.

Christine Rains, known best for her paranormal series The Thirteenth Floor, gives us The Ole Saint, a story at once sweet, horrific and heartrending. Ezra longs to fit in and have boys stop calling him witch and freak, yet his unique supernatural skill sets him apart, and the last gift from The Ole Saint cinches the deal.

Graeme Ing, known for his young adult fantasy, Ocean of Dust presents The Malachite Mine, a gripping, scream-inducing ride. Whatever was Mary thinking when she accepted her husband’s gift of a most terrifying twenty-first birthday celebration in an abandoned Russian mine?

River Fairchild, author of the Jewels of Chandra series, presents A Grand Purpose. Rosaya and her cousin, Drianna are soon to be married off, but Rosaya is unhappy with her assigned match. She’s much more intoxicated by the older Firrandor, a wizard she hardly knows. When Rosaya is accused of killing an oracle boy, all bets are off, not only for her love, but her freedom.

Gwen Gardner, who pens the cozy paranormal mystery series, Indigo Eady, adds to her collection with Ghostly Guardian. Indigo and her rib-tickling ghost-busters must travel to a dangerous pirate-laden past in order to unearth a curmudgeonly eighteenth century spirit that is plaguing the Blind Badger Pub.

Misha Gerrick, whose War of Six Crowns series is forthcoming, gives us a story called Red Earth and White Light. Emily, a young ghost bride has long haunted a house. She longs to cross over into the afterlife, but she’s trapped in memories of lilies and betrayal.

We hope you'll enjoy this weird and wonderful volume!

Who we are:

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!