October Weeks's Blog, page 29

Fantasy Friday: Matthew Cook

This week’s Fantasy Friday is spotlighting Matthew Cook’s The Ballad of Kirin Widowmaker series.

I read book one, Blood Magic, when it was released in 2007. It quickly became a favorite read, and I was very happy to know that there was going to be a sequel. A third book was planned, but has not been published, which makes me a little sad because I really love this series and was looking forward to where the main character’s story was going. However, the first two books are still favorites of mine and I reread them at least once a year.

LIGHT SPOILER AHEAD!!!

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click on covers to go to Amazon

Blurb:

Her sister was murdered, and Kirin hungers for revenge. Using the power of her “blood magic,” the young necromancer creates grotesque and inhumanly strong creatures by calling men’s souls back into their dead bodies. These “sweetlings,” as she calls them, are utterly devoted to her, and Kirin cherishes them as if they were her own children. But while fighting a bloody war against a relentless enemy, she meets Lia Cho, a beautiful and gentle woman who can call the power of storms… and soon, Kirin learns that there is more to life than pain and vengeance.

Blood Magic starts off strong and never lets up. Kirin’s voice pulled me in immediately, and I couldn’t put the book down until I was finished. It only took me about three hours to finish this book! The chapters alternate between the present day action of fighting the Mor, and the past, showing what led Kirin to be the necromancer and fighter she is. That type of writing normally would turn me off but Cook does a fantastic job of alternating smoothly, so the story felt natural instead of choppy. Kirin’s journey is heartbreaking; from her ill-fated marriage and her sister’s death, to how she became what most people fear. I found her to be a wonderful narrator, both relatable and otherworldly. The introduction of Lia was well done and I really enjoyed the effect she had on Kirin and the way she sees life.

 

Blurb:

The besieged Imperial City lies inside the massive wall of the Armitage; outside, the attacking Mor have laid waste to most of the land. The Imperial Court seems unaware of their peril, but Kirin and Lia — who have barely survived the Mor and made their way to the City — know the danger all too well! When Kirin discovers a necromancer who seems to possess her power over blood, she hopes he can help her understand her strange magic. Meanwhile, the deadly Mor are assaulting the walls of the city that shelters them.

Nights of Sin, book two, is wonderful but not quite as good as book one. I found this one to be a bit more “typical” fantasy instead of continuing the rich, fast-paced, and dark bent of book one. That said, I still enjoyed the story and found it a well-done second book in the series. I found it incredibly heartbreaking that even the people she saved from the Mor- including her Captain- show her no gratitude and still greatly fear her power. That both saddened me, and made me angry. I also liked the evolution of Kirin and Lia’s relationship, though I am not fond of how that ended. I feel that Lia turned her back on Kirin, and it would take a lot for me to accept her again if she tried to rejoin Kirin.

While I hope to read more of this series, books one and two are more than a fantastic addition to the fantasy section of my bookshelf.  If you can find copies of these books, I highly recommend giving them a try!

 

Over the River in Paperback

Over the River is now available in print!!!

click the photo to head to Amazon

Tuesday Tidbits

Not much to report from the long weekend. The FB party for Over the River went very well- thanks to everyone who stopped in! I did get about 4k written on one project, which is wonderful. Though I’d hoped for more, I’m pleased with what I got and hopefully I can keep up the momentum[image error]

Other than that, I had a relaxing weekend and I hope you all had a safe and happy one as well.

 

Series Saturday: Skyla Dawn Cameron

Welcome to another Series Saturday! This week’s post will be about the Demons of Oblivion series by the awesome Skyla Dawn Cameron.

I came across the first book, Bloodlines, when it was originally published. I instantly fell in love with the main character, Zara Lain, and her world, and I was so excited when I learned there would be more in the series. Without further ado…

LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ THE SERIES!!!

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click on the covers to go to Amazon

Bloodlines, book one, introduces the reader to Zara Lain, a three hundred year old vampire who is badass and narcissistic and just…totally awesome. She is now a thief turned assassin. She is hired by her friend, Mishka Thiering, to kill the head of the O’Conner coven and his son (Mish fails to mention she’s married to the son, Nate). But an unexpected event, which takes down a huge chunk of the continent’s witches and warlocks, finds her working with not only Nate, but also Mish’s mother, Heaven Thiering, as well as a demonologist who happens to be a big fan of Zara’s.

I can’t even express how much I love the character of Zara. On the surface, she has the wit, the narcissism, and such, but her history makes it pretty clear how and why she becomes who she is.  Also, and this is just me, but I love that she swears a lot[image error]

Hunter, book two, is narrated by Ryann David. She is a hunter for the Venatores Daemonum- she and the other members are trained to fight for God and destroy all demons in the human realm. Ryann was raised by the church that trained her, as she’s an orphan, so she’s never known anything else. That comes into major play throughout the book after she and the team are sent to kill a vampire (Zara) who killed one of the team. She finds herself working with a psychic detective named Ellie Rhys (who is just fabulous!) and a few others along the way. But she soon learns that not everything she’s been taught is true, and those she trusts may not be as trustworthy as she believes.

I enjoyed reading from Ryann’s POV, even though her voice is so different than Zara’s. And I love that she is so different- it makes the story so much more authentic.

Lineage, book three, is narrated by Peri Takata. The best way to describe her is to quote the blurb: What’s a woman to do when her dad’s the antichrist, her grandma’s the devil, the end of the world is at her doorstep, and she’s out to avenge the murders of her husband and kids? Kill everything in her way. This is definitely who we meet at the beginning of the book. Her mission is to hunt down and kill everyone responsible for the murder of her family. Then, she’s going to kill herself. But things…do not go as planned. Her hunt brings her to Zara, who is the one person who can tell her who is responsible for the murder. She soon finds out that there’s a secret society who very much wants her alive for one reason. But she also finds her heart- which she thought died with her family- opening up to the love of another, and that changes several things for her.

Like Ryann, I enjoyed Peri’s POV. Though, Peri is much different than Ryann. While she does share some things in common with Zara voice-wise, there is a distinct difference that makes Peri really stand out as a character.

Exhumed, book four, brings us back to Zara’s POV. She is seriously put through the ringer in this book- I cried a few times, and felt all of the emotions she did, which is a good sign of how strong of a writer Skyla is. In this book, Zara has already been through a lot, but nothing compares to when her love (Nate) awakens as a vampire…and immediately tries to kill her. She gets the message that he’s woken while she’s with a client, talking about a new assassin job. But things get much more complicated when a certain best friend returns after being thought dead, and brings with her a child that will change everything between Zara and Nate. The arrival also heralds the coming apocalypse, and just how close they are to the end of the world is made all too clear.

As I said, this book puts not only Zara through the ringer, but also the reader. I had so many emotions reading this book, and they’re still as strong as the first time I read the book. While she’s still my favorite narrator and narcissistic, kickass vampire, the toll the events of this book takes on her is shattering.

I am very excited about the next book, Oblivion, which comes out in August. But I’m also sad because it’s the last book in the series

Teaser Tuesday

Here is a short excerpt of Over the River for your #TeaserTuesday[image error]

AMAZON

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Copyright 2016 October Weeks

A porch swing with chipped paint lolled on the far right side as they stopped in front of the steps. The left side chain had rusted and broken off so that the swing was touching the porch. The scene fit perfectly with the house—broken, rusted, and decaying. Unease fluttered in Delilah’s stomach the more she focused on the swing. Dark butterflies multiplied with each heartbeat.

“Strange that it’s broken like that,” Milly said. “Considering they’re trying to sell the house, I mean.”

Tearing her gaze from the swing, Delilah replied, “Yeah, but it hasn’t had a showing in ten years for some weird reason. No one’s come to check on it, that’s all.” Yet, Milly’s comment had deepened the unease in her, causing the flutters in her stomach to quicken.

Milly shrugged. “Or the ghosts did it.”

“Or that.” Delilah turned her gaze to the door. “Are you ready for this, Milly?”

Milly took a deep breath. The moment her friend set foot on the stairs, she was going to get flashes of the past, showing the life there and how people had died. Joslyn couldn’t block Milly’s gift completely, and Delilah was quite happy about that.

“I’m ready,” Milly said, dropping her hand from her hip. “You?”

“After what we just learned, hell yes.”

They took their first step in unison, as was normal for them. The energy shifted from eyes watching her to a darker edge of warning, and the flutters became more erratic, spreading from her stomach to the rest of her body.

Instinct, training, and experience all told her that the Faust home was held together by darkness, fear, and twisted energy.

“Go away,” a little voice whispered. “Leave, please leave.”

With that whisper in her mind, the darker edge of warning got a bit sharper.

Joslyn didn’t want them there. Too damn bad for her.

The back door looked sturdy but rundown. Uriah had given them the key but was not certain if the lock would budge since it hadn’t been used in a decade. That many years of being subjected to Vermont weather could do a lot to the exterior of a building.

Milly took another deep breath before grasping the knob gently, slowly. She stiffened for a moment. “Oh, Lilah. She does not want us in there.”

“I know,” Delilah replied softly. “I can feel it.”

Milly inserted the key into the lock, and after a little muscling, the door unlocked. She turned the knob and pushed it open. The wood creaked loudly in response as if the house were protesting their intrusion.

Monday Madness

At the end of last week I managed to write on three different books, for a total of 16k words!!!

*First chapter of novel set in the Isles and West world but starring different characters. It takes place in Boston…aka, Ghoultown[image error] This is the first of what I’m damn sure is going to be a trilogy.

*First chapter of a standalone novel in the I&W world, again completely different characters.

*First chapter of the start of a new urban fantasy series. Very excited about this one. Don’t want to give too much away yet, though

Series Saturday: Isles and West

So, I’m hijacking this week’s Series Saturday for my new release[image error]

Over the River released yesterday~ you can grab a copy on AMAZON

And the FB Release Party is May 28th~ https://www.facebook.com/events/476331315894544/

Now onto the series!

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Ghoultown is a prequel of sorts to the Isles and West trilogy. It introduces Delilah and Milly and the world they live in. Ghosts have always been known to exist, as have the beings and beasts of the Dark and Glory. You’re introduced to humans with gifts to deal with the dead. Gifts are varied, and some are quite rare. General consensus by the historians in this world is that the gifted have existed for at least 20,000 years.

The case that Delilah and Milly are pulled into with the FBI’s Reaper Team is mentioned in Over the River, which is what prompted me to write Ghoultown. I have other novellas in mind with Delilah and Milly, during their training for N.E.S.S., and hope to write one soon.

Over the River is the first of the Isles and West trilogy. The original version was published in 2013 by Musa Publishing. When the rights reverted back to me I spruced it up and submitted it to another publisher. That publisher gave me some pointers on how to make it stronger but in the end I didn’t end up publishing with them. I ended up adding about 15k more words to the book to make it what it is today[image error]

Each book in the trilogy has its own mystery but has an arc that builds through each book to the conclusion in book three. Over the River sets everything in motion. I think of these books as paranormal mystery/paranormal suspense. They have touches of horror and dark fantasy, of course, but I think mystery/suspense best describes them.

Book two, The Duchess, releases August 20, 2016.

Aequitas, book three, releases December 16, 2016.

Delilah and Milly have more cases to tend to after the initial trilogy, so this series isn’t ending after book three. And I’m also working on both stand-alone books and dulogies/trilogies that feature different characters in different parts of the country and the world.

I can’t wait to hear what you all think of Over the River! And I hope you’re as excited as I am about reading book two this summer

Over the River Release Day!

Over the River is LIVE!!!

AMAZON

Special Guest~ Lily Luchesi

I am pleased to welcome the awesome Lily Luchesi to my blog today! It’s the one year anniversary of the release of her novel, Stake Out. If you haven’t read it, I do recommend checking it out[image error]

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For the one year anniversary of her debut novel, Lily Luchesi has made the international bestseller  STAKEOUT  completely FREE for one day only! See what readers are calling “exciting”,  “thrilling”, and “action packed” for yourself!

 

In a city overrun with  the undead, an ex-cop  is given a chance to get revenge…

Danny Mancini is on a case, following a murder suspect. When he  catches him, he finds out that the perp isn’t even human: he’s a 200 year old rogue

vampire!

The department doesn’t believe him, and puts him on early  retirement, despite his many years of service to the Chicago Police Department, which sends

him into a downward spiral.


Two years later, Danny gets an invitation from the beautiful,  young and very attractive Detective Angelica Cross to join a secret branch of the FBI to help her track down Vincent, the wayward vamp.

But renegade werewolves, meddling immortal witches and Danny’s strange visions of a life lived a century ago with Angelica make things more difficult

than it should be.

Read FREE today on your

Kindle!

 

 

Facebook Party For Over the River

This is a reminder that I have a release party for Over the River next Saturday, May 28th! I hope to see you all there for fun, games, and prizes[image error]

https://www.facebook.com/events/476331315894544/