12.26.2013

You Need Stories for your New Ereader. We've Got 'em - Sci-fi, Fantasy, Horror, and Freebies

Stories that will whisk you away to other worlds, other times, other realities.


A Space Opera Adventure!

        Pauder ran his hands over his face, a sign his patience strained toward snapping. “Meelo can dig, I suppose that’s something. Don’t know what yar going ta do besides slow me down,” he said to Craze.
“He knows this place too well, he can’t stay,” Needle said. “So I make him your bother. That’s what you Backworlders say, isn’t it? I’m your bother.”
Pauder frowned. “In a big way, sister. I want yar word when I bring back yar weaponry, ya’ll leave here ‘n leave with us all alive.”
     “We will leave,” Needle said, “but I can’t promise the other.”

 Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge
Book 2 in the Backworlds series by M. Pax. Try the first, The Backworlds for FREE.

Available for all ereaders and in print.  $1.99 ebook.
That's two great space operas for less than two bucks.

One 5 star review says: Different. And different is good. The characters are engaging, fun. This series had my attention right away, the story is odd, but in a good way. Fantasy and science fiction.  





Earth in 2099; a girl stuck in a strange cult; 
some very unusual plants, or are they plants?


Ruby's Fire   by Catherine Stine
Find the illustrated ebook and paperback on Amazon

5 stars from The (Mis)adventures of a Twenty-Something Year-Old Girl: "You know when you get a book and it's much better than you thought it'd be? Ruby's Fire was one of those. Loved it!"
5 stars from Teen Blurb: "Ruby's Fire is a fantastical journey of mind, body and soul for Ruby and her brother, Thorn."
5 stars from Books for YA: "If I could have my own Red I'd be the happiest person ever!"
"I reach for the velvety sack in my cloak and feel the reassuring give of the Oblivion Powder. It’s diminishing with every dose, and I won’t be able to make more here. I need to ration it carefully. My heart hammering, I flutter into the bathroom, inch open the drawstring and shake a line onto my wrist. I inhale greedily, desperately."




They All Fall Down
By Angela Brown
The novella follow up in the Shadow Jumpers series.

Amazon | B&N  $1.99 ebook.
*as a tie in to the Shadow Jumpers series, you should check out Frailties of the Bond for FREE! *


It's a paranormal roller coaster ride with dark twists and heated turns...
I thought it was all good with us. I love him beyond death so it has to be. “At least make me understand why you’d risk this…risk us, to fly off willy nilly!”
Basil rounded on her, his face etched with pain. “Because I didn’t get to say goodbye! Okay? Is that enough? Or not enough? I didn’t get to end things with my parents like you did. No closure. My life got ripped away from me. All because I joked with the devil! A few choice words with the wrong person and I ended up with this!” He slapped his palm against his Harvestor’s mark.

One of the several 4/5 star reviews for They All Fall Down: "Fantastic. Short, action-packed and enough drama to keep the reader to the very end."



1301 - THE MARQUIS
(The 13th Floor series, #1)

Heaven will never grant him absolution, and he refuses to return to Hell.



5 stars from Cherie Reich - "THE MARQUIS is so different from the normal paranormal romances I've read. The characters are older, yet the romance is still sweet and passionate. Marc reminds me a lot of Hellboy without the kittens." 

Bitten by Books - "THE MARQUIS gets three and a half tombstones for overcoming two major difficulties of short fiction: character development and exposition. The Marquis plunks us down in the middle of the action and stays there."


   Mae had seen his demonic side. His fiery eyes and inhuman maw. His goddamned ugly mug.

   There’d be no last cup of coffee. No sweet smile or comforting touches.

   He wanted to smash the cars he strode by and throw them through windows. The urge to destroy, to kill, was intoxicating.

   Marc had saved her. For the time being.

Ebook ~ FREEAmazon / Smashwords / Kobo



A Legend Is Hungry Tonight!

Once Upon a December Nightmare by Cherie Reich

Available on all e-readers for free for a limited time! 

Four friends. One monster. Who will get out alive? 

     “No one will be coming up here.” Cassie laughed, although the sound held no mirth. She put on her gloves. It was already getting cold in the truck. “James said the forestry service checks this road once a week. It could be several days before they make the rounds. The road behind us is blocked, and very few people will come out here during the winter season, as well. I’m going with James. I won’t stay here.”
     “Cassie has a point.” James shrugged. “We don’t know when they’ll check the road, but we don’t all have to go.”
     “Well, I’m staying here.” Denise crossed her arms. Cassie might be a few months older than she was, but it didn’t mean she had to listen to her, and there was no way she was going to walk out there in the dark. Besides, Cassie was being childish with that horror movie nonsense. “There could be wild animals out there and who knows what else.”

5 stars from Christine Rains - "... nail-biting suspense"
5 stars from Aubrie Dionne - "... stark and chilling"
4 stars from Medeia Sharif - "This is one creepy horror novelette."



Diamonds and Dust
Book 1 of the Jewels of Chandra series 
by River Fairchild

Magic is real. So is betrayal.
Two heirs. A Kingdom of dust on a troubled world. One might resurrect it. One might destroy it all.

5 stars from Ron Fritsch – "A compelling alternate world."
5 stars from Michael Offutt – "A marvelous triumph of fantasy."
5 stars from Christine Rains – "Fantastic fantasy with great world building."
5 stars from Julie Lu – "Fun fantasy!"

Available in all eBook formats and print.

eBook $2.99  ~ Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Smashwords



Polar Night
by Julie Flanders

At noon the sun awakens as rural Dalton highway is painted on the arctic, Alaskan horizon. Silhouetted against the burning haze, a haunted asylum pierces the never-ending sky.

A woman screams.

A silken voice and a powerful grip to the throat persuades her silence. His classic Russian features, not unlike the minted image of Czar Nicolas II, remain frozen in time. “Please do not disappoint me like the others, my darling.”

The doorbell chimes. He releases his hold and caresses her cheek. “Natasha,” escapes his lips as he ascends the creaky wooden stairs. A calm hand opens the door. The glistening snow on the front porch pales against Aleksei’s skin and charming smile.

The callused hand of detective Danny Fitzpatrick flashes a search warrant. His puffy, bloodshot eyes lock onto Aleksei’s ...

The young woman cries out, but only Aleksei hears. They will never find you my dear. This beaten and hung over man does not have a clue.

Hours later, the detective crosses the threshold and shudders as if encased in a block of ice. The sun drops to sleep and an eerie shadow creeps alongside him. He shakes his head.

Aleksei watches from the peephole. You feel my immortal essence ... do you not?  A forceful hand bolts the door. Aleksei probes his elongating eye teeth.

It is time for a new plan ..

Praise for Polar Night
"A great, super fast read. I couldn't put this down.  - Lisa Regan, author of Finding Claire Fletcher and Aberration

"This is a real page-turner. The way the book switched back and forth between the villain, the victim(s) and the heroic cop, kept me always wanting to turn the next page, to read one more chapter, then one more. It takes a riveting plot to get me to do that." - Graeme Ing, author of  Ocean of Dust

Available at:  Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Amazon UK ~ Smashwords ~ Kobo



How do you get rid of ghosts?
Help solve their murders in the Indigo Eady Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series

A Guilty Ghost Surprised
Book II
By Gwen Gardner


An Angel Among Us


Paranormal happenings at the Eady household are the norm. Recently, things have become downright peculiar. Childish giggles at odd hours of the night lead Indigo Eady to her little cousin, Bryan, a guileless cherub spirit, complete with Spider Man pajamas and a set of faux angel wings. The problem is that Bryan died nearly three years ago in a hit and run that killed him and his mum. The driver was never found.  Now the gang must solve the mystery of his death in order to send him back to heaven.  But where to start when the trail is three years cold?

Indigo Eady

Indigo Eady is not clumsy. At least, that’s what she keeps telling everyone. Can she help that the overactive spirit community of Sabrina Shores causes her psychic abilities to short-circuit? It’s unfortunate that her cute friend Badger is often on the receiving end of her mishaps. At times, she is positively hazardous to his health. Even so, sparks fly in more than one direction.
5 Stars! "Just when you think you have everything figured out, the tale twists around and keeps you guessing until the end...A not-so-average nearly seventeen-year-old girl with powers to see ghosts and retrieve powerful memories. She has boy troubles and ghost problems." Christine Rains, author of the 13th Floor Series.

Available in all ebook formats and print.

Available at: Amazon US | B&N



Dragonfly Warrior
by Jay Noel

The Mechanica Wars: Savage Machines Are Afoot...

At the age of twenty, Kanze Zenjiro's bloody footprints mark the bodies of those who stood in his way to protect the throne of Nihon. Now, the tyrannical Iberian Empire is bent on destroying his kingdom, and they send their steam-powered giants and iron spiders against him.

Zen embarks on a quest that takes him on the most dangerous journey of his life. To succeed, Zen must live up to his nickname, the Dragonfly Warrior, and kill all his enemies with only a sword and a pair of six-guns. He is called upon to somehow survive a test of faith and loyalty in a world so cruel and merciless, it borders on madness.


"This is like no other steampunk story I've ever read."

12.20.2013

Happy Holidays! Worlds, Wings, and Cute Things from Untethered Realms.

All of us at Untethered Realms wish you a joyous and beautiful holiday filled with love. May peace and hope find you. May your 2014 be the best year ever.


Meowy Christmas!
~ from M. Pax, Kayla, and Nini
(Yup, I'm getting the cold cat shoulder for this one)


Have a barkin' good holiday!
~ from River Fairchild and Sophie

 Have a holly jolly Christmas!
~ from Christine Rains and her little guy
(I don't have a pet but a kid counts, right?)


Hieronymus says, "Have a Woofin', Chewin' Christmas!"
from Catherine Stine's son, Jack's puppy, Hieronymus



Merry Christmas from the Cookie Monsters!
~from Gwen Gardner's fur babies, Koko and Tuffy
(can we have our cookies now, mom?)


Rock Those Rudolf Antlers!
~from Gwen Gardner's granddog, Chance!
 

The Plan To Steal the Presents Is a Go, Right?
~from Cherie Reich's sister's cat, Juliette!
 

Season's Greetings!
~ from the Flanders gang - Julie, Clancy & Nate


12.17.2013

Books that Inspired you to Write? Hated? Funny Books?

There's a meme going around Facebook to list your ten favorite books. I'm going to do a spicy version of this, revealing books that inspired me to write, books I thought were hilarious and books, for whatever reason a the time I read them, I hated!

A Few Books that Inspired Me to Write:

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
The sheer out-of-the-box wildness of the story

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Inspired many a forth-grade (unfinished) story

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Killer dark voice, haunting plot and prose

Cherry by Mary Karr
Her word choices and "voice" are sublime

Funny as all He*l Books:

Thumbsucker by Walter Kirn
A guy trying to kick the thumbsucking habit picks up much worse!

Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
A guy in seedy LA hunting down a bunch of bada*s black magicians

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Memoir of a Wacked family

Permanent Midnight by Jerry Stahl
A memoir about the guy who wrote Alf while on heroin

Books I Hated at the Time I Read Them... Now???

The Illiad by Homer
Never make an eighth-grader read this!

Billy Budd by Herman Melville
Never make a high-schooler read this! *YAWN*

What about you? Inspiring books? Funny books? Awful books?

12.10.2013

Diamonds and Dust Launch Day

It's Launch Day!

Diamonds and Dust

by River Fairchild
 
Book 1 of the Jewels of Chandra series
 
 

Magic is real. So is betrayal.

Two heirs. A Kingdom of dust on a troubled world. One might resurrect it. One might destroy it all.

Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.

Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.

David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

Buy it here:

 
**********************
 
 
 

About the author:

River Fairchild is somewhat odd, brandishes a dry sense of humor, owned by several cats. Lives in a fantasy world. A fabricator of magic. Makes stuff up and spins tales about it. Believes in Faerie crossings and never staying in one place for very long. Speculative Fiction wordsmith. The secret to her stories? Spread lies, blend in truths, add a pinch of snark and a dash of tears. Escape into her world. She left the porch light on so you can find your way down the rabbit hole.

12.08.2013

Graeme Ing reads excerpt from "Ocean of Dust"

As shy as he is, Graeme decided recently to try his hand at video blogging. This is his first attempt, a short reading from his debut YA Fantasy novel, Ocean of Dust.


12.03.2013

The Woman on the Webcam

I first came up with the idea for my novel The Ghosts of Aquinnah when I was planning a trip to Martha's Vineyard and looking at this webcam of the Aquinnah lighthouse on the Martha's Vineyard Online website.

I started wondering about looking at the webcam and seeing the same person every time I looked at the site. Who would this person be? What if she was always alone, even in the dark of night? And what reason could she have for being there?

As you can see from this screencap of the webcam, Aquinnah is a friendly and unassuming place during the day. If you were standing on these steps and facing the cars, the ocean would be off to your right and straight ahead. The sound of the waves below you is awesome from this location.


But it's a whole different story at night.


With the exception of the lone security light and the lighthouse beacon, there are no lights at Aquinnah at night. The more I looked at the cam, the more I thought that this would be a perfect place for ghosts to roam about. I started playing with that idea, and eventually The Ghosts of Aquinnah was born.

The following excerpt takes place after my character Hannah first sees the woman dressed in 19th century clothing on the webcam. She starts to wonder, who is she? And why is she there?

Unable to stop thinking about the mystery woman, Hannah tried again to come up with a reason for her dress. Perhaps she belonged to one of those religious groups where women dressed conservatively. But that wouldn’t explain what she was doing alone at the lighthouse in the dark of night. 
 
Hannah realized it wasn’t just the woman’s presence that had seemed odd to her, it was also her demeanor. The woman was very young, but she looked overwhelmed with sadness. Hannah set down the glass, suddenly worried that perhaps the woman had gone to the cliffs to commit suicide. Was that why she’d never returned to the stone steps? Had she jumped from the cliffs into the sea?

Hannah didn’t find that likely. The overlook was fenced in, and the ground below it was more sloping than steep.

Hannah shook her head and finished her water before putting her glass in the sink. Why was she trying to figure out what this woman was doing? What concern was it of hers, anyway? If the woman wanted to dress oddly and wander around the island at night, that was her business. 
 
As she headed back to the bedroom, she could imagine Jon saying that she was fixating on this woman as yet another excuse to avoid her work. He wouldn’t be wrong. But as she turned off the kitchen light she realized what it was that had struck her the most about the woman on the webcam. It wasn’t just her dress or the sadness that was so plain on her face. 
 
It was that in spite of the fact that she seemed to be so lost and alone, she moved with a purpose and sense of determination that was evident even through the lens of the camera. She looked like she was looking for something. Or like she was searching for someone.




Blurb:

A brilliant flash of light transcends through time.

Another freezes a cloaked figure within a frame of salty mist as waves crash against a rocky shore. Her harrowing expression shadows the beacon to a pinprick.

By the next blaze, she is gone. Only the lighthouse remains.

Hannah’s eyes blink in step with each heartbeat. Images of her deceased parents and Martha’s Vineyard explode like firecrackers inside her mind.

She shakes her head.

For weeks this eerie woman dressed in nineteenth century garb has been haunting my webcam, but tonight she stared into my soul.

Why? ...

Who is she? ...


Casting aside months of research on historic lighthouses, Hannah drives to the coast and boards a ferry.

What is the strange connection she has to this mysterious woman suspended in time?

Hannah finds out.

But, it’s not at all what she expects...

Hannah unravels a century old murder.


The Ghosts of Aquinnah will be released on December 5, 2013 by Ink Smith Publishing. Order now at:



Author Bio: Julie Flanders is a novelist and freelance writer in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a life-long love affair with the ocean and has spent more summer vacations than she can count on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. When not writing, Julie can be found playing with her pets, reading, cheering on her favorite sports teams, and watching too much television. The Ghosts of Aquinnah is Julie’s second novel. Her debut novel Polar Night was released in February, 2013 by Ink Smith Publishing.

Find Julie at: