Julie Elizabeth Powell's Blog, page 5
January 3, 2019
The Avalon Trilogy - audiobooks
Let's hope 2019 is good for us all.
On the 1st January, Secrets Of The Ice became available as an audiobook - it's #3 of The Avalon Trilogy.
So then, I am offering promo codes for Secrets Of The Ice as well as for #1 (The Star Realm) and #2 (Invasion), in case you'd like to listen to the whole epic fantasy adventure.
The adventure is filled with magic, enchantment, danger, fun and the unexpected. I think my imagination went into overdrive, but it was thrilling to write.
I had to break the story into three parts because it became so big.
If you would like to listen for free, this is what you would do after I give you the code:
UK
1. Go to my book's page on Audible.co.uk: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B07MH3J5T3
2. Add the audiobook to your cart.
3. If you are prompted to sign in, please create a new Audible.co.uk account or log in.
4. Go to https://www.audible.co.uk/at/redeem. Enter the promo code and click "Redeem" to receive a credit for the title in your cart.
5. Head back to your cart. Make sure the button that says "1 Credit" is selected and that your subtotal reads £0.00.
6. You may proceed through the checkout by clicking “Proceed to Checkout” and “Complete purchase” on the subsequent page.
USA
1. Go to my book's page on Audible.com: https://www.audible.com/pd/B07MDHSP49
2. Add the audiobook to your cart.
3. If you are prompted to sign in, please create a new Audible.com account or log in.
4. Go to https://www.audible.com/at/redeem. Enter the promo code and click "Redeem" to receive a credit for the title in your cart.
5. Head back to your cart. Make sure the button that says "1 Credit" is selected and that your subtotal reads $0.00 dollars.
6. You may proceed through the checkout by clicking “Proceed to Checkout” and “Complete purchase” on the subsequent page.
...
Incidentally, The Star Realm (Kindle edition) is now FREE from Amazon, whilst Invasion and Secrets Of The Ice are only 99p each.
myBook.to/thestarrealm
myBook.to/Invasion2
myBook.to/secretsoftheice
Just to add that The Avalon Trilogy is available as an omnibus edition (Kindle) for only £1.49
myBook.to/AvalonTrilogy
December 4, 2018
Timeless Christmas
How about...?
mybook.to/TimelessChristmas
Blurb:
What would you like for Christmas? For those who can’t decide, how about a set of stories to immerse you in the spirit of the season?
Timeless Christmas is a box set of stories through the eyes of nine authors, who will transport you into worlds of the past, present and future.
Enchant your mind, body and soul and let your Christmas spirit soar.
Authors:
Maxine Murphy
Angela Gray
Regina Morris
C. Forrest Lundin
Suzy Stewart Dubot
Cherime MacFarlane
Julie Elizabeth Powell
Holly Barbo
Ella Medler
Great stories, great talent - available for pre-order now at a great price 99p /99c
November 6, 2018
Weird is here again...!
Henry's also been thrown for a loop - after visiting demon land, he thought he was on his way home...nuh huh, he's now in the Realms of the Fae.
Blurb:
Henry Ian Darling wakes in a cave with a sore head and confusion. Flix, a dwarf-like figure tells him he’s in EverVale, the Realms of the Fae, a map of which implants itself into Henry’s head – though he can only guess what it could all mean?
Was Flix the one to snatch him from the place of demons, and if so, why? What had happened to Clara; Albert, too?
Henry learns of a prophecy that further confuses his overwhelmed senses, but knows he’s in for a puzzling adventure, one which thrusts him into unknown locations, where he must find two further artefacts to fulfil his destiny...but that wouldn’t be the end of it, for sure!
What it’s really all about, Henry can only guess until the clues unfold and perhaps reveal the portent of mystery.
Follow Henry’s quest into the world of weird, but beware you don’t fall in.
***
I know it's a paranormal series but how can I help where the story takes me? Writers only have a certain amount of control - I'm sure most know that the characters take over and surprise us all the time.
Here are the links, if you're interested:
KINDLE: mybook.to/weird5
LULU - http://www.lulu.com/shop/julie-elizab... (£4.25) Yes, I know, but it's the best I can do.
Usually, these missives are supposed to be short, and yet, the last two (four and five) have grown far bigger. I think it's the fantasy element that has caught my interest.
I was thinking about how the series will develop and I'm sure it'll wend its way back to more paranormal, although, I do like to mix genres. To me, fantasy, science-fiction and paranormal are similar, horror, too, in some ways. It's all about the imagination in my opinion.
Anyway, here are the other four missives:
Missives 1, 2, 3, 4 - http://mybook.to/Weird http://myBook.to/Weird2 http://myBook.to/Weird3 http://myBook.to/Weird4
#1 is FREE!
***
That's it for now. I hope you enjoy the Weird series.
Reviews welcome.
And please remember that independent authors rely on the kindness of strangers.
September 1, 2018
Invasion!
Here's are the links:
UK - https://goo.gl/7X6jTA
USA - https://goo.gl/AACBkn
Audible - UK - https://goo.gl/xsw4LF
Audible - USA - https://goo.gl/mZG1hu
Samples there, too.
But it gets better as I have promo codes for the UK and USA, so you can listen for FREE!
So, if you're interested, please just ask.
Blurb:
The children are once again called by the Time Keeper of Avalon and find themselves within the Orb of Caprice, this time joined by Daisy, Billy's unsuspecting grandmother. Together, they must find the Key of Light if all their worlds are to be saved before DarkStar gains control.
The corrupted land of the Dark Reaches is full of mysterious and forbidding creatures, testing friendships and resolve as they battle through this fragmented world in an effort to complete their quest.
Faced with these dangers, they have the added worry about what may have happened to Kimeranet, who has disappeared without a trace.
As the puzzle unravels, not least about Kimeranet's past, a further mystery develops, as the travellers discover part of the Legend of the Kraal, and meet Kaarvok...but should they trust him? And can they remain united as they struggle through this newly found world?
Follow this next adventure and see if they can again successfully fight to save their friend and home.
The Kindle edition of Invasion is only 99p /99c if you fancy reading it, too:
Universal Link: Invasion: myBook.to/Invasion2
Of course, it's part of a trilogy - The Star Realm #1 (The Star Realm: myBook.to/StarRealm) and Secrets Of The Ice #3 (Secrets Of The Ice: myBook.to/secretsoftheice) The latter is now in the process of becoming an audiobook, too.
The Star Realm is also an audiobook by a different narrator (Nano Nagle) if you'd like to listen to that, too (https://goo.gl/jp2EnB) which is also FREE as a Kindle edition (The Star Realm: myBook.to/StarRealm)
All books are in paperback, available at Lulu.
This is what you do with the promo code for the audiobook, Invasion -
Audible - UK - https://goo.gl/xsw4LF
Redemption link - https://www.audible.co.uk/promo/redem...
Add the audiobook to your cart.
3. If you are prompted to sign in, please create a new Audible.com account or log in.
4. At the bottom of the page, click "Redeem a Promo Code." Enter the promo code and click "Redeem" to receive a credit for the title in your cart.
Head back to your cart. After you select “1 Credit” and click “Update” to modify your shopping cart, the price for the audiobook will change to £0.00.
6. You may proceed through the checkout by clicking “Next Step” and “Complete Purchase” on the subsequent page.
Audible USA - https://goo.gl/mZG1hu
The same as above, except there would be a different redeem page but scroll to the bottom and 'Redeem a Promo Code' should be there. I can't give you a direct link because I live in the UK.
You do NOT have to be a member to use the codes.
Quote: 'To purchase an audiobook without a membership, simply find a title you'd like then select Add to Cart (desktop site) or Buy for $X.XX (mobile site). Note: Even if you don't have a membership, you'll be asked to sign in with your Amazon account to place an order'.
So, there you have it - or I hope you will. And if you enjoy it, please think about leaving a review - one or two lines are enough.
Thank you so much!
July 24, 2018
CINDER-UGLY by Laura Strickland
CINDER-UGLY
by Laura Strickland
Genre: Sweet Fantasy Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
From the moment Cindra is born, misshapen and ill-formed in face and body, her beautiful mother hides her away, allowing the world to see only her other three perfect children. Cindra, raised by an aged nurse and assigned humble duties in the kitchen, receives little affection and plenty of abuse from both her mother and sisters. Starved for beauty, she longs most of all for love.
Prince Rupert, newly returned from an education outside the kingdom and forced to take over duties as king, sees the beauty of Cindra’s spirit. In her sister-in-law’s garden, he courts her with rare flowers and nearly makes her forget her mother’s hate. But when war tears them apart, will Cindra have the courage to stand on her own? And when faced with the challenge of leading Rupert’s subjects through a siege, will the strength of her compassion be enough to sustain a kingdom?
I dropped the tray. It fell hard with a clatter that echoed through the room. The remaining tarts—still a generous load—flew everywhere spewing their jam fillings as they went—on the carpet, on my shoes, on the Queen’s skirt and all over the Prince’s sapphire blue legs.
Everything froze. The music paused, everyone stopped talking. Someone laughed in horror and said, “Oh, my God!”
Mother’s face seized in a rictus; she leered at me. For an instant I could see nothing else. Not my father, not Bethessa who, I’m pretty sure, had laughed, not even the mess that surrounded me like the fallout from an explosion.
Just her anger. Her horror. Her disgust.
Then the moment’s paralysis broke. Mother reached out quick as a wasp and slapped me. The blow took me on the cheek and its force turned my head. Instant tears flooded my eyes.
“Stupid girl!” She drew back her hand to strike again. Two things happened before she could: Father cried, “Erikka—it was my fault!” And the Prince stepped between me and my mother, and seized her wrist.
“Please, Madame, do not. It was but an accident.”
No rebuke colored his tone. He sounded exceedingly polite. But I knew my mother took it as a rebuke and a public one. Her face stained with ugly red and she transferred her glare from me to the Prince.
Even at that moment, that terrible, terrible moment I knew she would never forgive me for this.
Award-winning author Laura Strickland delights in time traveling to the past and searching out settings for her books, be they Historical Romance, Steampunk or something in between. Born and raised in Western New York, she’s pursued lifelong interests in lore, legend, magic and music, all reflected in her writing. Although she enjoys travel, she’s usually happiest at home not far from Lake Ontario, with her husband and her "fur" child, a rescue dog. Author of numerous Historical and Contemporary Romances, she is the creator of the Buffalo Steampunk Adventure series set in her native city. Cinder-Ugly is the kind of fairy tale she thinks all children should read.
Website ✯ Goodreads ✯ Amazon ✯ Facebook ✯ Blog
July 16, 2018
WEDNESDAY by Victoria Danann
WEDNESDAY
The Witches of Wimberley Book 3
by Victoria Danann
Genre: Fantasy Romance
All things magical and mundane happen for a reason. But when romance is involved, that reason may wear a more confusing disguise than usual.
New York Times bestselling author, Victoria Danann, adds some more night magic to the captivating Witches series.
Wednesday's not just a witch. She's a modern woman who doesn't like being told what to do. It's her turn for the spring rites, but she stuns the entire colony by saying no. She further befuddles everyone by refusing to give her reasons. Hoping she'll change her mind, they recruit her friends to apply pressure and proceed with plans as usual.
The warlock, Rally, met Wednesday at a witches' gathering in Aspen. They barely spoke the entire weekend and he didn't think much of it until afterward, when he found himself waking during the night with her on his mind. He could track her down, but to what end? He certainly had no interest in a relationship lasting longer than forty minutes, but it had been months since the brief encounter and he was still being caught by friends, musing about Wednesday instead of listening.
Then one day it came to him that she must have cast some kind of spell. That was all the reason he needed to track her down.
Perhaps he expected to travel a great distance to find a compliant, cooperative, submissive female with inferior magics. One thing was certain. He was not prepared for an aloof witch who couldn't manage to care enough about the accusation to even pretend indignation. When she laughed in his face, said, "Think what you want," and walked away, he was left standing with an open mouth and the ancient hunter's impulse to chase, the essential masculine principle, blooming to life. In his pants.
Find out why readers call this series magical, enchanting, and witching good fun.
“Earth to Rally,” Aodh snapped his fingers in front of Rally’s face. They sat in a dive bar in Key West hoping the party occupying the table next to the oscillating fan would leave so they could grab it. “Even if you were looking at that little blonde who keeps finding reasons to twitch her butt back and forth, you’ve been out of your body long enough to fantasize all the way to great grandchildren.”
The glaze over Rally’s near-yellow eyes cleared as he focused on Aodh. “Hmmm? No. I wasn’t out of body. I wouldn’t do that in the middle of a bar.”
“It was a figure of speech. Geez. What is the matter with you? What do you think is the matter with Rally?” Aodh directed the question to Jean Mar.
“Maybe he’s just out of it because it’s too humid for humans in this place,” said Jean Mar. “Why are we here?”
“Because,” Aodh said, “we’re doing a twenty city bachelor party tour before Rally’s ensnared in the witches’ web.” He chuckled. “For good.” Aodh turned his baseball cap backwards. “Say goodbye to happy days.”
Rally had gotten one of the witches’ invitations to join them for a weekend in Wimberley. He knew about the weekends and their purpose, but had never heard of a warlock being targeted. “You talk too much, Aodh.”
Aodh laughed. “Since when? You know I’m kidding. And there’s a good chance you’re not the one. Or ones.” Aodh turned to Jean Mar. “How many do they ensnare every year?”
“One or two. I think. But watch your words if you don’t want to end up on the auction block.” Jean Mar seemed to be serious about the admonishment, which irritated Aodh. They were supposed to be having fun, preferably at Rally’s expense.
Rally looked at Jean Mar. “It’s not an auction block.”
“Oh, I know,” Jean Mar said. “Supposedly the men who get picked rave about how they wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“But they’re not us. Right?” Aodh added.
“Yeah,” Rally smiled. “But I’m not a man. Not if you mean it in the purely human sense. The sham of bachelor party just went away as your reason to exist today.”
“You’re not going?” Jean Mar’s question sounded like he might be shocked or might be scandalized.
Rally nodded. “Oh, I’m going to the witches’ little farce, but not because I have to and not because I have any intention of being… what did you say? Ensnared?”
Jean Mar looked doubtful. “Then why are you going?”
Rally’s eyes slid to Jean Mar. “For the food.”
Aodh laughed.
Jean Mar shook his head. “Underestimate them at your peril.”
“They’re. Female,” Rally said as if that explained everything in the universe.
“They are,” agreed Jean Mar. He was nodding, but also not joking around. He looked over his shoulder like he was concerned the wrong person would overhear then toward Rally and spoke in a low voice. “They’re also powerful. Like us.”
Rally and Aodh stared at him for a full five beats before bursting into laughter. When that ran its course, Aodh said, “You didn’t hear me right. I said they’re female.”
“Look.” Jean Mar eyes ping ponged between his friends. “We’re not talking about who can lift the biggest shovel of horse shit. I know you’re old. Older than I am. But if you think it follows that they’re magically inferior because they’re women? Well. You’re wrong.”
Rally started to say something, but Aodh held up his hand in a gesture of, ‘Hold on. I’ve got this’.
“When and how did you become an authority on magical equality?” Aodh asked.
Jean Mar slouched back in his chair, took a drink of something spicy with rum, and looked around the room shaking his head. “You don’t really want to know what I think.”
“Sure,” Rally said. “We do.”
“Alright. In a head to head contest, which to my knowledge has never been done, but if it was? They might win.”
Again Aodh and Rally burst into laughter.
“Okay. Tell yourselves whatever you need to.” Then Jean Mar directed a warning to Rally. “Walk into Wimberley full of piss and pride, thinking you’re a god. See what happens.”
Rally sighed deeply then turned up a bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade before surprising both his friends by saying. “I’ve already been there.”
“What?!” Jean Mar and Aodh said in unison. “When?!?”
WILLEM
Romance that is destiny laced, fantasy infused, and dressed in a little night magic.
If he leaves, he can never come back. But is he dumb enough to get in his car and drive away anyhow?
New York Times bestselling author, Victoria Danann, begins a sizzling new series about an enclave of modern day witches who are sexy, philanthropic and living in the Texas Hill Country. They're selfless to a fault when it comes to generosity, but when it comes to the men they choose for themselves, they don't settle for anything less than the best.
"Enchanted from the very first page. I couldn't put it down!"- Night Owl Reviews 5* TOP PICK
While waiting for what would probably be his last acting audition ever, the guy standing in line behind Willem gave him a card with a phone number on it and said, "You're a good looking guy. If you're definitely quitting, try the witches."
Willem took the card for the sake of being polite. He planned to throw it away, but didn't. Crazy as it sounded, it seemed like the card was bugging him. It even kept him awake when he put it in the refrigerator.
He called the number, entered the competition and won. Winning meant getting everything he'd never even dared to dream about.
WITCH WANTS FOREVER
You don't know what you've got till it's gone.
Only one thing could be worse than never finding the love of your life...finding her and forgetting.
From New York Times bestselling author, Victoria Danann, "mistress of modern romantic fantasy".
"...illustrated that love is the strongest magic of all."
Rachel can't imagine life without Dashiell Fonteneau. They were the kind of couple who believed they were destined to find each other eons before they were born.Married people, but forever lovers.
When Dash goes to Denver on a business trip that was supposed to last for three days and doesn't come home, Rachel finds herself in conflict with the colony at Wimberley over what to do.
The entire community is in complete agreement when they decide magic can't be used to bring him back. They say she'll have to learn to live without him.
"I was tense the entire time I was reading this book. It keep me riveted. I couldn't put it down."
READERS ARE SAYING: It's the perfect blend of angst, humor, and a little night magic.
Victoria Danann is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty romances. For the past four years in a row, Victoria's Knights of Black Swan series have won prestigious Reviewers' Choice Awards for both BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES and PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL OF THE YEAR. This past year three of her series and three of her novels were nominated. Two of her series took the top two places and two of her books took first and second place in the PNR Novel of the Year category.
In addition to vampire hunting knights, Victoria writes other paranormal romance, scifi, fantasy, and contemporary romance.
Victoria co-hosts the popular ROMANCE BETWEEN THE PAGES podcast which can be found on itunes or at → www.romancecast.com
Website ✯ Twitter ✯ Goodreads ✯ Amazon ✯ Facebook ✯ Street Team ✯ Newsletter ✯ Pinterest
July 6, 2018
Lies & Deceit by Liza O'Connor
Lies & Deceit
The Extraordinary Life of Amy Winston, Book 3
by Liza O'Connor
Genre: Historical, Regency (right after the end of the Napoleon wars) through Early Victorian
Despite her lack of dowry and cloudy past, Amy Winston becomes one of the most sought-after young ladies in the London marriage mart. Some desire her for her beauty and charm while others appreciate her unique skills of seeing with her mind, healing with her hands, and disappearing in plain sight. By her choice of husbands, she secures her safety. However, her marriage almost brings the English Parliament to its knees.
Amy studied the young man for a moment. “Are you an only child?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Did you like your nanny?”
“Very much.”
“And your tutors?”
“Not so much.” His forehead crinkled in annoyance. “Is there some point to your questions?”
Darby sighed and stared at the ceiling in exasperation. “She is trying to figure out why you are such a pompous ass and expect to have your way all the time. She has no doubt concluded from her three questions that you were spoiled by your nanny into a horrid monster of a boy who has no idea how to make or keep friends, and clearly from your display today, she will conclude you’ve not made much progress since.” He then looked at Amy. “You can move me to the fourth dance if you are still willing to give this brat a chance. In his favor, he’s a very good dancer and can be an interesting conversationalist, if you can keep him from talking about himself.”
Amy ran an arrow to the forth line for Darby and added JM on the third line.
“Why does Darby get more letters?” Marsh asked.
Amy laughed and added vsgd at the end of his initials for ‘very spoiled good dancer’.
“That doesn’t spell anything…”
At this point, Ann felt compelled to intervene. “John, you’ve got your dance, dear. Stop bullying Amy and leave now.”
Amazon ✯ Amazon Int'l ✯ Goodreads
PURE INNOCENCE, BOOK 1
For some, Amy is an angel incarnate; for others, she is the child of Satan. In her early years, Amy learns the skills of a soldier and discovers she can heal with the touch of her hand. Upon the death of her beloved Uncle John, he stays as a protective ghost to assist the soldiers in their vigilant efforts to keep her safe. Never has a girl arrived at Madam Cousec’s School for Young Ladies with more charm, more friends, or greater protection. She’ll need them all to survive the head girl and set her future in motion.
Amazon ✯ Amazon Int'l ✯ Goodreads
John turned his attention back to the girl. Her dark hair was wild and matted. In the center of the mats was dried caked blood. No doubt from the stones the townspeople threw.
The girl spoke rapidly in a shrill voice, declaring she was “bad, evil, the devil’s whore, and to go away, go away, go away.”
He suspected the voice was not hers but a mimic of the people who had said these cruel words. Suddenly, her voice dropped lower in a mimic of a man and she quoted dark bible passages about casting out demons.
Dear God, was it possible these were her parents’ words?
“Tell me the name, tell me the name, damn you!” the voice bellowed.
Finally, he heard the girl’s own voice. The pain and misery it held tore at his old battle-weary heart.
“There is no name,” she cried. “There was no man. Only a dream while I rested on the banks.”
“Then it’s the seed of Satan and it’ll not be raised in my house!” her voice deepened and bellowed
Inside the bundle of cloth, she held tight to her chest, a baby’s wail rose, almost as if in protest to her words. The baby’s cry startled her and for one terrible moment, John feared she would toss the child over the edge.
Then her madness dissipated, and she transformed into a young mother fretting over her new child, soothing it with soft words, as she sat down upon the ground. She opened her filthy torn blouse and placed the baby upon her right breast, rocking the child softly while it nursed. Her face held love and adoration for her helpless infant.
John knew he must save this young girl and her baby. She was not yet lost to madness.
LOVE'S BETRAYALS, BOOK 2
When Amy and her friend Domnika arrive in London, she discovers her guardian, Nicolas, is under the thrall of his ‘perfect’ wife. Neither is happy she has come. The only person who seems pleased with her arrival is the handsome valet, Antonio, who turns out to be far more than a servant.
Needing to escape her guardian’s care, Amy and Domnika take refuge at a fellow schoolmate’s home. Antonio leaves Nicolas’ service and becomes one of her many protectors. Unlike the other protectors, he becomes the first of many admirers that vie for her hand.
All the while, Nicolas continues to prove over and over that he is not the fine fellow her uncle had thought.
Amazon ✯ Amazon Int'l ✯ Goodreads
As Nicolas and his valet, Antonio, sat on a bench overlooking the docks, Antonio interrogated him about Uncle John’s niece.
“Is she intelligent?”
“Frighteningly so. By now I suspect she knows more than most doctors in London about medicine.”
Antonio smiled. “A practical woman as well.”
“I hardly would call it a practical vocation,” Nicolas objected. “No one will ever accept a female doctor.”
“I suppose it depends upon the situation. The next time I get stabbed or shot, I’ll be most glad to allow her to tend my wounds.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“She’s the colonel’s niece. That’s all I need to know.”
Raised in the southern mid-section of U.S., Liza escaped to the East Coast once out of college. She’s worked as a journalist, a radio DJ, a security guard, a stock broker, a strategist, and a business solutions consultant to name a few of her many occupations.
She learned to fly planes, jump out of planes, hang-glide, kayak and scuba dive, to name of few of her ‘let’s kill Liza’ sports. However, her favorite activity is to hike with her dog Jess among the shaved mountains of NJ.
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OATH OF A WARRIOR by Mary Morgan
OATH OF A WARRIOR
Legends of the Fenian Warriors, Book 2
by Mary Morgan
Genre: Scottish Historical Fantasy Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
"You met them in the Order of the Dragon Knights. Now, journey to the realm of the Fae and witness their legends!"
Fenian Warrior, Rory MacGregor’s love conquests are legendary, but he has never spoken of the one mortal female who captured his heart. After his dark secret is finally revealed, he is ordered to return and seal the wounds left open by her death. Yet, he finds the timeline altered and swears an oath to rewrite fate, even if it brings about his own death.
Erina MacIntyre is known for her healing herbs and love charms. Determined to aid others, she refuses to listen to the whispers that call her a witch. When a Highlander steps forth into her path, he ignites a thread of strange familiarity and sparks a flame of desire she is unable to control.
Can the destiny of two lovers find love once more among the ashes of death and betrayal? Or will history repeat itself, leaving a scorching path of destruction for both mortals and Fae alike?
“Erina, mo ghrá,” he groaned, taking her mouth with savage intensity. She tasted of honey and spices, filling him completely and easing the torment that continually plagued him.
Breaking free, he placed his hands on either side of the door. Giving her all of him required something more from Erina. Without the assurance of accepting him for what he was, Rory would be a lost man.
“Are ye certain ye want to ken all of me? I want ye as sure as the sun rises and sets over the land each day, but ken this, Erina—there is more to me than a simple bedding. There are things about me that might frighten ye. What I’m about to share with ye may cause ye to question my existence, or worse, my sanity.”
Her laugh was seductive and soothing as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “From the moment ye stepped through those trees that first day, I realized ye were not like any man I had encountered. It was as if the trees parted and ye came forth from inside them.” She brushed her fingers along his brow. “For one, ye have the most mesmerizing eyes and they shift colors.”
“And the second?”
Her face turned a rosy glow, yet, she held his gaze. “I thought your body chiseled from the old Gods, especially with all the markings on your back and arms.”
His gaze swept over hers. “I am nae God, Erina, though some would call me a demon.”
She traced a finger down along his arm and shook her head. “Ye are not a monster, but I am nae fool. Ye are not like other men, Rory. I have seen the markings on your body elsewhere.” Her finger curved around his shoulder and he trembled. “They are similar to the ones on the standing stones carved by the ancients.”
Rory fought the tide of emotions sweeping through him. She had come to the conclusion all on her own. “And ye would not flee if I told ye I was one of those ancients? One where the bards wove tales of giants who lived thousands of years ago among your own people? Others would call the story incredulous and filled with heathen words.” He held his breath, fearing her reply.
The smile she gave him speared straight to his soul. “Nae. I would not flee.”
QUEST OF A WARRIOR
Amazon ✯ B&N ✯ iTunes ✯ The Wild Rose Press ✯ Goodreads
You met them in the Order of the Dragon Knights. Now, journey to the realm of the Fae and witness their legends!
Fenian Warrior, Conn MacRoich has traveled the earth for thousands of years, guarding the realm between mortal and Fae. His deeds are legendary. Yet, one mistake will force him on a journey to fix a broken time-line. However, on Conn’s quest, he must face a human female who will eventually bring this ancient warrior to his knees.
When Ivy O’Callaghan inherits her uncle’s estate, she never imagines there will be more secrets to unravel, including the one she hides from the world. With the help of a mysterious stranger, she learns to trust and step out of the shadows. However, nothing prepares Ivy when she learns Conn's true identity.
As the loom of fate weaves a thread around the lovers from two different worlds, will the sacrifices they make lead them to love? Or will their secrets destroy and separate them forever?
Award-winning Celtic paranormal romance author, Mary Morgan, resides in Northern California, with her own knight in shining armor. However, during her travels to Scotland, England, and Ireland, she left a part of her soul in one of these countries and vows to return.
Mary's passion for books started at an early age along with an overactive imagination. She spent far too much time daydreaming and was told quite often to remove her head from the clouds. It wasn't until the closure of Borders Books where Mary worked that she found her true calling--writing romance. Now, the worlds she created in her mind are coming to life within her stories.
If you enjoy history, tortured heroes, and a wee bit of magic, then time-travel within the pages of her books.
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June 30, 2018
Heartsong by Annie Douglass Lima
Two alien worlds.
One teen emissary.
No reality she can trust.
Thirteen-year-old Liz Smith has been ripped away from one foster family after another for years, so the idea of a permanent home is tantalizing. Who cares if that home is a colony sixty-five thousand light-years from Earth? The friends in her trusty e-reader will keep her company just fine on her interstellar relocation.
But when the adventure of a lifetime turns into the disaster of the cosmos, Liz can only retreat so far into the books that have always sheltered her from loneliness and loss. Trapped in half-truths and secrets that leave her questioning reality, can one orphaned bookworm find a way to stop two races from destroying each other … and somehow write a happy ending to her own story?
If you like books about space travel, aliens, or cross-cultural transitions, you’ll love this poignant science fiction adventure. Click here to get your copy of Heartsong now and start the journey today! (Shh! For July 1st and 2nd only, the ebook is available for free!)
Read on for a sample of the story ...
Heartsong
Chapter One
My love of reading started the whole thing.
The best place to read on the Laika was in the lifeboats. I’d discovered that on the first leg of the trip, during the flight from Earth to the jump point off of Phoebe. I mean, what else was there to do when we couldn’t see much through the viewports? The view was exciting when there was one, but when you’re far away from anything, space all looks the same.
The hyperspace jump that shot us across the galaxy had been quick, of course, so no time to get bored there. And after we came out of it at the jump point off of Somav, the blue giant that would light my skies for the rest of my life, the flight toward the little moon Soma was pretty exciting, too. I couldn’t stop staring as we passed Somavia, the blue and white planet I knew none of us would ever see close up again. I wondered about the aliens whose home it was. What were they like? The pictures and video Forerunner had sent back, from the few passes it had taken in high orbit, left everyone with more questions than they answered.
Of course, we knew the planet had a breathable atmosphere. If it hadn’t been for the alien race who already lived there — and the tirtellium that we were going to mine on Soma, of course — New Horizons Industries might have decided to set up its colony on the planet Somavia instead of on its moon.
We passed Somavia three days ago, and we’d been orbiting Soma ever since. Which was also exciting, at first. I couldn’t wait to actually get down there and start life on my new home. A home I would get to help create, along with the adult scientists and miners and the rest of the Young Explorers. A home I would never be taken away from just when I was starting to settle in. My forever home. Normally I hated new beginnings, but this one was different. This would be the last new beginning of my life.
Even the colony’s name, chosen by the Samoan astronomer who discovered this solar system, was perfect. Avanoa, which apparently meant opportunity in the Samoan language, sounded to me like a kingdom from some fantasy novel.
Not that life in Avanoa was going to be a fantasy. I knew that starting a colony would be hard work, but that didn’t matter. A real home, with friends I would never have to say goodbye to, would be worth any amount of work.
Soma was interesting to look at, though not as pretty as the planet it orbited. The moon was mostly brown, with splotches of gray-green surrounding the dark blue dots that marked the location of its scattered lakes. With no actual oceans, the moon had just enough water to support a little plant and animal life. Nothing too dangerous, at least as far as we could tell from Forerunner’s pictures. Insects. Some fish and crustaceans that might or might not be edible. Small reptilian or maybe amphibian creatures that lived in and around the lakes. A handful of different mammals, all tiny, that made their homes in the hills. Nothing that seemed likely to bother two hundred human colonists setting up a new home on their world.
Of course, the aliens could be another story. We knew the Somavians had developed a limited form of space travel; we knew they had mines on Soma, too. But whatever they were mining for, it wasn’t tirtellium, and they only had a few tunnel mines in a few locations. We planned to set up our colony hundreds of kilometers away, where if all went according to plan, they wouldn’t even know we were around. Forerunner’s sensors had not detected any other artificial satellites in orbit around either Somavia or Soma, and as far as we could tell, the locals had no instruments capable of detecting Forerunner, no way to suspect we were coming. Its orbit was carefully programmed to keep it out of sight of any of their mines after dark, when it might be visible from the ground as a moving point of light.
The adults all said that hopefully we would never have to encounter any Somavians, but all of us kids hoped we would. I mean, why would anyone in their right mind not want to meet the first real live aliens actually confirmed to exist?
Jessie, who loved science fiction movies almost as much as I loved reading, had often kept Maria and Shaliqua and me awake late into the night back in our dorm room discussing all the possible alien-related adventures that awaited us if we ever made contact. Most of those possibilities were a lot more fun — though some were scarier — than the idea of living in isolation and never letting the locals know we were on their moon.
Anyway, judging by Forerunner’s footage, Somavian culture seemed peaceful, with no evidence of any wars going on down on their home world. If they did find out about the humans in their solar system, hopefully they wouldn’t mind us being there. We wouldn’t bother them, and with any luck, they wouldn’t bother us. And if they did get mad, well, the Laika had some weapons. Not enough to wage war with, but hopefully enough to convince them to leave us alone.
So much to wonder about. So much to look forward to. I could hardly wait to get down to the surface and start my new life. But here we all were, stuck in orbit for three whole days so far. Three painfully long and boring days. Earth days, that is. It had been nearly five Soman days, though we wouldn’t officially switch to using Soman time until we landed.
Atmospheric storms. Who would have thought that storms would be this big of an issue on a world with virtually no precipitation? Our science team had come up with a theory about minerals in the soil reflecting particles and wavelengths from the solar flares that Somav had been throwing out since our arrival. Whatever the case, the result was some pretty impressive windstorms in parts of the atmosphere. Since the spot picked out for Avanoa was directly underneath one of the worst storms, Captain Tyler insisted it wouldn’t be safe to try to land yet.
But no one had anticipated that the flares and storms would go on this long. At first, I was glad of the opportunity to orbit my new home and see what it looked like from space. But after a while the excitement faded, and everyone turned grouchy as we all grew more and more bored and impatient. The movies and games preloaded on our Horizon-brand tablets weren’t good enough to keep everyone happy, not while we had to put the adventure we’d all waited over a year to start on hold indefinitely. And I’d never been a big fan of video games or movies anyway.
So I did what I always do when real people get too annoying. I pulled out my old-school Novareader and turned to my true friends, the ones who never got annoying, who would always be there for me no matter what, who I never had to say goodbye to. And I escaped to the one place I had found on board where nobody would bother me or interrupt my adventures to ask what I was reading or exclaim over their new high score in who-cares-what-virtual-adventure on their RizeTab.
The Laika was designed to be taken apart when we arrived. Its decking and bulkheads would be used to help create Avanoa’s buildings until we could construct permanent residences from local rock, and that was one of the reasons the ship was so large. But big though it was, it had no extra empty space. Every compartment was full of freeze-dried food items, mining equipment, packages of seeds for genetically modified crops designed to grow well in the moon’s dry soil, and educational resources for us youth, because even on an interstellar adventure, there was no escaping school in some form.
So I had discovered in between Earth and Phoebe that the lifeboats were the best place to read. I wasn’t sure if I was really supposed to hang out in them, but they were unlocked, because after all, what would be the point in locking something that people would need to get into in a hurry in an emergency?
I sat curled up on a seat in Lifeboat 1, alternating between reading and looking out to see if anything interesting had come into sight down below. But from this angle, the one window — a wide viewport at the very front — was mostly full of stars, only a tiny sliver of Soma visible from one edge. I could have turned on the screen at the lifeboat’s navigational console and adjusted it to show me any view I liked, but that might trigger some sort of alert, and I didn’t want anyone showing up to tell me I wasn’t supposed to be in here.
So I joined Caz and her friends on their travels across the Granbo system, caught up in their space adventure on my Novareader screen, since my own space adventure had turned pretty dull. Lunch was another two hours away, so I might as well enjoy myself in the meantime.
And I did — until the ship vibrated more vigorously than usual and the fasten seatbelts sign flicked on.
I often felt as though several of me were debating inside my head. For a moment, Cautious Liz wondered if I should return to my seat. But what was the point? Practical Liz reminded me that I would be just as safe here in the lifeboat, and if the turbulence got bad, walking around with the Laika lurching under me would not be the smartest idea.
I already had my seatbelt on, since that was the best way to keep from floating around. Not that floating around wasn’t fun, but there was too little room in the lifeboat to do mid-air flips and spins without banging into things, and drifting around while I read made it hard to focus on the book. Of course my magnetic-soled shoes could have kept me anchored to the deck, but not when I wanted to sit cross-legged.
So I just tightened my seatbelt a little and turned back to The Gypsy Pearl. We had encountered turbulence lots of times in the last few days, thanks to the solar flares. It was no big deal.
But the vibrations grew stronger, and then the ship started lurching under me. I lowered my Novareader and looked around, but there was nothing to see here in the little lifeboat. The stars jumped and jerked outside the window, and if it hadn’t been for my seatbelt, I knew I would have been thrown about and probably injured already.
I waited for the crackle of the intercom and Captain Tyler’s voice to explain what was happening or issue instructions. But I heard nothing, and I wondered if the flares had damaged the lifeboat’s intercom system. They had interfered with the Laika’s electrical systems before, after all. Now I wished I’d returned to my seat while I could. If something dangerous was happening, I would rather face it with the others in the main cabin, where at least I would know what was going on.
Without warning, the lights flickered and then went out. Now that was a first. An instant later, an alarm screeched, making me jump. I gasped, really worried for the first time since we left Earth. The screeching continued as the stars swirled and zigzagged, sending faint but frightening shadows thrashing around me like alien spirits trying to take over the ship. For a second I wondered if that could actually be happening. Maybe the Somavians had powers we didn’t know about. Maybe they were trying to drive us out of their system … or worse.
Then the emergency lights embedded in the deck glowed to life, and I let out my breath in relief. The navigational computer two rows ahead of me powered on automatically, its screen lighting up green.
My relief was short-lived, though. The alarm kept blaring its intermittent warning. Screech! Silence. Screech! Silence. Screech! The turbulence was worse than ever, as though the Laika was a wild horse, bucking and leaping and trying to throw its rider off. And that rider gripped the edge of her seat all alone there in the lifeboat, wondering what in the universe was happening.
Suddenly the whirling stars vanished and Soma swung into view, filling the viewport ahead of me, a blur of brown-blue-gray-green-brown. I barely had time to notice before it was gone and the streaking stars reappeared. Then the moon appeared again.
My stomach was spinning as fast as the ship. Thank goodness I had inherited the Smith Stomach of Steel, or my breakfast would probably have ended up all around me. I could only imagine what a nasty experience that would be in zero gravity with the ship thrashing around like this.
A new noise caught my attention. A mechanical noise, a series of clicks and clinks and the sliding of metal against metal. I had only ever heard it before in simulations, but I recognized it right away, and my heart lurched in terror. “No!”
Words flashed across the computer screen, large enough to read from where I sat. LIFEBOAT LAUNCHING.
“No! I yelled again. I fumbled for the seatbelt clasp and flung myself across the tiny cabin, lunging for the manual override button beside the door. Not a smart move, I have to admit, considering how wildly everything was jerking around me. But I panicked. Can you blame me? None of our training, none of the simulations, had dealt with what to do if the lifeboat you were sitting in alone accidentally detached from the ship.
I knew what to do if a lifeboat didn’t detach when it was supposed to. I knew which lifeboat I was supposed to board in an emergency. Not this one, though they were all the same. I knew who my lifeboat buddies would be — a fairly even cross-section of the ship’s crew in terms of age and abilities, so we would have the best possible chance of survival in case not every lifeboat made it. I knew how to steer the lifeboat and bring it down for a controlled landing, even though I wasn’t the assigned helmsperson in my group. We had all learned all those skills, just in case.
But I didn’t know how to survive in deep space or on Soma’s surface on my own. The cupboards contained emergency rations and survival gear, of course, but not enough to live off of indefinitely. Of course the lifeboat would emit a signal that the ship’s sensors would pick up — I knew they were picking it up already, as of the moment my craft started to detach — but what if no one could come and get me right away? What if I landed on Soma, but the Laika couldn’t land for days or even weeks? They would have no way to rescue a stranded teenager who shouldn’t have been reading in a lifeboat in the first place.
And what if the aliens found me before my people did?
All that went swirling through my brain within a couple of seconds as I slammed my fist into the manual override button again and again. But nothing happened. That is, the hatch didn’t open to let me out into the ship’s corridor. But the incessant alarm finally went silent, and the frantic jerking and thrashing stopped, replaced by a slow, gentle twirl.
For a second, Optimistic Liz dared to hope that the trouble was over. But I knew that wasn’t it.
The lifeboat was no longer connected to the ship.
Too horrified even to yell again, I watched the Laika drift past the window, Somav’s light tinting her silver-white hull a metallic frostbite-blue against the blackness of space. She was still spinning and dancing like some huge bird as the solar flares played havoc with her electrical systems. And then I saw only stars, and then the mottled brown of the moon, then more stars. And then there went the Laika once more, further away this time.
Grabbing the back of a seat for leverage, I shoved off from the deck, thankful for the zero-gravity training. Floating was faster than clomping along in magnetic shoes, and I had to get to the controls now. I had to steer myself back to the ship.
But as I seized the arm of the helmsperson’s chair and maneuvered my body into it, I realized I had no idea how to reattach a lifeboat to its socket on the ship’s side. They had never taught us that. Were lifeboats even designed to reattach once they were separated?
Well, somebody must know the proper procedure for this kind of emergency. Captain Tyler or one of the other adults could talk me through the process. Right?
I fumbled for the seatbelt, twisting my ankles around the legs of the chair so I wouldn’t float off in the meantime. Jabbing the intercom button, I called, “Help! I’m in a lifeboat that just detached! What do I do?”
Realizing how panicked and little-girly I sounded, I took a deep breath and tried again. “I mean, this is Liz Smith on Lifeboat 1, calling anybody on the Laika who can hear me. Come in, please.”
There was no response, and I realized that the communication light wasn’t even on. The intercom was offline.
Great. Dang solar flares.
I took another deep breath. I had never felt so alone.
But the controls in front of me looked exactly like the ones in the simulator. I could do this. It would be just the same as I had practiced.
Except this was no game, where the only real struggle was to beat my classmates, to be the first to land my virtual lifeboat safely.
This was a real emergency.
This was my life at stake.
About the Author:
Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published eighteen books in a wide variety of genres (science fiction, fantasy, YA action and adventure novels, a puppet script, anthologies of her students’ poetry, and a Bible verse coloring and activity book). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.
Blog: http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnieDouglassLimaAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/princeofalasia
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGoodreads
Google+: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGooglePlus
Amazon Author Page: http://bit.ly/AnnieDouglassLimaOnAmazon
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnLinkedIn
Another great read from this talented author.
My review:
The story is about a young orphan who has nothing to lose by joining the space programme so to colonise another planet. She's tempted by the thought of a permanent home, where making friends may not be a bad thing.
However, things don't pan out as expected.
This is a tale about discovery, loneliness, misunderstandings, human behaviour, fear, actions due to that fear, chances and what lies deep within hearts.
Liz is brave and honourable, though is determined to isolate herself, after all, aren't all her friends within the stories she reads?
This was a compelling and meaningful read. It was jammed with life lessons, adventure and mystery. The style and tone of writing was excellent - as they say, 'a real page turner'.
I would highly recommend this story if you enjoy science-fiction/ fantasy steeped in heart.
June 22, 2018
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