Tuesday, October 27, 2015

New Release! WITCH ANGEL: THE SCEPTRE OF TRUTH

Hi everyone,

Please welcome veteran author Karen King to the blog today, along with her latest book, a middle-grade fantasy called Witch Angel: The Sceptre of Truth. It's now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. But before we get into all the nitty-gritty details about this exciting new book, let's ask Karen a few questions (rubs hands manically together like a mad scientist; not really sure why, though).

How did you get started writing?
I've always written. I had my first poem published when I was 11. I started my writing career with Jackie magazine, writing articles and photo stories.

Are you a Plotter or a Pantser?
It depends whether I'm writing to a commission or not. If I'm commissioned I have to plot as I have to send a synopsis and the first couple of chapters to my editor. If I'm not writing to a commission I work out the basic outline of my story then write 'by the seat of my pants.'

Are you most productive in the morning or evening?

Morning. Often I get out of bed and start writing straight away. I'm full of ideas in the morning.

Thanks, Karen! And without further ado, Witch Angel: The Sceptre of Truth...


Should Aluna betray her father to save the world?

Aluna’s father is the Master Wizard of the Katalan. On her thirteenth birthday she is initiated into the coven and swears allegiance to her clan. Then she has a vision about the mother she has never known and a gold sceptre with an eagle’s head handle.

She discovers that the mysterious new girl, Raffie, who appeared out of nowhere is looking for the same sceptre. Aluna hopes the sceptre will lead her to her mother so swears an oath of friendship with Raffie, pledging to find it together only to discover that Raffie is Angleyt. They are sworn enemies.

Aluna’s father is looking for the sceptre too, as are the evil Bygnorim.  Will Aluna really betray her father? What dreadful secret is he hiding about her mother? Aluna and Raffie face terrible danger in their quest. Are their combined powers strong enough or will Darke Magyck win?

Extract:

Outside, the moon shone brightly in an almost starless sky. The incense was already burning, and a cauldron of herbs was bubbling away near the altar. Aluna could smell the bitter aroma of the mudreef. The circle hadn’t been drawn yet, her father wouldn’t do that until the coven were all standing together. Witches, dressed in black, and wizards with their brightly coloured gowns of purple, red, and blue were already gathering for the ceremony. Sometimes, two or more would be initiated at the same time, but tonight there was only Aluna. The daughter of the Master Wizard had to have her own ceremony.

Aluna recited the oath and spells under her breath as everyone gathered together and held hands, forming a circle around her. Mirassa, the head witch, dipped a goblet in the bubbling liquid, leaving it on the altar stone to cool.

Aluna’s father picked up the white chalk and drew a circle around them all before stepping inside and closing it. 

“A circle around us to bind us together,
Let no one break it or be banished forever.” 

They all repeated the oath. Her father said a loyalty spell over the goblet, took a sip of the herbal drink and passed it to Aluna. She braced herself for the sour taste of the mudreef and swallowed quickly. Her throat burned and she wished she’d been able to find the sweeter tasting fissleshoot.  
The goblet was passed around the rest of the group so they could all take a sip. The ritual bound them all together. If anyone left or betrayed the coven, then no Katalan would ever speak to them again. 

When you joined, you joined for life.

Aluna’s father called her forward to test her on her spells. First, the three most important spells: the protection, the prevention, and the returning spell—spells to protect you from harm, to stop bad magic, and to help you get back home. Other spells followed: the lost and found spell, the vanishing spell, and the shrinking spell. Aluna remembered them all. Although her father’s face was solemn, she knew from the look in his eyes that she had pleased him. 

Now, it was time for the oath. The coven fell silent as Aluna’s father held out his left hand. Aluna linked the little finger on her left hand with his as she repeated the oath:  

“Earth, water, air, and fire,
This oath I solemnly swear,
Joining this coven is my desire
I never will its secrets share.” 

Mirassa stepped forward, holding a red cushion. Nestled on the cushion was a clear crystal sphere on a silver chain–the symbol of the Katalan coven. All the crystals were clear to begin with then changed colour according to the aura of the witch. What colour would Aluna’s become?

Her father lifted the pendant off the chain and put it around her neck, reciting the ancient blessing. As the sphere touched her skin, Aluna felt her body tingle. Was her special power coming to her already? 

The crystal started to glow, changing colour. Aluna watched as it went through a rainbow of colours before settling into a silvery blue.

There was a gasp from the coven. Aluna looked over at her father and saw that he was staring at her, his eyes narrowed. What was wrong?

“It’s blue,” said Milav, one of the older witches. “We haven’t had a blue crystal for many years.”

“Not since Kristen,” someone else whispered.

Kristen. That was her mother’s name. Aluna shot a look at her father’s rigid face and steely eyes. He was angry, she realised, her stomach tightening. Was it because she had the same colour crystal as her mother? Maybe she had the same power as well.

Although she had no idea what her mother’s power was. Or anything about her mother at all. Neither her father or Sariah would talk about her. The power could manifest almost immediately, though it often took several days. 

Oh, I hope I get it soon! 

Author Bio

Karen King has had over one hundred and twenty children’s books published by mainstream publishers such as Walker, Scholastic, Harper Collins and Macmillan. She’s written for many children's magazines too including Sindy, Barbie, Winnie the Pooh and Thomas the Tank Engine. She writes for all ages and in all genres; story books, picture books, plays, joke books, non-fiction and YA. 

Links

Twitter: @karen_king

Friday, October 23, 2015

New Release! TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE by Rachel Jones

Hi everyone,

It's my pleasure to announce the release of fellow Clean Reads author Rachel Jones's contemporary romance novel, TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE, available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.


Back Cover Blurb:
From childhood, Virginia Manning has planned for a career as a concert clarinetist. Blindsided by family circumstances, her plans are interrupted, taking her down a path she would never have chosen. As a music teacher, Virginia’s relationship with the football coach goes from problematic to romantic. After Blake’s brush with death, a scared Virginia runs away looking for the contentment music has always brought to her life.
Because Blake Oliver has experienced disappointment and pain, he opts for a fresh start in a small New England town. Accepting the position of football coach, he isn’t looking for love when it finds him. But when Virginia leaves to pursue a performance career, Blake realizes it’s not where you live but having someone to love that matters. His only problem is making her understand that as well.

Excerpt:

She pulled her arms across her chest in an attempt to calm her shivering. Bright lights reflected from her rearview mirror, the only headlights she had seen since she had stopped on the side of the ride. Releasing a sigh of relief, she waited for flashing blue lights to interrupt the blackness surrounding the car. No blue lights. Her heart began racing at hearing a car door slam. She was alone, on a deserted highway. Checking the locks on her doors, she thought about driving away, but how far could she go with a flat tire?
A tap on the passenger window made her jump. “Hey.”
The dark night made it impossible to see the face outside the passenger window. Fear made it impossible to move.
“Come on, Gin. It’s wet out here.”
No one else called her Gin. She hit the automatic button releasing the lock and Blake pulled the door open. Relief flooded her body and was replaced by anger.         
“Blake — you nearly scared me to death.”
“Not the best time for a flat tire. You’re soaked.”
“You’re not so very dry yourself.”
“Where are you headed?”
“I was on my way home. I had an early dinner with my family before they left for the weekend. Staying to play my piano wasn’t a bad idea — I just got caught up in my music.” She loved how her music could take her away from everything, but the downside was eventually she had to come back to reality. “Anyway, I was going through my options when you drove up.”
“Your spare is lying in the mud.”
“I was going to try changing it, but when the lightning started, I chickened out.”
“Well, you can’t drive all the way to Boston soaked to the skin. And I really don’t want to change a tire in this downpour.”
“So what do you suggest I do?”
“Let me take you back to your sister’s house. You can stay the night and deal with the tire in the morning.”
Virginia didn’t respond, didn’t want this moment to end. He was here, beside her and the intensity of how much she had missed him came crashing down upon her like tumultuous waves hitting a jagged rock wall along the seashore.
“Gin?”
She looked up. “That sounds good.”
As he leaned over and pulled the keys from the ignition, it took all Virginia’s willpower to keep from pulling him close.

Author Bio:
It was thoughts of what she would do after retirement from a twenty-eight-year career in healthcare that spurred Rachel to begin writing her first manuscript in March of 2012. Needing guidance and support with her new endeavor, she joined local and national writing groups.
Rachel signed her first contract in 2013 and her debut novel, To Dance One More Day was released in June of 2014. She is eagerly awaiting retirement to write full time.
A music enthusiast for decades, Rachel resides in Kennesaw, Georgia with her husband of thirty-seven years and a spoiled Labrador retriever. She is a member of Georgia Writers Association, Georgia Romance Writers and is a PRO member of Romance Writers of America.

Social Media Links:
https://twitter.com/RJonesAuthor

Places to Purchase the Book:

Amazon:  

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Cover Reveal! GRUDGING by Michelle Hauck

Today awesome author Michelle Hauck, who runs the excellent blog Michelle4Laughs and co-hosts a few fantastic writing contests (see below in her bio), and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for Michelle's novel GRUDGING. It's Book One in the series Birth of Saints and releases November 17, 2015! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win a copy of the eBook!


Title: GRUDGING
Author: Michelle Hauck
Pub. Date: November 17, 2015
Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse
Format: eBook

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power.  And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.



About Michelle: 

Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Two papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack.

She is a co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street, and Sun versus Snow.

Her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge. She's repped by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.



Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive an eBook of GRUDGING. International

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Friday, October 9, 2015

Project Update: Picket Town

So I've been busy at work on the new manuscript, a middle-grade science fiction novel currently called Picket Town. Ever since The Fourth Generation released about two months ago (has it been that long already??), I've been splitting my time evenly between promoting that book and writing the next one.

So, not surprisingly, Picket Town has been coming along a lot more slowly than my other books. Which is fine, but it's funny how it used to feel like it was taking forever while I was writing the others. Now I really know the definition of forever from writing Picket Town.

Anyway, I just hit the 25K-word mark on Picket Town.  It took a few months (maybe even more?) to do that. That's a pretty long time, but I'm not a bang-out-a-draft-real-quick kind of writer. I'm more of a let's-slow-roast-this-baby-real-slow type. As in, before I move on to the next page while I'm writing, I have to have polished the last one to a pretty decent degree in order to feel comfortable doing that. And now that I've been doing this writing thing for a while now (a "mumble mumble" amount of time, actually), I feel okay doing that. Plus, this book isn't going to be that long (at least I don't think so). I'd be surprised if it got to 50K all said and done, but perhaps I've just doomed myself by saying that and it'll now turn into some 185K opus, or maybe somehow even drop down to a measly 5K (I highly doubt either of those outcomes, however).

In any case, remember before how said I plucked the idea for Picket Town from some ancient page in my old, trusty "Story Idea" doc, and how the idea instantly grabbed me and my mind immediately filled in all the other as-of-then unmapped parts of the plot? Well, that was a lie. Just kidding. That was true. But because of that I thought this book would be a pretty straightforward one to write, since I already knew most of the plot (hearing myself write that makes me laugh like a squirrel on laughing gas; when was any sort of book of mine "straightforward to write?"). But no - I've already found myself bumbling into all sorts of issues - plot-related only being one type. And I've had to do some serious brainstorming and re-hauling to find my way out of it all.

But that's fine. It's part of the process, after all. Always has been. And I'm finding that despite the fact I've already had to heavily revise parts of the book and even remove an entire chapter because it no longer applied to the story, the original plot I envisioned is still more or less hanging together. So it's really no biggie. But it's funny how expectations can be so misleading.

Anyway, that's it for this project update. I'm sure I'll have more down the line. This book is turning into quite a finicky book indeed, but I'm sure it'll be all the more rewarding when it's done because of that.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Over on Mindy McGinnis's blog

Hi everyone,

A couple days ago I popped on over to fellow post-apocalyptic author Mindy McGinnis's blog Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire to talk about my personal writing process and the publishing biz. Hope you stop on by and enjoy!

http://writerwriterpantsonfire.blogspot.com/2015/09/an-sat-with-chris-von-halle.html