Geonn Cannon's Blog, page 4

“Guard Me” – new book, for free!

This was originally going to be the first book in a new series. For one reason or another, it never happened. Since this book sets up a mystery I’ve given up solving or resolving in any way, I decided not to publish it. But I want to offer it up for free for completion sake. This book is set on Squire’s Isle, so you might find a connection or two to the official stories that will be fun. And even if the series was abandoned, I feel it’s a pretty solid novel on its own. The main story IS resolved, it’s just the overarcing story about Elizabeth that is left open-ended. And you never know, I might bring her back in one way or another.

Get your copy for free from Supposed Crimes’ website or Smashwords![image error]

Guard Me[image error]

Always Bet on the Underdogs!

Ariadne Willow is a private investigator with a secret weapon. She’s a canidae, a person with the ability to transform into a wolf at will. Using her heightened senses to track and her shapeshifting to follow people without being seen, she’s made a decent business for herself and her associate Dale Frye. Together, they form Bitches Investigations, a small but scrappy agency that fights for the little guy. Whether going up against the richest woman in Seattle, an environmentalist celebrity with a sordid past, or facing a war between humans and wolves, there’s one thing that remains constant; Ariadne Willow and Dale Frye are not going down without a fight, because they know the one thing you can always trust…

You should always bet on the underdogs.

Winner of the Rainbow Award and Golden Crown Literary Society Award (for Dogs of War), Underdogs is a new kind of werewolf series. No alphas, no “female wolf must choose which manly man wolf she needs to mate with,” no bull. Just a story about a female werewolf and her committed relationship with another woman serving as a backdrop to fun, dangerous, action-paced mysteries.

Start reading the novels here!

Or if you’d prefer some free stories that set up the universe without the commitment of paying for the book, you can start here!

Tales From Squire’s Isle

Since 2007, I’ve been writing stories about a small group of women who live in Squire’s Isle, Washington. It started with my novel “On the Air” and just exploded from there. In addition to other novels set on or featuring the island (Gemini, World on Fire, The Following Sea, etc), I’ve also written over 130 short stories following the residents of the island. Since the first story, there have been marriages, break-ups, mayor elections, a baby, and so much more. There were events planned well in advance (the baby) and surprises even I didn’t see coming (one couple becoming polyamorous). Now every story has been collected in chronological order, and you can get them for free! Two volumes, over 300 pages each, and both are available fo/r download right now.

So if you’ve missed any and want to catch up, or if you want to start from the beginning, or if you just want to have a copy of the stories living on your e-reader, this is your chance! Stories feature Nadine and Miranda Powell, Jill and Patricia Hood-Colby, Alex Crawford, Rachel Tom, Amy and Kate and Nicole, Molly, Shane, Cheryl, Kira… far too many to name them all. Get your copy here and, while you’re on the site, take a look around and see what else is going on. It’s been a busy few years in the real world, too.

It’s a great little town, and I hope you enjoy visiting.

Trafalgar and Boone praise starts rolling in!

Praise for The Virtuous Feats of the Indomitable Miss Trafalgar & the Erudite Lady Boone:“An imaginatively wrought, steampunk-influenced feminist adventure.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Part science, part historical fiction, part fantasy, part mystery, this tale is filled with adventure and bravery.” – Mehek Naresh, The Rainbow Hub

“Cannon once again delivered a wonderful, action packed story that had me flipping pages hours after I should have put it down and gotten some sleep.” – Rhayne, Inked Rainbow Reads

Buy it here!

(Hardcover forthcoming!)

Trafalgar & Boone, Sneak Peek!

And now, a sneak peek at The Virtuous Fears of the Indomitable Miss Trafalgar and the Erudite Lady Boone, available September 1 in ebook and hardcover!

1899

Two boys sat on the divan in the Boone family parlor, spines straight and hats resting properly underneath folded hands. Theodore Weeks, Esquire, and William Anderson the Second smiled politely and nodded as they waited for the girls they had called upon to arrive. Mary and Olive, the eldest of the Boone girls, were upstairs preparing for their dates that evening. Elmer, the family’s footman, waited by the door to chaperone the happy couples. Clara Boone, matriarch, smiled as she interrogated the boys, never giving them cause to believe she was seeking a reason to send them away. It appeared that they were ‘suitable suitors’, as her husband Bernard was wont to say, and she was extraordinarily pleased at the prospect of their girls finding happiness.

The calm of the moment was shattered by a sudden clamoring on the front porch. Clara Boone started at the ruckus but she composed herself before leveling a cool look at the footman. The set of his lips revealed he shared her irritation, and that he knew as well as she did who was responsible. He reached for the door handle to step outside, but the door flew open and the perpetrator swept inside like a small and surefooted wild animal. He was forced to take a step back so as not to get tail over teakettle as the ruffian dashed to the stairs.

Clara shot to her feet and bellowed, “Dorothy Boone!”

The whippet thin child froze where she stood. Her shirt, an inheritance from her older brother Bernard, was untucked and smeared with dirt and grass stains. The bright red hair their maid had spent so long braiding that morning was a maelstrom around her head. She had a smattering of freckles across her brow and the bridge of her nose, but a stranger would never be able to tell due to the mud smeared there. Most offensive, however, was the girl’s lack of shoes and the trousers – also Bernie’s – that were rolled up tight above her bare knees.

“What…” Clara looked her youngest child up and down. It seemed to be the only word she was capable of producing, so she repeated it. “What…”

Dorothy drew herself up to her full height, shoulders back and chin up. “Fierce creatures, mum. I’ve dispatched ‘um.”

Her mother bristled, her eyes flashing anger at the improper speech. “Young lady…”

She was cut off by a second rude arrival, a small orange creature that bumped the ajar door and flashed up the stairs almost too quickly to see. Dorothy twisted to watch the cat and already forgetting her mother’s ire – or more likely deducing that she couldn’t get into deeper trouble than she was already in – and pounded barefoot up the stairs in hot pursuit. There was a screech and a yowl from the second floor, a flurry of screams from the older girls who had apparently gotten in the way, and then a door slammed.

Clara, flustered, watched as the maid hurried upstairs to try and put a lid on the tempest in their teapot. The footman straightened his vest and looked at her, and then they both looked at the smears of mud that now marred their fine entryway. Crimson flooded Clara’s cheeks as she turned back to the boys and forced a smile.

“That… was… our youngest daughter. Dorothy.” She smoothed her hands over the front of her dress and took a seat. “I assure you, Mary and Olive are quite docile in comparison to her.”

The boys smiled, but shared a sidelong glance with one another. Both were wise enough to leave their mutual thought unspoken, that sometimes docile was nowhere near as fun as unpredictable.

Preorder your copy today! Hardcover preorders are coming soon!

Go “Into the Furnace” on November 1!

Pausing Trafalgar & Boone coverage to pimp my November release! “Into the Furnace” is a standalone novel, vaguely in the Squire’s Isle, Radiation Canary, and Underdogs universe (there IS a crossover character from one of these who appears, but I won’t tell you who or which one). It’s a throwback to my earlier novels: On the Air, Gemini, World on Fire, Following Sea… the person is the story, her love life is the important thing, and the plot is just something that happens to her.

It’s a bit unusual because it’s a reversal of the usual love story. Kelly begins the novel in a relationship, but as it goes on she finds herself falling out of love. By the end, who knows what will happen?

Kelly is also my first bisexual character. Hopefully I got her right. ::fingers crossed::

If you like the idea of a reverse-romance with a bisexual firefighter, click right here to preorder your copy!

The Squire’s Isle Novel

I write a lot of Squire’s Isle stories, mainly because I like using them as little snapshots to check in with the ladies. I don’t want too much drama infringing on their lives. A little drama. The day-to-day stuff. But nothing so big as to require a whole novel. That said, I do still want to write a novel that brings in every one of the islanders. Not a cameo here or a mention there. I want it to be a lesbian Avengers. I want to do an island-wide story that has Nadine, Patricia, Amy, Jill, Miranda, Alex, Kate, Vanessa, Cheryl, Rachel, Nicole, and everyone else.

I had an idea for a novel like that once. It was all plotted out and everything, but there was one huge problem with it: someone died. I didn’t expect it. I stared at the notes for so long trying to convince myself that “Yes, if this story gets written, that scene has to happen.” That person had to die. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that character wasn’t doomed. She wasn’t going to be killed off. It wasn’t about how the audience would react, it wasn’t about being too cowardly to kill off someone I love. It was because that was not how her story ended.

So to save her life, I scrapped the entire thing. That particular story, that chain of events, will never happen to Squire’s Isle. But I still do want to write something big and crossover-ish. I want to use this little town I created to tell a big, fantastic story.

One day I will figure out a story that is true to everyone and true to the island. Until then, it will just have to be my white whale.

Dogs of War – Winner of the GCLS Paranormal/Horror Award!

In 2010, I won my first Goldie Award from the GCLS for my novel “Gemini.” That same year for the Academy of Bards Halloween Invitational, I created a series called “Underdogs.” I didn’t know where I was going with it. I half-expected it to be a one-shot story, just a fun and quick mystery about a werewolf private investigator. I ended up liking the characters so much that I wrote another story with them, and then another, and then… I stopped. The stories weren’t getting much in the way of feedback, so I figured people didn’t want to read them. So I moved on to other things.

About six months later, I dipped my toe back into the waters. The response was instantly enthusiastic. Not only did it spawn a whole series of short stories, but I quickly decided to branch it off into novels. In 2012, “Underdogs: The Novel” was released. It was a standalone story to introduce the world and the characters to people who might not have read the short stories, but also the start of a trilogy. I wanted to do what Pirates of the Caribbean did: the first movie could exist entirely by itself, but the second and third would tie all three together into a larger narrative. In the second book, Ari discovers more about her mother and one of the biggest threats facing the canidae. It all came to a head in the “finale,” which would complete the story and give everyone a sense of closure. That way, even if the series continued, I didn’t have to worry about building and building and building until we finally reach a climax in Book 12, which is so convoluted that only the hardcorest of fans will even bother reading it. A nice, tight three-book trilogy that left all the pieces in place for continued adventures.

Last night, I won my second Goldie for “Dogs of War.” Being the conclusion of the trilogy, I can’t help but feel the award is for the series as a whole. I’m so honored to get this award for a series that almost didn’t begin, and a pair of characters I’ve grown to love, and for a series I hope continues for many books to come (Book 4, “Red in Tooth and Claw” is already available!).

In the past few weeks, I’ve received one of the highest honors Kirkus reviews can give to a novel (a starred review on Trafalgar & Boone) and now one of the most prestigious awards in the LGBT world has a second place on my desk. I don’t know what the future holds, but right now I am a very grateful and honored man. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, or suggested one of my books to a friend. It means so much to me that you’ve enjoyed my novels. I hope you enjoy what I release in the future!

Trafalgar & Boone just got a Kirkus Starred review!

This is big!

My next novel coming out is Sojourn, a short scifi horror piece. After that, I’m releasing my next big project: The Virtuous Feats of the Indomitable Miss Trafalgar and the Erudite Lady Boone (just call it “Trafalgar & Boone” for ease ). This is the first book of an ongoing series about two explorers in a magical, steampunk-inthused version of 1920s London. I’m very excited for people to read this story and meet these characters, but that excitement just shot through the roof because of the advance review it just picked up.

Kirkus Reviews is well-known in the industry for its harsh but fair reviews. The hope is that you’ll be able to pluck something quotable from their review and put it on the book jacket so people can see their name. So Trafalgar & Boone made the trip to Kirkus and came back with the rarest of rarities. Not only is the review glowing and full of praise, it got a star. I’ve read that only 2% of books get a star every year, and my book is one of them! This is highly elite company, and that star means a lot to booksellers. It means the book is worth displaying and treating special. It means more people seeing the book and hopefully picking up a copy.

The best part – to me – is that the book was reviewed as a standard novel. Not niche, not “lesbian fiction,” but as a mainstream novel that happens to feature gay characters. That elevates it to a higher level, I think. I love the LGBT genre, and I’m proud of the place I’ve been given in that world, and I feel like this recognition is holding the door open just a little to show the rest of the world that this isn’t a ghetto or an inferior market. This is a genre that can stand with the big dogs.

I just can’t get over this review!

“…Cannon (Cinder and the Smoke, 2015, etc.) populates his story with a bright, complex array of characters, mostly women and many LGBT and/or of color. It’s refreshing to see such classically underrepresented groups overcome adversity and save the day in smart, sexy style. While graphic scenes of sex and violence make this one for more mature readers, one won’t find many better examples for young girls of the importance of being true to oneself than Trafalgar and Boone.

An imaginatively wrought, steampunk-influenced feminist adventure.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Trafalgar & Boone Cover Reveal!

IT’S HERE. The Trafalgar & Boone cover with art by the awesomely talented Rita Fei and text by the always fantastic Heidi DeCausemaker is finally ready to be unveiled!

art by Rita Fei

A new steampunk hardcover from Geonn Cannon coming September 2015!

The first book in an all-new series!

In 1899, a secret society tried to use a young woman to bring an ancient evil into the world. Twenty years later they will return to finish the job.

After the Great War, London is settling once more into the gentle routine of peacetime. The airships that once protected England’s coast now ferry people back and forth across the Thames, the magically-inclined are free to return to their normal work, and those who seek treasures left behind by ancient civilizations are again free to explore. Dorothy Boone shunned a life of luxury to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps by uncovering the mysteries of “the worlds that came before ours.” When a package explodes upon delivery to Lady Boone’s townhouse, she is drawn into an unlikely alliance with her nemesis, Trafalgar of Abyssinia, to find the culprit.

They soon find themselves unraveling a plot that has left many of their allies dead and the rest in fear for their lives. A group of treasure hunters with a fiendish plot to take over England has begun eliminating its competition in order to fund an expedition to retrieve the last item they need for a summoning that will bring an ancient evil into our world. With no one else to trust, Trafalgar and Boone must put aside their differences and forge a partnership to stop their mutual enemy. If they fail, a world that still bears the scars of the Great War will be once again thrown into turmoil.

Welcome to the world of Trafalgar and Boone, a world where airships battled in a Great War that was fought by soldiers who utilized magic and summoned monsters to do their bidding, a world that they must defend by working together to stop an evil far greater than either of them could ever have imagined.