Seven Strange Facts About Tracy Cooper-Posey + excerpt

Here are six out there, but absolutely true things about me…and one lie. Which one is the lie?

1. I grew up without television or a movie theatre…or a library.
I grew up in a tiny wheatbelt town in Western Australia, that had five houses, a wheat silo and a school. The school had three rooms and no library. It was my years in Cadoux that formed my reading habit. I read to tatters every book my mother managed to mail order from the nearest city.

Bonus weird fact: The year I left Cadoux, the town was wiped out by a massive, record-breaking earthquake. I’m pretty sure the two events are not related…

2, I was the first licensed female cinematograph operater in Western Australia.
Fast forward a few years. That grand title has a shorter name: A film operator. I was the first female in Western Australia to earn her license to run a movie in a cinema or drive-in.

In those days, some of the bio-boxes could only be accessed by going through the men’s washroom! They were so not set up for women to run a show. 😊

3. I have written 200+ books under three different pen names
I keep lists – I have to, because I can never remember them all.

I’ve been writing for a few years. 

4. I met my future husband on the Internet when it was only two years old, and I moved to Canada to marry him.
I think we might be one of the first couples to meet online, it was that new.

Bonus weird fact: We have the same birthday, which is also the day we met, and our wedding anniversary.
 

5. I have bumped noses with a grey nurse shark 

When I lived in Western Australia, I was a keen scuba diver. The Indian Ocean is warm, and clear, and made for scuba diving. But one day I pushed myself up from the sea floor, over the top of a short reef…and the grey nurse was coming over the top of the reef from the other side.

I don’t know who was the most startled. The shark flicked its tail and took off. So did I.

I think I walked on water, getting back to the beach….
 

6. I have survived a civil war
For nearly two years, my husband at that time worked with a mining company who operated a copper mine on Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea, just three degrees below the equator.

We had been there just over a year when a civil war broke out between political factions vying for control of the country. They assured us that Australians working the copper mine were perfectly safe.

Until they killed an Australian.

We were evacuated off the island in 48 hours. We spent that 48 hours grimly packing up our houses, as the company assured us they would get our possessions off the island. We didn’t believe them, of course.

Weird bonus fact: Our possessions, in a sea container, were dropped onto the driveway of our house in Australia, six weeks later. The books smelled of the jungle for years, after that.
 

7. I have kissed a king
A real, honest-to-goodness king. And that’s all I’ll say about that.

-------------

So, which one is the lie?

If you guessed the last one, you’re sort of right. When I kissed him, he wasn’t a king at the time. He was a crown prince.

I have newspaper reports to prove it. 😉


Tracy Cooper-Posey

Crossroads Magic (Witchtown Crossing Book One)
by Tracy Cooper-Posey
March 21, 2024
Genre: Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Fantasy
Publisher: Stories Rule Press
Amazon ISBN: 9781779431943
ISBN: 9781779432018
ASIN: B0CP3CKP12
Number of pages: 306 pages
Word Count: 74,000 words
Cover Artist: Dar Dixon, Wicked Smart Designs
I’m just an ordinary, middle-aged woman, and my life is falling apart….

When did I become such a cliché? I’m divorced, working a crappy job, living on next to nothing, and wondering how it all went so wrong.

Then it goes even more wrong. My grown daughter turns up after not speaking to me for two years, with stunning news of her own, and to cap it off, I’m summoned to a tiny, isolated hamlet in northern New York called Haigton Crossing, where my mother has lived for decades.

Haigton Crossing looks like a throwback to another time. For such a small place, it is stuffed full of secrets. The people there are different, including the town’s doctor, Benedict Marcus. And Haigton Crossing is way, way too small to host a murder….

This book is part of the paranormal women’s fiction series, Witchtown Crossing
1.0: Crossroads Magic …with more to come!

A Paranormal Women’s Fiction novel.

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Praise for Crossroads Magic:

Love this new series. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down.

Now I must wait for the next book which is pure torture.

Nice to read about a woman starting over after her daughter has grown.

As I adore everything Tracy writes...I am on cloud nine with the start of a new series.

It was wonderful to read a book about a woman who is closer to my age facing problems that I might actually have.

She explains the sights, sounds and smells in a way that makes you feel like you are there. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series!

What a delight! A heroine with some life experience, with real world problems.

A NEW Series From TRACY!!! EEEK!

Tracy's strong suit in her writing is her character development and knowing when a good twist and turn is needed to further captivate her audience.

An excellent beginning to what promises to be a most intriguing series, Crossroads Magic is a fascinating story in itself, though there are so many different directions this series could take.

Excerpt Chapter One
The only thing I was worried about as I headed back to my apartment building was the spot on the back of my hand where hot fat had left a burn the size of a nickel. Small, but mighty, the burn throbbed and ached, reminding me it was there. It was worse when the sun hit it, which it did frequently. It was one of those perfect, mild days in December, when you could actually see the sky over L.A. and it was blue.

Who am I kidding? The burn spot wasn’t the only thing I was worried about. If you were to ask me, I could rattle off a dozen major and minor problems, including the sumo-sized rat I suspect was trying to take up residence under my kitchen sink. But those were all chronic problems.

The burn on my hand was new and painful. I didn’t need new problems and was trying my best to ignore it until I could slather aloe vera gel on it. Marjorie, at the diner, had hacked off a leaf from the plant sitting in the pot outside the kitchen door when Deborah, the assistant manager, hadn’t been looking. Marj had wrapped the leaf in plastic. It was in my bag, along with the serving of pecan pie which Deborah had ordered the waitresses to throw out because it was too old. Three days old…there was nothing wrong with it, and it had more calories in it than the egg and toast I had lined up for dinner.

In this world that wasn’t the one I would voluntarily choose, today was turning out okay. Pecan pie, and Hobgoblin of History in my ears. I had been waiting weeks for book fifteen of M.K. Lint’s fantasy series. The library had doled it out to me yesterday and I was on chapter three. Harry the Hobgoblin was looking for the Fairy Eloise, this book; he’d lost her at the end of the last one, because he hadn’t closed the Doors of Eternal Flame in time and a demon had abducted her.

I like reading. I like it a lot.

My building was a white monstrosity that did nothing to enhance the L.A. skyline. The white had long ago turned to a stained, dull grey. Five years ago, a fire had broken out on the top floor and burned out a few apartments. The black smoke had billowed up out of the windows, staining the walls above them. The stains were still there and every time I saw them, I had to remind myself they were smoke stains, not black mould taking over the building. Black mould seemed more appropriate.

I turned off the audiobook, stashed my phone in my pocket and headed for the front door. I only used the front door when I came home from work. Usually, I used the side door, because it was closer to the bus stop.

There was another homeless person sitting on the front steps, leaning against the wrought iron bannister as if they couldn’t prop themselves up, their jean jacket pulled in tight. It wasn’t that cold, although this late in the afternoon, any warmth in the day was beginning to fade.
I swung around the homeless person’s worn boots, and up the steps, digging out my key.

“Mom?” The voice wavered.

I whirled, my heart rate climbing, to face the woman rising from the steps, a denial on my lips.

Blue, short, spiky hair. A nose ring. Black eye makeup that had run…or that she had been wearing for too many days. The black looked like bruises.

“Ghaliya?” I asked, for the high cheekbones, narrow chin and high forehead were hers. So were the blue eyes—even if they were blood shot. The next question was right there, behind my teeth. What the hell are you doing here?

Ghaliya pulled the jacket in around her once more. She’d lost weight since the last time I’d seen her…two years, two months and five days ago. And about thirty minutes.

“The super said you’d be home around now,” Ghaliya said. She bent and picked up a small black backpack that had been sitting under her knees and straightened.

Was it possible she’d got taller? She’d been an inch shorter than me. I didn’t think she was shorter than me anymore, and I am nearly always the tallest woman in the room.

I didn’t ask why she was here. That was obvious. She needed help.

I hefted my keys instead. “You’d better come in.”

About the Author:
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Tracy Cooper-Posey is the author of the popular Once and Future Hearts historical fantasy romance series, among others. She writes romantic suspense, historical, paranormal, fantasy and science fiction romance, plus women’s fiction. She also writes under the pen names of Cameron Cooper (science fiction) and Taylen Carver (fantasy). She has published over 200 titles since 1999, been nominated for five CAPAs including Favourite Author, and won the Emma Darcy Award.

She turned to indie publishing in 2011. Her indie titles have been nominated four times for Book Of The Year. Tracy won the award in 2012, a SFR Galaxy Award in 2016 and came fourth in Hugh Howey’s SPSFC#2 in 2023. She has been a national magazine editor and for a decade she taught romance writing at MacEwan University.

She is addicted to Irish Breakfast tea and chocolate, sometimes taken together. In her spare time she enjoys history, Sherlock Holmes, science fiction and ignoring her treadmill. An Australian Canadian, she lives in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, a former professional wrestler, where she moved in 1996 after meeting him on-line.

Top 4 Weird, Crazy, and Fun Facts about fantasy author, Melissa Birling + giveaway

Top 4 Weird, Crazy, and Fun Facts about fantasy author, Melissa Birling:

1) Skunk Costume: When I was a child, other little girls dressed up as princesses for Halloween. I dressed up as a mouse. The following year I dressed up as a skunk. Why? I don’t recall. Apparently, I had a fascination with vermin.

2) Glittery Gap Years: After high school, I was supposed to attend college to major in opera. Working for a theater company over the summer made me question whether school was the right choice. I cancelled my enrollment at college and taught ballroom dancing for several years. As a result, I owned a LOT of clothing and jewelry covered in glitter and rhinestones. Eventually, I pursued a bachelor’s degree in marketing and international business and a master’s in management of technology. I’m grateful for my time in the arts and still love singing and dancing to this day.

3) Shattering Superpower: I am blessed with a rare superpower that is shattering glass with my bare hands. Have a wine glass you no longer want? Bathroom sink or bathtub you want replaced but there’s nothing wrong with your current one? Send them over to me. I will crush, crack, and chip all of the above effortlessly. Best part is I always walk away unscathed. Your move comic book heroines!

4) Sock Averse: I hate socks. The heel and toes never line up right. Socks are either falling down or cutting off circulation. Are you supposed to wear them over leggings in which case they should be color coordinated? Or do you wear socks under leggings thereby creating an unsightly bulge? Needing to wear socks all the time means you’re clearly in a climate unfit for human existence. Basically, what I’m saying is, socks are the worst. The one exception is fuzzy socks…because cozy pillows for your feet get a pass.

Ice Floe (Ice Floe Book One)
by Melissa Birling
Date of Publication: April 28, 2022
 Genre: YA Fantasy Romance, YA PNR
Publisher: Purpance Publishing
Number of pages: 320
Word Count: 87,000
Cover Artist: Thea Magerand
Secrecy is safety. Sisterhood is everything.

Seventeen-year-old Glacia didn’t plan to track a kidnapper, stick a middle finger to the government, and fall into a forbidden summer fling. This is simply what happens when you’re the resident odd girl out, in a shoal of all-female mermaids whose values are a little cracked. Or a lot cracked, if you consider government-endorsed murder and the seizure of male infants to be an issue.

When society rules, family, and romance collide, Glacia fights back the best way she knows how: by taking the matter into her own combat-trained hands and kicking some tail. The problem is, no amount of training can prepare Glacia for the crime circle she discovers, secrets she unveils, and human guy she can’t get out of her head. Glacia finds herself at a crossroads where she must decide whose rules to follow. Who she can trust. And ultimately…who lives and who dies.

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Ice Floe Excerpt: Chapter 6
We’ve been sitting on the ledge a while now, mostly staring at the view. I steal occasional glances at Tucker. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a force between us. Energy. A pulse. A magnet. Something. Every time I focus my thoughts elsewhere, he pulls me back in. It’s distracting.

“You ready to head down?” he asks.

“You might as well get started. I can’t climb down with all your equipment in the way.” “I have an extra harness. You should come down with me.” He reaches for his pack and
stands up.

I jump up to join him. “No way. I’m not hooking myself into that death trap.”

“Glacia, come on. This cliff is super challenging, and it’s way more difficult to climb down than up,” he says, his voice growing louder. Here we go again.

“I’ll be fine once you get your stuff out of the way.” I raise my volume to match his. “It’s not safe. I would feel horrible if I let you climb down and you got hurt.”

“Let me?”

“Not let you. It’s your choice.” “I choose NO.”
He clenches his jaw tightly and grinds his teeth. I take a few steps back in preparation. There’s enough room up here to land a solid kick to the face. That should knock him out, then I’ll have to figure out a way to climb down his cat’s cradle setup. Tucker crosses one arm over his chest and raises a hand to cover his mouth. We glare at each other – at an impasse.

“Let’s make a deal,” he offers. “You climb down with me using a harness and rope, and I’ll take you on a boat ride.”

This catches my attention.

“That’s right, I saw you light up when I mentioned my dad’s boat shop,” he continues with a cocky air.

He’s more perceptive than I gave him credit for. Volatile and perceptive. A hefty combination.

“Have you ever been on a boat?” he asks.

I shake my head. I would love to go on a boat. Tucker knows how to fix them and can
teach me everything a trainer could, plus more. What am I thinking? This is crazy. I can’t go on a boat with a human. What excuse would I give if I got caught? I can’t pretend I’m seducing.
Everyone knows that’s not high on my priority list, and you’re not supposed to seduce alone. Maybe I could say that I’m collecting information to share with the girls I teach… Hmm. That’s almost believable, given my dedication to the studio.

Tucker can tell I’m on the fence about it and ups the ante. “I’ll teach you to drive the
boat.”

Unfair. Of course, I want to learn how to drive a boat. That’s a beyond useful skill in my
back pocket. I peek down the cliff face to assess the reliability of Tucker’s wedge-rope system. Stupid. Like I know what I’m looking for.

“Fine,” I agree. “We need to be hooked together, so if I die, you die.” “Seems reasonable.”

“AND I get to drive the boat.”

“Deal. Let’s see, today is Monday, and I already have plans tomorrow. Wednesday?”

“What time?”

“Eleven a.m. on the Ula pier.” “I’ll meet you there.”
Tucker flips his pack around, unclips a belt, and offers it to me. “Do you know how to wear a harness?”

I snatch it from him, compare it to his gear, and step into the leg holes. When I have it all clipped in, I throw my hands on my hips.

“Now what?” I ask.

Tucker leans in toward me, rope in hand, then pulls back and reconsiders. “That’s not quite right,” he says haltingly. “Can I fix your harness?”

“I already agreed to this mess, didn’t I?”

He rolls his eyes. “I think that’s a yes. Pull the harness up – it has to sit higher on your
hips.”

I follow his instructions, and he flops the rope over one arm. He moves in closer and
bends down to reposition the harness. His fingers wrap around the loop against my leg as he pulls it up below my hip. My heart beats faster and my insides twists. I evaluate the top of Tucker’s head in an effort to distinguish these sensations from other emotions. He secures the loop and raises his gaze to meet mine.

“Is that too tight?” he asks. His hazel eyes penetrate mine. The edges are a deep brown that blend into a murky green with an amber starburst around the pupil.
I shake my head and look away. I hope he can’t tell how disoriented this is making me. “Pull the tabs on your waist tighter,” he instructs.

I cinch the waist while he rearranges the other loop on my leg. Why is this making me so agitated? He’s only fixing my gear so I don’t fall to my death. Tucker gathers the rope into his hand and reaches out to tie it to the front belt loop. As he does, his fingers brush my skin just below my belly button. A jolt of electricity shoots through my body. I take in a small gasp of air and hold my breath. He freezes, his fingers lingering on my stomach. Did he feel that too?

About the Author:
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Melissa Birling strives to experience life from a “both and” rather than “either or” perspective. She enjoys living in metropolitan cities and on a small farm. She appreciates burn-your-tongue Mexican cuisine and delicious London pub food. Lately, Melissa spends her time engaging with cyber security professionals and mermaids. Not actual mermaids, although if you know any, she’d love to meet them.

The revelation that one can be both a successful corporate consultant and a fantasy author who writes about mermaids, encouraged Melissa to finish her debut novel, Ice Floe. The emotional high of typing “The End” at the completion of her first draft, triggered a writing spree that hasn’t stopped since. On any given Saturday or Sunday, you will find Melissa writing. She won’t respond to any attempts at human engagement, because she’s “at a good part,” but you’ll find her typing away, nevertheless.

Melissa lives with a ceaselessly supportive husband and their dog who enjoys hunting neighborhood skunks.

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Secrecy is safety. Sisterhood is everything.

Ice Floe by Melissa Birling

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WTF-ery with Urban Fantasy Author Louis Corsair + giveaway

If you can dream it up, Louis Corsair, we will post it! We love all 31 flavors of crazy.

I keep picturing Baskin-Robbins. That’s where we get that reference. Except today, there won’t be ice cream.

Unless you buy me some.

Okay. No ice-cream. When the folks at I Smell Sheep told me that, I took it to mean I could do something odd, a little weird, revealing, embarrassing. About. Me.

Yes! But, 31 is really long, so I’ll flip it around.

So, here’s 13, very quick, very odd flavors of Louis Corsair! Only one is a lie.

-I once held enough explosives in my hands to kill me and the people around me. Spoiler alert: I didn’t die.

-The peacock in this photo would come by my job and harass me.

-Moments after I took this cat’s photo, we got into a fight and he nearly took out my eye; he missed by a centimeter. (his name is Rasputin)

-I once helped Emilia Clark evade a cloud of paparazzi waiting for her outside LAX. She didn’t think I could do it, but I know a few secret ways around security! (she’s also very short)

-While out on a blind date, the Jägermeister people approached us and asked to take a photo of us drinking a shot of the stuff so they could use it in an ad; I won’t show the photo here, but it was a bad blind date (and you can see it in the look of sheer horror on my face).

-For a period of six months, I lived in my car. That wasn’t so bad, since it was a brand new Pontiac Firebird! I also drove said Firebird over 130 miles an hour down a desert road that was known for the many fatal accidents that occurred in it.

-I spent a month in the former Yugoslavia, living in a tent, without showering; we had to take a sh** in a communal toilet and at the end of the day, I had to burn the sh** with fuel. God, I wish this wasn’t true!

-I got my first French kiss when I was six years old, and my second one moments after, and the same with my third, fourth, etc. She was older and wanted to practice.

-Me and the guy in this photo used to swim on luggage for the fuck of it. Ha! Hahaha!

-I had a ten-minute phone conversation with a prison inmate who wanted me to help him get access to his bank account; his bank card wasn’t working and he was trying to get a new one; I hung up after I figured out that what I was doing was probably illegal.

-I have received more than one chain letter in my life (the physical kind). They said god-awful things would happen to me and those I cared about if I didn’t mail them out to others. I thought they were hilarious and started collecting them. I don’t know what happened to them.

-The first vehicle I ever drove was a military one, which had no tires or a steering wheel; my supervisor lied about me having a driver’s license too because he didn’t want to drive.

-On that note, the place where I learned to drive that military vehicle had roads that were riddled with landmines. Despite being an inexperienced driver, I stayed within the paved parts of the road! I didn’t really have a choice…

That’s all folks! And you know what? I forgot which one of those was a lie. Ah, well. It’s hard to believe all that nonsense happened to me anyhow.

I’m glad you stuck by until the end. Now, I can honestly say I smell sheep too.

Har!

LC
Blogger: Louiscorsair.blogspot.com

The Quantum of the Past: Redux! (An Elohim Trilogy Novel)
by Louis Corsair
December 2020
 Genre: Urban Fantasy / Dark Fantasy

549 pages
ISBN: B08J5BGHV4
ASIN: B00IQX0WXI
Number of pages: 633
Word Count: 166,000 words
Cover Artist: Ravven Kitsune
A mentally unstable army war veteran, Miles Trevor, seeks to redeem himself by helping a Sprite return to her magical home world and fulfill her destiny.

The Past that haunts Miles Trevor is relentless, with even its most fundamental fragment...

Iraq war veteran, Miles Trevor, has survivor's guilt after living through an insurgent attack that killed the rest of his platoon, but left him unharmed. Now, he wants nothing more than to return to the military and be a part of the mission once again. Yet, his mind is crumbling; he sometimes hallucinates, seeing the soldiers who died that day. With madness looming in the shadows, the army will never grant him his wish.

So, when the supernatural--in the form of a teen Sprite named Kendra--offers him a chance for redemption, he takes it. All the girl wants is to go home to a magical city called Lusphera to fulfill her holy destiny, and find out why her father wants to stop her.

But with Miles losing his grip on sanity, he may not be the best man for this task. In fact, he may be her biggest threat...

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Excerpt
THE BATTLE OF THE RAVEN MOUNTAINS
As the questers and the nomads drew their weapons, the roars of the mountain lion clansmen stopped. And they could hear hushed movement everywhere, concealed by the darkness. This chilled Miles’ bones more than the night cold ever did.

And then the mountain lion clan dove out of the darkness and attacked and the wild men and questers fought them with apprehension, for they still thought them allies. And in the thick confusion, the puma-men in the host betrayed them; they leaped onto their former comrades and murdered anyone they attacked.

Another burst of mountain lion warriors attacked from the slopes above and from those below. They were in tight packs and tore apart anyone unfortunate enough to meet them alone, even the bear warriors. But the questers and the nomads caught on and began a hasty defense that mutated into a counter-attack.

Kendra flew high above them and summoned a ball of light as bright as a small sun and as large as her body. This allowed Zan and Draxel to use their power. The two Shadow Walkers were like gophers popping in and out of shadows, slashing the traitors to pieces.

And although Raza was of their same race, he fought unlike them. This warrior leaped from place to place, his agility equal to the puma and mountain lion men, piercing some with the spear, some with the pearl-handled knife; his every move economical, his every strike precise. And sometimes, when a difficult party faced him, he sank into the shadows with them and emerged later, but alone. How like a dancer he was then, the ancient Symphony of Conflict guiding his steps. He was a glory to behold--proud Achilles would fear this man!

The light helped the others as well. Trinath, son of Holgoth, held the Staff of the Waterborne over his head and it glowed like a star, which caused Kendra’s light to fire glowing spears that neutralized many enemies.

And the Tsörs unleashed their weapons. Through the air flew a Hrät here and there and they always caught some cat lunging and they kept their Hrüms in hand for any who dared come within arm’s length of them and the sickening tunks and chunks of sharpened metal on flesh and bone made these weapons red, red with death.

And Polk used the claymore for its edge and weight, chopping and piercing. Next to him, Lord Pharos used the advantage he had in the air and Thunderbolt whistled with calculated and nobler assaults that were no less deadly.

And the wolf-men howled with passion and created their own packs and they met puma and mountain lion clansmen and their ferocious battles were gory displays of tooth and claw as friendships and alliances were forgotten and survival of the fittest reigned.

Miles, Lord Pharos, and Hyman created a triple wall around Kendra when she descended. The captain shouted off more orders and the elk and deer men formed a circle around them with bears intermixed and it alarmed them to see how few were left. Fortunately, the holy sword released wall after wall of electricity that augmented the crack and thunder of Hyman’s pistol shots.

Together they held back wave after wave of the traitors. And then, as suddenly as the battle had begun, there came a hush.

“They won’t attack now,” said Hyman, his pistol in one hand and the silver saber in the other. “We destroyed their only advantage, surprise. But methinks it best if we leave this place.”

“The trees!” said Tsör Florentina. “We can retreat to the Woods of Uzra Doren.”

“Problem is we gotta reach dem,” said Polk, his claymore red and his makeshift armor showing off fresh dents and claw marks.

They started back down cautiously, in a giant circle of strength. The furious sounds of their footsteps were the only talk between them and their eyes were ever-vigilant, using what remained of Kendra’s light. And many wondered where the teeth and claws would come from and if they would be fast enough to stop them.

The most maddening aspect of this retreat was that the mountain lion and puma men began to feast on the fallen and on those too injured to move with the retreating army; the desperate pleas of the victims would become high pitched and then stop all at once. And the traitors were not shy about the sounds they made as they ate or about launching stripped bones onto the trail--this new carnage made some of the elk and deer men nervous and a few trembled and gave out calls of alarm.

About the Author:

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Louis Corsair is an eight-year veteran of the United States Army. Currently living in Los Angeles, California, he spends his time reading books, going on walks, writing, and enjoying the occasional visit to the beach—while trying to earn an honest buck. As a Los Angeles writer, he feels the weight of famous Los Angeles novelists, like Raymond Chandler, John Fante, Nina Revoyr, among others.

In 2021, he hopes to finish the Elohim Trilogy and its connected novels, including The Wizards Collide, and Apotheosis: Book Three of the Elohim Trilogy.

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WTF-ery? (What the Flockery) with urban fantasy author Raine Reiter + giveaway

Urban Fantasy Author Raine Reiter shares some things about her that will make you say...

1. I babysat Icelandic sheep at my friend’s farm. Odin, the young male, wouldn’t stop crying so I sang to him all afternoon.

2. My first job was in a radioactive laundry washing hazard suits. I got very good at turning rubber gloves right-side out.

3. I bumped into Brooke Shields at the hairdresser. She almost knocked me down.

4. In London, I stayed in a Hackney squat and a four-story mansion on the Bishops Avenue. Our Hampstead neighbor was the Sultan of Brunei. I spent five years in the UK.

5. While working in NYC in the 1980s, I walked through the Twin Towers lower shopping area. Suddenly, I saw a bright flash, flames, and heard screaming. I passed out. When I came to, everything was back to normal. A vision? I don’t know, but nothing like that ever happened again.

My dark contemporary fantasy, Takakush is available on Amazon. http://tiny.cc/TakakushNovel.

Takakush: Genus Magic #1
by Raine Reiter
January 25th, 2021
286 pages
Genre: Mature YA/ NA/ Urban (Dark) FantasyWhen Professor Elena Lukas returns to her cozy Pacific Northwest hometown with a broken heart, she’s plunged back into the fate she tried to escape. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Elena must now dedicate her life to a powerful ancient Lithuanian goddess. Although she is prepared to live as a priestess hiding in a contemporary tourist town, she arrives to find that a series of so-called animal attacks have terrorized her forest.

With the help of a handsome detective from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Elena uses her expertise in invasive and endangered species to identify that these are no normal animal attacks. The woods are stalked by a dark, mystical creature bent on ravaging the area in an attempt to quell its insatiable hunger. When her little sister goes missing, Elena realizes that the beast can only be vanquished if she is brave enough to face it in-person, embrace her identity as a high priestess, and expose her powers to the man she is growing feelings for.

Raine Reiter weaves together an empowered, female-centered narrative with rich descriptions of nature and an ever-present sense of mystery. Her vivid, flowing prose takes readers of dark fantasy into a world that looks and feels real, while still evoking the enticing paranormal creativity shared by authors such as Richelle Mead and Kat Richardson.

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I Smell Sheep Review

EXCERPT

Regana – Home

Regana stood between the two worlds, watching her sleeping body. When did I become so old?

The wrinkled face, spun-sugar mop, and gnarled fingers in Real-Time bore little resemblance to her divine avatar in the Penumbra. Marks of time mean nothing. She chuckled.

Lithe and nimble as a sprite, Regana kicked off from the boundary and floated through the between, sorting threads of possibility as she passed.

“Goddess of the Crossroads, why draw me here?” She waited for an answer.

Thick fibers of probability whirled and pulsed with light around her, while others faded into implausibility and blinked out.

Soon, her temper frayed. Braiding destinies and untangling misfortunes amused Regana, but her fatigued human body in Real-Time called for rest. “Show me the blasted job and let me get out,” Regana said. “Lady of thresholds, doors, and portals, your priestess readies to serve you.” Her cry echoed through the Penumbra. “What must I do?”

A scarlet rope, thick as an anaconda, whipped out of the tangle and garroted her waist. Hot, near burning, it reeked of dark magic and death.

“See.” The voice hit her like a hammer, and a kaleidoscope of images overwhelmed her mind’s eye. “Be present,” ordered her goddess.

Galahad - McCleary, WA

Across the field, wind stirred the chimes, bells, and bamboo noisemakers hanging from the eaves of the main house. 

Galahad dozed in the pasture with an ancient horse blanket covering him.

Frost on the grass and pasture fence resembled snowfall. A freezing fog surged along the paddock, encircling his legs.

He woke. Something was different, unfamiliar. It wasn’t fear, it was curiosity.

With drowsy eyes, he surveyed the tree line. His nostrils flared, sampling the air. There. Hiding beneath the aroma of evergreens, a sickly-sweet stench. A predator.

The old warrior’s heart sped as he readied for a fight. At sixteen hands, he was massive and courageous. Last spring, he ran off a pack of coyotes come to snatch a newborn kid.

Galahad snorted and shook his mane. The frigid air transformed his breath into plumes of steam. He pawed the earth, kicking up divots of soil.

The wind ceased. The chimes quieted. 

It struck Galahad, mounting him from behind and wrapping its limbs around Galahad’s belly. The horse arched his back as incisors sank into his neck.

Claws raked his abdomen and up his flanks, scoring slashes through the blanket into his hide. The metallic tang of his blood joined the beast’s stench.

Galahad’s hind legs kicked into his attacker’s midsection, but it only embedded its fangs deeper. Blood spurted from the wound.

The embrace tightened. He bucked, rearing and struggling for footing. The attacker threw Galahad to the ground and remounted.

The stallion screamed.

Teeth ripped flesh from Galahad’s throat, severing his jugular. His sight darkened, and his blood melted the frosted grass. Passing through and away, the horse saw the blackness clinging to his murderer.

The malignant thread released, and Regana’s vision ended. In the mundane world, her eyelids flew open, her heart hammering in her chest.

“Blood-red magic rings the waxing moon.” Her voice croaked with the remains of sleep. “Medžioklė begins.”

About the Author

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Raine cavorts in the wilds of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula with her dog, Luke, and writes Northwest Gothic. Her first novel Takakush will be published on Amazon in January 2021. This is the first book in the series.

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5 $10 Amazon Gift Certificates

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20 Cover art stickers

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WTF-ery!? With YA author Rebecca Bosevskim + giveaway

1: I once owned a cake decorating business.

Of the many cakes I made, three of my favorites were a fish on a chopping block, a Gloria Jeans café table and stools with edible cups and spoons, and a cooler with edible beer cans and sugar ice cubes.

 

2: I used to be a pantser. My first novel, Enchanting the Fey was written with no plan what so ever.

The problem with not plan though, is you go to write book two and suddenly you find yourself opening up book one again to alter or add something, so that what you are writing in book two makes sense.

Because of this book one had three rewrites. To save my sanity, the rest of the series was planned down to chapter outlines.

3: I have only been married once but have designed five weddings. 

One of my favorites, a Harry Potter themed event with hand made paper rose bouquets with wand stems, (also made by me) and a real train in the reception room.

4: I have two tattoos, both I designed myself.

The first is on my back and represents my sons, my daughter hadn’t been born yet.

It is of two birds flying is opposite directions, but holding onto the same vine. It represents that no matter where they go in life, they will always be connected.

The second is a ribbon tied around my left wrist.

This one is for me. My two best friends gifted me the tattoo for my birthday a few years back and I still smile whenever I look down at it.

On more than one occasion people have assumed I drew it on in pen.

5: I spent over 20 hours creating a fairytale themed reading chair for my daughter's room using 30+ sharpies and a can of scotch guard.

 

Imperium Academy Book One

by Rebecca Bosevski
July 2nd 2019 
Genre: YA Superhero Fiction
Publisher: Silver Crown Books
ASIN: B07QJV6KZQ
Number of pages: 205
Word Count: 75170
Cover Artist: Story Styling Cover Designs
Superheroes aren’t born, they’re molded by government academies.

A genetic leap gave her powers, but before she can take up the cape, Ellen will have to brave Imperium Academy.

Ellen doesn't remember much about her parents, they died when she was four. Raised by her aunt she's envied for years the homo-magis children called on to be tested and subsequently enrolled in one of the five academy’s for heroes.

Ellen isn't a homo-magis.

Or so she thought.

Her parents were two of the first Superheroes, their lives sacrificed to stop Novaside and save their only child.

Ecstatic, yet a little nervous to finally be a part of the world she'd dreamed of, Ellen is off to Imperium Academy.

But her classing doesn't go as expected.

Instead of joining the ranks of the illustrious Star Heroes, Ellen is regulated to the role of Sidekick, after all, night vision is barely a superpower.

Many have begun to question the need for Sidekicks, some teachers even suggesting they would be better suited to other employment.

But with Novaside getting bolder, and her latest attack hitting too close to home, Ellen is determined to stay at the academy and prove them wrong.

After all, where better to learn to be a hero than a school full of supers?

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Excerpt:
Her classroom had seating for thirty-four students but a third of them sat empty now. It was an inevitable outcome. Of course they would leave—she would have. Had she had that option. Had she been born a magis instead of a regular plain old sapien.

Ellen propped her head on her hand, staring at the orange and red leaf flicking at the window pane as she tried to recall their names. The names of the ones now living the life she dreamed of.

When she started middle school, she made a point not to befriend the magis children. They would all be gone soon enough, once they received their green and gold technote inviting them to be tested.

And though she knew her invitation would never come, it did nothing to stay the dreams—each night she saw herself presenting to a Safe Haven Clinic to have her gene blocker reversed, freeing her enhancements from their suppression.

And each night a different gift emerged. Flight, strength, speed. Each gift, each power, as incredible as the last. Ellen dreamed of using her awakened enhancements to defeat the rebels in the streets of New State, New York, until her aunt would break through her illusions with a call for breakfast, sending the scent of bacon to awaken her mind.

For three years she watched the magis children while they prepared for what was to come, a future in the spotlight of the world. A future protecting the ones like her, the normals. The weak. The homo-sapiens. Even the class fives, the ones who would become sidekicks, didn’t come back.

Now, on her fourteenth birthday, Ellen found herself in her first week of high school, staring mindlessly at the empty chairs they would have occupied while her teacher regaled what was left of her students with a tale of heroes lost.

A rumble vibrated through the classroom floor, pulling Ellen from her daze. Her teacher’s monotonous voice was interrupted by the shrill siren of the city’s emergency system. Ellen’s heart raced as she pushed aside the notebook covering her desk’s inbuilt screen, just as the first image appeared.

Red bolded font scrolled beneath the alternating pictures and videos of the aftermath of another attack. The rebels had leveled a Safe Haven Clinic, the feed showed a dust cloud billowing through the streets filled with people stumbling from the darkness, hugging their bloodied arms against their chests as if that would keep them safe.

SEVENTEEN HOMO-SAPIENS CONFIRMED DEAD IN ANOTHER REBEL ATTACK … HOMO-MAGIS SILVERLIGHT FREES CHILD FROM DEBRIS … “THESE BRUTAL ATTACKS ON THE HELPLESS MUST BE STOPPED,” COMMANDER CUMMINGS SAYS DURING PRESS CONFERENCE …

About the Author:

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REBECCA BOSEVSKI is a speculative fiction author living on the east coast of Australia. Now that the Enchanting the Fey series is complete, Rebecca has plans to rapid release her Imperium Academy six-book series over the next 18 months - that is if she can stop binge-watching every Netflix movie made staring Noah Centineo. 

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Author Heather MacKinnon: WTF-ery!? (What the flockery!?) with a twist + giveaway

Below are 5 facts about Heather MacKinnon. The twist is, one of them is a lie. Can you figure out which is which?

★ Heather used to draw blood for a living. (Hmm, maybe that’s where her love of vampires comes from? Or perhaps culminates? Muahaha)

★ Heather and her husband went to Transylvania on their honeymoon (so she could hunt for vampires).

★ Heather owns an Ouija board but is too afraid to use it.

★ Heather has never dressed up as a vampire for Halloween despite her lifelong love of them.

★ Heather’s dog Charlie is named after Bella Swan’s dad from Twilight.

Heather will choose one winner out of everyone who guesses the correct lie to win a copy of her current book, Changed, and an ARC of her new book, Shift, due out by the end of the year.

Changed
by Heather MacKinnon
10/31/16

Genre: Paranormal Romance
ASIN: B01M9IU0EJ
Number of pages: 225
Word Count: 76,800
Cover Artist: DesignsbyDanielle
A captivating novel that explores the link between love, possession, and the lighter side of the myths that lurk in the dark.

Adrienne’s post-college plans were shattered the night she was attacked. She woke up in the basement of a restaurant and finds she can see perfectly in the dark, is stronger than she’d ever been before, and can move impossibly fast.

Testing her new limits, Adrienne zips down a NYC street, passing people by in a blur, only to be stopped by a strange man who’s stronger than she is now. Nicholas explains that she’s been Changed into a vampire, like him. Adrienne is forced to accept the strange turn her life has taken, but struggles with the growing feelings she has for Nicholas. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, the man who Changed her shows back up, insisting she’s his property.

Now she’s on the run from a centuries old vampire who’s determined to make her his wife. Can Adrienne outrun and outsmart the man who Changed her into a vampire? If she sticks with Nicholas, the vampire who’s taught her all she knows, she might have a chance. As long as their budding romance doesn’t get in the way.

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Excerpt:
“Adrienne.” I watched his lips sound out my name. “Just what the hell did you think you were doing?”

Not a fan of being scolded, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What did it look like I was doing?”

I watched him take a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. “It looked as if you were running full speed down a New York City street in full view of humans.”

“As opposed to a street in full view of aliens?” I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

“This isn’t a joke, Adrienne.” I liked the way he said my name. “Do you know how bad it would have been if someone had seen you? Luckily the only people on this street are the meth heads a few doors down and no one would believe them if they talked.”

“How do you know they’re meth heads?”

“I could taste it.”

“How could you taste–”

“Enough!” He yelled, and I jumped a little. I watched him take another breath as if to compose himself. “Excuse me, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m trying to convey to you the gravity of this situation.”

Standing there effectively cowed, I waited for him to continue. His eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two. What does that have to do with anything?”

He ignored my question and shook his head. “No, how long have you been Changed?”

Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes at him. “Changed into what?”

He stood there looking at me for a moment longer before he sighed and rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. “That explains a few things,” he said quietly, almost to himself.

“Well, that’s great for you but it explains nothing.”

He sighed again. “Where is your maker?”

“My what?” It was like this guy was speaking another language. He sighed a third time, and I’d had enough. “Do you think you could quit sighing and tell me who you are at least?”

He looked abashed. “Excuse me. Where are my manners? My name is Nicholas. Can you tell me when you awoke?”

“Awoke?” Who talks like that? “I awake every day.”

He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. When was it you awoke and noticed a change in your senses? Better vision, sense of smell, greater strength?”

Oh. That change.

“Just tonight. I left my friend’s party and woke up a few hours later in the basement of a Chinese food restaurant over there.” I pointed in the general direction of the store.

“Was there anyone there with you when you awoke? Do you remember how you got there?”

“No. I was alone and I don’t know how I got there.”

Nicholas seemed to be deep in thought, his thick, dark eyebrows drawn together forming a crease between the two. Seeming to decide something, he nodded his head and held out his hand. “All right then, come with me.”

About the Author:

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Heather MacKinnon is an author living in the research triangle in North Carolina with her husband and two troublemaking dogs. She grew up on Long Island and spent her young adult years in various states in New England.

This led to her subsequent addiction to Dunkin’ Donuts latte’s and her gratuitous use of the word “wicked”. She’s tried her hand at many jobs throughout the years as she strove to find the one that made her happy. Heather has sold chicken, kitchen knives, auto body supplies, PR packages, and computer software. She’s been a cashier, a waitress, a cook, a hotel concierge, a phlebotomist, and an Uber driver. Though her jobs have been many, her passion has always been reading.

She’d hide in the bathroom and read between sales calls, or find a lonely corner in the kitchen and whip out her kindle between waiting on tables. After a lifetime of enjoying other people’s words, she decided to write down some of her own.

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Answer Heather's question (above) in the comments.

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