O.M. Grey's Blog, page 11

The Zombies of Mesmer (Podcast) – Chapter 11 & 12

Follow Nicole Knickerbocker Hawthorn (Nickie Nick) as she discovers her destiny as The Protector, a powerful vampire hunter. Ashe, a dark and mysterious stranger, helps Nickie and her friends solve the mystery behind several bizarre disappearances. Suitable for teens, enjoyed by adults, the story is full of interesting steampunk gadgets, mad scientists, bloodthirsty vampires, and mesmerized zombies. This paranormal adventure is sure to appeal to fans of Boneshaker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries.

The Zombies of Mesmer is a Gothic Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel set in Victorian London.

Appropriate for teens.

The Zombies of Mesmer – Chapter 11 & 12.

Download: ZM_Podcast_CH11-12.mp3

Buy your copy of The Zombies of Mesmer via Amazon or Barnes & Noble in paperback, and it’s also available in digital format exclusively for the Kindle at Amazon.com (Kindle Select – Free for PRIME MEMBERS).

Also available: Author-Signed through the publisher.

-_Q

Fiction Podcast

Including short fiction and poetry, and The Zombies of Mesmer

Subscribe in a reader …. or in iTunes

Filed under: Podcasted Fiction Tagged: audiobook, author, avalon, avalon revisited, bdsm, bdsm erotica, bdsm erotica novel, bondage, boneshaker, book, buffy, buffy the vampire slayer, ecstasy, england, erotic, erotica, hyde park, london, masochism, o.m. grey, olivia grey, paranormal romance, passion, podcast, podiobook, poet, renaissance, sadism, sado-masochism, steampunk, teen, teen romance, vampire diaries, vampires, victorian, zombies, zombies of mesmer

Steampunk Spotlight: Vote for the Best in Steampunk!

Voting is now open for the Steampunk Chronicle’s Reader’s Choice Awards!

With just a few simple clicks, you can vote for all your favorites this year from best fiction to best maker to most influential Steampunk!

My short story “A Kiss in the Rain” is up for Best Short Fiction, and I would greatly appreciate your vote! Haven’t read it yet? For just $0.99, you can get it directly on your Kindle and support the artist and publisher, or read it FREE on SNM Horror Mag.

Additionally, I’m up for Best Steampunk Pinup Girl towards the bottom of the voting form for the cover of Gearhearts Steampunk Glamour Revue #3, pictured right. I’d be ever so grateful for your vote in both categories.

There are many more categories in which to vote, however. Here are my recommendations for some of them, in order of appearance on their site.

Album of the Year: “The 2 Cent Show” by Steam Powered Giraffe
Best Band: Steam Powered Giraffe or Eli August and the Abandoned Buildings
Best Character/Persona: Rabbit from Steam Powered Giraffe
Best Group Performance, non-musical: Mr. Saturday and Sixpence
Best Music Video: “Honeybee” by Steam Powered Giraffe 
Best Nonfiction:  A Steampunk’s Guide to Sex (including my polyamory article!)
Best Personality: ****Doctor Q****
Best Short Story: ****“A Kiss in the Rain”****
Best Web Series: ****The Vagabonds — OR — The League of S.T.E.A.M.****
Best Goggles: Captain Cedric Whittaker of ASI
Best Maker Group: Airship Isabella (ASI)
Most Influential or Inspirational: ****The Artifice Club****
Best Politically-Minded Steampunk: Margaret Killjoy
Steampunk Pinup Girl: ****O. M. Grey for the Gearhearts #3 Cover****

You must register and be signed in to vote, a necessity to deter multiple voting and spam, I’m afraid. Voting is open for just a few more weeks, so please go vote today!!

 

Filed under: Events & Contests, News & Reviews, Steampunk Spotlight Tagged: a kiss in the rain, amazon, author, avalon, avalon revisited, bdsm, book, dj doctor q, eli august, love, mr. saturday and sixpence, non-monogamy, o.m. grey, olivia grey, open, open marriage, paranormal romance, passion, polyamory, readers choice awards, relationship advice, relationships, romance, sex, short story, sixpence, SPC Readers Choice Awards, steam powered giraffe, steampunk, steampunk chronicle, victorian

The Zombies of Mesmer (Podcast) – Chapter 10

Follow Nicole Knickerbocker Hawthorn (Nickie Nick) as she discovers her destiny as The Protector, a powerful vampire hunter. Ashe, a dark and mysterious stranger, helps Nickie and her friends solve the mystery behind several bizarre disappearances. Suitable for teens, enjoyed by adults, the story is full of interesting steampunk gadgets, mad scientists, bloodthirsty vampires, and mesmerized zombies. This paranormal adventure is sure to appeal to fans of Boneshaker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries.

The Zombies of Mesmer is a Gothic Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel set in Victorian London.

Appropriate for teens.

The Zombies of Mesmer – Chapter 10.

Download: ZM_Podcast_CH10.mp3

Buy your copy of The Zombies of Mesmer via Amazon or Barnes & Noble in paperback, and it’s also available in digital format exclusively for the Kindle at Amazon.com (Kindle Select – Free for PRIME MEMBERS).

Also available: Author-Signed through the publisher.

-_Q

Fiction Podcast

Including short fiction and poetry, and The Zombies of Mesmer

Subscribe in a reader …. or in iTunes

Filed under: Podcasted Fiction Tagged: audiobook, author, avalon, avalon revisited, bdsm, bdsm erotica, bdsm erotica novel, bondage, boneshaker, book, buffy, buffy the vampire slayer, ecstasy, england, erotic, erotica, hyde park, london, masochism, o.m. grey, olivia grey, paranormal romance, passion, podcast, podiobook, poet, renaissance, sadism, sado-masochism, steampunk, teen, teen romance, vampire diaries, vampires, victorian, zombies, zombies of mesmer

Polyamory & Pregnancy

A new book called Polyamory and Pregnancy was released last week. It’s the first book in the Polyamory on Purpose Guides from author Jessica Burde.

From the Amazon.com description:

The first complete guide to pregnancy in polyamorous relationships, Polyamory and Pregnancy covers every step of welcoming a new life into your polycule. Whether you are planning ahead for future children or are on your way to the baby shower, you will find something here to help on your journey: Unexpected pregnancies Planning for pregnancy Important decisions during and after pregnancy Poly-friendly prenatal care Birth certificates and paternity Custody and co-parenting And more…

Excerpt:

My friend Lauren had a difficult pregnancy. It was made worse by the fact that during the pregnancy there was significant drama in her relationship. She and her metamour were not getting along at all, and the way her husband handled things didn’t help.

Lauren’s water broke nearly two months early, but she didn’t go into labor. Her doctor made her go into the hospital until the baby came.They put her on bed rest and antibiotics, and did everything they could to delay the birth. Every additional day made it more likely that Lauren’s child would survive. When she went into the hospital none of the drama, none of the problems mattered. For two weeks her husband, her metamour, and/or her metamour’s partner stayed by her bed around the clock. One of them spent every night with her. One of them was there every day. They pitched in to take care of each other’s children, to juggle the housework, and to share vehicles so everyone could get to work and  wherever anyone needed to be. They were lucky that their work schedules made it possible; not every polyamorous relationship has that option. But it would never have been possible

for a monogamous couple.

The night Lauren went into labor, her metamour was there with her. The doctors decided they had to do an emergency C-section because Lauren had developed an infection in her uterus. Lauren’s metamour called her husband while she was being prepped for surgery. The doctor said that if her husband was not there before they started the incision, the operating room doors would be locked and he would not be able to be with her during the birth. The metamour’s partner drove Lauren’s husband to the hospital, breaking several speed limits on the way. In the meantime Lauren’s metamour got suited up in scrubs and a mask, because Lauren said that if her husband couldn’t be there, she wanted her metamour to be. Her husband got there with less than a minute to spare; the metamour had been walking into the operating room because they were about to lock the doors. It was probably a fairly comical scene in the maternity ward hallway, with the metamour stripping out of the scrubs and mask and shoving them on Lauren’s husband to push him through the doors into the OR.

During Lauren’s recovery, and the month her baby spent in the neonatal unit, the polycule continued to work together. I wish I could say that the experience healed the problems between them – it didn’t. But it brought them closer together, and brought Lauren and her husband through a difficult situation with more love and support than they ever hoped for. For Lauren’s metamour, the experience includes some of her fondest memories of the relationship. And while they eventually went their separate ways, that little girl still holds an important place in all of their hearts.

Pray God no one in your polycule needs to go through what Lauren did. And I sincerely hope that your relationships are healthier than the situation she was in at the time. But as difficult as it was, and however much I’m sure Lauren never wants to go through anything like it again, the story also illustrates one of the great strengths of a polyamorous relationship: knowing that the flexibility and support your polycule can provide will be there for you throughout the pregnancy. Whatever happens and whatever your relationship to the pregnancy, the support and love around you can make this an experience to be treasured.

Order your copy on Amazon.com today in either paperback or on the Kindle.

Filed under: News & Reviews, Romance & Relationships Tagged: author, birth, book, honesty, intimacy, jessica burde, love, non-monogamy, o.m. grey, olivia grey, open marriage, passion, polyamory, pregnancy, relationships, romance

Romantic Games & Rainy Kisses

The Romance Reviews blog has over 400 authors participating in their Anniversary Celebration! Win FREE BOOKS and even an Amazon Gift Card for playing their fun games, plus, learn about new authors and books for your enjoyment.

They’ve a cover matching game and questions from participating authors designed to let the reader learn more about the author, their websites, and their books.

Today, if you answer my question (#8) over at Romance Reviews, you could win a free copy of Avalon Revisited (eBook from Riverdale Ave Books).

GO PLAY NOW!

-_Q

Additionally, I was thrilled a few days back when someone tweeted a new review for “A Kiss in the Rain”!!! The review is by Tracy Riva, and you can read it in full over at her blog.

Here is an excerpt:

What I really liked about this short story was it took a very new angle on erotic romances. It was something which I had never read before, and while I was thrilled with the outcome for the protagonist of the story, I actually felt a little sorrow for the other characters in the book.

I would recommend A Kiss in the Rain for its eroticism, its highly unusual story, its passion.

Read “A Kiss in the Rain” for just $0.99 on your Kindle or Kindle app (available for smart phones & computers).

-_Q

Other titles available from Amazon:

“For the Love of a Book” in the We Love NY Anthology
The Zombies of Mesmer Steampunk Paranormal Teen Romance
“Of Aether and Aeon” Steampunk romance short story
Caught in the Cogs: An Eclectic Collection of short stories, poetry, and essays

Find links to all my work on my Amazon Author Page, plus additional ones, some for free, under “Published Works” right here on this blog.

Filed under: Events & Contests, News & Reviews Tagged: a kiss in the rain, amazon, author, avalon, avalon revisited, bdsm, book, caught in the cogs, gothic romance, love, o.m. grey, of aether and aeon, olivia grey, paranormal romance, passion, poem, poetry, relationships, romance, romance reviews, sex, short story, steampunk, teen, teen romance, the zombies of mesmer, vampires, victorian

The Zombies of Mesmer (Podcast) – Chapter 9

Follow Nicole Knickerbocker Hawthorn (Nickie Nick) as she discovers her destiny as The Protector, a powerful vampire hunter. Ashe, a dark and mysterious stranger, helps Nickie and her friends solve the mystery behind several bizarre disappearances. Suitable for teens, enjoyed by adults, the story is full of interesting steampunk gadgets, mad scientists, bloodthirsty vampires, and mesmerized zombies. This paranormal adventure is sure to appeal to fans of Boneshaker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries.

The Zombies of Mesmer is a Gothic Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel set in Victorian London.

Appropriate for teens.

The Zombies of Mesmer – Chapter 9.

Download: ZM_Podcast_CH9.mp3

Buy your copy of The Zombies of Mesmer via Amazon or Barnes & Noble in paperback, and it’s also available in digital format exclusively for the Kindle at Amazon.com (Kindle Select – Free for PRIME MEMBERS).

Also available: Author-Signed through the publisher.

-_Q

Fiction Podcast

Including short fiction and poetry, and The Zombies of Mesmer

Subscribe in a reader …. or in iTunes

Filed under: Podcasted Fiction Tagged: audiobook, author, avalon, avalon revisited, bdsm, bdsm erotica, bdsm erotica novel, bondage, boneshaker, book, buffy, buffy the vampire slayer, ecstasy, england, erotic, erotica, hyde park, london, masochism, o.m. grey, olivia grey, paranormal romance, passion, podcast, podiobook, poet, renaissance, sadism, sado-masochism, steampunk, teen, teen romance, vampire diaries, vampires, victorian, zombies, zombies of mesmer

Book Review: Darker Still – A Novel of Magic Most Foul

Simply splendid. In fact, I’d go as far as to say: Brilliant!

That’s what I think of Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul

I first started reading Ms. Hieber’s work when my agent introduced me to the author. We hit it off immediately, and have stayed in touch through the years. I adored her first two books, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker and The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker. Although life happened and I never got a chance to read the third in that series, I plan to as soon as I’ve had my fill of the Magic Most Foul series. After all, there is only so many hours in a day!

Rather late to the game for this book, I’m pleased overall because now I don’t have to wait for the sequels! I’m reading The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart: A Novel of Magic Most Foul right now, and I’m loving every word of it. In fact, I had started reading that one first. I loved it so much, that I didn’t get must past the first chapter before I simply had to start with the first book. Hieber does an amazing job of making Twisted Tragedy stand alone, but I wanted the full experience, and I’m so glad I went back to read Darker Still first!

From the Amazon description:

I was obssessed.

It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I’d ever seen—everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable…utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I’ve crossed over into his world within the painting, and I’ve seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked—bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone strets of Manhattan. And unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.

One of the many things I love about Hieber’s work is her ability to be deliciously Gothic without going so dark it turns off readers, like I’m afraid I do at times. Her tale is full of Gothic romance, tragedy, evil, and magic most foul! Told expertly in the style of diary entries, I loved how at times Natalie was interrupted and had to return later to tell her diary what was happening. I could picture her sitting at her desk with the gaslamp trimmed low, scribbling down every detail of her budding romance with the mysterious man in the painting. Darker Still is an homage not only to Victorian literature, but also to Oscar Wilde, Poe, Shakespeare, and even J. K. Rowling. I was quite tickled to see that the author even wrote a note to Mr. Wilde in the afterward.

Miss Natalie Stewart is the mute daughter of a man who works at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. When a strange and captivating painting comes into town, an eccentric spiritualist with a gift for reading thoughts and all things supernatural enlists her and her father’s help in procuring the painting for the Met. There’s something very odd and magical about the painting of Lord Jonathan Denbury of Greenwich. As soon as Natalie sees his likeness, she becomes obsessed with it. After tumbling into the painting and meeting the man in his canvassed prison, she discovers his soul has been split from his body (which is possessed by the foul demon who did such a dreadful thing), and he needs her help to escape. She also finds she can speak when inside the painting. She, along with the help of the spiritualist Mrs. Northe, embarks on a grand and dangerous plan to free the handsome Lord and help him reclaim his body from the demon.

With the special magic that comes from a mother’s sacrifice and splitting of souls, along with the grace of Victoriana and the mystery of Dorian Gray, Hieber has written a beautiful, dark love story between two young people thrown into a world of magic most foul.

I give this book a full FIVE COGS!

Buy your copy of Darker Still: A novel of Magic Most Foul and get to reading. Next week, I should have the review for The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart up, so you’ll be ready to get that one as well.

Even more exciting, Ms. Hieber is serializing the third book in the series over on her website, starting TODAY! True to the style of the age of which she writes, the serialization of The Double Life of Incorporate Things: A Novel of Magic Most Foul begins with its first installment TODAY: 3/5/13….and, it’s free! Check it out>>>

Buy the Darker Still paperback on Amazon or get it for the Kindle, just $2.99! Get to reading! You’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but it won’t take you long. You’ll rip through these wonderful tales as quickly as I did.

“Hieber applies some real imagination to the story. Her depiction of the dark magic involved and of the demon’s murderous activities adds some good suspense . . . a good romp.” – Kirkus Reviews

“”Darker Still was delightfully strange and charming. The book absorbed me within its first couple of pages. . . . This novel is chock-full of mystery, suspense and a most magical romance! I absolutely loved it and I absolutely recommend it.”–Kristin Feliz, Growing Up YA” – Growing Up YA

“”I highly recommend this book! It was just the right mix of paranormal and romance and I hope you all like it as much as I did!”–Sara Teitelman, Catching Books” – Catching Books

“”Darker Still screamed eerie, spooky suspense from the first page and its claws dug into me and didn’t let go. . . a masterpiece-twisted, dark, and chillingly possessive. . . I highly recommend Darker Still as a must read.”–Debbie Wentlein, I Heart YA Books” – I Heart YA Books

Filed under: News & Reviews Tagged: author, avalon, avalon revisited, bdsm, book, darker still, dorian gray, gaslight fantasy, gaslight romance, harry potter, leanna renee hieber, love, new york, new york city, nyc, o.m. grey, olivia grey, oscar wilde, paranormal romance, passion, relationships, romance, short story, steampunk, victorian

Romance Reviews 2nd Anniversary Celebration!

Join me and 400 other authors over at Romance Reviews for their 2nd Anniversary Celebration! Loads of fun games and giveaways, from lots and lots of eBooks to a $100 gift card!

Log in with Facebook or create an account to participate in such fun things as cover matching games, multiple choice queries, and more!

Look for my multiple choice question on March 12th for a chance to win an Avalon Revisited eBook, plus many, many more free eBooks!!

In the mean time, I’m working hard on the revisions for Avalon Revamped. I’ll have them to my agent by the end of the month!

Filed under: Events & Contests Tagged: author, erotica, love, non-monogamy, o.m. grey, olivia grey, open, open marriage, paranormal romance, passion, polyamory, relationship advice, relationships, romance, romance reviews, sex

The Zombies of Mesmer (Podcast) – Chapter 8

Follow Nicole Knickerbocker Hawthorn (Nickie Nick) as she discovers her destiny as The Protector, a powerful vampire hunter. Ashe, a dark and mysterious stranger, helps Nickie and her friends solve the mystery behind several bizarre disappearances. Suitable for teens, enjoyed by adults, the story is full of interesting steampunk gadgets, mad scientists, bloodthirsty vampires, and mesmerized zombies. This paranormal adventure is sure to appeal to fans of Boneshaker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries.

The Zombies of Mesmer is a Gothic Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel set in Victorian London.

Appropriate for teens.

The Zombies of Mesmer – Chapter 8.

Download: ZM_Podcast_CH8.mp3

Buy your copy of The Zombies of Mesmer via Amazon or Barnes & Noble in paperback, and it’s also available in digital format exclusively for the Kindle at Amazon.com (Kindle Select – Free for PRIME MEMBERS).

Also available: Author-Signed through the publisher.

-_Q

Fiction Podcast

Including short fiction and poetry, and The Zombies of Mesmer

Subscribe in a reader …. or in iTunes

Filed under: Podcasted Fiction Tagged: audiobook, author, avalon, avalon revisited, bdsm, bdsm erotica, bdsm erotica novel, bondage, boneshaker, book, buffy, buffy the vampire slayer, ecstasy, england, erotic, erotica, hyde park, london, masochism, o.m. grey, olivia grey, paranormal romance, passion, podcast, podiobook, poet, renaissance, sadism, sado-masochism, steampunk, teen, teen romance, vampire diaries, vampires, victorian, zombies, zombies of mesmer

Danser Sur Ta Tombe

“Danser Sur Ta Tombe”

Original Painting

Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas Board

by Christine Rose

Daphne was in deeply love, but her lover was just very good at pretending to be, which afforded him the opportunity to delight in her utter destruction, piece by piece. Heart, mind, body, and soul. Then, discarded her.

After a long, painful time of putting herself back together, piece by piece, she realized she was lucky to have gotten away at all. The road to healing was arduous, and she will never be the same again. Never trusting. Never loving. Never again believing. Never again whole.

Forever altered. Forever scarred.

But she survived.

One day she hears of the gruesome death of the man who violated and exploited her so very cruelly. With a single rose, she visits his grave…and dances on it.

“Danser Sur Ta Tombe” is an original acrylic painting/mixed media creation by my alter ego Christine Rose. Her hands and the rose is sculpted with paperclay. Handmade, recycled paper gives texture to the background and makes the tombstone. Lace brings this poor girl’s skirt to life. Fun applications of modeling clay creates even more texture, contributing to the 3D effect of the piece. Final touch: paper from floral wire provides that intricate little rose a stem.

This is the first in a series of paintings and sculptures featuring “Daphne.”

Original Painting for sale on Etsy. Please share with your networks, friends, and family.

Filed under: Lost in the Aether Tagged: art, artist, author, broken heart, Christine rose, etsy, fine art, grief, heartbroken, love, mixed media, o.m. grey, olivia grey, original art, original painting, painting, passion, romance, survivor