I’m excited to say that both The Damned and Path to Damnation~ Tuck Houston books one and two~ are again available đ They have had another round of edits to freshen them up as well these beautiful new covers I showed off a few months ago. No big changes, but a good spruce up â€
I have one more cover reveal for you đ Below is the cover for A Cold Winter’s Night, the first Sera Madden novel. We meet her in Aequitas~ Isles and West, book three.
I can’t wait any longer to share the cover for A Haunted Homecoming, the first Elvira Monk mystery đ I plan on releasing this full-length book in October as well â€
This was done by the awesome and insanely talented, Skyla Dawn Cameron â€
I was going to wait until September to show this off, because the story won’t be out until October, but I…just can’t wait that long. Look at this cover! I just…can not even ††â€
Cover Art by Skyla Dawn Cameron
My campy-horror loving heart is so happy!!!!
More to come on this short story in the next couple of weeks đ
Hunting monsters is not an easy business, but for Billie Shane itâs the only career sheâs ever wanted. At nineteen, her aunt and uncle give her something that means more to her than moneyâher first solo case. But thereâs a catch, and his name is Galileo Beck, a psychic training with the state to help law enforcement with supernatural cases.
Billie has disliked the popular young man since childhood, but unfortunately for her the case involves his three best friends. The three managed to summon a powerful demon, and though locked in the cemetery, the demon is feeding off of them in order to gain the power to free itself.
With a large festival coming to Eden Hollow, Billie and Galileo must work together if they want to stop not only the death of his friends, but also to save their hometown from becoming a feeding ground for a demon.
EXCERPT:
Her uncle was not wrong.
The holy water had burned like a son-of-a-bitch, and the area of broken skin, though small, still felt the next day as if someone had poured acid on her. The rest of her body didnât feel much better. Bruises, a mild concussion, and the overall feeling of being hit by a Mack truck had greeted her when she woke mid-morning.
Her uncle smirked as she walked into the kitchen. âYou look like crap.â
She rolled her eyes as she came to a stop near the island. âThanks.â
âHere.â He set a plate of homemade waffles with a side of sausage in front of her. âEat something.â
As she sat on a stool, she said, âSmells good.â
âI called your parents last night, after youâd gone to bed. Give them a call when you have a moment.â
Upon her graduation the previous year, her parents had moved back to Oregon, where theyâd grown up and still had family. Rory had agreed to finish her training, and she could stay with him until she was ready to be on her own.
She had worked part time while in school, but when sheâd made the decision to be a full-time hunter in New England, her only job was training. The state paid handsomely, as her uncle liked to say.
Last night had seen eight grand placed into her bank accountâher cut of the hunt.
Vampires came in on the low end of the pay scale. Witches, ghosts, and werewolves ranked far higher. The biggest payday came from demons, angels, and the ancient gods.
âI have a case for you ⊠and you probably arenât going to like it.â
He said that so nonchalantly that Billie was certain âprobablyâ meant she would absolutely hate it.
She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to speak.
Billie choked on her orange juice, causing it to dribble down her chin and down onto her food as she coughed. When she got control of the shock, she said, âWhat the hell?â
Rory handed her a paper towel to clean her face, which she happily took.
Those three names made her want to immediately say no to the case. Three out of four of the biggest assholes I grew up and went to school with.
âThat is the question,â Rory said. âBeckâs nephew said he saw flashes of whatever is attacking his friends through nightmares: black wings tipped with talons, long fangs from the mouth. But heâs pretty certain the beast canât leave the cemetery.â
âLashing out from afar,â she mumbled. Karma, you are a bitchâŠand damn funny. âIs he certain itâs just through nightmares? Is it syphoning their energy while theyâre awake?â
âRight now, all Beck is certain of is that they are being attacked through dreams.â
Well, that narrows it down to ghosts, demons, angels, and a few dozen non-human spirits from around the globe. âYou want me to investigate with you?â
He shook his head. âThis is the part you wonât like.â
Billie picked her fork up again and inquired, âWhat wonât I like?â
Crossing his arms, he sighed heavily. âYou are experienced with ghosts and demons because they are your motherâs specialty.â
Her father and Rory had mainly hunted werewolves, vampires, and other beasts of that nature, while her mother had focused on the ghosts, demons, angels, and the occasional god and goddess.
âBut Harlow isnât trained enough in her gift to block out a strong demon or ghost, soâŠâ
Billie suddenly began to understand where he was going. âNo.â
âNo what?â
âNo, I am not investigating a cemetery with Galileo Beck.â I fucking refuse. âHeâs an arrogant ass.â
âI can be, too, but you still work with me.â
She rolled her eyes. âHar, har.â
âLook, you may not like him, or those boys, but he is well-trained in his clairvoyance and he knows what this thing looks and feels like. Iâm sorry, ash-kicker, but you are working with him.â
Letting out a huff, she replied, âWhen will we be leaving to investigate? Am I with you or Aunt Ris on this one?â
Rory smirked. âIâm sending you out soloâŠso to speak.â
Her mouth agape, Billie stared at her uncle in disbelief.
A feminine laugh rang through the air. Billie turned her head and watched her aunt walk over to her uncle, giving him a kiss before moving to the coffee pot.
âTold her she was going solo, did you?â Rissa said with a grin.
Billie shook herself out of the shock and stood from the stool. âAunt Rissa, this is not funny.â
After returning to her husbandâs side, Rissa met Billieâs gaze. âLove, I know you and Galileo have issues with each other, but this is an opportunity you canât pass up. We believe in your abilities enough to send you out without us, and if you prove us right, that moves you into the next level of training. Which, as you know, means youâll be closer to being a full hunter with a fatter paycheck and being viewed as an actual hunter and not just the child of one.â
That alone was worth it, and she hated her aunt for a split second for pointing it out. She was Billie Shaneâdaughter of two respected hunters and from a family that was one of the top monster-hunting families in the country. To be viewed as a hunter in her own right, with her own strengths and proven skill, meant more to her than money.
She couldnât say no.
âSo, what do you say?â Rory asked with a tone that indicated he already knew.
For those of you who haven’t had the chance to grab the  StoryBundle, it is still available!
The Blood Queen has a scene in it that I’m sure will give my poor characters nightmares every time they see something Disney *grin* It actually gave me chills writing it đ You can grab this book right now, along with several other wonderful stories, in the Crossing the Veil
Here is the beautiful cover and blurb for Salt and Iron, releasing JULY 10th!
BLURB:
Hunting monsters is not an easy business, but for Billie Shane itâs the only career sheâs ever wanted. At nineteen, her aunt and uncle give her something that means more to her than moneyâher first solo case. But thereâs a catch, and his name is Galileo Beck, a psychic training with the state to help law enforcement with supernatural cases.
Billie has disliked the popular young man since childhood, but unfortunately for her the case involves his three best friends. The three managed to summon a powerful demon, and though locked in the cemetery, the demon is feeding off of them in order to gain the power to free itself.
With a large festival coming to Eden Hollow, Billie and Galileo must work together if they want to stop not only the death of his friends, but also to save their hometown from becoming a feeding ground for a demon.
Happy Wednesday, my lovelies! I’m excited to announce that my book, The Blood Queen, is part of a StoryBundle. To better explain what that is, here is a post from the wonderful Rhonda Parrish đ
The Crossing the Veil Bundle – Curated by Rhonda Parrish
I’ve spent the last several years curating and editing short stories and poetry for anthologies and this year I’m very excited to expand that into curating books for a StoryBundle. I’m excited to share my first ever StoryBundle which is all about psychopomps and crossing the veil.
A couple years ago I stumbled across a word I’d never heard before â psychopomp. When I looked up its meaning I discovered that I’d been aware of the concept of a psychopomp for a long time, I just hadn’t known the word for it. A psychopomp is a being which acts as a guide for the souls of the recently departed, helping them move from this world to the next and occasionally carrying messages between the two.
It’s kind of impressive that I went so long without knowing the word psychopomp because I’ve always loved stories that involve crossing over from the world of the living to that of the dead. Always. As a kid we took Greek Mythology in school and while all the stories interested me it was those set in Hades that really fascinated me. I would seek them out and devour version after version. And as I grew, that never really changed. I still love stories set in the places we go after we die, or featuring characters that can cross between those worlds, which made choosing that as the topic for this StoryBundle an easy decision.
The Psychopomp/Crossing The Veil bundle includes fourteen books by eleven different authors. Excitingly, two of those books are short story collections which means there are actually far more than fourteen stories contained within all these digital pages.
Included are C. S. E. Cooney’s World Fantasy Award-winning book, Bone Swans, Nebula-nominated authors Beth Cato, Norton Award finalist Nicole Kornher-Stace, and NYT bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow. I could keep listing awards and recognitions, but you’re not here for them, right? You’re here for the stories.
And we’ve got them.
A woman grudgingly helping a ghost move on to the other side (so he’ll leave her alone)? Check.
A soul-devouring protagonist who has her life turned upside down by a harpy attack? Check.
Characters walking between worlds as casually as you and I cross the street? Check.
A snarky Newfoundland heroine dealing with an undead infestation in her hometown? Check (x3!)
A leucostic magpie with a lot of personality? Check.
There’s so much more. If, like me, you’re drawn to the stories about passing through the veil between worlds, or shepherding souls through it, this bundle is not one you’ll want to miss. And best of all, because it’s on StoryBundle, you get to set the price you want to pay.
And you can donate 10% of your purchase price to our charities, Mighty Writers and Girls Write Now, which aim to help foster the writers of tomorrow. â Rhonda Parrish
* * *
For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook formatâWORLDWIDE.
The Illuminated Heartby Thea van Diepen
Hollowby Rhonda Parrish
Archivist Waspby Nicole Kornher-Stace
The Spirit Caller Series – Books 1-3by Krista D. Ball
If you pay at least the bonus price of just $15, you get all four of the regular books, plus eight more more books, for a total of twelve!
The Undine’s Tearby Talena Winters
Soulllessby Skyla Dawn Cameron
The Blood Queenby October Weeks
Latchkeyby Nicole Kornher-Stace
The Markedby Lilith Saintcrow
Seeing the Lightby E.C. Bell
Bone Swansby C. S. E. Cooney
Red Dust and Dancing Horsesby Beth Cato
In case you didn’t notice that means for $15 you can get twelve books which include Archivist Wasp and its sequel Latchkey!
This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, .mobi) for all books!
It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards â which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle â and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.
Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
Pay what you want (minimum $5):Â Youdecide how much these fantastic books are worth. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you wantârestriction freeâwill show everyone there’s nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to Mighty Writersand Girls Write Now!
Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you’ll get the bonus books!
StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.
For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at @storybundle and like us on Facebook.