Pippa DaCosta's Blog, page 2

Shoot the Messenger ~ OUT NOW!

In a world smothered by surveillance, Kesh Lasota is a ghost. Working as a messenger, she moves undetected, delivering illegal messages between Calicto's criminals. But when one of those messages kills its recipient, Kesh finds herself on the run.

Magic and tek, the fae and humans, clash in this thrilling NEW space-fantasy.


The hype is real.

Complex. Heartbreaking. Astonishing. F*cking mind-blowing.

A fabulous start to a new series, Fae, space, and courtly intrigue what could be better?!?

The writing was amazing the characters intriguing. This book has many twists and turns that will have you craving the next one.

This book was amazing from the beginning to end! I can't wait to hear what Kesh, Kelley, and Talon do next!

All I can say is You Have To Read This Book!

Unraveling the mystery of Kesh is going to be a delight - but strap yourself in because this is a wild ride!

OUT NOW.

Fae in space! Coming soon!

Want a bit of sci-fi? Maybe a sprinkling of fantasy? How about both together?

In a world cloaked in surveillance, Kesh Lasota can move unseen, making her the perfect illegal messenger. But when one of her messages kills its recipient, Kesh finds herself on the run from a creature that shouldn't exist: a warfae.

The fae died out thousands of years ago. They're myths and legends. Aren't they?

This fast-paced action-adventure series combines magic and technology, truth and illusion, romance and betrayal, and twists them all until nothing is what it appears to be.

The first book in the Messenger Series launches on March 2nd at 99¢ on Amazon & in KindleUnlimited (paperback also available).

Sign up to my my mailing list to get notified of the launch, add Shoot the Messenger to your shelves, and visit the MacHalos blog on release day for the first look at the cover!

WIN AWESOME BOOK GOODIES

To celebrate the launch of Chaos Falls on Dec 19th I'm giving away a bundle of book goodies to one lucky winner, and two angel wing necklaces to two runners-up. All you have to do to enter is click the link below and get your social media sharing fingers working.

Prize bundle includes:

Signed Chaos Falls paperback
"Every angel" quote mug
"Every angel" quote canvas bag
Angel wing necklace
$25 Amazon e-gift card


Click here to enter

Good luck!

While you wait to find out if you've won, check out Chaos Rises, the first book in the Chaos Series, now just 99c / 99p for December. Available everywhere.



Happy reading all!

Hiding books for Goodreads!

I can't wait to wrap up these books in bright green ribbon and furtively hide them away in nooks and crannies about my local town.

When I saw the Goodreads blog post about #hideabookday which involved literally, leaving books for anyone to find with a sticker asking them to read and pass on the magic... I was so there. This is right up my street. I love giving, but I'm not a fan of the awkward "thank yous" that follow. Just let me give a book and run off, and I'm happy.

This bundle will be scattered about South East Cornwall, where I live, and all the books will go on to hopefully bring new adventures to lots and lots of readers for months and years to come.

Look for the #ibelieveinbookfairies and #hideabookday hashtags on Twitter and Instagram to join in the fun.

The End is here.

A god cannot change.
Watch me.

With the truth of Ace's terrible past revealed, our nameless soul eater has never been more lost, or more powerful.

The gods have risen, New York has fallen and the sundering is upon us.

Ace can stop the end of the world, but will he?

***

I'm going to miss this series. Ace and his efforts to steer on the side of good, Shukra and her wonderfully blunt outlook on everything (and casual murderous tendencies!), Cujo trying to fight the good fight against the gods who almost killed him, Bastet who—by the tip of Ace's sword—set a course into motion that brings us to this final book, Cat and her staunch loyalty. And the amazing cast of characters we've met along the way. Oh, and the sword, Alysdair: this is the first time I've written a character as a sword. Who doesn't love enchanted soul eating swords? I'm actually pretty fond of that blade. Even the sword gets its own story in Soul Eater.

Dayam, I'm going to miss all of that. And, judging from my emails, y'all will too (not to mention a few tongue-in-cheek death threats to continue the series (at least with a Shukra spin-off) or else! - you know who you are ;) ).

Finishing up a series is one of the hardest things an author can do, both mentally and creatively. Every loose end must be tied up. Every tossed out question, every dangling what if, and there were a lot of loose ends in Soul Eater. It was an interesting exercise, in that we (the reader) knew more than the character right up until book #5. Our main character, Ace, loses his memory early on in the series. But we don't. We know his secrets and through every book, I was very much aware of how the story Ace was telling, was different to the one we - as readers - were reading. Technically, that made it tricky. But it also made it a heck of a lot of fun because the secret was there, like a rather large sphinx in the room, waiting to be outed at any moment, like a ticking countdown clock.

I also had a lot of fun with the language and the research. Initially, I was going to use ancient Egyptian for Ace's spellwords, but if you've ever seen ancient Egyptian, it's not the most pleasing to read and frankly, would have gotten in the way of the storytelling. So I made a call to "create" the spoken language, which meant not only could my audiobook narrator actually speak it, but you can go ahead and read it without slowing the story down.

I still have the book of genuine Egyptian spells on my shelf, should, yah know, anyone think of one-starring the entire series (j/k, maybe ;) ) There are some interesting enchantments in there, if I can get my hands on the right ingredients. Shukra would have some body parts handy.

When it comes to research, Scorpion Trap, was the book where I really got my teeth into Egyptian myth. Right from the very beginning, I couldn't wait to get Ace back to Egypt. Once there, we go full on The Mummy 1999 version (the cool one, not the Tom Cruise one) complete with tomb robbing, clouds of locusts, the Hatshepsut and Senenmut "love" story, and it all comes to a climax that I can't reveal here for spoilers. I adore Egypt. I'm fascinated by the remains and relics still being discovered today. To get to play in that sandbox was a real treat.

In fact, this entire series has been a treat to write. It hasn't been without its ups and downs. Writing Osiris and Isis often made my skin want to crawl off my body and hide in a corner. But the joy of writing Ace and Shukra was truly something special. Sometimes, characters come together and they just click. Ace and Shukra... dayam... they must be one of the best urban fantasy partnerships ever, and not a hint of romance in sight! ;)

Yes, I'm going to miss them and this world.

But, there are always more book adventures to be had. So I'd better start creating the next one...

You can buy Soul Eater via my website or search your favorite vendor. The first book, Hidden Blade, is 99¢ right now, to celebrate the launch of Edge of Forever and the end of the series. www.pippadacosta.com

Happy reading!

The LAST Soul Eater book is almost here...

The last ever Soul Eater book launches on Sept 13th. We're at the end already. It only seems like yesterday that Ace was kicking doors in and stopping wet-behind-the-ears kids from using Egyptian scrolls to summon demons.

Things have changed for Ace... just a smidgen... since then.

He's gained a few more names. Not bad for someone originally called the Nameless One. He's pissed off a few gods. Killed a few too. Oops. Annnd then there's the fact that everything he knows, and I mean everything , is a lie.

Considering all that, I think he's held it together well. But then, of course, he had his reluctant sidekick Shukra by his side the whole time, either trying to kill or help him (nobody really knows which).

I'm genuinely going to miss this world. I know I say that about all my series', but it's true. They each occupy very special corners of my heart and I'm always reluctant to let them go. But here, it is, the end.

September 13th brings a close on Ace's adventure.

It's available everywhere to pre-order. And if you haven't started the series yet, you can try the first book Hidden Blade for 99¢ right now.

Happy reading everyone!

The Heartstone Thief needs your help...

I woke up this morning, bleary eyed and not yet fully caffeinated, to the news that The Heartstone Thief has been nominated for a DragonCon Award.

This is some pretty epic news. Especially for a little-known British author, and it's a testament to my fans that Heartstone is among some amazing books competing for the awards this year.

Looking at the fantasy category, there are some mega-bestselling urban fantasy books in there and as Heartstone launched just a few months ago, it's still finding its feet. To be nominated is a-mazing. But what if this trope-bending grimdark fantasy could do more?

That's where you come in. Can you help?

The Dragon Awards are different to other prestigious awards out there, and here's why:

The awards are “by the fans, for the fans, and are your chance to reward those who have made real contributions to SF, books, games, comics, and shows.”

There is no qualification for voting – no convention fees or other memberships are needed. The only requirement is that you register, confirm your email address for voting purposes, and agree to the rules. This ensures that all votes count equally.

You can register to vote by clicking here and in a few days, your voting survey will arrive via email.

I'd love for you to consider voting for The Heartstone Thief. With that incentive, I may even get on with writing the sequel ;)

Thank you.

The Soul Eater is back - or should that be... "Godkiller"?

Egypt turned Ace's world upside down, and then Osiris had to go and... well, yah know <spoiler> trap Ace in a sarcophagus so he could think about what he'd done </spoiler>. Understandably, Ace is kinda pissed at pretty much everyone. Shukra betrayed him. Isis used him. Osiris is a dick. Cujo won't leave. And now, guess who's back, determined to get to the bottom of the missing Goddess Bastet.

It's a bad day to be Ace Dante.

So it's a good thing Ace is more than darkness, right?

More than darkness...

Reeling from the revelations discovered in Egypt, Ace Dante is on a knife-edge, but the gods aren’t going to wait for him to come to terms with the truth.

Ancient and deadly beasts straight out of the underworld are targeting Nick “Cujo” Jones and his daughter. There doesn’t seem to be a connection to Ace, until a mysterious and familiar box turns up. A box marked with the snake-headed jackal. And it’s open.

This time, the gods crossed a line. Ace is done with their puppet-mastery. He’s fighting back.

But as hidden secrets come to light and Ace’s friendships crumble around him, will he have the strength to fight for what’s right, or will he allow the darkness inside to consume him?

After all, what is one man’s hope against the will of evil incarnate?

The wildly successful Soul Eater series ups the stakes in the penultimate book, Serpent's Game

WIN signed paperbacks!

Over in my new Facebook group, 'Pippa's Book Fiends', I'm giving away these two sexy book sets, all signed, but you need to be a member of the group to be in with a chance to WIN.

In the group, we chat about our favorite reads, have fun with matching actors to characters, and have access to exclusive cover reveals.

To join, click here and sign up by answering a few simple questions about my books.

Good luck!

*Competition ends July 25th.

NEW cover goodness!

In April 2015, a little-known sci-fi story was released and surprised everyone by storming up the charts. Full of bad guys kinda trying to be good guys (and mostly failing), dirty sex, betrayal, scheming, and a few murders, oh, and a homicidal 'synthetic' human, The 1000 Revolution, (previously known as Girl From Above) is a crazy, wild ride. And wowsers, was it fun to write!

Well, it was time for the series to have a refresh in terms of cover design, and I think the new covers are stunning.

Okay, okay, so maybe Caleb's hair is more... high maintenance than Caleb would have liked. One looks as though she's about to rip out a few spines and use them as belts, so she's happy. I LOVE the new look, but what do you think?

If you haven't read the series yet, the first book Betrayal is free everywhere, but be warned, it's not for the faint-hearted!