Pegasus Pulp

Writing like the pulp writers of old

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Cora

I’ve made no secret of my admiration for the work ethic and writing speed of the old pulp writers. I’ve posted several articles comparing indie publishing to the spirit of the pulp era in these pages. What is more, I’ve written six novelettes and counting about the misadventures of a pulp writer who has differentiating fiction from reality.

Now Dean Wesley Smith declares that “the second pulp era is upon us” and also shares some tips and tricks for writing at pulp speed as well as some math. It’s a great and inspirational post, even if Smith can’t resist his usual jibes against English teachers (Honestly, what have English teachers ever done to Dean Wesley Smith?).

As for myself, I’m nowhere near writing at pulp speed yet, but I’m getting steadily faster and my daily and monthly wordcount is going up. What is more, I have noticed that the more I write and – more importantly – the more I finish and publish work, the faster I get. Even better, my drafts get cleaner.

November was not a good writing month for me, because I caught what I initially thought was a nasty cold, but which apparently was an early flu bug. The resulting flu knocked me out for nearly two weeks, which significantly affected my productivity. Nonetheless, I will be announcing two new Helen Shepherd Mystery novelettes tomorrow (just waiting for the books to go up on all vendors). And I wrote them mostly from scratch – one had about a thousand words in existence, the other is a brand new story.

Indeed, the whole Helen Shepherd Mysteries series is proof that I’m getting faster. Because until I wrote The Cork and the Bottle as an eight hour fiction challenge story in August, the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series didn’t exist. Indeed, The Cork and the Bottle was initially planned as a one-off story. It was only when I had an idea for another mystery in September that I decided to reuse the characters. After all, I already had a team of investigators in place, so why make up another?

Since then, in the space of four months, the Helen Shepherd Mysteries have grown to a series as six short mysteries of 50000 words altogether. And they weren’t the only works I wrote and published in that period either. Of course, it helps that I find the Helen Shepherd Mysteries very quick to write, whereas e.g. the Shattered Empire stories take me a lot longer. I’ve explained a bit about my process writing the Helen Shepherd Mysteries and why I can do it fairly fast in this post here.

So no, I’m not writing at pulp speed yet. But I’m levelling up to it.

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Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged Helen Shepherd Mysteries, pulp, Silencer, writing advice, writing speed | 1 Comment

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for November 2014

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Cora

It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some October books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Once again, we have a broad spectrum of titles, featuring hard science fiction, space opera, military science fiction (lots of all three, in fact), Steampunk, dystopian fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, epic fantasy, urban fantasy, grimdark fantasy, historical fantasy, young adult fantasy, fairytales, aliens, werewolves (straight, lesbian and in Renaissance Europe), were-reindeer (really), body snatchers, arm thieves (yes, really) as well as quite a few books about gay and lesbian characters.

Don’t forget that Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month is also crossposted to the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a group blog run by Heidi Garrett, Jessica Rydill and myself, which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things speculative fiction several times per week.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Mate by Andrew Ashling

Anaxantis, Prince of Ximerion…
In the aftermath of the fall of their city, the fortunes of several Naodymans are turned upside down. If the insurrection of Trachia against the Lorsanthian occupation is to succeed, Prince Phrademys needs to be its focal point. However, he first wants to find out what happened to Thenoclon. There is hope he may still be alive, since Commander-General Meri is selling off the entire Naodyman population into slavery.
Antybion has concluded his mission with success, but before he can be offered a new challenge, an unexpected death occurs.
While the Rhonoman general, Hirmon Marradar, confidently continues his march to meet Lorsanthia’s largest army yet, Anaxantis seems to tarry and steer his small force away from all possible confrontations with a far stronger enemy. That is, until he explains his plans to his officers.
In the Highlands of Great Renuvia the patience of the hardliners of the Mahpodah is running out. While Lady Brynda tries to play for time, several of the rebel lords entertain their own ambitions. Even some of Ehandar’s squires are involved in this dangerous game. But Count Cynbenor will have none of it and he means to force a decision. For the Highlands to be free again, Anaxantis must never return home, in his opinion. If the warlord doesn’t fall in battle, he and his brother, must be killed.
Ehandar is unaware of how dangerous the situation has become. He learns that some of his squires are involved, and as a result he is about to sink into a depression. Once again he feels he is at the mercy of circumstances he can’t control, and his old demons resurface. When a mortally wounded squire tells him Anaxantis’s life is in danger, he snaps out of his morose mood…

This is book 7 of the Dark Tales of Randamor the Recluse series.

Defiance by Lucas Bale

The darkness in the human heart is infinite.

At a time when power means everything, the ultimate power, the imperium, rests with the Consulate Magistratus. The murder of a man in the lowest caste may be inconsequential, but one man, one of the Caesteri lawmen who still believes in justice, refuses to ignore it.

The woman he hunts is violent and unstable, and haunted by her own callous ghosts. She will drag him to the furthest reaches of space, where the abyss which awaits them hides an unspeakable truth.

When faced with their own mortality, there is no limit to what human beings will do to protect themselves, their family, their property. The human mind changes when exposed to relentless horror. It becomes dehumanised. The grotesque becomes mundane.There is no pity, no remorse – only instinct. An instinct which cannot be controlled.

The imperium belongs only to those who are strong enough to wield it.

The war to control humanity’s future is about to begin…

Defiance is the second book in the Beyond the Wall series, following The Heretic.

Wrathlight: Son of Azelkur by Christopher Barrieau

Scott Shaw, hero of the arena, finds himself on the frontlines of a war against the evil Bathel. An Alliance of liberated races and Humanity has formed, and guided by the mighty Warlord, is driving back The Bathel toward their homeworld.

But as the Alliance wins victory after victory, Scott finds himself in a different kind of arena – of clashing personalities and corrupt allies, of exotic cultures and lethal taboos.

And when Warlord departs, Scott finds himself facing down a deadly, vengeful enemy and a hideous Son of the dark god Azelkur. If he should fail, it means death for an entire world, his mentor Felix, his men, and himself.

Wrathlight: Son of Azelkur is 43,000 words and is the sequel to Wrathlight.

The Heart Thief by S. Lee Benedict

Ezra Keene is an artistic sixteen year-old who wants nothing more than to settle in at his new school and put the tragedy of his brother’s death behind him. He awakens one night, reeling from a hazy dream, to find his fingers blackened with pencil lead and a new drawing in his sketchbook—a drawing that depicts the grisly murder of someone he knows. The next morning he is shocked to learn the picture has become a reality.

Ezra has reason to believe the father of a classmate, an eccentric German scientist, is somehow involved in the slaying, but he needs something tangible to bring to the police. He sets out to discover the truth, but what he finds instead is that something much more sinister than murder lies at the heart of this mystery. Monsters exist, magic is real, and sometimes there are worse things than death.

Fool’s Sacrifice by Geronimo Bosch

DOMINION: A lawless city of ten million desperate souls. The State ignores the struggles of the dispossessed, but crushes any who challenge its rule.

G-Boy is a delinquent graffiti artist and ace pilot working the airborne auto theft trade who finds his life threatened when he teams up with a slick newcomer, a girl named Spider. She’s tech savvy and scopes all the angles, but comes wrapped in a web of secrecy and bad luck. After they lift a haul of booby-trapped vehicles and their partners in crime are blown from the skies, they find themselves under suspicion from their gangland boss and painted as terrorists by the authorities who govern Dominion City.

As the net tightens around them, G-Boy is presented with a dilemma. Face punishment for his crimes or accept a fool’s sacrifice by taking the hand of a mysterious stranger offering escape. But, at a price.

Sun Dragon by Michael Brookes

2012: NASA’s Curiosity Rover lands on Mars to search for signs of whether microbial life existed on the planet.

2018: The first alien lifeform, a simple wormlike creature is discovered, gripping the world’s imagination.

2022: The first manned mission to Mars begins the longest and most dangerous journey ever undertaken by humankind.

From hundreds of potential candidates, six astronauts from countries around the world are selected to crew the historic mission. Led by Commander Samantha Collins, they must travel across the gulf of interplanetary space, over 150 million miles from home and help. Their mission is to investigate alien life, but what they discover is far beyond what anyone ever imagined…

Wraithblade by K.M. Carroll

Revi is an assassin on her first assignment–and she’s not willing to kill a child.

When she goes on the run from her assassin brotherhood with a knife that opens doors between worlds, she runs afoul of three factions: inter-world police, the other assassins, and a shrewd bounty hunter named Jacob Argent.
And he’s the only one interested in keeping her alive.

Now unwillingly allied with Jake, Revi flees across the war-torn world of Tyrona. Against a backdrop of warring factions on floating continents battling via zeppelins, robot suits, and flying monsters, she tries to survive being both pawn and prize in a cosmic chess game between two mega-chronomancers. But worst of all, she’s developing feelings for Jake–her enemy.

Jacob Argent is a lonely bounty hunter on an assignment–locate the missing person known as Revenant. But when he locates her, he must protect her from the assassins and police–and the growing attraction of his own heart.

Now Jake must work through his grief over his dead fiance, before Revi is lost to him forever. Because his actions have earned him the personal hatred of a super-mage called the Oracle, who means to kill Jake any way he can.

This is book 3 of the Spacetime Legacy series, following Storm Chase and Chronocrime.

The Immortality Game by Ted Cross

Moscow, 2138. With the world only beginning to recover from the complete societal collapse of the late 21st Century, Zoya scrapes by prepping corpses for funerals and dreams of saving enough money to have a child. When her brother forces her to bring him a mysterious package, she witnesses his murder and finds herself on the run from ruthless mobsters. Frantically trying to stay alive and save her loved ones, Zoya opens the package and discovers two unusual data cards, one that allows her to fight back against the mafia and another which may hold the key to everlasting life.

The Brigadoon Boondoggle by Robert Dahlen

“I have to help them. All of them. It’s why I do this.”

Michiko, the hero known as the Monkey Queen, and geek girl Beth McGill thought it would be easy. They’ve become good friends since they started working together to save the world, why not become roommates? Of course, that was before the kitchen fire. And the broken bedroom door. Not to mention the cranky guinea pig.

But they have bigger problems ahead. A shady real estate deal has left two new groups of Emigres arguing over a meadow. Other Emigres are vanishing without a trace. And enemies old and new lurk in the woods, in the shadows, even in dreams.

Can Michiko and Beth stop the darkness…or will they be the next victims?

The is book two of the Monkey Queen series, following Of Introductions And Abductions

Iron City Uprising by John Donlan

Trapped in the sprawling ruins of the Warren, the rebel fighters of the Fist, led by Abigail Cunningham, are slowly being hunted down by Lucian and his brutish Iron Hand thugs. If they are to survive to see their rebellion, the Fist must devise a plan that is both daring, and dangerous.

Meanwhile, Abel, determined to find out the truth about his past, returns to the Skein, where he uncovers something that will not only shake the foundations of his world, but will bring the city closer to the brink of chaos.

With time running out, and a horrific plan about to be enacted, a chance meeting in the Heights will spell the difference between destruction, and the hope of a new beginning.

This is the sequel to Iron City Rebels.

Sworn to Ascension by Terah Edun

Ciardis Weathervane is officially engaged to one man and bonded to a second. She should be planning the wedding ceremony, bearding the nobles of the imperial court in their dens, and exposing an imposter emperor. Instead she’s spending her engagement on the lawless road to the western lands.

Now with the help of a guide from a tribe of seers, Ciardis is traveling to the ancient city of Kifar. Rumored to hold the only device capable of stopping the blutgott, Ciardis, Sebastian and Thanar must break a half-century’s old quarantine in order to enter the fabled city.

But the collar of Diamis is not the only thing they seek. The princess heir’s pet wyvern lurks in wait for them and the emperor, who has done everything short of challenging the new triad of Algardis outright, wants its head on a platter upon their return.

If the unscrupulous bandits don’t make short work of them, Ciardis knows that she and Sebastian will have to a face and unmask the man who has stolen the imperial throne. The only question that remains…will that be before or after they’re forced to battle a god?

The sixth novel in the Courtlight series continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Defiance.

Journey of the Hunted by Tracy Falbe

Facing uncertain destinies, Thal and Altea must escape Bohemia. The Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand himself has signed the warrant for Thal’s capture on charges of shape shifting and the killing of Jesuits.

A hefty reward attracts countless bounty hunters into the heart of this 16th century Christian empire. Thal emerges from hiding with his young wife Altea who is barely recovered from torture at the hands of witch hunters. With his werewolf powers, he battles the bounty hunters and begins a daring journey across the Holy Roman Empire.

But more than men stalk him. Servants of Tekax, sorcerer to the Turks, have been unleashed upon his trail.

The werewolf Rotfeng covets the enchanted fur that lets Thal change form at will, regardless of the phase of the moon.

Worse yet comes Janfelter, an undying fext created in the dark fortress of Tekax.

These heartless killers are tasked with stopping Thal from reaching his father Sarputeen, the arch nemesis of Tekax. Thal’s only refuge awaits him in what is left of the Kingdom of Hungary after a Turkish conquest. In the remote castle Vlkbohveza the ancient sorcerer Sarputeen lives untouched despite widespread persecution of magic users and pagans.

Although Thal longs to be with his own kind, he worries about the reunion with his father. It was Sarputeen’s magic that made Thal a werelord, a master of wolves. But what shall the sorcerer require of his creation now that Tekax aims to settle an old score?

This is book two of the Werewolves in the Renaissance series, following Werelord Thal.

Alpha by Allison Goh

Kate has escaped from the facility. She reaches out to Max and reveals the secret she has been protecting for years, the secret that Orion so desperately wants to contain. Friendships and relationships are tested as they pit themselves against an army of genetically modified super soldiers controlled by the most powerful man in Egalia. But a greater truth is yet to be revealed. One that ties all their fates together. Will it all come crashing down?

This is book 2 of the Egalia series, following The Genetic Lottery.

To Make a Witch by Heather Hamilton-Senter

On December 17th, 2013, a vandal painted the tomb of Marie Laveau—the famed Voodoo Queen of New Orleans — bright pink. It is believed that the vandal’s intent was to cover the X marks that had been scratched into the tomb. This story takes place just after that event.

At her old high school, Lacey found herself on the wrong side of a conflict between Celtic gods. Making a new start in an exclusive boarding school in New Orleans, she hopes to forget that she was once on the verge of becoming a powerful witch—and everything she’s lost both since and before then.

When a gruesome murder occurs in the very heart of Westover Academy, Lacey discovers a connection between it and the desecration of the tomb of Marie Laveau, the famed Voodoo Queen. Haunted by a trauma in her past, Lacey must solve the mystery before she becomes the killer’s next target.

Circumstances beyond her control may once again make Lacey McInnis — cheerleader, scholar, and all-around good girl — a witch.

To Make A Witch is a novella featuring the enigmatic Lacey McInnis from Bound In Blue: Book One of the Sword of Elements series.

Terminus by Kevin Hardman

Master Sergeant Gant Maker was a highly-decorated and well-respected Marine – until his last mission left him as the sole survivor of an encounter with a vicious race called the Vacra. Served up as a scapegoat and drummed out of the military, he has since lived a life of seclusion with only an adopted alien as a companion.

Now the Vacra have returned. As the only person to have ever faced them and survived, Maker is reinstated in the Corps and given the onerous task of finding this enemy on a world located at the edge of known space. Assisting him is an unlikely band of military rejects, including a blind sharpshooter, an unstable psychic, and a genetically-engineered killing machine who refuses to fight.

Given that the Vacra have superior weapons and technology, Maker recognizes that his team is at a distinct disadvantage. But Marines are nothing if not resourceful, and Maker has an audacious plan that just may level the playing field – if it doesn’t get them all killed.

Second Star: Breaking Through by Josh Hayes

Sixty-six days is all pilot John McNeal has left on his service contract, after that his combat days will be over for good — if he survives that long.

After a mysterious rift in the fabric of spacetime strands him on an alien world, John must join forces with some unlikely childhood heroes to have any chance of surviving and soon discovers that this strange new world isn’t that alien after all.

Someone has been here before and found a way back to tell about it. There is hope, but this is not the fairy tale he knows and John will have to fight if he wants to get home.

A Town Called No Hope by Izzy Hunter

Mona Miller would agree that her life is not too shabby. Sheriff of a prosperous mid-west settlement and with her mute lover Henry by her side, it’s a far cry from her wild antics back in England.

But after an ill-advised bank robbery goes wrong, Mona pursues the thief, via airship, to the city of New Moray. There she catches the culprit and plans to bring him back to face the music. So far, so easy.

But what isn’t so easy is dealing with a criminal mastermind who spends his time controlling his illegal activities in an underground labyrinth. Nor with a handsome stranger who just wont leave her side.

And when she finally returns to No Hope, what she finds there could destroy the very life she has carefully built for herself and those that she loves.

The Scientist’s Son by SB James

Ethan Stanwood may have prevailed over dangerous foes before, but his troubles are just beginning.
Ethan arrives in Rome, but a number of his enemies appear there as well, Professor Colbourne being among them. Colbourne is still intent on getting the prototype that Ethan has been tasked with protecting and returning to his father. But his father’s actions and secrets catch up to Ethan, causing chaos and danger wherever he goes.
It is not only Ethan’s father whose life has been shrouded in secrecy, but his deceased mother as well. A man who is a friend of his mother’s side of the family has returned to help Ethan, presumably at the behest of the Order of the Crystal Star. He says his intentions are pure, but his actions may just prove otherwise, with terrible consequences.
And in the shadows, Aloysius Hardwick, who seeks to turn Ethan to the darkness, discovers that he is not the only one of his kind with the same intentions. To protect his claim on the Stanwood family, Hardwick will go to any lengths, and kill anyone necessary, to keep Ethan in his eventual control.

The Scientist’s Son is Book 2 of the paranormal Steampunk series started with The Inventor’s Son.
Also, don’t miss The Inventor’s Son: The Beginning, an introduction to a Victorian London that could have been.

Fool’s Ride by John L. Monk

Dan Jenkins is back, body hopping a scumbag at a time in his quest for the perfect ride. He doesn’t need much. Premium cable TV, good books, a well-stocked pantry, and he’s set. But the Great Whomever has other plans.

After six months waiting in limbo, Dan catches a ride as a horror novelist whose gruesome stories aren’t just fiction. Later, he hunts a man who’s escaped justice for far too long. Then, in his greatest challenge yet, he strays too deeply into the lives of the people he loves: his most foolish ride of all.

This is the sequel to Kick.

Give Me Back My God Damn Arm by Phronk

When Ford wakes up to find his favorite arm missing, he knows he doesn’t have long before years of progress slip through his fingers. Can he get it back? On one hand, the old cop in charge of the investigation doesn’t believe Ford had a third arm in the first place. On the other hand, his young partner has a good grasp on the latest digital tracking technology. All they need to gain the upper hand is to point out who would want to steal Ford’s God damn arm in the first place.

Give Me Back My God Damn Arm is a weird 4000 word (16 page) short story.

The Titan Trap by Christine Pope

Cassidy Evans inherited the Titan run when her father died and left her a broken-down cargo transport and a regular gig hauling supplies to the maximum-security prison located on Jupiter’s moon. When convicted murderer Derek Tagawa hijacks her ship and demands her help in clearing his name, Cass can’t help but wonder if there aren’t easier ways to make a living. But Derek has those amazing…eyes…and she begins to believe there may be more to his story than she originally thought.

Running from the authorities, they head to the heart of Gaia to unearth a conspiracy so far-reaching that exposing it could rock the Consortium to its very foundation… and change the future course of both their lives.

Bridge of Seven Stones by Becca Price, illustrated by Sara Anderson

“I’m not a baby!”
“Prove it!”
A child leaves the safety of the Garden of the Morning and begins exploring the Gardens of Growing Up.

The Bridge of Seven Stones is a story about losing teeth, and growing up. An alternative to the Tooth Fairy story, it recognizes the losses of familiar ways and things, and shows how each new stage leads to new and wonderful discoveries.

This book was was designed to give parents an idea, an alternative to the tooth-fairy story, a way to celebrate the loss of a baby tooth and to prepare the child for the transitions that come with growing up. This story was designed to be read to help a child proclaim:

“I’m not a baby anymore.”

Elves and Deer by Hollis Shiloh

Greer is a reindeer shifter working at a magical shipping hub up North. He has little use for or understanding of elves—such delicate, short-lived creatures—but he tries to do his best by the ones in his life. And it seems like more and more are coming into his life, confusing and frustrating him, needing help, needing rescued.

Since Greer is always busy, it’s easy to overlook the things he doesn’t want to acknowledge—until a terrible danger gives him unwanted time to think…and to realize there’s just one elf who means more to him than he’s ever wanted to admit.

A Christmas tale
38,000 words
Heat level: very low

Union by Brian Spangler

For centuries, Phil Stark has been the keeper of the machine that changed the world–a lighthouse keeper–guilt-ridden, impossibly alone and losing his mind, the machine is his penance for what he had done centuries before.

When Phil meets Isla, he finds a kinship that he didn’t think could be possible. And when he crosses paths with Sammi and Declan, he believes that his life, and the fate of the world, might just change forever.

Union is the final book in the Gray Series. In this installment, Declan finds the answers he’s sought since first seeing the chalky letters spelling out the words: End of Gray Skies. With Sammi and his father and Ms. Gilly, they team up with an unlikely partner in one final attempt to rescue the sunlight and bring it back to their world.

Hunting in Bruges by E.J. Stevens

The only thing worse than being a Hunter in the fae-ridden city of Harborsmouth, is hunting vamps in Bruges.

Being shipped off to Belgium sucks. The medieval city of Bruges is quaint, but the local Hunters’ Guild is understaffed, the canals are choked with dead bodies, and there’s no shortage of supernatural predators as likely suspects.

On second thought, maybe Bruges isn’t so bad after all.

With a desire to prove herself, protect the innocent, and advance within the ranks of the Hunters’ Guild, Jenna Lehane hits the cobbled streets of Bruges with blades at the ready. Someone, or something, is murdering tourists and dumping their bodies in the city’s scenic canals. With the help of a mysterious stranger, Jenna begins to piece together clues that are dotted throughout the city like blood spatter.

Determined to stop the killings, Jenna delves into a bloody local history that only raises more questions–but some secrets are best left buried. Jenna must put her combat training to the test as she struggles to unearth the truth about an ancient enemy.

Hunting in Bruges is the first novel in the Hunters’ Guild urban fantasy series set in the world of Ivy Granger.

Into the Dark by J.A. Sutherland

At fifteen, Alexis Carew has to face an age old problem – she’s a girl, and only a boy can inherit the family’s vast holdings. Her options are few. She must marry and watch a stranger run the lands, or become a penniless tenant and see the lands she so dearly loves sold off. Yet there may be another option, one that involves becoming a midshipman on a shorthanded spaceship with no other women.

Wielder: Apprentice by Mark Tyson

The making of a legend…

Sheyna Namear believes she has been left to fend for herself on the streets of the notoriously corrupt city of Symbor. She has very little memory of her life prior, and she is forced to steal what she can to survive. When her natural ability to enchant everyday items eventually catches the eye of a powerful magic wielder, Sheyna is taken into the woman’s tower as an apprentice. But something is not quite right. Sheyna constantly feels like she is being watched, her roommate hates her, and a mysterious shadow hides in the darkness outside her window.

Book One of The Wielder Cycle.

Full Dark by Kenneth Ward

Bramen Hold triumphantly survived the city of Hyll’s grimy underworld. But the victory was short-lived. Now Bramen finds himself in the custody of the High Command who’s taken notice of his abilities. Convinced he may be cut out for a secretive special mission, an official with the High Command throws Bramen into a horrific gauntlet and proving ground known as The Grim. With the lives of his family and friends hanging in the balance, Bramen is forced to face his greatest fears until a secret is revealed that changes everything.

This is part 2 of the Cannibal Collapse series, following The Clone Rules.

Alpha’s Heart Part 1 and Part 2 by Skye Winters

Surrendering her heart to the woman she loves could cost the pack their lives.

The laws within the boundary are painstakingly clear. Alphas mate with alphas to keep peace between the packs and the veil hiding their existence in place.

Anna’s determined to pass pack leadership to her brothers in order to share her bond with Rowan—the she-wolf who effortlessly stole her heart. But with her mother’s health and their population in decline, staying true to her bond might just be the biggest challenge of all.

These are the first two parts of a lesbian shifter serial and contains scenes not suitable for those under the age of eighteen.

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Posted in Books, Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month | Tagged bizarro, children's books, Christmas, dystopia, epic fantasy, fairy tales, GLBT, grimdark fantasy, hard SF, historical fantasy, military science fiction, paranormal romance, post-apocalyptic SF, SF romance, space opera, Steampunk, urban fantasy, weird western, werewolves, YA fantasy | Leave a comment

Tolino hits the coffee shops

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Cora

The Tolino e-reader, which was developed and marketed by an alliance of German bookshops, has just passed Amazon’s Kindle with regard to market share in the (still tiny) German e-book market (well, sort of) and now Tolino has landed a new coup. Because now an older Tolino model, the Tolino Shine, is available at Tschibo at the drastically reduced price of 69.99 EUR, down from 99 EUR. There’s even a free e-book – Endgame by James Frey – included.

For those who are not German, an explanation of what Tschibo is would be in order. Tschibo and a similar, now defunct chain called Eduscho started out as coffee companies. Tschibo and Eduscho coffee was mainly sold via bakeries (and there are a lot of bakeries in Germany), which either had a Tschibo or Eduscho licence. Sometime in the early 1970s, Tschibo had the idea to sell products other than coffee, because a new law forbid them from adding premiums to coffee packages, so Tschibo simply sold off the superfluous premiums, mostly stuff like coffee tins and the like, via its bakery network. This was a huge success, so Tschibo and rival Eduscho started offering a weekly changing roster of products ranging from clothes via jewellery and toys to household goods and electronics. And because the products were sold in neighbourhood bakeries, they were pretty much ubiquitous. Eventually, Tschibo also opened its own network of stores that sold only Tschibo products and coffee, took its weekly specials (and its coffee) into supermarkets and drugstore chains and opened an online store. They also offered insurances and banking services for a while and still offer package holidays, mobile phone services and gas and power supply services. Not bad for a coffee company.

These days, racks of Tschibo specials are everywhere, in supermarkets, drugstores and maybe even in your local bakery. And because Tschibo products are so ubiquitous, pretty much every German household owns at least a few. My first camera was a pocket camera from Tschibo for fifteen Deutschmarks, a thrilling birthday gift when you’re nine. At the age of fifteen, I had a silver and gold and zirconia ring from Tschibo (I still have it somewhere, though it no longer fits me). Until they bought a DeLongi a few years ago, my parents used a Tschibo espresso machine. I still have a Tschibo indoor/outdoor thermometer somewhere.

So in short, Tschibo is ubiquitous in Germany, even if you don’t drink their coffee and haven’t drunk it in a long time. And now they’re selling cheap e-readers. This is a pretty big coup for Tolino, because it brings e-readers to a new audience, namely the many, many people who buy Tschibo stuff. And this new audience will not be buying at Amazon, but at the various Tolino stores (apparently eBook.de is the one that’s integrated into the reader itself, though users can purchase e-books at all Tolino alliance stores and indeed all stores that sell ePubs). This is also quite a big deal for indies, because the Tolino stores are far less indie-friendly than Amazon.

There is a catch, since the Tolino e-readers will apparently be only available via Tschibo‘s online store and not on racks in bakeries, supermarkets and drugstores throughout Germany. Here is the relevant page at the Tschibo online store. Note the vaguely creepy image of the woman biting into her brandnew Tolino reader, as if it were a particularly tasty piece of cake.

So once again, Tolino is proving itself to be a viable challenger to Amazon. Indies should definitely take note.

PS: Browsing the Tschibo online store, I noticed that they’re offering a 3D-printer for 499 EUR. Damn it, I’m almost tempted now.

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Posted in Bookselling, E-Readers | Tagged Amazon Kindle, e-readers in the wild, Germany, tolino, Tschibo | Leave a comment

New German spy story available – Neue Spionagegeschichte auf Deutsch erhältlich: Auf der anderen Seite des Vorhangs

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Cora

I have a new release in German, namely the German language version of The Other Side of the Curtain.

I initially planned to announce the new release on November 9 to tie in with the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the inner German border. But then I got ill, several vendors were rather slow to update (I’m still missing a couple of smaller Tolino stores) and besides, the usual jerks decided to pollute what should’ve been a joyful anniversary with their personal political agenda.

So I decided to postpone the announcement until the book was actually available everywhere and instead celebrate on November 9 what I’ve always celebrated on that day, namely the 95th birthday of my late grandmother.

***

Ich habe mal wieder ein deutsches e-Book anzukündigen, nämlich die deutsche Fassung der Spionagegeschichte The Other Side of the Curtain.

Ursprünglich wollte ich die Geschichte am 9. November pünktlich zum 25jährigem Jubiläum des Mauerfalls ankündigen. Aber dann wurde ich krank und einige der Händler waren doch sehr langsam darin, das Buch hochzuladen und außerdem haben die üblichen Verdächtigen sich daran gemacht, ein eigentlich freudiges Jubiläum mit ihrer persönlichen politischen Agenda zu verpsten.

Also entschloss ich mich, die Ankündigung zurückzustellen, bis das Buch tatsächlich auch überall erhältlich ist (na ja, einiger der kleineren Tolino Partner fehlen noch), und stattdessen den 9. November als das zu feiern, was er in erster Linie immer für mich war, nämlich der 95. Geburtstag meiner leider inzwischen verstorbenen Oma.

Und jetzt das Buch:

Auf der anderen Seite des Vorhangs
Leipzig, 1966. Major Werner Gottwald hat sein Leben dem Dienst am Vaterland gewidmet und beobachtet als Stasi Agent westliche Besucher in der DDR. Sein neuester Auftrag ist der amerikanische Millionär Zane Smith und dessen Geliebte, die schöne Shoushan Kariyan.

Auf den ersten Blick scheint es ein Auftrag wie jeder andere zu sein. Aber an Zane Smith ist mehr dran, als es auf den ersten Blick scheint, und so steckt Gottwald bald schon bis zum Hals in Schwierigkeiten. Denn es stellt sich heraus, dass Gottwald die Verschlagenheit der kommunistischen Brüder vom KGB unterschätzt hat. Und er hat definitiv Shoushan Kariyan unterschätzt…

Mehr Informationen.
Länge: 9000 Worte
Preis: 2,99 EUR, USD oder GBP
Erhältlich bei Amazon Deutschland, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Niederlande, Amazon Frankreich, Amazon Italien, Amazon Spanien, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australien, Amazon Brasilien, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Japan, Amazon Indien, Kobo, Apple iTunes, Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel, Der Club, BOL, Otto-Media, Donauland, buecher.de, buch.de, eBook.de, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, txtr, Inktera, Smashwords, Casa del Libro, Flipkart, e-Sentral und XinXii.

Dieses Buch gibt es auch auf Englisch.

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Posted in Announcements, Books | Tagged deutsche Bücher, German literature, our books, shameless self-promo, spy fiction, tolino | Leave a comment

A German Perspective on Serials and Novellas

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Cora

One effect of the e-book revolution in the English speaking world has been a resurgence in the popularity of short stories, novellas and serialized fiction. I already wrote a couple of posts about this topic, which you can find here, here and here.

Now the renewed popularity of novellas and serials in e-book form is something new for the English speaking world, where both novellas and serialized fiction largely died out with the demise of the pulp magazines in the 1950s.

However, in Germany the pulp novella never really died out. Indeed, it just happily chugged along through the postwar area in the form of the so-called “Romanhefte”, novella-length stories published as digest-sized 65-page magazines and sold at newsstands and in supermarkets.

A Romanheft spinner rack at my local supermarket. Note the Bastei Banner on top. Bastei is of course one of Germany’s biggest Romanheft publishers.

“Romanhefte” come in a wide variety of genres. Romance is the most popular with the subgenres medical romance, aristocratic romance (stories about fictional princes, counts and other aristocrats), “Heimatroman” (stories set in the Alps), family romance and gothic romance, but there are also westerns, crime fiction, horror/dark fantasy, historicals, war fiction, adventure stories, and science fiction. Some “Romanhefte” are complete standalones (romances mostly, but also westerns and war fiction), some are series featuring the same character in more or less self-contained adventures (many crime, fantasy and horror series, but also medical romances), others are continuing serials that have been running for decades on end in some cases. I’ve written about “Romanhefte” on my blog several times and also have also published a number of articles on specific genres and series.

Random “Romanhefte” from my personal collection. Lots of romance and westerns for some reason.

The parallels between the “Romanheft” model (novella and novelette length stories, low price, wide variety of genres, high publication frequency, bundling*) and the indie e-book publishing model are obvious. As a result, one would also assume that “Romanhefte” would be ideally positioned to take advantage of the e-book revolution. And indeed, the three big “Romanheft” publishers, Bastei Lübbe, Kelter and Pabel-Moewig all offer their “Romanheft” lines past and present as e-books. Particularly, Bastei Lübbe and Pabel-Moewig also have detailed digital strategies.

Here is an article from Deutsche Welle about Bastei Lübbe‘s digital strategy. It’s a lengthy read (and only in German), but quite interesting, especially since Bastei is using similar strategies to many indie authors and is also expanding internationally by offering e-books in English and Chinese, written as “work for hire” by local authors, because this is supposedly cheaper than hiring translators, which I for one find a little disturbing.

Meanwhile, the German e-book news site Lesen.net offers up the longrunning SF series Perry Rhodan, published by Bastei‘s rival Pabel-Moewig**, as a model for a successful digital serial publishing. The article also discusses German indie SF serials modelled on Perry Rhodan.

Perry Rhodan has been running since 1961, which makes it one of the longest running “Romanheft” series. However, the longest running “Romanheft” series focussed on a single main character and one of the most successful is G-Man Jerry Cotton, which chronicles the adventures of the New York based FBI agent Jerry Cotton***. Jerry Cotton solved his first case back in 1954, which means that the series turned sixty this year. This article on Deutsche Welle marks the anniversary, though it sadly can’t resist snarking about the series and using derogatory terms like “Trivialliteratur”.

Also from Deutsche Welle, here is another article about the “Romanheft” phenomenon, which attempts to explain why these novellas are so popular in Germany. Once again – well, it is Deutsche Welle – the author can’t really lay off the snark and has to use terms like “Trivialliteratur” and “Heftchenromane”. He also comes to the conclusion that the reason “Romanhefte” are so popular in Germany is because Germans love happy endings and escapism. I guess the author has never seen a Harlequin/Mills & Boon romance.

*Unsold “Romanhefte” are returned to the publisher, stripped of their covers and then bundled as collected editions based on genre or series.

**Perry Rhodan and its spin-offs are now the only “Romanheft” franchise still published by Pabel-Moewig, since they stopped publishing their other “Romanheft” franchise, the WWII series Der Landser, in 2013 after protests that the series glorified Nazi war crimes. Of course, Der Landser has been published since 1957 and has always been its icky war-glorifying self (When buying one for research purposes, I always felt dirty), though for some reason the periodic complaints about this never bothered anybody until 2013. What is more, Der Landser survived its demise and reappeared under the title Weltkrieg, now published by a Swiss company that seems to be affiliated with Neo-Nazis.

***Together with the horror/urban fantasy series Geisterjäger John Sinclair, Jerry Cotton and Perry Rhodan make up the big three of the German “Romanheft” world.

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Posted in Books, Publishing | Tagged crime fiction, German literature, Jerry Cotton, novella, Perry Rhodan, pulp fiction, Romanheft, science fiction, serial fiction | 3 Comments

Tolino passes Kindle – or does it?

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Cora

This Friday, the news dropped that the Tolino, an e-reader developed and marketed by an alliance of several German, Austrian, Swiss and soon Dutch booksellers, had passed Amazon’s Kindle with regard to market share. According to the report, Tolino now has a share of 45% of the (tiny) German e-book market, up from 38%. Amazon has 39%, down from 47%. The remaining 14% are split between Kobo, Apple and Sony. The figures are based on a consumer survey, since Amazon doesn’t release sales figures.

This is pretty big news, particularly considering the dominance of Amazon in the e-book market in most countries where they are operating. But then Amazon has lately been getting some bad press in Germany, most unjustified. Plus, the Tolino alliance is marketing its readers quite heavily and just recently introduced the first waterproof e-book reader. Plus, Tolino allows people who dislike shopping online to testdrive its e-readers in the very stores where they buy books.

However, the German e-reader news and review site Alles e-book took a closer look at the figures and noted that if you add the pre-alliance market shares of the various Tolino stores together, the growth of Tolino no longer looks quite so remarkable, since the overall Tolino market share matches that of the different Tolino partners. Plus, a new Tolino partner, Libri a.k.a. eBook.de joined the alliance recently and the Tolino market share growth of 7% almost exactly matches Libri‘s marketshare.

I remember being quite stunned when I first saw the market share of Thalia, Weltbild, Buecher.de and other Tolino alliance stores in the German online book market, since I’ve been buying my books at Amazon for more than ten years now, longer than most of those stores even had an online presence (though BOL was around back in the early 2000s). Everybody I know buys books at Amazon as well, so where did all of those Weltbild and Thalia shoppers come from?

However, I’m hardly the usual German book buyer – for starters, because I buy mostly English language books. And readers of English language books along with academics and university students were early adopters of Amazon, because Amazon was the best and often only place to get foreign language books and obscure academic books. So I basically lived in a bubble of early Amazon adopters who’ve been using Amazon for more than ten years and thus never considered switching to any of the German stores. I have an account at Thalia and sometimes buy books there, but I’m still mainly an Amazon shopper.

However, the average German book buyer who wants popular fiction and non-fiction and doesn’t care for foreign language books switched to online shopping much later than the early adopters (online shopping only really took off in Germany in the past five years or so) and once they did, they went to buy books where they had gone to buy them before, at the online stores of the same brick and mortar stores they had been patronising before. Plus, the German stores offer some payment option such as payment against invoice that Amazon doesn’t offer to my knowledge.

Nonetheless, indie authors should take note of Tolino‘s success, because this is a part of the market that you won’t reach via Amazon. And though Tolino is currently very focussed on German language books and the range of English language books on offer is often pitiful, not to mention overpriced due to distributors of trad pub books taking a hefty cut, expect this to change in the future.

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Posted in Bookselling, E-Readers | Tagged Amazon, Germany, Libri, stats, Thalia, tolino, Weltbild | 4 Comments

Familienkutsche featured at Kobo Next and other news

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Cora

Familienkutsche, the German version of my crime short Family Car, is a featured selection at Kobo Next, Kobo’s own promo site, this week, along with a whole lot of other good books such as When the Music’s Over by German SF writer Myra Çakan.

If you’re waiting for more German language books, I have a new one in publishing right now and hope to announce it in time for the anniversary tomorrow, e-book vendor gods willing.

In the meantime, I’ve got a profile on the new social network tsu (where you can get a sneak peak at the new German book), so drop by, if you’re there. What is tsu? Here is an explanation.

Finally, Heidi Garrett, Jessica Rydill and myself keep posting all sorts of interesting content at the Speculative Fiction Showcase, so check it out, if you haven’t already.

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Posted in Announcements, Books, Bookselling | Tagged crime fiction, German literature, Kobo, our books, social media, Speculative Fiction Showcase, tsu | Leave a comment

How to write short mysteries fast

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Cora

As some regulars here may know, I’m a big fan of the Eight Hour Writing Challenge instigated by Donald Rump of KBoards. It’s a great way to make yourself produce something publishable in a short period of time and increase your catalogue.

The stories I have written for past Eight Hour Challenges have included fantasy (Old Mommark’s Tale) and science fiction (The Iron Border), but my main challenge story genre so far has been mystery and crime fiction. I produced a whopping five mystery and crime stories for this challenge (six actually, since Seeing Red is a two-pack containing two short stories). I have also inadvertedly created a new series, the Helen Shepherd Mysteries.

Some of my earliest attempts at writing were crime fiction, largely because there was a thriving (well, sort of) market for short crime fiction in German magazines. For a while, every German women’s, TV listings, gossip or general interest mag included a short crime story. There sometimes was other fiction as well such as the “complete romance novel” (normally more of a novelette), True Confessions type stories and even serialised novels, but the crime short was ubiquitous. It’s also the only type of fiction you can still find in (some) German magazines, long after the romance novelettes and serialised novels have vanished into the aether.

However, writing in English for a market that mainly exists in German wasn’t the best of ideas. Besides, the German definition of crime fiction is wider than the rather narrow mystery genre in the US. Never mind that the US mystery genre has plenty of subgenres such as “cozy”, “police procedural”, etc… that don’t really exist in Germany at all.

I initially found it very hard to write crime stories that conformed to the expectations of the mystery genre, i.e. stories where the crime is a puzzle to be solved by an investigator. So I was quite pleased when I found myself writing a true mystery with The Cork and the Bottle, the first Helen Shepherd mystery. When I had another idea for a mystery for the next Eight Hour Challenge, I decided to reuse Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd, her assistant Police Constable Walker (I’m going to have to promote him to Detective Constable soon, since Police Constables don’t really do that sort of work) and the forensic medical examiner Dr. Rajiv. And so the Helen Shepherd Mysteries were born.

This month sees the release of two new Helen Shepherd Mysteries, Bank Job and Open Season. It also begets the question why I can write the Helen Shepherd Mysteries so quickly, while stories in other established series such as Shattered Empire or The Silencer normally take me much longer.

The answer lies in the nature of the stories. First of all, there is something of a formula to the Helen Shepherd Mysteries, established in the very first story. There is a crime, usually involving a dead body, that seems pretty cut and dried at first glance, such as a robbery leading to murder in The Cork and the Bottle, a drug overdose in Overdose, a bank robbery with hostage in Bank Job or a hunter shooting a serial rapist in the process of attacking his latest victim in Open Season. Helen Shepherd investigates, asks questions, notices some discrepancies and eventually finds out that what really happened is quite different from what it seems. The true killer(s) is/are arrested. The end.

It’s a simple formula and yet one that leads itself to telling a lot of different stories. It requires two main ingredients. A crime that seems pretty obvious and what really happened.

So where to take the crime from? Real life is one option. Another and one that often works better is other mysteries. Crime dramas on TV are one possible source of crimes, though most of them seem to aim at creating particularly unusual and bizarre crimes. The point of the Helen Shepherd Mysteries, however, is that the crimes look rather mundane at first glance. So I turned to another source.

Remember those crime shorts in the backpages of German magazines that I mentioned above? I still read them, whenever I get my hands on a mag that still has crime shorts (mostly via my Mom). They are ideal as inspiration, because due to their short length (one magazine page and therefore under 2000 words), those crime shorts need to keep their central crime fairly simple. Some of those crime shorts spark a “What if?” train of thought, which eventually gives me the rough plot for a short mystery.

For example, Open Season was inspired by a crime short where an intended rape/murder victim is saved by the appearance of a hunter ex machina, which initially caused me to roll my eyes. Yeah, like a hunter would just happen to be in the area when a rapist attacks his victim. But then I thought, what if it wasn’t a coincidence? What if the hunter had laid a trap for the rapist and used the hapless jogger as bait?

Once I have a story idea and a basic plot, I start writing. I don’t plot out every detail in advance, e.g. the Northern Ireland connection in Open Season only occurred to me later on, when I needed more connection between the characters than just living in the same neighbourhood and being members of the same club. Indeed, I sometimes have to go back to layer in extra clues such as the bandaged hand in Bank Job.

This is another point where the basic structure of the Helen Shepherd Mysteries works for me. For starters, there is only one POV character, Helen, which keeps complications down. The next advantage is that the stories are eighty to ninety percent dialogue. There are a few establishing paragraphs, where the setting and/or characters are described, but Helen largely solves her cases by talking to people. And since I find dialogue much easier to write than description, the fact that the stories are eighty to ninety percent dialogue makes them very quick to write. Especially, since I also know what the dialogue needs to do, namely reveal information that Helen can use to nab the criminal(s).

Another useful skill writing the Helen Shepherd Mysteries has taught me is how to introduce characters in fairly few words and still keep them distinctive. Except for Helen and her team (and we don’t know that much about them either), every single character in every Helen Shepherd story to date is a walk-on character whom we’ll never see again in a future story. So the one or two scenes per story they appear in is usually all the space I have to introduce said character and keep them from blending together with all the other characters. For example, Bank Job features three different female guest characters, Ellen O’Hare, Karen Carling and Madeline Whitby. Ellen and Karen get one scene each, Madeline gets two. And yet I think I’ve managed to make them different enough from each other that anyone who’s read the story wouldn’t get them mixed up with each other.

As the setting for the Helen Shepherd Mysteries I’ve chosen London, because it’s a city where I lived for half a year as a student and which I know very well, which makes it easier to visualise settings without doing a whole lot of research (which would massively slow down the process, particularly for an eight-hour-challenge story). Plus, Greater London is big enough that you can have pretty much every kind of setting within its boundaries. Of course, the London setting introduces some constraints, e.g. firearms will be uncommon because of the strict British gun laws and indeed in only one story to date the murder weapon is a gun. And because London was already plastered with CCTV cameras back when I lived there and things have only gotten worse since then, checking CCTV recordings for clues plays a big part in resolving every single mystery. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since it gives me the opportunity to hand Helen and friends a few extra clues, whenever needed. And if a CCTV camera would have revealed whodunnit too early, it’s easy to disable it for story purposes or simply make sure that there isn’t a camera around for once.

Besides, while London is always specified as the overall setting, the exact details of where a given crime or scene takes place remain fairly vague. The name of the bank in Bank Job is never specified (largely because I didn’t want to take on HSBC or Royal Bank of Scotland or Barclay‘s or whoever), neither is the exact location. All we learn is that it’s across the road from a major football stadium, but there are several of those in the Greater London area. What is more, any street- or estate name that appears in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries is entirely fictional. I can’t guarantee that such a street doesn’t exist somewhere in London – it is a huge city, after all. But the only places mentioned in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries that really exist are Ruislip Woods from Open Season (because it is one of the fairly few large nature preserves in the Greater London area and the only one where I could ascertain that hunting was allowed) and the Euston – Birmingham train line from Bank Job, which I mostly picked, because I used to live approx. 200 meters away from it and therefore had no problems visualising it. The derelict brick factory is fictional – however, there are many factories, both derelict and not, next to the railway line.

London is a very diverse city and I try to reflect that diversity in the cast of the stories. Of the main cast, Dr. Rajiv, the forensic medical examiner, is Pakistani, while his assistant Miss Wong, who briefly appears in Bank Job, is Hongkong Chinese. I also try to make my guest cast diverse, which I find fairly easy to do, because those characters only exist to play a specific role, so I can make them any race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation (if that plays a role) I want. So far, Open Season is the only story that features only white guest characters and two of them are not British.

One more thing I like to do is hide some geeky references and easter eggs in the stories. The first time, it was more of an accident, when I found out that the dodgy plastic surgery clinic in Overdose shares a name with the equally dodgy plastic surgery clinic in Logan’s Run, so I peppered Overdose with Logan’s Run references. In the later stories, the easter eggs are more deliberate. They also match the overall theme of the story in question, e.g. Bank Job has references to V for Vendetta, Guy Fawkes masks and the Occupy movement, whereas Open Season has references to hunting and wilderness related literature such as Tarzan and “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell as well as a character whose surname literally means “savage” in French. Come to think of it, even the “You can be young and beautiful forever, as long as you’re willing to die at thirty” world of Logan’s Run matches the theme of Overdose.

I’ve had a lot of fun writing the Helen Shepherd Mysteries and I will certainly write more in the future, whether in- or outside the eight-hour fiction challenge.

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Posted in Books | Tagged crime fiction, eight hour challenge, Helen Shepherd Mysteries, mystery, our books, series, writing advice | 2 Comments

Two new Helen Shepherd Mysteries available: Bank Job and Open Season

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Cora

Pegasus Pulp is pleased to announce two new stories in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series. What is more, there is also a discounted series bundle available exclusively at DriveThruFiction.

If you want to know a bit more about how the Helen Shepherd Mysteries were written, check out this post.

And now on to the stories:

Bank Job
At first glance, the robbery in a small bank branch doesn’t seem overly mysterious. After all, the CCTV footage clearly shows a masked robber threatening bank clerk Jim Carling with a gun before disabling the cameras.

However, the robber knew a bit too much about the inner workings of the bank, so Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd quickly suspects that the robber had inside help. But who of the five bank employees is the insider? And what happened to Jim Carling after the robber took him hostage?

For more information, visit the Bank Job page.
Buy it for the low price of 2.99 USD, EUR or GBP at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Spain, Amazon Italy, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australia, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Japan, Amazon India, Amazon Mexico, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes, Scribd, Smashwords, Inktera, txtr, Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel, Der Club, Libiro, Nook UK, DriveThruFiction, OmniLit/AllRomance e-books, Casa del Libro, Flipkart, e-Sentral, You Heart Books and XinXii.

Open Season
Absolutely no one is sorry when the infamous Ruislip Wood Ripper, a serial killer who has already raped and murdered three women, ends up dead in the forest, shot by a hunter while on the cusp of attacking his fourth victim.

But there are just a few coincidences too many in this case for the taste of Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd. Was it really just pure luck that hunter Reginald Hargreaves just happened to be in the right place at the right time? And why did no one warn French tourist Anne Marie Sauvage that there was a killer on the loose in Ruislip Woods?

For more information, visit the Open Season page.
Buy it for the low price of 0.99 USD, EUR or GBP at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Spain, Amazon Italy, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australia, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Japan, Amazon India, Amazon Mexico, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes, Scribd, Smashwords, Inktera, txtr, Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel, Der Club, Libiro, Nook UK, DriveThruFiction, OmniLit/AllRomance e-books, Casa del Libro, Flipkart, e-Sentral, You Heart Books and XinXii.

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Posted in Announcements, Books | Tagged crime fiction, Helen Shepherd Mysteries, mystery, our books, shameless self-promo | Leave a comment

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for October 2014

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Cora

It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”, this time with a special Halloween edition or rather one that just happens to be published at Halloween.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some September books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Once again, we have a broad spectrum of titles, featuring science fiction, space opera, horror, dystopian fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, steampunk, cyberpunk, biopunk, epic fantasy, urban fantasy, historical fantasy, Asian fantasy, YA fantasy, weird western, space western, paranormal romance, gothic romance, demons, werewolves, superheroes, psychic powers, GLBT characters, fairy tale retellings and much more.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Pack of Lies by Annie Bellet

Let sleeping dogs lie. Wolves, on the other hand…

Recovering from a broken heart and coming to terms with her family history, all sorceress Jade Crow wants is to resume running her comic book store and gaming with her friends. With a town full of strange wolf shifters, a hundred-and-fifty-year-old peace accord hanging in the balance, and the Justice who broke her heart back in her life, Jade’s plans go out the proverbial window.

Wolves are killing wolves, innocent human lives are caught in the crossfire, and not everyone in town is who they appear to be. As the bodies stack up and the doubts build, Jade and her friends race to find the true killer.

And then Jade’s evil ex-lover makes another move…

Pack of Lies is the third book in The Twenty-Sided Sorceress urban fantasy series, following Justice Calling and Murder of Crows.

Wave Links by Randall Boleyn

They feared how the truth might alter Llad Fleck. No one told him about his talented ancestors, their extraordinary heritage, or how they died. He never learned that a powerful research institute in London considered him a lethal threat. Other than the need to move on to the safety of a different city every few months, the only thing Llad knew for sure was that the men he played ball against said he had “mad skills not suitable for a fifteen-year-old.”

When Llad meets an eccentric parapsychologist, Dr. Jemma Rask, she explains that she has waited decades just to teach him how to expand his mind and utilize the unique traits which she believes he has inherited. Even though Dr. Rask and her stories come across as way too weird for Llad, he begins studying her techniques. He quickly realizes that just because the link might be there, it doesn’t mean he actually has the talent or the patience to develop his abilities.

After multiple killings shatter Llad’s life, he still doesn’t know who is behind the brutal murders or why he’s involved. But he knows now that he’s fighting for his life against a fanatical enemy. He must discover more about his family tree and learn how to control his psychic gifts?if he has any. Alone with his grief, Llad searches for clues about his cryptic lineage while being haunted by reoccurring dreams of a mysterious girl trying to help him master the bizarre talents he will need to survive.

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World by S. Elliot Brandis

Meet the android with no name. Seventy years ago, he was freed: his permission chip was removed and a gun placed in his hand. He was sent to fight for his country.

It was the war that ended the world.

Now, America is a wasteland. Wild towns have emerged across the frontier, lawless places filled with drunks and opportunists. The android rides from town to town, collecting warrants and seeking justice. Life is violent and meaningless—full of blood, whiskey, and dust.

When he meets Sierra—a fiery southerner with a chip on her shoulder—they embark on an unlikely journey, a dangerous search for vengeance.

Heart of Fire by J. Damask

Jan Xu, wolf and pack leader, faces more dangers when she saves a foreign male wolf in love with one of her ancient enemies, a jiang shi, a Chinese vampire. Throw in a love-struck drake—and Jan finds her situation suddenly precarious, with her reputation and health at stake. How much is a wolf going to take when everything is out of control again and her world thrown into disarray? How is she going to navigate the complexities of Myriad politics while keeping her pack and family intact without losing her mind? The third book of the Jan Xu Adventures will see Jan Xu’s continual fight as pack leader, her clan’s Eye (seer) and mother of three young children. Her mettle, courage and love for her family will be tested to her utmost limits.

This is the sequel to Wolf at the Door.

Blades of Illusion by Terah Edun

Sara Fairchild, duelist and combatant, is out for vengeance. Her father was betrayed. Her mother is dead. All she has left is her desire for revenge and a quest for answers.

Now a member of the Mercenary Guilds’ elite guard, she fights on the front lines of her empire’s first civil war. But Sara’s priority isn’t winning the war for the crown or empire. It’s finding out the true circumstances of her family’s downfall while keeping one mild-mannered curator alive.

As emotionally detached as she is from everyone around her, Sara can’t seem to shake the stubborn affection of her one friend. When she stumbles upon the secrets of not one but two Kade mages, she soon finds out that neither of their lives is worth anything to either side.

As she fights to outmaneuver a group of fiendish imperial assassins and win a war that grows more complicated by the day, Sara Fairchild knows that no matter what, the empire will never be the same.

This is book 2 of the Crown Services series, following Blades of Magic

Wizard of Ends by Vanessa Finaughty

When Lashlor Leaflin offers to escort Queen Narraki Dragonsbane to the Jeltar Woods, he’s unwittingly caught up in a magical adventure of the type he would rather not have.

The sorceress Assassa believes the Land of Ends to be rightfully hers, but King Lanaran refuses to hand over his crown. In retaliation, the sorceress conjures creatures of darkness to hunt the queen and end her life. Lashlor helps where he can, but it isn’t easy when the Guards of Ends who protect the queen believe him to be false.

A confrontation with Assassa will be the death of him, Lashlor is certain. However, the king insists on his help and it soon becomes apparent that he may have no choice.

King Ruin by Michael John Gist

“The twists & drama of this roller coaster ride are wild from the start.” – Bethany.

The Arctic ice is gone, blasted apart in decades-long resource wars, and global tsunamis have scoured the world into ruin. Survivors hide in utopian cities behind vast flood-walls, or on lawless floating slums on the open ocean, living in fear of the next big wave.

Ex-Arctic marine Ritry Goligh isn’t afraid. His enemy Mr. Ruins is dead, crushed by a tsunami at the edge of the slums, and Ritry’s long nightmare is finally over. Then comes an explosion that makes no sound, but blows all his thoughts to shreds. In an instant Ritry is prey again, hunted by a power so vast he can’t even comprehend it.

This is King Ruin, and before him all Rit can do is run, so far and so fast he starts to forget who and what he is. Soon half of his mind is gone, the King is closing in, and the souls of billions are at stake. Because King Ruin wants the Bridge, a direct path into the minds of every living thing, and only the lost and broken Ritry Goligh can stand in his way.

This is book 2 in the Ruins Sonata series, following Mr. Ruins.

After the Winter by Mark R. Healy

The Earth is in ruins. Cities and nations destroyed. Those who survive the onslaught succumb to the cold blackness of winter. A handful of machines finally emerge into the light, lost and directionless. They are the last remnants of civilisation.

Brant is a synthetic – a machine who has the appearance and emotions of the humans who made him. He is hunted across the wasteland by cruel scavengers known as Marauders who are intent on cannibalising his body to prolong their own lives.

Brant carries a great burden as he tries to return home: a secret that can change the world. Against the unforgiving desert, the twisted denizens of this new world and his own dark past he needs to find a way back at any cost.

Consumption by Michael Patrick Hicks

You Are

Reclusive chef Heinrich Schauer has invited six guests to a blind twelve-course tasting menu.

What You Eat

While snow blankets the isolated Swiss valley surrounding his estate, the guests feast eagerly, challenging one another to guess at the secret tastes plated before them.

Meat Is Murder

As they eat, each guest is overtaken by carnal appetites, unaware of their host’s savage plans…or of the creature lurking below.

One thing is clear: There is more on the menu than any of them have bargained for.

Consumption is a 12,000 word (approx.) short story. It contains graphic depictions of sex and violence, and is intended for mature audiences.

Sol Shall Rise by G.P. Hudson

The Sol System was conquered and humans lived as slaves for 500 long years.

Now, after years of brutal warfare, humanity has been liberated. Liberation, however, comes at a cost. And the Sol System has become nothing more than a puppet state for a vast galactic empire.

For Jon Pike, a war hero who has lost everything, there is no substitute for freedom. And he blames the aliens for humanity’s troubles, especially the one living inside him.

But when he is sent on a top secret mission into unexplored regions of the galaxy he discovers that humanity’s troubles are just getting started.

Can he find freedom for himself and humanity?

Diabolical Taste by Ros Jackson

Kenssie just wants her fellow demons to respect her. A little hero worship now and then wouldn’t go amiss either. But as the lowly thrall of Rak, an embarrassment demon, she’ll take whatever crumbs she’s offered.

When the demon council turns against her master, Rak and Kenssie are forced to relocate to the countryside. It seems Rak has been holding out against his thrall and keeping a secret that will shake her trust in him forever.

When someone from Rak’s past returns to claim him, Kenssie has to fight for much more than his attention. The lives of innocents and not-so-innocents are on the line. How much of herself is she willing to sacrifice for someone else’s happiness?

The Registry’s Secret by Jana Janeaway

“I feel lost in the middle of a weird dream I can’t wake up from. Where everything is upside down, and all the rules have changed.”

Jessica Mitchell didn’t know just how true that statement would turn out to be.

Living the carefully constructed life that the Registry dictated, under their firm thumb and watchful eye, was starting to feel more and more like a prison sentence. The stifling existence had only one redeeming factor, amid the endless restrictions and constant scrutiny; Craddock Daniels, Jessica’s husband for all intents and purposes.

Even as discontentment spurs despair, they continue to find solace in each other, clinging to the hope that their imagined future together might still be possible.

But they soon learn that not everything is as it seems. It is much, much worse.

On the run again, joined by old and new friends, Jessica and Craddock try to reclaim their lives… by taking on the Mengliad community’s most powerful agency.

THE REGISTRY’S SECRETS is book two of THE MENGLIAD SERIES, following The Mengliad.

The Idiot King by Patty Jansen

Johanna, Roald, Nellie and Loesie have come to Florisheim finding many of their kinsmen there. The survivors from the burning of Saardam who have come here are the nobles who were never great supporters the old king, and it is likely that they won’t support his son either, even if he was normal. They support his marriage to Johanna even less and Johanna’s position as the new king’s wife would be improved immensely if she produced an heir, but so far that’s not happening.

Florisheim is alive with evil magic, and that magic is starting to affect the Saarlanders who are unused to it. They suffer apparitions of ghosts, people driven to injure themselves, or taken prisoner to work in a mysterious hole in the ground. Johanna knows that they have to get out of that evil place, but where can they go when the violence covers the entire known world?

This is part 3 of the series For Queen and Country, following Innocence Lost and Willow Witch.

Mission: Lights of Langrenus by V.A. Jeffrey

Something is rotten in Langrenus.

Or technically, north of the city.

Bob has settled down into work and family life but beneath the surface things have changed. He’s a secret agent now, building a budding network of people searching for the alien shadow groups on Earth and working to stop the coming alien invasion from beyond the solar system. But for now, all of that is far away.

The Boss, the mysterious head of Vartan, Inc. sends Bob to the moon city of Langrenus to investigate the Transient Lunar Phenomenon, which has changed pattern and intensity over recent years. No one knows why. At first, Bob suspects he’s been sent on a fluff mission. But the more he investigates, the more questions are raised in his mind as to what is really going on. The heart of the problem lies within the lunar mining communities and the increased frequency of the beautiful lunar lights are the result of something far more sinister than Bob ever imagined.

This is the sequel to Mission: Flight to Mars.

Hellcat’s Bounty by Renae Jones

Lesbian romance meets adventure in the first Rosewood Space Western.

The hellcat of Rosewood station is the best of the best. Anelace Rios is a good old-fashioned troublemaker, fiercely independent, and best of all, a steady hand with a flamethrower. Carnivorous amoeba are slowly taking over the half-abandoned mining port, and the freelance exterminator rakes in big bounties killing them off—then she spends those bounties in a grand way. Work hard, play hard.

Meidani Sintlere’s reputation is exactly the opposite of her wild friend. She’s the station’s hardworking black market doctor. She’s shy. She’s nice. She’s got a weakness for imported chocolate and pastel dresses. And she gets mad as a sani-vacced cat when Anelace shows up missing chunks of skin.

The hellcat never lacks for a willing partner. Even so, Meidani’s got notions to cut to the front of the line and stay there. She upends everything Anelace knows about good girls and the bad girls who don’t deserve them, and in a blisteringly hot night they go from friends to lovers.

But their new closeness forces the kind of reckoning even tough Anelace can’t escape unscathed. She thrives on her job, relishes the payoff, but now she’s endangering more than her own adrenaline-junkie hide—every run risks Meidani’s happiness. For the first time, Anelace is risking her shot at love.

Praying for the Surgeon by Frank D. Lawrence

“Praying For The Surgeon” is a fast-paced novel with lots of twists and turns that keep smashing its reader’s head against the wall… It is full of action, drama, and suspense – all set in a future where genetic engineering and total data control is running rampant. It combines cyberpunk, 80s retro style and the modern genre of biopunk into a thrilling ride of a book!

Witness what happens when Philip K. Dick meets Mickey Spillane… Deckard and Mike Hammer are about to have a little baby – and it is nasty!

Orientation and Contamination by Al K. Line

Nobody noticed as it swept around the globe – until billions began to die. Then it got a name: The Lethargy. Everyone just gave up, all interest in life relentlessly gnawed away. 15 generations later humanity is on the brink of extinction.

The only safe refuge is the fabled Commorancy, where Marcus Wolfe, tyrant, oligarch and absolute ruler offers those lucky enough to pass Orientation one of the seven Rooms, where life extension, knowledge of The Noise and more is there for the taking. But running such a home is not without its consequences – Marcus is institutionalized and has to fight daily with a madness that threatens his very reality.

As The Commorancy comes under attack young Letje finds herself out of her depth amongst a group of strangers with a millennium of experience between them. Haughty goats, an almost mythical man obsessed with changing his clothes at every available opportunity, and doors that go whoosh don’t help her situation as the very future of mankind hangs in the balance.

Now Marcus has to protect not only The Commorancy and his guests, but try to hold on to his sanity as well.

Moons of Solisticia by K.A. Madison

Ten years ago, humans created machines so powerful that they became aware of the world around them. The bots improved themselves until their intelligence far surpassed all of humanity’s. They used this intellect to take over everything. Their awakening ushered in a time of darkness for all mankind.

Now, Aiden is determined to find a way to help the resistance infiltrate the bots’ network. Working with his soul mate, Kyra, he must find a way to harness the unimaginable power of the Nether for his fight against the machines.

The fate of two worlds hangs on their shoulders. They must not only face an unbeatable foe on Earth, but race to find a traitor on Solisticia that will stop at nothing to do the unthinkable.

This is book 2 in the Nether Chronicles, following The Awakening.

Chase the Dark by Annette Marie

Piper Griffiths wants one thing in life: To become a Consul, a keeper of the peace between humans and daemons. There are precisely three obstacles in her way.

The first is Lyre. Incubus. Hotter than hell and with a wicked streak to match. His greatest mission in life is to get Piper into bed and otherwise annoy the crap out of her. The second is Ash. Draconian. Powerful. Dangerous. He knows too much and reveals nothing. Also, disturbingly attractive — and scary. Did she mention scary?

The third is the Sahar Stone. Top secret magical weapon of mass destruction. Previously hidden in her Consulate until thieves broke in, went on a murder spree, and disappeared with the weapon.

And they left Piper to take the fall for their crimes.

Now she’s on the run, her dreams of becoming a Consul shattered and every daemon in the city gunning to kill her. She’s dead on her own, but there’s no one she can trust — no one except two entirely untrustworthy daemons . . . See problems one and two.

CHASE THE DARK is the first book in the Steel & Stone series. BIND THE SOUL, Steel & Stone Book 2, is now available for pre-order.

The Final Solution: A Half Way Home Story by R.M. Marshall

They started with five hundred, but their numbers are decreasing every day. Exponentially.

Science Officer Brent and Medical Officer Kelley are tasked with discovering who – or what – is picking off colonists from their expeditionary settlement on the seeming Eden of this alien planet.

But science and logic are no match for their rapacious nemesis, as they race to find a solution before their colony becomes unviable and the unthinkable becomes reality.

“The Final Solution” was a finalist in the Hugh Howey / Booktrack fanfic short story competition, and is set in a new colony in the “Half Way Home” universe, with Hugh’s kind permission.

Mirrorfell by Grace McDermott

Magnolia Hammond encounters Solstice, Blue Earth, and even a god whilst the mirror is falling – and a poison that slows Agent Taylor enough to take him out of the field, and away from combat.

This is a short companion story to Mirrorfall.

Island of Glass by Ruth Nestvold

Seventeen-year-old Chiara Dragoni is a master glassmaker of Venice, a position that is both a privilege — and a trap. For the glassmakers of Murano are forbidden to ever leave the islands of the Venetian lagoon.

When Chiara’s uncle is caught on the mainland and thrown into the dungeon of the Doge’s Palace, she must use all her talents, including magic, to help free him. But the gift she creates for the prince of Venice has unintended consequences, and now Chiara must decide whether to give up everything — and everyone — she knows and loves in order to save her dream.

Set in an alternate historical Venice with alchemists, witches and magic, the story uses familiar motifs from the beloved fairy tale “Cinderella” to tell a tale with a very different message.

A Call to Arms by Shiriluna Nott and SaJa H.

War is brewing on the eastern border of Arden. The shaky truce between Arden and the neighboring realm of Shiraz has all but dissolved, and both sides are building their forces for battle. But in the quiet farming community of Willowdale, the rumors of war are the least of young Gibben Nemesio’s concerns. With both parents dead and two younger brothers to care for, Gib doesn’t have time to focus on anything besides keeping food on the table. Everything changes the day he receives a conscription notice and must report to Arden’s capital.

In Silver City, Gib is forced to leave his life as a farmer behind when he enters the legendary Academy of Arden as a sentinel trainee. If called to war, he will have no choice but to go, for the Sentinels of Arden are the realm’s first line of defense against the evils beyond the border.

A newcomer to this breathtaking city of stone, Gibben finds himself thrown into a world of cutthroat politics and scandals that run deeper than he ever imagined. Caught between the responsibilities to his family and to his country, Gib struggles to find balance. When he unwittingly overhears a sinister plot–that if seen to fruition will bear dire consequences for all of Arden–the young sentinel trainee must find a way to warn those in power before it is too late.

Talking with the Dead by K.L. Phelps

Having recently come to terms with her psychic gift of communicating with the comatose, all Kat Parker wanted was a bit of relaxation and to replace her broken cell phone. But her uncle’s death reveals a new and potentially dangerous wrinkle to her abilities — she can see and talk with the dead.

Phoneless, fed up, and worried for her sanity, Kat is still determined to help her uncle. Discovering he had more than a few secrets, she embarks on a treasure hunt for the one object she believes will help him rest in peace. Standing in her way is the CIA, a Mexican drug cartel kill squad, a group of mask-wearing gang members, and a wild alligator determined to eat her pet turtle.

As things spiral out of control, the absurdity of it all has Kat wondering if she hasn’t already gone insane, if she’ll be forever saddled with babysitting her uncle’s spirit, and if she should even bother to replace her phone.

This is book 2 of the Kat Parker series, following Mind If I Come In.

Sympathetic Magic by Christine Pope

Some guys have all the luck….

Warlock “Lucky” Lucas Wilcox has a gift that ensures his success in all things, but his magic fails him completely when it comes to sexy Margot Emory, the vibrant “elder” of the McAllister witch clan.

Margot’s own magical gifts weren’t enough to protect her from a terrible romantic betrayal, and she’s wary of repeating past mistakes—especially with a Wilcox—even if it means she’s destined to live her life alone.

When Lucas sets his sights on the one woman he wants but can’t have, it may take a bit of sympathetic magic for the couple to have the happy ending they deserve.

This is book 4 in the Witches of Cleopatra Hill series, following Darkangel, Darknight and Darkmoon.

First Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

With the war begun, Aniri, Third Daughter of the Queen, has to battle not only a prince with a deadly skyship, but her own sister, the First Daughter, who finally sees her chance to become Queen. With their mother gravely ill and the Second Daughter kidnapped along with Aniri’s husband-to-be, Aniri embarks on a desperate mission to save the people she loves from a war that will tear all three countries apart.

First Daughter is the third book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy following Third Daughter and Second Daughter. This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.

The Body Electric by Beth Revis

The future world is at peace.

Ella Shepherd has dedicated her life to using her unique gift–the ability to enter people’s dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother–to help others relive their happy memories.

But not all is at it seems.

Ella starts seeing impossible things–images of her dead father, warnings of who she cannot trust. Her government recruits her to spy on a rebel group, using her ability to experience–and influence–the memories of traitors. But the leader of the rebels claims they used to be in love–even though Ella’s never met him before in her life. Which can only mean one thing…

Someone’s altered her memory.

Ella’s gift is enough to overthrow a corrupt government or crush a growing rebel group. She is the key to stopping a war she didn’t even know was happening. But if someone else has been inside Ella’s head, she cannot trust her own memories, thoughts, or feelings.

So who can she trust?

Dirt Magic by Hollis Shiloh

Trey has dirt magic. It’s messy and not very fun. But some miners in his old hometown are trapped underground, and he feels duty-bound to see if he can help. He doesn’t expect to meet a nerdy, weird gay romance writer who just might have a talent or two of his own. But Leo has a way of growing on Trey—and together, they might just have what the situation requires. Not to mention each other…

A quirky gay paranormal romance
Length: 18,000 words
Heat level: low

Naked Moon by Brian Spangler

An unexpected storm.
A sudden distraction.
For one traveler, the sight of a naked moon might just mean the difference between life and death.

Excerpt
I DIED THIS morning on a winding road in the Ohio Amish Country. Rainy daylight spilled around me while heaping clouds piled high into the sky. In the distant west, the sky bore a giant bruise, sending a curtain of stormy green and black over my head. When the winds became sudden, a howling gale blew leaves and twigs across the road like a child throwing a tantrum. That is when I should have slowed down. That is when I should have eased into the turns and the sharp curves. But I never let up on the gas and marched forward without giving it a second thought.

The weather fronts played together in thundery efficacy while sunlight peered in through a closing blue window, hinting that the storm might soon pass. A torrent of rain and hail came then, pelting the road and ticking off of my windshield and roof. The hollow sound bounced in my car and rang in my ears like an old mechanical phone…

Mists of Seacliffe by Rosselyn Sparks

Amanda Shorr, 32, lands a job as the private teacher to the children of action movie star Jace Jencks. When she arrives at his coastal California estate, it seems the ideal job: sunny California with a view of the ocean, on-site swimming pool and gym, and a talented private chef.

But the sun is often hidden behind the mists, the star’s son has emotional problems, and Amanda begins to have bad dreams–about a young woman, her French lover, and her cruel industrialist husband. As her dreams grow stranger and begin to invade her waking hours, her lifelong skepticism about ghosts crumbles.

Then comes a series of accidents, ones that she suspects are not accidental at all. Is someone is out to scare her? Is it the star himself, his son, the gray-haired housekeeper, the chef, the handsome estate manager, or the bodyguard? Is she being haunted? Or is it just possible that Amanda is losing her mind?

Gifted by H.S. Stone

In a kingdom where the Gifteds are captured and thrown into fights to the death, Voima is fortunate that she is just a Regular. However, her brother, Vendd, isn’t so lucky. Since his Power started manifesting itself, the siblings have lived a life on the run, barely escaping the king’s soldiers.

Just as Voima and Vendd have settled into a new home, a fleeing Gifted enters their lives, begging for help but bringing soldiers after him. Despite the siblings’ efforts, the soldiers discover Vendd’s Power. Now Voima, an outmatched Regular girl, must find a way to defeat the kingdom’s most dangerous Gifteds in order to save her brother from certain death.

Frost by J.E. Thummel

Ember Frost kills demons. It’s what she knows, and she’s damned good at it. Lately, though, the job isn’t doing it for her like it used to, and after a quick fling begins to look more serious, she’s flirting with the idea of finally getting a life outside of work. Unfortunately, there are a couple of catches.

First: a slight misunderstanding at work just might have landed her on top of her employer’s hit list

and…

Second: a Black Hood named Lazarus. He’s made a pact with a powerful demon and is looking to tear down the Rule of God. But first he’s coming after Ember, and he’s willing to destroy everything she cares about to get to her.

Trying to survive life, work, and keep the faith can be a real bitch. But then again, so can Ember.

Kill Me, Red by Kelsey Warren-Bryant

Red Riding Hood: A Tale of Horror

Red is determined to find her best friend who was dragged into the woods by a giant wolf. She doesn’t know the source of the mysterious growling outside her window every night. She doesn’t know why all evidence of the wolf seems to vanish into thin air.

She doesn’t know if she’s being hunted.

The Very Last Days of Mr Grey by Jack Worr

When Mason signs up for an experimental drug to treat his insomnia, he hopes he’ll finally be able to fall asleep when he goes to bed that night.

Instead, he falls into another dimension.

Now he must battle super-powered government agents and risk his sanity to unravel the mystery of why they are after him. His only guidance comes from a fair-weather ghost who speaks in riddles and appears only at peak inconvenience, and a mysterious woman who seems intent on killing him.

The Very Last Days of Mr Grey is a fast-paced science fiction thriller about reality, the mysteries of our world, and why some things are better left unknown.

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Posted in Books, Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month | Tagged Asian fantasy, biopunk, Cyberpunk, dystopia, fairytales, GLBT, gothic romance, historical fantasy, horror, other people's books, paranormal romance, post-apocalyptic SF, science fiction, space opera, superheroes, urban fantasy, weird western, werewolves, YA fantasy | Leave a comment

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