A.L. Knorr's Blog, page 11

Announcing a New Fire Story & Boxed Set Collection: Midnight Magic!

I have collaborated with 16 other fabulously talented authors to bring you this collection of urban fantasy novellas. The story I have written for it is entitled HEAT, and is a (you guessed it) Fire Novella!

Remember Chad Wendig from Returning? You liked him so much (funny, because he was the antagonist in that story) that you asked me to give him his own story! So that’s what I did. Angelica Butterfield, the antiques collector from Returning is also in this story. Unsurprising, since she is Chad’s love interest. You’ll also get to meet (face to face this time) the mysterious Basil Chaplin, the fire magus that Enzo tells Saxony she needs to train under in Born of Fire. The events of Heat take place ten years before Saxony was born, though, and will give you a bit of a taste of who will be featuring in her life in future stories.

Here is a sample chapter to whet your appetite! Midnight Magic: An Urban Fantasy Novella Collection[image error] is on preorder and will be delivered to your device automatically on April 25, 2017!

PS, in case you’re wondering why Chad refers to himself as a mage and not a magus, the answer is that they mean the same thing. Magus is the Italian word for it, mage is the english word.

 

HEAT, A FIRE NOVELLA

CHAPTER ONE

November, 1990. Sedgley, England.

Templeton’s pub would be heaving soon. It was nearly eleven pm. Chad looked over his shoulder from his post by the open door. Already the floor had multiple wet patches from spilled drinks, and a spray of broken glass, which Archie wouldn’t bother to clean until morning. There was no point. The eighties metal-playing jukebox attracted toque-wearing black-leather clad customers like flies. Motorcycles clustered on the curb outside the doors.

“Close the door for now, Chad,” Archie called as he sent a pint of lager sailing down the bar toward a patron. “It’s brass monkeys tonight.”

Chad shrugged and closed the door behind him. It smelled better outside anyway. Cold had never bothered him. How could it, when he had a fire constantly burning in the pit of his stomach? Literally. You’re a fire mage, Wendig, he thought. Surely your talents are worth more than a hundred quid a week? Surely you can find something better than bouncing? Chad watched his breath fog in the air and turned the steam into smoke just for the fun of it. The little opaque cloud drifted away and slowly evaporated.

A figure materialized at the end of the street. Delicate footsteps drew Chad’s attention. A tall, slender shape stepped into the circle of light under a streetlamp. Young, female, and alone. Tight-fitting denim, tall tan leather boots and matching leather jacket and bag. A white scarf was snugged up to her nose and a matching thick-knit toque with a ball dangling from the end bobbed as she walked. A blond curl blew back from her cheekbone. She defined ‘legs for days.’

Chad tucked his hands into his jean pockets and watched her approach through half-closed eyes. Was she actually intending to enter Templeton’s? Chad raised his eyebrows. Templeton’s hadn’t hosted a patron like her in…well, ever. It was a watering hole for the sludge of Sedgley.

She reached the door next to Chad and put her hand out for the door handle. She didn’t look a day over eighteen.

Chad fought the urge to direct her to The Bat & Ball two blocks over. She wouldn’t find any trouble in a theme pub frequented by retired cricket players. But Archie would kill him if he turned a patron away, especially a pretty one.

“ID, miss,” he said.

“Oh, aren’t you sweet,” she said in a North American accent. She pulled off her white mittens, shot him a dizzying grin, and rummaged in her tan leather bag. She produced a wallet and then a driver’s license.

He held the ID up under the single bulb hanging on a wire over the door. Angelica Butterfield. Twenty-two. A Canadian address.

“You’re a long way from home, Angelica,” Chad said, handing the ID back and swinging the door open for her with one arm. Why any tourist would ever visit the hamlet of Sedgley when London was less than an hour away was beyond him.

“Yes. In town on business,” she said, dropping her wallet into her bag. “Brrrr, chilly tonight, isn’t it?”

Angelica sailed past him, leaving behind a vanilla-scented cloud. Chad watched as she doffed the toque and approached the bar. A cascade of blond curls tumbled down over her shoulders. Every scarred face in the place turned.

Templeton’s was poorly lit, and every one of the dozen customers were men in black leather. They looked more like wraiths than people: hollow-eyed, used up, worn-down. Against the dark wood paneling, cracked floor tiles, and chrome-rimmed bar stools, Angelica stood out like a lighthouse on a stormy night.

Archie threw his bar towel over his shoulder, placed his hands flat on the top of the bar, and leaned forward to listen to her order. Chad strained his ears but couldn’t make out their words. Archie gestured towards the rear wall of the pub. Angelica moved away from the bar and Archie’s eyes swept her from head to toe. He tugged on his beard, flipped a half-pint glass in one meaty hand, and placed it under a tap.

Oblivious to the stares, Angelica moved past the pool tables to take in Archie’s prized possession: A 1929 Military Scout motorcycle. Poised beneath the neon glow of beer signs, the Scout was cast in a mythic green glow.

Archie followed her with a half-pint. Chad’s mouth twitched. Archie never delivered drinks to anybody. To Chad’s surprise, Archie and Angelica stood and talked animatedly for more than a few minutes. Angelica gestured to several of the bike’s parts and Archie nodded enthusiastically. Archie squatted to point at the main stand. Angelica crouched along with him and the two of them looked like a couple of frogs on lily pads.

When they finally stood and Archie turned away, he had a look of amazement on his face. He shook his head as he made his way back to the bar.

Chad closed the door before Archie had a chance to yell at him, and nearly bumped into Mickey Pickett. Mickey was a regular who took up more room than three regulars. He was Sedgley’s only claim to fame – a champion bare-knuckle heavy-weight boxer, well known in the underground.

“Wendig,” Mickey nodded his massive head at the bouncer.

“Pickett,” Chad returned. He held the door open and sucked in his stomach so the giant could pass.

A dozen more patrons arrived over the next twenty minutes and the small bar became hazy with smoke and loud with talk. The temperature rose. Chad propped the door open. From his post, he watched Angelica out of the corner of an eye. So far she’d struck up six different conversations and had shaken multiple hands. If he wasn’t mistaken, she’d also handed out a couple of business cards. She sent a couple of smiles Chad’s way, but her gaze never lingered. What did a lady like her want in a place like Templeton’s?

Shortly past midnight, the sound of breaking glass jerked Chad’s attention away from Angelica.

“You gonna pay for that?” Mickey’s voice carried over the din.

“Come on, Pickett. It was an accident,” wheedled a voice from someone Chad couldn’t see behind the giant. “I got laid off this week.”

“What’re you doing here then? You’ll pay for my next drink, and then you’ll go home where you belong.”

“A man’s got a right to…”

“Don’t push me, Sykes.” Mickey reached out a meaty hand and dropped it on the little man’s greasy forehead. He pushed enough to make the short guy stagger back into a circle of other patrons.

Beer splashed on the floor, shortly followed by cries of anger. Shoving commenced.

Archie looked for Chad over the crowd and summoned him with a jerk of his chin. Chad elbowed his way through the crowd as more bodies crashed into one another.

“Hey now, Mick. Not in my bar…” Archie’s voice rose sharp and blunt over a Whitesnake song blaring from the jukebox.

A sharp elbow caught Chad in the cheek as he pushed through the stinking crush. A circle had formed, and a little too eagerly, Chad noted. Mickey and the little man who looked more weasel than human faced off.

The fire crackled in Chad’s belly, ready to be called on. It hurt, like always, and Chad tried not to wince outwardly. He put a hand on Mickey’s elbow, hoping to coax him down with talk. That’s when he saw the blade in Sykes’s hand.

“Even a meathead boxer like you can’t win against a blade,” Sykes hissed as he snapped open the butterfly knife.

Mickey laughed and pulled out his own long, two-edged blade from somewhere near the vicinity of his hip, holding it low and hard. It gleamed in the light.

“No knives! No! Knives! Chad?” Archie waved his arms and the crowd shoved back, out of reach of the blades. Chad got pushed back along with the crowd.

“Coming through,” Chad bellowed, and the men nearest to him parted.

“Easy, Sykes,” Mickey said. “You really want to dance with me?”

“You’ve always acted like you own the place,” seethed Sykes.

The crowd inhaled, so did Chad. Mickey raised the blade, a good twelve inches. Even at a distance, Chad could see the distinct pattern on the steel. It reminded him of flowing water, which reminded him he needed a drink.

“That’s a Damascus blade,” cried a woman’s voice.

The sound was so jarring against the backdrop of men’s voices that everyone froze.

Chad tracked a head of blond hair as Angelica wound her way through the crowd. She ducked under raised arms and curled around pot bellies. She entered the circle, as if oblivious to the danger. She peered up at Mickey, her face alight with wonder. She looked at the blade deliberately and pointed to it. “That’s Damascus steel!”

Mickey looked down at her, his jaw agape. “Damascus…” he trailed off.

“Where did you get that? May I see it? Sorry to interrupt,” she threw the words over her shoulder at Sykes, who’s jaw hung stupidly. He put his palms up, butterfly knife held light and loose. The tension in the room eased.

“Nothing to see here,” Chad said as he passed through the crowd, patting a few backs. “Relax, guys. Break it up. Jake,” he called to the smaller man.

Jake Sykes shuffled toward Chad, his narrow eyes darting toward Mickey and Angelica.

“Get out of here,” Chad continued. “You know we don’t do weapons. Next time I search you.”

Jake sputtered, “Mickey’s got a bloody machete!”

“I know, I’ll deal with him next. Get.” Chad jerked his chin toward the door and Sykes hunched his shoulders and took his leave.

Chad approached Mickey who was now wrapped up in conversation with Angelica.

“…is a lost art,” Angelica was saying. “You see this beautiful design?” She hefted the blade in her hands and pointed her pinky finger at the sweeping lines through the metal. “It’s called pattern welding and happens in the smelting process.”

Chad was shocked Mickey let anyone touch the blade, but as he took in the look of abject admiration and excitement on Angelica’s face, he wouldn’t have been able to say no to her passion, either.

“‘Scuse me,” Chad interrupted. “No weapons in Templeton’s. Take it outside.”

“This isn’t a weapon,” Angelica said to Chad, her enthusiasm quickening his pulse. “Well, it is. But it’s art first. I’d like to buy it from this fine gentleman. He promises he won’t wield it against anyone during our transaction, don’t you Mr….?”

“Pickett,” said Mickey. “But it’s not for sale. It was my granddad’s blade.”

“Which is why I’ll pay you handsomely for it,” Angelica said, opening her purse. She opened the wallet, exposing a thick wad of cash. “How’s six hundred pounds?”

Chad cursed under his breath and moved his bulk to block the view of her money from curious glances. “We’re a bar, not a pawn shop.”

Mickey stared at the cash, his bottom lip hanging open. He gathered himself, his eyes never leaving the money. “Eight hundred pounds.”

Chad almost laughed. So much for hanging onto his granddad’s prized possession.

“Seven, and not a penny more,” said Angelica, snapping her fingers. She was enjoying this. “In cash. Today. Right now. You won’t get a better offer than that, Mr. Pickett.”

“It’s yours,” said Mickey. His tongue snaked out and wet his lips.

Angelica handed the cash to Mickey and took the blade gingerly. “Did it come with a sheath? Oh, please say yes!” Her eyes reminded Chad of a puppy. Adorable. Sweet. Did she know how irresistible she was? Probably.

Mickey whipped out his wallet and shoved the money out of view. He shook his head. “I lost it. ’Scuse me. Nice doing business with you.” Mickey moved faster than any man that large had a right to. The door slammed behind him.

More than one pair of eyes had witnessed the transaction. Angelica inspected knife, seemingly unaware of the attention she’d drawn.

“Miss?” Chad said. She had plenty of cash left, he’d seen the wad with his own eyes, and he wasn’t the only one.

“Hmmm?” She made a distracted noise.

“I’m not sure what you were thinking coming to a place like this…” He had her attention now. Her big blue eyes blinked up to his face. “…And flashing money around. But I advise you to head home, or to wherever you’re staying. And quickly.”

“Oh.” She held the knife against her heart, as though the contents of her purse were an afterthought by comparison. “Right you are, Mr…”

“Wendig.” He held an arm toward the door, inviting her to take her leave.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Angelica Butterfield.” She took off her scarf and wrapped the blade carefully, then tucked it into her purse. “Good night, Mr. Wendig.” She pulled her white toque over her curls and donned her mittens. “Oh.” She put a pound coin on the bar to cover her drink. “You’re sure you won’t sell the Scout?” she asked Archie.

“I’m sure. Can’t blame you for trying, though,” Archie said, taking the money off the bar. “Lady knows her stuff,” he said to Chad.

Chad was less concerned with her knowledge and more worried about her making it home in one piece. “Need a cab?” He didn’t like the look of the two characters in the booth nearest the door. They watched Angelica pass, looking like a couple of wax figures. Only their eyeballs moved.

“Oh, thanks. But I’m staying at the King’s Arms. I can walk. Goodnight, Mr. Wendig.”

“Goodnight, Miss Butterfield.”

He watched her stride purposefully down the street as a light autumn mist began to fall. Halos surrounded each street lamp and dead leaves rustled across the cobblestone road. She turned the corner at the end of the street and disappeared just as the two men from the booth passed Chad with a “G’night.”

A bad feeling soured in the pit of Chad’s stomach as the two men walked quickly in the same direction as Angelica.

Sneak Peek of Returning, Episode II.

Returning, Episode II

Chapter One (sneak peek)

The lunch rush was over and the Sea Dog was empty of customers except for one young couple. A pram was parked next to their table, the parents peering into it with dreamy expressions. They held hands over the table, the man stroking the back of the woman’s hand with his thumb. Lunch had been manic, and yet these two paid the world around them no mind, trapped as they were in their love bubble.

“Why don’t you just go over there and ask if you can see her?” Crystal had just emerged from the kitchen with a tray of recently filled salt and pepper shakers. “You’ve been watching them for an hour, Mir. You should have served them instead of me.”

“They wouldn’t mind?” I dried my hands with a bar towel and threw it over my shoulder. I had little to no experience with babies, all I knew is that they did something intense to my heart and I couldn’t stop dreaming about the day I’d have one of my own.

“Course not. They’re nice. People always think their babies are the cutest and most lovable.” She set the tray down and gave me a nudge. “They’ll love that you’re just as gobsmacked over her as they are.”

It didn’t come naturally to me to approach strangers, but the curiosity to see what was inside that pram was overpowering. They didn’t look up until I was almost on top of them. “Hello,” I said. I realized my fingers were strangling each other and dropped my hands.

“Hi!” The mother looked up. “Sorry, we’ll pay and get out of your way.” She stood and began pulling on her jacket.

“No, that’s fine,” I said. “I’m not rushing you. I was just wondering if I might have a peek?” I gestured to the pram. My heart pounded and I felt awkward. I hoped Crystal was right.

“Oh, of course!” she smiled knowingly at her husband and drew back the blanket.

My anxiety vaporized when I saw her. “Ohhhh,” I breathed. My heart pooled into a warm liquid of want. The infant was tiny and sleeping and perfect. Only her face was visible, her head capped in a white knit hat. “How old?”

“Twenty-seven days,” said the father. “This is our first time out of the house with her. We’re incredibly lucky, she’s an angel.” He pulled on his jacket and zipped it up. “We know it’s cold out, but we just had to get out.”

The mother pulled on her hat. “You want a baby one day?”

“As soon as possible,” I said seriously, and they both laughed.

“It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “But you’re young. Live a little first. That’s what I’d suggest. Once you’re a parent, you’re a parent for life. And do it with the right guy.” She gave her husband a mushy smile. She covered the sleeping infant and her partner pulled out his wallet and fished for cash to pay for their lunch.

I felt like I had lived plenty, although a lot of it had been underwater. At twenty, I had only spent a single year more on land than I had at sea. I had all the exposure to salt that was needed to trigger my land-cycle, and land-cycle meant a baby.

“Satisfied?” Crystal raised an eyebrow as I returned to the bar with the couple’s dirty dishes.

“Cute,” I said.

“Yeah. Cute and messy and smelly and loud.”

“You don’t want kids?”

“Ugh, no thanks.” She followed me into the kitchen where Phil was cleaning the stove. “They’re like little drunk people. They poop their pants, throw up on themselves, can’t walk, break stuff.”

“Who pooped their pants?” Phil looked up, startled.

“Babies. Babies poop their pants. Multiple times a day. And yet, Mira here wants one so bad she can barely see straight.”

I chuckled as I tucked the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

“That’s nice,” said Phil. “You and Nathan would have cute kids. What’s stopping you?”

“Tradition,” Crystal and I said at the same time.

We smiled at one another. She had dated Nathan before I had, she knew he was as old school as they come. She was with Nathan when she figured out that she was more attracted to women than to men.

“Ah,” said Phil, colouring.

“Nathan is so old-fashioned he should wear eighteenth-century garb and drive a carriage to work, instead of a Tundra.”

“So. Get married,” Phil suggested. “Why wait if its what you both want?”

My sentiments exactly. I felt like I’d been waiting for Nathan since the day I’d met him. I’d been warned by my mother that human love needed time to grow. The stages of a true and authentic love had been studied by psychologists and there were important steps to take if you wanted a really strong foundation. I had taken a book out of the library on the subject, just to make sure Nathan and I weren’t going to miss any steps. For me, it was a kind of torture. For my future child, if female, it should make her powerful beyond imagination. It was the kind of gift my mother wasn’t able to give me because she’d had to use her siren voice on my father. I didn’t know what had happened, she’d never told me, but I wasn’t about to screw up my child’s chances at having the best a siren could have. So… we were taking it slow. Very slow. Agonizingly slow.

“I’m not so hung up about the marriage part…” I began.

“But Nathan is,” said Crystal, sliding her butt up onto the stainless steel countertop. Phil gave her a look and she slid down again.

“What has it been, 4 months?” Phil asked, drying off the gleaming stove.

“Five,” I said. Five months of going on dates, kissing, cuddling, talking, falling in love. I was so ready to move on to the next step that I could barely focus anymore, but I didn’t say anything to Nathan. I let him dictate our speed. After all, he was the human, not me.

“Well, you guys will know when is the right time,” said Phil, patting my upper arm.

For me, the right time was the day I first heard Nathan’s voice. But for him? Who knew.

Returning, Episode II. Sneak Peek!

Sneak Peek: Chapter 1 of Returning, Episode II.

The lunch rush was over and the Sea Dog was empty of customers except for one young couple. A pram was parked next to their table, the parents peering into it with dreamy expressions. They held hands over the table, the man stroking the back of the woman’s hand with his thumb. Lunch had been manic, and yet these two paid the world around them no mind, trapped as they were in their love bubble.

“Why don’t you just go over there and ask if you can see her?” Crystal had just emerged from the kitchen with a tray of recently filled salt and pepper shakers. “You’ve been watching them for an hour, Mir. You should have served them instead of me.”

“They wouldn’t mind?” I dried my hands with a bar towel and threw it over my shoulder. I had little to no experience with babies, all I knew is that they did something intense to my heart and I couldn’t stop dreaming about the day I’d have one of my own.

“Course not. They’re nice. People always think their babies are the cutest and most lovable.” She set the tray down and gave me a nudge. “They’ll love that you’re just as gobsmacked over her as they are.”

It didn’t come naturally to me to approach strangers, but the curiosity to see what was inside that pram was overpowering. They didn’t look up until I was almost on top of them. “Hello,” I said. I realized my fingers were strangling each other and dropped my hands.

“Hi!” The mother looked up. “Sorry, we’ll pay and get out of your way.” She stood and began pulling on her jacket.

“No, that’s fine,” I said. “I’m not rushing you. I was just wondering if I might have a peek?” I gestured to the pram. My heart pounded and I felt awkward. I hoped Crystal was right.

“Oh, of course!” she smiled knowingly at her husband and drew back the blanket.

My anxiety vaporized when I saw her. “Ohhhh,” I breathed. My heart pooled into a warm liquid of want. The infant was tiny and sleeping and perfect. Only her face was visible, her head capped in a white knit hat. “How old?”

“Twenty-seven days,” said the father. “This is our first time out of the house with her. We’re incredibly lucky, she’s an angel.” He pulled on his jacket and zipped it up. “We know it’s cold out, but we just had to get out.”

The mother pulled on her hat. “You want a baby one day?”

“As soon as possible,” I said seriously, and they both laughed.

“It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “But you’re young. Live a little first. That’s what I’d suggest. Once you’re a parent, you’re a parent for life. And do it with the right guy.” She gave her husband a mushy smile. She covered the sleeping infant and her partner pulled out his wallet and fished for cash to pay for their lunch.

I felt like I had lived plenty, although a lot of it had been underwater. At twenty, I had only spent a single year more on land than I had at sea. I had all the exposure to salt that was needed to trigger my land-cycle, and land-cycle meant a baby.

“Satisfied?” Crystal raised an eyebrow as I returned to the bar with the couple’s dirty dishes.

“Cute,” I said.

“Yeah. Cute and messy and smelly and loud.”

“You don’t want kids?”

“Ugh, no thanks.” She followed me into the kitchen where Phil was cleaning the stove. “They’re like little drunk people. They poop their pants, throw up on themselves, can’t walk, break stuff.”

“Who pooped their pants?” Phil looked up, startled.

“Babies. Babies poop their pants. Multiple times a day. And yet, Mira here wants one so bad she can barely see straight.”

I chuckled as I tucked the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

“That’s nice,” said Phil. “You and Nathan would have cute kids. What’s stopping you?”

“Tradition,” Crystal and I said at the same time.

We smiled at one another. She had dated Nathan before I had, she knew he was as old school as they come. She was with Nathan when she figured out that she was more attracted to women than to men.

“Ah,” said Phil, colouring.

“Nathan is so old-fashioned he should wear eighteenth-century garb and drive a carriage to work, instead of a Tundra.”

“So. Get married,” Phil suggested. “Why wait if its what you both want?”

My sentiments exactly. I felt like I’d been waiting for Nathan since the day I’d met him. I’d been warned by my mother that human love needed time to grow. The stages of a true and authentic love had been studied by psychologists and there were important steps to take if you wanted a really strong foundation. I had taken a book out of the library on the subject, just to make sure Nathan and I weren’t going to miss any steps. For me, it was a kind of torture. For my future child, if female, it should make her powerful beyond imagination. It was the kind of gift my mother wasn’t able to give me because she’d had to use her siren voice on my father. I didn’t know what had happened, she’d never told me, but I wasn’t about to screw up my child’s chances at having the best a siren could have. So… we were taking it slow. Very slow. Agonizingly slow.

“I’m not so hung up about the marriage part…” I began.

“But Nathan is,” said Crystal, sliding her butt up onto the stainless steel countertop. Phil gave her a look and she slid down again.

“What has it been, 4 months?” Phil asked, drying off the gleaming stove.

“Five,” I said. Five months of going on dates, kissing, cuddling, talking, falling in love. I was so ready to move on to the next step that I could barely focus anymore, but I didn’t say anything to Nathan. I let him dictate our speed. After all, he was the human, not me.

“Well, you guys will know when is the right time,” said Phil, patting my upper arm.

For me, the right time was the day I first heard Nathan’s voice. But for him? Who knew.

Death of Nicodemo. A Companion Short Story to Born of Fire.

This short story is written for those who have read Born of Fire. It is not a happy scene, and perhaps would be more appropriately categorized as horror over fantasy. Maybe don’t read it unless you’ve a penchant for the dark… Consider yourself warned. 

 

Dante checked his watch and went to the fridge to pour himself a drink. He wondered just how long it was going to take Nic to go through the burning, and what it felt like. Nicodemo had told him that almost no fire magi were reckless enough to attempt a burning. The pain was simply too great and the chances of dying far too high.

“But the rewards,” Dante had protested. “The rewards must be nearly unfathomable. You won’t have to live with the pain, and your powers will more than double. Right?”

Nicodemo was the most important and powerful man in Dante’s father’s employ. Enzo and Dante didn’t often see eye to eye. Dante didn’t quite understand how he’d managed to disappoint his father so much in his young life, but it had been made clear that Enzo didn’t see his son as worthy to take over the family business. If he could see Nicodemo safely through a burning, Dante would be responsible for exponentially increasing the reach of the already long Barberini arms throughout the Veneto region. Dante could already see the appreciation and excitement in his father’s eyes. His heart pounded like a drum at the thought. Everything in his body desired such approval because with it would come great power. Dante could do a better job even than his father at increasing the holdings and wealth of the Barberini family, he just had to be given a chance. Enzo had far too much compassion to be a really great Don, but Dante was not encumbered by a soft heart.

Nicodemo had nodded. “It’s true, those who survive have power far greater than those who don’t. I have never met a magus who survived a burning, though, so it’s difficult to say just how much. There’s a reason most magi would never try it. It’s foolhardy.”

Dante had given up on convincing Nic to try a burning, it seemed there was nothing he could say to make him change his mind. The magus had even spoken gruffly to the teenager a few times, insisting he leave off the topic. Dante would never let any other man in his father’s employee speak to him like that, but Nicodemo was a special case.

Dante wasn’t sure what happened in Nicodemo’s life to make him change his mind, but he couldn’t stop the vibration of excitement that seized him the day Nic took the villa steps two at a time, passing by Dante in a rush. “Let’s do it,” was all he’d said. Enzo and most of his men were in Milan on business, the kind of business they didn’t need a fire magus for, so Dante and Nic had the villa and grounds to themselves.

Dante gave chase and asked why Nic had changed his mind, but the magus wouldn’t give. “You’re the only one who can take me safely through this,” was the only thing Nicodemo would say. “Are you in, or not?”

“Of course I’m in. Who else has been trying to convince you to do this for the last six months?” Dante rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“Your father would kill us if he knew,” said Nicodemo.

“He won’t find out. At least, not until it’s all been done. Then he’ll be nothing but grateful,” Dante assured him.

They agreed to use the century-old cell under the villa, the one with the high ceilings, the out-of-reach window, and the tempered steel door. Dante had filled five buckets with water and lined the outside of the cell, readying them for use at the appointed time. “Get five more,” Nicodemo said when he saw them.

They had to duck low to crawl through the door. They were met with dank air and the smell of old urine. Dante had put a lavender scented pillow on the wooden platform, which served as a bed. A single small comfort. Dante turned the key and the ancient bolts slid home, leaving Nic locked inside.

“If you hear me screaming,” said Nicodemo through the barred door.

“I know, ignore you,” Dante finished.

“Do you think you can do that?” asked Nicodemo, his fingers appeared through the small grate, and his obsidian eyes peered out.

Just the fact that Nic asked, thought Dante, showed how much Nic underestimated him, just like Enzo did. Dante was not put off by the sound of screaming the way most men were. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”

“Try not to enjoy yourself too much,” said Nicodemo and his mouth twitched. Okay so maybe he did know Dante, a bit.

And so it had begun. The burning. The agonizing exercise which would take Nicodemo to the edge of death – an edge only Dante could pull him back from by administering the healing water at the very last moment. Of course, there was no way he’d know exactly when the last moment would be, Nicodemo had given him a window. Dante was charged with checking him at the 12-hour mark, and every five minutes thereafter. “Don’t check me before the 12-hour mark has passed,” insisted Nicodemo. “If you do, I shall beg. And I can’t have you seeing me that way. My guess is that it will take as long as 16 hours, maybe even more, so you’ll have some uncomfortable waiting to do.”

The sound of screaming and begging began at the six-hour mark; a rough, deep-throated and ragged sound filled with agony. It seeped up through the cracks in the foundation and echoed through the empty halls. The sound could break a heart. Dante went outside, circled the villa to make sure the cell’s small window was open. It was, but there was no sign of smoke yet. He hoped the screaming wouldn’t last. People in the neighbourhood knew better than to inquire after strange sounds coming from the Barberini villa, but still, he didn’t want anyone alerting his father’s men before the job was done. Dante left and met some friends for a spritz. When he returned four hours later, all was quiet.

“When the cell has a layer of smoke along the ceiling,” Nicodemo had said, “and there is a faint smell of burning flesh, only then can you give me water.” Dante’s stomach churned at the description, but there was also something so stimulating about the risk and the torture, as long as it was someone else’s.

Dante had bothered Nic for years, trying to get him to teach him how to be fire magus. “First of all, you’re born with it.” Nicodemo had explained. “You see this?” He indicated the tiny mole-coloured fireball on the outside of his right wrist. “It’s not a tattoo, it’s a birthmark – the mark of a fire magus. Second of all, I would never wish this ability on anyone. It hurts every second of every day, it’s nearly unbearable when I’m dehydrated and in the early stages of a burning.”

 

That evening, Dante settled onto the sofa to watch the regatta. The sound of oars rhythmically slicing through water soon had him dozing. He was jarred awake, heart pounding, by the faint smell of smoke and burning meat. He checked his watch and breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t missed the alarm. He still had 5 minutes to go before the 12-hour mark. Dante got up and rubbed his eyes. The smell of charred flesh made his body break out in a cold sweat.

Dante descended into the medieval basement right on the agreed time. Twelve hours. He ducked his head as he entered the long hallway and made his way to the last cell. The air had grown warm in a place that always remained cool, no matter how hot the Venetian summer got. The smoke thickened and Dante began to cough. He covered his nose. Nicodemo had underestimated the smell. It was awful. Like a barbecue gone horribly wrong, gamey and acrid. Dante’s stomach surged as he approached the metal door. “Nicodemo?” Dante peered in through the small slot in the door. Smoke filtered out and stung his eyes. With shaking fingers Dante put the key into the lock and opened the door. He coughed into his arm as smoke drifted out. Dante stumbled back, waving his hands. “Nic!” he yelled, choking. Sweat beaded on Dante’s forehead and upper lip. It was hot as glass-blowers workshop inside. Dante bent to look into the cell, squinting through the haze. The shadow of Nic’s form on the wooden platform was completely still. Nicodemus had told him that he would get to a point where he couldn’t move, so that was to be expected. But the smoke was not just lining the ceiling, it was an opaque four-foot layer, making the ceiling appear much lower than it actually was.

“Nicodemo?” Dante peered in through the small slot in the door. Smoke filtered out and stung his eyes. With shaking fingers Dante put the key into the lock and opened the door. He coughed into his arm as smoke drifted out. Dante stumbled back, waving his hands. “Nic!” he yelled, choking. Sweat beaded on Dante’s forehead and upper lip. It was hot as glass-blowers workshop inside. Dante bent to look into the cell, squinting through the haze. The shadow of Nic’s form on the wooden platform was completely still. Nicodemus had told him that he would get to a point where he couldn’t move, so that was to be expected. But the smoke was not just lining the ceiling, it was an opaque four-foot layer, making the ceiling appear much lower than it actually was.

The feeling that it had all gone horribly wrong was overwhelming. Nausea roiled in Dante’s guts. Enzo would never forgive him if Nic didn’t survive this, even if it had been Nic’s idea.

Dante’s hands shook as he ripped off his polo, dunked it into a bucket, wrung it out, and wrapped it around his head and face, leaving only a slit to see through. He picked up two buckets and pushed his way awkwardly into the cell with his burdens, his eyes watered and stung. He kept his breathing shallow and squatted low, staying beneath the thickest smoke. A white blur on the floor spooked him until he realised it was the pillow. Nic must have thrown it on the ground at some point early on, not wanting to light it on fire.

Nic was laying on the wooden platform in the corner of the room. Smoke streamed from his open mouth, and wisped from his ears. Dante threw one bucket of water over him. A sizzling sound filled the cell, like throwing water on a hot grill. “Nic?” he called, praying for a response. Nothing. Dante coughed, his throat burned. His pounding heart filled his head with blood, and the headache began to throb at his temples. He took a drink of water from the other bucket before throwing it over Nicodemo as well. Again the air filled with steam. Dante exchanged the empty buckets for full ones, and, body trembling from adrenalin, threw another onto Nic’s form.

Squinting through the haze, Dante half expected to see a charred figure, like a body pulled from a volcano. But Nic looked as whole and normal as ever, skin pale, thinning hair still combed. But he wasn’t responding to the water the way he should. He lay completely motionless, eyes half open and unfocused, staring up at the ceiling. A chill swept Dante’s body in spite of the heat. Nicodemo’s eyes were glowing. For a moment, Dante’s heart surged with relief, thinking the man was still alive, only paralysed. All he needed was more water to cure him. But as he bent to hold the bucket to the man’s lips, he got a closer look. Smoke drifted up from Nic’s mouth in a steady stream, the way it would from a chimney. But the eyes. Dante had seen Nic’s eyes glow before, but they were always full of life and emotion. They only glowed when Nic was excited or angry. But this time… his eyes were open and unseeing. Something was off about the glow. It was as though the fire was alive, but danced inside an empty shell. Dante’s excitement collapsed and he turned his head to gag. He put a hand out to Nic’s shoulder to jar him

Smoke drifted up from Nic’s mouth in a steady stream, the way it would from a chimney. But the eyes. Dante had seen Nic’s eyes glow before, but they were always full of life and emotion. They only glowed when Nic was excited or angry. But this time… his eyes were open and unseeing. Something was off about the glow. It was as though the fire was alive, but danced inside an empty shell. Dante’s excitement collapsed and he turned his head to gag. He put a hand out to Nic’s shoulder to jar him

He put a hand out to Nic’s shoulder to jar him awake but snatched it back with a hiss. The fire magus was too hot to touch. “Nicodemo!” Dante screamed. No response. Tears rolled down Dante’s face, as much from fear as from the smoke. He poured water from the bucket unto Nic’s lax mouth. The water spilled over the man’s face and onto the wooden platform. More hissing, and the fire in Nic’s eyes dimmed. Dante waited, calling his friends name. The glow in the man’s eyes finally flickered out, leaving the corpse as quiet and void of life as a tomb.

“No,” the word escaped on a moan, and, with it, the realisation fully sank in. Dante had failed. He had failed Nic, and he had failed Enzo. How was he going to explain this to his father? Nicodemo was dead.

<<<<>>>>

Why You Should Write a Review, Even If No One Ever Reads It

Part of being an author seems to be asking, if not begging, for reviews. I think the current number of readers to reviews is something like 1%. Why do so few readers leave reviews? My guess is that the biggest reason is that it takes time, and the reader doesn’t get any benefit themselves from penning a review, other than the feeling of satisfaction that they’ve shared their opinion. Some of the most popular books out there already have thousands, even tens of thousands of reviews – so who will ever read yours anyway?

What most readers don’t know is that leaving a review, especially a verified one (means you purchased the book), has a bigger impact than they realize.

Why You Should Share Your Opinion

Giving an author feedback on what you liked or didn’t like about a story helps the author to become a better writer. If you liked a book, encourage the person who wrote it to keep writing. Imagine how awesome their story skills will be in five more years!
Readers are more likely to purchase a well-reviewed book. Lots of other people say it’s good, so the risk of not liking it and wasting their money is low. You can have a direct impact on the sale of that book (for better or worse) by writing a review.
Search engine algorithms are affected by the number of reviews, well-reviewed books are more visible than poorly reviewed or not reviewed books. Imagine blowing a feather to keep it in the air – every good review is a breath that elevates the book to where more readers can find it.
Readers need and want to hear from you, they rely on honest reviews to help set an expectation and choose stories that will give them the best experience.
There be trolls in thar hills, and leaving a review helps put a protective barrier of bubble wrap around your favourite author. Unfortunately, there are people who leave disproportionately nasty reviews. Sometimes, the reviewer hasn’t even read the book. Why do people do this? Your guess is as good as mine. People are weird sometimes. These unfair reviews drag down the overall star rating with no good reason to do so, and is a slap in the face to both authors and readers. Often, readers looking for their next book will look at the overall rating and make a decision based on that, rather than reading every individual review. Every author is going to get hit by a disproportionately unfair review at some point, if you genuinely love an author’s work, you can help insulate them from these trolls. It’s sort of like standing up in front of the author with a shield and saying ‘You shall not pass,’ Gandalf style. Okay, not exactly, but you get the picture.

How to Rate a Book

This is my own personal criteria when choosing a star rating for my reviews. Maybe it’ll help you develop your own rating system.

⭐️    What a mess. Riddled with mistakes. Story didn’t make sense. My eyes were bleeding.

⭐️⭐️   Problem child. Might have been a good story in there somewhere, but I had a hard time finding it for all the issues.

⭐️⭐️⭐️   I finished it, and might consider reading more by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   Well written, well conceived. Held my attention. Will definitely read more by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   Couldn’t put it down. Grabbed me by the collar and didn’t let go. I’m still thinking about this story. Highly recommended.

I know reviews take time, but it doesn’t have to be much. Just 1 or 2 sentences is enough to have an effect. Next time you read a book, consider leaving a thumbprint for that author and for other readers in the form of a review. It matters!

Where Is She Going With This Series?!

This is me, demonstrating that I’m going somewhere, and I do know where. I have a plan. Sort of. Mostly.

If you’ve read Born of Water: An Elemental Origins Novel[image error] and/or Born of Fire: An Elemental Origins Novel[image error] then you’ll already be wise to the fact that there is a series going on here, and you’ll know that the 4 girls/women introduced in Born of Water are all friends, and each will be having their own Elemental Origins experience over the same summer.

But you’ll also have noticed that Water and Fire, while they have their own complete stories, are left open for more to happen. When you read a story and fall in love with a character, you can’t help but want to know what’s next. So for all those who have asked, will there be another story for Targa, and for Saxony? The answer is a resounding YES. Barring some unfortunate accident or untimely demise (mine), each girl will get another story (probably more than one) which will take you deeper into their world (not to mention element).

But FIRST I have to finish Born of Earth, Born of Æther, Born of Air (new character), and the ensemble story that will bring them all together, because the events that take place next in their lives have to happen after book 6 of the Elemental Origins Series of novels. That’s going to take me a bit of time, so I’m sorry for making you wait. I’m writing as fast as I can, but I refuse to release something that I’m not proud of, or won’t stand up next to something else I’ve published in terms of quality. Ideally, you’ll love each story more than the one before it, but I can’t guarantee that because you might just be more of a ‘fire’ person than an ‘earth’ person. Do let me know which you think you are, I’d be curious to know.

As I’m working on these full-length novels, my plan is to produce novella length works to launch in between to keep the characters fresh in your minds and to enrich the overall experience. For example, right now, I’m working on a story (which I hope to launch this Feb) about what happens to Saxony when she gets home from Venice (before she gets together with her friends). How does her family react to her? What about the card Enzo gave her? This story will be a sort of ‘bridge’ but I intend to make it exciting in its own right. I have a few other novella ideas up my sleeve, too.

What we’ll have at the end of this (if there is an end – yikes!) will be the main Elemental Origins Series, but also 5 individual series of books branching off from those, each one following a different element/character. The Water series, The Fire series, etc.

Confusing? Yeah, I know. You should try being me. Anyhoo, that’s about the best I can do to explain it at this point. I hope it helped somewhat! Back to work, me!

Kindle Unlimited – Awesome for the Insatiable Reader

If you’re a voracious reader and you haven’t heard of the Kindle Unlimited program, step right up, are you in for a treat. For only a tenner a month you can have unlimited access to over 1 million titles registered in Amazon’s KDP Select program. It doesn’t matter what device you’re reading on, or whether you prefer magazines, audiobooks, or kindle ebooks. If you buy books frequently and burn through stories like a hot knife through butter, then check it out. Try it for 30 days for free to see if you likey.

The SFF Book Bonanza works with authors every month to bring the hottest books in KU into one handy dandy place every month. Check out January’s selection of tales. Happy reading!

 

Best YA Mermaid Stories

For those of you who love mermaid/siren stories, here is a list of great YA Fantasy Fiction centred around our fin-ful friends.

The Siren [image error] [image error]

Kahlen is a Siren, bound to serve the Ocean by luring humans to watery graves with her voice, which is deadly to any human who hears it. Akinli is human—a kind, handsome boy who’s everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. Falling in love puts them both in danger . . . but Kahlen can’t bear to stay away. Will she risk everything to follow her heart?

From Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series, comes this captivating stand-alone fantasy romance.

Watersong, the Complete Series: Wake, Lullaby, Tidal, and Elegy (A Watersong Novel) [image error] [image error] [image error]

 

Enter the world of Amanda Hocking’s Watersong, a place of breathtaking beauty, immortal power―and terrifying secrets.

 

 

EMERGE

Lia finds out she isn’t the only one at school keeping a potentially deadly secret. And this new girl? Her eyes are dead set on Clay, who doesn’t realise the danger he’s in.

CAPTIVATE (THE SUBMERGED SERIES BOOK 1)

For the past twelve months since her parents’ death, seventeen-year-old Miranda Sun has harboured a dark secret — a secret that has strained the close relationship she once shared with her older sister, Lauren. In an effort to repair this broken bond, Miranda’s grandparents whisk the siblings away on a secluded beach holiday. But before Miranda gets a chance to confess her life-changing secret, she’s dragged underwater by a mysterious stranger while taking a midnight swim.

DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA #1: HANNAH

Hannah is not like other girls in the turn-of-the-century Boston orphanage where she grew up. Instead of seasickness, she gets land sickness. She leaves a ring of salt in the tub when she bathes, and sometimes she sees a faint tracing of scales on her feet. It’s freakish, horrifying . . . and deeply thrilling. A choice lies ahead, and Hannah must discover if she is a creature of the land–or of the sea.

LOST VOICES (THE LOST VOICES TRILOGY)

Fourteen-year-old Luce reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of her grim, grey Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.

DROWN

Seven emotionless princesses.

Three ghostly sirens.

A beautiful, malicious witch haunted by memories.

A handsome, self-mutilating prince.

Belonging to a race that is mostly animal with little humanity, a world obsessed with beauty where morality holds no sway, a little mermaid escapes to the ocean’s surface. Discovering music, a magnificent palace of glass and limestone, and a troubled human prince, she is driven by love to consult the elusive sea-witch who secretly dominates the entire species of merfolk.

FORGIVE MY FINS

Lily has a secret, and it’s not her huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid—she’s a Thalassinian princess.

MONSTROUS BEAUTY

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences. Almost 140 years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him.

THE VICIOUS DEEP


He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.
FATHOMLESS

Lo doesn’t know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea — a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid — all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she’s becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she’s tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

WATERFIRE SAGA, DEEP BLUE

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil.

OF POSEIDON (THE SYRENA LEGACY)

While Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen’s not fully convinced that Emma’s the one he’s been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help-no matter what the risk.

THE SEA WITCH: CAN LOVE TURN YOU EVIL?

Though she works as a palace maid, Serena is no ordinary mermaid. From birth she manifested the magical powers of a sea witch, just like her mother, Moira. But Serena does not want to be like her mother, cruel and selfish, so she rejects her magical powers.

AWAKEN (AWAKENED FATE BOOK 1)

Running away from home was never Chloe Kowalski’s plan. Neither was ending up the target of killers, or having her body change in unusual ways. But the first day she goes out on the ocean, strange things start to happen. Dangerous things that should be impossible. Things to which ‘normal’ doesn’t even begin to apply.

DROWNING MERMAIDS

As it becomes clear that the dark-haired woman is much more than she seems, Trevain is unprepared to uncover the staggering secrets behind her innocent facade. Neither the captain nor the princess can imagine that their lives will become forcibly entwined as a common enemy threatens both of their worlds…

CHOSEN BY THE SEA

Everyone wants to be normal. But after a boating accident in the summer, nothing will ever be normal for Gemini again. Pulled under by a rogue wave, Gemini drowned. Beneath the surf she transformed into something…other…but she can’t remember what. Since her resurrection, she’s been haunted by the lure of the sea. The anti-hallucinogenic pills her mother forces her to take do nothing to keep the mystical world at bay as imaginary worlds become real. But no one believes her, not her family and not the kids she used to call friends.

THE MERMAID’S SISTER

One day, Clara discovers shimmering scales just beneath her sister’s skin. She realises that Maren is becoming a mermaid—and knows that no mermaid can survive on land. Desperate to save her, Clara and O’Neill place the mermaid-girl in their gypsy wagon and set out for the sea.

RISING

In a war between the humans and the inhabitants of the sea–humans will lose. Xanthus Dimitriou–the most lethal Dagonian to rise from the ocean–is on a mission to save mankind from annihilation. But first there’s one small thing he needs to do… kill a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair…

ICE MASSACRE

The Massacre is supposed to bring peace to Eriana Kwai. Every year, the island sends its warriors to battle these hostile sea demons. Every year, the warriors fail to return. Desperate for survival, the island must decide on a new strategy. Now, the fate of Eriana Kwai lies in the hands of twenty battle-trained girls and their resistance to a mermaid’s allure.

AGELESS SEA

The closer she got to him, the more her powers awakened. He was like a magnet she was drawn to. She knew things about him that he couldn’t remember, things that were blocked from his memory. He wasn’t from earth either, and she needed his help to save both of their worlds.

LIES BENEATH


To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother’s death.

SOUND OF SIRENS

On the island of Skylge, electricity is only for the Currents – the rich ruling class who once came from across the sea and brought the holy fire of St. Brandan to Skylge. Ever since, the light in the Brandaris Tower has protected the islanders. Heeding the Siren’s call will drown your body and steal your soul, but the sacred light in the Tower will chase the merfolk away.

PROMISES (THE SYRENKA SERIES BOOK 1)

When seventeen-year-old Eviana Dumahl is faced with the responsibility of an arranged marriage and clan leadership, she is forced to choose between the life required of a mermaid and one of a teenage girl simply infatuated with the wrong guy.

NERIDA (THE UNTOLD STORIES OF NEVERLAND BOOK 3)

Thespa, queen of the water sprites, has brought her own Lost Ones to Neverland. As the mermaids and mermen arrive, the magic returns once more to the Never Sea. But with these newest inhabitants, something darker and more dangerous than the crocodile lies beneath the surface.

DROPLETS

When Lissie ends up on a stranded island and meets its sole inhabitant, the handsome and mysterious Patrick, she begins to realise that meeting the dark merman was not a mere twist of fate. But if it was destined, why is Patrick’s past entangled with her future?

INK: A FALLING IN DEEP COLLECTION NOVELLA

Mere hours before she’s supposed to leave the ocean for her customary year as a drywalker, Ink meets Hal, an alligator shifter who warns her that a storm is brewing. There is malicious intent behind Ink’s marriage—and worse, meeting Hal has also caused a storm to rage in Ink’s heart.

INSATIABLE – A MERMAID’S CURSE

Arianna always felt like she didn’t belong in the world where she was born. Ever since she was little, she used to hide behind the rocks in the sea, and watch the human family who spent their summers on that island. Over the years, there was nothing she wished more than to be like them, especially so she could get close to Blake, the human boy who she saw turn into a troubled teenager and then, an unhappy man.

TIDES

Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.

RIPPLE: FIRST EDITION




Lexi is cursed. Following in the footsteps of every woman on her mother’s side of the family, she’s a siren whose song lures unsuspecting victims to their watery deaths. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim to stay alive.




TEMPEST RISING (TEMPEST MAGUIRE)

As her seventeenth birthday approaches, half-mermaid Tempest Maguire will have to make a decision. Stay on land? Or give herself to the ocean? The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kona, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well.

SEA CHANGE

Sixteen-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science. . .and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she’s happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother’s estate. There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can’t make sense of.

SIREN

Vacationing in Winter Harbor, Maine, is a tradition for Vanessa and Justine Sands, and that means spending time with the Carmichael boys. This summer, Vanessa is determined to channel some of her older sister’s boldness, get over her fear of the ocean, and maybe turn her friendship with Simon Carmichael into something much more.

ATLANTIS RIPTIDE: LOST DAUGHTERS OF ATLANTIS

For all her sixteen years, Pearl Poseidon has been a fish out of water. A freak on display for her adoptive parents’ profit. Running away from her horrible life, she craves one thing—anonymity. But when she saves a small boy from drowning she exposes herself and her mutant abilities to Chase, a budding investigative reporter.

HOW TO BE A MERMAID: FALLING IN DEEP 

All Tara ever wanted was to be a mermaid. So she takes a year off between high school and college to don a fake tail and tour aquariums across the country in a professional mermaid troupe. Everything’s great until she meets a gorgeous real-life merman named Finn. Suddenly, what she thought was a dream turns out to be a nightmare — she’s turning into a mermaid herself. For real.

THE RISING 


Seventeen-year-old Serena is the youngest member of a dying race. The increasing acidity of the ocean is destroying her home, slowly eating away at the once thriving underwater landscape. But since the night of Serena’s birth, it is an outside force that most threatens their dwindling population. Werewolves, who once served as protectors for mermaids in the Kingdom of the Undine, now seek to eliminate all who dwell in the ocean—and Serena is about to find herself right in the middle of the deadly conflict.

SHEARWATER

Shearwater is a young adult mermaid novel that will appeal to lovers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, witches, Irish mythology, and supernatural folklore.

BORN OF WATER

Everything you thought you knew about mermaids is wrong.

Life for a small-town high school kid in Saltford should be simple and straightforward – for 17-year-old Targa MacAuley, it’s anything but. Navigating life with a supernatural mother is tricky enough, but dealing with the feelings of guilt that she’s never been able to ‘change’, and confusion that she doesn’t seem to be attracted to boys (or girls for that matter), Targa feels like she’s got more demons than the average kid.

When the opportunity to salvage a mysterious wreck in the Baltic arises for her mom, a professional salvage diver by day, Targa jumps at the chance to go abroad for the summer. But it’s when she meets Antoni Baranek, and a boating accident puts them both in danger, that Targa’s world turns completely inside out in more ways than one.

RETURNING, A WATER NOVELLA

Mira is a mermaid on a mission.

It’s time to leave the ocean. Mira Belshaw has been at sea for… well, she doesn’t know how many years. It’s hard to keep track of time when you live in the ocean. But after enough time, the salt water triggers the desire to procreate, and her time is up.

For weeks, she’s been swimming north. Finding a mate is the most important thing to her right now, and to do that, she has to return to the place where she was last human – the coastal city of Saltford.

Equipped with everything she needs to lure her perfect mate and produce a strong siren child, all she needs is the opportunity to mingle with humans. But when she meets Nathan MacAuley, the ONE, things start to go sideways…

What’s On Deck?

I’m currently working on Born of Earth and as of the date this post was published, I’m sitting around 50,000 words. This is where things usually get tough (so I’ve learned), so I’m glued to my laptop with visions of desiccated bodies and fairy-folk dancing in my brain. I love it. I’m also in the ‘dreaming’ (aka plotting) stage of Born of Æther, and the next book in Targa MacAuley’s life. Stay tuned for publishing dates for Born of Earth!

I’m also reading Swann, a new book by author friend Ryan Schow. I’m loving it!

Book Review: Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

This book will always hold a special place in my heart. Why? Because two and a half years ago, I lost my reading mojo and lost the ability to complete a book. This is the first book I was able to finish all the way to the end in over two years. And that, my friend, is high praise. I adore reading and storytelling, in all of its forms. I have been known to consume a massive tome of 1000 pages in less than a week. I used to burn through books the way my parents churn through firewood to keep their renovated schoolhouse warm on a -20 Canadian winter night. Why did I lose my reading mojo? Simple. One word. Heartbreak.I went through a period in life (like we all do) so painful that it stripped away even simple the joys in my life. I tried dozens of times. I tried all my favourite authors. I tried short stories so I wouldn’t be so daunted and my attention could be shorter and it would be ok. None of it worked. I couldn’t finish anything I started. And worse yet, my writing suffered.

What I had taken for granted was that in order to fully immerse myself in a fictional world, I had to be at peace inside. I had to be able to rest and let go of my thoughts and pains to be able to focus on enjoying the story laid out in front of me.

Poison Study is the first book in two years that I was able to read to the end and I’ll be forever grateful to Maria V Snyder for that. Her writing is crisp and clean, it’s not weighed down with too many adjectives, saccharine descriptions, or cliché phrases. I especially enjoyed her descriptions of how the main character, Yelena, feels when she is poisoned. These were heady, creative, and really pulled you into the moment and carried you along with the disorientation of the character.

The story was simple but complex enough for me to get drawn in. Her characters were interesting, lovable, and relatable. It’s a well-done story, and if you’re a fan of YA fiction with a hint of romance in it, then I recommend it because it is a lovely read. I stayed up very late one night to finish it and that’s always a high compliment to a writer.