Monday May 13, 2024
Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:
Monday May 13, 2024
Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:
It's May, and I've read about 70 books this year (not counting rereads). I thought I might share some finds.
In the order that I discovered them, here are three series that I began this year, fell in love with and rushed to buy more of:
1/ Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faerie by Heather Wilde
Set in Iceland. Emily Wilde is an academic professor of folklore doing research on the fae of Iceland in a remote village. At first she rubs the villagers the wrong way and is extremely annoyed when fellow academic, Wendell, shows up. Rivals are always fun--and then the plot twist hits: Emily suspects that Wendell himself is a fae pretending to be human.
I loved the building relationships in this one, both between Emily and the villagers and herself and Wendell, and how this time the woman was the grumpy one and the male love interest more sunshiny.
As soon as I finished I went out and bought book two Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, which was just as good. There should be a third book out next year!
2/ Gilded and sequel Cursed by Marissa Meyer
It's a good thing both books in this duology are out, because book one ended on a cliffhanger.
This is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, with the miller's daughter as the main character, but it's all mixed in with fae and the Wild Hunt. The Erlking is the best villain I've run across in a while. He has his own goals and sinister plans and he always seems to be one step ahead of Serilda. I also loved the reveal about Serilda's backstory.
3/ The Fire in the Glass by Jacquelyn Benson
This series (The London Charismatics) has so much going for it! Set in 1914 London it has mystery, a very satisfying romantic subplot and people with fascinating psychic powers. The main character, Lily, sees visions of the future, but has always in the past failed to prevent what she's seen. She's sworn to stop trying--until she sees her friend, Estelle (a medium) killed. Strangford, the psychometric, made for a swoony love interest, and Sam Wu's ability to talk to animals was fascinating.
The series is complete. I binge-read the next three books and will probably go on to the last one soon.
What series have you fallen in love lately?
Monday May 06, 2024
Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:
Each month I'll be posting one of them FOR SALE for only $10, and that includes postage. Plus I'll autograph them!
Quantities are limited!
May’s Title:
Sweet Contemporary Romance for the Christmas Holidays
Word Count: 10.4K
https://lindam54.gumroad.com/l/tsmcs
Terrie Myers didn't believe life would give her a second chance at love. She had managed to survive cancer, but she had lost the man she thought she loved.
Returning to her parents' vacation house on the Texas gulf coast, she never expected to fall for the man living in the bungalow next door. Sadly, he was already married. Still, she couldn't help the way she felt, or deny the joy of living he gave her.
With Christmas hours away, can the magic of the season make dreams come true?
In a world bound by rules, love becomes the ultimate gambit.
In the glittering world of London, where society dictates everything, Nathaniel, Marquess of St. John, learned the hard way that playing by those rules doesn't always guarantee a happy ending. Jilted by a woman chosen for him by his father, Nathaniel swore off marriage and embraced the life of a steadfast bachelor.
Louise Hartfield is a talented seamstress with a disdain for the ton's rigid expectations. Trapped by her mother's antiquated insistence that as the elder daughter she must wed before her younger sister, Louise scoffs at the idea of conforming to such a preposterous rule.
When Nathaniel and his friends bet on whether love can transcend class, they turn to Mrs. Dove-Lyon, whose Lyon’s Den hosts their daring experiment. As Nathaniel and Louise navigate society’s expectations, they find themselves drawn together in a quest for true love.
Will they defy tradition or succumb to its demands? In this high-stakes gamble for love, who will emerge victorious?
Read free in Kindle Unlimited!
Pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/Lyons-Gambit-Den-Connected-World-ebook/dp/B0D18F864Y
The sun would be rising soon. Already Emers could see a faint lightening of the sky. It was a sight she’d watched hundreds of times, yet this morning it brought a feeling of dread to the pit of her rumbling stomach. What would she see once all was revealed?
She had no idea how long she’d sat
by the fire. How many hours passed while she kept it stoked as best she could.
It managed to keep herself from freezing to death as she waited. She shivered.
It was something she’d done all night as she picked through recent memories to
try and find a reason behind her ending up where she was, wherever she was. And
why.
No other soul had passed their way,
even though a well-trodden path lay just a few meters away. Twice she’d been
alerted to something she couldn’t see or hear, but she knew was there. The huge
black dragon had returned only once more during her ordeal. Briefly. Its muzzle
remained stained from its earlier attacks. She prayed Kayge hadn’t been a
victim. After it left the second time, Emers never saw it again, although it
continued to remind her of its presence with the sound of its enormous,
leathery wings beating against the night sky. And the shadow it cast over the
moon when it flew over her.
She had no idea why it remained
nearby, yet for some odd reason she felt safer knowing it was somewhere out
there. Probably watching her. Guarding her. But it made no sense. It was a
dangerous creature. It destroyed and consumed humans and animals alike.
Why was it sparing her?
She looked down at the armor and
clothes that Kayge had been wearing. Clothes she’d found abandoned near that
dead man, as well as Kayge’s sword. The horses she and Kayge had been riding
were nowhere to be seen, and she wondered if the animals were the reason why
the dragon’s beak was bloodstained.
Emers stirred the fire one last
time and thought of the man who’d lost his life. Had he been fighting the
dragon? Had he been been traveling alone? Or had there been others? Had he
tried to ambush Kayge? For the first time since her awakening, she smiled. That
would have been a very foolish thing to do, challenging a seasoned soldier like
Kayge.
She sat up as she realized
something. The sword—the blade had been clean. There had been no blood on the
weapon. Unless Kayge already cleaned it.
Yet the fact that she found the
sword seemingly left abandoned told her the man had to be acting alone. Otherwise
his cohorts would have absconded with the sword. Taken it to the next town
where they could sell or trade it.
It was highly likely the strange
man was a vagrant. Unless he expected others to join him.
“Perhaps they weren’t meant to join
up until after daybreak. If that was the plan, it shouldn’t be much longer
before they show.” Regardless, she had to remain vigilant and watchful. And on
guard.
She checked the road in both
directions. She couldn’t stay here. Not out in the open where she was
vulnerable to attack, not to mention the weather. But not knowing where Kayge
could be kept her pinned to this location. He could return to claim his
clothes. Or, if not his armor, his sword. She knew how much he favored his
weapon.
Emers’ stomach growled again. The
rabbit had been a meager meal, and there was no telling when she’d eaten prior
to that. Slowly, stiffly, she stood. Her bare feet were numb from the cold. A
brisk breeze seemed to find its way underneath the woolen cloak she wore, under
the oversized leggings and bulky shirt.
A length of hair whipped her cheek.
A lock she’d missed earlier had come loose. Deftly, Emers tucked it behind
her ear. During the night she’d been forced to braid her long hair and tie it
with a length of leather from Kayge’s jerkin, or else the wind would have
fiercely tangled it up. “I must find more suitable clothing if I’m going to be
moving about,” she murmured. “Another cloak would be welcomed.”
She moved into the nearest thicket
to perform her ablutions. The rocks and undergrowth bit into her feet. A
splinter dug into her heel, making it bleed. As she plucked it out, she recognized
her first priority would be to acquire some slippers, or else she would not be
able to go very far. She could at least keep the robe on a bit longer.
Carefully she made her way back
toward the tiny encampment. From the corner of her eye she could see the
remains of the dead man where the dragon had dragged it last night. Her gaze
lingered on the worn boots. Biting her lips, she tip-toed over to the corpse
and said a prayer for the man. It seemed to help ease her fear of angering the
dead man’s spirit, but it couldn’t overcome her revulsion. Still, she needed to
protect her feet, and he no longer had any need for his footwear.
The boots came off easier than she
anticipated. Of course, they were bigger than her own feet, but she could make
do with a little dry grass for padding until a better pair came along. Dried
blood marked the instep of one boot. Emers rubbed some ashes on it to clean it
up. If she ran into the others she half-expected to appear, she didn’t want
them to become suspicious of her. Heaven knew she had nothing to do with the man’s
death, but she would be hard pressed to explain why she was wearing his bloodied
clothing.
When she was done, she checked the
road again. She recalled Kayge telling her they were heading to the village of Lisstanbor
for the night. For our wedding night. But now she had no idea how far
she was from there.
Emers glanced around in the growing
dawn for some familiar sign or landmark which would help her determine her next
course of action. A dark movement caught her eye, and she froze for a moment
before realizing it was the dragon. He was flitting back and forth, neck
extended, nose almost touching the ground, as if seeking a scent, before
landing a short distance away.
The animal appeared impatient. It
stopped abruptly and turned to look her way. In the pre-dawn chill, Emers could
see the creature shivering, but the wind had momentarily stilled. It stumbled
slightly, as if caught off-balance. Sensing something was amiss, she watched the
dragon raise its head and let out an almost melancholy roar.
Emers opened her mouth to hail the
animal when the first shafts of daylight peeked over the distant mountain
range. She squinted against the sudden light just as the dragon turned in its
tracks. It swiveled its head to look at her with big scarlet eyes, its mouth
open and panting steamy clouds of air. The young woman felt herself entranced
by its stare.
Without warning, the dragon staggered
upright. Its legs shook underneath it as if they didn’t have the strength to
keep its body off the ground. As it struggled to remain upright, the creature
made a gurgling sound. Its long neck swung forward and back, the head pointing
its snout up to the sky, then dropping it as it retched. Its wide chest heaved,
trying to force whatever was in its gullet out of its body. Trying to
regurgitate, grayish foam bubbling around the edges of its mouth.
One more heave, and the creature
opened its mouth as wide as possible. A form, slick with bile, slid out of its maw
and landed on the ground.
It was a man. Naked. Intact with
all four limbs. She could see no marks or blood or wounds of any kind on his
back, arms, buttocks, or legs. Neither could she tell if he was alive.
The dragon hovered over him,
watching him and, she would swear, waiting for her. To do what?
Emers fought the need to go to him
and turn him over to see if he breathed. To see if he lived, as impossible as
it sounded, but she feared what the dragon would do. For the first time, she
feared what the creature’s next move would be.
A groan came from the man, and her
heart jumped. The man moved on his own, startling her, and she took a step back
when the man rolled over.
Emers screamed his name and threw
herself onto his body. As she tried to take him into her arms, a hand found her
hair, her face, and Kayge coughed up phlegm.
“Em…”
He shivered from the cold. Tearing
off her shirt, she used it to wipe away the slimy wetness coating his face, clearing
his nostrils so he could breathe.
“Kayge! Kayge, my love!”
She was vaguely aware of the dragon
moving away, circling behind her, but her whole focus was on her love, her
lover and husband who lay on the hard ground.
Coughing up
more phlegm, he turned his head and spat. She waited until he opened his eyes
so she could see his expression when he finally saw her. Hunched over him, she
placed her hands on either side of his face as he opened his eyes.
He stared
up at her, when his gaze shifted upward. She caught the dark reflection in them
looming closer and closer, and he shouted her name as he tried to ward off the
immense creature bending down with its mouth agape. At the last possible
second, Emers tried to raise her arm to ward off the dragon, but she was too
small, too weak, and it was too determined.
The last thing she remembered before the enormous creature swallowed her whole was the clench of hunger once more asserting itself in her belly and the maniacal cackling of an unhinged mind echoing in her ears.
TO BE CONTINUED
Monday April 29, 2024
Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:
I am NOT here to talk about the events last week in Denver. First of all because I wasn't there, secondly because plenty of people (some of whom ALSO were not there) have posted huge manifestos on the subject. I have nothing to add and I don't care to speculate. There's enough of that going on in the world right now. On the other hand, last week's events, coupled with a plethora of "memories" of former conventions that showed up in my various social media feeds in the same time frame, left me thinking a lot about the topic of Author Convention/Book Signing/Reader Events in general.
So here's a list of random reflections on the subject.
1. There are several things authors want from conventions. They want to meet readers who already love their work as well as the readers who will discover them and go on to become super fans. They want to hang out with their author buddies talking books and drinking wine FOR HOURS. They want to network, attend seminars and learn about new opportunities. They want to be wined and dined by their publisher, their editor, their agent--preferably all three. Alternately, they want to be wooed by publishers, editors, agents, etc. They would really like to sell some books. And they also want to be able to sneak away (when the peopling becomes too much) in order to write in peace.
2. No matter where the event is held, the venue will fail to provide enough staff, especially in the first few days. They will specifically underestimate how much staff will be needed in the restaurants and bars. They will not comprehend how extremely verbose and sedentary authors are. We will spend hours gathering in bars and restaurants talking books and drinking wine. Yes, hours. Yes, every day.
I mean, think about it. We routinely spend all day, every day conversing with imaginary people. The biggest difference with conventions is that we're only responsible for a fraction of the conversations we take part in, rather than doing all the talking, all on our own.
If you are the event producer, you will likely have warned the venue that this will be the case. If this is not your first time producing this type of event, you will understand that there is nothing you can say to convince them of this.
3. If you're the type of author for whom thousands of readers will be willing to plunk down good money for the chance to stand on line for hours in order to get a minute of your time, you probably shouldn't attempt to sign books at a large event. Show up. Chat with your friends. Allow your publisher/editor/agent/etc to pamper you. Maybe take part in a small, ticketed event where you meet with readers.
If you attempt to sign in the same place, at the same time as everyone else no one will be happy. Readers will spend hours on line in hopes of getting your signature on books they've brought with them from home. You won't make new sales. They won't get to buy new books or discover new authors and possibly they won't even get your signature. The event promoters will call you a diva no matter how you behave. The other authors will hate you.
Oh, yes we will. Especially if your line of readers stretches for hours in front of our table making it impossible for anyone to see us or talk to us or buy our books. You're wasting our time. You're forcing us to spend hours smiling at people who have absolutely no interest in us or our books. Hours that we could have spent in the bar talking shop, plotting new series, drinking more wine...etc.
4. Invariably, there will be problems. Things will get lost, stolen, broken, misplaced. Things will be said. Many of those things will be misinterpreted. In large part this will be because all the introverts will have hit the wall, become depleted of energy and will start to spiral. And all the extroverts will be drunk, at this point, on the energy that they've siphoned off the introverts (sorry, not sorry) and begin to act out. And almost as invariably, the event producers will attempt to assign blame to someone else. To anyone else, really. Authors. Readers. Volunteers. The venue.
My personal belief is that the event producers need to shoulder the majority of the blame because all these same things happen at every single event. They should be expected.
***
Anyway, that's about it. I don't know if or where or when I'll ever attend another big author event. This makes me sad because--problems aside--it was always so much fun and I miss it horribly.
Monday April 22, 2024
Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:
Each month I'll be posting one of them FOR SALE for only $10, and that includes postage. Plus I'll autograph them!
Quantities are limited!
April’s Title:
Sensuous Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Word Count: 121.5K
Buy Here: https://lindam54.gumroad.com/l/bdsyx
Miranda Sayers's best friend is her wheelchair. It has been her refuge for most of her twenty-six years. But the time has come when her grandmother can no longer help take care of her. Now Randi is faced with having to survive on her own, and unfortunately that future doesn't look promising.
Collin First's job on Earth is to find the Ducts between his world and this one. As an Extinguisher, he has to eliminate those passageways before any of the dangerous creatures from Sandeflay can pass through and harm any humans. The last thing he expected when he took the assignment was to find was the beautiful, crippled woman living one floor below his apartment.
Before either of them can contend with the impossibility of their relationship, Randi and Collin are thrown together, seeking each other's love and help. And when circumstances force Randi to follow Collin to Sandeflay, danger and the greatest miracle of all awaits them both.
Warning: Contains nearly invisible predators, extreme poverty, generations of love and loss, bucking the system, hot flashes, and an ending you only thought you saw coming!
In a world bound by rules, love becomes the ultimate gambit.
In the glittering world of London, where society dictates everything, Nathaniel, Marquess of St. John, learned the hard way that playing by those rules doesn't always guarantee a happy ending. Jilted by a woman chosen for him by his father, Nathaniel swore off marriage and embraced the life of a steadfast bachelor.
Louise Hartfield is a talented seamstress with a disdain for the ton's rigid expectations. Trapped by her mother's antiquated insistence that as the elder daughter she must wed before her younger sister, Louise scoffs at the idea of conforming to such a preposterous rule.
When Nathaniel and his friends bet on whether love can transcend class, they turn to Mrs. Dove-Lyon, whose Lyon’s Den hosts their daring experiment. As Nathaniel and Louise navigate society’s expectations, they find themselves drawn together in a quest for true love.
Will they defy tradition or succumb to its demands? In this high-stakes gamble for love, who will emerge victorious?
Read free in Kindle Unlimited!
Pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/Lyons-Gambit-Den-Connected-World-ebook/dp/B0D18F864Y
thought you saw coming!
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