October Weeks's Blog, page 28

Ghoultown is FREE!

Just a short announcement to let you all know that Ghoultown will be FREE today through Saturday!

click the photo to go to Amazon[image error]

 

This and That

Hello all[image error] This will be a brief blog about what’s going on and the state of things.

*I’m having a Facebook party for the release of The Duchess~ come join the fun!

 

*The dark cozy mystery I’ve been working on is coming along splendidly[image error] Just passed the 15k mark and am loving the story and characters. This takes place in the Isles and West world but with different characters and a different location. It’s lighter than the the I&W series, but still has a nice, dark touch, which is why I call it a Dark Cozy mystery[image error]

*I’ve been working on three other books, one of them is another book in the I&W world. This one also has different characters and in a different location, but it’s a dark book. A very dark first book in a trilogy. The first chapter is written and the book is loud in my mind, which is a good sign.

*The third book I’m working on is in the slayer world, but yes, it has different characters and different location. It’s definitely more horror than urban fantasy. The main character is from a family that Tuck mentions in Path to Damnation.

I did make notes on other ideas as well as write the first chapters of a couple other books, but right now the above three books are what I’m concentrating on. I’m hoping to have the dark cozy mystery (at least a two, if not three, book series) done by the end of August and submitted to agents by the first week of September. It’s on track to do so, which makes me happy[image error] The other two books are writing at a good pace, and I’m hoping to have both of those ready to go by the end of the year. Hopefully this all means at least three releases next year, plus a few free short stories I’m planning on releasing come October and November.

And that is the current state of things. I hope to see you all at the Facebook party for The Duchess! And I can’t wait for you all to read a brand new Isles and West mystery

Fantasy Friday: Dru Pagliassotti

Welcome to another Fantasy Friday!

Once upon a time, there was a wonderful publisher called Juno Books. They published some of my favorite books for several years. Then, they became part of Pocket Books and some of those wonderful series were discontinued. One of the books I absolutely adored was Dru Pagliassotti’s Clockwork Heart. I was very happy to see that the series continued with another publisher, though I haven’t gotten the chance to read the two sequels yet- they are in the TBR pile[image error]

click the covers to go to Amazon

BLURB:

Taya soars over Ondinium on metal wings. She is an icarus — a courier privileged to travel freely across the city’s sectors and mingle indiscriminately among its castes. But even she can’t outfly the web of terrorism, loyalty, murder, and intrigue that snares her after a daring mid-air rescue. Taya finds herself entangled with the Forlore brothers, scions of an upperclass family: handsome, brilliant Alister, who sits on the governing council and writes programs for the Great Engine; and awkward, sharp-tongued Cristof, who has exiled himself from his caste and repairs clocks in Ondinium’s lowest sector. Both hide dangerous secrets, in this city that beats to the ticking of a clockwork heart…

Taya immediately grabbed hold of me and I couldn’t stop reading her story.  I read this book in about three hours- that’s close to a record for me! The images conjured through the words are vivid, so much so that I could feel, smell, taste, and touch everything Taya could. Everything from the society she lives in, to what comes with being an icarus, to the romantic touches were fasinating and well thoughtout. The mystery was solid, and played out perfectly- I never found myself rolling my eyes or saying “this was too obvious and easy”.

I loved the world Taya lives in. It feels very raw and real, and the author does an excellent job of showing the reader the world instead of telling the reader what they should be seeing and sensing. I can’t wait to read the next two books!

Overall, I would recommend this for those who love fantasy, steampunk, mystery, and romance. Pagliassotti’s writing cast a spell on me, and I think it will do the same to you[image error]

Book Trailer: A Taste So Bittersweet

Finally, I made the book trailer for A Taste So Bittersweet~ hope you enjoy!

Fantasy Friday: The Hobbit

Finally, another Fantasy Friday post! Many apologies for the delay[image error]

I was talking to a friend about our favorite fantasy books, and what we still read from childhood. As those who’ve followed me on this blog for awhile know, I love The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I read it at least twice a year. That doesn’t mean I don’t see its flaws, I do, but I still greatly enjoy the story.

I still cry reading certain scenes, and laugh at others. I’m still captivated by the tale, the journey, even after so many years of reading it. I love that- few books have stood the test of time for me in such a manner. Bilbo, of course, is my favorite character, but the dwarves hold a special place in my heart. I’m fairly certain if I were part of that world I’d be a hobbit or a dwarf

Catch Up

My apologies for getting behind on my blogging! So, for a little Catch Up[image error]

1: I’m about halfway through editing a book. I’m hoping to have it done by the end of this weekend- I have about 142 pages left to go.

2: I’ve got the first chapter written on a new paranormal mystery trilogy. This takes place in the Isles and West world, but in a different town with different characters. It’s also a bit lighter in tone than the Isles and West series, which I did on purpose. It’s more of a…dark cozy mystery[image error]

3: I’ve also written the first chapter down of a dark paranormal novel that is also set in the I&W series but with a different set of characters. This is a single book, not part of series.

4: I’ve outlined several novels set in the I&W world, outside of Delilah and Milly. That world is lush, and filled with stories that bring you deeper into the Dark and Glory as well as different gifts and locations. I can’t wait to bring them all into the light for you to read!

5: I’m making good headway on the first Ghoultown novel! Different characters, different gifts–will be awesome!

6: I’m also a few chapters into a new series and new world. I don’t want to say too much on it right now, but I will tell you that it includes the classic monsters with a twist

Over the River is FREE!

Hey everyone[image error]

Over the River will be FREE today through Friday! Click the picture below to go to Amazon

Fantasy Friday: Rachel Vincent

This week’s Fantasy Friday features Rachel Vincent’s Menagerie series.

I first found Rachel via her blog, about three months before her first Shifter book, Stray, released. I loved the Shifter series, than fell in love with her Soul Screamers YA series. Then came her Unbound series, which I also enjoyed, though not as much as her other two series. Basically, I will give anything this woman writes a try. She’s earned a spot on my auto-buy list, and it isn’t easy to get on that. So when Menagerie was announced I was excited to see what she’d created this time around, and was not disappointed.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!!

___________

click on covers to go to Amazon

note: this is the new paperback reissue cover for Menagerie. I love it! But the original cover, currently on Amazon, is beautiful as well.

Menagerie is the first book in the series, and the only one available at this time. It’s the story of Delilah Marlowe, who learns the hard way that she isn’t exactly human. By the end of the book, she discovers she’s a Fury. I loved Vincent’s take on this mythical creature- it was refreshingly different than other books I’ve read. Here’s the blurb:

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger’s Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus black-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she’s forced to “perform” in town after town. 

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other “attractions”—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she’ll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed. 

****

Spectacle, book two, is due out March 2017. I’m very much looking forward to seeing where Vincent takes this series. Here’s the blurb:

When their coup of Metzger’s Menagerie is discovered, Delilah and her fellow cryptids find their newly won freedom brutally stripped away as they are sold into The Savage Spectacle, a private collection of “exotic wildlife.” Specializing in ruthless cryptid cage matches, safari-style creature hunts and living party favors, the Spectacle’s owner, Willem Vandekamp, caters to the forbidden fetishes of the wealthy and powerful. At the Spectacle, any wish can be granted—for the right price. 

But Vandekamp’s closely guarded client list isn’t the only secret being kept at the Spectacle. Beneath the beauty and brutality of life in the collection lie much darker truths, and no one is more determined than Delilah to strip the masks from the human monsters and drag all dark things into the light.

****

Menagerie is firmly dark fantasy. I won’t sugarcoat how dark this book is- the events that take place are not for the faint of heart. Abuse, rape, death, and the way the cryptids are treated is not something for every reader. However, I found the story well-worth reading, and the world-building is fantastic and the imagery vivid. The only complaint I really have is that I found the ending slightly rushed. I expected a bit more than was written. That said, while I wish the end had a bit more meat on it, the actual endpoint is satisfying. When I left Delilah and the other cryptids I felt a mix of hope and wariness, because nothing in their world is easy.

I do recommend giving this book a try if you enjoy Dark Fantasy and Urban Fantasy. The world is vivid, imaginative, and while the cruelty within the pages is hard to take, the character journey and rich world are worth the read.

#TeaserTuesday

Here’s a little Tuesday Teaser from A Taste So Bittersweet [image error]

*****

@copyright October Weeks 2016

 

Having Tuck in the city was more nerve-wracking than what had happened with Mads. She’d been so close to that slayer … and now she was going to have to face her for the first time in eight years, knowing what she had taken, what she had done. She was well aware that Tuck had mourned both Eden and herself for those long eight years, there was no doubt of that, but what scared her was the thought that Tuck was here as the Ripper, and the Ripper was not someone she wanted to face.

She’d had more than one nightmare in her first few years as a vampire of being hunted by the Ripper. Now here she was…

“Come on, Grim,” the Ripper said, “show me the monster I have to slay.”

“I’m not a monster, Tuck. I’m Fiona, your friend.”

The Ripper smiled, sending chills down her spine. “Friend or not, Fiona, you killed innocents, amongst others. You need to be taken care of.” She raised her sword. Slowly.

Fiona went to her knees, knowing she could not run. “Tuck,” she whispered. “Please…”

Tuck held the sword to Fiona’s heart, eyes crystal and filled with knowing. “I will give you what you want, Grim. That’s why I’ve come.”

“Don’t. I’m not—”

“You are,” Tuck replied softly … and the sword plunged deep.

Fiona shook her head, shivering at that particular nightmare. It was oft repeated, at rest or fully awake.

She tried to push it from her mind, the memories of the nightmares, but could not. It wasn’t just Tuck. It was the thought that other slayers would know she still lived after Tuck had seen her. Slayers were not very forgiving when it came to the killing of their own, and Fiona had done much killing, to both normal humans and slayers.

The slayer in her had screamed not to take those lives, but the vampire who had turned her, who had control over her, forced her to take life after life. Then the bastard let his will on her go, ceased his control on her, and set her free out into the world where he knew she’d kill more on her own, to try and shut the voices off in her head. And she’d heard voices—all the lives she’d taken echoing in her mind, haunting her every move, her every kill. She couldn’t control it, but she knew what she wanted, silence, and she knew how to get it—slayers.

That was why slayers-turned-vampire were tracked so quickly. They actually hunted down the scent of their own kind to end their suffering. She was no different.

She remembered the scent of hunters, the feel of them touching the slayer in her.

A gentle pull persisted as she fed, as she moved. It was deep, in her blood. She knew it well—blood calling blood. It made her pause over her victim, the human chest still heaving, trying to get air, still fighting. That made her want to drink more, and she turned her head back to her victim. The slayers could wait…

She shook the memory before it could get too far. The slayer in her had been very aware that they could still feel her, even at the height of her bloodlust, for the ability to mask her scent completely came long after her turning.

She remembered following the scent of a group of slayers but found herself lured by another, single slayer on her way to that group. This slayer had practically begged her to follow. She had killed two or three humans each night on the trail to this slayer, through each unnamed city and town, the screams of the dead ravaging her mind, more potently with each kill. Each kill made her crave more blood…

Bloodlust overrode everything, the sweet taste of it … oh she could taste it now.

It was so beautifully sweet on her tongue, so luscious and exquisite that she had to have more, so much more. She could never get enough. Just one more kill before the rapture of certain death. Nothing else mattered. Just one more…

Fiona forced herself out of the memory, gripping the side of the tub as she knelt by it as it filled. She heard it cracking and let go, closing her eyes and ordering every muscle in her body to calm, using the sound of the falling water to aid her senses. It was something she had learned growing up as a slayer, and despite how overwhelming the emotions inside of her could become, the exercise still worked.

The last she remembered of any slayer was being rendered unconscious. When she woke, she was in a cell at the mansion. She couldn’t remember if the slayer was male or female, or even if she’d known the person. All she knew was that it was a slayer, and that was the only thing that mattered at the time.

Monday Madness

I had a very busy weekend, and wasn’t home for most of it, so I didn’t get much writing done. Overall, I wrote about 2k on two different projects. Hopefully this week I’ll make up for the lack of words this weekend- I already have some words written today[image error]

Hope you all had a great weekend!