Christina Bauer's Blog, page 50
November 26, 2018
Meet the Bloggers: Fall 4 Paperbacks Tour!
November 27th
Mythical Books http://mythicalbooks.blogspot.com/ Promo Post
BeachBoundBooks https://www.beachboundbooks.com/blogging-about-books Promo Post
Bookworm for Kids https://www.bookwormforkids.blogspot.com Review
November 28th
Paulette’s Papers https://paulettespapers.com/ Promo Post
The Avid Reader http://the-avidreader.blogspot.com Promo Post
Wishful Endings https://www.wishfulendings.com/ Promo Post
November 29th
Pippa Jay http://pippajay.blogspot.com Promo Post
Angel Leya www.angeleya.com Promo Post
T’s Stuff https://www.tsstuff.net Promo Post
November 30th
Bri’s Book Nook https://brisbooknook.wordpress.com/ Review
Slytherin book lady Www.slytherinbooklady.wordpress.com Review
Don’t Judge. Read http://dontjudgeread.blogspot.ca Promo Post
December 3rd
Willow’s Thoughts And Book Obsessions https://wssthoughtsandbookobsessions.blogspot.com/ Promo Post
Book Briefs http://bookbriefs.net Review
Smada’s Book Smack Http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com Review
Oh Hey! Books. www.ohheybooks.com Promo Post
The post Meet the Bloggers: Fall 4 Paperbacks Tour! appeared first on Monster House Books.
November 24, 2018
My Top 5 Character Interviews
FIVE. The Balrog, Lord of the Rings
My interview: “Look, I get how you think Gandalf woke you up in Moria and that got your demonic self mightily pissed off. So then, you went out cracking your whip and showing some attitude. Fine. But why not just let it end with ‘get off my lawn’ or the equivalent? Why fight freaking Gandalf until you got your molten ass smote against a mountainside? I feel like there’s more here to know. Also: were you wearing fuzzy bunny slippers during the battle? The text is unclear on that point.” (Note: the text is unclear. Seriously.)
FOUR. Hermione, all Harry Potter books
“Let’s get into a little trust tree here and talk. Don’t you really-really-REALLY want to be with Harry? I mean, Ron is nice but he’s … Ron. You’d have weasel in your last name forever. Not that it’s a deal breaker but it’s a point of consideration. Plus, I feel like you’re just not doing your full due diligence. Would it hurt to have just one little kiss to test things out with Harry and then report back? Go ahead and do it now. I’ll wait.”
THREE. Vivian (Julia Roberts), Pretty Woman
“From the start of the movie, you wanted to go back to school. So awesome and interesting!!! But for what? Cleary, it wasn’t a Masters in Advanced Prostitution, so where did you want to direct all your non-passionate passion? And did you ever go back to school after driving away with Edward (Richard Gere)? I’m dying to know. Personally, I think there should be a follow-up movie where you get your MBA and run companies together with Edward. Discuss.”
TWO. Bella, Twilight
“Awesome book 1, but I do have a little nit to pick. So while your honey is off fighting the big bad, you’re totally scared. Makes sense. But cowering is just not a good look on anybody. How about a few shouts of ‘great job’ or ‘on your left!’ You could also throw a shoe or something, just putting it out there. Thoughts?”
ONE. Anastasia, 50 Shades of Grey
“It’s just us girls here. I get having fun, but honestly? How many gallons of cranberry juice did you guzzle through that relationship because OW.”
That’s it! My top five character interviews. And yes, I do keep a running list of these things. Assuming I haven’t offended folks too badly, I look forward to doing this again soon!
The post My Top 5 Character Interviews appeared first on Monster House Books.
November 17, 2018
How YA Fantasy Stories Help Women’s Issues
As part of the launch tour for my new book, SHIFTERS AND GLYPHS, the lovely Viviana MacKade asked me to write on how YA fantasy stories can help women’s issues. Considering how I did public relations for the women’s march—and also write YA fantasy novels—I have a unique perspective on the subject that I’m thrilled to share! Thank you for asking the question, Viviana!
I’ll start with some background on the psychological power of stories….
The Software in Your Head
Experts believe that when we’re born, our brains come pre-loaded with a kind of ‘software’ to run our lives, what Carl Jung calls archetypes. These symbols tell us what it means to be a mother, father, sister, leader … you name it. Therefore, a powerful story at the right moment can activate a new set of skills or approaches in either a single person or an entire society. All of which leads me to…
Female Leadership Energy
Now, female leadership energy can be expressed through either a man or a woman. That said, female leadership energy has some unique qualities, such as community, cleverness, and channeling the soul. Community means that leadership happens through consensus. Cleverness refers to using brains over brawn to settle disputes. Channeling the soul refers to the fact that you act in a certain way because it is consistent with your inner beliefs, not only as a means to an end. The goddesses Isis and Athena have tales that exemplify this.
By contrast, male leadership energy (which again can be expressed through a man or a woman) is often characterized by solo action, brute force, and a mentality that the ‘ends justify the means.’ On a mythic level, think about Zeus and his thunderbolt: he acts alone, there is nothing clever about blasting someone with a thunderbolt, and the peace he brings justifies his heavy hand. Male leadership energy works well in stories where a society is under threat (by a giant or whatnot) and needs to be protected. When the big bad is about to crash in your skull, there’s no time for building consensus.
On the other hand, female leadership energy works well when the core of society must be reimagined in order to become sustainable going forward. Isis’s story (from ancient Egypt) encapsulates this concept perfectly: Isis must find a way to restore the power of her lost husband Osiris in order to avoid a cosmic imbalance in the heavens and related havoc.
KEY FACT: Guess who channeled female leadership energy? Why, the founders of the United States, of course. Their ideal was to become a gentleman … as in gentle plus a man. Our country was built on consensus, cleverness, and acting from a true altruistic place.
Today, our culture is LOUSY with male leadership energy gone wild, both in our leaders and in our storytelling. The whole situation is absolutely toxic. Why? As women and other groups rise to share an equal voice, those who have only known male leadership energy assume all women channel that same leadership method. We don’t. At all. In fact, females channeling a male leadership style tend not to do well, but that’s a post for another day.
Suffice it to say that I believe it’s absolutely CRITICAL to tell compelling stories with both men and women channeling the tenets of female leadership energy. There’s no better way to explain and support the future we all drive for. In other words, this isn’t a race to grab Zeus’s thunderbolt and blast everyone else to Hades. This is a collaborative effort to build a sustainable community.
But if you don’t have any reference for what that’s like, what do you do?
Hopefully, you read one of my books and start to imagine on an unconscious level what it means to be a kickass chick … or just as important, a true gentleman.
The post How YA Fantasy Stories Help Women’s Issues appeared first on Monster House Books.
November 13, 2018
Meet The Bloggers – SCYTHE Tour!
You can buy a new copy of SCYTHE or re-download your expanded version at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and GooglePlay.
November 26th
–My Books-My World >> Top 10 List
–Living in a Bookworld >> Excerpt
–diary of a wannabe writer >> Review
–I Smell Sheep >> Guest post
–Pink Fluffy Hearts >> Excerpt
November 27th
–Lost in a Book >> Guest post
–Movies, Shows, & Books >> Excerpt
–Book Reviews by Steph >> Interview
–Rockin’ Book reviews >> Review
November 28th
–Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author >> Excerpt
–My Fiction Nook >> Excerpt
–Finding Magic In Books >> Review
–The Book Junkie Reads . . . >> Review
–Book Sniffers Anonymous >> Excerpt
November 29th
–Mythical Books >> Top 10 List
–Buried Under Books >> Review
–Rainy Days and Pajamas >> Excerpt
–Inspired Chaos >> Excerpt
November 30th
–Stormy Vixen’s Book Reviews >> Top 10 List
–DANI THE BOOKAHOLIC >> Excerpt
–Living a Hundred Lives >> Review
–tfaulcbookreviews >> Interview
–Smada’s Book Smack >> Review
—
December 3rd
–The Cover Contessa >> Interview
–Books a Plenty Book Reviews >> Review
–My Life Loves and Passion >> Review
–Book Addict >> Review
December 4th
–Declarations of a Fangirl >> Top 10 List
–The Avid Reader >> Excerpt
–Jazzy Book Reviews >> Review
–Dole Whip and Books >> Review
December 5th
–Character Madness and Musings >> Excerpt
–Adventures in Writing >> Excerpt
–Bookworm for Kids >> Review
December 6th
–Lilly’s Book World >> Review
–Kbookwiz >> Review
–Two Ends of the Pen >> Interview
–Oh Hey! Books. >> Guest post
December 7th
–Nadiras World >> Top 10 List
–Bri’s Book Nook >> Review
–bookish bibliophile >> Review
–United Indie Book Blog >> Excerpt
The post Meet The Bloggers – SCYTHE Tour! appeared first on Monster House Books.
November 10, 2018
Angelbound In Russian: The Inside Story
Dear Readers,
This is the unexpected (but true!) story of how a Facebook message became the Russian version of ANGELBOUND.
It all started about a year ago when I received a message from a young reader in Moscow. She loved ANGELBOUND and wanted to translate it into Russian for fun. But before she got started, she wanted to know if I was comfortable with the whole thing.
Comfortable? I was floored.
Mastering the English language is enough of a challenge for me. I could hardly imagine tackling both Russian and English. Plus, Valya is a teenager. At her age, I spent most of my free time brainstorming ways to torture nuns with obnoxious questions (example: if God can do anything, can he make a ball so big he can’t pick it up?) Meanwhile, the teenage Valya wanted to invest effort in sharing a story she loved. Her brand of productive chutzpah deserved encouragement, so I informed Vayla that if she translated the book, I’d pay her a little something for her time and then I’d publish it as a free ebook. She agreed.
After that, I figured there was a real chance that regular teen stuff would take over her life.
It didn’t.
Every month or so, I’d receive a progress update on Ангельские узы (that means Angelbound in Russian). As many of you know, this no small tome. Valya ended up translating 120,000 words. BOOM.
Time to keep my promise.
I told my distributor that I was publishing Ангельские узы and not charging anything for the ebook. At this point, I was informed that my plan was NUTS. Wasn’t I aware that Russia was a huge market for YA ebooks? (Spoiler alert: I wasn’t aware.) Long story short, I now knew there was a market for the manuscript. That said, for all I knew the book said ‘ha ha silly American’ 120K times in Russian. What to do?
Enter Arely Zimmerman, Publishing Assistant Extraordinaire and Finder Of Unusual Things. Arely sourced an amazing professional translator to review the book. The verdict? Ангельские узы was a superb translation. Color me CRAZY impressed. Some months ago, I put Valya under a revenue share contract. Ангельские узы is scheduled to launch in March of 2019. If you know anyone in Russia, please spread the good word.
And to the lovely Valya and everyone who enjoys my books: I consider this entire experience proof positive that simply put, I have the best readers in the world 
November 3, 2018
New Sample Chapter – SCYTHE!
Now there’s 30% more content, especially in terms of world building and romance. Huzzah! Take a look at the new chapter one below and let me know what you think…
# # #
BOOK 1 – SCYTHE
SCYTHE – Chapter One
Not long now.
Up ahead, a tiny concrete tower rises from the darkened hilltop. Guardhouse #83. I scan the gravel road before me. Everything is deserted, quiet, and perfect. Despite the chilly night air, a rush of excitement warms my limbs. Most days, I’m a teenage she-hermit who lives for my basement laboratory. But in this moment, I’m my best self: a science prodigy-for-hire whose inventions secure my family’s safety. And if a little thievery is involved? Well, that just makes me a lot badass.
In other words, time to steal for Mom and science.
Marching to the guardhouse, I stop before the intake window. There’s no need to announce myself; motion detectors will activate the auto-guard. Seconds later, a mechanical buzz sounds as florescent lights click on, revealing an animatronic woman sitting at a fake desk. Like most auto-guards, this one is less than perfect, what with her chipped plastic skin, frayed blue uniform, frizzed-out hair, and single functioning eye. Raising her head, she addresses me through the Plexiglas.
“You have reached guardhouse #83 for Reclamation Center Massachusetts-1,” she says. “The manufacture of new goods is reserved for the military, so we sort, clean, and refurbish old items from landfills.”
To kill time, I adjust the loose straps on my backpack. This auto-guard won’t interact with me until her welcome spiel is over. Sadly, animatronic speeches at Reclamation Center Massachusetts-1—also called RCM1—always take a while.
With jerky movements, the auto-guard gestures to the monitor embedded in the outer concrete wall. Here comes the slide show. Images appear on the screen, showing endless rows of long metal buildings stretching off to the horizon. “Since our founding in 2107, RCM1 has processed more than three million objects across two thousand warehouses. It is now 11:43 pm. How may I be of service?”
That’s my cue. All the blah-blah-blah is done.
“I need to check in for my shift,” I say.
Which is a total lie.
In truth, I’m visiting RCM1 because I’m building a scientific tool called a magnetic enhancer for one of my customers. Why? To punch holes in time and space, you need massive amounts of magnetic energy. Once my enhancer’s complete, that process will be a ton easier. At this point, all my invention needs are some dark matter brackets and that’s it. Fortunately, when it comes to unusual supplies, RCM1 never fails.
“Initiating employee identification sequence,” states the auto-guard.
With those words, a long steel tube extends from the concrete wall. I lean in so my eye almost touches the metal. Almost is the key word here. I don’t even want to think about the quarter-inch of black goo that encircles the tube’s end. Who knows where THAT came from? A burst of light follows; my retina is scanned.
“Identification complete,” she announces. “You, Wisteria Roberts, are sixteen years old and a resident of Reformed New England. Five feet, five inches tall. Brown hair. Green eyes. You worked at RCM1 full-time between the ages of six and twelve.”
All of that’s true, except for my name. Wisteria Roberts is an alias; I’m really Meimi Archer. More fun facts about yours truly: I collect oddball alarm clocks, care for my mother, and have regular dreams where I gain superpowers and watch over a cute guy from another planet. I know, strange. I’m also a decent computer hacker. In fact, I broke into the RCM1 mainframe seven years ago. Since then, there’ve been five system upgrades. Yet all my back doors and secret subroutines have stayed 100% valid. Yay me.
The auto-guard tilts her head. “You worked here with your older sister, Regina Roberts. Is she checking in with you today?”
“No, Luci—I mean, Regina—isn’t here. She’s…” I stop myself before saying the word dead. “She’s just not here,” I finish quickly.
My heart sinks. My sister Luci moved to the Boston Dome ages ago. Once there, she became a casualty of the new plague. Four years have passed since Luci died. A weight of sorrow seeps into my bones. After so much time, I shouldn’t deeply mourn my older sister’s death. Even so, the pain stays as fresh and cutting as if it happened yesterday.
The auto-guard’s one good eye flashes with orange light. It’s a sign she’s still processing my identity profile. “You, Wisteria Roberts, are not a current RCM1 employee, even on a part-time basis. Please step away from the guardhouse.”
Now that I’m logged in, I have pre-coded passphrases for such occasions. “Launch super-awesome chick subroutine.” As backdoor phrases go, it’s not the best. But in my defense, I wrote this code when I was nine.
As the subroutine begins, the auto-guard gives me a somewhat creepy smile. “How’s it hanging, girlfriend?”
I grin right back. That’s what I’m talking out. Now I have full access to any system within RCM1.
“The usual,” I reply. “I’m working on a science project for a grouchy customer.” He’s also a stone-cold killer, but I don’t add that part in. “Got any dark matter brackets in stock?”
Once again, the auto-guard’s eye flashes orange. “Dark matter brackets may be found in warehouse 942, row 63, bin 13. There are 37 in stock at cost of 100 credits each.”
“Temporarily reduce that price to zero and get me four brackets.”
The auto-guard’s head ticks from side to side. “One moment.”
For the record, I’d rather buy these parts officially. Unfortunately, that’s not an option. My mother isn’t mentally stable, so the government—what we call the Authority—wants to cleanse her. That’s government-speak for an early death, either from a gun blast or by being fed to a genetically enhanced attack animal. Not on my watch. To keep Mom safe, she and I live far outside the government’s tracking systems. That’s crazy expensive. Projects like my magnetic enhancer help pay the bills. Trouble is, doing any scientific work without government approval is a crime, and RCM1 reports every official purchase to the Authority. All of which brings me back to the auto-guard, illegal hacks, magnetic enhancers, and thievery.
Mitigating factor: I do make anonymous donations to RCM1 in the value of whatever I take, so there’s that.
“Price temporarily reduced for one transaction only,” says the auto-guard. “Setting aside four brackets now.” The automaton’s head keeps clicking at odd angles while it performs this function. Somewhere over in warehouse 942, a spider bot—essentially a foot-tall mechanical minion—places my brackets onto a pick-up table by the front door.
After a few seconds, the auto-guard speaks again. “Four functional brackets are now on reserve.”
“Display other items in 942.” Might as well see what else I can grab.
The monitor scrolls through names of various scientific devices.
Atomic stabilizers? Already have too many.
Quantum chasers? Forget it. Quark trackers work so much better.
Refurbished monolith? That would be awesome, but it’s also the size of a refrigerator. Not exactly backpack friendly. And I don’t have forever to fart around here.
I’m about to tell the auto-guard to stop when I see it.
1982 era SW AC with DV action.
My pulse speeds with all kinds of happy. I collect specialty alarm clocks, and this is one I’ve stalked for ages. “Pause, please.”
“Listing stopped.”
“Does warehouse 942 actually have a circa 1982 Star Wars alarm clock with vocal Darth Vader action?”
“Correct. One such item in stock. Row eleven, bin 507. Ten credits.”
I smile my face off. This is like finding a picture of Einstein in a tankini; I never thought it was possible. What a great day.
“Reduce price to zero,” I command. “Then add to my order.”
“Acknowledged. Do you require a transport platform to warehouse 942?”
“No, it’s faster if I walk.” Like everything else here, transport platforms at RCM1 are rickety at best. Plus, 942 isn’t too far away.
On the outer wall, the computer monitor stops listing items. Instead, the screen fuzzes over with unreadable text.
I frown. That’s strange.
Leaning in, I scan for details. The only legible word is alert. When I worked here, those mostly concerned new landfill shipments.
“Is something wrong with tonight’s delivery?” I ask.
“The next shipment is right on schedule. Precisely at midnight, no fewer than 84 hovercraft will arrive to dump fresh landfill. Contents will then be cleaned, sorted, and any usable items refurbished or recycled as soon as possible. It is now 11:51 pm. Every worker has reported for duty at the unloading towers.”
“So tonight’s delivery is fine.” I’m still stuck on that alert message.
“Fine as sunshine,” replies the auto-guard. I loaded about a hundred sayings into this subroutine. What can I say? I was nine and bored.
I nibble on my thumbnail and think through this news. Hovercraft deliveries always take place at midnight. That’s why it’s my favorite time to steal: all the RCM1 workers are miles away from the warehouses. And while the human workers are busy, RCM1 security relies on drones called Tetras. Imagine a shoebox with four helicopter-style rotors slapped on top of it and that’s a Tetra. Pretty useless. My dark outfit—including boots, jeans, and hoodie—will easily hide me from their video scanners.
Even so, a chill of unease moves up my back. Although everything seems fine, something nags me, like a wire isn’t screwed down tightly enough.
Best to double-check.
I tap the computer monitor. “I’m still seeing an alert. What is that?”
“The Authority released a general warning regarding the Lacerator.”
I lift my brows. “The Lacerator, as in their new genetically enhanced attack animal?” I’ve seen the newsfeed articles. The Lacerator is the latest addition to what the Authority calls its Horde, which are killer monsters that get rid of undesirables. Meanwhile, the threat of those same creatures keeps everyone else in line.
“Affirmative. That’s the same Lacerator,” replies the auto-guard.
This is such bad news. No one knows what the Lacerator looks like, mostly because victims don’t live to share details. The bodies always have puncture holes and claw marks. Hence the name Lacerator. Nasty.
Only one thing to do next.
“Launch amazing subroutine for providing detailed info. Area of interest: Lacerator and RCM1.”
Moments later, pictures of hacked-up bodies fill the outer monitor. I wince. Well, that’s never leaving my head.
“Additional information located,” states the auto-guard. “Over the past twelve days, the Lacerator has routinely escaped confinement. Each time, it visits RCM1. During the last invasion, worker casualties resulted.”
My insides twist with anxiety. The Lacerator at RCM1? That’s seriously not-good, and for three key reasons. First, those poor employees. Working here is bad enough without getting minced to death. Second, RCM1 isn’t too far away from the abandoned factory where Mom and I live. Yikes. And third, the Lacerator hitting RCM1 means the Authority could get interested in my favorite spot for hard-to-get parts.
Which leads to my next question. “How does the Authority plan to deal with this, if at all?”
Let’s be honest. This is western Massachusetts. Everyone who lives or works out here is considered undesirable. We don’t get plumbing or electricity, let alone police to fight off killer monsters.
“The Authority wishes to study the Lacerator’s habits,” explains the auto-guard. “A scientific expedition has been dispatched to RCM1 to investigate.”
I bob my head and think this through. One expedition. That’s not too terrible.
“When are they due?” I ask.
“Since most attacks happen after midnight, the expedition arrives within the next two hours.”
I take it back. That’s totally horrible.
Tension knots up my limbs, but I force myself to stay calm. Two hours is more than enough time. Plus, what do I care about some scientific expedition? It’s not like they can cause me trouble. What will they do? Beaker me to death?
“Who’s in this expedition?”
“One scientist,” replies the auto-guard.
My shoulders slump with relief. “That’s great.”
“And to protect the scientist, Mercenaries of Righteous Enforcement will also be present. You may know these warriors as the Merciless. Displaying supplemental video.”
I stifle a groan. Everyone knows the Merciless.
Fresh video appears on the screen. Merciless warriors march down Newbury Street, their gash guns gleaming in the false sun of the Boston dome. Skull-like helmets top their black body armor, all of it fashioned to resemble charred bones. A sick taste fills my mouth. The Merciless are screened to be tall, handsome, and card-carrying sociopaths.
Merciless Captains also have an extra pal along: an attack beast trotting at their side. Most of these monsters are pony-sized mixtures of wolf, crocodile, and bat. The Horde.
At this point, things aren’t looking good here. Even so, there still may be a chance to salvage this. I need more information.
“Where will the expedition go?” After all, RCM1 is huge. Chances are, the Merciless will end up miles away from warehouse 942.
“The expedition plans to inspect warehouses 127, 559, and 935.”
My breath catches. I’ve hit every one of those warehouses for parts … and all within the last three months. Even worse, warehouse 935 is not too far from 942, my destination for this trip. And the Lacerator shows up after midnight, which is my favorite time to stop by.
The temperature around me seems to spike about twenty degrees. It’s an effort to keep focused.
Stay calm, Meimi. Keep asking questions.
“What can you tell me about those warehouses? Are there any similarities tracked in the system?”
As a scientist, I’m not a superstitious person. Even so, I cross my fingers.
Please, don’t let the similarity be me.
The auto-guard stares into empty space for what feels like a millennium. “Similarity detected,” she states at last.
And then, nothing.
A long pause follows while the automaton blinks and that’s it. I make a mental note to tweak the code in this subroutine. Asking so many questions is giving me a headache.
“And?” I prompt. “What’s the similarity?”
“Recently, these warehouses were all visited by the same person, Regina Roberts.”
Shock reverberates through my system. “Regina Roberts? Did you say Regina Roberts?”
“That is correct. Is there a malfunction in my voice output?”
“No, it’s just that Luci Archer—I mean, Regina Roberts—is my sister. She worked here with me at RCM1, remember?” I don’t add in the part about her dying. For some reason, saying it out loud makes the loss too real.
“Providing supplemental surveillance per subroutine. Here you go, honey.”
Fresh video flashes onto the monitor before me, showing an aerial view from a Tetra drone. Although the scene takes place at night, I make out someone tall and slim with long white-blonde hair. Her orange cloak flaps behind her as she steps into a warehouse. The woman’s face isn’t visible, though.
Could that really be Luci?
For a long moment, I can only stare at the auto-guard. Luci is alive? No way that’s correct. At the same time, part of me wants my sister back so badly, I could scream.
“Update coming in.” The automaton’s head ticks more quickly than ever before. “Merciless warriors will arrive at RCM1 in twenty minutes.”
A knot of panic tightens my throat. Twenty minutes?
Okay, I’m enough of a scientist to accept facts here. This caper is toast. I should run for it. NOW. Problem is, my customer’s a maniac, as in a seriously psychotic killer who murders anyone that misses a shipment. Even worse, my deadline for this magnetic enhancer is just hours away.
Sweet mother of science.
Mom isn’t super-mobile. That said, maybe I could boost a transport for us to escape. But to where? My customer is none other than the Scythe, the most powerful crime lord around. He’ll find us no matter what.
Yet he might not discover us right away …
Taking a half-step backward, I get ready to bolt. Then I stop. What am I doing? Screw the Scythe. No way am I pulling up roots; I still have twenty minutes left. Grabbing stuff from RCM1 warehouses is my specialty.
I lift my chin and steel my nerves. This is totally do-able. Refocusing on the auto-guard, I give another command. “Make sure my stuff is ready for immediate pick up.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Shut off the super-cool girl hacker subroutine.” The auto-guard slumps forward as my passphrase erases all traces of this conversation. I glance at my watch. Midnight on the nose.
No time to lose.
Hoisting my backpack higher, I run toward warehouse 942.
Between the Lacerator, Merciless, and my killer customer, I have plenty to obsess about. Even so, I can only seem to focus on one thought.
My sister Luci may be alive.
And somehow, she and I are mixed up with the Lacerator.
Sweet mother of science indeed.
–end of sample–
You can either purchase or re-download (if you bought the ebook already) at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, GooglePlay, and iBooks. After that, the adventure continues with UMBRA (prequel 2 due out in January) and ALIEN MINDS (Book 1 due out in April)
The post New Sample Chapter – SCYTHE! appeared first on Monster House Books.
October 31, 2018
Three Kindle Monthly Deals – 99 Cents!
Take a look below…
SHIFTERS AND GLYPHS (Book 2 in the Fairy Tales of the Magciorum) tells the story of Bryar Rose, a modern girl who’s cursed to live by a Sleeping Beauty life template. In this book, Bry must find out the true meaning of her magic … or risk the lives of those she loves. Check it out here on Amazon.
In THRAX (Book 4 in the Angelbound Origins series) Myla’s pregnant, which is awesome. Trouble is, her husband Lincoln’s been switched out for a body double. That’s not so cool… Check it out here on Amazon.
THE DARK LANDS (Book 5 in the Angelbound Origins series) tells the story of how Myla’s honorary older brother, Walker, disappears into the realm of the ghouls. Myla and Lincoln then go on a rescue mission. The result? Mayhem galore. Check it out here on Amazon. Check it out here on Amazon.
The post Three Kindle Monthly Deals – 99 Cents! appeared first on Monster House Books.
October 25, 2018
Fall-4-Paperbacks Launch!
Dear Readers,
Thank you to everyone who reached out to say: “I love what you’re releasing, but what about paperback?” Well, getting paperback out in a more timely way meant changing my back-end systems. So I did. Yay! Now, I have more control over file production (Have I mentioned that I’m a control freak? I am.) Long story short, I’m releasing four titles in paperback on November 27th!
PROTIP: You may see these titles available earlier. Unless you’re JK Rowling, retailers won’t hold off on shipping physical books until a release day; if the order comes in and there’s stock, out it goes!!!
Here’s what’s officially releasing on November 27th:
DUTY BOUND, Angelbound Origins book .5, the prequel told from Prince Lincoln’s point of view. Available in paperback at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
MOONLIGHT AND MIDTOWN, Magicorum Book 1.5. Available in paperback at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
CRADLED, Beholder Epilogue Book 5. Available in paperback at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
SCYTHE, Dimension Drift Prequel Novella 1. Available in paperback at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Thanks again to all you lovers of traditional books!
The post Fall-4-Paperbacks Launch! appeared first on Monster House Books.
October 23, 2018
Meet The Bloggers: SHIFTERS AND GLYPHS Tour
There are tons of goodies for this tour; check out the list below to find some inside secrets, top ten lists, and other cool content. You may even discover your next favorite book blog!!!
Thanks for checking out the tour!
October 29th
–Movies, Shows, & Books >> Excerpt
–Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author >> Top 10 List
–United Indie Book Blog >> Excerpt
–I Smell Sheep >> Guest post
–Reads and Recipes >> Review
October 30th
–Viviana MacKade >> Guest post
–Angel’s Guilty Pleasures >> Interview
–Declarations of a Fangirl >> Excerpt
–Book Reviews by Steph >> Guest post
October 31st
–Adventures in Writing >> Excerpt
–LenniLand >> Review
–The Book Bratz >> Top 10 List
November 1st
–Dani the Bookaholic >> Excerpt
–Crack a Book Cafe >> Interview
–Evermore Books >> Excerpt
–The Rest Is Still Unwritten >> Review
November 2nd
–The Avid Reader >> Review
–Star-Crossed Book Blog >> Review
–The Cover Contessa >> Excerpt
November 5th
–Rainy Days and Pajamas >> Excerpt
–BooksBooks&More >> Interview
–Jazzy Book Reviews >> Excerpt
–The Genre Minx Book >> Review
November 6th
–Rising Indies United >> Interview
–Rachel’s Reflections >> Review
–My Life Loves and Passion >> Review
–Character Madness and Musings >> Excerpt
November 7th
–K.L. Novitzke – AUTHOR >> Excerpt
–Two Ends of the Pen >> Interview
–A Dream Within A Dream >> Excerpt
November 8th
–Bibliobibuli YA >> Top 10 List
–Book Addict >> Review
–Snowly’s Rambles >> Excerpt
–Books a Plenty Book Reviews >> Review
November 9th
–Oh Hey! Books. >> Top 10 List
–Fiona Reads and FoodSpots >> Review
–Smada’s Book Smack >> Review
–Set a Spell Book Blog >> Excerpt
The post Meet The Bloggers: SHIFTERS AND GLYPHS Tour appeared first on Monster House Books.
October 18, 2018
Book Tour Update
For me, a key part of being an author means being honest with myself and my readers, which is why I want you all to know that—although this was a super-hard decision—I’m cutting the second half of my book tour short due to personal reasons.
Sorry to ‘vague book,’ but I want to respect my family’s privacy. We re all safe and well, but travel isn’t in the cards right now. As a result, my last tour date will be today, October 18, in Framingham, MA.
For those of you who RSVP-ed and were looking forward to a signed book, please email me directly at cbauer@monsterhousebooks.com and let’s talk about how to make it happen. Heck, even if you weren’t planning to attend the signing and want a signed book or bookplate, feel free to email me as well.
Thanks in advance for your support. Much appreciated
