Y.A. Science Fiction: Obscura Nights (Obscura Nights, #1) Warren Wynn + giveaway

Obscura Nights (Obscura Nights, #1)
Warren Wynn
August 4th 2026
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Seventeen-year-old Farris Aldan didn’t join the Sentinels to save the world.

He joined to escape insanity.

In Obscura City, contracting the whisperis means shedding your skin and becoming a monster. As a newly trained Sentinel, Farris hunts the infected, hoping vengeance will silence the guilt over his best friend Calla’s death.

Then he’s assigned his first solo mission. Track down Rena, a whisperis-infected punk rocker evading quarantine. From her black hair and beet-red eyes, she’s the spitting image of Calla. Farris can’t bring himself to arrest her. Not with that face, not with that voice.

Choosing Rena brands him a traitor. Now hunted by the Sentinels he idolized, including his adoptive father, Farris learns Rena’s connection to the whisperis runs deeper than anyone imagined. Visions of a cure guide her toward the Hollow, a hidden valley of darkness beyond the city. Only an ancient vantashade named Krieger knows the truth, but it offers a global cure for a terrible price: her life. To save Rena, Farris must risk everything–his future, his family, even the cure itself. And it still might not be enough.

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EXCERPT:
Little by little, we awkwardly stumbled and sashayed toward the cluster of monsters. A littler further and we slipped into their group. Mere feet separated us from the graceful corpses.

A stench of boiled tar and kerosene swam over us. The air curdled with heat. We watched the burdeneds’ faces as we moved. No longer paying attention to us. Their shoulders, arms and chests were relaxed. Caring and glossy white eyes stared back at their deceased partners.

A small pressure pushed against my chest. Rena leaned her head against it, and I realized that she’d been shivering.

“God. I wonder when they died.” She mumbled so softly I barely heard her. “Wonder if they knew they were dyin’. What they felt when they turned into monsters.”

I shook my head since it was too risky to speak. Little by little, I moved us to the back of the room. Need to go slow so we don’t alert the burdened.

Rena looked up at me, her face mere inches from my own. “All their feelings…what happened to them when they died?” Her skin was so bruised and cut up. The dark circles beneath her eyes contrasted her increasingly pale complexion. “Their names? Their memories? Where did they go?”

My whole body ached. I swallowed. When I tried to comfort her, my mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Her hand squeezed my shoulder without a lick of strength. “I don’t wanna become like that, Farris. God almighty, I don’t wanna end up being just a memory.”

I tried to speak but again failed. Realizing my limitations, I instead pulled her even closer. Her breath felt hot against my neck. Her tears chilled my skin.

Rena gritted her teeth. Her chest shook from deep, silent sobs. “I don’t wanna die, Farris. I don’t…”

My back stung, muscles ached. Ribs throbbed and head pounded. I looked at the bandages over her eye. Around her ankle. The stains of blood on her cargos, her vest.

Nameless music played behind us. Forgotten dead danced around us. Filthy ground creaked below us.

About the Author:
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Warren Wynnfield is an American author writing young adult science fiction about parallel worlds, bizarre creatures, and mind-blowing twists. His passions in a previous life doing graphic and video game design heavily inspire his stories and characters. His previous novel, ‘Break the Moon,’ was published by Lost Boys Press on March 28th, 2024.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from West Virginia University, Mike left behind the mountains for the beaches of Palm Coast, Florida. If he isn’t kayaking or hiking, he’s earning grey hairs writing through the moonlight hours.

GIVEAWAY! 

 Obscura Nights Blitz

Desolate (Assembly Hearts Book 1) by Kelli Storm

Welcome to the tour for Kelli Storm's witchy urban fantasy, Desolate! Read on for more details!

 

Desolate (Assembly Hearts Book 1) 

by Kelli Storm 

Release Date: October 2025 

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

• Accidental Time Travel
• Forbidden Love
• Fish Out of Water
• Who Done It
• Neurodivergent Heroine

Sapphic Romance A time-bending mishap forces a witch to navigate a new reality and an unexpected romance. Can Mia find her way back home, all while stopping a killer? Being a witch with ADHD has its challenges. When Mia gets distracted while performing a spell, she becomes an accidental time-traveler. Waking up in 1992, she comes across supernatural creatures attacking a young woman, and she taps into strange, unknown powers to save her. But as Mia starts falling for the enchanting near-victim, she discovers the girl will soon die. She might be the only person who can stop her killer, yet everyone knows messing with time can have dire consequences. As she works on finding a way back to her timeline, Mia quickly realizes she needs to make a choice. Let history happen, or stop this dark destiny from coming to pass. Kelli Storm's debut YA urban fantasy, Desolate, is a spellbinding novel for lovers of LGBTQ+ heroines, character-driven plots, neurodivergent representation, and bewitching twists. Join Mia on her journey of the choice between destiny and saving the ones we love.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON 

About the Author:
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When the 2008 recession hit, KELLI STORM found herself without a job and with too much time on her hands. To fill the void, she began writing fan fiction. She soon developed a following, and her readers encouraged her to write an original story. Kelli’s debut book, HIS SMALL-TOWN CHALLENGE (Harlequin Special Edition, 2025), is an ode to her love of boy bands.

​Kelli earned her bachelor’s from Grand Valley State University. She’s the author of the Challenge Accepted series for Harlequin Special Edition and the young adult fantasy series, The Assembly Hearts, which includes DESOLATE (Tiny Fox Press, 2025). She lives in the Great Lake State with three rescue dogs and a fifteen-year-old fish named Henry O’Malley.

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Excerpt: Land of Two Moons by D.L. Gardner + giveaway

Where were you born/grew up?
I was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1949. I remember the swans at Euclid Beach, the Steeplechase Carousel and walking in the beautiful park. I had a boyfriend in Cleveland when I was five, and we used to watch bugs on the sidewalk together.

My family moved to California in 1955. Back then California was wide open, still had movie sets that you could visit where actors would have gunfights in the streets. I was there for the opening week of Disneyland and helped Walt Disney conduct his orchestra on Main Street. He even gave me his conductor’s baton as a souvenir. I wish I had kept that. You don’t think you’re going to grow old when you’re a child and that those kinds of things would mean more than face value in the future.

Other things I should have kept?
• My Barbie dolls. My dad worked for Mattel Toy Company on Rosecrans in CA, and I had the very first Barbies that they ever made. I also had holsters and cap guns from back in the 50s too. We’d play Rawhide. Clint Eastwood was my idol.

• All the real silver dollars that my folks brought back from Las Vegas when slot machines spat out genuine money.

• My Ginny dolls and all the doll clothes my aunt made for me and my sister by hand.

• My horse statue collection.

I grew up in Southern California. When I was a teen my friend who had her own Mustang convertible, would pick up a bunch of us girls, and we’d cruise Hollywood on warm summer evenings, keeping our eyes out for celebrities. We thought we saw Donovan once.

We’d also cruise 101 along the coast and ride as far as Malibu all the while checking out the surfers, the Beach Boys playing loud and us singing along!

Other friends would have hootenannies. I had a banjo and my best friend played guitar, and we’d join other folks, maybe twenty sometimes, in different people’s homes and sing all the songs. You know, Dylan, Joan Baez, the Kingston Trio, Mamas and the Papas, Peter, Paul and Mary.

Those were high school years that soon got interrupted by the Vietnam War, and sadly most of the guys in our class and the class before us got drafted. Many never returned.

When it was time to apply for college, I applied to out-of-state colleges and got accepted into Northern University. From there, I lived twenty years in Arizona, in places like Cottonwood, Jerome, Clear Creek and Winslow. Those back to the earth experiences inspire some of the situations my characters in my books experience. Eventually I moved to the Pacific Northwest, (Washington state), where I live to this day and spend my time writing.

Did I get sidetracked?

Political unrest, war over valuable mines, forbidden love, and a homesick dragon bound in chains threaten the land of two moons.

Land of Two Moons
by D.L. Gardner
Genre: YA Epic SciFi Fantasy Adventure

"The gritty reality of trench warfare and the smoky chaos of riots is striking in D. L. Gardner's Land of Two Moons...a rich and ambitious fantasy novel that successfully builds a world trembling on the brink of magical and political upheaval. This is a delicate, intricate novel that rewards patient reading." - Independent Book Review

Arthur and Hallie are twin siblings, son and daughter of the Duke of Lodesmoor. Humble teenagers who befriend the village people and sympathize with their grievances. Their father, Lord Balmier, whose duchy is approaching financial collapse, uses his subjects as pawns in a battle over a string of valuable mines.

Lord Balmier sees his son's sympathy toward the serfs as an alliance against him and soon acts to squelch Arthur's sedition.

Hallie clings to a forbidden love, and both siblings must resist their father's harsh rule.

All the while they are unaware that their mother keeps a mystical dragon named Killian, bound in chains by a spell, whose fate will affect them all.

As the twin moons approach a rare and magical eclipse, alliances shift, secrets unravel, and Arthur and Hallie must choose between loyalty, freedom, and sacrifice to save their people and themselves. 

“With strong pacing and a cast of memorable characters – including a homesick dragon, this is the perfect book for fans of the ‘fantasy’ genre. Highly recommended!” - The Wishing Shelf

***Check out the kickstarter campaign!**

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Land of Two Moons will be a limited edition leather hardcover signed and numbered, a special edition case laminate hardcover, an eBook, and a paperback with printed edges. A rigid slip case is available for the hardcovers.

***Check out the kickstarter campaign!**

 

Prologue
Pattin didn’t know what they were fighting for. All he knew was that when their commander yelled the order he was to let loose his arrows toward another trench opposite theirs somewhere in the Red Sands desert. Rumor was they were fighting over mines, dukes, power, and money. Nothing he’d ever be privy to. It didn’t matter. He was here because he’d been conscripted.

He'd been in this trench for nine days straight. Hot, drenched in sweat, sick to his stomach, and with little to eat or drink. Tired of swatting flies and stepping over the bodies of his comrades, he was ready to leave. No one wanted to be here, especially not the lads from Bidsworth, and especially not on the front lines.

He spat the dust out of his mouth and bit another piece of jerky.

“When is she going to come for us?” he asked his friend.

“Tonight, they said. Maybe,” Ivan whispered.

“What do you mean, maybe? She promised.”

“She can only take five at a time.”

“Bloody Marks, she’s been here every night for a week. What’s she going to do, get everyone but us? The more people who leave, the less chance of survival for those who stay. I’m too young to die in this rat hole.”

Ivan shrugged—a hint that he wasn’t happy about the situation either.

“We could try and make a run for it on our own,” Pattin whispered, his lips barely moving, glancing around the desolate countryside.

Over the sand, the heat waves danced, crafting a mirage of water, a deceptive illusion that only a fool would pursue. Bait for the enemy. Pattin licked his lips, wishing for a drink of cool water from the springs in Bidsworth, his homeland, a wealthy duchy whose stone structures mirrored the color of the red earth. Here in the wasteland, iron ore poisoned the vegetation, and there was nothing but dust as far as the horizon. The soldiers hated this place, and rumors of desertion were burning the ears of the agents at base. The officers were watching the troops like hawks.

“Fool. We’d have bolts in our backs, dead. Is that what you want? If I’m going to desert, I’m doing it with Kezia.” Ivan wiped the sweat from his brow; his face caked with red earth. Even his eyelashes were laden with dirt.

“What makes her so special that she can get us out with no one noticing?”

Ivan snickered and glared at him. “She’s the duke’s daughter, remember? Plus, she’s smart, crafty, and wicked.”

“Duke sabotages his own army through his daughter!” Pattin mumbled.

“Stop complaining or she’ll never come and get you.”

Pattin wiped his brow, his mouth fixed in a frown. She might not come for him at all. It’s everyone else’s luck to be saved by a duchess.

"Heads up!" The dreaded warning arrived just as a flurry of bolts blotted out the sun.

Pattin covered his head with his shield. Ivan lifted his own targe to cover his body while the plummeting projectiles thundered on it.

“Move!” came the command.

Like a terrified beetle, Pattin crouched on the ground and joined the others, locking his shield with Ivan’s as the company crawled through the trench, hands and knees bleeding, while avoiding the corpses of friends who didn’t survive. Away from the onslaught they moved, abandoning their supplies. Someone would be sent back for them when the sun settled on the horizon and the two moons rose.

Soon everyone here would have to leave the trenches and charge at the enemy. That was a standard maneuver, and it was just a matter of time. Hand to hand combat would kill him, Pattin was certain. With practiced ease, he could loose an arrow, always striking the mark. But his end would come by the cold steel of a sword. He hoped it would be tomorrow. He wasn’t ready to die today.

Maybe Kezia would draw his name and come for him tonight. Maybe he would live through this bloody war, after all.

About the Author:
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D.L. Gardner is an award-winning author, artist, filmmaker, and screenwriter with over 28 published works to her credit. Writing and painting are her passions and fantasy her forte. When she's not pounding keys on the computer, she's canning salsa, picking apples, listening to the voices of critters in the woods, or watching flowers grow. She loves visiting far-off lands through books by both reading and writing.

Her genres include all fantasy, historical, and mystery.

Get to know D.L. through her websites and blogs or send her a message her on Kickstarter.

Currently a FINALIST (2025 March) in the Cannes World Wide Film Festival for her screen adaption of her book An Unconventional Mr. Peadlebody.

Other awards include Wishing Shelf book Award 2023 for audio, B.R.A.G. Award 2022 for the Cho Nisi series, Book Excellence Award 2019 and 2015 for Ian's Realm and Cassandra's Castle. Best Screenplay adaptation from her book Dylan at the Paris Screenplay Awards, Mile Hill International Screenplay Awards, L.A. Edge Awards, European Cinematography Awards, and Moondance Film Festival. Best Screenplay Award for adaptation from her book An Unconventional Mr. Peadlebody at Veers Film Festival, Best Screenplay Award for adaptation of Ian's Realm at the Twin Falls Sandwiches Film Festival and many more.

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $20 giveaway!
Enter the Land of Two Moons Giveaway Here

Among the Fallen (The Fallen Realms Book 1) by Makena Song

We're celebrating the new release Among the Fallen this week with a tour! If you are looking for an epic fantasy adventure without the spice, this one's for you! 

 

Among the Fallen (The Fallen Realms Book 1)
by Makena Song
Release Date: January 7, 2026
Genre: YA Fantasy

• Chosen One
• Good vs. Evil
• Found Family
• Underdog (Zero to Hero)
• Cursed MC
• Survival Story
• The Hero's Journey
• False Prophecy
• Betrayal by Friends

Remember The Fallen Ones… Accused of a crime that he didn’t commit, Lucian Roux is on the run from his hometown, Caelum, a rural village concealed deep within The Sage’s Forest. Although carrying the weight of a criminal record and the fear of an uncertain future, Lucian sees this new start as an opportunity to achieve his one-and-only dream: Freedom. His freedom, however, comes with a terrible cost... 

A price that he might never be able to pay. Luckily, Lucian isn’t alone. In the company of a delusional goddess trapped in a mirror and a snarky peer with a passion for swords, Lucian embarks on a prophetic adventure to not only figure out the true identity of the evil entity inside him but also break the chains binding him once and for all. A YA fantasy adventure with no explicit content or profanity. Includes a brief scene of domestic violence and instances of bullying. Reader discretion advised. 

GET IT HERE

About the Author:
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Makena Song was adopted from Seoul, South Korea, and was raised in Longwood, Florida. From an early age, Makena’s mother, Tina Song, read countless books to her, including: The Tale of Despereaux, The Shadow Children Series, and The Missing Series. Reading allowed Makena to let her imagination run free, as these magical scenes played out in her head.

When she was introduced to Wattpad in middle school, she gained a creative outlet to express her countless story ideas. By the time she was in high school, this vault of random ideas turned into a set of fantasy novels. After she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Furman University, Makena pursued not only a full-time writing career as a marketing copywriter but also a dream to publish Among the Fallen and Among the Risen. 

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Visions of Eterna by Samara Kalz

Visions of Eterna
by Samara Kalz
January 21, 2026 

• Rivals to Lovers
• He falls first
• Found family
• Slow burn
• Forced proximity
• Self Discovery
• Adventure
• Prophecy
• Portals
• Elemental Magic
• Banter
• Grumpy and over Protective MMC.

Mia has always sensed something just out of reach, like a word on the tip of her tongue, or a dream forgotten too soon.

On her twenty-first birthday, she wakes with no memory of the night before. It isn’t the first time. Blackouts. Visions. A growing feeling that she doesn’t fully belong in the life she’s living. When her parents confess she’s adopted, with no record of where she came from, the unease sharpens into something else, a pull she can’t ignore.

Then she meets a stranger, and everything begins to unravel—a history Mia never knew, a city hidden from the world, and a journey that will take her beyond the world she thought she belonged to.

Eterna was once a place of wonder, a city that never stopped blooming. Now, the magic that sustained it is fading. The land is cracking. And Mia may be more entangled in its fate than anyone is prepared to admit.

With her best friend by her side, and resentment simmering among those she meets—especially a man whose bitterness runs deeper than she understands—Mia must now navigate a world that remembers her, even if she doesn’t remember it.

Some answers come looking for you.
Some places never let you go.
And some destinies are written long before you’re ready to claim them.

Visions of Eterena is an Upper YA fantasy book that will appeal to readers who love the Inheritance Games, The Cruel Prince, and Six of Crows.

Amazon

About the Author:
Website
Samara Kalz is an emerging voice in the world of fantasy fiction. Originally from Colorado, she now lives in Texas with her husband and two children. A lifelong lover of books, Samara holds a B.A. in English Literature and has been passionate about storytelling for as long as she can remember.

When she's not immersed in writing or getting lost in a good book, Samara enjoys spending quality time with her family and creating handmade crafts for her home and loved ones. As the eldest of a large family, she developed a strong sense of responsibility and a deep-rooted love for caring for others—qualities that often find their way into the heart of her stories.




Samara Kalz is an emerging voice in the world of fantasy fiction. Originally from Colorado, she now lives in Texas with her husband and two children. A lifelong lover of books, Samara holds a B.A. in English Literature and has been passionate about storytelling for as long as she can remember.
When she's not immersed in writing or getting lost in a good book, Samara enjoys spending quality time with her family and creating handmade crafts for her home and loved ones. As the eldest of a large family, she developed a strong sense of responsibility and a deep-rooted love for caring for others—qualities that often find their way into the heart of her stories.

A Bustle in the Hedgerow (Jiggery Pokery Book 1) by Jack MacGregor + giveaway

Prepare to be introduced to tantalising tales of seismic skulduggery, fervent fairytalery and flagrant frootery, as a prile of pulchritudinous practitioners of the prestige (that's three beautiful witches, to you) and their feline familiars put their world to rights with fantastical, folklorish results.

A Bustle in the Hedgerow (Jiggery Pokery Book 1) 
by Jack MacGregor
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Merry meet! Young witch Jinny Lane adopts a beautiful black cat named Jet Jupiter Splinters and so begins their adventures with fellow witches Miss Riz and Miss Lou. A local resident causes trouble in the neighbourhood and the 3 witches retaliate with the help of some faeries....

Green Cat Books

 

 

The Shadow Cutters (Jiggery Pokery Book 2)
A journey is on the cards for Miss' Jinny, Lou and Riz and off they go in a borrowed campervan. Along the way they collect a few more pets, lots of Tunnock's Teacakes, a curse or 2 and some shadow cutters.

Both books are guaranteed to have you rolling with laughter!

Green Cat Books

Candy and Gore And Other Spooky Short Stories
Brace yourself for eight stories of scary spectres (and for ghosts that try to be) written by a collection of authors who love all things paranormal...

Dreadmoor Hall by S L Saunders
The White Lady and the Headless Knight by Kram Rednip
The Long Way Home by Neil Pettifer
The Gallows Grave by Richard Tyndall
To B&B or not B&B by Kram Rednip
A Most Transparent Gentleman by Peach Berry
Paranormal Investigator by Lisa J Rivers
Too Much Candy and Gore by H L Wood

Green Cat Books

The Day of the Spider
by Keith Wood
Genre: Dark Historical Halloween Murder Fiction
'The Day of the Spider' is a sort of sequel to the debut novel, 'One Day in May' by the author, but can be equally read as a standalone work as it is very different, though still set in the 18th century.

The novel is primarily set in the heart of the Hambleton Hills of North Yorkshire, though it starts off in Mansfield in Nottinghamshire where the heroine (or should that be anti-heroine), Nellie Chapman, a sexually abused young woman from a traditional mining family feels she has to move a long way from her past life. She has no plans but to get away and live a life on her own terms, an uncommon practice for a woman in the 18th century.
Despite Nellie's unlawful past, fate ensures that she seems to bear a charmed life. You may hate her or love her; it's for you to judge and you'll find plenty to entertain as you sit in judgement.

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About the Author:
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As we all know by now, Brigadoon is a mythical, enchanted, Scottish village that appears for only one day every century.

That day was when Jack MacGregor's parents took the leap, together with their new born son, and opted to relocate to an 'earthlier' environment, having the spectral pre knowledge that Jack would, one day, become an author of note (ish).

Were he to keep residence in the village there would not be a wide enough audience to read or even purchase his ramblings. That and the fact that there was no such thing as 'television' or 'films' or even bookshops in Brigadoon meant his literary career would have been somewhat stunted were he to stay.

Jack was therefore raised in a town in Lancashire, where he developed a strong Bolton accent and a fascination, via Pendle Hill, for witches... oh, and The Munsters and The Addams Family.

The move also allowed his parents to spend their leisure time holidaying in such glamorous locales as Blackpool, Fleetwood and Morecambe - places that they had heard word of only in ancient folklore, back in the old village. Places they could but dream of. If only they had known the reality.

Anyway, Jack's education was undertaken in an old Salesian boys' school, or college as it was then known, where he honed the gentlemanly skills of football, fencing, athletics, music, art and of course English language and literature. He took no heed when it came to mathematics, physics or Latin studies - he already knew they would be of little use to him in his future life. And he was correct!

(Excuse me for a moment please. After returning from her daily romp on the back field, our minx of a Springer Spaniel, Jinny (named after a character in Jack's books) has just performed the most pungent poo known to, well, anybody or anything, right outside the office door, and guess who's down for cleaning it up...)

Where was I? Apart from in the shit... so, in a nutshell (or nutcase) Jack took on many unsuitable roles after leaving college:

Lithographic printing, landscaping, butchering (no murder, mind), music repping, DJ (he invented The Headbangers Ball, which fizzled out when MTV nicked the name for their very own with no recompense to JM) working in a record shop or three, owning a record shop, working as a Placement Officer for the DHSS, then running two of the UK's finest small music venues.

From nowhere (but allegedly, China) came a mystery 'pandemic' whilst Jack was working part time as a courier - he was now a 'Key Worker'! Ha Ha and thrice Ha!

The peace and quiet that accompanied this outrageous farce finally gave Jack the time and head space he needed to put pen to paper (or one finger to keyboard) and commence work on the weird and weirder tales that had been rattling around for many a year.

He had planned much of this in the Lake District, in the Valley of the Golden Eagles, surrounded by a multitude of darling red squirrels and the odd faery, but when it came to finally 'getting it all down' Jack completely ignored everything he'd planned and free-formed anew.

The only inspiration was a tiny black cat that Jack's partner had discovered sitting smack in the middle of the crossroads, outside their venue, one terribly stormy evening.

She brought him in and introduced him to their existing cat, Spike, who proceeded to boss him mercilessly until he became his slave. Still is!

That tiny black mouser was wittily christened 'Jet' and the tale of 'Jet Splinters' unfolded around him, without plan or forethought.

Two books were picked up and published almost immediately by Green Cat Books in the shire of Derby and the third has been a long time coming due to real life getting in the way.

Book 3 has definitely been birthed and should be on its way by 2026, but that's been promised for simply ages... getting Book 1: 'A Bustle In the Hedgerow' and Book 2: 'The Shadow Cutters', under the banner of 'Jiggery Pokery', to TV or Film is a priority, hopefully before Jack MacGregor's demise, because he'd like to watch them too ... and that, my patient friends, brings you all up to date.

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $10 giveaway!

Enter the Jiggery Pokery Giveaway Here!

The Monsters They Made Us (The Heirs of Driftmoor #1) by Frank J. Camacho

For fans of supernatural dramas and dark academia comes a new tale of salt-soaked secrets, blood-bound legacies, and a coastal town where every wave carries the weight of centuries-old curses.

Some monsters are born. Others are made. But the worst are inherited.

The Monsters They Made Us (The Heirs of Driftmoor #1)
by Frank J. Camacho
Oct 1, 2025
Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Dark Academia, Young Adult, Supernatural

• supernatural
• coming-of-age
• found family vs. bloodline
• monsters as a metaphor
• character-driven plot
• coastal decay
• generational trauma
• small-town lore
• Faustian bargains

For fans of supernatural dramas and dark academia comes a new tale of salt-soaked secrets, blood-bound legacies, and a coastal town where every wave carries the weight of centuries-old curses.

Some monsters are born. Others are made. But the worst are inherited.

Long before Driftmoor was a town, it was a threshold where the veil between the natural and supernatural ran thin. Where wicked bargains were struck in the dark. Bargains that cursed four bloodlines forever.

Dorothy arrives at Driftmoor Academy hoping to leave her past behind and become someone new. But after a car crash leaves her teetering between life and death, dark abilities awaken inside her. Whispers through the halls. Nightmares claw at her sleep. And death follows wherever she goes.

As Dorothy is pulled into the gilded world of Driftmoor's elite, pieces of a forgotten legacy begin to surface—along with a power she doesn't understand and a past someone tried to erase. And she's not the only one marked by what came before.

There's the boy touched by the sea, who's drawn to a song no one else can hear. The socialite carved from gold and expectation, clinging to perfection before it shatters. And the son born in shadows, raised by a family that never intended to keep him.

Linked by the bargains of their ancestors, the heirs of Driftmoor must each decide: will they surrender to their curses, harness the power they've inherited, or let it destroy them?

The Monsters They Made Us is a haunting debut that blends dark fantasy, supernatural horror, and dark academia on the rocky coast of Massachusetts.

Triggers: mental illness, mild gore.

Amazon 

About the Author:
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Frank J. Camacho was born and raised in New Jersey. He grew up immersed in CW shows and fantasy books, which sparked his love for emotionally tangled characters, small-town secrets, and supernatural drama. When he's not writing, he's making overly specific Spotify playlists or redecorating a room he swore he was done with. The Monsters They Made Us is his first novel and the first book in The Heirs of Driftmoor series.

Pre-Order: My Dearest Monster by Sean Fletcher

My Dearest Monster
by Sean Fletcher
Date: Oct. 28th, 2025
Genre: Fantasy, teen, young adult, urban fantasy
Discover a monstrous contemporary fantasy series filled with sinister magic and surprising twists!Unwillingly bonded to a Demon. Together, they can save humanity.

This news shatters Kiara’s life: her boyfriend, James—childhood love and the one she was certain she’d spend forever with—is dead. Now, he wants to talk to her.

Damian, the demon now possessing James’ body, and one of the many monsters prowling amongst mostly ignorant humans, couldn’t care less about Kiara. Until she tries to kill him and he’s forced to make a contract with her to stay alive.

Her first love is now her monstrous enemy.

With Kiara and Damian begrudgingly bonded to one another, both become part of a tenuous alliance with a secret organization of monster hunters; Damian to search for who—or what—is trying to bring a cataclysmic number of monsters to their world; Kiara to fulfill her end of the contract and free herself from him.

Damian’s demonic personality might be as sharp as his teeth, but beneath his monstrous façade he’s keeping secrets. And the closer he and Kiara grow, the more Kiara learns she might be able to get James back after all. If Damian hasn’t destroyed him for good.

And if they don’t become prey to the very things they’re hunting.

Legendborn meets The Luminaries in My Dearest Monster, a monstrous contemporary fantasy filled with sinister magic, surprising twists, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance.

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About the Author:
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Sean Fletcher is an award-winning, bestselling author of a number of fantasy series, in addition to forthcoming books whose characters will not give him a moment's peace until they get their turn in the spotlight. When not making up highly-enjoyable lies and putting them down on paper, he's often doing something most people find masochistic, like cycling long distances, hiking high mountains, and indulging in more sweets than is medically advisable.

Stalk him on social media or his author newsletter to learn more about his upcoming releases.

Excerpt: Barnabas Bartholomew and the Undead Freshmen by Matthew Lett + giveaway

Barnabas Bartholomew and the Undead Freshmen
by Matthew Lett
September 16th 2025
Genres: Coming of Age, Fantasy
Death isn’t the end of education—at least not at UniverZity U., where fourteen-year-old Barnabas “Barney” Bartholomew is about to begin his freshman year.

As a recently raised zombie trying to make his undead mother proud, Barney must navigate the haunted halls of an underground mausoleum-turned-school, where strict Crypt Keepers enforce ancient rules and mysterious passages hide untold dangers. With fellow freshman facing expulsion for merely refusing to eat their grits, Barney knows he’ll need more than just good grades to survive. But when he discovers his beloved grandfather’s connection to this shadowy institution, Barney realizes there might be more to UniversZity U.—and himself—than meets his speckled blue eyes.

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EXCERPT:

“What in the heck is a lich?” Barney asked.

“It’s a member of the Undead class, like us, except it was brought back to life by a sorcerer or a necromancer for evil purposes.”

“What sort of evil purposes?” Barney asked. There was a knot in his stomach; a bundle of nerves resting on the edge of a guillotine.

“Hard to tell,” Pudgy replied. “Depends on what the sorcerer wants the lich to do. He could use it as an assassin, I suppose, to knock off his enemies, or as a bodyguard. Or in this case, a guard dog over a graveyard.”

“But why a graveyard? What would a sorcerer want in a graveyard anyway? And what if it’s not even there? This lich thing. Suppose it’s gone?”

Pudgy shrugged. “Then it’s gone and we don’t have to worry about anything. But if it is real, and there is a lich wandering around, it’ll be looking for souls to eat. That’s why we need the crucifix, to repel it.”

“’Souls to eat?’” Barney repeated. “Are you serious?” He felt light-headed for a second; the world beyond his eyes in a lazy swoon.

“Quite serious,” Pudgy answered. “That’s what liches do. They eat the undead, and if they can, they’ll eat their souls too.”

Barney’s face paled at the thought. An undead cannibal running around the graveyard? That’s what it was! An undead cannibal! The dead eating the dead, for Christ’s sake!

Pudgy caught the look on Barney’s face; pallid, the sickly color of cream cheese left out in the sun for too long. He snickered. “Hey, calm down. It’s a legend, remember? We’ll be fine. Trust me.”

Barney didn’t answer, his tongue frozen to the roof of his mouth, when Millicent cleared her throat. “Guys?” She tapped the face of her wristwatch. “We need to go if we plan on making curfew. You can discuss the ins-and-outs of liches later, but we need to move.”

“You’re right,” Pudgy said. “I’ll take the lead with the flashlight. Milly, you’ll be behind me. Barney next and then Marcy, and I don’t want you two kissing back there. Agreed?”

Barney blushed clear to his toes. Marcy smiled at him. Millicent laughed out loud and Pudgy winked at Barney, who was staring at the tops of his shoes with a sheepish grin. “Yeah, yeah, okay…” he mumbled. “Funny, real funny, now can we go?”

And so they entered the southwest tunnel, its passages by now near memorized. It was more of a home away from home for the children; its twists and turns nothing more than well-travelled streets and avenues in their hometowns.

Barney stepped through (minus his flashlight which he’d given to Pudgy), when a thought struck him like a phantom stone in the darkness: Pudgy never fully answered my question, he thought. Why the graveyard? Why would a sorcerer (or a necromancer, for that matter) want a lich guarding a graveyard for him? Hmmm…

###

The trip to the graveyard took less than forty-five minutes, and the four of them arrived to find the wrought iron gates unlocked, and the tombstones shrouded in a silky mist of pale fog. A raven, with one eye missing, was perched on a spire atop the gate. It looked down at the children, as if considering their plight, then cawed in its shrill voice a single word they heard all too well:

“BEWARE!”

The raven took flight after its portent of doom. It did a hop and a half-skip, spread its wings, and then soared over the face of the moon reflected in the wavering mist. The raven disappeared as Pudgy opened the gate in a scream of rust. It was loud in the tranquil of the graveyard; as good as any doorbell that rings after midnight.

“Smooth move,” Barney quipped.

“Sorry,” Pudgy said. “I didn’t expect that. Let’s go.”

They walked through the gates; their eyes blind, sinking in what they could not see. Silence–the full-time caretaker of the grounds–greeted them. Distant thunder rolled over the clouds in the east. Lightning followed and took a snapshot of the graveyard for posterity’s sake.

And had there been a black cat perched on the back of a tombstone, with its yellow lamp-lit eyes and its spine arched in a splay of fur, it would not have surprised Barney in the least. The graveyard was spooky, if not picturesque in the simmering light of the moon; a mural better suited on the backdrop of a Halloween landscape.

“What now?” Barney whispered. The air was dank, hollow

somehow. There was no need to whisper, but the graveyard almost

demanded—dared that it be so upon its consecrated ground.

About the Author: 
Matthew Lett was born in Kassel, Germany. Currently, he lives in Sapulpa, Oklahoma with his wife of 39 years, and their two daughters, who also reside in Oklahoma. He’s also a Veteran of the United States Navy, serving on both the U.S.S. Saratoga and U.S.S. America aircraft carriers from 1985-1989. Matthew has been a prolific writer for over 20 years and is a multi-published author with an array of Novels, Novellas, Novelettes, and assorted short stories in a variety of genres. Most of his work can be found in Horror/Suspense/Mystery categories.
During his leisure time, Matthew enjoys rock-n’-roll music, attends church on a regular basis, watches Mystery Science Theatre 3000, reading, and playing with his 3 grandchildren. And of course, Writing. His books include such titles as, “He Who Walks the Corridors,” (Wolf on Water pub.), “Trail of Love and Death,”, “Woodview Heights: Legacy of Decadence” Trilogy and “Barnabas Bartholomew and The Undead Freshmen.”
Matthew Lett can be reached via e-mail for comments, feedback, and suggestions at matthew74107@yahoo.com

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Excerpt: Shadowed Skies by Haley Cavanagh + giveaway

His mountain solitude shattered.
Her lab prison escaped.
Together they’ll find refuge or die trying.

Shadowed Skies
by Haley Cavanagh
4-1-25
Genre: YA Clean Dystopian SciFi Fantasy Romance
Hunted for their blood. Fighting for their future.

River
He’s the last of his kind, a winged warrior hidden in the mountains. River Shaw has lost everything: his sanctuary, the only shield from a world that fears and hunts him. When Delene, another of his kind, crash-lands into his life, wounded and on the run, his solitude is shattered.

Delene
She’s a fugitive with a secret, escaping the clutches of dark forces that took everything from her. Delene Fairborne’s flight to freedom leads her to River and the spark of a bond neither can deny.

In a landscape scarred by betrayal and danger, River and Delene must navigate their growing feelings and the sinister scientist who will stop at nothing to harness their power. Shadowed Skies is where love takes wing, hope soars, and destiny entwines. Dive into a world where every heartbeat is a rebellion, every glance a promise, and every flight a taste of freedom.

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I wake to a muscular, silent figure looming over me, his wings casting unnerving shadows. Intelligent dark eyes scrutinize me from his smooth, brown face framed by cropped black hair
and raven quills. He’s been around the block.
My guard shoots up. I’d stand, but my body’s too weak from the climb. “Your nest, huh? Sorry, I didn’t see your name on it.”
“It’s carved right over there.” He points past me to the rockface. My eyes travel over the stone, where he’d etched River in craggy letters. The carved name is so tiny I didn’t notice.
“Now you’re supposed to tell me your name. That’s how this goes.”
I blink. “Delene Fairborne. Listen, would you mind if I––ow,” I scrape against the wall and suck air through my teeth. I
clamp my eyes shut.
“Are you okay?”
I shrug the blanket off, and my injured wing flops lamely near my shoulder. River’s eyebrows lower, and he comes closer.
“Let me look.”
He stows his serrated hunting knife, presents empty hands, and crouches to examine my injury. “Relax. I won’t hurt you.
Let’s see the damage.” He’s gentle, avoiding the wound and handling my feathers softly. He lightly touches the bandage.
“Dr. Lytle runs the Stockade, the underground bunker and lab where the humans imprison and experiment on our kind.
His men hunted me down and shot me with a crossbow as I tried to escape. The wound is still healing––I changed the bandage earlier, but without a spare set of clothes, I had to tear strips off my pants to re-dress it.”
“Hmm.” He examines the back with a frown. “There’s an exit wound.”
“Yeah, I pulled it out.”
“Well, that was stupid of you. You could have died if those goons pierced a blood feather.”
My temper flares. “Oh, as opposed to leaving it in. I’d rather take my chances, thanks.” My voice is hostile, though I’m grateful for his help. I still don’t know who he is or what he
wants, and my mother warned me to be on my guard.
River sits back on his haunches, sighs, and meets my eyes.
“Doesn’t look good. How long have you been here, kid? A day or so?”
“I’m no kid. I’m seventeen.”
“Well, I’m eighteen. So, you’re a kid.”
“By what, a few whole months?” I snicker. “Okay. If a kid free-climbed in the pitch-black up a hundred-foot cliff to get here, I guess I’m a kid.”
After examining the wound, he says, “The damage looks fixable. Let’s clean this well to prevent infection.”
“I’ve cleaned the wound.”
“Clean deeper,” he admonishes. “I don’t have antibiotics, but I’ll try to get some. Or at least honey. Honey heals.”
He hesitates before retrieving water, then takes a rag from his pouch and soaks the cloth. With the knife still in hand, he comes closer.
“Look … You seem all right, but I’m a lone wolf. I operate solo. You have a target with a big ‘X’ on your back. I feel bad for you. I do. But you know how it is with our kind.” He gives me a blatant look, so here’s your cue to leave.
“Gee, I’d kindly vacate the premises, but I can’t fly.”
He rubs the back of his neck, agitated. “The valley’s full of drones. And they’ve got at least a dozen soldiers combing the forest.”
“I’m sorry.” I shift my eyes down. “You never asked for any of this.”
“None of us did,” he waves me off. “The soldiers are here. I’m screwed either way.” He pauses and assesses me. “Stay the night. Then after that, I’m sorry, but you need to find somewhere else to hide.”
The night might be all I need. “Thank you.”

About the Author:

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Haley Cavanagh is a military veteran, wife, and mother. She was awarded the League of Utah Writers 2020 Silver Quill Award for Retaliation, the second novel in her Oceanstone Initiative series. Haley is an alumna of Columbia College, a musical theater nut, and she loves to dive into any book that crosses her path. Haley resides with her family in the United States and enjoys spending time with her husband and children when she’s not writing. She loves to hear from her readers and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media.

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Interview with author D.L. Orton: The Mind Behind Hive, Madders of Time Book One

“Hive is an eminently engrossing read, full of heart, humor, and horror alike, with a surprisingly dark turn in its 11th hour that will have readers chomping at the bit for what’s next.”
—Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Reviews

Another alternate reality for Isabel and her beloved Diego, Hive sends Diego back to the past, changing everything for the course of the world, including Diego and Isabel’s own futures. The first in the new Madders of Time series, book four of this series will ALSO be book four of the Crossing in Time series, melding the two alternate paths into one brilliant ending.

What could be better in a series all about time travel and its effects, than the books themselves playing with all the potential timelines?

Diego and Isabel, the protagonists of your new novel Hive, are also the leads of your Crossing in Time series. What about these characters made you return to them once again?
Isabel and Diego have always been at the heart of my stories because they embody what I love most in fiction—messy, complicated, deeply human characters struggling against impossible odds. Their relationship isn’t just a love story; it’s a battle of wills, a testament to resilience, and proof that some bonds can transcend time itself.

Can you explain to us how this new series, Madders of Time, will connect to your Crossing in Time series?
Both series exist within the same multiverse, but Madders of Time expands the scope beyond the personal stakes of Crossing in Time. While the first series asked, What would you risk for love?, this new series asks, How far would you go to save humanity?

In Hive, we see an alternate timeline where the misuse of the spacetime bridge has led to catastrophe. The future is grim, but it’s not hopeless. Diego and Isabel (or rather, versions of them) are still fighting for survival, trying to undo the mistakes of the past. Familiar characters return, but their roles and circumstances may not be what readers expect. There are also deeper dives into the ethical dilemmas of time travel, AI consciousness, and the unintended consequences of scientific ambition. Fans of Crossing in Time will recognize the core themes, but Madders of Time takes the stakes to a whole new level.

I’m also planning to connect both the original and new series with book four (in both timelines). Yes, this is probably not a great life choice.

Where do you gain your inspiration—books, current events, other media, your own life?
All of the above! I’m a voracious reader, from classic sci-fi like Asimov and Le Guin to contemporary authors pushing the boundaries of fiction. I also pull a lot from current events—climate change, artificial intelligence, the way technology shapes our lives in ways we don’t always anticipate. Some of the most terrifying sci-fi concepts come from reading the news. (I wrote all three books in the original series before the covid pandemic arrived—and before DJT “escalatored” into politics.)
And of course, my own life seeps into the story in ways both big and small. The relationships in my books—the way people love, fight, and forgive—are drawn from real emotions and experiences. The science is grounded in research, but the heart of the story always comes from inside me.

If there's one thing you hope your readers take away from reading Hive—other than enjoyment of the story and a hope for the next in the series to come out soon—what would it be?
That even in the darkest of times, there’s always hope.
We live in a world that sometimes feels like it’s on the edge of collapse—political unrest, climate disasters, technological upheaval. Hive is, in many ways, a cautionary tale about the consequences of our choices. But it’s also a story about resilience, about the power of love and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. I want readers to come away not just entertained but inspired—to believe that even small actions matter, that fighting for a better future is always worth it.

What led to you becoming a writer of sci-fi?
I’ve always been fascinated by “what if” questions. What if time travel were real? What if AI could evolve beyond human control? What if we made the wrong choices and had to live with the fallout? Science fiction lets me explore these ideas while still telling deeply personal stories. I started writing sci-fi because I love science, but I stayed because it’s the perfect lens for examining what makes us human.

Are there any other projects you are working on?
Always! Right now, I’m deep into the next book in the Madders of Time series, which will take Diego and Isabel even further into the multiverse’s tangled web of climate change, AI, and (of course) love in impossible circumstances.

Hive (Madders of Time Book 1)
by D. L. Orton
May 6, 2025
In a crumbling biodome surrounded by endless seas and swarms of microdrones, humanity’s last survivors cling to hope. For Isabel, a dying scientist, and Diego, the man she loves, time is running out—literally. The Earth is ravaged, and the biodome that was meant to save them is failing. But when Isabel stumbles upon a long-lost time bridge, the possibility of changing the past emerges, offering one final chance to rewrite history.

There’s just one problem: only one person can make the journey.

As they grapple with the weight of impossible choices, love, and regret, Isabel and Diego must decide whether altering the course of time is worth the risk. Will their sacrifice save the future, or will tampering with the past ensure humanity’s extinction?

Tense, emotional, and thought-provoking, Hive is a story of survival, love, and the ultimate cost of second chances. When the future is at stake, how far would you go to change it?

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About the author
THE AWARD-WINNING & BEST-SELLING author DL ORTON lives in the Tropics with her husband, a golden retriever mutt, a Siberian cat with a crewcut, and a bazillion geckos.

In her spare time, she's building a time machine so that someone can go back and do the laundry.

Ms. Orton is a graduate of Stanford University's Writers Workshop and has received numerous literary awards including two Indie Book Awards, the BookLife Prize in Fiction, a USA Best Book Award, and an International Book Award. She was recently shortlisted for the Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize and was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of "The Best of the Best" Indie authors.

Visit her website to sign up for free books!