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Welcome to my place in the blogosphere!
feel free to explore the Flight Deck and check out my books and website.
Then fasten your seatbelts, sip a glass of something sparkling and let's chat awhile!
I hope you'll stop by again for guest authors and spotlights from time to time.

Beloved Enemy joined Starquest and Children of the Mist to continue the Destiny Trilogy and I'm thrilled to announce was shortlisted for the R.N.A. RoNA Awards 2017, awarded 2nd Runner up in the RONE Awards 2017 and was the winner in the SF/Fantasy category of the 'Best Banter Contest'.

Sunday 31 December 2023

The Watchers Series by Deirdra Eden

The Watchers is an epic fairytale about finding hope and light during dark times. The story introduces you to a cast of engaging, down-to-earth, yet supernatural characters. There is someone for everyone to identify with and come to love, hate, and recognize in our own modern-day life. The story line leads the audience through epic adventures, young love, challenges, heartache, and very human experiences by otherworldly and apocryphal beings of legend. The mythology of the story is deep, yet easy to understand as it incorporates real historical events, places you can find on Google maps, and documented paranormal encounters from cultures and religions from all over the world. 

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3SNOqKt 
Deirdra's Website: https://www.deirdraeden.com

 The Watchers is published by Rogue Matter. 
Pst. You can get the first book for free on the publisher’s website. https://roguematter.com/project/the-watchers/ 
Book 7 released 1st December 2023

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

 Deirdra Eden is an award winning artist and international bestselling author of The Watchers Series. Captivating audiences of all ages with her novels and fairy tales, her specialty is inspirational epic fantasy. Including documented historical phenomena, natural disasters of biblical proportions, and
eyewitness accounts of the supernatural, she creates a relatable world for the modern reader with inspiring messages of hope. Deirdra enjoys horseback riding through open meadows, swimming in the ocean, hiking up mountains, camping in cool shady woods, climbing trees barefoot, cuddling her kitties, and going on adventures with her family and friends. She is passionate about empowering people and helping them to reach their goals and overcome trials. She believes that we are all meant to be the hero of our own stories.






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Sunday 22 October 2023

The Curse of Moonseed Manor by D. Lieber - review











A haunted hotel. A sceptical photographer. A deadly curse that could cost her everything.

Wren Mabry’s life is a disaster. Her last few years have been rife with tragedy and hardship. So when she’s offered a job at Moonseed Manor, a Gothic revival mansion that’s never welcomed visitors, it seems suspicious. Even so, this is her chance to finally turn her life around.

The gloom that hangs over Moonseed Manor is enhanced by its cold yet alluring owner, Mr. William Courtland Bennings. And the spooky tales of the flirtatious and sexy caretaker, Watt, play up that feeling.

Even though Wren doesn’t believe in ghosts or curses, she’s always had a flair for the darker side. And when she finds a handwritten book of poetry filled with longing, terror, and ghostly revenge, it
reawakens her very soul—or rather the unknown poet does.

Love, death, secrets, and lies await in this gothic romance.

Purchase Links


Author Bio – 

D. Lieber has a wanderlust that would make a butterfly envious. When she isn’t planning her next physical adventure, she’s recklessly jumping from one fictional world to another. Her love of reading led her to earn a Bachelor’s in English from Wright State University.
Beyond her skeptic and slightly pessimistic mind, Lieber wants to believe. She has been many places—from Canada to England, France to Italy, Germany to Russia—believing that a better world comes from putting a face on “other.” She is a romantic idealist at heart, always fighting to keep her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds.

Lieber lives in Wisconsin with her husband (John) and cats (Yin and Nox). 
 
MY REVIEW
 
From the moment Wren steps foot inside Moonseed Manor, we experience with her its mystery as well as its elegance and charm, together with a hint of the supernatural which gradually grows as the story progresses.. The rich descriptions of the furnishings and interior drew me in, so that I wished I could experience it for myself. Whilst looking like a typical Gothic manor, Moonseed Manor, sitting on  an island in the middle of a lake, seems like the perfect setting for a hotel with a difference. However, there is an atmosphere about the place - an air of impending doom that gradually surrounds Wren.  Her seemingly rather cold and distant employer, William 'Corrie' Bennings hides a secret which she is determined to discover, while feeling drawn to him as if they somehow have a connection. The other occupants of the house are outwardly friendly and she soon feels at home with them - but can they all be trusted? 

Soon Wren realises that the mansion itself also hides a secret, and wonders if her imagination is playing tricks with her or are there really deadly and vengeful spirits haunting its rooms.

I found this story to be a real page turner, the vivid descriptions brought the mansion and its surroundings to life. Even the furniture is beautifully described in such a way as to make it seem real and authentic, making me feel author either had first-hand experience of this kind of large, ancestral home, or had done a lot of research on the subject. The atmosphere reminded me a little of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and if you enjoy Ms du Maurier's brand of Gothic novel, with a gradually developing romance, I'm sure you will enjoy The Curse of Moonseed Manor.
I gave this story five stars.
  






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Wednesday 18 October 2023

Pistol Rose and the Wedding that Sparked a War by Michael Ryan Hahn- Guest Review and Excerpt

 

Apologies for this post being later than originally advertised - due to circumstances entirely beyond my control - honest! (ever had one of those weeks...?)

 Pistol Rose and the Wedding that Sparked a War by Michael Ryan Hahn: On Tour Publisher:  Swashbuckle Holdings (August, 2023) Category: Fantasy, Adult Epic Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Steampunk Tour Dates October 16-November 22, 2023 ISBN: 978-1962089005 Available in Print and ebook, 194 pages Pistol Rose and the Wedding that Sparked a War

Pistol Rose and the Wedding that Sparked a War by Michael Ryan Hahn

Description Pistol Rose and the Wedding that Sparked a War by Michael Ryan Hahn

As a young wilderness girl, Pistol Rose knows nothing of the advanced Strelkie City or the mad king Ward Harrol who sits behind its walls. She doesn't understand why the Strelkie forbid marriage. When the king forces the surrounding countryside to change their traditional culture to match his vision, the Punimin resist, and Rose learns everything about how to kill Strelkie and get away with it. 

But throwing her own secret wedding without being caught... is another matter entirely. Rose refuses to give up her lover, Clock Dancin, for the tyrants who threaten her way of life. And most Punimin stand with her–only one is a betrayer. In this futuristic medieval steampunk country filled with liars, killers, and wilderuckers, the strongest weapon is love. But using it comes with a heavy cost. 

About Michael Ryan Hahn

 ‘Pistol Rose and the Wedding That Sparked a War’ is Michael’s debut novel and the first in a planned 7- part series, The Anthem of Ash & Pistols. He previously wrote a standalone horror novella called ‘Children of the Storm’. He recently released an adventure podcast in the style of old radio plays called


Fire Pockets. His stories aim to weave exciting action with humor and heart, with complicated villains—probably because of his upbringing. He comes from a big ol' raucous family, and he survived a shockingly bruising (but not altogether unfun) cadre of violently delinquent Boy Scouts to become an Eagle Scout. He loves fight scenes. 

Michael won a ScreenCraft competition that led to development with Bad Robot. He's a 3x ScreenCraft Finalist, and has 18 other accolades from major screenwriting competitions, including AFF and Final Big Break. As a director, he won Best Feature at GenCon and Best Director at BAFF for his micro-budget, wild sci-fi comedy action feature, ALIEN THEORY He lives in Los Angeles with his wife. In his spare time, he designs custom habitats for cats.* The habitats are highly popular with the cats. Website: https://www.michaelryanhahn.com/ Fire Pockets Podcast: https://www.michaelryanhahn.com/fire-pockets Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaelRyanHahn

 

Excerpt from Pistol Rose

In a deep forest grove, Rose trots into a private, leafy pocket wearing leather armor and carrying a staff. This is a routine. “Face me, Mister! No dirty tricks, you cud.”

Dancin pops out from behind a tree wearing a “fancy” suit with many family clocks on it. There’s a blanket and picnic lunch nearby.

This isn’t the training session she was expecting. She laughs. “Are you going to charm me to death?”

“Thought I’d try something new.” He checks his pocket—oh no. It’s empty. She giggles as he rifles through more pockets. The pockets seem to be endless, and all of them empty.

“Lose something, Mister?”

He looks up—she’s holding an engagement ring. She leaps to him and kneels, thrusts the ring into his hands. Their names are beautifully inscribed on it. His craftsmanship has improved tremendously since those first clumsy scribblings of her face on his fighting stick, especially his lettering.

“Rose—”

“Put your ring on my finger, boy.”

“So you want to be my wife, Miss Pistol?”

“Yes, Mr. Clock, I do.” She jumps onto him and kisses him like a hungry woodpecker until he laughs. Then she swats him— “You made that ring five months ago!”

He’s aghast. “You knew?”

“Of course I knew! You think I’d spend all my waking hours with a man I didn’t know inside and out?”

“Well. You don’t know everything.” He kisses her slowly and she falls out of time with him.

Behind a nearby thicket, a weaselly Strelkie soldier named Net Nesting pulls up his army trousers, careful not to make a sound. A half-naked, sultry Punimin girl called Teeth Molly dresses and follows him. (The Teeth clan boasts of a dozen generations of dentistry wisdom, but it isn’t true: until fifty-six years ago they were simply known for biting, throwing fits, and generally acting like the forest’s lesser-intelligent animals. None of this horrid behavior made it onto clocks, for obvious reasons, so their history isn’t officially settled. But in truth, it wasn’t until one of the boys managed to marry an educated girl named Candle Sally from Almyter that the Teeth began to resemble something respectable. Molly, however, seems born to tug her family line backwards.) She has several polished bronze teeth that she claims are gold, unlike the rest of her family who all show off flawless pearly whites. Whereas Punimin generally find wood to carve, Molly has taken to her own skin with dyes and inks to tell stories—lies, really—of flying with crows. Her largest canvass is her shelfy bosom, which seems to have intentional difficulty fitting into every garment she selects. The ink she uses is allegedly “snake powder,” a new substance of multiple uses being whispered about on the underground markets. Some people say it makes you crazy, if it’s even real at all. Whatever Molly bought, snake powder or some imitation, it obviously made permanent marks on her skin, but if it made her crazier than she comes naturally, that would be hard to tell. They spy on Rose and Dancin.

Rose says, “Let’s get married in secret.”

“We could ask the district emissary,” he offers gently. A sharp glare from her makes him rethink the suggestion. “I’m sorry—I know how your family feels about that, but if we go the secret way and the Strelkie find out, they’ll come after everyone we love. That’s war.”

Net motions for Molly to hang back while he approaches like a cautious viper.

Rose says, “I’m not afraid of Strelkie. I’m just afraid of not living my life. I loved Ann, but I hate her for what she did. I won’t do it. I won’t bow to them. Do you know what sprawhammid is?”

Dancin squints searching for a school-time memory. “Is it what the ancients called brave adventurers?”

“I think so,” she says. “But people nowadays say different things. Pig-headed fool, reckless pirate, stubborn noble. The more I hear about sprawhammid, the more it suits me. All together I think it really means to chase what you believe in, especially in the face of tyranny.”

“And what do you believe in, Rose?”

“Love. It’s what Punimin have and what Strelkie want to stamp out. It’s freedom. It’s choice. All those words we don’t want to get overheard saying by the wrong people. If we say, ‘sprawhammid’ instead, we can be free to design our secrets openly, among our people. The Strelkie will never know. None are taught the word.”

Dancin whispers, “Then our wedding will be sprawhammid.”

Net Nesting blows a bone horn and startles them. He jumps out with a shiny shotgun. Teeth Molly leaps out with a rusty corkscrew knife. Psychos.

Net Nesting muses, “What do we have here?”

Teeth Molly shouts, “Lawbreakers! Them’s treasonists!”

Net flexes his power. “Plotting to get married without consent of the district emissary?”

Molly looks stunned. “Wait. You’re not the district em?” Did Molly just sleep with a low rank? She is perturbed.

Net shrugs her off. “No, but I work for him. I’ll have his chair soon.” He turns to Dancin. “I am Net Nesting. I reflect the district emissary. What you’ve spoken here is conspiracy of the sickest flavor.”

Dancin attempts respect. “We were just planning to come and visit you—”

“Liars!” Molly shrieks. “We’s heard your plots! What’s heard can’t be silent, not when it’s rot. We’ll make sure the authorities hear about this, what’d you call it, ‘sprawhammid.’ Your secrets is undone, they is.”

Rose bites back. “Teeth Molly, I know your cousin; she’s our dentist. Does she know you’re carrying on with a Strelkie soldier?”

Molly’s jaw drops. “Oh, ha ho! Blackmail? This cud just tried to blackmail me! Punish them! Stick them!”

Net looks unsure. Molly presses. “Punish them big, Net. I’ll meet you up with my girlfriend if you do. She swings, love-dove. You just tell the story, and she’ll play it for you.” She points at a string of tattoos on her leg like a menu. They are … enlightening to Net.

Net gulps and nods. “Okay. Okay, here’s what we’ll do. You come to my office later today and pay me to forget this.”

Molly won’t have that weakness. “You soft sludger, no! Punish them proper! Do it, Strelkie, or I’ll tell the district em you’re carrying on with a Punimin girl.”

“He’d kill you too, stupid,” Net snaps.

Molly rubs her neck sensually. “Not if he likes me. My bet’s he will.” Net turns shocked.

“Maybe we should all just go our separate ways,” Dancin says.

Molly is on a roll now. “Nah, nah, nah. Make these cuds fight to the death. Barbellics style.”

Net is in over his head with this girl.

Rose snarls, “Molly, what did I ever do to you?”

To Molly, everyone has wronged her. “Fight to the death. Tell them, Net! Tell!”

Net finds a courage he didn’t know he had. “Whoever wins, their family lives. The loser’s family dies with pain for conspiracy to host a wedding without permission. The emissary will want a strong example made.”

Rose looks grave. “You can’t be serious.”

Molly jumps. “My man’s serious, Pistol. And I gets the loser’s head! I get to carry it on a post! The whole village will see I’m the top Punimin. Watch them buttoned-up doves look at me like a whore then. I’ll see them gobble their words.”

Net points his shotgun at Rose. “Fight now, or both families die. All of them.”

©Michael Ryan Hahn

 

Guest Review by Gracie

If there is anything I learned from this book, it is that you do not mess with a girl with Pistol as a first name!

Pistol Rose was raised to respect two things, family and gun crafting. She was raised as a fighter and instilled at a young age with a deep and abiding hatred for the Strelkie, an over class of people that live in a shining, technologically advanced city that rules over Rose's people, the Punimin.

Though the Punimin are raised to honor fidelity, the Strelkie are non-monogamous, even in their families. It is for this reason, as well as many others, that Rose hesitates to ask for permission from her local Strelkie emissary when she and her beau, Clock Dancin' decide to get married.

Rose knows that the emissary will deny them. She has seen it happen before, when her cousin Ann asked to marry her own beau and was not only denied, but lost her man to be conscripted into the city for breeding purposes.

Rose does not wish to lose Dancin' in this way, and she realizes that she and her fiancé must flee their village and find refuge in a place called Afar if they are ever to be free together. Of course, this is easier said than done, and by the time everything shakes out, Rose has a lot more blood on her hands than she started out with.

Author Michael Ryan Hahn secures his place as one of the best modern steampunk authors of our time with this electric novel of love, strength and family.I simply couldn't put this down and I'm sure that other readers will agree.

'Pistol Rose and the Wedding that Sparked a War' is a once in a lifetime reading experience that will leave you wanting more!

 

 

Buy Pistol Rose and the Wedding that Sparked a War by Michael Ryan Hahn

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This giveaway is for 2 copies. The winners will have the choice of print or ebook. This giveaway is open worldwide and on November 23, 2023 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thursday 12 October 2023

Pets in Space - Review to follow

Apologies - I had intended to publish a review of one of the stories in this fantastic anthology, but have had a few problems and wasn't able to do so on the day scheduled for my post. I am so sorry, and will post the review as soon as I can!



For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.
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Tuesday 10 October 2023

Pets in Space - with excerpt and author post

Pets in Space 8 tour banner

As most of my reader know, I have a deep love of all animals, especially horses and dogs and have horses in two of my novels in the Destiny Trilogy and an alien animal that is a sort of cross between a wolf and a bear, with chameleon-like abilities in the third one, so I am delighted to feature another 'Pets in Space' anthology.

This is my post during the blog tour for Pets in Space 8. Blast off into adventure with the eighth instalment of Pets in Space, a dynamic anthology of 11 never-before-seen science fiction romance stories!

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 3 till 16 October. You can see the tour schedule here.

Pets in Space 8 book cover
Pets in Space 8
By R.J. Blain, Susan Hayes, Honey Phillips, Skye MacKinnon, Arizona Tape, Carol Van Natta, Tana Stone, S.J. Pajonas, Carysa Locke, JC Hay, Gail Koger and Elva Birch
Genre: Science Fiction Romance Anthology
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 3 October 2023

Blurb:
Join the PETS IN SPACE crew!

Blast off into adventure with the eighth instalment of PETS IN SPACE, a dynamic anthology of 11 never-before-seen science fiction romance stories! Rocket through the multi-verses brimming with heart-pounding escapades, swoon-worthy romances, and the best pet sidekicks ever!
Each story will pull you into the far-flung corners of the cosmos with intrepid heroes and heroines you’ll want to cheer for as they fight to save their world and find their happily ever afters. You’ll adore the furry, feathered, and scaly friends who have come to help their brave human companions on their quests.

This limited-edition anthology includes novellas by some of the biggest names in science fiction romance including USA TODAY bestselling authors R.J. Blain, Susan Hayes, Honey Phillips, Skye MacKinnon, Arizona Tape, Carol Van Natta, Tana Stone, S.J. Pajonas, Carysa Locke, JC Hay, plus award-winning authors Gail Koger and Elva Birch.

The Pets in Space 8 authors continue their vital support of Hero-Dogs.org, the non-profit charity that provides trained service dogs for disabled U.S. veterans and first-responders.

So, grab your space helmet to discover adventure and love — buy Pets in Space 8 today
Links:
- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Google Play
- Apple

Pets in Space 8 graphic

EXCERPT AND AUTHOR POST

This post is written by Carysa Locke who wrote Shattered Echoes which is one of the stories included in Pets in Space 8.

My pet for this year’s Pets in Space anthology is a cross between a ferret and a red panda. Basically, Miko looks like a sleeker, smaller red panda, but has similar markings. She is also highly intelligent, and in addition to sharing an empathic bond with Iona, the heroine, she also has some other unique abilities that play a strong role in the novella.

It's fair to say that without Miko, this story would never happen, and Iona might never regain her memory or find her way back to Zephyr.

A small glimpse of Miko from Shattered Echoes:

“Ansel, do you have eyes on Miko?” Iona wasn’t too worried; her companion had been to many of these affairs in the past. While she loved to explore, she almost never got caught. It was the almost that gave her a wisp of doubt.

“That’s not—” A shimmer in the air caught Iona’s eye from across the room. It was close to the banquet table. Oh no. She sent a stern feeling of disapproval down the link she shared with Miko. A burst of joy and anticipation bubbled back. Mother damn it.||||N

“Best be prepared,” she muttered through the sublink to Ansel.

“Prepared? For what?”

Disaster. “Anything.”


Pets in Space links:
- Website
- Pets in Space® Facebook Readers Group
- Twitter
- Newsletter Signup

Hero Dogs Charity
Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space® authors have donated over $18,000 in the past seven years to help place specially trained dogs with disabled veterans and first responders. 10% of all pre-orders and the first month’s royalties of Pets in Space 8 will again go to Hero-Dogs.org. Open your hearts and grab your limited-release copy of Pets in Space 8 today and help this worthy charity! https://www.hero-dogs.org/

The Authors:
- R.J. Blain
- Susan Hayes
- Honey Phillips
- Skye MacKinnon
- Arizona Tape
- Carol Van Natta
- Tana Stone
- S.J. Pajonas
- Carysa Locke
- JC Hay
- Gail Koger
- Elva Birch

Pets in Space 8 tour banner


Lola's Blog Tours graphic

 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join