Samhain treat: Bound by a Ban-sidhe

On Samhain, the veil between the realms of the living and the dead is at its thinnest.

No feast, treats, or costumes for Dusana. She’s stuck watching over the village’s flock alone again, like she’s done a thousand times before. Her quiet night is shattered when she must defend the herd from three huge wolves who turn out to be something much more frightening: three gorgeous shifters. The shifters are under the spell of a fearsome ban-sidhe, and Dusana is eager to help them. But what can a simple shepherdess do against a ban-sidhe on a night that her foul magic will be at its strongest?

ONLY 99c!

This treat of a read is now available from my pen name. It's fantasy with a few marvelous twists and a layer of romance.

I had such fun writing it as I played with the ancient legends of the ban-sidhe and Samhain. I'm also curious to see who can figure out the twists before they're sprung!

Friday Five for August 7, 2015

1. I had a pleasant surprise when I found a new review for my most recent Dice & Debauchery book from a reviewer I hadn't submitted to myself! It's not a five star review, but sometimes that doesn't matter when the reviewer says she wants to read more from you. Check it out on Exquisite Reviews.

2. With my son in school full time, I've had a productive week. My house is clean, the lawn is mowed, and all the laundry folded. Oh yes, I did some writing too. I finished the first draft of a novelette. Another one of those stories that suddenly came to me with a rush of vivid persistence. There are two more stories to go with it, and I have them already done in my head.

3. I'm going to be starting my regular blogging schedule again next week. Monday will be promo day: guest posts from other authors, cover reveals, and reviews. Wednesday: the first Wednesday of each month will be IWSG, and the remaining ones will be Wicked Wednesday. I talk about all aspects of being a writer, give tips, and ask questions. Fridays will continue to be my Friday Five. Just a quick update of what's going on in my life.

4. I received one short story rejection this week. I'm working on a flash piece today for my local critique group. That will complete my 2015 short story goal of writing six pieces this year. If I can, I want to keep pushing on and do one a month.

5. My little guy has been loving kindergarten. I watch him get on the bus in the mornings and get the warm fuzzies. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo

Scrawny cowgirl vs. zombies

L'il Gal Al is a dime-store western with bite. A little cheesy and gory, and full of southern twang.

Blurb:
Alma Sweeney might be scrawny, but the last yahoo that called her "L'il Gal Al" got shot in the foot.

Using her frontier skills to protect travelers and businesses alike, Alma escorts a group of settlers into Amarillo, a town with too many yellow flowers, drunks, and zombies. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself doing the sheriff's job. He's a nice enough fellow, but a little green, and he has no clue how to stop the horror dragging itself into his town.

Lucky for the sheriff, he has Alma. Her first night in town yanks her into a foul mystery. Zombies walk the streets and people are driven from their homes and businesses. Alma thinks it easily solved, but in the desert, things aren't always as they seem. The clock is ticking and the zombies are swarming. Alma needs to know where to point her gun or else be torn into pieces.

Did I surprise you with a western horror? This is nothing like the paranormal romance I usually write. It's fun to write outside of your genre now and then, though. I also love old west stories with a twist. Maybe some steampunk, the supernatural, or an alien. Let your imagination take you to places beyond the dusty old saloon.

I hope to have this novelette out in a couple of weeks. I'll be offering it for free. A Halloween treat for you.

Don't forget to join me tomorrow for the big Birthday Bash and giveaway!

Review of Defying Gravity by Cherie Reich

This post is in anticipation of my wonderful CP, Cherie Reich's book release. She's taking the path of self-publishing with her sci-fi romance, Defying Gravity. She's intelligent and brave. I have no doubt she can do this. Hopefully it will be released mid-February.


Here's the blurb:

Homesick upon the SS Perseid, Linia, a young linguist, thinks she signed up for a mission of peace, but her crew members have another plan: attack the planet Medusa.

Bored with his dying planet, Alezandros, a space cruiser pilot, joins the Medusan army in his quest for adventure.

When the SS Perseid clashes with the Medusans’ army, Alezandros and Linia’s lives intertwine. Sucked through a wormhole, they crash upon a post-apocalyptic Earth and are captured by cannibals. In adjacent cells, Alezandros and Linia cast their differences aside for a common bond: escape. But when romantic feelings emerged between them, they might do the unthinkable because for a Medusan and a Persean to fall in love, it would defy gravity.

 

Of course as Cherie's CP, I've been lucky enough to have read her novelette already. This is her best work yet. She's planning a blog tour and looking for people to help get the word out. If you're interested, head over to her blog and contact her. I'll be having her here in March. Don't worry. You'll get lots of warning.

Here's my review:

Defying Gravity by Cherie Reich is a rare gem in the vast sci-fi universe. It nabbed me from the beginning with two fascinating characters starting great adventures themselves. Linia is a sweet young alien with a high intelligence yet little experience outside of her lovely and safe home world of Persea. Alezandros comes from a hard life on Medusa and seeks something better for himself and his family. Linia and Alezandros are suddenly thrown together when their peoples battle and a wormhole swallows them, causing them to crash into a post-apocalyptic earth. Captured by humans, they must work together to escape, and only by reading the story will you get to find out the explosive conclusion!


Reich writes compelling characters, drawing me in further with their vivid emotions and internal conflicts. Linia and Alezandros are rich in differences, but when their romance starts to bloom, I felt that they might be able to conquer anything. The story has wonderful details of other worlds: one full of color and life, and one dreary and dying. I was kept on the edge of my seat with the intense battles and each little twist thrown my way. This story has a little something for everyone: thrilling space adventure for sci-fi fans, a horrific post-apocalyptic earth for fantasy fans, and an against-all-odds love story for romance fans. Not only would I recommend Defying Gravity to everyone, but it's one of those awesome stories I will re-read again and again.