Kristin D. Van Risseghem's Blog, page 7
March 14, 2016
#BookGiveaway Monday: Enter for your chance to win a FREE eBook!!
7 FREE eBooks of The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos is up for grabs!! Enter for your chance to win 1 of 7
FREE
eBooks of The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos!! To enter, follow this link! https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/f246cbaf64ee00e3
March 9, 2016
"The Passage, a Dance, & a Little White Dress" #EnlightenSeries Official Book Trailer
Check out my AWESOME new book trailer for The Passage, a Dance, & a Little White Dress!! This video was created by the wonderful, Rachel Bostwick.
Pre-Order your eBook copy today on Amazon ... or wait until April 13 for the paperbook!!
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Pre-Order your eBook copy today on Amazon ... or wait until April 13 for the paperbook!!
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March 3, 2016
Debut Book Release: "Soulless" by Ismael Manzano
Soulless
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Synopsis:
The devil’s not the only one buying souls; both sides need bodies to fight their war, and both have something to offer in return. Nearly anything is possible, if you are the type of soul they’re looking for. Charlotte Furio learns this the hard way, when a spirited and mysterious woman named Trisha follows her home one night and gives her ailing father a simple choice: a healthy body for his immortal soul.
His decision introduces Charlotte to the world of soul brokering, and Charlotte is not only drawn to it, but finds she has a knack for it. Having lived the last decade of her life with only one purpose—to care for her increasingly disabled father—Charlotte sees this as her chance to give direction and meaning to her own life, and the lives of other people. To help them as Trisha had helped her father.
This mission is quickly derailed when Charlotte is framed for the murder of one of the brokers' leaders. Where she once had only one purpose, now Charlotte has two: get her father's soul back and find a way to prove her innocence before it's too late.
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Excerpt:
I walked around the car so I could jump into the passenger's seat, waited for the crowd to thin and calmly—barely holding onto my senses—asked for the knapsack. It weighed nothing, but when I opened it, I found a parchment resting peacefully and eagerly inside of it. The full moon was out, and the sky was cloudless and unobtrusive, so when the pale, silvery light touched the papyrus, it was not reflected but enhanced. Trisha started the engine, and put the convertible’s top up to block the moonlight, then adjusted her mirror. Her face glowed nearly as bright as the papyrus.
The windows were tinted so I felt safe removing the parchment completely from the bag. The second my hand touched it, I felt a rush of something inexplicable, like a jolt of pleasurable lightning traipsing through my nerves and extending outward to the world at large. At first, I thought Trisha had pulled out a taser gun and had shocked me, but nothing hurt. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy the strangeness of the sensation. Shivers passed through me randomly, tingles that lit my skin. Without knowing how, I knew those shivers were my body's reaction to people passing alongside the car. It was as if I was connected to the air through which they moved. I heard the wind pushing through the desiccated leaves still clinging to their branches, and it sounded like water rushing around a brook. The smells of the city, even through the confinement of the car, assailed my nostrils as if someone had bottled it up and threw it—concentrated—into my lap.
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PURCHASE LINKS:
Fantasy Works Publishing | Amazon | Smashwords
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Author Bio:
Ismael Manzano was born and raised in New York City, and has lived his entire life in the Bronx, first with his parents, and then with his lovely and talented wife, Justine, and now with their kinetic maelstrom of a child, Logan.
Ismael is an avid reader of fantasy books, and knew at an early age that he wanted to be a writer. He worked his entire life to hone his craft to achieve the goal of removing the prefix, ‘aspiring,’ from his title, and referring to himself as a writer.
He has written many reviews and social commentaries for the web magazine, G-pop.net. Recently, Ismael has found success publishing his short stories, Playing in Shadows, at This Dark Matter (www.thisdarkmatter.com) and Cold, published in July 2015, at Grey Matter. In 2015, Fantasy Works Publishing signed his Urban Fantasy series, Soul Broker.
Ismael loves watching historical documentaries and listening to audio lectures about Medieval England, Ancient Rome, and Egypt. He considers himself an amateur historian, and has never met a BBC historical drama he didn’t like. One of his favorite things to do is to watch shows like the Tudors and movies like Elizabeth, and try to pick out the discrepancies between fact and fiction. He also hopes to one day solve a Rubix Cube puzzle, but that dream, sadly, seems to be the greatest fantasy of them all.
Ismael’s book, Soulless, is published by Fantasy Works Publishing.
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Synopsis:The devil’s not the only one buying souls; both sides need bodies to fight their war, and both have something to offer in return. Nearly anything is possible, if you are the type of soul they’re looking for. Charlotte Furio learns this the hard way, when a spirited and mysterious woman named Trisha follows her home one night and gives her ailing father a simple choice: a healthy body for his immortal soul.
His decision introduces Charlotte to the world of soul brokering, and Charlotte is not only drawn to it, but finds she has a knack for it. Having lived the last decade of her life with only one purpose—to care for her increasingly disabled father—Charlotte sees this as her chance to give direction and meaning to her own life, and the lives of other people. To help them as Trisha had helped her father.
This mission is quickly derailed when Charlotte is framed for the murder of one of the brokers' leaders. Where she once had only one purpose, now Charlotte has two: get her father's soul back and find a way to prove her innocence before it's too late.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Excerpt:
I walked around the car so I could jump into the passenger's seat, waited for the crowd to thin and calmly—barely holding onto my senses—asked for the knapsack. It weighed nothing, but when I opened it, I found a parchment resting peacefully and eagerly inside of it. The full moon was out, and the sky was cloudless and unobtrusive, so when the pale, silvery light touched the papyrus, it was not reflected but enhanced. Trisha started the engine, and put the convertible’s top up to block the moonlight, then adjusted her mirror. Her face glowed nearly as bright as the papyrus.
The windows were tinted so I felt safe removing the parchment completely from the bag. The second my hand touched it, I felt a rush of something inexplicable, like a jolt of pleasurable lightning traipsing through my nerves and extending outward to the world at large. At first, I thought Trisha had pulled out a taser gun and had shocked me, but nothing hurt. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy the strangeness of the sensation. Shivers passed through me randomly, tingles that lit my skin. Without knowing how, I knew those shivers were my body's reaction to people passing alongside the car. It was as if I was connected to the air through which they moved. I heard the wind pushing through the desiccated leaves still clinging to their branches, and it sounded like water rushing around a brook. The smells of the city, even through the confinement of the car, assailed my nostrils as if someone had bottled it up and threw it—concentrated—into my lap.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PURCHASE LINKS:
Fantasy Works Publishing | Amazon | Smashwords
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Author Bio:Ismael Manzano was born and raised in New York City, and has lived his entire life in the Bronx, first with his parents, and then with his lovely and talented wife, Justine, and now with their kinetic maelstrom of a child, Logan.
Ismael is an avid reader of fantasy books, and knew at an early age that he wanted to be a writer. He worked his entire life to hone his craft to achieve the goal of removing the prefix, ‘aspiring,’ from his title, and referring to himself as a writer.
He has written many reviews and social commentaries for the web magazine, G-pop.net. Recently, Ismael has found success publishing his short stories, Playing in Shadows, at This Dark Matter (www.thisdarkmatter.com) and Cold, published in July 2015, at Grey Matter. In 2015, Fantasy Works Publishing signed his Urban Fantasy series, Soul Broker.
Ismael loves watching historical documentaries and listening to audio lectures about Medieval England, Ancient Rome, and Egypt. He considers himself an amateur historian, and has never met a BBC historical drama he didn’t like. One of his favorite things to do is to watch shows like the Tudors and movies like Elizabeth, and try to pick out the discrepancies between fact and fiction. He also hopes to one day solve a Rubix Cube puzzle, but that dream, sadly, seems to be the greatest fantasy of them all.
Ismael’s book, Soulless, is published by Fantasy Works Publishing.
February 12, 2016
Valentine's Day Sale: #99Cents YA Paranormal Romance Books
Grab these spooky, intriguing and blood-quickening paranormal romance books on Valentine’s Day for just 99cents! You can also win this “Books are better than boys” T-shirt by liking and sharing THIS POST on Facebook.
The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos (The Enlighten Series Book 1) (Amazon)The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos (The Enlighten Series Book 1) (Nook)
The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos (The Enlighten Series Book 1) (Kobo)
Zoe Jabril could be just another 17-year-old girl attending parties with her friends and checking out cute guys—except her best friend is a Guardian Angel, and the boy she crushes on is a Nephilim, half-angel, both sent to Earth to protect her. A high school classmate happens to be a trendsetting shopaholic fairy. And now there’s a new werewolf in town. Zoe must devise a kick-ass plan ASAP or watch everyone die, because she’s running out of time. She turns eighteen in two months—the date Armageddon kicks off.
Shadowed Strength: Shadowed Series Book One (Amazon only)She should have run. She should not have taken that shortcut. The long way was well-lit by unbroken streetlights. She shouldn’t have decided to walk home by herself. She shouldn’t have been here at all! She hadn’t even wanted to go to that damn party. She knew she’d regret it. But not like this. She never imagined this would ever have happened to her.
Ghost Storm (Hidden Bay) (Volume 1) (Amazon)Ghost Storm (Hidden Bay) (Volume 1) (Nook)
Ghost Storm (Hidden Bay) (Volume 1) (Kobo)
Ghost Storm (Hidden Bay) (Volume 1) (iTunes)
How can a place she’s never been before feel so much like home? Hidden Bay is no ordinary town. And Melodie may not be an ordinary girl.
Moonlight (Crowns of the Twelve) (Volume 1) (Amazon only)When the Queen dies, Aowyn takes a vow to protect her brothers and father from the hungry eyes of the queen’s handmaiden, Ciatlllait – who is more than she seems. In order to save her family, Aowyn risks a dangerous deal with the dark creature Sylas Mortas. But magic comes with a price: and Aowyn soon realizes the one she has paid is too steep.
Visions (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 1) (Amazon only)Moving to a new town, Heather Reiner struggles to keep her psychic abilities a secret and establish a sense of normalcy…at least for her overprotective mother’s sake. But when Heather starts having terrifying visions of a missing boy, she can’t simply ignore them. This time she feels an inexplicable pull to solve the crime, and slowly begins to believe that her supernatural gifts could actually help others.
The Space In Between (Amazon)The Space In Between (Nook)
The Space In Between (Kobo)
The Space In Between (iTunes)
The Space In Between (Google Play)
What if you really can fall in love with the man of your dreams?
It happens to Moira, an art student from Wales. After participating in a Wiccan ritual with her sister and brother, she experiences vivid dreams of a strange and magical realm where she meets a young man. According to her sister, he is a ghost lost in that space in between life and death and he needs Moira’s help to cross over. Her problem? She has a very hard time letting him go…
XODUS (The Astralis Series Book 1) (Amazon)XODUS (The Astralis Series Book 1) (Nook)
XODUS (The Astralis Series Book 1) (Kobo)
XODUS (The Astralis Series Book 1) (iTunes)
XODUS (The Astralis Series Book 1) (Scribd)
XODUS (The Astralis Series Book 1) (Smashwords)
The first time it happened, Lali Yavari told herself it was just a dream. But when she starts flashing between realities during the day and seeing people disappear before her very eyes, she can’t deny that something is happening to her–something she’s sure is linked to her mother’s disappearance.
Chosen: Ghost Academy (YA paranormal adventure, book 1) (Amazon only)Enrolment at Ghost Academy is now open; where death is just the beginning of life. Behind the doors of Ghost Academy, four recently deceased teenagers discover there’s more learning to do, lives to save and life (or death) decisions to be made. Lauren has a murder to solve; her own.
A Magic Dark and Bright (Asylum) (Volume 1) (Amazon)A Magic Dark and Bright (Asylum) (Volume 1) (Nook)
A Magic Dark and Bright (Asylum) (Volume 1) (Kobo)
A Magic Dark and Bright (Asylum) (Volume 1) (iTunes)
A Magic Dark and Bright (Asylum) (Volume 1) (Scribd)
When Amelia’s classmates start to drown in the Susquehanna River, one right after another, rumors swirl as people begin to connect the timing of Charlie’s arrival with the unexplained deaths. As Charlie and Amelia uncover the dark history of Asylum, they realize they may have unleashed an unspeakable evil. One they have to stop before everything they love is destroyed.
Marked (Volume 1) (Amazon)Marked (Volume 1) (Nook)
Marked (Volume 1) (Kobo)
Marked (Volume 1) (iTunes)
Marked (Volume 1) (Smashwords)
When 17 year old Hanna Harper agrees to see a local band at The Iron Knife Club with her two best friends, she has no idea her life is about to change forever and that everything she thought was impossible…isn’t. Marked with a mystical symbol by a dying boy, she’s thrust into a world she never imagined existed where her eyes are opened to the reality that fallen angels are very real, and very dangerous. And with just one look from their soulless black eyes, they can take everything from you.
Wilder Destiny: The Guardian Series Book 1 (Amazon only)All that Celeste Wilder ever wanted was to find someone who would sweep her off her feet like she had seen in countless romantic movies. When she meets the gorgeous and mysterious Constantin brothers her senior year of high school, she gets much more than what she had bargained for. As they introduce her to an exciting supernatural world that she never imagined existed, she makes a startling discovery about her own family legacy and is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever.
Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale Book 3) (Amazon)Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale Book 3) (Nook)
Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale Book 3) (Kobo)
Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale Book 3) (iTunes)
Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale Book 3) (Google Play)
Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale Book 3) (Smashwords)
Travelling to the Ice kingdom, along with her ‘body guard’ Dylan-who continues to be bound to her-to where the holder of her magic dwells. The war of Faerie amplifies and her only chance to save it will be to resist the enchantments of the Ice King, one of the Ancient rulers of Faerie. But, he has his own agenda and will do anything to stop her from making it to the Summer Kingdom, with her family, to claim back her throne.
Bonded: Book One of the ShadowLight Saga, an Epic Fantasy Adventure (Amazon)Bonded: Book One of the ShadowLight Saga, an Epic Fantasy Adventure (Nook)
Bonded: Book One of the ShadowLight Saga, an Epic Fantasy Adventure (Kobo)
Bonded: Book One of the ShadowLight Saga, an Epic Fantasy Adventure (iTunes)
Bonded: Book One of the ShadowLight Saga, an Epic Fantasy Adventure (Google Play)
Hallad Avarson’s vow to protect a mysterious warrior maiden pits his best friend against him, endangers the life of his little sister, and leads him into a treacherous realm of magic and intrigue. This richly imagined epic fantasy transports readers into a tale of seductive power, heart-wrenching love, and edge-of-your seat thrills, while following inspiring young heroes and heroines as they discover their abilities and destinies interweave with the fate of a captivatingly original world.
Ramora: (Tales from P.A.W.S. Book 2) (Amazon only)From high up on the mountain of Manus Wu, Ramora felt she could reach out and touch the clouds. She sat and waited. The fairy had said she would come. She felt in her pockets for the vial of potion and the silver coin. Freedom – she would buy her freedom from the fairy. It was the only way.
Shearwater, Part One: An Ocean Depths Mermaid Romance (Amazon only)My mother’s past was filled with tragic secrets… secrets that refused to stay buried. I could feel them sneaking up around me, reaching for me with gnarled arms. I’m in danger: hunted for abilities that defy reason. Abilities so powerful, I can’t be allowed to exist. But I’m tired of being weak. I need to figure out who is really after me, and why. Maybe then I’ll show them that I’m not so helpless. Maybe I’ll show them just how dangerous one girl can be.
January 16, 2016
Pre-Order is now available on January 15, 2016
Debut Fantasy Author, Ross Smeltzer's "The Mark of the Shadow Grove" Gets Published by Fantasy Works Publishing
The Mark of the Shadow GroveRelease Date: January 15, 2016 Synopsis:
Daughters of the gathering dusk and students of blackest spellcraft, the women of the Schermerhorn clan are enigmas made flesh. Seers for time immemorial, they are keepers of primeval knowledge.
They are wise in the ways of the Old Religion.
And they are destroyers of men.
Do the women of the Schermerhorn clan drive the men they encounter to their destruction? Or are their actions governed by specters on the periphery of human consciousness?
The Schermerhorn women will soon learn what dwells in the oldest books and what lurks in the flickering shadows beyond the candlelight.
Come.
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Excerpt:
I saw her close to the fire. I approached her. Instinct—animal’s blood—controlled my fatigued limbs and I felt no fear, though the flames blazed high and the hilltop was forlorn; the night was black as deep water . . . She turned and approached me. “There are no masters here. Only you and me,” she said.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PURCHASE LINKS:
Fantasy Works Publishing | Amazon | Smashwords
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Author Bio: Raised in Chatham, New York, a small town in the Berkshires that looks like the setting for a Washington Irving story, Ross grew up surrounded by overgrown woodlands and tumbled-down, derelict farmhouses. He grew up with an awareness that the past was omnipresent, a slyly pervasive power and a subtle influence on the present.Ross now lives in Dallas, Texas with his patient and endlessly supportive wife, a hopelessly brainless terrier, and an alarmingly unhinged cat. Ross works as a social studies teacher but writes fiction whenever he gets a chance. Sadly, he seems capable only of crafting stories of the weirdest kind. His imagination—apparently corrupted in adolescence by Hawthorne, Bierce, Machen, Lovecraft, and assorted other misanthropes, weirdos, and purveyors of high strangeness—can only manufacture demented little yarns.
Ross's fiction has appeared repeatedly in Bewildering Stories magazine, Quantum Fairy Tales, and Enchanted Conversation, an online fairy tale magazine.
Find Ross here:
Website: http://fantasyworkspublishing.com/authors.html
Twitter: @RossTellsTales
January 6, 2016
My 2016 Tour Around the Twin Cities Begins . . .
Where will I be? My stops will be all over the Twin Cities. I'm starting my tour now because The Passage, a Dance, & a Little White Dress - Book 2 of #EnlightenSeries releases April 13, 2016. My guess is that I'll have advanced paperback copies in early April.
March 12, 2016
Rosemount Art & Craft Fair @ Rosemount High School
March 26, - March 27, 2016
Easter Craft and Gift Show @ Southtown Malls in Bloomington
April 16, 2016
27th Annual Spring Craft and Gift @ Rosemount Community Center
April 30, 2016
Spring Craft and Gift Show @ Shoreview Community Center
May 7, 2016
Spring Craft and Gift Show @ Eagan Community Center
May 21, 2016
Stillwater Flea Market @ Washington County Fairgrounds.
September 10, 2016
Arts, Craft and Gift Show @ Hastings Armory
October 1, 2016
9th annual Fall Craft and Gift Show @ Andover Community Center
November 19, 2016
7th annual Thanksgiving Craft and Gift Show @ Maple Grove Community Center
November 26, 2016
27th Annual Christmas Craft and Gift Show @ Rosemount Community Center
January 3, 2016
"SWAY" Book Release by Melanie Stanford @MelMStanford @SamhainPub
January is the month for resolutions. Eat healthy, exercise more, write more, practice the piano, spend more time with the kids, get up early, go to bed early... (those could all be mine)It makes me wonder, what would Ava, my main character in SWAY make for her
New Year’s Resolutions?
SWAY takes place over the summer. It starts when Ava is returning home after almost eight years away. It’s her second time trying to start fresh. Even though it’s not January, these are the resolutions I would imagine her making as she tries to start over:Get a job! STAT! That Master’s degree from Juilliard has to be useful for somethingDon’t think about Kaz, don’t second guess decision to break upHang out with Lexi—ALOTRepair relationship with Aunt Rose, the incident of eight years ago wasn’t her faultGet to know Beth better—she is your sister after allBabysit Mari’s boys, don’t give in to her hypochondriaDON’T GOOGLE ERIC WENTWORTHAnd what would Eric’s resolutions be, as he also returns to LA (unbeknownst to Ava)?Take a much needed break from touringLet the band take a break too—don’t ask Richard to book any gigsBuy new house, you can afford a nice one nowDate. A nice girl this timeHang out with CharlieSpend time with sister and her husbandLive in the present, NOT the pastSo those are Ava and Eric’s resolutions. Mine would be just one: appreciate things in the moment.
What kind of resolutions did you make this year, or do you bother to make any at all?
Blurb: She’d be happy to forget…if the past would just stop hitting “replay”.
Ava Elliot never thought she’d become a couch surfer. But with a freshly minted—and worthless—degree from Julliard, and her dad squandering the family fortune, what choice does she have?
Living with her old high school friends, though, has its own drawbacks. Especially when her ex-fiancé Eric Wentworth drops back into her life. Eight years ago, she was too young, too scared of being poor, and too scared of her dad’s disapproval.
Dumping him was a big mistake.
In the most ironic of role reversals, Eric is rolling in musical success, and Ava’s starting at the bottom to build her career. Worse, every song Eric sings is an arrow aimed straight for her regrets.
One encounter, one song too many, and Ava can’t go on like this. It’s time to tell Eric the truth, and make a choice. Finally let go of the past, or risk her heart for a second chance with her first love. If he can forgive her…and she can forgive herself.
Product Warnings
Contains an actor whose kisses taste like chocolate, a pianist with scores of regret, and a sexy crooner who just wants his ex to cry him a river.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Author Bio: Melanie Stanford reads too much, plays music too loud, is sometimes dancing, and always daydreaming. She would also like her very own TARDIS, but only to travel to the past. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband, four kids, and ridiculous amounts of snow. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.Links: Samhain Publishing, Amazon, Goodreads
December 11, 2015
Last Stop on my 2015 Holiday Tour: Rosedale Mall (Old Border's Location)
Tons of vendors will be selling their wares in the multi-level Merry Market. Located in the old Borders location on the south side of Rosedale Mall.Saturday, December 12, 2015 10 am - 6 pm
Sunday, December 13, 2015 11 am - 6 pm
