Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 149

In the Spotlight: THE TEDDY BEAR DANCER

The newest book in the Tabor Heights, Ohio series was released last month!

That makes the 19th book overall -- 12 in Year One, and now this is #7 in Year Two. Just one more book to go, coming in December, to make 20 total Tabor Heights books.

THE TEDDY BEAR DANCER

What's it about?

Well, you've met Vic Thomas and Rene Ackley in previous books. Vic runs the Gold Tone Gym with Rene, who was roommates with Hannah Blake until Hannah and Xander Finley got married. Now Rene is roommates with Bekka Sanderson and Kat Teague.

Vic and Rene both have some pretty big skeletons in their closets. In COMMON GROUNDS, we learned something of Vic's shadowy, and dangerous, past. Now it's time to learn Rene's secret pain and secrets she would rather keep hidden.

Vic's past catches up with him when he is asked to protect a little girl who's FBI agent brother is in big trouble. Vic owes Joey McCoy's brother his life and soul, and he is more than willing to step in. Then as he and Joey get to know each other, he is charmed -- to the point that when Rene joins them for summertime fun, he wishes they could hold onto that "just like a family" feeling. Forever.

What will it take for Vic and Rene to get past their secrets and their shame and trust each other with their lives and hearts? If Vic is willing to risk his life to protect Rene -- and willing to vanish forever to protect her -- does he love her enough to stick around and try to build "forever" with her?

Available NOW from Desert Breeze Publishing.

The BARROO Report

So, WHAT'S UP?

This has been an incredibly productive week.

#1: I finished the first draft of ODESSA FREMONT, the prequel/first story in the new Guardians of the Timestream series that will be coming out from Desert Breeze Publishing starting in 2016. This will be a Steampunk series. Hope I get it right! Odessa's story -- call her Ess -- is about a smart, independent girl who figures the headmistress of her boarding school is hiding something from her. When she sneaks into the headmistress's office in the middle of the night -- by hanging upside down from the fourth story window -- she uncovers secrets not only threatening her future, hiding the fact her archaeologist grandparents have gone missing in South America, but threatening the safety of post-Civil War United States. The decisions she makes and the actions she takes send her across the country, into and out of danger, and making ... interesting friends.

#2: So far I've managed TWO episodes of Friendly Fire, a book in the new Seed Worlds universe I'm developing. In the Seed Worlds universe, Humans were taken off the homeworld of Core millennia ago and scattered to many worlds across the universe. Now, they're finding each other, and trying to figure out who the Gatekeepers were and why they took the Humans and where Core is. And some of those other Human worlds aren't very cooperative. Military-style adventure and exploration and danger and mystery -- and big gobs of humor. Check out the episodes of Friendly Fire under my name on Wattpad. I'd love to get some input, suggestions new ideas, hints on what works and what doesn't .... just saying!

#3: EXCERPTS! Do you love excerpts of new books? Check out the Tabor Heights Today blog for excerpts every three days from my newest Tabor Heights novel, The Teddy Bear Dancer .

#4: Ever been to Roscoe Village, near Coshochton, Ohio? On Saturday, I'll be visiting there with my ACFW Ohio chapter, doing some research, getting ideas for new books, getting some "flavor of history." If you see us running around, or you just overhear some people talking about story ideas, research, Steampunk, alternate history, romance, upcoming books and other topics that only writers or people with a very slippery grasp on reality would discuss ... it might just be us! Take your life -- and sanity -- in your hands and say hi!

Off the Bookshelf: HOUSE OF HADES, by Rick Riordan

Just how much suffering can a demi-god take?

In this fourth installment of the Heroes of Olympus series, the follow-up to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Rick Riordan endeavors to find out. Ouch! Talk about your past coming back to bite you! At one point, Percy and Annabeth -- who have fallen (okay, she was pulled, and he jumped in after her) into Tartarus -- run into some nasty creatures who inflict on them all the dying curses of all the monsters and villains they have fought and defeated in the past.

Let me tell you, that's a LOT of curses, and a lot of suffering.

Annabeth and Percy struggle through Tartarus -- a place that makes Dante's Inferno seem like a visit to the best amusement park in the world -- while their friends left behind on the Argo deal with one nemesis and attack and challenge after another. I know that authors are encouraged to be cruel to their characters, to put them through the wringer, but ... I'm glad I'm only reading about the trials and tribulations of the children of the Greco-Roman gods, not participating with them.

Another enthralling read, with more character growth and discovery for these teenagers who are learning the hard way how to be heroes.

I also learned the joys of using Overdrive with this book -- an app that lets me borrow e-books from my local library. Even better, if there's a waiting list for the book I want, I can put my name on the waiting list, and it delivers the book to my electronic bookshelf for me. Nice!

Spotlight Saturday: New book -- KHYBORS: In The Beginning

The NEW Commonwealth Universe novel is now available!

KHYBORS: In The Beginning

The official "first" novel in the Commonwealth Universe.
Not the first novel written, of course, but the first novel going back to the beginning of Commonwealth history -- back in the time of First Civ, which called itself the Central Allied Worlds -- before the Downfall.

All Commonwealth Universe novels come from Writers Exchange. We have a lot of novels planned in the next few years. And it's going to take at least a few years to get them all written and produced and available for reading!

What is KHYBORS: In The Beginning all about?

Three short stories detail the birth of the race of augmented, Talented people known through fable and history as the Khybors. Start with a lab accident and the daughter of a scientist who should have died in that accident -- but didn't. Then follow her twin son and daughter, facing their first challenge and learning that the universe is a dangerous place for anyone who is "different." Then leap ahead several more generations, as the Khybors prepare to take drastic steps -- fleeing to the stars -- to protect themselves from slavery or extermination. But first they have to protect those who would speak up for them.

Interested in more Khybors stories? Check out some that have already been published: Norbra's Children, and Virtually Dead.

And lots more to come!

The BARROO Report

Meet my new sidekick, the brown drac, Barroo!

You'll be seeing a lot more of Barroo in the future -- hopefully -- but not just here on the blog.

Barroo and his drac friends belong to a new universe I'm working on called Seed Worlds. You'll learn about dracs, about the Alliance, about E&D ships, the Gatekeepers, and follow the adventures of two ships of the Fleet: Inquest, and Defender.

Barroo and his friends are unofficially assigned to the Defender. And in a story I'm writing piece-by-piece on Wattpad, you'll learn how they became part of the crew.

Would you like to own your own drac? Or how about pegassi, unicorns, gryffins, and other fantastical creatures? Look up Grimmlies on Facebook, or Sarah Ayres Grimm. Sarah is the incredibly talented lady who makes Grimmlies. You KNOW you gotta have one of your very own!

Why am I introducing you to Barroo here on the blog?

Today is the first edition of the Barroo Report.

Basically, I'll be reporting on what's up, things I've been thinking about, upcoming books, even booksignings where we can hopefully meet. Whatever!

Right now, I'm "recovering" from the 3rd Realm Makers conference, which took place at the University of Missouri St. Louis. We had the greatest time. Lots of workshops, lots of fun, lots of books to admire and put on the "gotta get me one" list. Lots of goodies like Grimmlies. If you write speculative fiction in all the different flavors, from a faith-filled worldview, you gotta join us next year at Realm Makers! We're growing by leaps and bounds.

I'm in the process of finishing the first draft of "Odessa Fremont," the first book/prequel to launch a new Steampunk series coming out from Desert Breeze Publishing in 2016: Guardians of the Timestream. Seriously, I'm about 10 pages away from FINISHING! Then I need to get to work on revising and then polishing the next Quarry Hall novel -- still not even sure about the title, but it's Nikki's second adventure. Ideas, anyone?

Off the Bookshelf: AGATHA H AND THE AIRSHIP CITY, by Phil & Kaja Foglio

Major fun, guaranteed!

I was perusing the stacks at Half Price Books, looking for research books for writing Steampunk, and found the Agatha H series on an end cap. I am definitely going to have to go back and get the other two books that were available. This series is a fun read. As I understand it, it ties into the Foglios' Girl Genius series of graphic novels. I could be wrong ... But I'll have fun learning where I'm wrong!

In the Steam world of Agatha H, there are the Sparks -- technical geniuses, creative, crazy, obsessed, and sometimes dangerous. Think mad scientists on steroids, so obsessed with their inventions they don't realize they're giving their monsters an order to destroy them. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. They rule -- or used to rule -- their own countries. Then came the Other, with slaver wasps and hive engines, turning people into zombie-like creatures and devastating civilization -- and wiping out the Sparks and their kingdoms. Baron Wulfenbach is out to save the world, taking many small kingdoms under his control/protection. It needs saving, but maybe not by his methods. We'll see. Our heroine, Agatha, attends a university, works as assistant to one of the lesser Sparks who has been taken under the control and protection of Baron Wulfenbach, and fights to translate her creative dreams into reality. Without much success. Then comes the day when her entire world is destroyed, her foster parents go on the run, and Agatha is mistakenly taken aboard the Baron's flying city, to use her as leverage against a mercenary she just met that day, whom the Baron thinks is her sweetheart. Well, people do get the wrong impression when they catch you running around your workshop covered in grease and wearing nothing but your underwear ... ah, these creative geniuses....

That's just the start of the fun and danger and melodrama and adventure and a touch of romance -- and a lot of stereotypes turned on their heads. Slowly, most often by accident, Agatha learns the truth about her life, the lies that have been woven around her to protect her, and it's a lot of fun to follow along. Read the book -- pray for a movie!

Off the Bookshelf: OBSESSION IN DEATH by JD Robb

Can you tell I like this series a whole lot? The In Death series returns with the latest paperback (all right, I cheated and read the Kindle version from the library before the paperback edition actually came out ...) OBSESSION IN DEATH.

Homicide Lt. Eve Dallas has a fan -- from the title, an obsessed fan. Someone who thinks she/he and Eve have a lot in common. So much, that he/she is going around systematically eliminating anyone who was disrespectful to Eve, who got in the way of her doing her job, of bringing true justice to futuristic New York.

The problem, as insightful Dr. Mira points out (I wish I had a Dr. Mira in my life, y'know?), is that eventually Eve's "true and loyal friend" is going to be disappointed in her. Eventually, in the course of doing her job, Eve will disillusion her obsessed fan, and he/she will decide to punish Eve. And what happens if this fan decides that Eve is being held back by the people in her life, and it's time to eliminate them? After all, Eve doesn't need anyone else, just this true and loyal friend ....

Shades of Stephen King's "Misery," with an obsessed fan who wants things all her way ...

Get ready for another visit to futuristic New York and characters we've come to know and love, as they race against time and an unhealthy dollop of insanity. Read it in whatever version you can get your hands on.

Off the Bookshelf: THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR, by Debbie Macomber

Don't you love to return to a favorite place and meet new friends, discover new details and treasures?

THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR takes us back to Cedar Cove, where we get to run into a few good friends, revisit a few places we've come to love.

Jo Marie Rose is a recent widow -- and even more tragic, a recent bride. After her soldier husband dies on a mission in Afghanistan, she is ready to start over. She buys a B&B in Cedar Cove.

Her first guests, Joshua and Abby, grew up in Cedar Cove but have been gone for years, each with their own painful past to deal with. As Jo Marie gets to know her neighbors and runs into people readers have come to know and love in Cedar Cove, her healing begins -- and so does the healing of her guests. As each finds a chance at love, there is the promise of a healing relationship and hope in the future for Jo Marie as well.

What can I say? Debbie Macomber always delivers, and it's a bonus when she takes you back to meet old friends. A good book for putting your feet up on a warm Sunday afternoon and just read straight through.

Off the Bookshelf: THE STEAMPUNK BIBLE, by Jeff VanderMeer

THE STEAMPUNK BIBLE by Jeff VanderMeer is a great resource touching on multiple aspects of the whole steampunk culture -- music, books, movies, clothes, gizmos and gadgets, art, and the history.

Full of photos and illustrations, it's a treasure trove for those wanting to understand what's involved, those who are considering dipping a toe into the culture -- and for those who want to try writing steampunk and aren't quite sure what's acceptable, what's considered "in" and what violates every precept -- and could be the start of a new facet or division within the whole steampunk universe.

It's kind of overwhelming -- but fascinating. I highly recommend starting your tour of the whole phenomenon here, if only to find the authors and titles who are at the core or genesis of the culture and mindset, so you can read their books and short stories. I have a lot more books on my to-be-read list now, thanks to this book. And maybe a little better understanding of what I need to do to make my book true to the flavor, look, and feel of steampunk.

Off the Bookshelf: TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE, by Janet Evanovich

Sometimes I think the relationships and the wacky characters in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books are the best part. They're firmly established, so all the writer has to do is create the situation to put them in, thrown down the obstacles, wind them up and let them go.

This time, Stephanie is in danger she didn't put herself in through dumb luck or kultziness -- Ranger is in danger, and Stephanie steps in to help. That kind of changes the dynamic. And she's learned a few things over the years, so it makes sense when she actually does something smart -- even when it means risking her life. Of course, Ranger and Morelli are there to team up to protect her, and roll their eyes and glare at each other, and you can almost hear them wondering why they put up with her.

Because they love her, just like readers do. This particular adventure or misadventure or romp or whatever you want to call it is a lot more serious than previous books. Maybe Stephanie is starting to grow up? I saved this one for a reward for getting a number of goals accomplished, writing-wise and promotion-wise, and I actually read it in one day. I haven't indulged like that in a long time. Well worth it! Always fun to return to visit old friends and watch them scramble and scream, and chuckle at their foibles. If you haven't read any of the books yet, I highly recommend you start at the beginning, just because the relationships have grown through the years, and you don't want to miss a single stumbling step along the way.