Here be Magic: October 2022

Monday, October 31, 2022

HERE BE NEWS for Monday October 31, 2022

Posted by: PG Forte

Monday October 31, 2022

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:

Tuesday, October 25, 2022: October Vignette - "Hunter’s Moon" by Linda Mooney

Worlds of Fire: Metamorphosis a Romantic Fantasy novella by Deborah A. Bailey

Asira is a member of a high-ranking family of Alchemists who exert control over the libraries that store magical texts. She never believed her acceptance into the coveted position was in doubt.

Yet, when she becomes the apprentice of a gargoyle shifter Alchemist who insists on keeping his pet bird with him, she has her doubts that he was the right choice for her final class.

Jaydon is from a shifter group known as the Gigun. As an unconventional but powerful teacher of transmutation at the university, he could have his pick of mentees. It isn't hard to tell that the last thing he wants to do is mentor a student from a powerful family.

Asira finds Jaydon frustrating but too fascinating for her own good. But she needs his knowledge and guidance when she becomes the target of a classmate’s deception. With Jaydon’s assistance, the two of them uncover a conspiracy that threatens the well-regulated order of the Floating World.

As their feelings for each other intensify, Jaydon must make a life-altering decision which will either bind them together… or permanently force them apart.

$3.99 - Available on Amazon, B&N, Apple, Kobo and other booksellers.

Buy link:

https://books2read.com/Metamorphosis-Worlds

Worlds of Fire Series:

https://authordebbailey.com/worlds-of-fire-series/

https://books2read.com/b/LetsGetNaughty

I'm taking part in a Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Paranormal Romance Book Fair this month:

It's Halloween Season. What better way to spend it than reading a Paranormal, Fantasy, Sci-fi or Spooky Romance?

https://books.bookfunnel.com/october-pnr-fantasy-sci-fi-romance/3qsh9u8tsb

My story, Going Back to Find You is one of the books featured in this event. Here's the blurb and a brief excerpt. Also, btw, one of the books I'm working on at the moment is a sequel to this book, so I'm feeling very into Jason right now...

Because even a vampire deserves a second chance.

When Jason Cook boarded the train to San Francisco, he didn't plan on coming back. He never really thought he'd see Nebraska or Lizbeth Petersen ever again.

But when an unexpected turn of events threatens the woman he'd been forced to leave behind, he has no choice but to go back and try to make things right.

Warning: This is not a drill. Vampires are invading your favorite, small Nebraska town this Halloween.

Does this mean Type-O flavored Booze will soon be the new rage in Sapphire Falls? Hopefully, it won't come to that. But you never can tell...

Excerpt:

San Francisco, California

Three weeks before Halloween…

If there was one thing Jason Cook knew to be true, it was that he was no one’s idea of a hero. He was moderately big, moderately strong; he knew a thing or two about following directions and keeping his mouth shut—all good traits to possess if there was heavy lifting to be done or bodies to be disposed of. Not that there’d been all that many of the latter, but he was a vampire, so there’d definitely been a few.

But other than those odd occasions when someone with his particular skillset was required, Jason was used to being…well, overlooked was not too strong a word for it. If he were honest, it was a state of affairs that suited him fine.

It didn’t hurt his feelings one bit to be able to fly under everyone’s radar. In fact, he considered it a valuable survival technique. Experience had taught him to steer clear of stronger, meaner, or more short-tempered vampires. No good ever came from attracting their attention. As for purposely seeking one out or, worse yet, actively confronting one of them? That was a tactic he preferred to keep in reserve for instances in which his life, or someone else’s, might depend upon it. Which is why he was currently at risk of hyperventilating as he stood in the dimly lit upstairs hallway of the Quintano Mansion, trying to force himself to knock on the door to his sire’s private office.

It had been a surprise to receive word that Conrad wished to speak with him. And by no means a happy one. It was the first such invitation Jason had received in the one hundred and sixty years he’d been part of the Quintano vampire family. He had no idea what it meant, but it was hard to believe it was anything good.

“He’s not Floyd,” Jason whispered encouragement to himself. “He’s nothing like him.” Floyd, Jason’s original sire, had been a bully with a mean streak a mile wide. Conrad, for all that he was stronger and far more dangerous than Floyd, had never struck Jason as being a bully. Then again, how well did you ever really know anyone?

“Enter!” A voice growled from within the room, pulling a defeated sigh from Jason’s lips. Not a bully, but as short tempered and prone to violence as the next vampire. Of course, Conrad would have heard him muttering to himself in the hallway just outside his office. Heard him, or scented him… Hell, for all Jason knew, Conrad might have looked through the wall and seen him. Jason had no idea what was possible when it came to the enhanced abilities most other vampires seemed to possess.

Most other vampires. But not Jason.

Resigning himself to whatever fate awaited him, Jason pushed open the door and poked his head inside. “Good evening, sir. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, Jason, thank you. I appreciate your being so prompt.”

“Oh…uh, certainly,” Jason replied, reluctant to leave the relative safety of the doorway. “You-you’re welcome.”

Conrad looked as out of place in the elegant, paneled room as Jason felt. He was dressed casually enough. His shirt was open at the throat, the sleeves rolled up to reveal heavily muscled forearms, but they were the kind of muscles, or so Jason had long suspected, that one only developed over decades, possibly centuries, of repeatedly wielding heavy swords. There was nothing civilized about Conrad Quintano, a fact that struck Jason anew practically every time he saw him.

If Jason was not mistaken, that desk Conrad was seated behind was the same desk Jason had been enlisted to help move into the room sometime in the mid-1800s. Perhaps that’s why he was here now? Perhaps Conrad had merely decided the office was overdue for an upgrade. It wasn’t impossible that was the case, and there was nothing lost in hoping for it.

Coming This Holiday Season

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

Her love could light up his night...if they can both survive that long.

Heather is having the worst Christmas ever! Or, at least, the worst Christmas since she was forced to become a vampire. Her sire's distracted, her nestmates have forgotten her, weirdos have taken over the lair. The only bright spot in her life right now is Drew--who didn't even used to like her! She knows he's coming around, but that's not good enough. She wants more. She wants everything. She wants him. And she's not giving up.

Drew Geiger gave up on love a long time ago. Such tender emotions have no place in a vampire's heart. But, somehow, the girl he once described as a "feral kitten" has got her claws in him, and she's not letting go. That would be fine, if only someone didn't want her dead--and if her sire didn't recall that it was Drew who once suggested that maybe she'd be better off that way.

Tentatively scheduled for a December 2022 Release

Releasing Next Year:

CHASING DAYLIGHT

This story takes place at the same time as Light Up the Night, but the focus is on Jason and Liz (Going Back to Find You) rather than Drew and Heather.

Scheduled to release on April 1, 2023 as part of the FREE antho, Shifter Fever

DANCING IN THE DARK

Sometimes living forever is not all it's cracked up to be.

1956 Winnipeg, Canada. Once Armand Renaud realizes that eternal youth is a real possibility, nothing will deter him from achieving his goal. And after one hundred years of solitude, Conrad can’t bring himself to resist the handsome young dancer who’s hellbent on being turned.

They both know they’re not destined to be the great loves of each other’s lives, but there are worse ways to pass a long and lonely decade or two than in the arms of a passionate stranger.

Living forever might not be everything they’d hoped for. But, at least they can still get a few things right. Can't they?

Scheduled for release November, 2023 as part of the Vampire Rejected Mates anthology.

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Bring It Back(list) Going Back to Find You ~ by PG Forte

Posted by: PG Forte

I'm taking part in a Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Paranormal Romance Book Fair this month:

It's Halloween Season. What better way to spend it than reading a Paranormal, Fantasy, Sci-fi or Spooky Romance?

https://books.bookfunnel.com/october-pnr-fantasy-sci-fi-romance/3qsh9u8tsb

Because even a vampire deserves a second chance.

When Jason Cook boarded the train to San Francisco, he didn't plan on coming back. He never really thought he'd see Nebraska or Lizbeth Petersen ever again.

But when an unexpected turn of events threatens the woman he'd been forced to leave behind, he has no choice but to go back and try to make things right.

Warning: This is not a drill. Vampires are invading your favorite, small Nebraska town this Halloween.

Does this mean Type-O flavored Booze will soon be the new rage in Sapphire Falls? Hopefully, it won't come to that. But you never can tell...

Excerpt:

San Francisco, California

Three weeks before Halloween…

Most other vampires. But not Jason.

Resigning himself to whatever fate awaited him, Jason pushed open the door and poked his head inside. “Good evening, sir. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, Jason, thank you. I appreciate your being so prompt.”

“Oh…uh, certainly,” Jason replied, reluctant to leave the relative safety of the doorway. “You-you’re welcome.”

Coming This Holiday Season

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

Her love could light up his night...if they can both survive that long.

Tentatively scheduled for a December 2022 Release

Releasing Next Year:

CHASING DAYLIGHT

This story takes place at the same time as Light Up the Night, but the focus is on Jason and Liz (Going Back to Find You) rather than Drew and Heather.

Scheduled to release on April 1, 2023 as part of the FREE antho, Shifter Fever

DANCING IN THE DARK

Scheduled for release November, 2023 as part of the Vampire Rejected Mates anthology.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

October Vignette - "Hunter’s Moon" by Linda Mooney

Posted by: Linda Mooney

"Hunter’s Moon"

Most of the year, the little cabin was empty. A little wooden one-room hut at the edge of the woods that gathered dust and cobwebs until its owners returned in the fall to take occupancy and clean it out.

The full moon illuminated the open field adjacent to the cabin. It enabled Crestan to make his way like a silent ghost toward the building whose windows now shone like tiny suns in the night. Smoke from the chimney rose upward until it appeared to envelope the glowing orb.

Reaching the line of trees that edged the field, he quickly shed his outer skin. Bared in his human form, he shivered in the frosty air, but he continued toward the cabin. Partially formed ice crystals crunched beneath his feet, cutting into his flesh, but he tried to ignore the pain. He had to see inside the cabin to make sure.

He carefully peered inside the first window he came to and spotted the fireplace on the other side of the room. It cheerfully provided warmth and more light along with the two lanterns already lit within.

He could hear muffled voices, but the people speaking weren’t visible from this end. He moved to the end of the cabin where the other window was located. Here, the voices were clearer. Even though his natural form had more acute senses, he wasn’t able to understand human conversation unless he was in his human form.

Slowly, gradually, he raised his head above the sill to look inside. Sitting at a table near the window was an older man with a young boy. They were eating from bowls as they conversed.

“So this moon is called the Hunter’s Moon cuz this is when we go huntin’?” the child, who couldn’t have been more than twelve, asked.

“In a way,” the man replied. “You see, in the olden days, this is the time of year when hunters and farmers would go out and hunt near and far. They’d bring in as much game as they could. They’d skin it to use the hides for clothing and whatnot. Then smoke and preserve the meat, and store it so they’d have enough food to last them through the cold winter months when the game would be too scarce to find.”

“Why didn’t they go to the store to get food?” the child asked.

The man chuckled. “Grocery stores didn’t exist back then. They had to hunt, or grow their own food in gardens.”

“And that’s why we came here to the cabin you and Grandpa always came to? To hunt so we’d have enough food for the winter?”

The man laughed again and reached over to tousle the hair on top of the boy’s head. “Yes. To hunt. Most of the time we do it more for sport. We don’t really need the meat. Although your mother does enjoy fixing stews and all with the deer meat if we happen to get us a buck or doe.”

“At school, Mrs. Tafta told us the full moon this month was called the Dying Grass Moon,” the child stated, reaching for a cracker.

“She did, huh?”

“I guess that’s because the grass is all dead and turning brown, like the leaves die and turn colors on the trees.”

“Could be,” the man said. “Never heard it called that before, but it sounds about right. Although I have heard it called the Travel Moon a couple of times.” He snorted. “Heaven knows why it’s called that.”

They ate in silence for a while, when the boy spoke again.

“Do we hafta hunt for deer? Can we hunt squirrels and all, too?”

“We’ll see if we can’t get us a turkey if we come across any,” the man admitted. He gestured to the child’s bowl. “Hurry up and finish your chili. Then dress up good and warm. It’s gonna be a cold night tonight. Oh, and don’t forget your gloves!”

“I thought you and Grandpa hunted in the mornin’ ‘for the sun come up,” the boy commented before shoving a spoonful of chili in his mouth.

“Normally we do. But since the moon’s so bright out, and the deer love to feed when it’s a night like this, I thought we’d sneak out to the deer blind and see if we can’t bag us a nice buck before daylight.”

Grabbing his bowl, the man got to his feet. Crestan quickly ducked below the window to prevent being seen. He heard a chair scrape and knew the two males would soon be leaving the cabin to venture across the field to the other side where a tiny hut on stilts sat at the edge of the tree line.

Which meant his time was limited.

Hurrying back to the far side of the cabin, he resumed his natural form, taking a few seconds to let the warmth soak back into his muscles and blood. With his feet now hooves again, the brittle grasses and ice crystals no longer hurt, and he bounded across the field to reach the safety of the trees.

He quickly retreated to the small copse of sheltering oaks. There, he found his mate lightly dozing, waiting for his return.

“Vuli! Vuli, wake up!”

She opened her eyes, her slender head jerking up at the sound of urgency in his voice. “What’s wrong?” Her eyes suddenly widened. “They’re back, aren’t they?”

“Yes, but it’s the father and his young son this time. And they’re preparing to go out to the small hut to hunt tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes! We have to leave and find shelter somewhere else to stay until they go away!”

She awkwardly got to her feet, her body ponderous with the pending birth of their youngling. “We need to warn the others,” she told him.

“We will. Come. I’ll clear the way for us.”

He went ahead, using the massive rack of antlers on his head to keep the overhanging limbs and brush from biting into her distended sides. Whenever they encountered a family of squirrels, they let them know to remain hidden from sight until the humans left. The squirrels promised to spread the word.

They traveled most of the night. At times they thought they heard the distant sound of gunfire coming from behind them, and their hearts bled at the thought of the animals who might have met the end of their lives tonight.

When Vuli could go no farther, he found her a large strand of maple where she could take refuge. As she trampled down the dead leaves to make a comfortable bed to lie on, Crestan stood guard. Overhead, the shiny white moon cast its bright light over the surrounding trees. With his enhanced vision, he could see a great distance in either direction.

Nothing would get to his mate or to him tonight. Or the next night. Or the night after that. He would give his life for her and their unborn babe.

“Crestan?” Her voice was as weak as she was, but for now they were safe.

He glanced down at her and gave her a loving smile. “Don’t worry, my Vuli.”

“I was so worried when you were gone.”

“I had to go. You know that. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have learned they were back, or that they were going hunting tonight.” He motioned upward with his nose. “Did you know this moon is called the Hunter’s Moon?”

“My mother always told me it was the ‘danger moon.’ When the leaves turn color and start to fall off the trees, that is when life is the most at danger.” Sighing, she set her head down between her front legs. “Tomorrow when the sun comes back, will we have to leave again?”

“I don’t think so. But if we must, we’ll do it when it’s dark. It’ll be safer then. Their eyesight is pitiful, even with the moonlight.”

“Crestan, lie next to me? I need your warmth.”

He stretched out beside her. Truth be told, he was as exhausted as she was. Moreso because of his worry and fear for her.

Before long, she was asleep, her nose nestled in his fur. Somehow, he managed to remain awake the rest of the night and allowed himself to rest only when the Hunter’s Moon finally sank below the horizon to make way for the sun.

Linda's Website

Monday, October 24, 2022

HERE BE NEWS for Monday October 24, 2022

Posted by: PG Forte

Monday October 24, 2022

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:

Friday October 21, 2022: PG Forte invites you to several online reader events happening now!

FOREVER, TIVA

Horror Romance

by Linda Mooney writing as Gail Smith

Word Count: 14.2K
$1.99 e

In a post-apocalyptic world, Tiva is running for her life when she stumbles across three survivors who save her from a horde of those things, whatever they are now. The creatures aren’t people anymore. They’re…infected. Struggling to find food, she soon realizes luck was on her side when Russ and his crew welcome her into the safety of their warehouse.

It seems not many survivors remain in what’s left of the world, so they figure they’d do better to stick together. Besides, Russ hasn’t known the love of a woman in a long time, and he and Tiva immediately feel the connection.

As the days pass, the crew takes turns keeping watch for the undead. Russ and Tiva vow to be there for each other should they get bitten. If the inevitable should happen, it wouldn’t be much of an afterlife, wandering aimlessly and killing innocent people.

Will Russ and Tiva get their happily ever after? Or are they destined to be undead like the rest of the world?

Excerpt and Buy Links

It's Halloween Season. What better way to spend it than reading a Paranormal, Fantasy, Sci-fi or Spooky Romance?

https://books.bookfunnel.com/october-pnr-fantasy-sci-fi-romance/3qsh9u8tsb

Let's celebrate seasoned romance!

Saturday, October 29, 2022
Worth The Wait Seasoned Romance Readers Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/worththewaitseasonedromancereaders

What are you doing October 29? Why not join 25 authors of seasoned romance as we celebrate "Fall Into Love!" You need to be a member of the Worth the Wait Seasoned Romance Group, so join today. Then be ready for contests, games, prizes, and more!

Saturday, October 22, 2022

New! FOREVER, TIVA - a Horror Romance by Linda Mooney writing as Gail Smith

Posted by: Linda Mooney

New!

FOREVER, TIVA

Horror Romance

by Linda Mooney writing as Gail Smith

Word Count: 14.2K
$1.99 e

Will Russ and Tiva get their happily ever after? Or are they destined to be undead like the rest of the world?

Excerpt and Buy Links

Friday, October 21, 2022

New Release! Worlds of Fire: Metamorphosis a Romantic Fantasy Novella by Deborah A. Bailey

Posted by: Deborah A Bailey

Worlds of Fire: Metamorphosis a Romantic Fantasy novella by Deborah A. Bailey

Asira is a member of a high-ranking family of Alchemists who exert control over the libraries that store magical texts. She never believed her acceptance into the coveted position was in doubt.

Yet, when she becomes the apprentice of a gargoyle shifter Alchemist who insists on keeping his pet bird with him, she has her doubts that he was the right choice for her final class.

As their feelings for each other intensify, Jaydon must make a life-altering decision which will either bind them together… or permanently force them apart.

$3.99 - Available on Amazon, B&N, Apple, Kobo and other booksellers.

Buy link:

https://books2read.com/Metamorphosis-Worlds

Worlds of Fire Series:

https://authordebbailey.com/worlds-of-fire-series/

Book Fairs and Online Reader Events

Posted by: PG Forte

Well. This is embarrassing. I forgot my day to post this month. And I'm the one who sets up the calendar! I've been busy--which is a terrible excuse, but it's true. I have short stories or novellas in no less than NINE anthologies that are due to release in the next twelve months. All of those need to be written. And edited. And promoted. And that's not counting any of the books I'm hoping to re-release in 2023.

And then there's my non-writing life. My grandson has apparently decided I'm the fun adult in his life. And I'm determined to hold onto that title for as long as I can. He's four. It's a fickle age. But, I tell you, wrangling him is as much work as wrangling any two fictional characters. So, because I have to send out my weekly newsletter, prep next week's HBM news post, pay a couple of bills and hopefully, finish the scene/chapter I'm working on in my WIP--all before I leave to pick my DGS up from school--in lieu of a more traditional post, today I'm just going to post some of the upcoming reader events I am/will be taking part in.

Please consider joining us--they should be fun!

Huge romance giveaway happening now. Over 100 free books. Including my short story, Blame it on the Voodoo.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/romance-giveway-mid-october/s0zd2ueq37

It's Halloween Season. What better way to spend it than reading a Paranormal, Fantasy, Sci-fi or Spooky Romance?

https://books.bookfunnel.com/october-pnr-fantasy-sci-fi-romance/3qsh9u8tsb

Let's celebrate seasoned romance!

Saturday, October 29, 2022
Worth The Wait Seasoned Romance Readers Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/worththewaitseasonedromancereaders

What are you doing October 29? Why not join me and 24 other authors of seasoned romance as we celebrate "Fall Into Love!" You need to be a member of the Worth the Wait Seasoned Romance Group, so join today. Then be ready for contests, games, prizes, and more!

It’s Book Fair Time!
Free romance ebooks, .99 cent romance ebooks, and romance anthologies are what you'll find at this year's Let's Get Naughty Book Fair!
Check out all the good things Oct. 21 through Nov. 30:

https://www.letsgetnaughtybooks.com

#romancenovels #romancereader #steamyromancereads #romanceanthologies #steamyromancebook #romancecollection #romancenovelsforever #readingromancebooks #romancereadersrock #romancereaders #steamyromance #romancebooks #romancereading #readingromance #steamyromancenovels #bookboyfriends #steamyromancebooks #bookboyfriendsarebetter #romanceanthology #RomanceCollections #romancecollections

Monday, October 17, 2022

HERE BE NEWS for Monday October 17, 2022

Posted by: PG Forte

Monday October 17, 2022

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:

Thursday October 13, 2022: Deborah Bailey offers 5 helpful tools for writers.

GLADIATRIX
Dark Sci-Fi Romance
By Linda Mooney
Word Count: 53.2K
$3.99 e

Captain Rylee Crockett, a member of the Galactic Force, is well-respected among her peers, and damn good at her job. Despite the hurdles of being a female captain, she has a loyal crew who see her as strict but fair, and with the newest additions, her crew makes her the best ship in the fleet.

She’s especially curious about the newest expert on board. Dr. Beck Graham, a xenobiologist who specializes in alien species, specifically the Purej, who the Galactic Forces have been fighting for some time now. When Rylee’s ship is ordered to provide backup for a warship in the middle of a battle with their alien enemy, a mistranslated communique is intercepted, and Beck helps her decipher its true meaning. She fears they’re being set up for an ambush, along with everyone else ordered to assist.

What was thought to be proposed peace talks with the Purej is not at all the situation they find themselves involved in. Rylee’s ship is overtaken, and she awakens alone on an unrecognizable planet, and is soon taken to an arena where it is kill or be killed. Every confrontation becomes a fight to the death, gladiator style—against alien creatures, or other Galactic Force members—purely for their enemies’ entertainment.

If Rylee lives through this, she vows to get her revenge for the devastating number of crewmen she’s lost. And for the man who had given her a glimmer of hope when it came to being loved.

Warning! Contains ancient weaponry, oxygen masks, hostage taking, bad translations, revenge, a top-of-the-line spaceship, a demotion, and two people refusing to give up hope, until they're forced to take each other's lives.