T. Rae Mitchell's Blog, page 13

FOUR LUCKY WINNERS got ebooks and a paperback of #FatesFables!

Big congrats to the winners of my Holiday Giveaway!

Gave some of the gang @AbbyShot a tour of #Storybrooke from #OnceUponATime!

Had a blast today hanging out with Bonnie Cook and Bryce Frost from AbbyShot Clothiers here in Steveston Village, aka Storybrooke. This is a shot of us outside of Mr. Gold’s pawn shop. Being a fan of Once Upon A Time, I would love to see AbbyShot make a line from the TV series. If we get that lucky, I’ll be first in line for Snow White’s hunting outfit.

If you’re a cosplayer and haven’t heard of AbbyShot yet, you’ve got to check them out. They make exact duplicates of some of the most famous, iconic coats out there. I’m talking Malcom Reynolds’ browncoat,  Max’s jacket, the Enigma trenchcoat,  Silent Bob’s coat, Dante’s coat from Devil May Cry and ALL the Doctor Who jackets. I even got to try on the Eleventh Doctor’s purple coat! It was gorgeous–cut for a girl doctor and made of a soft, cashmere wool blend. If it hadn’t been one size too big, I would’ve bought it on the spot!

So head on over to AbbyShot, and while you’re checking out all their cool stuff, be sure to enter their giveaway. I’m crossing my fingers I win, because that $300 is going towards a kickass coat. Hmmm, which one will it be?

Enter my INTL #HolidayGiveaway to #WIN an ebook or paperback of #FatesFables!

Feel lucky?

Open to all countries. Contest starts December 5th and ends December 12th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Save BIG on #Amazon – #FatesFables is on SALE!

Looking for a way to add magic to someone’s Christmas this year?

FATE’S FABLES has all the adventure, danger and romance to do just that. Always a big seller at book signings, people get excited when they discover all the captivating imagery inside.

CLICK HERE to see inside FATE’S FABLES.

Ready to jump on that sale and have it delivered straight to your door, or gift wrapped and sent across the country to that fantasy lover on your list?

CLICK HERE to buy FATE’S FABLES for $11.50 on Amazon.    

Hurry over to Amazon right now to get the best price all year for FATE’S FABLES ebook!

After December 3rd, the price starts climbing, but you’ll still have time to save:

$1.99 – Dec. 4  to  Dec. 14

$2.99 – Dec. 15  to  Dec. 22

$3.99 – Dec. 23  to  Dec. 31

After that, it’s back to the regular price of $4.99 in the new year.

CLICK HERE to grab your eBook copy of FATE’S FABLES before the sale ends on December 3rd.  

Listen to this killer soundtrack of the 1st chapter of #FatesFables on #Booktrack! It’s like a movie in your head!

Have you heard of Booktrack yet? If not, you’re totally missing out! They have everything from Sci-fi, fantasy and horror to romance, historical fiction, YA and children’s books–all with soundtracks synchronized to each story. And the best part is, you get to read for FREE!

I had so much fun putting music and sound effects to the first chapter of FATE’S FABLES. The soundtrack adds a whole new layer of excitement to the reading. Especially since I’m currently working on FATE’S KEEP. When you read the first chapter of FATE’S FABLES it’s showing you what the Keep is, and also gives you a preview of the kind of trouble Fate is in for in the sequel, FATE’S KEEP.

Hope you enjoy listening to this Booktrack of FATE’S FABLES.

Get your #Halloween treat – a spooky #MagickBrew excerpt!

Since it’s Halloween and I’ve been busy writing about gangs of witches, warlocks, shifters, demons, shadow elves, pixies and vampires, I’m sharing an excerpt from my upcoming novel, MAGICK BREW, scheduled for release in February, 2015.

Haven’t heard about MAGICK BREW yet? Here’s a quick blurb about it: Forced to flee through New York City’s twisting maze of subway tunnels, parks, sewers and deserted buildings, the Forsaken–a gang of magical, halfbreed misfits–must fight their way through enemy gangs of shifters, warlocks, demons, and deadly fae blocking their way back to home turf.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The lights go out and the train comes to a screeching halt, rocking us all off balance. Except for the scarlet glow of Knox’s hand, it’s blacker than night in here. We’re stopped inside the tunnel.

Like one mind, we back into each other, facing outward in a tight circle, ready for battle. No one speaks. We’re barely breathing as we listen for the first sign of danger.

The tension explodes with the sound of windows shattering, shrieks and the deafening flap of hundreds of wings. Broken glass, beaks and claws scratch my face and hands. Knox lets out a war cry, blasting a stream of fire into the darkness, which lights up a vicious swarm of bats and crows filling the subway car. The ones he catches on fire go up in puffs of smoke and ash–the telltale sign of a witch’s shadow demons.

We’re surrounded by Dread witches, and they are no less distressing than warlocks. These pasty-faced chicks with their Dread eye tattoos on their foreheads, creepy black makeup and dreary Victorian clothes with S&M leather accents are not who you want to meet in a dark tunnel. They are the mothers of warlocks, the queens of spells, the goddesses of nightmares.

“Get down!” Knox yells.

“No, don’t!” I shout. But it’s too late. All I can do is drop to my knees along with the rest of the gang to avoid the stream of scorching flames he’s blasting in a full circle above our heads. The dark flock of shadow demons catch fire like dry leaves in the wind, countless burning embers coiling inward before blinking out and turning to ash. Silence falls just as surely as the fine powder raining on our heads, here in the inky gloom.

This is bad. The witches just got exactly what they wanted. Physical contact. The scorched fragments of their shadow familiars powdered all over us are relaying our essence back to their mistresses this very second. Now the witches know our numbers and what we are.

Knox suddenly turns into a human torch and goes flying backward. There’s a look of shock on his face as he’s pinned to the wall, but he’s not saying a word. He can’t. All conjurers know how to control the elements. And anyone with elemental blood.

Worried about Fletcher, I glance over at him the same time an unseen force slams him straight up onto the ceiling, using his own elemental power to trap him in a tornado of wind. With Knox lighting up the subway car we can see Fletcher struggling to break free. He lets out a terrible roar as scales rupture his skin, his bones cracking, breaking and reconfiguring into the form of a cougar. He howls with pain as antlers thrust from his skull, piercing his newly grown reptilian hide.

The change looks unpleasant and it’s definitely not good for any of us. There’s a primordial vengeance demon thrashing right above us, ready to claw the life out of anyone who gets too close. It’s the main reason Fletcher sticks to using his elemental powers instead of shifting into the Mishispeshu. He can’t control the beast.

“We need some serious magick to fight the Dreads,” Justice says in a hushed tone. “We don’t stand a chance without Maddox and Booker.”

Zulu punches his fist. “Who do you think you’re huddled next to? You’re looking at a goddamned witch doctor. Those ball busters don’t have anything on me. I fart stronger magick than this.”

“Yeah? Then why don’t you rip one off and get those harpies to flock off?” Hurley says.

Zulu frowns at him. “I don’t see you doing anything.”

“Get me close enough and I’ll go fangy on the whole lot.”

“Don’t be stupid. That’s not how it works with the Dreads,” Constantine says.

Hurley’s face flames red. “So I’ve never rumbled with the Dreads. What’s the big deal?”

“Just like the Bad Hats, the Dreads don’t get their hands dirty with street fights,” Constantine explains. “These evil bitches cast spells that throw you into a nightmare tailor-made just for you. And the worst part is you’ll never know when it hits.”

Justice shrugs. “That’s true. I’ve heard a Dread spell starts with a whisper and ends with a roar. We could be under their spells right now.”

………………………………………………………………………………………

Happy Halloween, and I hope you enjoy the excerpt!

If you’re interested in reading the first two chapters of MAGICK BREW you can download a free copy by clicking HERE.

My Writing Process – Writers Blog Hop

[image error]Thanks to D.B. Carew, author of  THE KILLER TRAIL, for inviting me to take part in the Writing Process Blog Hop. It’s a fun game of tag, where one author tags another to answer these same four questions on the writing process and then I tag two more authors, who are both listed at the bottom of this post.

 

1.  WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

I have two projects going right now. One is titled FATE’S KEEP, which is the sequel to my debut YA Fantasy novel, FATE’S FABLES. The sequel picks up after Fate Floyd’s harrowing journey through the dark, dangerous realm of the Book of Fables. No longer the same innocent, frightened girl she was when she first landed inside that big bad book, Fate is determined to take her destiny in her own hands. Starting with facing the witch who threw her into the book’s treacherous world of sinister fairytale characters. Despite her newfound strength, Fate’s heartbroken about being forced to leave Finn behind. To find her way back to him, she must enter the Keep and face unimaginable horrors. Even if that means risking her life and everything she holds dear.

My other project is an Urban Fantasy novel titled MAGICK BREW. If you’ve read FATE’S FABLES, then you know Fate is a published author who fluked into writing a bestselling book called MAGICK BREW. Well this is the book she would’ve written if Fate was a real person. Inspired by Sol Yurick’s, The Warriors, but with a supernatural twist, MAGICK BREW is about a lone gang of magical misfits fighting their way back to their home turf while being hunted by the most powerful supernatural gangs in New York City. Click here for the full synopsis.

This is the first time I’ve ever tackled two novels at once. It’s been a juggling act, but advantageous, since a few months ago I came to a major stumbling block with FATE’S KEEP. Instead of getting stuck in the mud and spinning my wheels with the sequel, I’ve been burning up the keyboard with MAGICK BREW. I expect to be sending out ARCs for MAGICK BREW in late September or early October.

2.  HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?

This is a tricky question since I haven’t read every book in my genre to be able to answer this accurately. I prefer to defer to the reviews I received for FATE’S FABLES. Readers’ Favorite said, “It’s the best and most unique fantasy story I have read in a long time.” I’ve heard from quite a few reviewers that FATE’S FABLES is unlike anything they’ve read.

I think this is because there aren’t too many novels out there where the main storyline is woven throughout so many separate stories–in this case eight fables. I also wanted to create wholly new fables that give the reader the feeling these stories had been around forever. I feel because I chose to create my own fables–rather than a retelling of fairytales like Snow White, Cinderella or the Little Mermaid–is the reason why FATE’S FABLES is considered to be so completely different.

3.  HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS WORK?

When I get an idea for a novel, it usually comes to me in the form of a complete plot. Such as when I got the idea for FATE’S FABLES: A girl named Fate gets trapped inside the Book of Fables and must turn each dark fable into a happily-ever-after to escape the book or be trapped forever. That was the easy part. The real work began when I had to write each fable, which had to end tragically, horribly or hellishly. I placed the eight fables in the order of the least to most dark and then I had my main character, Fate Floyd, travel through each one. Her story arc came out of this journey and her interactions with the characters living within the eight fables.

Same thing with FATE’S KEEP: Fate must confront and defeat all the monsters let loose in the Keep before she can locate the portal leading back to Oldwilde, where Finn is trapped. I’ve created about four major creatures andone mysterious enemy for her to fight, plus several portals leading to some nightmarish realms before she finds the gateway she’s looking for. Once again the story arc takes shape throughout all the obstacles she’s facing.

As you can see, a pattern is emerging, which also works for MAGICK BREW: Get one lone gang from one end of New York city to the other before all the other gangs kill them. Pretty simple. The time-consuming part comes with developing Edge, the main character, and his powers and limitations, along with the other ten members of his gang. Then I had to do the same for the fifteen supernatural gangs Edge and his gang do battle with. But once all this in place, I can rock and roll with the story fairly easily, because I know who everybody is and I can allow the story to reveal itself through the characters and their interactions with each other.

4.  WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I DO?

When I’m gnashing my teeth because I’m having trouble describing what the physical sensations of teleportation are or the quality of light in a shadow dimension, I really have to wonder why I’ve chosen fantasy as my preferred genre. I especially question why I write, when I’m hitting a brick wall and can’t figure out what happens next, or how I’m going to get my characters out of the predicament I’ve put them in. But strangely enough, the right words always seem to fall into place and the solutions eventually present themselves.

I guess what it really comes down to, is that I can’t help myself. I love exploring worlds full of magic and otherworldly creatures and characters. These are the things that ignite my imagination. It’s like a hunger takes over and I have to explore the stories spinning around in my head. I think if I didn’t, I’d go mad. Or at least, I’d be pretty darned bored.

Okay, that’s it for my process. Make sure you check out these two exciting authors and their writing process next week, on August 25th:  Roxanne Snopek, author of the THREE RIVER RANCH series and Miranda Rae Carter, author of BENEATH THE SURFACE.

Writer’s Process Blog Hop

Hi everyone!

First I want to say thanks to D.B. Carew, author of THE KILLER TRAIL, for inviting me to take part in the Writing Process Blog Hop. It’s a fun game of tag, where one author tags another to answer these same four questions on the writing process and then I tag two more authors. One of them is Miranda Rae Carter, author of BENEATH THE SURFACE, and Roxanne Snopek, author of the THREE RIVER RANCH series.

I’ll be posting my answers next week on the 18th. In the meantime, be sure to read D.B. Carew’s answers.

 

What am I working on? 

How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

How does my writing process work?

Why do I write what I do?

 

 

Unveiling my other book project, MAGICK BREW on Fourth of July!

For months now it’s been Fourth of July for me. Why you ask? Because the novel I’ve been working on (alongside FATE’S KEEP) is MAGICK BREW, which takes place on July 4th, 1976.

If you’ve read FATE’S FABLES, then you know Fate is a published author who fluked into writing a bestselling book called MAGICK BREW. It started with an English assignment, where Fate was supposed to pick any book about gangs in the 1960’s and put her own spin on a favorite chapter. Being a fantasy geek, she turned hers into a big rumble between a bunch of supernatural gangs. Her teacher liked it so much she talked Fate into entering it in a contest. Then before she knew it, a big publisher was asking her to expand the idea into a book. (If only real life worked that way!).

I didn’t’t reveal this in FATE”S FABLES, but the book Fate chose was Sol Yurick’s, THE WARRIORS, which takes place on Independence Day. I’ve always been a fan of the cult classic movie. Also, since I grew up in the United States I got to celebrate the bicentennial in 1976. I was pretty young then, but it was a Fourth of July that stands out for me from all the others as truly extraordinary. The huge excitement generated around the bicentennial is why I decided to place MAGICK BREW in the year of 1976. Ever since I started thinking of the concept of a lone gang of magical misfits fighting their way back to their home turf while being hunted by the most powerful pureblood supernatural gangs in New York City, I’ve been itching to write the story. But the time has come where the characters I’ve been jotting down over the last few years have started badgering me to get their story written and that’s why I’ve been putting time towards getting it done.

So to celebrate this year’s Independence Day, I’m super excited to share the synopsis for MAGICK BREW:

It’s July 4th, 1976. Brewing deep beneath the bicentennial celebrations and patriotic fireworks exploding over New York City is a dystopian underworld controlled by supernatural gangs.

Edge can’t remember a time when he wasn’t being chased by every street gang in the city for his rare Djinn powers before he joined the Forsaken–a gang of magical, halfbreed misfits. The pain of banishment, rejection and abandonment brought them together and it’s what drives them to be unbeatable. But when the gang’s leader decides the Forsaken will attend a gangland peace summit called by the warlock leader of the Bad Hats on Independence Day, all of Edge’s old fears return with a vengeance.

For good reason.

Edge becomes the victim of ultimate betrayal and finds himself at the center of a century’s old power struggle between the warlock Bad Hats and the seelie Highborns. Now every supernatural gang is out for the magick flowing in his blood. Forced to flee through the city’s twisting maze of subway tunnels, parks, sewers and deserted buildings, Edge and what’s left of the Forsaken must fight their way through gangs of shifters, witches, demon goblins, and deadly fae blocking their way back to home turf.

Unveiling my other book project, MAGICK BREW on 4th of July!

For months now it’s been 4th of July for me. Why you ask? Because the novel I’ve been working on (alongside FATE’S KEEP) is MAGICK BREW, which takes place on July 4th, 1976.

If you’ve read FATE’S FABLES, then you know Fate is a published author who fluked into writing a bestselling book called MAGICK BREW, a story about a gangland war between supernatural species. It started with an English assignment, where she was supposed to pick any book about gangs in the 1960’s and put her own spin on a favorite chapter. Being a fantasy geek, Fate turned hers into a big rumble between a bunch of supernatural gangs. Her teacher liked it so much she talked Fate into entering it in a contest. Then before she knew it, a big publisher was asking her to expand the idea into a book. (If only real life worked that way! And that�’s why FATE’S FABLES is a fantasy).

This isn’t revealed in FATE”S FABLES, but the book Fate chose about a gang in the 1960′s was Sol Yurick’s, THE WARRIORS, which takes place on the 4th of July. I’ve always been a fan of this cult classic movie. Also, since I grew up in the United States I got to celebrate the bicentennial in 1976. I was pretty young then, but it was a 4th of July that stands out for me from all others as truly extraordinary. And that’s why I decided to place the story in 1976. So ever since I started thinking of the concept of a lone gang of magical misfits fighting their way back to their home turf while being hunted by the most powerful pureblood supernatural gangs in New York City, I’ve been itching to write the story. But the time came when the characters I’ve been jotting down over the last few years started badgering me to get their story written and that’s why I’ve been putting time towards getting it done.

So to celebrate this year’s Independence Day, I’m super excited to share the synopsis for MAGICK BREW:

It’s July 4th, 1976. Brewing deep beneath the bicentennial celebrations and patriotic fireworks exploding over New York City is a dystopian underworld controlled by supernatural gangs.

Edge can’t remember a time when he wasn’t being chased by every street gang in the city for his rare Djinn powers before a vampire named Maddox brought him into the Forsaken–a gang of magical, halfbreed misfits. The pain of banishment, rejection and abandonment brought them together and it’s what drives them to be unbeatable. But when Maddox decides the Forsaken will attend a gangland summit called by the warlock leader of the Bad Hats on Independence Day, all of Edge’s old fears rise to the surface.

For good reason.

Edge becomes the victim of ultimate betrayal, and finds himself at the center of a century’s old violent power struggle between the warlock Bad Hats and the seelie Highborns. Now every supernatural gang is out for the magick in his blood. Forced to flee through the city’s twisting maze of subway tunnels, parks, sewers and deserted buildings, Edge and what’s left of the Forsaken must fight their way through gangs of shifters, witches, demon goblins, and shadow elves blocking their way back to home turf.