Secret Magicks Giveaway for PNR, FR, and UF

Paranormal romance, fantasy romance and urban fantasy lovers, how would you like to

take home a Kindle, Amazon gift card, or ebook prize pack where you get to choose the

list of books you want from Amazon? Enter now for your chance to win!

Plus, check out the Secret Magicks Book Fair for a scavenger hunt game with a

personal, leather-bound spell book up for grabs, and a huge shelf’s worth of page-

turning vampire, angel, shifter, witch, fae, and other reads for 2.99 or less, some FREE!

Secret Magicks Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Giveaway

October 11-31

Kindle Fire 7 • Amazon Gift Cards • Ebook Packs • Leather-Bound Spell Book

https://bookwrapt.com/secret-magicks/

https://bookwrapt.com/secret-magicks-book-fair/

(This giveaway is sponsored by the authors listed below)

Alex Gordon • Amanda Uhl • Angelica R. Jackson • Bernadette Rowley • C.D. Gorri • Carrie Pulkinen • Christa Paige • Christina McKnight • D. Lieber • Dawn Marie Hamilton • Denise D. Young • E.B. Black • Eichin Chang-Lim • Elizabeth Rose • Erica Monroe • Greg Alldredge • J.L. Myers • J.C. Andrijeski • Judith Sterling • Karen Michelle Nutt • Karina Kantas • Katherine Gilbert • Kerry Blaisdell • L.E. Harrison • Lisa Voisin • Megan Starks • Mimi Barbour • N.D. Jones • Rebecca Hefner • Sedona Venez • Sharon Ashwood • Stephanie West • Zoe Dawson

Book trailer for Crow's Rest from Crow & Pitcher Press

The book trailer for Crow's Rest got a refresh with new photos!




Note: It says it's available in Audiobook because I didn't want to have to redo it in a month, but I'm on track for getting the audio version out in mid-July!

Some Urban Fantasy Resources on Operation Awesome Today

I participated in a panel of fantasy authors over the weekend, and you may want to check out some resources on the urban fantasy genre that I posted on Operation Awesome today.

Also, if you weren't able to come see the panel in person, I've uploaded a video of it. We had some issues with our backup battery failing, so we didn't quite film the entire thing, but there are some gems in it! This video unfortunately lost some video resolution, so I'll post a highlights reel later. (Update: the highlights reel has been added below the full video)

Since it may be hard to recognize us on sight, the panel is (L to R): Moderator Jen Garrett, Author Christina Mercer, Author Angelica R. Jackson, Author Jessica Taylor, Author Heather Marie.



And if you can't quite commit to that 1-hour-plus video, here's the highlights reel

Upcoming Panel Appearance

Save the date for my premiere as part of a panel of fantasy writers! And...the book trailer for Crow's Rest will be making its debut at the panel! It's happening at the Placerville branch of the El Dorado County Library:

Fantasy Authors Unveil Writing Secrets Placerville Library
Saturday, Jan. 3, 1:00 pm

Are you a fan of the world of fantasy in all its many forms, spectrums and realms? Are you an aspiring author looking for advice from those who have come before, those who have battled in the trenches of book publishing and emerged victorious? Join our four published authors as they answer ALL of your questions about writing the fantasy genre and share with you their writing journeys.

OUR AUTHORS:

Urban Fantasy: Angelica R. Jackson – In keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, Angelica R. Jackson has far too many interests to list here. She has an obsession with creating more writing nooks in the home she shares with her husband and two corpulent cats in California's Gold Country. Fortunately, the writing nooks serve for reading and cat cuddling too. Other pastimes include cooking for food allergies (not necessarily by choice, but she’s come to terms with it), photography, and volunteering at a local no-kill cat sanctuary. @angelicarjaxon

Magical Realism: Jessica Taylor - A young adult novelist who adores sleepy southern settings, unrequited love, and characters who sneak out late at night. After earning Bachelor’s degrees in English and communication studies, she decided to go all out and get her law degree too. She soon realized her one true love had always been writing young adult fiction. She lives in Northern California with a sweet-yet-spoiled dog and many teetering towers of books. Her young adult magical realism debut, Wandering Wild, is slated for fall 2015 release from Egmont USA. @JessicaTaylorYa

High Fantasy: Christina Mercer - An award-winning author of fiction for children and young adults. Honored titles include Tween Fantasy Arrow of the Mist and its sequel Arms of Anu, and Young Adult Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Honey Queen. She is also an accountant and certified herbalist, enjoying life in the foothills of Northern California with her husband, two sons, a pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honey bees. For about her and her writing visit www.christinamercer.com @cwritebuzz

Dark Paranormal: Heather Marie - She spends the majority of her time at home reading. Before she followed her dreams of becoming a writer, Heather worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist for several years. Although she enjoyed the artistic aspect of it all, nothing quite quenched her creative side like the telling of a good story. When the day had come for her to make a choice, she left behind her promising career to start another, and never looked back. @HeatherMarieYA Sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Thanks so much to Jen Garrett and The Writer's Bloc writing group for inviting us, and hope to see you all there!

P.S. Myu publicist is getting together a mini-blog tour for the book trailer (after Jan 3), so if you'd like to participate let me know, and I'll forward your info to my publicist.

Book Trailer for The Watchers Book 1: Knight of Light by Deirdra Eden

I've been paying more attention to book trailers as I've started work on mine, and keeping an eye out for the ones that succeed in getting across their book's tone and plot. That synched up nicely when I was invited to help Deirdra Eden celebrate her book by sharing the trailer! I love the imagery in this one:

The Watchers Book 1: Knight of Light

 In England, 1270 A.D., Auriella (pronounced yurr-ee-ella) flees her village after being accused of witchcraft. Pursued by nightmarish creatures, she struggles to accept the truth about her humanity. Filled with fairies, dwarves, pixies, dragons, demons, and monsters, Knight of Light is an enthralling tale that will capture the imaginations of readers young and old.

The Watchers Series has been described as Braveheart meets Supernatural. The mythology for the series is based on many theological texts from dozens of sects with correlating themes. Ancient writings include The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Traditional Apocrypha, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Kabbalah.

“The Watchers” are supernatural beings in human form whose duty it is to protect and guard mankind from the armies of darkness. Unfortunately, as the Book of Enoch mentions, some of these Watchers go bad. Although the mythology is based on these texts, Deirdra Eden’s The Watcher’s Series is written in a traditional fairytale style with a young girl’s discovery of incredible, but dangerous powers within herself, a cast of humorous side-kicks, a quest for greater self-discovery and purpose, and villains of epic proportions

Amazon  Facebook  Twitter  Goodreads  Wattpad  Pinterest

About the Author

"My goal in writing is to saturate my books with intrigue, mystery, romance, and plot twists that will keep my readers in suspense. I want to see fingerprints on the front and back covers where readers have gripped the novel with white knuckles! Aside from writing, I enjoy jousting in arenas, planning invasions, horseback riding through open meadows, swimming in the ocean, hiking up mountains, camping in cool shady woods, climbing trees barefoot, and going on adventures."
-Deirdra Eden

Find Deirdra Eden and The Watchers Series online on Amazon, Deirdra's website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad, and Pinterest.

Moonflower by Angela Townsend

There's only a week left before the March 31 release of Moonflower by Angela Townsend! I got to read this one last year and it's a great twist on the Chosen One trope:

Natasha remembers little from her Russian childhood, other than the lingering nightmares of her mother's tragic death. So when someone close to her hands her a one-way ticket to Russia, along with the deed to her family farm, and then is brutally murdered, she has little confidence about what awaits her in that distant land.

With doubt and uncertainty, Natasha has no choice but to leave her life in America for an unknown future. Once overseas, the terrifying facts as to why she was really summoned home come to light.

Fact one: Monsters do exist.
Fact two: The only thing keeping those monsters out of the world is an ancient mural hidden below her family's farm.
Fact three: The mural that keeps the evil out of the world is falling apart.
The final fact: It's up to Natasha to restore it and save the world from a horror unlike anything seen before.

Luckily, Natasha isn't alone in her mission. Three Russian Knights are tasked with protecting her from the demons as she restores the mural. And leading the Knights is the handsome and strong Anatoly, who seems to be everything Natasha could hope for in a man. Unfortunately, there is one huge problem. Her Knights are forbidden from having relationships with the artists they protect, and Anatoly is a hardcore rule follower. But rules cannot stop the way she feels.

When a horrifying demon breaches the barrier and pulls Anatoly inside the mural, Natasha can’t help but charge, once again, into the unknown—this time to save the man she secretly loves. Now on the demons’ turf, she risks her own life to free the very one who is supposed to be protecting her. Little does she realize that if she should fail, it could mean the destruction of the very last barrier shielding mankind. Will Anatoly refuse Natasha’s help? Or will he finally realize, when love is at stake, the rules will be broken.

Add it on Goodreads!

Angus MacBain & The Island of Sleeping Kings by Angela J. Townsend

Fellow Operation Awesome operative Angela J Townsend has a new book coming out September 27 from Clean Teen Publishing, and to celebrate I'm hosting a giveaway! Here's the lowdown on Angus MacBain and The Island of Sleeping Kings:

About the story:


Angus MacBain is unaware that his ancestral roots hail from an ancient sect of Scottish kings. When his dying grandfather gives him a dragon pendant, thirteen-year-old Angus learns of a legacy that will take him across an ocean to the island of Iona and thrust him into a heritage he did not know he had. He soon discovers that his mother, whom he had believed dead, is really a seal fairy, in hiding from a dangerous enemy. To save her, Angus must undergo a perilous journey of destiny and power to battle an evil Dacian knight and those who serve him. With only his family shield and the advice of a wizened vampire hunter to protect him, Angus must navigate dangerous terrain and dark enemies, in a land where the past and the present mingle, and sleeping kings wake.

About the author:

Angela Townsend was born in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Missoula, Montana. As a child, Angela grew up listening to stories told by her grandparents, ancient tales and legends of faraway places. Influenced by her Irish and Scottish heritage, Angela became an avid research historian, specializing in Celtic mythology. Her gift for storytelling finally led her to a full time writing career.

Angela divides her time between writing, playing Celtic music on her fiddle, and Irish dancing. She resides in Northwestern Montana, with her two children Levi and Grant.

Angela's novel, Amarok, was published in November 2012 by Spencer Hill Press. It has been on Amazon’s best seller list in three categories, and was reviewed by the School Library Journal. Amarok is available in print and audio editions through Amazon.com as well as at large chain stores, including Walmart.

You can find her on her blog and Facebook and Twitter!

Plus, Angela kindly answered a few questions I was curious about:

1) What age group is Angus MacBain intended for?
All ages. I think everyone enjoys a good fantasy story. Tales told around the fireplace about dragons, castles, knights have been a long held tradition.

2) Will you share some interesting things you found while researching the fairy and folklore for this story?
I enjoy researching anything to do with Irish or Scottish myth and lore. There were many fascinating things I uncovered. Too many to mention. I've spent years researching Celtic legends and their origins In fact, I enjoy researching different cultures and myths in general.

My educational background is in Cultural Anthropology and research. The work that went into Angus MacBain and the Island of Sleeping Kings is a result of many years of careful study. MacBain is an ancestral name in my family spelled both McBain and MacBain.

I enjoyed incorporating a bit of my own family history into this novel. I have very strong Irish and Scottish roots so I have a special love for the preservation of Celtic history.

3) What other projects are you working on right now?
I'm currently working on Book 2 and Book 3 of the Angus MacBain series.

And now, you can enter to win A Magical Bag filled with Angus MacBain swag in the Rafflecopter below! Magnets, pens, erasers, wristbands, book marks, Angus Jewelry, plus bonus items!! (Sorry, this giveaway is for U.S. addresses only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Westercon, and Query Crit on OA Today

Our second query critique is up on Operation Awesome today if you'd like to check it out! After you read this riveting blog post here, of course.

My husband and I went to Westercon over the weekend, and although he refused to dress up like Commander Ryker (hey, I was willing to try for Deanna Troy) we had a good time.

This was the first fan con that I've been to; I generally do writers' conferences and then I did a storytelling conference years ago. I only found out about Westercon because my friend Karen Sandler posted on Facebook that she was going to be on some panels there. And good thing she did, because otherwise I would have missed out on getting her to sign my book (yes, we do see each other outside of conferences, but I don't always carry a copy of her book around with me, lol).

Awakening is the second book in Karen's YA trilogy, which started with Tankborn, and now I'm re-reading Tankborn to refresh my memory before diving into book two.

I attended most of the panels to do with writing and publishing (found out about Westercon too late to sign up for the writer's workshop), many of which were concentrated on self-publishing, e-pubbing, and small presses. Got some great links and resources out of it, but I'd like to add some resources of my own here . . .

One of the panels was on using sf/fantasy in the classroom and they talked about K-12, but I noticed that most of the books they were talking about for the high school level were titles like Farenheit 451, 1984, and Brave New World. Valid books, all, but I must've not been the only one who noticed that the most recent book they mentioned was written 25 years ago because another audience member asked for more recent YA sf titles.

And the panel was stumped (they said they don't deal with YA as much). It was as they were wrapping and I didn't have a chance to speak up, but I did go up to the person who had asked the question and provided some YA sf titles that I'd read:

Beth Revis's series (starts with Across the Universe)
Veronica Roth's series (starts with Divergent)
James Dashner's Maze Runners series
Mike Mullin's Ashfall series
Paolo Bacigalupi's series (starts with Ship Breakers)
Scott Westerfield's Uglies series and Leviathin books
Marie Lu's series (starts with Legend)
Marissa Meyer's series (starts with Cinder)
Feed by M.T. Anderson (this one's actually on my TBR list)

There are so many more, of course, but these are the ones that occurred to me during the panel or right afterwards. If there was a Westercon in Sacramento in the near future (it moves to different cities), I'd definitely be proposing a panel on YA sf and fantasy!

Saturday was the masquerade but we left well before it started. I did manage to catch a few cool costumes with my camera phone though:

Would like to have seen what else people came up with, but I was tired from only two days of this! Kudos to the people who stuck it out for all four days. Since it's only about a 40 minute drive from our place, we opted to do the day trip thing.

So who would you have dressed up as, if you had unlimited time and money to make a costume?

Happy Book Birthday to Christina Mercer's Arrow of the Mist!

Way back when I joined my regional SCBWI chapter, one of the first things I did was sign up on their "looking for a critique partner" list. And I lucked into a group of great writers, yay!

One of those great writers releases her first book today, Arrow of the Mist:

SEMI-FINALIST
2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia embarks on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. She relies on her herbal wisdom and newfound gift as a tree mage through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about her family.

“Ancient magic and herbal lore mark this engaging, fast-moving fantasy with a botanical bent. Lia, 15, is a winning heroine, discovering and wielding her magical gifts. Smoothly crafted writing conjures up a wondrous world where trees impart wisdom and dwarves tend ancient and powerful crystals. Well-developed characters, elegant dialogue, trickster creatures, exciting scenes of mystic battle and intriguing riddles stir up a powerful potion that will charm readers.” –Publishers Weekly

“Arrow of the Mist is an intriguing, well crafted fantasy novel for young adults. It abounds with magic, mystery and adventure. Lia is a girl whom the reader will cheer on as she labors to save her beloved father.” –ABNA Expert Reviewer

“Lovely work! Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, and this is exceptionally well done. Dialogue is natural and the characters are warm and lively. The idea of a sinister region that is encroaching on the ordinary world is a familiar theme, but this author has a fresh voice and her characters make the tale unique.” –ABNA Expert Reviewer                                                                                                               

“A fresh voice in the YA fantasy genre, Mercer blends a delicious mix of Celtic lore, herbal remedies, threatening foes and the romantic tension of first love. Arrow of the Mist takes you on a coming of age journey with heroine Lia, leaving you breathless in the battle scenes and soothed in the tender moments.” –Susan Salluce, MA, Author of Out of Breath

I'll be featuring an interview with Christina on Operation Awesome in mid-April, but I just couldn't let this momentous birthday pass without sharing!

What's Your Flavor? A Buffet of Contests

Writer's Digest is not only an invaluable source for improving your craft and keeping up with market news, they also offer contests throughout the year. Their biggest two are annual well-established competitions:

The annual Short Story Competition (in its 12th year) with a maximum of 1,500 words. Any genre, any style, but 1,500 words is challenging! If you're up to it, the entry fee is $20 and the deadline is November 15, with the winners notified by the end of February 2012.

The deadline for the 80th WD Annual Writing Competition has already passed, but the winners will be announced in October, and details for the next competition in November. WD also has competitions for poetry, screen plays, self-published books, and "Your Story" (which uses a writing prompt).

New this year are separate genre short story competitions, with a maximum of 4,000 words. Entries are also $20, with a chance to win up to $1,000. The deadlines for each genre are:

September 15
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Thriller/Suspense

October 1
Young Adult Fiction

October 15
Romance

October 22
Crime

October 31
Horror

So start pondering some story ideas now, so that you'll have a finished story by the deadline! I may enter more than one category, just for the challenge of stretching my genres.

What about you--do you find yourself keeping to one genre when you write, or do you write all across the board?

Images courtesy of DailyClipArt.net