Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 93
May 5, 2022
A Bewitching Thursday
Top 8 Places to Write in Flint, Michigan with Connor Coyne #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/1UxA50IZZHe
Shifter #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/VEjq50IZZEb
Book Spotlight & #Giveaway ~ Magic Takes Manhattan (Manhattan Magic, Book One) by Jade Greenberg @jadegreenberg13 ~ Paranormal Women’s Fiction / Romantic Comedy #PWF #RomCom #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/47x750IZZyW
SPOTLIGHT: INFINITE AZURE-The Blushing Death Series, Book 9 (SUZANNE M. SABOL) #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/9mwv50IZZxF
Damned When I Didn’t by Cherie Colyer [Tour with Excerpt #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/7zNv50IZZrf
Ice Floe by Melissa Birling #YAFantasy #YARomance #PNR #Mermaids #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/mt4X50IZZsC
Infinite Azure by Suzanne M. Sabol #UrbanFantasy #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/S5wY50IZZwZ
Urbantasm Book Four Connor Coyne #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/iFo350IZZFG
Suzanne M. Sabol's Top 10 Favorite Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy Series #UrbanFantasy #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/NToI50IYVKS
Living, Breathing Archetypes with Diane Riis #TarotTuesday #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/z2EB50IXN2X
Urbantasm: The Spring Storm by Connor Coyne #MagicalRealism #Urbantasm #TeenNoir #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/TrYu50IZZv6
Author Interview: Arrow’s Flight + Excerpt #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/QfUT50IXMNf
Midnight Pages Spotlight Tour
http://ogitchidabookblog.blogspot.com...
May 4, 2022
Urbantasm: The Spring Storm by Connor Coyne #MagicalRealism #Urbantasm #TeenNoir
Urbantasm:The Spring StormUrbantasmBook FourConnor Coyne
Genre: Magical Realism,Teen NoirPublisher: Gothic Funk PressDate of Publication: May 1, 2022ISBN: 978-1-956722-02-4Number of pages: 474Word Count: 158,000Cover Artist: Sam Perkins-Harbin
Tagline: Eventually, everything comes to an end. Even endings.
Book Description:
Urbantasm: The Spring Storm is the fourth and final book in the magical teen noir serial novel inspired by the author’s experiences growing up in and around Flint, Michigan.
The stage has been set. The chessboard awaits. Against a background of love and friendship, of hard-won grades and groundbreaking plays, John and his friends are ready to claim their lives, their futures, and their city. They have identified their adversary: a mysterious man who calls himself “God” and manipulates the Chalks street gang through the influence of his children. John has also unlocked the secret of O-Sugar, an otherwordly drug with the ability to distort space. But God wields a powerful influence throughout the city of Akawe, and nobody seems to understand his true motives or intentions.
As the ice and frost of a long and unrelenting winter finally crack under cold, torrential rains, frozen things begin to stir again. The brutal murder of one of John’s friends and the abrupt disappearance of another signals that the moment of action has arrived. Who will survive this dying city, and how will the experience change the survivors? Akawe has been unstable for decades. A bit of lift and heat and moisture is all it needs to build a spring storm.
Amazon
Excerpt:
I borrowed a flashlight from Charles before I left rehearsal that night. I half-expected to hear some winos as I passed under the viaduct, but all was empty. I directed the flashlight beam away from the looming silos and made my way across the wet stepping stones with aching care. When I got to the other side, I saw Bill standing beside my tent, staring at me, his forehead hatchet rent.
That was when everything I had kept at a distance collapsed beneath its collected weight, and I knelt and vomited and cried. We will never be free, we will never be free, we will never be free of this, it will never go away. Then the food was gone, and I was dry heaving. I swallowed and slowly gathered my breath and looked up again.Bill hadn’t moved. He still stared at me, the wound in his head like a third eye that didn’t watch me but looked instead at the silos hidden behind the concealing trees.
“Since you’re just staring at me, you won’t mind if I get something to drink,” I said.
I rummaged in the tent and got the water. I swirled it in my mouth and spat out the bile. Then I drank. Then I ate a Pop-Tart. Then I ate another. Then I reached into my backpack and took out some fishing line and silverware from the home ec room. Ignoring Bill, I tied the fishing line around the trunk of the willow tree and drew it in a broad loop around the clearing, wrapping it around trees as I went. When I had returned to the willow tree, I tied the line off and began hanging the silverware, in twos and threes, every meter or so. It probably took me an hour.
I plucked at the fishing line. The silverware clattered and banged.“Now I can hear like a pigeon,” I said.
Bill started to walk away. He went a dozen paces up the trail, then looked back at me.
“What is it?” I said. “Why are you here? Why don’t you just go away? You’re an urbantasm. You can’t see me. You can’t hear me. What the fuck do you want?”
He watched and waited.
“You aren’t even there,” I said, but I picked up the flashlight and followed him along the path.
Bill led me slowly. In the utter dark – the sky was cloudy above the hundreds of branches – I had to step carefully over the cracked roots and desiccated vines. I followed Bill back to the main path, and he led me southward. We scrambled up and down a couple of hills, and I could hear the churning of the water far beneath me. I caught up with Bill at the edge of the stream. He was standing near a lightly submerged concrete pillar, which seemed to provide passage to the other side.
“What is it?” I asked.
Bill stepped onto the pillar, his footsteps not disturbing the water, and crossed to the opposite side.
I followed, my feet clumsily kicking up waves. At one point, I slipped, and my whole left leg went into the water. I almost fell off the pillar completely, but I held the flashlight overhead and hauled myself back up. I finally made it to the opposite side, dripping and freezing, and saw Bill moving away from the stream onto the bank.
Is this where she is? I wondered. Did she come back in the woods here and die, and I’m about to find her body, and then he’ll vanish, and I’ll be left alone with what’s left of Selby? Is that what happens now?There were no paths here, and the growth was younger and denser than where I had made camp. Branches and nettles scratched my face, and the flashlight beam flew wildly. I finally emerged into a massive grassy clearing, where Bill stood waiting. He pointed. I followed his gesture.
We stood at the back of a broad lawn, looking up at a great, hulking, shuttered building made of brick and stone. It was only three stories high but close to a hundred feet tall, and the vast wings of the structure stretched off to the right and left. For a moment, I wondered how such a colossal building had gone unnoticed in the middle of the forest. Then I recognized it as the mental asylum. We’d come out of the Happy Hunting Grounds on its westward side and stood behind the massive complex. I could hear the quiet hum of traffic along South Street.
“Is Selby in there?” I asked.
Bill’s mouth moved.“No,” he said, and there was a slight delay between his speaking and the sound that followed.
“So you can talk too. And I can hear you. And you can hear me.”
Bill stared at me.“I’m not going in there,” I said. “No way.”
I returned the way I had come. Bill didn’t follow me. When I got back inside my tent, a blue glow rose around me.
“Is that you, Aunt Ellie?”
“Yes, my love,” came my aunt’s voice.
“Why is Bill following me? What does he want?”
“Yes, my love.”
“Why am I able to hear you now? I thought you were just images pulled back to me because of the O-Sugar. How are you able to talk? Is it a flashback? Are you just illusions? Or are you real ghosts?”
“Yes, my love.”
“Whatever you are, please protect me from nightmares again. Because the days are nightmares right now. I can’t do this if both days and nights are nightmares.”
“Yes, my love.”
I undressed and crawled into the sleeping bag. The blue glow wavered, and I knew Ellie was taking a seat outside. I closed my eyes and wondered if Bill was going to follow me for the rest of my life. I wondered if Selby died, if her urbantasm would appear to me as well. Would I give up my search at that moment? I thought about May. I wanted her. The warmth of her arms. She could protect me, but now it was up to me to protect the others. I started to say a rosary to myself. I thought it might help me calm down. It doesn’t matter if I don’t have the beads, as long as I say the prayer. I knew the number and order of the Our Fathers and Hail Marys, but I’d forgotten what came before and after. Was it the Nicene Creed at the beginning or another saying? And what were the right ruminations? The scourging and the crown, yes, but what else? When Pilate washed his hands? No, that’s not right. None of us can just wash our hands. I said prayers until the sleep finally closed in around me.
About the Author:Connor Coyne is a writer living and working in Flint, Michigan.
He’s published several novels and a short story collection, and his short work has been featured in Vox.com, Belt Magazine, and elsewhere. He lives with his wife, two daughters, and an adopted rabbit in Flint’s College Cultural Neighborhood (aka the East Village), less than a mile from the house where he grew up.
Learn more about Connor’s writing at:
Author Website: http://ConnorCoyne.com
Series Website: http://urbantasm.com
Blog: http://connorcoyne.com/blog
Author website: http://connorcoyne.com
Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bzZvb5
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connorcoyne
Twitter: https://twitter.com/connorcoyne
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connorryancoyne
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/connorcoyne
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blueskiesfalling
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4218298.Connor_Coyne
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May 3, 2022
A Bewitching Tuesday
Tarot Tuesday- Living, Breathing Archetypes with Diane Riis #TarotTuesday #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/z2EB50IXN2X
Author Interview: Arrow’s Flight + Excerpt #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/QfUT50IXMNf
Author Interview, & Excerpt: Infinite Azure + Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/Hrjt50IXMLJ
Magic Takes Manhattan by Jade Greenberg - Book Tour + Giveaway
https://www.jazzybookreviews.com/2022...
Shifter by Michael J. Bowler #Horror #YA #SciFi #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/1jNR50IXMO5
SPOTLIGHT: URBANTASM Book Four THE SPRING STORM (CONNER COYNE) #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/1EGU50IXNoP
Magic Takes Manhattan by Jade Greenberg #ParanormalWomensFiction #RomCom #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/pmPY50IXN0W
Damned When I Didn’t by Cherie Colyer #YA #PNR #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/tZ0650IXMOH
SPOTLIGHT - YOUNG ADULT - THE SPRING STORM (Urbantasm, #4) by Connor Coyne #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/WM4g50IXNnc
Infinite Azure by Suzanne M. Sabol [Tour with Excerpt] #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/WBim50IXMTR
Cherie Colyer's Blog Tour: DAMNED WHEN I DIDN'T #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/KRYl50IXMPA
Urbantasm: The Spring Storm by Connor Coyne #MagicalRealism #Urbantasm #TeenNoir #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/aYMg50IXNlJ
Ice Floe by Melissa Birling #YAFantasy #YARomance #PNR #Mermaids #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/sZ1950IXMRN
Release Day & Review- Of Claws and Fangs: Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood by Faith Hunter
Of Claws and FangsStories from the World of Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood
Faith Hunter
ASIN : B097B3FDM4
Publisher : Ace
Publication date : May 3, 2022
Book Description:
New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter presents a stunning collection of stories from the world of shape-shifting vampire hunter Jane Yellowrock and beyond.
Collected together for the first time, this volume contains shorter works featuring heroines Jane Yellowrock and Nell Ingram, as well as a host of other characters from the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series. Faith Hunter is “an expert at creating worlds filled with intriguing supernatural elements and exciting scenarios”* and her skills are on full display in this collection. From a vampire-filled Halloween evening in New Orleans to the searing tale of how a certain were-leopard first got his spots, this collection has something for everyone, and each story is sure to put the super in supernatural.
With eighteen stories in all, Of Claws and Fangs will enrich and entertain—it’s a must-have for Faith Hunter’s readers and all lovers of fantasy.
OF CLAWS AND FANGS by Faith Hunter
Ace Trade Paperback Original | On Sale May 3, 2022
Excerpt
Leo lifted his cuff and checked the time on his Versace Reve Chrono, though he knew, almost to the second, when the sun would rise. His kind always did. “I’ll be only a moment. Security will wait outside.”
George opened his mouth to protest. George was always protesting something. Leo lifted his finger, silencing his primo. “I will speak to Marcoise alone. You may cover the outer exits. You may not enter. The cleaning crew will be working and, as former military, they will be armed. I will calm them. I will not have a bloodbath in my club.”
George hesitated, clearly thinking about the numbers of potential victims and hostages. “Derek Lee’s company is new,” George said. “I’m not certain of the extent of his knowledge, or of his biases.”
He did not need to add Many have refused to work for the vampire Master of the City of New Orleans.
He raked through his hair with his long fingers, worried.
“Alone,” Leo insisted, and tapped on the window. The chauffeur opened his door. “Thank you, Alfonse,” Leo said. He was always polite to the help.
Into the night, he exited with all the grace of his kind, part ballerina, part snake, part spider, all predator. The night smelled of humans and blood. Saliva filled his mouth, hunger riding him. The girl earlier had been a tasty diversion, her body a delight as she used it to seal his promise, but this . . . this was the hunt. There was nothing like it, and even civilized Mithrans such as himself knew the desire, the overriding craving for shadowing and stalking prey.
Leo leaped to the door, his speed creating a pop of sound as the air around him was displaced. He keyed open the lock and entered. His men, left behind, rushed to guard the entrance and provide the protection his kind seldom needed. He slipped inside, into the shadows. Standing behind a brick pillar, he watched the cleaning crew, scenting them. The men were all dressed alike, in one-piece gray uniforms; they were healthy, their blood touched with alcohol and marijuana. He had known it for centuries as hemp, MJ, ganja, and by a hundred other names and grades and varieties.
He took in a slow breath and parsed the chemicals in their blood. The marijuana smelled . . . odd. Impure. He watched as a small man, no more than five feet, five inches tall, lifted a bucket and then, oddly, dropped it. The pail landed with a clatter and splash of water on the concrete floor, and the man stood, hunched over, staring at the mess as if mesmerized. Certainly confused.
Leo sniffed again. There was something mixed with the marijuana, some chemical he did not recognize. The small man took a breath, a faint gasp of sound. He fell.
Leo held still, as only undeath allowed. The other men rushed to help. Another fell, his head bouncing on the floor. A third dropped. And another. Only Derek was still standing, the boss of the crew. Leo had hired Derek Lee’s fledgling company because of his service in the military, though the man was destined for far more. Derek pulled a weapon and backed to the bar, the brass rail at his spine, analyzing the room, the short hallways.
Leo said, “You did not partake of the smoke offered to the others.”
Derek swung his weapon toward the column hiding Leo. “Who’s there?”
“Leo Pellissier, Master of the City. The smoke? The weed?”
“Owner of the Royal Mojo. Fanghead. And no, to the weed,” Derek said, his weapon steady on the brick pillar. “One of the guys brought it. Said his brother had gotten a deal on the streets.”
“Mmmm. And a gift is always a good thing?”
“No.”
“And what shall you do to the man who injured your cohorts?”
“Better you don’t know.” Derek’s voice was harsh, unyielding.
Leo chuckled. “There is more here than meets the eyes.”
“No shit, dude. I got free weed, four downed boys, and the Master of the City hiding behind a brick column. How ’bout you come out. Make nice-nice wid me.”
“How about we take down whoever is waiting for us in the office? I smell six. One is a Mithran, one is female and bleeding, one is a dead human.”
“My men?”
“They are breathing. I will offer them healing blood if they are not awake before dawn.”
Derek considered. “You take the fanghead. I’ll take the others.”
Leo stepped from behind the column, hands where they could be seen.
“You seem certain that you can contain the humans,” he said. “Three against one?”
“This trap wasn’t for me. Makes sense it was for you. I’m supposed to be down and out so they won’t be expecting me.”
About the Author:
Faith Hunter, urban fantasy writer, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. Hunter fell in love with reading in fifth grade, and best loved SciFi, fantasy, and gothic mystery. She decided to become a writer in high school, when a teacher told her she had talent. Now, she writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic with a passion for travel, jewelry making, white-water kayaking, and writing. She and her husband love to RV, traveling to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.
The dark urban fantasy Skinwalker series, featuring Jane Yellowrock, is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling series with multiple books and compilations. Jane Yellowrock is a Cherokee skinwalker who tracks, hunts, and kills rogue-vampires for a living -- that is, until she takes a gig working for Leo Pellissier, the Master of the City of New Orleans. The series is set in an alternate reality, modern-day world, one inhabited by humans, vamps, and other things that go bump in the night.
Her Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban fantasy series, feature Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage in a post-apocalyptic, alternate reality, urban fantasy world. These novels are the basis for the Rogue Mage World Book and Role Playing Game, which contains lots of fiction for the readers!
The Soulwood series features Nell Nicholson Ingram, and is a spinoff from the Skinwalker series. Nell is an escapee from a cult, a solitary woman with deadly magic of her own. In book one, Blood of The Earth, she is hired to help PsyLED (a division of Homeland Security) find a missing child.
Faith's Junkyard Cats series is a "near future" SciFi series of novellas first released as Audible Originals and eventually as ebooks, and possibly some day as a print onmibus.
Under her pen name Gwen Hunter, she writes action adventure, mysteries, and thrillers.
As Faith and Gwen, she has 40+ books in print in 30+ countries.
Join the fans at the official Faith Hunter Facebook fan page now located at
https://www.facebook.com/official.faith.hunter or follow her on Twitter @HunterFaith
For more, including a list of her books, freebies, & upcoming events see www.FaithHunter.net
My Review
Of Claws and Fangs by Faith HunterMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A few stories in this collection I have read online or in other collections but there were still some I had not read yet.
I absolutely love this world and I'm so sad the final Jane Yellowrock book is coming out this year.
I'm glad the world continues with the Soulwood novels.
I'm hoping for another spinoff series featuring The Everhart witches. This book features several short stories about the witches and they reveal some shocking subplots that could seriously be fleshed out for a new series. So much tea is spilled in these stories, I really hope the author follows up because I am dying to know more about these Everhart reveals.
This book is a must-read for those who love the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood novels.
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.
View all my reviews
Ice Floe by Melissa Birling #YAFantasy #YARomance #PNR #Mermaids
Ice FloeIce Floe Series Book OneMelissa BirlingGenre: YA Fantasy Romance, YA PNR Publisher: Purpance PublishingDate of Publication: April 28, 2022Number of pages: 320Word Count: 87,000Cover Artist: Thea Magerand
Tagline: Secrecy is safety. Sisterhood is everything.
Book Description:
Seventeen-year-old Glacia didn’t plan to track a kidnapper, stick a middle finger to the government, and fall into a forbidden summer fling. This is simply what happens when you’re the resident odd girl out, in a shoal of all-female mermaids whose values are a little cracked. Or a lot cracked, if you consider government-endorsed murder and the seizure of male infants to be an issue.
When society rules, family, and romance collide, Glacia fights back the best way she knows how: by taking the matter into her own combat-trained hands and kicking some tail. The problem is, no amount of training can prepare Glacia for the crime circle she discovers, secrets she unveils, and human guy she can’t get out of her head. Glacia finds herself at a crossroads where she must decide whose rules to follow. Who she can trust. And ultimately…who lives and who dies.
Amazon Goodreads
Ice Floe Excerpt: Chapter 6
We’ve been sitting on the ledge a while now, mostly staring at the view. I steal occasional glances at Tucker. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a force between us. Energy. A pulse. A magnet. Something. Every time I focus my thoughts elsewhere, he pulls me back in. It’s distracting.
“You ready to head down?” he asks.
“You might as well get started. I can’t climb down with all your equipment in the way.” “I have an extra harness. You should come down with me.” He reaches for his pack and
stands up.I jump up to join him. “No way. I’m not hooking myself into that death trap.”
“Glacia, come on. This cliff is super challenging, and it’s way more difficult to climb down than up,” he says, his voice growing louder. Here we go again.
“I’ll be fine once you get your stuff out of the way.” I raise my volume to match his. “It’s not safe. I would feel horrible if I let you climb down and you got hurt.”
“Let me?”
“Not let you. It’s your choice.” “I choose NO.”
He clenches his jaw tightly and grinds his teeth. I take a few steps back in preparation. There’s enough room up here to land a solid kick to the face. That should knock him out, then I’ll have to figure out a way to climb down his cat’s cradle setup. Tucker crosses one arm over his chest and raises a hand to cover his mouth. We glare at each other – at an impasse.“Let’s make a deal,” he offers. “You climb down with me using a harness and rope, and I’ll take you on a boat ride.”
This catches my attention.
“That’s right, I saw you light up when I mentioned my dad’s boat shop,” he continues with a cocky air.
He’s more perceptive than I gave him credit for. Volatile and perceptive. A hefty combination.
“Have you ever been on a boat?” he asks.
I shake my head. I would love to go on a boat. Tucker knows how to fix them and can
teach me everything a trainer could, plus more. What am I thinking? This is crazy. I can’t go on a boat with a human. What excuse would I give if I got caught? I can’t pretend I’m seducing.
Everyone knows that’s not high on my priority list, and you’re not supposed to seduce alone. Maybe I could say that I’m collecting information to share with the girls I teach… Hmm. That’s almost believable, given my dedication to the studio.Tucker can tell I’m on the fence about it and ups the ante. “I’ll teach you to drive the
boat.”Unfair. Of course, I want to learn how to drive a boat. That’s a beyond useful skill in my
back pocket. I peek down the cliff face to assess the reliability of Tucker’s wedge-rope system. Stupid. Like I know what I’m looking for.“Fine,” I agree. “We need to be hooked together, so if I die, you die.” “Seems reasonable.”
“AND I get to drive the boat.”
“Deal. Let’s see, today is Monday, and I already have plans tomorrow. Wednesday?”
“What time?”
“Eleven a.m. on the Ula pier.” “I’ll meet you there.”
Tucker flips his pack around, unclips a belt, and offers it to me. “Do you know how to wear a harness?”I snatch it from him, compare it to his gear, and step into the leg holes. When I have it all clipped in, I throw my hands on my hips.
“Now what?” I ask.
Tucker leans in toward me, rope in hand, then pulls back and reconsiders. “That’s not quite right,” he says haltingly. “Can I fix your harness?”
“I already agreed to this mess, didn’t I?”
He rolls his eyes. “I think that’s a yes. Pull the harness up – it has to sit higher on your
hips.”I follow his instructions, and he flops the rope over one arm. He moves in closer and
bends down to reposition the harness. His fingers wrap around the loop against my leg as he pulls it up below my hip. My heart beats faster and my insides twists. I evaluate the top of Tucker’s head in an effort to distinguish these sensations from other emotions. He secures the loop and raises his gaze to meet mine.“Is that too tight?” he asks. His hazel eyes penetrate mine. The edges are a deep brown that blend into a murky green with an amber starburst around the pupil.
I shake my head and look away. I hope he can’t tell how disoriented this is making me. “Pull the tabs on your waist tighter,” he instructs.I cinch the waist while he rearranges the other loop on my leg. Why is this making me so agitated? He’s only fixing my gear so I don’t fall to my death. Tucker gathers the rope into his hand and reaches out to tie it to the front belt loop. As he does, his fingers brush my skin just below my belly button. A jolt of electricity shoots through my body. I take in a small gasp of air and hold my breath. He freezes, his fingers lingering on my stomach. Did he feel that too?
About the Author:Melissa Birling strives to experience life from a “both and” rather than “either or” perspective. She enjoys living in metropolitan cities and on a small farm. She appreciates burn-your-tongue Mexican cuisine and delicious London pub food. Lately, Melissa spends her time engaging with cyber security professionals and mermaids. Not actual mermaids, although if you know any, she’d love to meet them.
The revelation that one can be both a successful corporate consultant and a fantasy author who writes about mermaids, encouraged Melissa to finish her debut novel, Ice Floe. The emotional high of typing “The End” at the completion of her first draft, triggered a writing spree that hasn’t stopped since. On any given Saturday or Sunday, you will find Melissa writing. She won’t respond to any attempts at human engagement, because she’s “at a good part,” but you’ll find her typing away, nevertheless.
Melissa lives with a ceaselessly supportive husband and their dog who enjoys hunting neighborhood skunks.
https://melissabirling.com/
https://www.instagram.com/melissabirling/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaBirling/
Sample the Book Free at www.icefloeseries.com
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May 2, 2022
A Bewitching Monday
My Writing Journey by Suzanne M Sabol
https://buffykennedy.com/2022/05/my-w...
Author Interview- My Vampire Streamer by Jessica Samuels #PNR #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/EE6u50IWNp3
INTERVIEW - PARANORMAL WOMEN'S FICTION - MAGIC TAKES MANHATTAN (Manhattan Magic, #1) by Jade Greenberg #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/OwMX50IWNmu
INTERVIEW WITH MELISSA BIRLING (ICE FLOE) #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/OCR050IWNhi
Book Spotlight & #Giveaway ~ Urbantasm:The Spring Storm Urbantasm, Book Four by Connor Coyne @connorcoyne ~ Magical Realism,Teen Noir #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/tcTL50IWNsC
Mystical Inspiration and Writing Prompts for Writers, Insomniacs, and Night Owls Diane Riis
#bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/YYiS50IWNn4
Shifter by Michael J. Bowler [Tour with Excerpt] #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/sSZ950IWNrE
My Vampire Streamer by Jessica Samuels #PNR #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/l22z50IWNqP
Infinite Azure
The supernatural world has come out to humanity with a bang!
https://lshadowlynauthor.com/2022/05/...
Urbantasm: The Spring Storm by Connor Coyne Virtual Book Tour #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/3hAr50IWNtp
Character Confessions- Ice Floe by Melissa Birling #YAFantasy #YARomance #PNR #Mermaids
https://paranormalists.blogspot.com/2...
Damned When I Didn’t by Cherie Colyer - YA Paranormal Romance - Can an eighteen-year-old virgin fulfill her succubus duties without losing her innocence? #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/UjJc50IWNfJ
Infinite Azure by Suzanne M. Sabol #UrbanFantasy #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/bsWL50IWNkb
Arrow’s Flight
Knights, a hearthmage, and their companions test their limits to make things right
https://lshadowlynauthor.com/2022/05/...
Urbantasm: The Spring Storm Urbantasm Book Four by Connor Coyne - Magical Realism,Teen Noir - Eventually, everything comes to an end. Even endings. #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/EA7m50IWNu2
In the Kitchen with Melissa Birling
https://creativelygreen.blogspot.com/...
April 29, 2022
Cover Reveal and Pre-Order Link: Ghosts and Legends of Genesee and Lapeer Counties #CoverReveal
Ghosts and Legends of Genesee and Lapeer Counties Haunted America Series Roxanne Rhoads and Joe Schipani Release Date: August 29, 2022
Book Description:
Ghost stories and urban legends lurk throughout Genesee and Lapeer counties.
A Clio man's spirit is thought to still reside in the junkyard office where he was murdered. For almost two centuries, the Flushing area has been fascinated by tales of the wealthy Brent family whose land is connected to numerous tales of murder, mystery, and ghosts.
In Lapeer County, the Bruce Mansion's unnerving façade hints at the specters inside, and the land and buildings once belonging to the Lapeer State Home are plagued by haunting cries and ghostly activity.
Join the authors of Haunted Flint , Roxanne Rhoads and Joe Schipani, as they take you on a tour of Genesee and Lapeer counties’ most haunted locations.
Pre-Order at Amazon https://amzn.to/3kjorrN
A Bewitching Friday
Character Confessions Sophia Rivers from My Vampire Streamer by Jessica Samuels #PNR #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/sFk550IVkCh
Tea Time with Rachanee Lumayno - Recipe for Milk Tea #TeaTime #MilkTea #InTheKitchen
#bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/Q4kx50IVkg9
Damned When I Didn’t by Cherie Colyer
https://buffykennedy.com/2022/04/damn...
Shifter by Michael J. Bowler #Horror #YA #SciFi https://bewitchingbooktours.tumblr.co...
Magic Takes Manhattan by Jade Greenberg Virtual Book Tour #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/elMK50IVkFo
A living weapon. An attack on the laws of reality. One chance to save the world. Michael Bishop is a tool in the hand of the most powerful organization on Earth
Rationality Zero by JM Guillen
https://amzn.to/3uWocJh
#alternaterealities #sciencefiction #SciFi #technothriller
[Spotlight & Giveaway] Ice Flow by Melissa Birling #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/eqGh50IVknB
Book Spotlight & #Giveaway ~ Damned When I Didn’t by Cherie Colyer @CherieColyer ~ YA Paranormal Romance #YA #PNR #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/5SyR50IVkbZ
A Guide to the Care and Feeding of a Seeker from Heir of Memory and Shadow by Rachanee Lumayno #FantasyYA #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/rX7w50IUg4s
In the Garden with Cherie Colyer #InTheGarden #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/yBbi50ITeYK
INTERVIEW - ICE FLOE by Melissa Birling #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/a18750IUg5Q
April 28, 2022
A Bewitching Thursday
A Guide to the Care and Feeding of a Seeker from Heir of Memory and Shadow by Rachanee Lumayno #FantasyYA #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/rX7w50IUg4s
INTERVIEW - ICE FLOE by Melissa Birling #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/a18750IUg5Q
Magic Takes Manhattan #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/4p1350IUg85
Twin brothers with power over life and death flee an evil doomsday cult and fall into the hands of the U.S. military. Bizarre experiments, terrifying secrets, and uncertain loyalties add to their peril and that of the entire human race. https://books2read.com/u/mvWM5j #YoungAdult #Horror #SciFi #YA #IndieAuthor #Suspense #YASeries #Shifter #HealerChronicles #AmReading
In the Garden with Cherie Colyer #InTheGarden #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/yBbi50ITeYK
My Vampire Streamer by Jessica Samuels #PNR
https://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com...
Damned When I Didn’t by Cherie Colyer #YA #PNR
https://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com...
Damned When I Didn’t by Cherie Colyer #YA #PNR
Damned When I Didn’tCherie Colyer
Genre: YA Paranormal RomancePublisher: The Wild Rose PRessDate of Publication: November 18, 2020ISBN: 978-1509233335ASIN: B08K39XQRZNumber of pages: 298Word Count: 76140Cover Artist: Diana Carlile
Tagline: Can an eighteen-year-old virgin fulfill her succubus duties without losing her innocence?
Book Description:
Death isn’t the end for eighteen-year-old Avery Williams, and her final resting place isn’t beyond the Golden Gates. No, the Queen of the Damned has plans for her and, unbeknownst to Avery, fought hard to gain possession of her soul.
As Hell’s newest succubus, Avery is expected to siphon life from the living. It only takes a long, meaningful kiss, but for a virgin like Avery, kissing guys she barely knows isn’t something she’s comfortable doing. Avery focuses on the upside of her fate—she’ll be returning home, or so she thinks.
When the Queen of the Damned cuts her off from her old life, Avery is determined to find a way back to her family and friends, even if it means facing Hell’s fury if she’s caught.
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Excerpt 2:
We got to Brookfield Zoo around ten, and even though I had forty dollars in my purse, Cole insisted on paying for the both of us. We entered through an underground tunnel that led to the main entrance. Images of ostriches and lions watched us pass as we followed the crowd to the turnstiles.
Cole handed a heavyset guy in a blue uniform our tickets and then held his hand in front of him.
“Ladies first.”
“Thanks.” I tucked my hair behind my ear and asked, “Are you sure your friends won’t mind me tagging along?”
During the drive over, I envisioned Cole’s friends as a group of unruly demons. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t asked him what to expect when he first mentioned getting out of the apartment. When I voiced my concerns to Cole, he let out a loud guffaw. A minute later, he assured me there wouldn’t be a demon in the bunch, except for us. He also told me that Luz was psyched to meet me. She was tired of being the only girl in the group.
Cole and I headed toward a large water fountain at the center of the zoo. A boy wearing a lion sun visor held his little hands up as if they were paws and roared. His sister—who was about half his size—screamed. I couldn’t help but laugh. Then I remembered Cole’s comment back at the apartment.
“Are you really a fan of leopards?” I asked.
“Snow leopards,” he corrected. “They’re smaller than other wild cats, but they’re graceful, cunning, and exceptional survivors.”
I got the feeling he related to them on a personal level. Cole had said incubi were low on Hell’s totem pole of bad asses.
“What’s your favorite animal?” he asked.
I tapped a finger to my lips. “Hmm—”
He jumped in front of me, walking backward with a bounce in his step. “Don’t tell me. I’ll guess.”
I giggled. Cole’s behavior was so human it was hard to believe he was a demon. But then again, so was I.
“You’ll never guess.”
He tipped his head to the side. “Is that a challenge?”
“Maybe,” I replied with a smile.
He slowed, avoiding bumping into a stroller even though his back was to it.
“How’d you know they were there?” I whispered, fully expecting to be told that demons had the radar-like senses of a shark.
“Reflection in your sunglasses.” He wiggled the ones he wore.
Darn on the supernatural radar, or lack thereof.
“Where were we?” he asked.
“You were about to admit there is no way you’ll guess my favorite animal.”
“You think so.” Cole smirked. “Let’s make it interesting…winner sleeps in the bed tonight, his choice if he wants to share.”
“Or hers, and just so you know, I’m not sleeping in the same bed as you.”
“You did last night.”
“I was passed out due to being drugged. It doesn’t count.”
I hadn’t given much thought to the fact that Cole and I shared everything in a one-bedroom apartment. “Does the couch pull out into a sofa bed?”
“Nope. I usually don’t have company sleep over. I discovered last night you’re a cover hog.”
Since most mornings I woke tangled in the sheet, I knew better than to argue with the latter statement. “Don’t you have girls over?”
“Definitely not. Except Luz, but she’s a friend and doesn’t stay the night.” His expression became serious. “No bringing work home. House rule.”
I didn’t plan on hooking up with anyone, so that rule was fine by me. “Deal.”His lips curved upward into a devilish smirk. “Which one: you won’t bring strange guys home, or you’re willing to risk losing dibs on the comfy mattress?”
I began to think Lilith had purposely paired me with Cole as a way to add to my own personal Hell. He was seriously charming and—had we been human—the type of guy I went for.
But he’s not human, and the only reason you find him charming is because he’s the only person you’re still allowed to talk to.Even Gregory Davis—the geeky brain from school with thick black glasses and a never-ending supply of sweater vests—would look appealing when you’re staring down eternity and he’s the only person you know.
I shook my head to clear my runaway thoughts and replied with confidence, “Both.”
“Be prepared to lose.” He turned and fell in stride with me. In a low voice, he said, “Luz, Nick, and Dylan are human. Hunter’s something else.”
I stopped. “What’s Hunter?”
About the Author:Professional network technician by day, novelist by night, Cherie lives a quiet life in the Chicago suburbs with her charming husband. She has four amazing sons who she loves dearly. Cherie magically weaves together stories with a paranormal twist. She’s the author of the Embrace series (Embrace, Hold Tight, and Entwined), Challenging Destiny, Damned When I Didn’t, and Friends to the End. She waltzes into the adult novel world with this enchanting holiday romance, Merry Little Wishing Spritz.
Website: https://cheriecolyer.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieColyer
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