Mandy Burkhead's Blog: The Burkshelf, page 2

Fall in love with Shadowfell

I absolutely loved this book. I love faerie lore (both traditional and reimagined in a second world setting), and Shadowfell is full of faerie creatures. While there are your more well-known creatures like will-o-wisps, pixies, brownies, and redcaps, there were a few new ones to me, such as the stanie mon, brollochan, and urisk. Probably my favorite was the Guardian of the South, a trickster figure of fire that can shift between an old man, a young boy, and a fierce warrior. He definitely re...

Gears, Ghouls, and Gauges is now available to the public

The steampunk anthology Gears, Ghouls, and Gauges (and its companion Cogs, Crowns, and Carriages) is now available for purchase. Distribution was exclusive to Kickstarter backers and authors for the first four months of publication. If you werent able to get a copy from us directly, you can now order it on Amazon by following the link: https://www.amazon.com/Gears-Ghouls-Gauges-Steampunk-Anthology-ebook/dp/B085MN5KJK/

The Black Lily has an amazing new cover!

We are so pleased by the new cover for The Black Lily. The cover was created by J Caleb Design, who is an absolutely amazing artist with very fair prices. He was willing to do multiple versions to make sure the cover perfectly captured Lily and Adrian. He even worked our self-designed Arestean Crest into the banners and book spine. If you are looking for a badass cover designer, definitely check him out. He also posts a weekly premade on his Facebook page. https://www.jcalebdesign.com/

Anthology Announcement

The Monsters We Forgot Vol. 3 is now available for purchase. In this horror anthology, you can find lots of creepy tales about monsters, demons, and cryptids, including Mandy’s short story “The Cursed Isle.”

Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/MONSTERS-WE-FORGOT-3/dp/1671299620

This story is set is set in the year 1709 and follows a monk and priest who visit the French town of Brouillard to investigate claims of witchcraft and demonic possession. The townspeople believe that the source of...

Another anthology is forthcoming!

Mandy is being published in yet another anthology, so it’s Kickstarter time again! This horror-themed anthology titled The Monsters We Forgot is being published by Soteira Press. Mandy’s story “The Cursed Isle” will be appearing in Volume 3 of the anthology. Please consider backing it on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/…/dopabe…/the-monsters-we-forgot

Mandy is going to be published in a steampunk anthology!

Mandy is pleased to announce that her short story, “The Lady Defiance,” will be published in the steampunk anthology Gears, Ghouls, and Gauges. This anthology is part of a set; its companion is Cogs, Crowns, and Carriages. This publication is pending successful achievement of the funding goals on Kickstarter. More information on how you can support the anthology coming soon.

Shelf Life — Come Sail Away with Avast, Ye Airships!

Avast, Ye Airships! is a wonderful little gem of steampunk airship fantasy. All of the stories in it are well-written and intriguing. While they all have the same premise, a steampunk story set on an airship, each author contributes a story that is completely original and different from the others. While some are more “traditional” steampunk (Victorian England), there are others that are romance, adventure, scifi, horror, and even Southern steampunk. The stories are varied in length and styl...

Shelf Life — Shining a Light on Out of the Shadows by Dana Fraedrich

Out of the Shadows by Dana Fraedrich really scratched the steampunk itch I’ve been having lately. I especially enjoyed that the book was set in a unique steampunk world, rather than Victorian England. In fact, the unique world that it is set in means that one could also classify it as magicpunk.

The book takes place in Springhaven, a London-esque city in the small country of Invarnis. While Springhaven appears idyllic and tranquil on the surface, in reality, it is a dystopian society run by E...

Shelf Life — The Surface’s End Has a Deep Environmental Message

The Surface’s End by David Joel Stevenson is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi that follows teenager Jonah Whitfield, a hunter living in a small town at the edge of the Deathlands. Even though his hometown is full of lush greenery, the Deathlands nearby are a desert wasteland stretching on for what seems like eternity, with an unnaturally sudden change between the two.

While out hunting one afternoon, Jonah’s prey darts into the Deathlands, and he follows, stumbling upon a hatch in the ground. He ret...

Shelf Life – The Grey Bastards Exemplifies Grimdark Fantasy at Its Damn Finest

Disclosure: I received a galley copy of The Grey Bastards from the publisher. Also, I’m friends with the author. He’s a cool dude and an excellent writer. Go read his shit.

Also, spoilers ahead.

The Grey Bastards is a fun, foul-mouthed read. If you’re turned off by bad language, steamy sex, or a good plot with plenty of action and twists, then this book isn’t for you. The Grey Bastards falls into the fantasy sub-genre known as grimdark. Where high fantasy has your Tolkien beautiful and noble...