Heather Marie Adkins's Blog, page 2

Introducing Haunted by Magic author Joanna Mazurkiewicz

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Haunted by Magic
Author Spotlight!

 

Joanna Mazurkiewicz was born in Poland. She moved to United Kingdom when she was only nineteen and just finished high school. She had aspired to be a writer upon completion of the Harry Potter series but also enjoyed reading books like ‘Gone with the Wind’, ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘The doll’. She graduated from Swansea University with a bachelor degree in American Studies. While studying in the UK she made a decision to start writing fiction in English.

The “Whispers of the Sprite” is her first debut novel and she is currently working on the second book in the series. Joanna lives in Cowbridge, a small town in South Wales near Cardiff with her boyfriend Bruce. She enjoys cycling around Welsh countryside some of which has become the settings in her first series.

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http://jmazurkiewiczauthor.com

 

Joanna’s book Sacred Desires is included in the Haunted by Magic box set!

Daniella Clark has lived blissfully unaware of her heritage, but as her true nature reveals itself, a need rises that she cannot control. Her sexy-as-sin neighbor, Owen, eases her carnal heat and introduces her to a world she never even suspected existed.

But the weretiger prime, Erick, wants her for his own. And he is more than willing to fight his second-in-command for the woman he claimed the moment he laid eyes on her luscious form. He will do anything to protect his people, and their future rests in Daniella’s hands.

Even as Daniella revels in the sensuality of the weretiger males, she fights to maintain her sense of self. But when old enemies arise, the battle for her heart isn’t the only fight they must face. And Daniella will have to decide how much she is willing to risk for the men who want her for their mate.

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Introducing Haunted by Magic author Tiffany Allee!

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Haunted by Magic
Author Spotlight!

 

Tiffany Allee writes sensual romance stories. When she’s not writing (or reading!), she can usually be found daydreaming, hiking, or attempting a new recipe. She thinks that life should require happily ever afters. And since she doesn’t make the rules of life, she instead applies this philosophy to the worlds she can control – the ones in her books.

You can find her on the web at: http://tiffanyallee.com

 

Tiffany’s book Claiming Their Royal Mate is included in the Haunted by Magic box set!

Daniella Clark has lived blissfully unaware of her heritage, but as her true nature reveals itself, a need rises that she cannot control. Her sexy-as-sin neighbor, Owen, eases her carnal heat and introduces her to a world she never even suspected existed.

But the weretiger prime, Erick, wants her for his own. And he is more than willing to fight his second-in-command for the woman he claimed the moment he laid eyes on her luscious form. He will do anything to protect his people, and their future rests in Daniella’s hands.

Even as Daniella revels in the sensuality of the weretiger males, she fights to maintain her sense of self. But when old enemies arise, the battle for her heart isn’t the only fight they must face. And Daniella will have to decide how much she is willing to risk for the men who want her for their mate.

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What Haunts Author Jess Haines

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Haunted by Magic Diaries:
Real life unexplainable events from the authors.

 

“I have had someone ask me in all seriousness if I ever met a werewolf because he “had an experience once.”

I had someone else ask me if I could introduce them to the main vampire in my UF series because “he must be real.”

 

I might write some freaky things now and then, but trust me, you don’t need the paranormal in your life to experience genuine weirdness. I can’t be sure of this audience, but if you’re feeling daring, ask me sometime to link you to some of the odd news that has rolled across my social media timeline at one point or another. Never underestimate the crazy out there.” – Jess Haines

 

I’m a displaced New Yorker with a penchant for the silly, the obscure, and the fantastical. I’m a connoisseur of crappy horror movies and good coffee. Tampa, Florida is home for the time being. I’m currently working on the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series and the Blackhollow Academy young adult contemporary fantasy series. Find out more about my books, drop me a line, or join my mailing list at www.jesshaines.com!

 

 

 

Jess is the author of Smoke and Mirrors:

 

A girl who uses her illusions to fool the world into thinking she’s just like all the other magi.

A dragon who sees through her lies.

Together they just might survive a world that wants to control or destroy them both.

Kimberly may wield ultimate cosmic power, but even a mage has to pay the rent. No one will hire her for her magic talents until she’s got the credentials, so she’s stuck in a crappy rent controlled apartment with her mother, yearning for treats she can’t afford at her part time job in a café, counting down the days until she graduates the secret Blackhollow Academy school for magi. Only then will she have the certificate she needs to land her dream job in a coven.

The problem? She needs a familiar to graduate.

As an illusionist, she doesn’t have the ability to summon or create a familiar of her own. Her only option is to convince a supernatural creature to let her bind it instead. Since having a powerful Other at her beck and call would guarantee her a place in a coven after she graduates—and legendary treasure hoards are an added bonus—she thinks binding a dragon as her familiar will solve all her problems…

Because sometimes a girl needs a dragon, not a knight.

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What Happened to Madelyn Alt?

I’m in a blog tour for Haunted by Magic (yes, I know, you’re not surprised, I need to shut up about this set, I’m blowing up your email and newsfeed, etc. Hey, have you preordered yet?) But that’s not what this post is about.

For my “Guest Post” for this tour, I decided to compile my favorite witchy mystery series and tie-in The Witch’s Brew (from Jingle Spells). I thought, what a cute idea to tie in a book I can offer for free and rave about books I love, because it’s all cozy mysteries!

Of course, I’m such an avid reader, I have to read the book descriptions to make sure I’m referencing the right characters and worlds. Gods forbid I use the wrong name for the wrong series because I’m a crazy person. So I get through Juliet Blackwell (my FAVE omgawd), and Heather Blake (SO AMAZING), and move on to Madelyn Alt. Suddenly, I’m reminded of something I already knew–

Nobody on the internet has heard from Madelyn Alt since 2012.

Surprisingly, lots of authors disappear without a trace. Often, someone nosy digs deep enough to find out that they passed away. Or someone finally tracks down the author to find they’ve “retired” (which is so bizarro to me – I can’t imagine retiring from something that doesn’t feel like a job.)

But sometimes, the disappearing author is just… gone.

That’s what’s happened to Madelyn Alt. A quick scroll through her Facebook feed shows five years of people posting to ask where she is and why the announced 8th book in her popular Bewitching Mysteries was never released. Her last public comment was in September 2012, and the last time she posted publicly was when she changed her cover photo in August 2012 – to her book covers.

Her last blog post was at the release of the 7th Bewitching mystery in April 2012. In September of 2012, she responded to a comment on this post – that’s the last activity on her site. Her last tweet also took place in April 2012, and it appears she tweeted on a regular basis, so her sudden disappearance seems all the more apocalyptic.

Goodreads is all aghast on the unreleased book’s page. Even the reviews of her books on Amazon ask the

burning question everyone is dying to know:

What happened to Madelyn Alt?

One of her last blog posts on The Majickal Life, a blog she shared with two friends, took place February 4, 2012. She wraps it up with this:

So, that’s how I’m working today on conjuring a balance in my life. Because there is more to creativity than just sitting in front of a computer in isolation for hours on end every day. Creativity needs tactile and colorific experiences to maintain its health. So do we all!

  Love to all and wishing you warm spring blessings,

  Mad {madly!}

Nothing has ever been publicly declared regarding Madelyn’s whereabouts. Maybe she passed. Maybe she quit for health reasons.  I’d like to think if I died, my husband and family would think it important to tell my fans because they know how important my books are to me.

Then again… who’s business is it really?

 

___

I love her series. Madelyn is a phenomenal writer, and digging around on her website, I feel like she’s the kind of girl who could be a friend. We’re similar, her and me: she’s a self-professed intuitive, while I’m a strong empath who can’t handle more than an hour’s worth of human contact. She loves the paranormal and occult, which hello, me. She’s a redhead with a vibrant personality.

So here’s what I’ve got to add to this weird little vanishing soap opera of Madelyn Alt:

it’s fucking hard to live in this world under the weight of a creative and intuitive mind. Add to that the intense pressure everyone around you adds, and you can want desperately to disappear.

The pressure can get to a girl. I’m small potatoes, but I field at least one email/Facebook message a week asking after sequels I’ve yet to finish. I can’t imagine the deluge Madelyn receives, considering her success in publishing. And we don’t know what happened to her; we don’t know what she’s dealing with, what monumental thing forced her to disappear from the writing world.

Maybe if I were a little less outspoken, everyone wouldn’t know that I’m a hot mess who can barely make her life work. I’m just one girl who works full time at a library in PR/Marketing, runs a freelance business, and still has to sleep sometime while writing and publishing and marketing. For the past two years, writing

hasn’t been the priority. It can’t be. My job pays the bills in a way writing never will. I’m slowly turning people away on my business in the hope I can move my energies completely to writing, but it’s glacial. Until the business is shut down, writing will continue to suffer. And the stress of trying to balance what amounts to three different careers often saps me of all creativity. I’ve never made my battle with mental illness secret – it’s as much a part of me as writing. Most days, it’s difficult to get moving, to find the energy to function, much less be creative.

And still, despite my candor, people will continue to ask me why I haven’t finished X book and not accept my “excuses.”

I understand the need to breathe. Maybe it was easier for Madelyn Alt to vanish – step away from everything publishing and move on with her life. Five years after her disappearance, fans still post to her Facebook page asking where she is and why the latest book never came out. There are even a few heated exchanges demanding answers, as if because they purchased her books, they are owed an explanation.

It’s nobody’s business but Madelyn’s. She doesn’t owe the world her books, nor does she owe the world an explanation. Whatever massive upheaval took place in her life to make her cut and run is between her and the universe, and quite frankly, readers need to chill the fuck out. There are many days I would like to vanish completely and stop explaining myself when someone asks me why I haven’t released a book they’re waiting for. There’s no clever way to spin “I’m a basketcase on two different anti-depressants, and while I live and breathe writing, it doesn’t come easy under the world stretched heavy across my shoulders.”

Don’t get me wrong – any author who truly knows her readers are her lifeblood will continue to smile and say “It’s not finished yet, but I’m trying!” five thousand times until the book is finally done. Pop the champagne, throw some glitter, and throw herself into the next one to respond the same question about a different book another five thousand times. Because YES I WANT people to want my books! I want people to reach out and say I JUST FINISHED WICCAN WARS ERMAGERD WHERE IS BOOK TWO I’M DYING because it proves to me that I am a good writer, that I am on the right path, however slow I might be walking it.

When I smile and say “It’s not finished yet – hopefully soon!” I hope my readers can appreciate the battle I fight to finish those stories. I put on my armor every morning and I trudge through fourteen-hour days, non-stop, instead of packing my shit and disappearing like a thief in the night.

The world needs a little more patience, a little more understanding, and a lot more compassion. I am guilty of being self-absorbed. Sometimes, I’m reminded that we have to force ourselves to step outside that bubble of selfishness and envision life in someone else’s shoes.

Wherever Madelyn Alt is right now, I wish her all the greatest blessings of abundance and joy.

 

Introducing Haunted by Magic Author Catherine Vale!

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Haunted by Magic
Author Spotlight!

 

Catherine Vale is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author based out of Ottawa, Canada. She loves to write dark tales of magic and mayhem, and edgy paranormal romance with curvy girls and guys with growl. She has a penchant for chocolate, black coffee, and poutine.

When she isn’t busy writing her stories, you can find her singing karaoke, spending time with her family, and dancing with the girls to 80’s rock.

Looking to connect with Catherine? She would love to hear from you! Visit her at http://www.CatherineVale.com

 

Catherine’s book Bearly Magic is included in the Haunted by Magic box set!

The local humans don’t know it, but they live among a growing community of shifters, mages, dark elves, and even vampires. San Fransisco may look like a beautiful city by day, but when the lights go down, the streets are crawling with paranormal creatures, of all kinds.

Angela Mason works for the Order of Protection. This means that it’s her job to protect the city from dark supernatural forces, and do whatever is needed to keep the people safe, including partnering with the irresistibly handsome stranger, Cole Avery.

Cole is a shifter mercenary, a ruggedly handsome were-bear, who is dedicated to getting the job done. His reputation as a ruthless warrior speaks for itself, so when he is called to help Angela out on a missing person report, she knows his help is needed…even if she’d rather go it alone.

What she doesn’t expect, is to feel such a strong connection to the dangerous shifter. Thankfully, Cole Avery’s rule of never mixing business with pleasure should keep them focused on solving the mystery. Or so they think…

 

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Introducing Haunted by Magic author Sharon Stevenson!

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Haunted by Magic
Author Spotlight!

Sharon Stevenson lives in Scotland with her husband. She spends her spare time creating entertaining fantasy worlds full of strange creatures and unconventional characters. The Amazon bestselling Gallows series follows twin demon trackers Shaun & Sarah Gallows through fictional Scottish towns as they come up against various supernatural threats, while their biggest problems are caused by their own personal demons. The Raised series is a magical take on zombies, set in Edinburgh & Las Vegas, and following the after death adventures of twenty-three-year-old Pete and his friends.

Website: http://www.sharonstevensonauthor.com/

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What Haunts Author Lindsey Loucks

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Haunted by Magic Diaries:
Real life unexplainable events from the authors.

“I was lying in my bed, waiting for sleep. My bed faced the window, and I often slept with the blinds open because I was twelve and didn’t know any better. A bright light hovered outside the window, orb-shaped and growing closer. I wasn’t scared, just…curious. I listened for a motor or something to explain the light, but there was only silence. It grew closer and closer still, soon filling the entirety of my window. I pinched myself, but I wasn’t dreaming. Then, I blacked out. About a year later, the light revisited me, and once again after that. The final time, it zipped away like a deflating helium balloon, moving much too fast to be natural. When I tell people this, they look at me with skepticism written all over their faces, but I believe something otherworldly visited me those three nights. Was I abducted? I have no idea, but the truth is out there. *cue X-Files music here*” – Lindsey R. Loucks

 

 

[image error]Lindsey R. Loucks is a former school librarian in rural Kansas. When she’s not discussing books with anyone who will listen, she’s dreaming up her own stories. Eventually her brain gives out, and she’ll play hide and seek with her cat, put herself in a chocolate-induced coma, or watch scary movies alone in the dark to re-energize. You can find more about Lindsey at her website.

 

 

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Introducing Haunted by Magic author Lily Thorn

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Haunted by Magic
Author Spotlight!

 

Born on Halloween, Lily Thorn may have been destined to write about shifters and magic. Her stories feature fiercely protective heroes, strong women who fight for the men they love, and plenty of steam. When fated mates finally find each other, nothing can stand in the way of their happy ending.

https://lilythornbooks.com/

 

Lily’s book Alpha’s Thief is included in the Haunted by Magic box set!

Being able to stop time makes stealing easy for Arabella Blackwood, at least until she runs into the one man her powers don’t work on…

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Do you like to color? Get a free coloring book!

Because giving you FREE EBOOKS for preordering our collection wasn’t enough, the Haunted by Magic authors have made a coloring book! (I say Haunted by Magic authors, but really, I mean M.H. Soars, who is AMAZEBALLS and deserves an award for all she’s doing for this collection.)

This kick-ass collection has 22 paranormal romance & urban fantasy novels, including a brand new book by yours truly – unavailable ANYWHERE ELSE. So why wouldn’t you preorder? Only way to read my next book, plus you can claim EIGHT FREE EBOOKS and THIS FREAKING AMAZING COLORING BOOK.

Go. Preorder. Color. And show me your work when you’re done!

Coloring book claim: http://www.subscribepage.com/hauntedgift

Free ebooks claim: http://mhsoars.com/haunted-by-magic-share/

What Haunts Author Elizabeth Kirke

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Haunted by Magic Diaries:
Real life unexplainable events from the authors.

“It was a dark and stormy night. No, really. I was staying in an old, old college-turned-convention-center for a book convention. And of course, no old college is complete without plenty of ghost tales. I was walking across campus to my dorm/hotel room to sleep. The light above me flickered and went out as I got close, then on after I walked away. It was creepy. But not as creepy as the SCREAM, the blood-curdling, woman’s scream that tore through the night and woke me up at 2am. It was pouring rain and there was nobody outside for as far as I could see. She screamed two more times that night, each about an hour apart. The next day, nobody but me had heard anything, not even my roommate.” – Elizabeth Kirke

Elizabeth is the author of Carved in Cherry. Find out more about Elizabeth here!

 

One thing set Lydia Shaw and her store apart from the other antique shops in town…

Lydia’s collection was plagued by curses, and it was her duty to break them.

Rachel, Angie, and Jo knew nothing about their aunt’s secret life. In fact, they didn’t even know she owned an antique shop, until they inherited it. Unfortunately for them, Lydia passed down more than just her store. The sisters are the proud new owners of countless deadly curses, buried under centuries of dust.

Lydia also left behind her apprentice, Peter. He does everything he can to protect the girls, as they explore their new store, unaware of the dangers it hides. In spite of his efforts, Rachel finds herself obsessed with opening a strange trunk, Angie has vivid dreams, haunted by a man who claims he needs her help, and Jo’s imagination starts to run wild.

 

When one of them falls victim to a curse, it’s up to Peter and her sisters to save her. But, if Peter can’t teach them to wield a magic, that he barely understands himself, she’ll be the first one to die.

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