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New Releases

Abby is a Ranger, part of an elite group who defend the border against Reapers—humans infected with a parasite that turns them into mindless cannibals. Rangers are immune to Reaper infection, and as one of the only female Rangers, Abby is expected to settle down and breed more Rangers—a fate she’s keen to avoid. When she’s ambushed on the plains, she’s ready to go out with guns blazing—until a mysterious, handsome cowboy rides to her rescue.

Jake has his own motives for helping Abby, beyond aiding a damsel in distress. He’s a Reaper, and while he’s learned to wrest control of his mind from the parasite, the effects won’t last without a permanent cure. And he needs Abby to get it.

Abby and Jake are natural enemies and unlikely partners. But when their search reveals a conspiracy between Reapers and the rich industrialists who own the mountain cities, they must work together to find the cure—or lose the border, and each other, forever.

Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo Carina Press 

Member News:

Nicole Luiken just signed a three-book contract with new digital imprint Harlequin Reckonings for an alternate history series. Book one is Besieged by Demons. The premise is What-if-aliens-invaded-in-1210-A.D.? and features Mayan and England during the reign of King John (but no Robin Hood).

Seleste deLaney's newest release, Conning for Keeps, is only 99 cents for one more week. Get it before the price goes up!
http://www.amazon.com/Conning-Agents-Novella-Entangled-Flaunt-ebook/dp/B00HTJ1EG4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kstore_24
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/conning-for-keeps-seleste-delaney/1118048788?ean=9781622664719

We'll have a special treat for readers of the blog this Valentine's Day. What do you think it is?

Killer Year

It's a little late in the year for resolutions, but we're also far enough into the year to have a hint, an idea, an inkling, of things to come.

And, from what I can tell, 2014 is going to be a killer. Not a stone cold killer that's all sexy black coat, mysterious scars and no remorse. No, this is one of those sadistic bastards that pretends to be your friend while secretly laughing at you and steering you toward your inevitable DOOM.

I don't think I'm being dramatic here.

I came into the year with a good attitude. I was going to focus on my health and wellness (also known as finding my calm outside of red wine and terrible action movies). I was going to respect my own boundaries, especially as concerns work that I do not like and which does not benefit me. I was going to find beauty in the ordinary.

And then 2014 pooped in the ordinary, struck health straight off the map, and dropped a metric f*#$ tonne of work in my lap. Work which I do not like. Work which does not benefit me. So, what is one to do when an entire year opens its suspicious raincoat and waggles its wretched junk at you? How does one keep calm and carry on when one is already freaking done?

What are your coping techniques? Your calming meditations? Your delightful distractions? I know I'm not the only one struggling, so I'd love to see all your quietest and most far out ideas in the comments. :)

About the Author

Regan Summers lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband and alien-monkey hybrid of a child. She is a huge fan of the low profile. She likes books, ottomans with concealed storage, small plate dining, libraries, Corporal Hicks, some aspects of pre-revolutionary France, most aspects of current Italy, and books.

Her Night Runner series, including Don’t Bite the Messenger and Running in the Dark, is available wherever e-books are sold.

Website  -  Twitter  -  Facebook  -  Amazon  -  Barnes & Noble  -  Carina Press

Why time travel?

Today I'm hosting special guest and one of Here Be Magic's founding members, Barbara Longley, whose new release is True To The Highlander. Take it away, Barbara...

**

Why time travel?

For starters, I’ve always been fascinated by the concept. I really wish we had time travel available to us. Imagine what that would mean in terms of vacation plans. Imagine a center where you could purchase period money, clothes, ID—everything you’d need to visit the past for a month or two. Perhaps the future too, but I have a hard time envisioning how that would work. Like, how would you know what the currency of the day would be? Or current fashions. It would be dangerous to travel into the future unprepared, but I’m sure some intrepid hero would do so.

Just think of things you might’ve done differently in your life. If you could travel back, change a decision here, an action there, would you? I would. I’d love a few do-overs.

TRUE TO THE HIGHLANDER is the story about a young woman who is gifted with some special abilities because she has a drop of faerie blood running through her veins. She’s sent back in time to save a life. There’s a catch, of course. She has no idea whose life she is to save, and that leads her into more than one perilous situation. She thinks she has it all figured out, but trust me—she doesn’t.

The historical backdrop is accurate, other than my use of kilts in the fifteenth century. Historians say kilts were not “popular” until the eighteenth century. In my research, I read that Scotts wore kilts much earlier, but generally while engaged in manual labor. I have taken liberties with the whole “kilt” issue, because kilts are iconic when it comes to Scotts.

Oh, whatever. I love a man with a brogue and a kilt, and it’s my story!

Native American violinist Alethia Goodsky had plans for her future, and they didn’t include time travel, hocus-pocus good luck charms, or heroic deeds. And she certainly never intended to lose her heart to a fifteenth century Scottish warrior or an orphaned boy unable to hear her music. 

A life hangs in the balance, and only Alethia can tip the scale. This is all the supernatural being posing as a Renaissance festival fortuneteller reveals before transporting Alethia back in time to the Highlands of Scotland. Alethia must unravel the mystery before it’s too late if she’s to return home. She throws herself into the task only to have her efforts thwarted by her overbearing, self-appointed protector—Malcolm of clan MacKintosh. 

It is 1423AD, the year before Scotland’s King James is ransomed from the British to take his rightful place upon the throne. The Highland clans are at each other’s throats, and all of Scotland suffers under the ruthless reign of their regent, the duke of Albany. Treachery and intrigue rule the day, and all Malcolm wants is peace. Finding a gently bred woman alone on MacKintosh land can only mean more trouble. When the exotic foreigner reveals her strange tale, Malcolm believes she was placed in his path to warn him of coming danger. He cannot allow the willful beauty to put herself in harm’s way for his sake. Malcolm is determined to keep Alethia safe and by his side—if only she’d let him. 

Surrounded by enemies, with the mystery still unsolved, passion grows between Malcolm and Alethia until her heart is torn. Should she follow the dictates of reason and find a way home, leaving Malcolm and the young boy she’s adopted behind, or should she listen to her heart and remain true to the Highlander?

To read an excerpt, find buy links or to check out other works of fiction by Barbara Longley, visit: www.barbaralongley.com

Amazon buy link: http://goo.gl/yvvywA

Win-a-Book Wednesday with Jody Wallace!

JODY WALLACE

Jody Wallace grew up in the South in a very rural area. She went to school a long time and ended up with a Master's Degree in Creative Writing. Her resume includes college English instructor, technical documents editor, market analyst, web designer, and general, all around pain in the butt. She resides in Tennessee with one husband, two children, two cats, and a lot of junk. In fact, she has always lived with cats, and they have always been mean.

To discover other books by Ms. Wallace, visit her website at http://www.jodywallace.com.  You can also find her at Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodywallace  and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JodyWallaceAuthor.  To discover meankitties, visit the cat’s website at http://www.meankitty.com .

If you are an author or reader and would like to be interviewed by the damn cat, just email Jody and Meankitty!

He’s no angel…

Gregori’s last mission is to save Earth from the demons threatening to take control. He doesn’t care if he survives as long as he averts the impending apocalypse—until he meets Adelita, a human refugee, whose spirit and determination give him a renewed reason to fight. And live. He’s falling for her, despite the fact he’s told her nothing but lies and there can’t possibly be a future for them.

Adelita can hardly believe the archangel Gregori, sent to save mankind, has lost his faith and his edge. After he saves her from a demon attack, she vows to help him recover both by any means necessary. But can she keep her own faith when she learns the truth about who and what Gregori really is?

“Angeli has it all—a valiant hero, a smart heroine, delicious sexual tension, and an eerie apocalyptic world. This humorous, action-packed story is a refreshing take on alien invasion sci-fi romance!” – Heather Massey of The Galaxy Express (the internet’s primary site for SFR fiction fans)

“Reminiscent of Linnea Sinclair’s The Down Home Zombie Blues, Angeli is part apocalyptic save-the-world thriller and part science fiction adventure. Set against the majestic backdrop of the West, it’s full of Wallace’s signature wit and quirky, multi-faceted characters. If you like your blasters hot and your heroes hotter, not to mention a heroine who can save the day—and the world—don’t miss Angeli!” – NY Times/USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett

“A spicy, clever twist on post-apocalyptic science fiction that gives us pulse-pounding action and heroes worth dying for.” – Natalie Damschroder, author of A Kiss of Revenge

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After The End

Love or Destiny?

Journey of the Wanderer releases on February 24th. It will only be one of the many books released that day but for me, it’s a momentous day for many reasons. Journey of the Wanderer is the last book in the Triune Stone Series. It’s the book that gives the HEA. It’s the book with the scenes that, even after writing, rewriting and editing over and over, still make me cry. It’s where I say goodbye to characters that I’ve grown to love.

Finishing the last book in a series has always been a bittersweet moment for me. Writers are first and foremost readers. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I’d have the same sense of melancholy when I finish writing a series as I do reading one.

I  can remember vividly holding The Return of the King in my hand with tears running down my face as Frodo says goodbye not just to Middle Earth, but to me. I didn’t cry but I did yearn for just one more of JK Rowlings’ books. I wasn’t ready to leave Harry or the world she created yet. I finished CS Lewis’s Last Battle and immediately wanted to start again at The Magician’s Nephew.

So what makes a good series? The world building? Character development? Story arc? I think it’s all of these things and more. There is something magical that happens when a world escapes the pages of a book to grow and take up such a place in our imaginations that it elicits true emotion.  Characters, places become real and a part of who we are. And like with any place or person we love, it’s hard to say goodbye.

So it is with a lot of emotion that I give to you Journey of the Wanderer, and the last of a series.

Some legends are born. Some are made. Some just are.

Journey of Wisdom is available now at Amazon, Carina Press or any eBook retailer. 

 As Bredych seizes power in the kingdom of Greton, Ilythra staggers north with a magic stone he covets, fleeing his murderous trackers. There in the mist, she finds the Siobani and the final Triune Stone.

Ilythra's quest won't be complete until she recovers the stone still in Bredych's possession and uses it to mend the wounds of the world. Though the Siobani are reluctant to leave their long seclusion, Ilythra convinces them that the time to reunite the stones has come.

With Ilythra wielding the power of her stone, the Siobani have a fighting chance. But Greton's walls are thick. Bredych's spells are insidious. His army is well trained. And even with new magic she's learned from the Siobani to help her, pulling down the puppeteer of Greton will be Ilythra's hardest battle yet.

What is your favorite series? 

Here Be News

 New Releases

 

In the third enticing installment of Jeffe Kennedy’s enthralling Master of the Opera, a woman finds herself torn between two powerful lovers—and one reckless passion that leaves her aching for more…

After a harrowing night trapped in the tunnels beneath the Sante Fe Opera House, intern Christy Davis finds comfort in the arms of Roman Sanclaro, the opera’s wealthy and gorgeous benefactor. But even as Roman tries to impress her with his lavish lifestyle—and seduce her with his charms—Christy cannot stop obsessing over her other, clandestine lover. Hidden in the labrynths below, a mysterious masked man has become the master of her desires: a sensual but commanding partner who pushes Christy to the very brink of erotic pleasure…and beyond. No other man can compare. But somewhere, watching from the shadows, a fiercely jealous rival threatens to destroy the erotic secret they share.

Haunted by doubts, deception, and danger, Christy must choose between the warnings in her mind, the feelings in her heart…and the wild, forbidden yearnings that set her body on fire.

Out Thursday, February 6!

Buy links:
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-masteroftheoperaact3phantomserenade-1367366-149.html
Blio: https://www.blio.com/blio/actions/searchHandler.do?userType=MLB&tabID=BOOKS&itemNum=ITEM%3a9&key=0013830254&nextPage=booksDetails&parentNum=12848
Books on Board: http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?ebooks-audio-books
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jeffe_Kennedy_Master_of_the_Opera_Act_3_Phantom_Se?id=8BE3AgAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/jeffe-kennedy/master-of-the-opera-act-3-phantom-serenade/_/R-400000000000001114275
nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/master-of-the-opera-act-3-jeffe-kennedy/1117057236?ean=9781601831583
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Master-Opera-Act-Serenade-ebook/dp/B00F8J6O5S 

 

ALSO - Act 1 of Master of the Opera, Passionate Overture is FREE at all of the above sites! Get a taste and try it out!

Group News:

Sonya Clark won Good (very good) SFR, Bad Cover award (Best Reason Not to Judge a Book by its Cover) for her book Trancehack, and Veronica Scott won Best Presentation of Alien Mysticism for her book Escape from Zulaire in the 2nd annual SFR Galaxy Awards. Congratulations, ladies!


Have you seen Carina Press's newly revamped website yet? Cindy Spencer Pape is in the spotlight there!

Win-A-Book Wednesday Winner

Congratulations to Stephanie , the winner of last week's Win-a-Book Wednesday! Nicole Liuken will be contacting you soon about your prize.

Chained

My number one goal last year was to write more words.  While I did finish a couple of crucial projects, I'm still not happy with my productivity.  I had the "I don't wannas" more than I should have.  I had some huge writing months - I wrote a 70K novel in about 45 days.  But I also had months of mediocre days and far too many big fat goose eggs.

Then my friend Diana Castle posted about "Don't Break the Chain" and it really resonated with me.  I've done the 500 words a day goal before, but as soon as I finish the book, I end up taking time off, and inertia is hard to battle.  With the chain goal, I write every single day.  Whether it's 100 words or a 1000.  Line edits or new words.  I have to do something with writing every single day.

So far, I've kept the chain going in 2014 with writing every day.  Is it working?  Well, I've finished a novel, got over 40K new words, polished and submitted the book, and finished print galleys on another.  Not bad, huh?

Who knows, maybe I'll use this chain idea for exercise too.

Hmmm.  Well.  Maybe let me get the next book done first.  *laughs*

Now I'm off to check off my chain for the day!

~ * ~

Joely Sue Burkhart has always loved heroes who hide behind a mask, the darker and more dangerous the better.  Whether cool, sophisticated billionaire, brutal bloodthirsty assassin, or simply a man tortured by his own needs, they all wear masks to protect themselves.  Once they finally give you a peek into the passionate, twisted secrets they’re hiding, they always fall hard and fast.  Dare to look beneath the mask with delicious BDSM in a wide variety of genres with Joely on her website, Twitter and Facebook.  Be sure to check out her free reads!