Fantasy Takes The Stage With This Weeks Featured Authors

                                          

                                                                Victoria A Jeffery

                                                    The Winter Wolves (Secret Doorway Tale)

 

 

 

Description:

Winter has come early, an unusually fierce winter that has nearly paralyzed the city, courtesy of the Winter Fairy Queen. Her reach has had consequences far and wide, especially in Other Land where winter's rage has been the cruelest.

Anne goes back to Other Land armed with armor made by the gnomes, her hammer and ring and a new weapon against the Queen, but will it work? The dreaded unlocked doorway appears right in her own bedroom and trouble immediately finds her when she embarks on her latest mission! The Queen soon sends word to capture Anne and bring her to the castle on the Ice Sea, where the Summer Queen is being held captive. Constant skirmishes and battles assault and weaken the free folk, making way for Queen Faye's great army from the north to strike the final blow on all those who oppose her rule. Anne and her friends must battle winter fairies and trolls and make their way to the safety of the Whitestone Lodge where Great Grandfather Whitestone, the other gnome Grandfathers and an army of gnome family clans have gathered. The gnome Grandfathers have a plan to defeat the Winter Queen, which involves placing Anne right into her clutches!

Will Anne's new weapon and the Grandfathers' plan work? Can they stop Queen Faye before she destroys Queen Titian and births her unending winter?

Bio Provided by the author.

Victoria A. Jeffrey grew up in Portland, Oregon, attended Portland Community College and studied graphic design. She is an author and an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy. She also enjoys reading historical fiction and non-fiction. She has written three collections of poetry and some short stories. She is currently working on the Secret Doorway Tales middle grade fantasy series and will begin working on an adult oriented science fantasy trilogy this summer. 

                                                             Gwen Perkins

                                                           The Universal Mirror

Description:

"Not blood nor bone shall magic touch."

On the island of Cercia, God is dead, killed by his followers and replaced with the study of magic. But the people are suspicious of magicians, believing them the cause of ill fortune. If the magicians aren't kept in check, they might wrestle God from his grave and take the universe for their own keeping. So the universities train magicians in the use of magic, as well as in the restrictions — or Heresies — that bind it. Magicians must not leave their homeland; they must not cast spells on the living—whether to harm or to heal.

Quentin, a young nobleman, and his friend Asahel are both magicians. But they come from very different backgrounds. Quentin belongs to an old bloodline, though his grandfather has whittled away the last of his family's fortune. Asahel, on the other hand, always smells of the sea, his face smudged with dirt. He was decidedly out-of-place at the universities that trained magicians, since most of them came from the upper classes. Everyone but Quentin had tormented Asahel; their curiosity was what bound them together. They both longed to explore magic, rather than cage it.

Now, Quentin longs to heal the woman that he loves, Catharine. Catharine was pitted and scarred from the Plagues which came to Cercia just before she reached womanhood. She wants no part of Quentin because of her self-hatred, disliking it if he so much as looks at her. The husband and wife rarely talk, and what little time they spend together is fraught with tension. But Quentin adores Catharine. If he is to save her from herself, he must be able to use his magic to heal.

Learning to heal will take an act of desperation, an unthinkable rebellion — practicing on the bodies of the dead. It is madness — but Quentin convinces Asahel to go along with his plan. Under cover of darkness, they dig up a grave to work a magic that affects life itself. Afterward, Quentin feels a terrible guilt for involving Asahel, who had defied authority by his friend's side. Both of them are unaware that the search for this lost magic will bring them both to the edge of reason, threatening their very souls. How far are they willing to go for the sake of knowledge? What will they destroy to obtain it?

Bio Provided by the author.

Surrounded by tree and mist, Gwen Perkins has always regarded the deep rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula the one place that she feels most at home. Gwen grew up in small towns across the Pacific Northwest, going to slug races and strawberry festivals when she wasn't scribbling on any scrap of paper she could come by. She boasts the dubious distinction of going to a public school with only eight students, learning Irish sea chanteys from a man who sang with the Clancy Brothers, and catching tadpoles during classes.

Her adult life is generally just about as much fun.

She lives in the City of Destiny (better known as Tacoma, Washington) with her partner, Laura, and their three children, Amaranth, Nynaeve, and Oisin. When she's not writing, she spends her days combing archives and chasing children…all in the name of history! Her hobbies include baking pies (sometimes referred to as others as attempted arson) and lampworking, or creating glass beads. These two things are not related. In between all of this, Gwen has written two novels in the Artifacts of Empire series: The Universal Mirror and The Jealousy Glass. The latter will be released in November 2012.

                                                                    Rachel Hunter

                                                          A Llathalan Annal: Empyreal Fate

 

 

Description: 

Filled to the brim with forbidden love, an ancient evil, and a nation in disrepair, Empyreal Fate is a tale of riveting bravery and mortal corruption.

The land of Llathala lingers on the brink of war between men and elves, a dark history surrounding each race. Stirred by tensions of the land, a shadow of the past reemerges, taking precedence in reality and consuming the very soul of mans’ mortal weakness. Darrion, the son of a poor laborer, is ensnared in a hostile world, forced to choose between loyalty to his king or the counsel of the elves. Yet Fate has other plans in store, tying his course to Amarya, an elven royalblood of mysterious quality and unsurpassable beauty. But this forbidden connection incites betrayal from members of their own kin, marking them as traitors to the crown. In a land torn asunder, only Fate’s decree can allow such love to coexist with an ancient enmity.

Behold: A Llathalan Annal: Empyreal Fate – Part One.

Bio Provided by the author.

Rachel Hunter has always been fascinated with words and the intricate way in which they combine. Since a child, she has been an avid writer, winding vibrant tales and elaborate stanzas on folded bits of paper.

As the years passed, her love of words never died; her adoration for reading fared no equal. Always with her nose in a book, Rachel took fondly to works spanning all genres. Yet it was the compelling grasp of fantasy and science fiction that wrenched her fascination above all.

In March of 2012, Rachel published her first short story with Trestle Press, titled, "Perfect Nothing", which recounted her harrowing relationship with an eating disorder and was also fueled by her passion for psychology. But her writing does not end there. While currently pursuing a degree in psychology and in the medical field at the University of Oklahoma, she aspires also to illuminate the creative spark of eager readers. In her desire to incite intrigue, she is simultaneously exploring new worlds and creating vast empires of her own. "Empyreal Fate" is only the first in her Llathalan Annal series. Indeed, it is only the beginning.

Like Rachel on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Hunter/170131499766376

Follow Her On Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/young_author

                                                                             Peter Giglio

                                                                                           Anon

Description:

Rory Ellison, victim of his own misdeeds, wallows in misery. Then a door opens. Now he's got a new job, a dream assignment to rewrite the darkest mistake of his past, and a strange new companion in his head. Wielding powers beyond his comprehension and control, Rory returns to …

… Faith. She possesses the perfect husband, kids, and home. But when Rory falls back into her world, old wounds open wide, shattering her ideal life.

At the center of the mayhem stands Anon, a seemingly benevolent organization with a sinister past of its own. "Helping you realize your dreams sooner," the company promises. But what do they stand to gain? How far will they go to get what they want? And if they make dreams a reality, what about nightmares?

Only Michelle, a young girl with a strange gift, can defeat the evil threatening her family. But she must face fear, work with the ghosts of her enemy's past, navigate a maze of terror, and make the tough choice to grow up too soon in a world filled with evil and indifference.

Hold on tight! Anon—a tale of corporate and familial terror—is unlike anything you've ever read. 

Reviews:

All I can say is "Thank you!" Once I started, it really hurt to stop reading, for any reason. If you like gripping, non-stop GO in your reading material, then Anon is the book for you.
With twists of the paranormal, supernatural, religion, and a new breed of corporate corruption: Anon delivers much more than most. This is not a book that will be archived on my Kindle, Anon has a permanent place on my digital bookshelves.
I'm afraid if I started in on everything I loved about this book, that I would give too much away. I want to know what Faith and Michelle do next! And will we, the hanging readers with baited breath, ever get to know?
If there was a 6 star rating, I would definitely give it for Anon.
~Jessica A. Weiss, fiction author and owner of Wicked East Press

I found this novel to be an engaging read, heartbreaking at times, and filled with emotion and suspense. It is a captivating read and original, and I look forward to future works which build upon these characters' lives. I have read Peter's short stories before and always wanted "more." My wish has been fulfilled in "Anon."  -- Eric Guignard

Bio Provided by the author.

Peter Giglio lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he spends all of his time writing and editing. His novels include Anon, The Dark (with Scott Bradley), and Beyond Anon, the forthcoming sequel to Anon. His short fiction can be found in various professional publications, and he is the author of two acclaimed novels, Balance and A Spark in the Darkness. Also a screenwriter, Peter and longtime friend Scott Bradley have successfully adapted, under option, Joe R. Lansdale's "The Night They Missed the Horror Show." They are currently looking for a production deal for the work, endorsed and praised by Mr. Lansdale. 

Don't forget to like Peter on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/petegiglio

And follow Him on Twitter:  @PeterGiglio1

---

 

From the Wilds of Alaska, to the River Nile, To catching a Murderous Jewel thief, Travel the World, With this Weeks Featured Authors

                                                      Kieth Rogan

                                                             A Kodiak Bear Mauling

 

 

Description: 

In 1998 the author survived a horrific mauling by a Kodiak brown bear. This is the story of that event along with additional tales and personal observations about these coastal giants. The book includes a number of graphic photographs taken within minutes of the actual event, along with the authors personal photos of bears and other Alaskan wildlife.

From the book:

Meeting the eyes of a grizzly is an interesting experience because those eyes hold real intelligence and power. The eyes of other common Alaskan animals (such as moose or caribou) reveal little beyond fear or vague curiosity. A ruminant's brain has very little room for much beyond eating, fleeing and mating. Your attention is drawn to other things on such an animal; the antlers perhaps...

A bear is a different proposition altogether. The wide brown eyes of this predator are expressive and calculating and meeting them is to know that you are looking into the mind of a thinking animal. I can't stress that difference enough, though it's difficult to articulate this to people who haven't had the experience. When meeting a grizzly at close range you generally find yourself waiting for the animal to make a decision - to leave, hopefully. Your eyes will lock with those of the bear and there will be some sort of visceral communication taking place. You can watch the play of emotion and calculation cross the animals face while he evaluates you and tries to decide what your presence means and what he should do about it.

...

...Perhaps the yelling attracted her to my face because she now grabbed my skull, her upper canines sinking into my right eye socket and cheek respectively, while her lower jaw enveloped the back of my head. The sensation was incredible, as if my head was in a powerful vise. My vision began to narrow and darken while a roaring sound grew deep inside my head. It was like being under water too long, holding your breath and fighting to get back to the surface, everything beginning to get dark. I remember thinking; "This is it, this is how it all ends..." Yet, as this went on I was also pulling and turning my head away with as much force as I could muster until suddenly it (my head) popped free with a grating sound that I could sense internally rather than hear audibly. Her upper canines had ripped loose from my eye socket and face leaving two furrows from the entry points well into my hairline. I was partially scalped, but she hadn't "popped" my head...

....

The Kodiak archipelago is tucked within the long reach of the Alaskan coast like a group of badly behaved children in the arms of a somewhat aloof mother. Thumbing its nose at the latitude of its arctic parent, cheeky Kodiak bathes in the waters of warm southern currents which give the island a temperate maritime climate seemingly more appropriate to locales far to the south.

In the same way that the Gulf Stream warms the British Isles, the Kuroshiro current begins in warmer latitudes far to the south to move northward along the rim of the Pacific and then east to the Gulf of Alaska to surround Kodiak with a warm wet noose. Above this warm river in the cold northern sea is another warm river of moist low pressure air. These warm sea currents and air masses move north to collide with much colder waters and arctic high pressure air along the Aleutian Islands. This remote island chain marks the boundary between the genteel Pacific and its rowdy and temperamental arctic neighbor, the Bering Sea. The enormous temperature and pressure extremes in this "Birthplace of the Winds" spawn a seemingly endless series of cyclonic low pressure storms which spin to the northeast to lash Kodiak with the rain and fog which envelope it for much of the year. That wet marine climate ends abruptly when it meets the high coastal mountains ringing the Alaska mainland.

Bio Provided by the author.

 Keith Rogan is an outdoor enthusiast who first came to Kodiak in 1990 as a paramedic with the US Coast Guard and soon grew to love the natural beauty of this wild and beautiful island.  He has been a popular freelance writer for the local newspaper on various outdoor subjects.  He enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing and wildlife photography across every corner of Alaska. 

His first book was “A Kodiak Bear Mauling” published in January, 2012.  That effort was followed up by a companion title in May 2012 “A Photographic Tour of Kodiak” displaying a collection of his wildlife photography.

                                                              Amanda Brenner

                                                                                  Tainted Legacy

 

 

Description:

Sid Langdon, a newly licensed private investigator who wonders how he is going to pay his rent, gets his first case—complete with a corpse and a million dollars in missing jewels. And he is tapped to find the answers by the very man who may be responsible for both! So who done it? Sid wades through a sordid quagmire of blackmail, adultery and betrayal to find the answers—and let the chips fall where they may! It’s Sid’s first case—it might well be his last!  

 Bio provided by the author.

Amanda Brenner is a native Midwesterner who has spent her adult life in the business world. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States, occasionally venturing into Canada and Nova Scotia. Her initial interest in writing started at an early age when westerns were the most popular attractions at the local theater. It seemed only natural that her first novel, Trail of Vengeance, should be in the western genre. In the course of plotting and fleshing out this work she lived at the library, scouring dozens of books for authentic details of life on the frontier in the 1880s. After finishing a second western, Shadow of the Rope, she began to explore a new direction and completed three contemporary mysteries involving a private investigator she created, the latest being The Mystery of the Nourdon Blue.

                                                         Inge H. Borg

                                                           KHAMSIN, The Devil Wind of The Nile

 

 

 

Description:

 KHAMSIN, The Devil Wind of The Nile, a historical novel by Inge H. Borg, is an engrossing saga of forbidden love, intrigue and warfare, played out in colorful settings along the Nile, from Ineb-hedj (Memphis) to the Kharga Oasis, during the reign of Aha, Second King of the First Dynasty of Egypt, ca. 3080 B.C.

The briskly paced action evokes a violent, tumultuous epoch with attention to detail and cinematic presentation. The eloquent and lyrical narrative is divided into five major parts, with forty-three chapters, a poignant prologue, and a thought-provoking epilogue.

Complex main and subordinate characters are well fleshed out, ranging from fascinating to likable; from ambitious to suspicious, to plain unsavory. In the fore is Ramose, the munificent High Priest of Ptah, mentally exchanging poisoned lances with the ugly Vizier, Ebu al-Saqqara.

During a forbidden encounter between King Aha's first Queen Mayet and a nocturnal visitor, a new life is conceived; but its soul, its eternal Ba, is already old. And it is destined yet to live through many other storms. Will Aha's royal heiress, Princess Nefret, become the victim of her fate presaged by the Oracle of Isis, or can Ramose save her life, if not her royal heritage? As the dreaded Khamsin rages over the Valley of the Nile, Ma'at is often breached and it is said that people vanish without a trace. Yet, for an eternal Ba, the end is but a new beginning.

Meticulous research of ancient sites and the way of life of those enigmatic Egyptians lends authenticity to this pre-Pyramid, pre-Pharaoh era of the Two Lands. Select Egyptian words and the usage of ancient city names are made comprehensible within context as well as through the appendices and a glossary.

Reviews:

 Move over Jean M. Auel, Author of The Earth's Children series, and make room for a new author on the pre-history scene. Inge H. Borg has emerged with her book "KHAMSIN, The Devil Wind of the Nile", introduced on Amazon.com's Kindle for all the world to read. This novel is meticulously researched, imaginative and purely entertaining, transporting the reader back to the dawn of Egypt long before the pyramids.
Jo Cryder, Author
"Towers, Turrets, Cupolas & Belvederes"
Book #5 of a series of 5


Wonderful First Novel
This is a beautifully written book, set in ancient Egypt before the pyramids and sphinx existed and weaves an entertaining tale which defines the customs, fears and passions of those who lived during this era. The author is well-versed on Egyptian history and provides help for those who aren't with a glossary and appendices to define characters, terms, geographical areas, etc. Egyptian history buffs will love this book.
BevG.


Bio provided by the author.

Born and raised in Austria, Inge H. Borg completed her language studies in London and Paris. Continuing her study of French, she worked at the French Embassy in Moscow during 1963.

In 1964, Ms. Borg was the Executive Assistant to the Secretary General of the Austrian Olympic Committee at the XIXth Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck. From there, she was transferred to the Vienna headquarters. Her contract completed, she was hired by an Austrian export company which then sent her to their Chicago office, extracting the promise to remain in the US for at least one year. She never moved back to Europe, but lived subsequently in Boston, New Hampshire, and La Jolla, California, where she became a US citizen in 1982.

Inge has visited many European countries, the Far East, Venezuela and the South Pacific. Always open to new adventure, she joined a 40-foot sailing vessel and spent six months sailing down the Pacific coast of Mexico (with a handsome skipper, of course). Several of her ‘ocean’ poems in “Moments of The Heart” were born while standing watch in a heart-stopping lightening storm. “When you are the only 50-ft metal mast in a vast ocean, you’ve got to think of something other than sinking.”

In 2003, Inge retired to a diversified lake community Arkansas, and there pursued her passion for writing. At long last, she completed her intensively researched epic “Khamsin, The Devil Wind of The Nile,” a historical novel playing out in Ancient Egypt around 3080 B.C.

Her poetry has been published in over twenty anthologies and was chosen for professionally recorded readings.

Her hobbies include world literature, opera, sailing and, of course, devising new plots for a sequel to Khamsin and other future novels.

More Murder, Mystery, and Fantasy, from This Weeks Featured Indies

                  

 

 

                                                  Tom Wallace

                                                                          Gnosis

                        Description:

Gnosis: Greek word meaning knowledge.

Murder, mystery and redemption are at the heart of “Gnosis.”

Detective Jack Dantzler has no clue why he has been summoned to the prison to meet with the Reverend Eli Whitehouse, a man convicted of committing a double murder twenty-nine years ago. He is stunned when Eli claims to be innocent and wants Dantzler to prove it. But Eli only gives Dantzler a single clue—look at the obituaries in the local paper for a specific two-week period.

Reluctantly, Dantzler agrees to look into the case. As he does, two more people are brutally murdered. And although Dantzler isn’t aware of it, he has become a target for the killer. Dantzler goes back to Eli and pleads for another clue. All Eli says is, “think of Jesus’s empty tomb.” It will be this whispered utterance that unlocks the mystery and reveals the killer’s identity. But this isn’t just any ordinary killer. This is a man with a dark and bloody past, a man with connections to the highest levels of organized crime. Dantzler is now on the trail of an ice-cold assassin, fully aware that one slip will mean instant death.

Sometimes having too much knowledge can lead to deadly consequences. 

Bio provided by the author.

Tom Wallace is the author of four novels, including his latest, Gnosis, which was released in November. It is his third mystery featuring Lexington detective Jack Dantzler. The first two were What Matters Blood and The Devil’s Racket. He also wrote the thriller Heirs of Cain, which came out in 2010.

Tom is the author of five sports-related books, including the highly successful Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia. He earned his B.A. in journalism in 1982, then became sports editor for the Henderson Gleaner, where he was twice honored by The Kentucky Press Association for writing the best sports story in the state. After leaving the Gleaner, he became editor for Cawood Ledford Productions in Lexington. He is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and The Author’s Guild. Tom, a Vietnam veteran, currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky

                                             

      

                                     J. Naomi Ay

                                                  The Boy Who Lit Up The Sky

                                             

 

                                                                    

                                                                                                                   

                  Description:

After a thousand years of war, the Mishnese and Karupta have made peace by wedding the Mishnese Princess Royal to the Karupta Crown Prince. Their son whose birth was foretold ten centuries ago is destined to rule the entire planet and end the wars forever. But the Princess and the baby have died during childbirth or so it was said. In the meantime, a strange half-breed infant boy is left at an orphanage with a purse full of gold coins. The Boy who Lit up the Sky follows the early years of Senya from the streets of Old Mishnah, to the Palace of Mishnah and from there to Karuptani where he is taught to live off the land and fight for that which is his. Along the way, he finds the human girl who unbeknownst to her, shares his important destiny. 

Bio provided by the author.

I’m from the Seattle area and live in the north Olympic Peninsula. I have a wonderful husband, 3 kids and a Pomeranian. For a day job, I work in the Renewable Energy/Recycling sector, bringing new technology for waste remediation to the US and North America. For a night job, I bond with my laptop and write stories. The Two Moons of Rehnor series is a 5 part fantasy series that has elements of light science fiction, lots of fantasy, a healthy dose of romance and a fair amount of paranormal as the main character is, shall we say, weird? It’s follows the life of Senya, a man who was created to be king of the planet Rehnor and the human girl who is the love of his life as well as being a captain in the Allied Spaceforce. Senya is no Prince Charming and it’s definitely not happily ever after. It takes 5 volumes, each around 250 pages to go from here to there. I wrote it originally as one giant novel over the course of the last twenty years and then when I realized it could actually be published, I broke it up into 5 pieces for the kindle market. The entire thing is written in first person narratives by the people around Senya. It’s relatively fast paced because if I started getting bored, I would just switch characters. It also weaves in the lives of the other characters so the reader will really get to know all about them, their different perspectives and their own personal stories. I hope you enjoy!