A Meddle of Wizards Cover Reveal

A MEDDLE OF WIZARDS

by
Alexandra Rushe

Genre: Fantasy

Pub
Date: 1/9/2018

Welcome to Tandara, where gods are
fickle, nightmares are real, and trolls make excellent bakers . . .

Raine Stewart is convinced she’ll die
young and alone in Alabama, the victim of a chronic, mysterious
illness. Until a man in a shabby cloak steps out of her mirror and
demands her help to defeat a bloodthirsty wizard.

Raine shrugs it off as a
hallucination—just one more insult from her failing body—and
orders her intruder to take a hike. But the handsome figment of her
imagination won’t take no for an answer, and kidnaps her anyway,
launching her into a world of utmost danger—and urgent purpose.

Ruled by unpredictable gods and
unstable nations, Tandara is a land of shapeshifters and
weather-workers, queens and legends. Ravenous monsters and greedy
bounty hunters patrol unforgiving mountains. Riverboats pulled by
sea-cattle trade down broad waterways. And creatures of nightmare
stalk Raine herself, vicious in the pursuit of her blood.

But Raine isn’t helpless or alone.
She’s part of a band as resourceful as it is odd: a mage-shy
warrior, a tattered wizard, a tenderhearted giant, and a prickly
troll sorceress. Her new friends swear she has powers of her own.
If she can stay under their protection, she might just live long
enough to find out...

Amazon
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* Google
* Kobo 

Alexandra Rushe was born in South
Alabama, and grew up climbing trees, searching for sprites and
fairies in the nearby woods, and dreaming of other worlds. The
daughter of an English teacher and a small-town judge, Rushe
developed a love of reading early on, and haunted the school and
local libraries, devouring fairy tales, myths, and tales of
adventure. In the seventh grade, she stumbled across a worn copy of
The Hobbit, and was forever changed. She loves fantasy and
paranormal, but only between the pages of a book—the flying monkeys
in The Wizard of Oz give her the creeps, and she eschews horror
movies. A psychic friend once proclaimed the linen closet in Rushe’s
bedroom a portal to another dimension, and she hasn’t slept well
since. Rushe is a world-class chicken.

Twitter

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Scions Book 1 - Scandal: book tour and #Giveaway

It's always a pleasure to welcome another SF writer to the Flight Deck! This is my stop during the blog tour for Scandal by Athena Grayson. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. 

The blog tour runs from 12 till 25 June. See the tour schedule here.

Scandal (Scions of the Star Empire #1)

By Athena Grayson

Genre: S.F.  dystopian with romantic elements

Age category: New Adult/ Adult

Release Date: 23 March 2017

Blurb:

They can have anything they want...except a future.

Nothing infuriates Princess Ione Ra more than having someone else take control of her reputation from her, and her old nemesis--gossip journalist Jaris Pulne--is poised to do just that with pilfered pics of her caught in a compromising position with her power-couple partner. As someone who's no stranger to manipulating the markets on her own social life, Ione knows the wrong scandal means social suicide.

For the other half of the power couple, Den Hades, his survival has depended on staying in his powerful father's shadow in order to protect his secrets. But on the very night of his one chance to earn a shot at becoming a Scion--and freedom from his father's ambitions, scandal threatens to tear him from Ione, or worse--force them together before their time.

Damage control turns into danger when their attempts to retrieve the images lead them both into the dark underbelly of the glittering city-planet, exposing secrets of both friends and foes that could lead to more than just social suicide.

You can find Scandal on Goodreads

You can buy Scandal here:

- Amazon

- B&N

- Kobo

- iTunes

- Google Play

- Smashwords

- Books2Read

You can also find all the buy links for this book here
on the author's website.

About the Author:

Athena Grayson likes kickass heroines, big-brained and sexy beta heroes who aren't afraid of strong women or their own
feelings, and stories that turn the genre tropes sideways. If you're looking for something a little unexpected, a little
more, and a lot of fun...this is your kinda place.

You can find and contact Athena here:

- Website

- Facebook

- Twitter

- Amazon

- Goodreads

- Bookbub



Giveaway

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Scandal. These are the prizes you can win:

- 2 paperback copies of Scandal by Athena Grayson (US Only)

- 2 $10 Amazon Gift Cards (International)


For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

WeWriWa - Uh-Oh Looks like she's about to be caught out!

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warrior and 8 Sentence Sunday, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to read and write!

Writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet on Sunday each week. Be sure to visit the other writers - they're listed Below:

Weekend Writing Warriors for Eight Sentence Sunday

Snippet Sunday Facebook Group

It's the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! We've got a variety of genres and talented writers just waiting for you to come sample their work.

(And I'm also taking part in the SFR Brigade monthly 'Showcase' and you can see my post below if you'd care to visit.)

Read one, or all! If you'd to share your own 8-10 sentence snippet, whether published or not, follow the link and sign up. It's a great community to be a part of! 

I'm currently posting snippets from Starquest, Volume 1 in the Destiny Trilogy . Jestine Darnell has been rescued from her crippled starship by the crew of the starship Destiny and is gradually finding her place as one of the crew.

Jess is on the Flight Deck having a somewhat awkward conversation with Kerry Marchant, the second in command.

“Kerry, don’t you believe in anything?” 

“Oh, yes,” he replied, giving her a very direct look. "Myself and this ship, and the technology that enabled us to design and build her.” 

“And there’s no room in your life for the concept of the Universal Spirit...you think this whole universe was created by accident?” 

“I know it goes against all the rulings of the Union, with their insistence on blind obedience to the ‘Universal Spirit,’ but I trust only in the things I know and can control. I do not waste my time on fantasy or myths.” 

“It must be very gratifying to be so self-sufficient you need no one and nothing but yourself,” Jess said, without trying to suppress the note of scornful resignation in her voice. 

“It avoids disappointment.” 

She shook her head disparagingly and rose to leave the flight deck, taking one last look at the observation panel. To her consternation, Kerry caught hold of her by the shoulder and pushed her firmly back into her seat, standing over her with an attitude of grim resolve. 


“Not so fast, you have some explaining to do.” 

STARQUEST BLURB

When Jestine Darnell is rescued from her sabotaged starship by the crew of the Destiny her only objective is to complete her mission and keep her promise to save a world from slavery. Love is the last thing on her mind. However, she has not counted on losing her heart to Kerry Marchant the ship’s second in command, who makes his distrust of her painfully obvious, despite the chemistry between them. The completion of her mission has consequences that neither of them could have foreseen.

Enter Dahll Tarron, who becomes involved in a long and dangerous quest to find the Destiny. Fates become intertwined, perils shared, culminating in the realization that sometimes love may be so close that there is a danger it will not be recognized until it is too late…

You can read the previous snippet HERE

Purchase Starquest, Children of the Mist and Beloved Enemy here:
Destiny Trilogy

(All three books can be read as 'standalones' and are available singly)

(I'm also taking part in the SF Brigade Showcase this month too see the post below!)

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! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Cover Reveal - Crash Land on Kurai by SJ Pajonas.

Today is the cover reveal for Crash Land on Kurai by SJ Pajonas. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

Crash Land on Kurai (Hikoboshi #1)

By SJ Pajonas

Genre: Science Fiction, Action Adventure, Space Opera

Age category: Adult

Release Date: 18 July, 2017

Blurb:
Yumi Minamoto has the shortest fuse on the ship. She’s just whipped a bully and been confined to quarters, but she’s not staying there. A disgracedjournalist trying to clear her name, her job is to document the mission to the Hikoboshi system, and she’s determined to get it right, despite all the trouble she causes. But when unknown vessels fire on their ship, and Yumi's life pod crash lands on a dying moon, she's separated from her family and friends, and her mission falls to pieces. Now she must navigate the unfamiliar and deadly terrain, deal with a society she doesn’t understand, and try to stay alive until rescue comes… if it ever does.

Crash Land on Kurai is the first book in the Hikoboshi Series, an action adventure, space opera series that explores the worlds settled by the Japanese who fled Earth a century ago. Culture, history, technology, and swords clash in a fast-paced future society on the brink of war.You can find Crash Land on Kurai on Goodreads

Read the first four chapters of Crash Land on Kurai! Get your sample here from Instafreebie

About the Author:

Stephanie (S. J.) is a writer, knitter, amateur astrologer, Capricorn, and Japanophile. She loves foxes, owls, sushi, yoga pants, Evernote, and
black tea. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing or spending time outside, unless it’s winter. She hates winter. Someday she’ll own a house in both hemispheres so she can avoid the season entirely. She’s a mom to two great kids and lives with her husband and family outside NYC. They have no pets. Yet. When it comes to her work, expect the unexpected. She doesn’t write anything typical. Find her online at http://www.spajonas.com.

You can find and contact SJ Pajonas here:

- Website

- Facebook

- Twitter

- Goodreads

- Tumblr

- Instagram

- Youtube

- Wattpad

- Amazon

WeWriWa - Another excerpt from Starquest - what is she up to?

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warrior and 8 Sentence Sunday, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to read and write!

Writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet on Sunday each week. Be sure to visit the other writers - they're listed Below:

Weekend Writing Warriors for Eight Sentence Sunday

Snippet Sunday Facebook Group

It's the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! We've got a variety of genres and talented writers just waiting for you to come sample their work.
(And I'm also taking part in the SFR Brigade monthly 'Showcase' and you can see my post below if you'd care to visit.)

Come read one, or all! If you'd to share your own 8-10 sentence snippet, whether published or not, follow the link and sign up. It's a great community to be a part of! 

I'm currently posting snippets from Starquest, Volume 1 in the Destiny Trilogy . Jestine Darnell has been rescued from her crippled starship by the crew of the Destiny and is gradually finding her place as one of the crew. However, she has a secret, a secret she needs to confess to the Commander Jon Quinlan, before KerryMarchant, the ship's second in command voices the suspicions she knows he harbors.

The ship cruised under the control of the main computer, and as so often seemed to happen, she found herself alone on the flight deck with Kerry. Was it coincidence, or was he keeping an eye on her--why else would he be working while everyone else enjoyed their leisure time?

He sat nearby, at one of the consoles, checking the coordinates for the next jump through hyperspace.  This would bring them to a previously unexplored sector of space, and the planet Dakkon. Without making it obvious she was looking at him, she watched as he ran his long, slim fingers over Metisa's configuration panels. 

Although the computer received and relayed most of its information verbally, there were certain functions for which Common Universal had its limitations as a computer language.

Kerry’s hands fascinated her--she felt such hands should belong to an artist or a musician, not to this stern, logical man who seemed interested only in the ship and its computers. She turned her attention back to the observation panel and came to a decision. She’d waited long enough to find the right moment to tell Jon about Phidia, and to confess to taking the blaster. She’d tried to return it, but that had proven more difficult than stealing it in the first place.

You can read the previous snippet HERE

Purchase here - Destiny Trilogy
(All three books can be read as 'standalones')



(Oh and I'm taking part in the SF Brigade Showcase this month too see the post below!)




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! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

SFR Brigade showcase The Destiny Trilogy

Once a month the Science Fiction Romance Brigade authors showcase snippets from new work, WIPs, cover reveals or other fun things. 

This is the link to the other  participants.

I'm thrilled that the third book in my Trilogy 'The Destiny Trilogy' is a finalist in the RONE Awards (You might just have noticed the  shiny badge in the left hand sidebar  :) (and thanks again to everyone who voted for my book, I feel so honoured and humbled to have got through to the final round.

I love graphics and playing about with them. I'm no expert on Photoshop but I'm gradually learning!

I thought I'd post a a few  pictures I 'manipulated' as background images when I was writing the stories, more for inspiration for myself than anything else, although I do occasionally include them in things like blog posts! The map was drawn using a programme which unfortunately I no longer have access to but I found it very useful for keeping track of my characters' movements.

Map Of Niflheim

Niflheim appears in both Starquest and Children of the Mist and was named by the fictional settlers of this cold and mainly inhospitable planet, from the mythical Norse land of cold and snow.  Parts of it are more temperate though, and suitable for human habitation. Here is a description from Starquest, when  the heroine first sees the chief settlement Gladsheim:

Gladsheim (Starquest
and Children Of The Mist)

Gladsheim is set around the sides of a deep valley. The area in the centre comprises a long, narrow ornamental lake, flanked by mosaic paving with fountains and flowering shrubs. The jagged mountains, which form the walls of the valley, are so high I could scarcely see their snow-covered peaks, which made a sharp contrast to the soft lines and curves of the buildings below. I was surprised to see flowers everywhere, pushing themselves out of the snowy ground as prolifically as anything growing in a more temperate climate.

My first impression of the various dwellings themselves was that they were so graceful they appeared as if the slightest breeze would blow them away. The tall spires and turrets of many of the structures made it look like a scene from a fairy tale, such as the ones pictured in the holobooks I watched as a child. They must have been constructed or overlaid with the same substance as the walls of the caves, since they glowed with a similar soft luminescence, without the need for additional lighting. 

Niflheim (Starquest and Children Of The Mist)

The young Nifl lad, who had ridden with us, came forward to lead the ponies away and Gullin gestured to Dahll and me to follow himself and Tamarith. A high, delicate bridge spans the lake, and as we crossed it, it produced a low, musical sound, like little tinkling bells. The shining metal from which it is constructed flashed and sparkled with many colours in the reflected light from the buildings, reminding me of the Rainbow Bridge of Scandinavian mythology. Ranged outside the houses were small groups of Nifls, obviously curious about us. They stood politely aside to let us pass, and some murmured soft words of greeting.


And finally, this is my impression of Robigo, in Beloved  Enemy. The planet shifts and changes but most of the areas where Cat and Kerry find themselves are pretty hot and bleak - quite a contrast to Niflheim!

Purchase the Destiny Trilogy individually or as a set from:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0711J641G

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! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join