Fantastical Reads Event February 1st
- 7th, 2014 - fantasy and fantasy/scifi novels
I’m pleased to
announce the first ever Fantastic Reads Event, where authors M. E. Lorde, S.
L. Wallace, Elyse Salpeter, Joseph Lallo, R.K. Ryals, Elise Stokes, P. L. Blair,
and David C. Cassidy will be attending for interviews,
discussions and more.
The online event will
be held at the event blog (see here) but to win the freebies, paperback, eBook
giveaways and play games, please visit their Facebook page.
The Fantastic Reads
Event will run from February 1st to February 7th.
Check out below to
see what the authors will be bringing to the “table”.
Tolomay’s World and The Pool of
Light by M. E. Lorde – (Epic/Fantasy/Romance/Dystopian/Time
Travel/Sci-Fi)
(recommended
for readers 17+)
-SO MUCH MORE THAN A
ROMANCE FANTASY-
If you enjoyed Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, you will LOVE this book. There is no swearing or sex in this series. Due to adult theme, it is Not intended for young YA readers. Genre is NEW ADULT/FANTASY/ROMANCE FANTASY
Author M.E. Lorde creates a gripping story set in the earth’s future, where the youth of the world have the privilege and burden of saving humanity from extinction.
If you enjoyed Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, you will LOVE this book. There is no swearing or sex in this series. Due to adult theme, it is Not intended for young YA readers. Genre is NEW ADULT/FANTASY/ROMANCE FANTASY
Author M.E. Lorde creates a gripping story set in the earth’s future, where the youth of the world have the privilege and burden of saving humanity from extinction.
Years before an apocalyptic event, a new means of travel is discovered. The modern technology comes just in the nick of time. Though none can return to a past-time in order to fix what men have destroyed, some candidates can now move forward to begin anew.
Highly intelligent, Tolomay Ramey was trained since birth to do one thing… to lead others into the future of the ‘clean earth’ where both nature and mankind are given a fresh start. Leaving the pod community behind, she arrives as the only living ‘Original’ from the first team of candidates. The clean world, abundant with plant and animal life, is covered in green for the first time in hundreds of years.
Unfortunately for this young girl and despite the beauty of the replenished earth, nothing she experiences from the moment she arrives is as expected. Alone for three years, until others finally join her, she learns to survive off the land, but that will not be what she finds most challenging. What will happen when a strong-headed young man arrives with the mindset that he should have been the first in this paradise? Can independent Tolomay and fiercely confident Kenter meet in the middle? Can the clean world become what it was intended to be for the new community, or will all thoughts of peace be left a thousand years in the past?
Excerpt:
“…My heart
pounded. For thirteen years I’d trained
for this. Still I was not ready. The machine’s copper pipes gave off a warm
smell that drifted to my nostrils as if precious biscuits were baking in the
eating room. The calming scent only made
it worse. I was leaving.
On display before
every citizen in the community, my bare feet stepped the few inches further to
the edge of the pool. Fear haunted my
mind. Shivering from head to toe caused
my short golden dress to tickle at the tops of my thighs. I brushed away the itch. Goose bumps peppered my arms and legs. I was freezing. For a moment, the massive musics and sounds
on the stage overwhelmed me. I was small
in comparison to everything here, all present and to this wondrous event. Through dazed thoughts, my focus returned and
I remembered to count to three before placing my foot in the shallow liquid…”
Author’s
Bio:
Author M.E. Lorde
grew up in the rural community of Victor, NY, surrounded by farms, orchards,
vineyards in neighboring towns, and beautiful scenic views of lakes, mountains
and canyons. Her great grandmother was
Iroquois Indian, whose family was deeply rooted in the Great Seneca Nation,
upstate New York. The author’s
great-great grandfather’s family was from Great Britain (involved in banking) was
a major contributor toward the ‘Statue of Liberty’s’ pedestal in New York
City. His son and a woman from two
different worlds met, fell in love... and a family was torn apart. M.E.’s great grandmother and great
grandfather married. Shortly thereafter,
they became great friends and confidants with author Zane Grey, who from the
early to mid 1900’s wrote dozens of books, many Historical and Western. Rumor has it you will find the author’s great
grandmother in at least one.
An avid reader since
childhood (as well as an artist), M.E. has been writing since she could hold a
pencil. She wrote and bound her own book
by hand at the age of ten. Though books
have always been a passion, Lorde put writing on hold to raise four children
while working in other fields, including a career in law enforcement and a
director position at a college. With
much encouragement from friends and family, she decided to follow her real
passion and pursue writing full-time.
With her newest release of the Tolomay’s World series, she has found her
audience, hitting Amazon’s best sellers list- #1 Action & Adventure/Romance,
#3 Action & Adventure/Fantasy in December 2013. Her time is divided between spending quality
time with her daughter, writing, and activities with Indie authors, artists and
a civic theatre. She loves to travel and
has seen thirty nine states up close and personal, lived in four. While M.E. enjoys the excitement and bustle
of city life, she remains a country girl at heart.
More on the
author – Facebook / Tolomay's World Website / Author website / Blog / AuthorCentral / Goodreads
Canvas Skies by S. L. Wallace – (Dystopia/Thriller)
(recommended for readers 16+)
Greed. Power. Class division.
Resistance.
The Terenian government has worked hard to divide the haves from the have-nots. Guy Bensen, Elite bachelor of the year, wants a better life for everyone. Thief/hired killer, Keira Maddock, hungers for equality. Together, they might be able to change society.
Meanwhile, due to tragic events caused by the Divide, Keira's younger sister, April, has left her baby in the realm across the sea. Now she returns to Terene. With the arrival of two very different men, her life becomes complicated. In order to be safe, April must hide her
identity. In order to live, she must open her heart.
In book two of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy, S.L. Wallace delves deeper into political intrigue as we examine the bonds that make us human, blending the genres of action, sci-fi, romance and political suspense.
The Terenian government has worked hard to divide the haves from the have-nots. Guy Bensen, Elite bachelor of the year, wants a better life for everyone. Thief/hired killer, Keira Maddock, hungers for equality. Together, they might be able to change society.
Meanwhile, due to tragic events caused by the Divide, Keira's younger sister, April, has left her baby in the realm across the sea. Now she returns to Terene. With the arrival of two very different men, her life becomes complicated. In order to be safe, April must hide her
identity. In order to live, she must open her heart.
In book two of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy, S.L. Wallace delves deeper into political intrigue as we examine the bonds that make us human, blending the genres of action, sci-fi, romance and political suspense.
Excerpt:
“…Since his
wife's death a couple of months ago, Eberhardt had thrown himself into his
work. Training sessions for various
groups of Raiders now took place on a daily basis, and as a result, Eberhardt
got two, and sometimes three, workouts a day.
Back at the
apartment, I balanced the box of tiramisu with one hand and unlocked the front
door with the other. Using my right foot
and shoulder, I held the door open for Keira.
She hurried inside and entered the security code. Eberhardt had already returned to his own
smaller apartment downstairs. I set the
tiramisu on the dining table while Keira retrieved dessert plates and forks
from the kitchen. I watched as she took
her first bite…”
Author’s Bio:
S.L. Wallace is a
teacher and life long writer who is a descendant of the famous William Wallace.
Like him, she believes in freedom and independence. Unlike him, she fights her
battles with the pen. In addition to being a writer, Wallace is an upper
elementary Montessori teacher. She believes in guiding each student toward his
or her full potential and in respecting people for the unique individuals they
are.
More on the
author – Smashwords / Goodreads
The Hunt for Xanadu by Elyse Salpeter – (Fantasy/Thriller)
(recommended
for readers 17+)
Twenty-two year old
Kelsey Porter has dedicated her life to avenging the death of her parents,
murdered in their quest to find the mystical land of Xanadu. Before she can
locate the murderers, she has to discover their motives for the brutal crime
and finds herself at the epicenter of a Buddhist mystery as old as time. With
the help of her companion, Detective Desmond Gisborne, she hunts the killers
across the globe and discovers a darkness in her spiritual past that tests the
very limits of her soul. Soon she realizes that it is not she who is doing the
hunting, but the one being hunted. Kelsey must find a way to survive, while
ancient demons attempt to destroy her.
Author’s
Bio:
I have been writing
ever since college. My first novel was started as a way for my younger sister
and I to stay in touch. She'd write a chapter of a book, mail it to me, I'd
write one and we'd send it back and forth. (her book was MUCH better!)... and
we did this until it lost steam. Then, my younger cousin asked me to tell him the
story and thus I kept the book going. I started it for my sister and finished
it for my cousin and eighteen years later, I published it.
Since then, I've had
a bit of a rollercoaster with my writing. A publishing company picked up two of
my books, then folded, then an agent picked them up, I jumped into the indie
world and self pubbed three books and I haven't looked back. So far, it's been
quite the ride!
The Rise of the Red Shadow by Joseph Lallo (Fantasy)
(recommended for readers 17+)
Every story must
begin somewhere. For the warrior who would come to be known as the fearsome Red
Shadow, the story began in a forgotten glade deep in the land of Tressor. It
was there that a pair of trackers, eager to retrieve a lost slave, instead
found an orphaned malthrope. Had it been a human, it might have been treated
with compassion, but in the eyes of human society a malthrope was a monster, a
mix of fox and man believed to be a murderer and thief by its very nature. The
beast was to be sold for a handful of silver, but fate intervened in the form
of an old blind slave named Ben. Under the learned hand of the one human who
believed in his potential, the young malthrope would instead be given the
wisdom to take his first steps on the long journey to his destiny.
The Rise of the Red Shadow chronicles the early life of one of the most mysterious figures of the Book of Deacon trilogy, the creature called Lain. It tells of his years working and learning on a Tresson plantation until a dark day of vengeance and bloodshed finally set him free. From there you will follow as he finds his place in the world, learning what it is to be a malthrope, and turning to the purpose that will guide him for the rest of his days. It is a story of love, hate, and lessons hard-learned, revealing the painful choices one must make to become the hero the world needs.
The Rise of the Red Shadow chronicles the early life of one of the most mysterious figures of the Book of Deacon trilogy, the creature called Lain. It tells of his years working and learning on a Tresson plantation until a dark day of vengeance and bloodshed finally set him free. From there you will follow as he finds his place in the world, learning what it is to be a malthrope, and turning to the purpose that will guide him for the rest of his days. It is a story of love, hate, and lessons hard-learned, revealing the painful choices one must make to become the hero the world needs.
Excerpt:
“…In his
shack, Ben woke to the sound of rain. He was pleased to discover that, though
they may have cared little about the wind, the owners of the plantation knew
enough to keep the rain off of their tools. The roof was perhaps the only fully
intact part of the entire structure. At least he would be dry. For the most
part, anyway. Here and there a gust of wind forced itself through the drafty
walls and brought a spritz of water with it. Rather than wake up with a damp
blanket, and no doubt catch his death of cold, the old man reluctantly climbed
from his cot to shuffle it a bit farther from the wall…”
Author’s Bio:
A native of Bayonne,
NJ - the fabled birthplace of George R. R. Martin - Joseph Lallo is an unlikely
entry into the world of literature. After a childhood spent daydreaming and
reading, he fully intended to pursue a career in the tech sector. He received a
Master's Degree in Computer Engineering from NJIT, and subsequently got a job
working IT for a large healthcare corporation. Things changed when, in January
2010, his friends finally convinced him to publish the story that had
accumulated over the course of a decade of spare time. That story, now known as
the Book of Deacon Trilogy, was a surprise hit, and once he got a taste of the
world of indie writing, he was hooked. Now he splits his time between crunching
numbers at his day job, writing novels at night, and writing articles and
reviews for BrainLazy.com, a group blog he helps run. His latest novels are
Bypass Gemini and Unstable Prototypes, the first two books of a science fiction
series.
More on the
author – Amazon / Apple / Kobo / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords
Tempest (The Scribes of Medeisia) by R.K. Ryals – (Fantasy)
(recommended for readers 16+)
We must overcome and
prevail ...
King Raemon of Medeisia is slaughtering tattooed scribes and mages, forcing them into hiding. All marked and those associated with them are destroyed. The people are desperate. Months after challenging Raemon, the marked rebels of Medeisia must rise against their bloodthirsty king or chance being annihilated.
Sixteen year-old Drastona Consta-Mayria is the prophesied phoenix of peace, desperate to be a leader for her people despite her reservations. Following the lead of a scarred and forgotten prince, Drastona will embark on a journey with an unlikely band of rebels and a dragon across a cursed desert to bring down a king and save a kingdom.
King Raemon of Medeisia is slaughtering tattooed scribes and mages, forcing them into hiding. All marked and those associated with them are destroyed. The people are desperate. Months after challenging Raemon, the marked rebels of Medeisia must rise against their bloodthirsty king or chance being annihilated.
Sixteen year-old Drastona Consta-Mayria is the prophesied phoenix of peace, desperate to be a leader for her people despite her reservations. Following the lead of a scarred and forgotten prince, Drastona will embark on a journey with an unlikely band of rebels and a dragon across a cursed desert to bring down a king and save a kingdom.
Author’s Bio:
R.K. Ryals is the
YA/NA author of the Redemption series, The Acropolis series, The Thorne
Trilogy, The Scribes of Medeisia series, and The Singing River …
This is the way the
typical author bio starts out. Let’s do away with that for a moment and start
with something a little more me … Hi, I am R.K. Ryals! *waves enthusiastically*
It’s true that I am a writer, but even though it is one of the most fundamental
things that make me “me”, I am also a bundle of quirks rolled into a short
woman (4’11 baby!!!) who enjoys writing stories about fun, dark, complex, and
emotional characters.
Cassidy Jones and the Secret
Formula by Elise
Stokes – (Fantasy/Sci-Fi/YA)
(recommended
for readers 12+)
"With
enjoyable characters, a clever plot, and a fast pace, this book could
bring a smile to anyone's lips." --Gabbi
Calabrese, Book Breather
One Girl.
One Accident. One Incredible Superhero.
Cassidy Jones is your typical fourteen-year-old--
that is, until a seemingly harmless accident in the laboratory of a
world-renowned geneticist turns her world upside down.
Discovering incredible strength, speed, and enhanced physical senses that defy logic, Cassidy embarks on an action-packed adventure that has her fighting for answers...and for her very life.
Discovering incredible strength, speed, and enhanced physical senses that defy logic, Cassidy embarks on an action-packed adventure that has her fighting for answers...and for her very life.
Other books in the Top Rated Superhero series for young adults, Cassidy Jones Adventures:
Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift, Book Two
Cassidy
Jones and the Seventh Attendant, Book Three
Cassidy
Jones and the Luminous, Book Four (Coming 2014)
Please note that the books in the Cassidy
Jones Adventures series are Superhero Fiction and not graphic novels or comic
books.
Suited for YA and up
Excerpt:
“…Dropping his hand from
my shoulder, he said in a
formal tone, “Allow me to tell
you about Formula 10X.
It’s a type of gene therapy
containing a variety of animal
DNA, among many other components.
My
mom’s goal
is to find a way to manipulate these DNAs to benefit a
human recipient by choosing genes
that represent dif-
ferent strengths of the nonhuman
and infusing those
genes into the weakened cells and
tissues of the human.
For example, a human who is
crippled would perhaps
be infused with puma genes, since
they are known for
their agility and strength. The
goal is not to make the
human like the puma, but to restore
the human’s func-
tion and health within a normal
range.”…”
Author’s Bio:
Elise Stokes lives with her husband and four children.
She was an elementary school teacher before becoming a full-time mom. With a
daughter in middle school and two in high school, Elise's understanding of the
challenges facing girls in that age range inspired her to create a series that
will motivate girls to value individualism, courage, integrity, and
intelligence. The stories in Cassidy Jones Adventures are fun and relatable,
and a bit edgy without taking the reader uncomfortably out of bounds. Cassidy
Jones and the Secret Formula, Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift, and Cassidy
Jones and the Seventh Attendant are the first three books in the series. Book
Four, Cassidy Jones and the Luminous, will be released in 2014.
Shadow
Path by P. L. Blair - (Fantasy)
(recommended
for readers 17+)
Magic and crime. Agatha Christie meets J.R.R. Tolkien
in “Shadow Path,” the first book in the new Portals series by author P.L.
Blair.
An Ogre murdered with a rune-inscribed sword is just
the beginning as Kat Morales, a very human detective on the Corpus Christi, Texas,
police force, and her Elf partner Tevis McLeod follow a blood trail that leads
to Pixies, necromancy and Magic of the Blackest kind ... to its climax in a
stronghold Between worlds, where Tevis must duel spell for spell with a former
lover who wants to see her old flame extinguished permanently.
Author’s Bio:
When P.L. Blair isn't mixing magic, murder and
creatures from mythology and folklore in her Portals series of
fantasy/detective novels, she blogs and writes the occasional column and news release
for other publications. Her background is in the news business, where she spent
more than 30 years as a reporter for newspapers in Texas and Wyoming. A native
of Tyler, Texas, she now lives in Sheridan, Wyoming (where her publisher,
Studio See Publishing LLC, is based) with a family that includes a basset
hound, longhaired dachshund, a “jackrabbit terror” and a cat. Blair describes
herself as an avid and eclectic reader, a lover of jigsaw puzzles, and a
staunch advocate of rescuing dogs and cats (and other critters).
More on the
author - Website
Velvet
Rain by David C. Cassidy (Sci-Fi)
HE WAS BORN A MIRACLE. IT WILL TAKE ONE TO SAVE THE
WORLD.
Kain Richards is the last of his kind--and a man on
the run. So when this mysterious drifter falls for a beautiful and sensible
Iowa farmwoman, he knows full well the perils of getting too close. And yet,
for the first time in his miserable existence, life feels normal ... feels
real. But as those around him soon realize, reality is not what it seems. For
when a tragic accident forces Kain's hand, his astonishing secret--and godlike
power--changes their lives, and the world, forever.
Author’s
Bio:
David C. Cassidy--author, photographer, half-decent
juggler--spends his writing life creating dark and touching stories where Bad
Things Happen To Good People. Raised by wolves, he grew up with a love of
nature, music, science, and history, with thrillers and horror novels feeding
the dark side of his seriously disturbed imagination. He talks to his
characters, talks often, and most times they listen. But the real fun starts
when they tell him to take a hike, and they Open That Door anyway. Idiots.
David lives in Ontario, Canada. From Mozart to
Vivaldi, classic jazz to classic rock, he feels naked without his iPod.
Suffering from MAD--Multiple Activity Disorder--he divides his time between
writing and blogging, photography and photoshop, reading and rollerblading. An
avid amateur astronomer, he loves the night sky, chasing the stars with his
telescope. Sometimes he eats.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment