Notes from Jeff on "Dusk at Marsden Tower"

“Dusk at Marsden Towers” was written for a picture prompt on the Friday Flash Fics Facebook page where we write a flash fiction piece based on the picture. I wrote this one around Christmas based partly on an idea from the great British ghost story writer M. R. James (who wrote his stories to read to friends at Christmastime) about a face or mask that appears at a window. A story James never got around to writing, he mentioned the idea in an essay called “Stories I Have Tried to Write.”

After my story was published, someone commented it reminded them of Charles Dickens’ spooky stories set in rooms at inns. In contrast to the spookiness, I wrote most of this while my husband and I were watching “It’s a Wonderful Life!”

Notes from Jeff on "Camera Obscura"

“Camera Obscura” is one of about twelve stories I’ve written influenced by Sci-fi/fantasy stories told in bars, such as “Tales From the White Hart” by Arthur C. Clarke, who was gay but didn’t write about it. I started writing stories set in Demeter’s Bar, a fictional gay bar in my hometown of Wichita, Kansas, and have actually published a few in venues besides my own website. “Camera Obscura” was written for Friday Flash Fics, a picture prompt site and named after the horror story by Basil Copper, which became an episode of “Night Gallery” in the 70s.

Friday and time for me to read to you! Today I have an excerpt from Jeanne G'Fellers fantasy, Keeping House. Fey in Appalachia, strange bargains, and me trying to do accents. :o

Keeping House
Appalachian Elementals 2
by Jeanne G'Fellers

Publisher
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Smashwords

Centenary Rhodes is caught in a deal she didn’t make. Thanks to her eternal lover, Stowne’s, quick thinking, she’ll live forever, but there’s a hitch. Cent’s now fey, and three months out of the year she’ll live on the other side of Embreeville Mountain among the Hunter Fey, serving their king, Dane Gow.
 
As Cent begins wading through the anachronisms that come with being a Hunter, she learns that nothing is what it initially seems. Cent shares several past lives with Dane, who wants her back, and Stowne’s lied to Cent so many times that she’s having doubts about their marriage. To make matters worse, the past Hunter Kings are influencing Dane’s behavior, and the youngest Hunter, Brinn, might well be the most dangerous of them all.
 
It’s going to be a cold, dark spring, and Cent needs to unite both sides of Embreeville mountain before her eternal life, her relationship with Dane, and her marriage to Stowne come permanently undone.
 
Another rich Contemporary Appalachian tale about fantastic people and the magic they possess, including LGBTQIA+ characters Human and otherwise.

Author Bio:
 
Born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Science Fiction and Fantasy author Jeanne G’Fellers' early memories include watching the original Star Trek series with their father and reading the books their librarian mother brought home. Jeanne’s writing influences include Anne McCaffrey, Ursula K. LeGuin, Octavia Butler, Isaac Asimov, and Frank Herbert.

Jeanne lives in Northeast Tennessee with their spouse and five crazy felines. Their home is tucked against a small woodland where they regularly see deer, turkeys, raccoons, and experience the magic of the natural world.
 
Author Website: https://jeannegfellersauthor.com
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/Jeannegfellersauthor
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlgfellers
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjeannegfellers
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Jeanne+G%27Fellers
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jeanne-GFellers/e/B01N0YWCT7

I have a lovely excerpt today from Lou Hoffman's Dragon's Rise: Sunchild Chronicles 4! This is YA fantasy, and one I've been trying to keep up with. Dragon's Rise is on pre-order now and releases July 9. :)

​Also, this is part of a blog tour, so don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom!

Dragon's Rise
The Sunchild Chronicles 4
by Lou Hoffman

Harmony Ink Press 
Amazon ebook
Amazon paperback
B&N
Kobo
iTunes/iBooks 
Books2Read Universal Link

Days ago, with the help of his living sword Ciarrah, Lucky fought through an army of wraiths led by the undead horror that was once his mother. Though he’s seen more bloodshed in his short life than many seasoned warriors, his destiny as the chosen Sun Child of the magical world called Ethra demands more. Otherworldly enemies are regrouping, barely fazed by a single defeat. If they won’t rest, then neither can he.

He travels to the capital city with ancient wizard Thurlock, but instead of allies, he meets open betrayal. An old friend of Thurlock’s and some young supporters boost his morale, but how much help will they offer against zombies, dragons, and evil magic users? In the epic battle looming on the horizon, everything he’s gathered, from mystical tools to a winged horse, a loyal dog, shifter and dragon allies, and even an army at his side might not be enough. Will he measure up to fate’s challenge… or be trampled by it?

About Lou:
Lou Hoffmann, a mother and grandmother now, has carried on her love affair with books for more than half a century, and she hasn’t even made a dent in the list of books she’d love to read—partly because the list keeps growing. She reads factual things—books about physics and history and fractal chaos, but when she wants truth, she looks for it in quality fiction. She loves all sorts of wonderful things: music and silence, laughter and tears, youth and age, sunshine and storms, forests and fields, flora and fauna, rivers and seas. Even good movies and popcorn! Those things help her breathe, and everyone she knows helps her write. (Special mention goes to (1) George the Lady Cat and (2) readers.) Proud to be a bisexual, biracial woman (of European and Native American descent),

Lou considers every person a treasure not to be taken for granted. In her life, she’s seen the world’s willingness to embrace differences change, change back, and change again in dozens of ways, but she has great hope for the world the youth of today will create. She writes for readers who find themselves anywhere on the spectrums of age, sexuality, and gender, aiming to create characters that live not only in their stories, but always in your imagination and your heart.
 
Author Links:
Visit her on her blog: http://www.queerlyya.rainbow-gate.com
Like her page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LouHoffmannBooks/
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lou_Hoffmann
Check out her Amazon Author Page: http://queerlyya.rainbow-gate.com/ciarrahs-light-event-schedule-get-blog-tour-links-here/

The Mystery of the Moving Image
Snow & Winter 3
by C.S. Poe

DSP Publications | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

It’s summer in New York City, and antique shop owner Sebastian Snow is taking the next big step in his relationship with NYPD homicide detective, Calvin Winter: they’re moving in together. What should have been a wonderful week of playing house and celebrating Calvin’s birthday comes to an abrupt end when a mysterious package arrives at the Emporium.

Inside is a Thomas Edison Kinetoscope, a movie viewer from the nineteenth century, invented by the grandfather of modern cinema, W. K. L. Dickson. And along with it, footage of a murder that took place over a hundred years ago.

Sebastian resists the urge to start sleuthing, even if the culprit is long dead and there’s no apparent danger. But break-ins at the Emporium, a robbery, and dead bodies aren’t as easy to ignore, and Sebastian soon realizes that the century-old murder will lead him to a modern-day killer.

However, even with Sebastian’s vast knowledge of Victorian America and his unrelenting perseverance in the face of danger, this may be the one mystery he won’t survive.

About C.S. Poe

C.S. Poe is a Lambda Literary and two-time EPIC award finalist, and a FAPA award-winning author of gay mystery, romance, and paranormal books.
​
She is an avid fan of coffee, reading, and cats.
C.S. is a member of the International Thriller Writers organization.
 
| Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Blog | Goodreads | BookBub | Newsletter |
 
| C.S. Poe’s Curious & Mysterious |

Friday has returned! This week, I get to read to you from a collection I've been waiting for - Tales From Ardulum which contains several stories from that universe including what's happening to our intrepid Neek and Co. a year after Third Don. :D

Tales From Ardulum
J.S. Fields

Amazon

​One year after saving the Neek homeworld and redefining the people’s religion, the crew of the Scarlet Lucidity returns to the Charted Systems for a much-needed break. For Nicholas and Yorden, the Systems will always be home, but for Emn and Atalant, too many memories compound with Emn’s strange new illness to provide much relaxation.
 
TALES FROM ARDULUM continues the journey of Atalant, Emn, Yorden, Nicholas, and Salice as they try to define their place in a galaxy that no longer needs them while battling the artifacts of Ardulan colonization. Other stories include Yorden’s acquisition of the Mercy’s Pledge (and his grudge against the galaxy), Atalant’s exile from her homeworld, Ekimet and Savath’s romance, and many others.

About the Author

J.S. Fields (@Galactoglucoman) is a scientist who has perhaps spent too much time around organic solvents. They enjoy roller derby, woodturning, making chainmail by hand, and cultivating fungi in the backs of minivans. Nonbinary, and yes, it matters.
​
Fields has lived in Thailand, Ireland, Canada, USA, and spent extensive time in many more places. Their current research takes them to the Peruvian Amazon rainforest each summer, where they traumatizes students with machetes and tangarana ants while looking for rare pigmenting fungi. They live with their partner and child, and a very fabulous lionhead rabbit named Merlin.
 
Author Website: http://www.jsfieldsbooks.com
Author Twitter: @galactoglucoman
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16484795.J_S_Fields
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/j-s-fields/
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/J.S.-Fields/e/B071YWC4VN

Giveaway!

J.S. Fields is giving away four prizes with this tour: a collectible soft enamel pin of the Mercy's Pledge (2), and a high res version of one of the interior illustrations (their choice, pick from Yorden, Nick, Emn, or Atalant) (2). Enter via Rafflecopter:

Don't Fight the Spark
A Soldiers and Mercenaries Story
by Kasia Bacon

​Amazon - Kindle Unlimited

As the Light Festival draws near, the Něssyrians craft paper lanterns, awaiting the most important holiday of the year.

The Lyliňg Fighting House, too, prepares for celebration--by laying fresh sand onto the arena and setting up a match against their top pit fighter, the unrivalled Yüuzuki Ōren.

His last match. One he can’t win.
​
With the odds more than stacked against him, the gorgeous Barbarian is as good as dead. Unless his lover, healer Ĥaiatto Ẽkana, proves himself every bit as determined as he is clever and finds a way to protect the man he'd stop at nothing to save.

About Kasia Bacon

A linguist and an avid reader with a particular fondness for fantasy and paranormal genres, KASIA BACON lives in London with her husband. When not tearing her hair out over a translating project, she writes stories about the shenanigans of emotionally constipated assassins and sexy Elves. Otherwise, she can be found shaking her loins at a Zumba class, binging on anime or admiring throwing knives on Pinterest. A lover of MMA and Muay Thai, she also enjoys nature and the great outdoors. She dreams of becoming independently wealthy, leaving the city and moving into her wooden mini-manor—located in the heart of stunning forests resembling those of the Elven Country depicted in her tales.
 
Find Kasia online:
Website
Amazon
BookBub
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
E-mail
 
For excerpts, free stories and updates about new projects, sign up for Kasia’s newsletter.
​

OK - so it's Friday Reading Day on Saturday. Various things got in the way this week, sorry about that. This week we have an exciting excerpt from G.B. Gordon's Match Grade - assassin protagonist anyone? :D

Match Grade
Criminal Delights
by G.B. Gordon

Amazon - Kindle Unlimited

Eirik Haldurson is a hitman. Kidnapped at age five and cruelly trained by his captor, he is today one of the most sought-after contract killers alive. Emotional distance from his targets, brutally beaten into him until it became second nature, is now the only way he can function. Lately though, that distance has started to elude him.

And when a Colombian drug cartel contracts Eirik to take out ex-soldier-turned-vigilante, Matt Moreno, distance is suddenly as close as heat to fire. And all hell breaks loose.
 
This book is part of CRIMINAL DELIGHTS. Each novel can be read as a standalone and contains a dark M/M romance.

Warning: These books are for adult readers who enjoy stories where lines between right and wrong get blurry. High heat, twisted and tantalizing, these are not for the fainthearted.

About G.B. Gordon

G.B. Gordon worked as a packer, landscaper, waiter, and coach before going back to school to major in linguistics and, at thirty-five, switch to less backbreaking monetary pursuits like translating, editing, and writing. Having lived in various parts of the world, Gordon is now happily ensconced in suburban Ontario with the best of all husbands.

Social Media:
Website and blog
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook
​Instagram

Under the Radar
By Lillian Francis

It’s 1942 and after a sexual indiscretion, US Navy pilot Zachary MacKenzie is sent to serve in the Royal Navy’s submarine service—a shockingly harsh punishment for a man who loves to fly. The submarine is oppressive and frustrating for him, and he’s marked out from his peers, publicly by being American, and privately by his attraction to men.

The only bright spot is the company of his steward, sonar operator Gethin Llewelyn. Despite the differences of rank and background, they’re drawn to each other. Gethin’s integrity complements Zach’s casual joie de vivre, and soon the friendship develops into something much more.

As the threats of war increase, the submarine is plagued by potentially hostile vessels, and circumstances lead them to suspect there’s a spy amongst their own crew. Being forced even closer together as they work for the greater good reveals a new awareness, and Zach doesn’t know what is in more danger, the vessel under his charge or his heart.
 
Universal link: https://books2read.com/UnderTheRadar
Kobo
Payhip
B&N
Smashwords
Universal Amazon link: mybook.to/UndertheRadar_LF 
Add it to your Goodreads bookshelf here.
                                                   
About the Author

Lillian Francis is a self-confessed geek who likes nothing more than settling down with a comic or a good book, except maybe writing. Given a notepad, pen, her Kindle, and an infinite supply of chocolate Hob Nobs and she can lose herself for weeks. Romance was never her reading matter of choice, so it came as a great surprise to all concerned, including herself, to discover a romance was exactly what she’d written, and not the rollicking spy adventure or cosy murder mystery she always assumed she’d write.
​
http://lillianfrancis.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter @LillianFrancis_
Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Lillian’s Lovefest – FB group
BookBub
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Sign up for my newsletter
Email: lillianfrancis@rocketmail.com

A New World-Conviction
 by M.D. Neu

NineStar Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

A little blue world, the third planet from the sun. It's home to 7 billion people with all manner of faiths, beliefs and customs, divided by bigotry and misunderstanding, who will soon be told they are not alone in the universe. Anyone watching from the outside would pass by this fractured and tumultuous world, unless they had no other choice.
 
Todd Landon is one of these people, living and working in a section of the world called the United States of America. His life is similar to those around him: home, family, work, friends and a husband. 
 
After the attack on San Jose, Todd is appointed to Special Envoy for Terran Affairs by the nentraee, a position many world leaders question. Undeterred Todd wants to build bridges between both people. However, this new position brings with it a new set of problems that not only he, but his new allies Mi’ko and Mirtoff must overcome. Will the humans and nentraee learn to work together despite mistrust and threats of more attacks by a new global terrorist group, or will the terrorists win? Will this bring an end to an already shaky alliance between nentraee and humans?