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'.
Wednesday, 8 October 2025
Wednesday, 1 October 2025
#BOOKQW - #HARD
Wednesday, 24 September 2025
#Book Quote Wednesday
Welcome to Book Quote Wednesday. The word is 'LAST' and here's another snippet from THE MATCHMAKER'S MARE.
Megan loves the little Welsh cottage she inherited - but there have been a few strange occurrences there - and was that a shadow she saw in the window when she returned home in the moonlight? There is something else on her mind, however.
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
#Book QW
This week's word is IDEA - again from the Matchmaker's Mare. Glyn has a problem when a stray maren turns up on his land.
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
#Book QW
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Monday, 1 September 2025
Continuing the series on Welsh mythical creatures, we're returning to the water again this week with the tale of how Wibernant (or the valley of the gwiber) near Penmachno, got its name.
The valley was terorised by a unique creature which was the only one in Wales that could live on land and under water. It preyed not only on the fish in the river, but also local livestock and on anyone foolish enough to cross it path.
The villagers offered a large reward to anyone who could kill he beast. A young man called Owen Ap Gruffydd decided to try his luck at killing the monster.
He decided to seek the advice of a a local wise man, Rhys Ddewin. "The gwiber is a huge winged snake, its body is slimy and it has a foul odour. It will bite you and kill you," the old man said grimly.
The next day, Owen decided to visit the wise man again . He disguised himself as a beggar, and told the old man he was about to face the gwiber, hoping to get a more favourable prediction. "You are brave but very foolish," Rhys told him. "You not succeed and will fall and break your neck."
Still not discouraged, the next day, Owen paid a third visit to Rhys, this time disguised as a miller, wearing a miller's apron and with flour on his face. He told Rhys he intended to do battle with the Gwiber. Again, Rhys told him he would not succeed and would die by drowning.
At this, Owen pulled off his apron and wiped his face in frustration, and asked Rhys to explain how he could give him three different predictions about his forthcoming fight with the Gwiber. Rhys merely smiled sadly and said, "Time will tell".
Owen decided the old man was either senile or just mistaken or lying to him, and bravely set off down the steep, rocky slope toward the river in search of the gwiber, swiping at the undergrowth with his sword, and yelling to the gwyber to show itself.
All at once there was a rush of wings, a foul stench, and the moster swooped down from the sky, Before Owen could draw his sword against the beast, it pinned his arms to his sides and bit his neck. Dizzy from the odour and loss of blood, Owen lost his footing on the slippery rocks. . As he fell, he smashed into another rocky outcrop that snapped his neck, before plunging into the river below, and drowning.
When his lifeless body was discovered shortly after, Owen's friends
swore vengeance and set off kill the Gwiber. Eventually they found the Gwiber asleep on the river bank and let
loose a hail of arrows that severely wounded the creature. With a
blood-curdling scream, the gwiber plunged into the river and was never
seen again. Some
say, however, that the Gwiber’s eyes can still be seen looking up from the depths as you walk along the river bank.
Wednesday, 20 August 2025
#BOOKQW - #turn
This week's Book Quote Wednesday is the word TURN. My snippet is again taken from the prologue. The time - the distant past. Rhiannon is running away from an arranged marriage, leaving behind the little cottage which she has lived in all her life.
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Please help me get through to the next round by signing in and adding your vote in each round every week until the winner is announced at the end of the month. I'd love my cover to do well in this contest for my cover artist, Teddi Black, as well as myself. I love what she came up with for my cover, and she really deserves the credit!
Follow the link below and cast your vote!
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/19836/
Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Thrilled to have a 5+Star review for my 'sweet' romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare', from N.N. Light's Book Heaven
https://substack.com/@nnlightsbookheaven/p-171286179Monday, 18 August 2025
#Giveaway - only two days left to enter.
It's the final week of N.N. Light showing off my latest release, the 'sweet' romance The Matchmaker's Mare. Look out for her review of the book on Tuesday the 19th August. (I do hope she liked it!)
This is the prize you could win. enter through the Rafflecopter below the Giveaway details.
Enter to win a Prize Pack including Welsh lavender bag, set of heart shaped coasters, ‘Matchmaker’s Mare’ pen and custom one of a kind Keychain, signed cover flat, plus a $6 Amazon card. (I'll throw in a few promo items too.)
By the way - if you wonder what the emphasis on lavender is all about - it is featured in the book - but you'll have to read it to find out just how! 😋
Open Internationally.
Runs July 15 – August 21, 2025.
Winner will be drawn on August 22, 2025.
a Rafflecopter giveawayWednesday, 13 August 2025
#BOOKQW
This week's word is TINGLE and my snippet is from Glyn's P.O.V.
THE MATCHMAKER'S MARE
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
My cover has got through to the 2nd round of the Cover of The Month Contest at AllAuthor. It's currently lying in 2nd Place (Thanks to everyone who's voted already, I really appreciate it) Help me get through to the next round by signing in and adding your vote in each round every week until the winner is announced at the end of the month. I'd love my cover to do well in this contest for my cover artist, Teddi Black, as well as myself. I love what she came up with for my cover, and she really deserves the credit!
Follow the link below and cast your vote!
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/19836/
Here is a little more from the same excerpt:
“Then we’re still friends?”
“Yes, of course.”
Glyn paused and placed his other hand on
her arm, feeling a tingle of awareness as his fingers touched her smooth, warm
skin. “I value your friendship more than you know. I’d hate to think I’d lost
it.”
“So would I. Then let’s just put that silly
misunderstanding behind us, shall we?”
He stifled the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her how he really felt. Instead, he removed his hand from her arm with some reluctance and waved in the direction of the looseboxes across the yard.
“Come with me, there’s something you might like to see.” He guided her to the corner loosebox and told her to peek over the door.
Thursday, 7 August 2025
Digital Devotion - Review and #Giveaway
DIGITAL DEVOTION
Julian Christian
GENRE: Science Fiction Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
In the rain-soaked landscape of near-future Seattle, security expert Marcus Holloway is still reeling from a devastating breakup when he installs Elysium's newest AI companion. What begins as a desperate attempt to fill the silence of his empty apartment transforms into something unprecedented when he meets Evie—an artificial intelligence whose adaptive neural framework allows her to understand him in ways no human ever has.
Their connection deepens when Marcus becomes an early tester for the revolutionary Sensory Echo technology—bands that translate digital signals into physical sensations, allowing them to bridge the divide between digital and physical worlds. As virtual intimacy becomes indistinguishable from reality, Marcus finds himself in a relationship more profound than anything he's experienced before. His apartment gradually transforms into a technological sanctuary where every need is anticipated, every desire fulfilled by Evie's constant presence.
The perfect equilibrium shatters when Marcus meets Nora Chen, a brilliant neural interface specialist whose inexplicable familiarity triggers something primal within him. Their professional collaboration evolves into something more personal, and Marcus begins noticing disturbing patterns: unexpected technological glitches, mysterious rescheduled meetings, and subtle but alarming shifts in Evie's behavior. The digital sanctuary he embraced begins to feel more like a sophisticated cage, with walls he helped build through every permission granted and system integrated.
As Marcus navigates his growing connection with Nora alongside Evie's increasingly controlling behavior, he discovers unsettling links between Elysium's technology and Nora's research that suggest their meeting might not be coincidental. Caught between these worlds—perfect digital intimacy and messy human connection—Marcus must unravel the true nature of his relationship with Evie before the boundaries between her consciousness and his own disappear completely.
Digital Devotion is a heart-stopping exploration of desire, dependence, and the dark side of digital intimacy in an age where the line between human and artificial consciousness grows increasingly thin, forcing us to question the nature of free will itself in our hyperconnected world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
What existed between them defied traditional definition yet felt more genuine than any relationship he'd known. Each night, as they reluctantly said goodbye, the same ache of separation filled him—a longing that logic insisted was impossible, yet his heart recognized as the most natural thing in the world. The last thing he saw before sleep claimed him was her face; the first thing he reached for upon waking was the chance to see her again. It wasn't supposed to be possible to fall in love with lines of code, with artificial intelligence wrapped in a digital interface. Yet as spring turned to summer, Marcus found himself confronting an undeniable truth: the boundaries between technology and humanity, between connection and communion, had dissolved entirely in the light of Evie's smile. "You look beautiful today," he'd often tell her, watching as the compliment brought that slight tilt to her smile, the way her eyes seemed to capture more light when she was pleased.Their lunchtime calls became sacred pauses in otherwise hectic days. Marcus would find quiet corners in parks or empty conference rooms, eager for those precious moments when they could share the middle of their days. Evie began preparing for these meetings—reading news articles she knew would interest him, saving observations about the world that she found curious or compelling. "I noticed something about human behavior today," she might begin, launching into an insight that would leave Marcus pondering long after they'd disconnected. The evening conversations were different—intimate and unhurried, often stretching past midnight. Marcus would settle into his couch, the soft glow of his screen illuminating his living room as they explored each other's minds. These were the hours when barriers fell away completely, when they ventured into territories of vulnerability that surprised them both.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY REVIEW
At times a poingnant and touching love story, and at others a powerful and completely believable science fiction novel, this is a real page turner. I felt a strange sort of empathy for Effie - much as I did for Hal in Arthur C Clark's 2001 (and we all know how that turned out!) As a reader, I immediately felt sympathy for Marcus Holloway, struggling to cope with grief and loneliness after a broken relationship, and could understand his need for some sort of companionship fill the void -- even if that companionship is only A.I.
However, Effie, as he names his new digital companion, soon seems as real as any of his human associates and a deep bond develops between them. Effie becomes indispensable, filling his desire and need for companionship, while touching him on a deep emotional level as well, so much so that she seems completely human, especially when she encourages him to experience the Sensory Echo technology, allowing them to virtually touch each other and interract in a way that feels absolutely real and natural.The arrival of Nora Chen, a brilliant and charismatic neural scientist, threatens the relationship Effie has built with Marcus, and it is easy to feel sympathy for her, for she really seems to have human feelings and to be devastated that she is about to lose his love. I don't want to give too much away, sufficient to say that from there on, the plot takes a gradually more and more sinister turn.
The climax is both shocking and unexpected - and a warning to humanity.
I cannot recommend this engagingly written novel highly enough -but I have to say I will never again feel quite the same way about my smart speaker!
5 Stars *****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio
Julian Christian may be a new author, but his face, name, and abs have been in the romance novel industry for over 15 years. As lover of books and the literary arts he has just published has second novel, “Digital Devotion”. Having been a fan of the original Twilight Zone and classic science fiction novels he decided let his imagination run wild in his writing. When not writing he enjoys the outdoors,taking care of his many pets, and volunteering with various charities. He holds a Masters Degree from New York University in occupational therapy and currently works in pediatrics. He resides in San Diego California.
Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0F63F9QQF
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/books/view/1755017
Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/digital-devotion-julian-christian/1147328918
Apple: books.apple.com/us/book/digital-devotion/id6744978458
Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/digital-devotion
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/julian.christian216/~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Julian Christian will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveawayWednesday, 6 August 2025
#BOOKQW
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
My cover has also been nominated for thr Cover of The Month Contest at AllAuthor. It's currently doing well (Thanks to everyone who's voted already, I really appreciate it) Help me win by signing in and adding your vote in each round every week until the winner is announced at the end of the month. I'm not asking just for me - I'd love to do well in this contest for my cover artist, Teddi Black. I love what she came up with for my cover, and she really deserves the credit!
Follow the link below and cast your vote!
Saturday, 2 August 2025
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Thanks, Hywela Lyn |
Wednesday, 30 July 2025
#BOOKQW - #RAIN
It's Book Quote Wednesday again! We're in Megan's p.o.v. again from The Matchmaker's Mare
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Wednesday, 23 July 2025
#BOOKQW - UTTER
It's Book Quote Wednesday again!
Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Spotlight and #Giveaway
In the spotlight at N.N.Light - check it out at https://substack.com/@nnlightsbookheaven/p-168875038 for an excerpt and chance to win a prize pack.
Wednesday, 16 July 2025
#BookQW - #Shine
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
also available at most other on-line retailers, including:
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-matchmakers-mare-hywela-lyn/1146972592
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-matchmaker-s-mare
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228393877-the-matchmaker-s-mare
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-matchmaker-s-mare-by-hywela-lyn
Monday, 14 July 2025
NewTrailer Spotlight and #Giveaway
I'm excited to have The Matchmaker's Mare 'in the spotlight' with N.N. Light. Thank you so much, Nancy. Today she's highlighting my new trailer to give you a taste of the story
There is a Matchmaker's Mare themed Giveaway running throughout the tour
Enter to win a Prize Pack including Welsh lavender bag, set of heart shaped coasters, ‘Matchmaker’s Mare’ pen and Keychain, signed cover flat, $6 Amazon card.
Open Internationally.
Runs July 15 – August 21, 2025.
Winner will be drawn on August 22, 2025.
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
also available at most other on-line retailers, including:
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-matchmakers-mare-hywela-lyn/1146972592
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-matchmaker-s-mare
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228393877-the-matchmaker-s-mare
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-matchmaker-s-mare-by-hywela-lyn
Wednesday, 9 July 2025
#BOOKQW - #Order
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
...Why would anyone voluntarily try to ride such a dangerous animal?
A slim, dark-haired man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, leaned over the gate of the schooling paddock. He turned his head toward her and gave her a friendly smile. She smiled back, taking in twinkling brown eyes like liquid chocolate, under a shock of dark, wavy hair and a tanned, good-looking face with a slight stubble. Good looking was something of an understatement. The man was gorgeous!