Additional Scene from STONE, an Urban Fantasy Romance by Linda Mooney

This month, I'm offering up a FREE additional scene from STONE, an Urban Fantasy Romance!

Brielle awakens to find Garenth has returned to the underground dig where he was first discovered in his gargoyle form by her uncle. He is on a personal mission, and only her love will allow him to succeed.

HERE BE NEWS for Monday June 28, 2021

 

                            

Monday June 28, 2021 

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

Tuesday June 22, 2021: Deborah A Bailey discusses what she likes about fairy tale re-tellings.

Thursday June 24, 2021: PG talks about revisiting an older series.

Sometimes You Can Go Home Again.

 There was a reason I was scheduled to post today. I had a post in mind, a plan, a holiday connection--it's all gone in the whirlwind of overwhelm that has been June 2021.

So, instead you get this post: a peek into part of what has made the second half of June so profoundly  discombobulated--well, besides the specter of possibly having to move again, but let's not get into that. 

I've spent the last two weeks revisiting Oberon--my very first series--which I unpublished a few years back and am now in the process of readying for re-release. Specifically, I've been writing one of two new Christmas stories to be set in Oberon, and carving a new Halloween short story from my existing Halloween-set novel. 

There's nothing really new about the Halloween story, other than some deeper insights into Cara's character and motivation, but I'm hoping it will entice readers into checking out Visions Before Midnight when it becomes available (hopefully) later this year.

It's been so much fun to return to this series. For me, it really is like going home again. So here's a sneak peek at the two stories releasing this year, and a couple of other freebies, that you can access right now.

Only the Lonely 

An Oberon Halloween Story 

 Cara Matthews is trouble—with a capital T. That's one thing that pretty much everyone in Oberon can agree on—parents, teachers, other students, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Seth Cavanaugh. 

 Well, if you give a dog a bad name he—or she—will probably live up to it, right? 

 This Halloween, after one insult too many, Cara's hellbent on wreaking revenge—no matter who gets hurt in the process, or even killed.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

An Oberon Christmas Story

All Scout wants this holiday season is to get home in time for Christmas. But when your home is in quirky little Oberon, California, nothing is ever that simple. 

It’s the night before Christmas and Scout Patterson is flying home to Oberon after a business trip to LA when a chance, mid-air meeting with an angel has her dreaming of a weird Christmas—one in which she sees exactly how life might have gone on without her. 

Scout has A Wonderful Life in Oberon. She has people who love her, but no one who actually needs her. Or so she thinks, until a chance encounter shows her what life in Oberon could have been like had she never come home.

Such Fleeting Pleasures

 An Oberon Prequel Novella 

 Lucy and Dan Cavanaugh have one of Oberon's hottest marriages. But it wasn't all strawberries and cream for the pair...or was it?  

In this Oberon series prequel, we travel back in time to see how their love story began. 

 Such Fleeting Pleasures will ONLY be available as a free download to members of my readers group. Get it NOW when you sign up:

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

Going Back To Oberon 

A Very Short Story 

This story started out as a feature on Cabin Goddess’s “Fourth Wall Friday” blog; in which authors were invited to put themselves into a scene were they interacted with their characters. 

I had a great deal of fun imagining myself returning to the scene of my very first series. It started me thinking about all the stories I hadn't told yet. And it really motivated me to start getting some of those ideas out there.

You can download your free copy here:https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/tFfHiT3M

And now, for something completely unrelated:

I just wanted to remind everyone that there's still time to sign up for Love's Curse--but not very much. It disappears at the end of the month. Ya snooze, ya lose....

Love's Curse 

A Paranormal Romance Collection 

The heart is treacherous. Love is cursed. Dive into this collection of paranormal romance to find loves strong enough to break the veil between realms. 

 NOTE: by downloading this collection you are agreeing to sign up for the mailing lists of the participating authors: Mandy Melanson, Elle Ryan, Lisa Wood, Helena Novak, PG Forte, Angelique Jordonna, Mira Kane, Dusty Grein, AJ Mullican, Rhetoric Askew, LLC ​

 Get your FREE copy HERE!

Five Things I Like About Fairy Tale Retellings

 When I started to write my Once Upon A Princess series, I researched some of the common fairy tales like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. What I found was the original stories were not like the versions we might be more familiar with. Most stories were much darker and a HEA was not assured. 

That made me realize that even though they might seem very simple, those stories are anything but. And they're not only for children's enjoyment. Many of them are more unsettling than heartwarming. They're filled with character archetypes and life lessons - which explains why they continue to be popular. 

Here are five things that I like about reading (and writing) them,

1. As I mentioned, they have life lessons. Stories can show what happens when people are self-centered or cruel, or what their good deeds can accomplish. There's a lot to learn about how to show up and make your way in the world.

2. The characters aren't perfect. They have conflicts and make mistakes. But that's why we root for the character to get through the obstacles and win in the end. In the original stories they don't always win out (unfortunately) but of course if an author is retelling the story, they can create a different ending. 

3. There's magic involved. This is what moves the story out of the everyday and into something unpredictable. Different rules apply so you can't be sure how events will unfold. There are creatures who don't exist in the "normal" world so literally anything can happen. 

4. They can be interpreted in different ways. I was quite surprised to find how fairy tales originated and why. For instance, one reason for Beauty and the Beast was to show how a young bride-to-be might not know what type of husband she was marrying. A version of the story from 18th century France was written with that idea in mind. In some cultures the "beast" was the bride and there were other  meanings behind those stories. My biggest surprise was reading about the origins of Sleeping Beauty. I'll just say that it had very little to do with the Disney version!

5. There's transformation. This is probably my favorite part. Characters have the potential to change from one form to another, usually with the help (or hindrance) of magic. The beast becomes a man again, the mermaid becomes human or the puppet becomes a boy. Through change they often have very hard lessons. But that's what readers can relate to because that's also how real life works. 

Just as there are countless fairy tales and folk tales, there will always be new ways to retell those stories. I think that's why those stories will always be popular with readers and writers. 

If you'd like to check out my Once Upon A Princess Trio, which includes three paranormal romance novellas, it's available at most online booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/4Dg5xA

HERE BE NEWS for Monday June 21, 2021

 

                            

Monday June 21, 2021 

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

Thursday June 17, 2021:  Maureen Bonatch discusses our new 'new normal.'

Another New Normal

 

By Maureen Bonatch

I’ve recently went into a few places without wearing a mask. It was liberating…and discomforting. Masks have become the normal in our everyday life. Something that most of us would never have anticipated. Now our normal is shifting once again. Most of us hope that things will ‘go back to normal’, but our new normal may be slightly different than the one before 2020. 

Scruff wondering if he needs to wear a mask or not to go outside.

 I often think if we could’ve had a sneak peek into the year 2020 without the backstory and saw most of the world shut down and wearing masks that we would’ve believed it. It seemed way too much like a fiction story. And although I love a good fiction story, I really don’t care to live one. 

 Speaking of Fiction 

I love writing and reading fantasy and paranormal stories. If you’re here, I would assume that you enjoy them too. As a reader I want to become immersed in the world and believe that magic is possible. That somehow, something that is foreign to our world, makes complete sense in the story. That it wouldn’t be unusual to run into a variety of paranormal beings in the course of a normal day. 

 As a writer, I have to make that happen. It can be a challenge to create an imaginary world that is real to the reader. Luckily, it’s a challenge I enjoy. For me, I find that first and foremost, the heroine has to convince me of this new reality. I’ll come back to that world again and again if I’m wondering how that heroine is faring and then I get to learn more about her world. 

The Last Year has been a Mystery 

If you’re looking for a great escape from the worries of your reality, the first story in the Charmed Cocktail Series is available for preorder in the When the Cat’s Away boxset. You’ll get my story, Curses, Cats & Corpses, along with ten more cozy mysteries. 

https://mollymysteries.com/WTCA_Kindle 

https://mollymysteries.com/WTCA_Apple 

https://mollymysteries.com/WTCA_Nook 

https://mollymysteries.com/WTCA_Kobo 

 If you like my story, you can preorder the next books in the series by clicking right here. 

 Some Things Never Change 

 One thing that doesn’t change is that most authors really appreciate their readers, and like to show it with giveaways and sales. Here are a few—may the odds be ever in your favor. 

Win Amazon Gift Cards

                              Click Here to Enter

 Searching for Your Next Cozy Mystery?

 

           Check Out these Great Deals by Clicking Right Here

 Get Out and Read Giveaway WIN 1 OF 4 KINDLE FIRES 

 Do you enjoy spending the long, lazy days of summer with a book in your hand? One of the best ways to find new-to-you authors is on BookBub, and LitRing has got you covered. Head over to the Get Out and Read Giveaway now to get 175+ chances to win a Kindle Fire >>  Click Right Here to Enter

Just a small-town girl, Maureen Bonatch leads a double life. She lives in a magical world as a novelist, and as a nurse leader in reality. Maureen’s first novella was a paranormal romance published when blogs were a new-fangled thing. She’s since changed her focus to writing paranormal cozy mysteries as 

M.L. Bonatch and urban fantasy as Maureen Bonatch. 

While she’s not busy writing or doing nurse-things, she’s a mom to her twin daughters, bicycling in the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby, doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, and dancing as much as possible. She believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and that caffeine and wine are essential for survival. 

Follow M.L. Bonatch all through cyberspace- she's new in town and can use some friends!

Amazon page

BookBub 

Facebook  

Goodreads  

Newsletter

HERE BE NEWS for Monday June 14, 2021

 

                            

Monday June 14, 2021 

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

Wednesday June 9, 2021: PG Forte  unveils a new cover for WiP-It 

Free paranormal ebooks through BookFunnel--only available through June!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/steamyhotfreebies.../rotabjxzf5

https://books.bookfunnel.com/booksprygiveaways/9dkatltkfa

https://books.bookfunnel.com/freepnrnovels/de6muaefqc

https://books.bookfunnel.com/summerstories/7tghb34u5h

https://books.bookfunnel.com/multigenre/nc22p86p2v

https://books.bookfunnel.com/fantasywithanimal.../k0k4q2lyb4

NEVERWYLDE
The Rim of the World Series
Sensuous Sci-Fi Romance

by Linda Mooney

NOTE! This 6-book series is complete! The first 3 books are also available in audio book format, with the rest of the series soon to be finished.

Two species, bitter enemies, are determined to destroy each other, until they realize they need one another to survive a major catastrophe.

As they race through a nebulous space anomaly in the midst of battle, the Terrans and Seneecians are blown through a wormhole to crash land on an uncharted world. A half world. A world containing the remains of a long-dead civilization.

Lt. Kelen Chambliss knows she has no reason to trust the furred, humanoid creatures, but she and her crew members cannot survive without their help, and the Seneecians cannot survive without theirs. Neither can she ignore the fearsome-looking one called Kyber, with his wicked talons and piercing green eyes.

As they slowly come to realize there is no escape or forthcoming rescue from the barren planet, Kelen learns there is much about the enemy she never knew. Including the fact that Kyber's formidable appearance hides a strong, brave, and caring heart.

Warning! Contains glowing glyphs, blue pancakes, eye worms, endless tunnels, and two people of different species daring to take their last and only chance at love.

Excerpt and Buy Links