The holidays are swiftly coming up.
A lot of you are writers. Writers with books out. Novels, comics, collections. Hell, we can even expand this to indie games, or Kickstarters, or whatever you want, long as it’s you writing it and it’s something that tells a story.
So, here’s your chance to promote that thing in the comments below.
Tell us about it! Tell us why we should check it out! Get excited.
(And don’t forget to give us a link to click. By the way, giving us links to click may hold your comment in administration for a short time. Do not panic! I’ll administer throughout the day.)
But, this promotion thing: it has rules.
First: keep it short. Like, one paragraph short. And not one of those paragraphs with the size and density of a brick. Keep it lean and mean — back cover copy. A hook in our mouth to drag us forth.
Second: you must also promote another book (or comic, or KS, or game, or whatever) by someone else. So, one of yours, one of someone else’s. Failure to do this may open you to a surly side-eye, straight-up mockery, or a trip right to the spam oubliette.
Comment section is open.
GET THE TO THE PROMO CANNONS.
Matt Perkins says:
Thanks for doing this, Chuck. I’m going to peruse these comments and pick up anything that stands out.
MY COOL THING: part one of my sci-fi/thriller series Winterwakers hit the virtual shelves last month.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OYSI9DY
Oooh and I also have a CONTEST going on right now where you can win a FREE COPY, plus maybe even an Amazon gift card if you can come up with a cool name for my blog!
http://matt-perkins.com/2014/11/contest-name-my-blog-win-prizes/
Blurb:
Earth orbits a binary star, shrouding the planet in three months of global winter, putting civilization on hold while hibernation sets in. The wealthy slumber through the winter months in modern hibernation centers and specialized pods, while the poor sleep shoulder-to-shoulder in overcrowded public facilities.
But not all can rest through the winter – one in a thousand are physically incapable of hibernating. While humanity sleeps under a blanket of snow, these few who stay awake must struggle to keep civilization intact. They call themselves Winterwakers, and this winter will bring them their greatest challenge yet.
AWESOME RECOMMENDATION: Since a lot of the people reading this are writers, I’m going to recommend a unique little reference book that helps me from time to time – The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman. One of the hardest things for me as a writer is to convey how a character is feeling without straight up saying it. This book gives you some ideas on how a character might react outwardly, and inwardly, when an emotion comes up (“Barbara felt sad.” becomes “Barbara’s shoulders fell.”).
http://amzn.com/B00822WM2M
November 17, 2014 — 11:28 AM
paddywords says:
Hey everyone, I’m currently working on a comic, novel and doing a bunch of short stories for submissions and poems. You can see all my old stories and poems on http://paddywords.wordpress.com.
The book is set in a world where privacy is dead and emotions are monitored to prevent another world war. The comic is about an Irish goddess, The Morrigan, who declares war on death in order to free humanity from mortality. It’s currently being art-ised and will be out some time. I am going to use this space to promote a few friends who are self publishing in Cork, Ireland, my home town: http://www.turncoatpress.com
November 17, 2014 — 11:33 AM
Matthew Cox says:
Thanks for the open forum, Chuck!
Jacket copy for the first novel of my series Division Zero:
Most cops get to deal with living criminals, but Agent Kirsten Wren is not most cops.
A gifted psionic with a troubled past, Kirsten possesses a rare combination of abilities that give her a powerful weapon against spirits. In 2418, rampant violence and corporate warfare have left no shortage of angry wraiths in West City. Most exist as little more than fleeting shadows and eerie whispers in the darkness.
Kirsten is shunned by a society that does not understand psionics, feared by those who know what she can do, and alone in a city of millions. Every so often, when a wraith gathers enough strength to become a threat to the living, these same people rely on her to stop it.
Unexplained killings by human-like androids known as dolls leave the Division One police baffled, causing them to punt the case to Division Zero. Kirsten, along with her partner Dorian, wind up in the crosshairs of corporate assassins as they attempt to find out who – or what – is behind the random murders before more people die.
She tries to hold on to the belief that no one is beyond redemption as she pursues a killer desperate to claim at least one more innocent soul – that might just be hers.
http://amzn.com/B00ITWTRZ0
I highly recommend the Outlaw King series by Sam Hunt. The first book, Whirlwind in the Thorn tree, follows the character of Ross as he picks up in the footsteps of his deceased author father. Recently returned from combat duty in Afghanistan, Ross doesn’t realize the world Ed Brigham wrote about isn’t only in his imagination.
Despite his self-doubt and reluctance, the forces who seek to destroy both worlds consider him a threat, and want him dead. (Continues in The Law of the Wolf)
http://amzn.com/B00BJCLMFU
November 17, 2014 — 11:34 AM
Beverly says:
Fun! I’m not an author do I’m going to promote the Kickstarter for my David and Goliath office space issue, but I’m also going to promote a comic company I just discovered nearby that I’m excited about.
So! I’m a founding member of the first coworking space in my region of Ontario. We house writers, artists, marketers, game designers,etc. Our landlord forced us out, despite our being good tenants. Anyway, we’re a very young business and need a boost to recover from this rich dude abuse. Throw us a few bucks, if you have ’em! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lab-b-coworking-a-new-home-for-our-community
The comic company I recently stumbled across is called Underbelly, and they’re in Hamilton, ON. They have all kinds of stuff, but I’m very interested in this crime comic called Bullet Gal. Fantastic, surreal art. Hardboiled writing. I’m going to contribute to this one. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/underbelly/bullet-gal
November 17, 2014 — 11:36 AM
Katharine Ashe says:
Thanks for this, Chuck! I’m deeply fond of holiday themed romances. Last year, when my first Christmas romance came out, I started compiling a list of other authors’ holiday romance novels and novellas on my website. If any of your readers have published holiday-themed short stories, novellas or novels ***with a strong romantic element***, I’d be happy to add them to my list. Email me (at kathArine dot ashe at gmail dot com) with:
Title
Author(s)
A one-line description of the story
One link
Jpeg cover
http://www.katharineashe.com/list-of-christmas-romances/
Happy holiday insanity (and, ideally, peace and joy), everybody!
November 17, 2014 — 11:40 AM
C.E. Martin says:
PALE HORSEMAN (Stone Soldiers #9) by C.E. Martin
Richard Murphy is a hard-boiled, octogenarian Hollywood detective who thinks he’s seen it all–until he and his ghost partner witness a horrific murder committed by a galloping centaur. Now the elderly P.I. worries he’ll be next on the killer’s list. But unbeknownst to Murphy, one of his on-line friends is more than just a master chess player. He’s a member of Detachment 1039, America’s secret super soldier program tasked with combatting the supernatural. Murphy and his partner in crime-solving are soon visited by the Detachment, who enlist the semi-retired P.I. in tracking down a serial-killing centaur who’s come to L.A. to reap the souls of the innocent and the wicked.
The Stone Soldiers are America’s secret weapon against the forces of darkness. A small detachment of psychics, supernatural soldiers and men turned to living stone, they respond to threats conventional forces are not prepared to face. Battling myths, monsters and magic around the world, the men and women of Detachment 1039 stand ready to do whatever it takes to stop evil in its tracks.
http://amzn.com/B00LLEN6QY
LEGACY: FORGOTTEN SON by Warren Murphy and Gerald Welch
For over five thousand years, there were always three binding rules for all Masters of Sinanju:
1) Payment is always in gold. No checks.
2) There is only one Master and one pupil.
3) No woman will ever be trained in Sinanju.
Sunny Joe Roam will throw the last two rules out the window in order to fulfill his tribe’s oldest commitment. He will train both Stone Smith and his half-sister Freya Williams in the deadly art of Sinanju, ushering in a new era for the tribe. But will the lethal brother-sister duo be enough to help their new boss Benjamin Cole stop the Great Mexican Ninja Army from invading the southwestern United States?
http://amzn.com/B00AM5GLOM
November 17, 2014 — 11:45 AM
Melissa Stacy says:
Thank you, Chuck! This is such a great opportunity!
I’d like to give a HUGE shout-out to my friend Derek Hall’s hard-boiled detective stories, “The Private Op” — which you can read for FREE on his website: http://www.theprivateop.com/
The Private Op is a secret agent for-hire named Ashiel Hammond, who travels all over the world solving crimes, righting wrongs, and being a badass. Each Private Op story is around 15-20 pages long — pages packed with espionage, exotic locations, and Ashiel up to his neck in intrigue.
These stories are GREAT for anyone who loves thrillers chock-full of international espionage and hard-boiled detectives. So click on the link and check out Derek’s website — and take a trip into Ashiel Hammond’s world — these stories are awesome!
November 17, 2014 — 11:50 AM
Heather Kamins says:
Blueshifting, a collection of poems inspired by science, nature, life, the universe, and everything. Says my publisher: “Clocks and galaxies and streetlights; urns and deadbolts and petroglyphs; sweating lemonade; contrails; the spider strings of memory; rocky winter ground, the great blue heron with its neck tucked up under it like a wish, and the vanishing stars: Heather Kamins’ inaugural chapbook of poetry reveals a deep curiosity and insight into the repressed and irrepressible energies of our world.” Read sample poems and reviews, and buy it, here: http://www.upperrubberboot.com/blueshifting/
I also want to give a shout out to Codename Cygnus (http://www.codenamecygnus.com/), an interactive radio drama that uses speech recognition to cast you as the secret agent in a branching story. It’s basically a spy-themed audio choose your own adventure game. Good stuff!
November 17, 2014 — 11:58 AM
Billfittsauthor says:
Thanks for this opportunity, Chuck.
Who Needed Killing? (book 5 in the Needed Killing Series) is available for ebook preorder at my website, billfittsauthor.us.
James F. Crawford, university retiree turned private eye, embarks on a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. Provost Rufus George is worried. ‘Something,” he tells Crawford, “is not right at University Village. I want you to look around and see if anything bothers you.” Crawford begins with a question here and a question there–until he asks the wrong question. As Crawford grapples with the most perplexing case of his career, he and the provost find themselves the target of a wily and ruthless killer.
My books are in the cozy mystery subgenre. If you like mysteries with a bit more grit, check out Bob Zeanah’s book, Work to Do, in which Sugar Bear, the first-ever college-educated sheriff in Creek County, Alabama, must solve the murder of the town drunk and wife-abuser. Books 2 and 3 are in the works. Order Bob’s book at http://bobzeanah.com/.
November 17, 2014 — 12:00 PM
AngeliaSparrow says:
I have a LOT of books out. But I am also a publisher, so let me promote my authors. http://www.inkstainedsuccubus.com
We have a Golden Crown (Lesbian fiction award) nominated fantasy novel, Resistance. We have a Darrell Award nominated (Memphis SF/F award) nominated urban fantasy, Fated Bonds. There is SF–cyberpunk, far future space opera, dark future. We have horror: a sequel to Hansel and Gretel, a float trip into a hell-swamp. We have urban fantasy: werewolves, lovers and other monsters.
Go support some good people who are just getting started.
November 17, 2014 — 12:07 PM
Pete Ford says:
Thank you for this, Mr. Wendig. I’ll keep this short and to the point. I have two steampunk works for your readers’ edification and delight…
My own work: Mr. Gunn & Dr. Bohemia
http://xchylerpublishing.com/site.cfm/Our-Books/Mr-Gunn-Dr-Bohemia.cfm
Victorian London . . . but not one in any history book. In an alternate 1858, England has entered a golden age of technology, of steam and electricity. Airships fill the skies, mechanical computers command the trains and trams, and a country-wide communication network reaches into every home and office.
Newspaperman Cornelius Gunn investigates a series of thefts across London. Someone is stealing inventions and designs—for what purpose, Gunn can’t even guess.
While attempting to identify the criminals, he and his feisty wife, Sophie, meet the enigmatic Dr. Bohemia. Before they know it, they’re on the trail of a conspiracy, and swept into an adventure that carries them to Paris and back, and a fight against a mysterious and powerful enemy. The stakes are high. If they fail, all of Europe will be plunged into war.
And here’s another one, from fellow author Alyson Grauer: On the Isle of Sound and Wonder
http://xchylerpublishing.com/site.cfm/Our-Books/On-the-Isle-of-Sound-and-Wonder.cfm
All but alone, wild but resourceful Mira dreams of life beyond the shores of her mystical island. Isolated by her father, a dark sorcerer bent on vengeance, she has only his servants, an air spirit and a misshapen cast-off, to share her company. When Dante conjures a terrible storm to wash ashore his mortal enemies, Mira must chose between her loyalties to her father and what she knows is right.
Sail the skies and soar the seas surrounding this Isle of Sound and Wonder as Alyson Grauer masterfully retells William Shakespeare’s classic, The Tempest, bedecked in the trappings of Steampunk.
November 17, 2014 — 12:13 PM
Kay Camden says:
First I have to promote my new favorite author, Paula Brackston. I read THE WINTER WITCH and can’t stop thinking about it. It’s a classic good vs. evil storyline with a wonderful, mature, magical love story. SUH-woon. Set in historic Wales, the imagery is to die for. Can’t wait to start her other books. *fangirl squeal*
On Amazon here
http://www.amazon.com/The-Winter-Witch-Paula-Brackston-ebook/dp/B008RLW408
Paula Brackston’s website here
http://www.paulabrackston.com/
The first two books of my fantasy-romance pentalogy are out. You’ll get a mysterious anti-hero with a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14, an herb garden, and a big chip on his shoulder. To balance him out, you’ll get a heroine who’s been described as a “smart-mouthed chick,” who knows how to push all his buttons. She has a bit of darkness in her life as well. Unfortunately for the both of them, they’re stuck together in his mountain home. She turns up the intensity on his crazy, and he makes her physically sick. Until a switch gets flipped–in his head.
Book one, THE ALIGNMENT, has been described as “a wonderfully different fantasy romance.” The second book was just released. Book 3 is due next year.
On Amazon here
http://amzn.com/B00GT5N8VI
My website is here
http://www.kaycamden.com
Awesome to be able to do this. You do good things for starving writers, Chuck.
November 17, 2014 — 12:23 PM
L. Anne Beard says:
After a car accident in Charleston, SC in 2011 Caroline Porter wakes up in 1861 on the eve of the Civil War. Befriending General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard she assists him using her knowledge as a Civil War historian. Through their friendship, she meets a host of characters and historical figures, all the while trying to convince the Confederate Government of her authority on the Civil War. Honor is questioned as their friendship begins to blossom into a true romance. Duty separates them as they try to protect one another. Loyalties are tested as her information she has foretold, come to pass. But given a choice will she continue to endure or will she help define a new history? http://tinyurl.com/fogincharleston
My Recommendation:
When zombies rise up and begin to devour the living, Ryan Knight is watching it live on his big screen TV. But that changes quickly. Zombie fiction becomes zombie reality as he struggles to keep his family safe. With no training and no option, Ryan and his family have to learn to trust each other and work together while trying to gather supplies and barricade the house. But, will it be enough to keep everyone safe from the zombie threat? Ryan Knight is not a Navy SEAL nor an Army Ranger. He’s just like the rest of us. And, he’s trying to keep his family safe during The Zombie Apocalypse. http://tinyurl.com/deadofknight
November 17, 2014 — 12:31 PM
L. Anne Beard says:
((I’m not really posting twice, I just realized like a moron, I didn’t use titles or authors. can you please delete my other one and consider this one?))
A Fog in Charleston by L. Anne Beard
After a car accident in Charleston, SC in 2011 Caroline Porter wakes up in 1861 on the eve of the Civil War. Befriending General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard she assists him using her knowledge as a Civil War historian. Through their friendship, she meets a host of characters and historical figures, all the while trying to convince the Confederate Government of her authority on the Civil War. Honor is questioned as their friendship begins to blossom into a true romance. Duty separates them as they try to protect one another. Loyalties are tested as her information she has foretold, come to pass. But given a choice will she continue to endure or will she help define a new history? http://tinyurl.com/fogincharleston
My Recommendation:
Dead of Knight by Stephen J. Beard
When zombies rise up and begin to devour the living, Ryan Knight is watching it live on his big screen TV. But that changes quickly. Zombie fiction becomes zombie reality as he struggles to keep his family safe. With no training and no option, Ryan and his family have to learn to trust each other and work together while trying to gather supplies and barricade the house. But, will it be enough to keep everyone safe from the zombie threat? Ryan Knight is not a Navy SEAL nor an Army Ranger. He’s just like the rest of us. And, he’s trying to keep his family safe during The Zombie Apocalypse. http://tinyurl.com/deadofknight
November 17, 2014 — 12:34 PM
Marian Perera says:
Thank you, Chuck. 🙂
Fantasy romance THE FARTHEST SHORE, by Marian Perera.
Captain Alyster Juell has his first command – and the navy’s first steamship. His mission: to win an ocean-crossing race. Except after he leaves harbor, he finds a stowaway, a reporter who poked around for information on his ship the day before. Miri Tayes hid aboard to escape from colleague who discovered her secret : She can pass for normal but she’s half-salt—fathered by a pirate. And as the race intensifies, the pirates use a kraken to seize Alyster’s ship for its new technology.
http://www.amazon.com/Farthest-Shore-Eden-Book-ebook/dp/B00K1WUBGU/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416245041&sr=1-4&keywords=the+farthest+shore
And if it’s all right to promo a book that’s out-of-print but available on the Kindle, I read this one years ago and have never forgotten it. Graham Masterton’s THE HYMN.
When a young woman pours gasoline over herself in a parking lot and strikes a match, it’s just the start. Devastated, her fiance tries to find out why – and discovers another bizarre mass suicide where people set themselves alight… to gain something. A salamander pendant, a mesmerizing hymn and Nazi Germany come together in a gripping story.
http://www.amazon.com/Hymn-Graham-Masterton/dp/0759215847/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416245094&
November 17, 2014 — 12:37 PM
Kay Camden says:
Just added BEFORE THE STORM to my TBR. And after reading your blog, I decided I have to friend you on Goodreads, too. 🙂
November 18, 2014 — 12:04 PM
mandybroughton says:
Instead of promoting my own books, I’d like to promote two excellent books by authors in my critique group.
First is for preschoolers to kindergartens: Bizz and Buzz Make Honey Buns by Dee Leone
Two silly bees try to make honey buns. Their first mistake is to use a little flower instead of a little flour.
http://www.amazon.com/Bizz-Buzz-Honey-Penguin-Concepts/dp/0448479273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416245449&sr=8-1&keywords=dee+leone
Second is for adults: The Tell-Tail Heart by Monica Shaughnessy
Edgar Allan Poe’s cat, Cattarina, becomes embroiled in a killer’s affairs when she finds a clue to the crime – a glass eye. But it’s only when her beloved “Eddie” takes an interest that she decides to hunt down the madman herself.
http://www.amazon.com/Tell-Tail-Heart-Cattarina-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/0988562979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416245691&sr=8-1&keywords=tell+tail+heart
Happy reading everyone!
November 17, 2014 — 12:37 PM
Laura Roberts says:
Great idea, Chuck! Let’s see…
I’ve just published a new nonfiction book called “Confessions of a 3-Day Novelist: How to Write an Entire Book in Just 72 Hours,” based on my experience doing just that as a participant in the 3-Day Novel Contest. You can find my book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PKYZPC4
My fiction recommendation is for Jeff O’Brien’s “BigBoobenstein” trilogy, a decidedly campy and oddly feminist take on the Frankenstein story, with a sincere appreciation for hooters. You can find the first in the series here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/149099971X/
Enjoy!
November 17, 2014 — 12:48 PM
CrissyMoss says:
For mine : Small Bites the Complete Collection. Twelve short stories that feature androids, werewolves, vampires, and much more. But it’s always the heart, rather then the monster, that’s important.http://www.amazon.com/Small-Bites-Collection-Crissy-Moss-ebook/dp/B00E2UWB7O
And Scott Richards Guardians of the Shroud.
It’s a fantastic edge of your seat action packed thriller. Lots of surprises, and just a great read. http://www.amazon.com/Guardians-Shroud-Darliccis-Book-ebook/dp/B00L3VW83M/
November 17, 2014 — 12:51 PM
Stacy Claflin says:
Thanks for the opportunity, Chuck.
My novel Deception is FREE…
What if your whole life was a lie?
Alexis Ferguson thinks she has everything figured out, but has no idea how wrong she is. Set up on a blind date, she meets a gorgeous stranger and feels that she’s known him her entire life, but she has never seen him before.
He awakens in her long-forgotten dark memories, and now she must face the one who ordered her death years ago. Will she learn to use her strange new powers in time to save herself? Will she let him help her? Should she trust him?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ADWBNDS/
A book I recommend is RecruitZ by Karice Bolton….
Have you tasted fear? I have. It’s bitter and lingers in your mouth long after the moment has passed. That fear kept me alive during the apocalypse. I never stopped moving, and I never gave up hope.
The outbreak is over and vaccinations have been administered, but I’m tasting that fear again. Why? Because the undead have returned, and this time there’s no stopping them or the people who control them. But I refuse to give up.
The outbreak might be over, but the nightmare is just beginning.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJOXW3C/
November 17, 2014 — 12:56 PM
Kyra Dune says:
Your book sounds good. I’m going to check it out.
November 17, 2014 — 2:00 PM
Stacy Claflin says:
Thank you, Kyra! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
November 17, 2014 — 8:09 PM
Kay Bratt says:
´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤ If you like FREE, here is one that’s done well for me. The Bridge, a novella based on a true story about a blind boy I met in China. He was abandoned under a bridge, left to a new fate when he ended up in the orphanage I was at. One reviewer said this: If you like chocolate, you’ll know the feeling of tasting an exquisite chocolate that pleases every taste bud in your mouth and has you pining for more once the flavour fades… The Bridge is like that, only with words. Available here: http://amzn.to/1viLQwv
And as for my recommendation….you can get an entire box set of six incredible fantasy worlds by NYT and USA Today bestselling authors where shifters rule! for less than a buck! Includes works by best-selling authors such as Kate Danley, Dannika Dark, and more! Seriously, this box set is the bomb. http://amzn.to/1xIEJLt
November 17, 2014 — 1:04 PM
caseyschreyer says:
First, mine. Nothing Everything Nothing is a young adult novel that deals with cyber bullying, sexual harassment, street harassment, depression, suicide, and recovery.
No one in Molly’s life expected her to pose for topless photos. During spring break Molly meets a charismatic older boy and suddenly no one but Lance matters – not Molly’s family, and not Brandon, her life-long friend. Anyone who voices concern about the changes in Molly’s attitude and habits is driven away.
When Molly refuses to let Lance sweet talk her out of her virginity, pictures that were supposed to be private go viral. Molly’s reputation is in shambles. Lance wants nothing to do with her, insults her, and refuses to take the photos down. She is ridiculed and harassed and no one can stop it.
Molly is faced with a painful choice – face the humiliation alone, or end her life and never have to feel the sting of rejection again.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/487516
Okay, someone else’s. Wow. To pick just one. Check out The Prince in Exile, a serial novel by Helen J Bradley. http://www.amazon.ca/Prince-Exile-Book-H-J-Bradley-ebook/dp/B00NIXBNZ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416247200&sr=8-1&keywords=prince+in+exile – Set in the 1970s a young prince is on the run with his two lovers. And he’s not sure if they’ll die at the hands of assassins, or if his lovers will kill each other first!
Toys and Solders series by Ashlynn Forge is also amazing: http://www.amazon.ca/Liams-Wake-Makeshift-Soldier-ebook/dp/B00FPYT5V6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1416247270&sr=8-3&keywords=ashlyn+forge – Set in a strange underground world these stories are dark and emotional.
Or my last 5-star read: The Universe Builders by Steve LeBel – http://www.amazon.ca/Universe-Builders-Bernie-Putty-ebook/dp/B00KKQT1CC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416247338&sr=8-1&keywords=universe+builders – light, funny, but thoughtful. Find out what it’s like to be a god!
Thanks for this opportunity!
November 17, 2014 — 1:05 PM
Karey Brown says:
What an awesome opportunity. Thank you for offering the space to advertise our books & fellow indie authors.
I write epic fantasy romance.
Shadows of The Keeper
http://goo.gl/rDUFmz
(from the back of the book)
Hidden in shadows, he protects her from ancient assassins . . . and himself.
Secure the sale of Castle MacLarrin. Heal your heart in the Highlands. Pfff! Emily knows better. What her boss really wants is to appease guilt over his butthead son having married another. Well, fine. He’s paid for her ticket, the least she can do is find this castle. Then, swear off love forever, and enjoy Inverness. And stick to what she knows: coffee, historical romance books–where the men don’t bail–and isolation.
Thirty-six hundred years is a long time to suffer the punishment of immortality–even longer for Broc MacLarrin to endure memories of the exiled princess whose uncanny powers could have saved them all. And now, a nearly dead modern has been brought through the ‘door’ . . . this Emily none other than the bane of his existence–for, if she’s returned, so too will those who killed her before–the Lumynari.
Three life-cycles, he’s loved her–and tenderly carried her soul to his father, Hades. Prince Dezenial of the Lumynari vows there won’t be a fourth time. Remaining in shadows, he keeps her safe from his mother, the vile goddess Shadow–and his heart. But now, Emily’s in the keeping of the Forest Lords, the fools no match against what hunts her . . .
I’d love to promote YA author: Brian Rathbone.
He’s created an amazing series!
http://goo.gl/rqbZ8h
Call of the Herald (Godsland Series Book 1) [Kindle Edition]
Power is back…and no one is prepared!
Echoes of the ancients’ power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind’s deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war. When a Catrin Volker, a teenage horse trainer, inadvertently fulfills the prophecy of the destroyer, she becomes the most feared and hunted person on all of Godsland. With the help of her friends, she must convince the world that she wants only peace.
November 17, 2014 — 1:06 PM
Luke Matthews (@GeekElite) says:
First off: Thank you, Chuck, for giving us a platform to promote. For guys like me with very limited reach, it’s a boon, and I really appreciate it.
—
I’ll start with my friend Leif Chappelle’s book, CITY OF TIGERS. It’s set in a unique and rich fantasy world with a musical bent, telling the story of one of the few remaining elemental magicians called Projektors as he tries to survive in a world that has become hostile toward his kind.
CITY OF TIGERS Website: http://cityoftigers.com
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/City-Tigers-Under-Sunstone-Book-ebook/dp/B00L9KZ34I/
—
My novel is called CONSTRUCT. It’s a fantasy action-adventure chase story that’s been compared to The Bourne Identity or The Fugitive in a fantasy setting.
“A failed attempt to destroy Samuel robs him of memories, but leaves him assaulted by visions of a brutal murder. Adrift in a world that sees constructs like him as property, he must find a way to restore his fractured mind before the ruthless hunters pursuing him snuff out his only chance to discern if he’s a witness…or a killer.”
I am very proud to have received a blurb from Cullen Bunn, the author of my all-time favorite comic book, THE SIXTH GUN: “Matthews’ vivid description, brisk pacing, and page-turning mystery hooked me from the first page. The haunted construct Samuel is as fine an example of a compelling fantasy character as I could hope to find. CONSTRUCT is a delight!”
CONSTRUCT Website: http://www.chroniclersaga.com
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MW634YY
November 17, 2014 — 1:07 PM
Ann Noser says:
Thanks for this opportunity.
First my book: HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS, by Ann M. Noser
http://www.amazon.com/How-Date-Dead-Guys-Noser/dp/1620075199
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22716886-how-to-date-dead-guys?from_search=true
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-date-dead-guys-ann-m-noser/1119938862?ean=9781620075197
blurb:
When Mike drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life shatters. Haunted by nightmares, she turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back. Under a Blood Moon, Emma lights candles, draws a pentacle, and casts a spell. The invoked river rages up against her. As she escapes, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. Instead of raising Mike, Emma uses witchcraft to assist other victims stolen back from death. But her powers may not protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.
And now another: THE ATHLETE’S GUIDE TO YOGA, by Sage Rountree
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2493087.The_Athlete_s_Guide_to_Yoga
This book was incredibly helpful to me when I started practicing yoga. I still keep it on hand, in case I need to look something up. The only reason I can continue to keep running (safely, without injury) is due to yoga.
Book benefits:
– useful appendix
– helpful pictures
– detailed descriptions
– great organization into related groups
– history of yoga is interesting
I highly recommend it. It’s the only athletic book I’ve come back to repeatedly. All the others I share with like-minded individuals, but this one I selfishly keep for myself (because I need it). 🙂
November 17, 2014 — 1:11 PM
kimberleycooperblog says:
One from me: Paranormal romance short story. Sweet love story but saucy, so adults only! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/486993
And one for a friend of mine, Danae Ryder. A contemporary love story, but also saucy, warning above applies: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/486648
November 17, 2014 — 1:12 PM
Bonita Gutierrez says:
Thanks Chuck!
THE WEREWOLF WHISPERER by Camilla Ochlan and Bonita Gutierrez — not your grandma’s werewolf tale.
Lucy Lowell, The Werewolf Whisperer, and her partner Xochitl Magaña are thrown into chaos when the Kyon Virus turns a disturbing number of Angelenos into Werewolf-like creatures. As the outbreak expands to epidemic proportions, Lucy’s uncanny ability to control the creatures makes her “the silver lining in our werewolf apocalypse.” Battling their own personal demons born of family history and bad choices, the women join together in the pursuit of helping those afflicted. But all is not as it seems. Not for Lucy. Not for Xochitl. And not for a society just coming to grips with the new world order.
If you like reading dark urban fantasy stories about shotgun-toting, muscle car-driving, evil-fighting kick-ass women, then you’ll love THE WEREWOLF WHISPERER!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Werewolf+Whisperer
Since we like post-apocalyptic, dystopian stories ourselves, we’d like to promote Greg Rucka’s super cool, end of the world/new world order comic series LAZARUS. “Governments are a thing of the past, having given way to enormous economic disparity and the rise of semi-feudalism. Families control the world and each Family’s Lazarus is a person who serves to guard the Family from threats, whether they be from within or without.”
Here’s the link to Vol. 1. Check it out.
http://www.amazon.com/Lazarus-1-TP-Greg-Rucka/dp/1607068095/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416246658&sr=8-1&keywords=lazarus+vol+1
November 17, 2014 — 1:14 PM
deshipley says:
It is quite cool of you to do this, Chuck. ^_^ I must make a point of going through all these comments.
Self-promo = The latest in my series of fairytale retelling/mash-up novellas (the series hailed in reviews as witty, charming, and gorgeously crafted) is launching December 2nd! And ’til then, 5 copies are up for grabs in a Goodreads giveaway. “Next to the uncommon beauty of her sisters, Princess Laraspur feels invisible, until she learns the two most powerful kings in the world have their eyes fixed upon her. But the ensuing double-courtship goes horribly awry, requiring Laraspur to brave the secret perils of earth, sea, and sky, on a quest that will try the very essence of her being.” – THE SUN’S RIVAL (Book Five of The Wilderhark Tales)
http://deshipley.weebly.com/the-suns-rival-wilderhark-tales-5.html
Promoting for a friend = Check out the new short story collection from sci-fi/horror/fantasy author and artist Rob Lopez, PRELUDE TO SPIRAL LEGION.
“Stories from a future timeline, this collection details the history of the science-fiction horror universe of Spiral Legion and includes:
Time to Put the Toys Away -c.2230s- A telepath, a clairvoyant and a telekinetic play a game only one can win.
Preyer Jar -c.2300?- Wherein a man undergoes a radical genetic make-over to forget his sins.
She is Not Herself -c.2474- Wherein a professor receives an admirer in the dead of night.
A German Shepherd, His Lord Magician and the Chippendale Arm Chair -c.2572- Wherein a blind agent of the Vatican and his guide dog are dispatched to another planet to investigate the claims of a possessed arm chair!”
And so much more!
http://www.amazon.com/Prelude-Spiral-Legion-Rob-Lopez-ebook/dp/B00NRI61QY/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416247805&sr=1-3&keywords=robert+lopez+spiral+legion
November 17, 2014 — 1:18 PM
Nick Carcano says:
My novelette (I always feel like a French dandy when I use that word):
Wiseguy Frank Falzone is no stranger to killing and disposing of the evidence, but when the ghost of his dead mobster friend brings dire warnings about a traitor in the family, Frank finds himself trying to solve a murder instead. If that weren’t enough, the ghost warns Falzone that his killer is plotting to undermine the American war effort, a mere two weeks before the Allied invasion of Sicily.
“With the Fishes: A Paranormal Mafia Mystery”
http://amzn.to/1v7n2XX
I also highly recommend this novel by. Steven K. Peacecock:
Who will watch the warlocks? Jameson Parker is a semi-reformed warlock who investigates and informs on his fellow warlocks for the British government. When a routine investigation pulls Parker into the circles inhabited by magic dealers, would-be revolutionaries, and rogue government agents, he’ll be forced to confront his complicity in the regime and his dark past. “Lore and Order” is a realistic and refreshing take on urban fantasy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NJ2BVHC
November 17, 2014 — 1:24 PM
Marie says:
When Amy prays for a Loki isn’t who she had in mind. Loki can’t resist Amy’s summons, but he can insist she help him outwit Odin and give him dinner—not necessarily in that order. A hilarious blend of mythology, adventure, and dinosaurs with over 150 five-star reviews on Amazon.
DOWNLOAD IT FREE @ Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Fire-Part-Wolves-ebook/dp/B008UUIGB2/
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-bring-the-fire-part-i-c-gockel/1115457768?ean=2940044551565
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/i-bring-the-fire-part-i-wolves/id655735120?mt=11
NOW FOR MY RECs:
Nolander by Becca Mills
Nice girls don’t believe in monsters. They’re wrong …
If you’re tired of cookie cutter worlds and like a dash of sci-fi with your fantasy this is a mesmerizing story.
DOWNLOAD FREE on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nolander-Emanations-urban-fantasy-Book-ebook/dp/B007R6PPZA/
B&N:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nolander-becca-mills/1114076259?ean=9780615669168
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Becca_Mills_Nolander?id=6XEWAgAAQBAJ&hl=en
American Ghoul by Walt Morton
Funny, scary, and smashingly original, American Ghoul introduces us to oddball teenager Howard Pickman, a kid with a long family history of digging up the dead. This fast-paced read tells the epic story of Howard (maybe) surviving the most terrible time anybody has to go through — senior year in high school back in 1978.
FREE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED: http://www.amazon.com/American-Ghoul-Walt-Morton-ebook/dp/B00AFCTMCU/
THANK YOU CHUCK!
November 17, 2014 — 1:32 PM
Bonita Gutierrez says:
Sounds cool. My dog Loki is named after the God of Mischief (and, of course, Thor’s bro!)
November 17, 2014 — 2:54 PM
CeeCee James says:
Ghost No More; Behind the glitz and the glamour of the beauty queen mother lies a web of secrets. CeeCee is a child desperate for a touch of approval, the love of her mother. Her reality is her mom’s retreating back, abandoning CeeCee in front of a burning car.
But somewhere amid the chaos and despair, CeeCee holds onto something precious, the only thing that drives her on – hope.
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-No-More-Book-ebook/dp/B00IJ0AKRQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416248971&sr=8-1&keywords=ghost+no+more
Book 2-
Legacy (The Biodome Chronicles Book 1)
A sensible young nobleman, Leaf Watson, and his sister, Willow Oak, live a rustic medieval life rich in traditions and chivalry. Sealed inside an experimental biodome since infancy, they have been groomed by The Code to build a sustainable community devoid of Outsider interference.
They are unwitting pioneers on a path toward confined interplanetary homesteading.
http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Biodome-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00HXQU71G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416249298&sr=8-1&keywords=jesikah+sundin
November 17, 2014 — 1:36 PM
Dale T. Phillips says:
First I’d like to tell you about The Button, a science fiction thriller by Vlad V. If you liked The Dome, you’re going to enjoy this. Two brothers find an artifact that shouldn’t be, in a place they shouldn’t be. They activate a bizarre crystal cube clasped in a skeleton’s hand, and once its terrifying power has been awakened, things spiral out of their control. They fall into the crosshairs of an NSA agent driven by a shadowy agenda. The deadly implications of their find could change the course of human history, and they have no choice but to solve the mystery of the cube before it annihilates them all.
http://www.amazon.com/Button-Book-I-II-ebook/dp/B00JF5XIR8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1416249041
If you like supernatural thrillers based on Native American mythology, you might try Shadow of the Wendigo (in honor of Chuck, the original Wendigo- thanks for letting us post here). In the snowy Canadian wilderness, a terrifying legend springs to life, sparking a series of gruesome crimes. Government agent Sean Laporte is sent to investigate, and must contend with an obsessive, resourceful foe, a hostile environment, and an elusive search for the truth. He is soon pulled between worlds of myth and madness, a present haunted by the past, and a primitive world of mystery and power. Joseph Campbell crossed with a David Lynch-type world of dreams and visions.
http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wendigo-Dale-T-Phillips-ebook/dp/B00HOTNE2Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1416248677
November 17, 2014 — 1:38 PM
Rie Warren says:
What a fantastic opportunity!
Jacket copy for my novel STONE, AT YOUR SERVICE (Carolina Bad Boys #1):
Hell on wheels meets hell in high heels.
Bad boy mechanic Josh Stone likes to get his hands dirty any way he can—the filthier, the better. Ever since his wife walked out on him and their young son, he’s only had room in his heart for two loves: the kid and cars.
Roped into playing his best buddy’s gay boyfriend during a romance writers convention, the player meets the girl who’s gonna rock his world. Leelee Songchild. Shy, bashful, beautiful Leelee who blushes at the drop of a hat yet writes hardcore smut to rival Josh’s backlist of Penthouse Forum.
The only problem is his hands are tied. Josh can’t stab his old friend/fake lover in the back even though all he wants to do is take luscious Leelee to bed, and maybe, love her. When the truth comes out, all hell breaks loose.
Too bad romance is just for books.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MRPKWAY
I’d like to pimp LOVE IN THE TIME OF THE DEAD (Dead Rapture #1). Why? Because zombies! This is an edge-of-your-seat YA novel by a very talented writer, Tera Shanley.
Laney Landry has been fighting Deads alongside her brother and friends for three years. But she has a secret. She’s immune to Dead bites and has to find the right people to trust with the information. Her team rallies around her to find a doctor who can extract a vaccine from Laney which could fight the virus that ended the world. Sean Daniels leads a colony that provides her team with much needed shelter and supplies. He is obviously interested in Laney. The question is whether he’s only intrigued by her as a source for the possible vaccine, or for something more.
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Time-Dead-Words-Shanley-ebook/dp/B00NO13982/
November 17, 2014 — 1:41 PM
James K. Moran says:
Thank you for this neat little venue to promote one’s first novel. Lethe Press told me about it. My first horror novel, Town & Train, comes out this week from Lethe Press. I’m excited because I wrote the kind of book I would love to read. Town & Train features a cross-section of characters of varying ages, including retired firefighter, Henry Tanner. But don’t take my word for it—here’s the back-cover blurb.
“In a small Ontario town, seventeen-year-old John Daniel wakes by the railroad tracks with no recollection of how he got there. Something called him from his bed. Officer David Forester, a recent transfer from Toronto, struggles to fit into the local police force, despite resistance from established circles. Both soon suspect a more pervasive and menacing collusion occurring in town when an antique steam train arrives late in the night. At the phantasmal engine, a conductor promises the desperate locals escape from their town dying with so many closed stores and shattered dreams—but there is no denying what the stranger really brings is the stuff of nightmares.”
You can find Town & Train at http://amzn.to/1uEhSRm
As for a book to recommend, I am going with a fellow Canadian writer. Jennifer LoveGrove’s Watch How We Walk (ECW Press, 2013) is a moving novel about a little girl growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness in a dysfunctional family. Watch How We Walk was long-listed for the 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
You can read more about one of my favorite reads of 2014 at http://bit.ly/1vkQPw2
November 17, 2014 — 1:41 PM
Ken says:
Amidst the Rising Shadows (Book 3 of the Safanarion Order)
In this third installment of the Safanarion Order Series, the Free Nations Army desperately scrambles to prepare for war not only with the High King, but the looming threat of an invasion force determined to enslave them all.
Aaron is held captive on the Hythariam home world that’s only weeks away from being destroyed. With the portal between worlds down there is little chance that Aaron will be able to return to Safanar.
Sarah is caught in the middle of this epic struggle, and there are those who seek to use her as leverage against the High King. Loyalties and friendships will be strained as Aaron’s friends seek to continue the work that he has started, but without the Alenzar’seth to lead them, the fragile alliance of nations seems doomed to failure.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCWYJLC
I highly recommend The Last Swordmage by Martin Hengst:
As far as bad luck goes, Tiadaria’s has been the stuff of legend. After being sold into slavery by her father and accused of a murder she didn’t commit, she finds herself facing the executioner. The only thing standing between her neck and the sharp edge of the axe is the village Constable.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AR187RA
November 17, 2014 — 1:45 PM
Kyra Dune says:
My book: Crossfire (Urban Fantasy/Spy Thriller)
Angel is a breed – half human, half demon – working for a private investigator in the city of New Hope. But when her boss goes missing she finds herself plunged into a world of spies, lies, murder plots, and deadly secrets. It’s a tangled web to unravel and for every answer Angel uncovers, a dozen new questions emerge. Someone is trying to pit the three factions against each other, but who and why? It’s up to Angel to find out before all out war buries Southern Archaides in ash.
http://www.amazon.com/Crossfire-Duology-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00IT3CX3W/ref=la_B00A5WOHGQ_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416250216&sr=1-4
Book I suggest: Road To Ascendance by M.A. Smith (Fantasy)
Growing up in the racially volatile flatlands of the Mississippi River basin, Michael Descado has been forced to fight his entire life. With his stoic and contrastingly noble brother Eric by his side, young adulthood finds Michael in his fourth year of college at Delta State University, where his frequent brawling has made him part of the local folklore. One night after a fraternity party melee, Michael’s dormitory is struck by a massive tornado, ripping the building apart and carrying its occupants to a strange and otherworldly realm of monsters and magic. The ensuing adventure yokes them with saga heroes and nightmare foes, themes of morality, religion, self-sacrifice, and the value of sentient life permeating each choice, each conflict, each miracle. In the end, Michael will hold the fate of a new world in one hand, and the fates of his most beloved in the other.
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Ascendance-Children-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B00PM98C8Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416250161&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Road+To+Ascendance+by+M.A.+Smith
And I have to tell you, I’m not finished with Smith’s book yet, but it is definitely a five star read. This is a really fantastic fantasy novel and it’s only .99 cents.
November 17, 2014 — 1:55 PM
Patricia Flaherty Pagan says:
Wicked good idea, Chuck. Thanks!
Giving the new, creepy mystery and horror collection that I both edited and contributed to, “Eve’s Requiem: Tales of Women, Mystery and Horror,” is a way to give the gift of diverse and spine-tingling fiction, while giving back. Menacing husbands mysteriously disappear. Ghouls beckon. Freakish disasters engulf Boston. It includes new fiction by Pushcart Prize nominee Erika D. Price, horror and science fiction writer E.L. Russell, novelist Pamela Fagan Hutchins and British novelist Catherine Edmunds. Five percent of the proceeds from all anthologies will benefit rape crisis centers and veterans’ charities. Order it today from http://www.spiderroadpress.com/Book_Store.html or Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Eves-Requiem-Tales-Mystery-Horror/dp/0991417615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416246882&sr=1-1&keywords=eve%27s+requiem.
Also check out the talented R. L. Nolen’s unsettling mystery, “Deadly Thyme.” When Ruth Butler fled her demon of a husband in Texas for a sleepy seaside village in the south of England, it was to start a safe new life for herself and her baby under new names. But after ten peaceful years in Perrins Point, Ruth’s beloved daughter Annie disappears. Ruth must rely on her instincts and the ally she finds in an undercover detective, but neither can search for Annie’s kidnapper openly. Ruth could be deported for living under an alias and Detective Inspector Jon Graham would blow his cover. Nevertheless, the trail leads from a faceless body in Annie’s clothes to a smugglers’ cave, where the killer drains his victims’ blood an ounce at a time. But he’s got a special purpose for little Annie. He is patient. He will wait—until her mother comes to save her. Enter the darkness of this compelling novel by ordering your copy today: http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Thyme-R-L-Nolen/dp/1939889146/ref=tmm_pap_title_0.
November 17, 2014 — 1:59 PM
letahawk says:
Thanks for doing this, Chuck.
My first book, “The Newbie: A Kyrie Carter Ghost Hunting Adventure,” was published this summer. Kyrie Carter wins a radio contest and gets the chance to investigate a local haunted mansion with Drac and Gabe Petery, stars of a ghost hunting reality show. Kyr’s dream weekend turns into a nightmare when the resident ghost takes an instant dislike to Kyr and attacks her during the investigation. The discovery of long-hidden family secrets, including a possible murder cover up,seem to make the spirit even more aggressive. The team realizes that they need to solve the mystery surrounding the Berkeley Mansion and put the spirit to rest before something much worse happens.
http://www.amazon.com/Newbie-Hunting-Adventure-Paranormal-Adventures-ebook/dp/B00LFW4IVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416250980&sr=8-1&keywords=leta+hawk
Also, if you’re interested in ghost stories, especially real life hauntings, check out this book by my friend Mike Ricksecker. This book is a compilation of ghostly experiences from many different folks. It’s the perfect book to curl up with on a chilly winter night…but you might not want to read it when you’re alone.
http://www.amazon.com/Encounters-Paranormal-Personal-Tales-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00OWEXXC2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1416251140&sr=8-3&keywords=mike+ricksecker
November 17, 2014 — 2:06 PM
Vlad V. says:
I found this book to be a real thrill ride:
A SHADOW ON THE WALL
Zack Taylor’s new life is crumbling. His fledgling business is in jeopardy, he’s been dumped by his lady love, and a murderous gang leader is bent on revenge. A shattered Zack is enticed onto a movie shoot to provide martial arts expertise and security, when a sudden murder raises the stakes. Zack must deal with his own demons, as well as a host of shadowy tricksters with secrets to hide. Death is at hand, and Zack must figure out who to trust in a world of illusion built on money and power.
http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wall-Dale-T-Phillips/dp/1625700032/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1416251356&sr=8-14&keywords=dale+t.+phillips
And as always, thank you, Chuck, for being Chuck!
November 17, 2014 — 2:11 PM
Brandon says:
“AWARE: An Inquiry Into Consciousness” … Our Psychedelic Quest for Life, Liberty and Intellectual Property
Sci-Fi / Fantasy/ Philosophy
A miracle product dropped in the lap of consumer Hell has a tendency to cause trouble, or worse… conversation.
What does an astronaut, a blue collar worker, and a reporter have in common with a scientist bent on world domination? … Everything.
What if you woke up this morning to find you were more than one person?
“AWARE” is what you could call a psychedelic book, a living machine with an entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of humor begging us to load up our animal baggage and step inside.
Enjoy the ride, B.E.B.
http://www.brandonearlbristow.com/
https://twitter.com/BrandonBristow
“Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets”
By Nassim Nicholas Taleb
A great book, full of cross platform insights for anyone wanting a wider perspective on the odds of everything, this book shines a logical well-thought light on our collective and personal blind spots.
This is a book you read in the pure interest of smartening up.
The rare book I consider a “must read” (even if you think you’re smart enough) and beyond this barrage of compliments, “Fooled by Randomness” is the ultra-rare literary effort you re-read years later to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
November 17, 2014 — 2:17 PM
CJane Elliott says:
Thanks for the opportunity, Chuck!
AIDAN’S JOURNEY is the second novel in my Serpentine Series, new adult, coming of age gay novels set at the University of Virginia. Psychological journey, emotional abuse, some explicit scenes, and a tale of redemption all wrapped into one.
Blurb: The star of the University of Virginia theater department, Aidan Emery is lusted after and admired for living out and proud. He uses his talent and good looks to his advantage and never sleeps with the same guy twice. But his glamorous patina has been carefully honed to hide the pain he carries inside. Aidan wasn’t always such a player. He starts college naively romantic, hungry for the attention he can’t get from his workaholic father and mentally ill mother. Unfortunately, that leaves him ripe pickings for predatory professor Rodney Montgomery. Rodney’s flattering regard seduces Aidan into a dysfunctional relationship that destroys his innocence. Life looks up for Aidan when he finally breaks free of Rodney’s pull and moves to New York City to make it as an actor. But before Aidan can rebuild his life into happily ever after, family secrets rip him wide open, leaving him easy prey when Rodney decides he’s not willing to let Aidan go.
http://www.amazon.com/Aidans-Journey-The-Serpentine-Book-ebook/dp/B00O98QAXK
My recommendation is for a non-fiction book, BEYOND MAGENTA, which I read because my third novel has a transgender teen as one of the secondary characters. I found the stories, told in the words of the teens themselves, to be eye-opening, heartbreaking, and enthralling.
Blurb: A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HRC9HQC?btkr=1
November 17, 2014 — 2:22 PM
Olivia Kelly says:
Nice! Thanks, Chuck.
My thing coincides with my recommendation: Fireside Fiction Company. All genre stories, cool bites of fiction, plus yearly serials. Good stuff. I have a story there called Good Ghoul Gone Bad, under my D.B.Starler name. http://www.firesidefiction.com
If you want to support good fiction, at a company that pays well, please drop by and check out ways to help fund FFC! (No, I’m not employed there, but I did enjoy fair pay for my words. Everyone should get that. So help support places that pay artists well!) 🙂
November 17, 2014 — 2:25 PM
pmillhouse says:
Thanks for the Promo Op, Oh Master Wendig!
http://www.boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/gift-fantasy
I’m promoting my story Dragonstone, which placed in a Christmas Anthology with four other writers. Yep – Santa came early this year.
It’s the Gift of Fantasy Romance just in time for the holidays.
In addition to my short story, where an Elf Prince must recover a stolen royal dragon egg, (published by Boroughs Publishing Group) you also get four additional short stories from these awesome authors: Mary Beth Bass, Ciar Cullen, Kent DuFault, and Jason Sinason, all in one easy package, for $1.47.
Lunchbox Romances – the perfect escape for the day.
November 17, 2014 — 2:26 PM
Reggie Lutz says:
Okie Dokie, here goes….
From me: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JWECUWQ
Gwendolyn McTutcheon can’t move on even though she’s been dead for a year. Having left behind a grieving husband, Evan; and three sisters, Trudy, Bethany, and Sarah; she knows there is work yet to do.
Sarah, Gwen’s youngest sister, is back in town to help her two remaining sisters confront a depressed Evan about settling Gwen’s will. Still grieving—and raw from wrongful accusations made by Trudy and Bethany that he’d murdered his wife—Evan must set to the task of putting the past, and Gwen, to rest. But not all of the past stays in the past when Sarah offers her help and a romance between her and Evan begins. After all, it was that inappropriate kiss years ago that sparked the notion he might have harmed his wife in the first place.
As Gwen watches, unable to intervene, Trudy and Bethany keep secrets of their own, secrets that level the field and make Sarah consider coming home to stay again. But when an arsonist sets his sights on Evan’s bar, Duard’s, and Sarah’s life is threatened, Gwen knows she must find a way to intervene, for her family and for her own peace.
And for the friend promotion thing: Is music okay here? It’s actually a series of theatrical shows, written by Paul Shapera with a loads of juicy storytelling, just in a different form. He’s releasing the New Albion box set in December, which is a trilogy, set in the fictional city of New Albion which includes, the Steampunk Opera, the Dieselpunk Opera, and the Atompunk Opera, as well as a bonus album. If you like your showtunes and live plays heavily dosed with some sf&f, this thing is amazing.
VIVA ART!
http://steampunkopera.wordpress.com/2014/11/08/the-new-albion-box-set-the-final-solution/
November 17, 2014 — 2:28 PM
Jen Minkman (@JenMinkman) says:
Okay, since you asked me to keep it short and simple:
An ancient land protected by a Tower of Light,
its people ever tempted by Siren song,
and a girl who falls for the wrong boy.
(Sound of Sirens – out November 27th http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Sirens-Tales-Skylge-1-ebook/dp/B00PEN2XI0)
Also, please check out Black Face, White Face, an awesome story written by one of my fellow Dutch authors Mara Li:
Nineteen-year-old Juliet has been suffering from nightmares ever since she survived a brutal attack on the Fallhallow National Bank. But she hopes to put those terrifying memories behind her on the day of the court trial. After all, with the criminal known as the Half-Face locked in chains, she will be perfectly safe. Until he manages to break free, that is, and grab the nearest hostage he can get his hands on – her.
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Face-White-Mara-Li-ebook/dp/B00JFAW86A
November 17, 2014 — 2:35 PM
Sarah_Madison says:
I’ve been circling this post trying to decide whether or not to do this, but hey, you said go for it, so here I am! http://amzn.com/B00NYNNAJS
Walk a Mile (Book Two in the Sixth Sense series) By Sarah Madison: Six months after starting their hunt for a serial killer who is still at large, FBI agents Jerry Lee Parker and John Flynn are partners in every sense. But Jerry has serious doubts about their relationship and whether they would even be together if not for the way Flynn changed after touching a mysterious artifact in a museum.
Flynn hates the extraordinary power bestowed on him by the artifact and wants nothing more than to have a normal life again. Jerry fears that without the unusual connection they forged, Flynn will no longer want or need him. Chasing after a similar artifact takes them back to Flynn’s old stomping grounds in Washington D.C., where his newfound abilities uncover long-buried secrets, the kind people would kill to protect. But they aren’t the only ones looking for these powerful relics, and what they discover will threaten their relationship—and their lives.
Warning: hot FBI agents who snark and banter their way into each other’s hearts–all while fighting crime.
And the story I want to promote: A Minor Inconvenience by Sarah Granger
http://amzn.com/B00FSDBKJ4
Duty, honor, propriety…all fall in the face of love.
Captain Hugh Fanshawe returned from the Peninsular War with a leg that no longer works properly, thanks to a French musket ball. Now his fight against Napoleon is reduced to quiet, lonely days compiling paperwork at Horse Guards headquarters.
His evenings are spent dutifully escorting his mother and sister to stifling social engagements, where his lameness renders him an object of pity and distaste. But his orderly, restricted life is thrown into sudden disarray with the arrival of Colonel Theo Lindsay.
Theo is everything Hugh is not—a man of physical perfection and easy yet distinguished address. Surprisingly to Hugh, Theo appears to be interested in making his acquaintance. Lindsay turns out to be a most convivial companion, and Hugh finds great pleasure in his company. Their friendship deepens when they become lovers.
In spite of himself, Hugh falls desperately in love. But when a French spy is suspected at Horse Guards, Hugh discovers nothing is as it seems…and the paper he shuffles from day to day could be the instrument of his lover’s death.
Warning: Contains gallant English officers in love, dastardly French spies, skintight pantaloons (sometimes on the floor) and gleaming tasseled Hessians.
Whew! Done! And thank you!
November 17, 2014 — 2:40 PM
Michelle Demers says:
THE GLOBAL INDIE AUTHOR: YOUR GUIDE TO THE WORLD OF SELF-PUBLISHING by M.A.Demers
482 pages of everything you need to know to self-publish: *Book Structure *Manuscript Editing *Copyright and Registration *Copyright and Trademark Infringement *Libel, Obscenity, Hate Literature, Civil Liability *The ISBN System *Software *Manuscript Formatting for eBooks *HTML Editing *Cover and Interior Images *Building and Testing Kindle Books and ePubs *Print Production *Marketing *Distribution and Royalties *Payments and Withholding Tax *The Vanity Press Machine
In print on Amazon, B&N, Chapters, and other retailers worldwide. 50% off eBook promotional launch on Kobo starts TODAY and runs until November 23rd: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/the-global-indie-author-1. eBook available on Amazon on November 24th.
And elsewhere: Meghan Ciana Doidge just released her latest book, I SEE ME, on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/See-Me-Oracle-Book-ebook/dp/B00P1RP8O0
and LGBT writer T.T. Thomas’s latest, The GIRL WITH 2 HEARTS, launches on Amazon on Wednesday.
Thanks, Chuck!
November 17, 2014 — 2:41 PM
Jemima Pett says:
If you like clean stories, possibly with happy endings, what better than seven BookElves bringing you seasonal short stories suitable for kids aged 8-108? Includes specials from regular Chuck-challengees Rebecca M Douglass and me. 🙂
BookElves Anthology Volume 1 releases 25th November; pre-order now, or wait to buy the paperback and get the kindle edition free. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PMFHP7Y
November 17, 2014 — 2:43 PM
A. E. Lowan says:
I don’t have anything but short stories available, currently, including one in this anthology along side several very talented writers.
http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Great-Cycle-Anthology-Mesoamerican-ebook/dp/B00LKYIBR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405019862&sr=8-1&keywords=songs+of+the+great+cycle
MYTH, MAGIC, AND FANTASY IN MESOAMERICA
Long Count Press presents seven original tales of fantasy drawing on the themes, legends, and cultures of Mesoamerica.
A mysterious feathered serpent haunts a cave and grants an enchanting gift – for a price; A Mayan man races to preserve his people’s culture and knowledge as his civilization is overrun; A mythical coatl reaches her maturity, and chafes against the bonds of tradition. These stories and more are found in the pages of “Songs of the Great Cycle,” a must for any fantasy fan, and particularly for fans of Mesoamerican history and legend.
Full Contents:
Plumed Serpent, by Randal S. Doering
Defying the Conquerors, by Gerri Leen
A Cycle of Her Own, by A.E. Lowan
Montezuma’s Revenge, by Susan Bianculli
The Place of Fear, by Jamie Lackey
Possum, by Steven Rodgers
The Son of Stone and Black Glass, by Philip Overby
November 17, 2014 — 2:44 PM
M. H. Lee says:
Hopefully non-fiction is okay. My book: You Can Survive This
A non-fiction book based upon my personal experience of losing my father at a young age. Meant to help those going through something similar understand that they are not alone and that as much as it may suck right now they can survive this loss.
Available most places, but here’s the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OMC8YQE/
And the B&N Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-can-survive-this-mh-lee/1120747513?ean=2940046317114
My recommendation: The NanoWriMo Writing Tools Bundle which is still available and still full of amazing books for writers. http://storybundle.com/nano
Also, just read Code Name:Verity and that was pretty damned good, too.
November 17, 2014 — 3:05 PM
S. A. Hunt says:
“The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree” and “Law of the Wolf”, volume 1 & 2 Outlaw King box set. 199 reviews and a 4-1/2 star rating!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJCLMFU/keywords=steampunk+king+gunslinger
After coming home from a stint in Afghanistan, veteran Ross Brigham learns that his father has passed away. Dearly departed Dad was a famous fantasy novelist, and the 300 fans that show up for the funeral demand that Ross finish E. R. Brigham’s long-running magnum opus. Ross and two of the author’s devotees investigate his untimely death and discover that he might have been murdered…and the time-bending gunslingers of Dad’s steampunk novels might be real.
As they try to acclimate to the arid deserts of the author’s fantasy world, the three damaged heroes become pawns in a war for humanity’s survival. The Muses have grown tired of immortality and now incite atrocities on Earth, trying to lure down a leviathan from the stars. Can Ross and his new friends stop the scheming satyrs before both worlds are eaten?
Inspired by such old-school fantasy classics as Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.
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I’m also reading the PHENOMENAL “Century of Sand” by Christopher Ruz. This dude has serious talent… this is the first fantasy book I’ve read since the invention of the Kindle that carries the weightiness and mythicality of fantasy literature from the 70’s and 80’s.
http://amzn.com/B007NG8H7W/keywords=fantasy+magic+paranormal
As a young soldier, Richard led a rebellion that installed the King’s sociopathic Magician as the new regent. Now, after forty years of watching his comrades vanish into the dungeons of Stonebridge Castle, Richard has fled the kingdom with his mute daughter in tow, escaping into the desert wastes where magic still boils in the clouds and demons walk the dunes inside the bodies of men.
The Magician isn’t far behind, and he’s brought a pet: the Culling, an undead stitched-together tracking dog with a taste for blood. But Richard has his own weapon, stolen from the Magician himself: the calcified heart of a demon, which he hopes to trade back to its original owner in exchange for sanctuary. What he doesn’t know is that his daughter, Ana, is far more valuable than the stone. She was the last piece in the Magician’s grand weapon, and he’ll tear the desert in half to get her back…
November 17, 2014 — 3:15 PM