Books: Faebourne

Well, the ebook is finally here! (Paperback forthcoming.) You can pick it up on Amazon Kindle for just 99 cents for a limited time. Kindle Unlimited patrons can read it for free.

Those who enjoyed Brynnde will, I hope, enjoy this book as well. However, this one is less typical of the Regency romance genre. I call it a "Regency fairy tale" because there are fantasy elements to the story. Also, more conservative readers should know there is a homosexual relationship in this book. If that makes you uncomfortable, you might want to skip this one.

Blurb:

Duncan Oliver was in every respect an unremarkable gentleman. 

When mild-mannered Duncan Oliver is abducted by the Milne brothers and taken to their legendary home of Faebourne, his unexciting life becomes much more interesting. Adelia Milne has been cursed, and Duncan is her chosen champion to break the spell. Duncan may not be a hero, but he is a gentleman, and he refuses to leave a lady in distress. He becomes determined to take on the quest on Miss Milne's behalf.

Meanwhile, an unlikely rescue team forms in the pairing of Duncan's best friend George and valet Davies. As they set out for Faebourne—and also perchance to learn more about Davies' obscured family history—what begins as an unequal partnership quickly blooms into friendship... and possibly something more.

Books (Kind Of): The Adventures of Sel & Am

So I had been doing an exclusive serial story in my author newsletter. But now I'm shuttering that newsletter because I just don't have the time to keep up with it, and of all the social media I do, it really had the lowest ROI. But I don't want to leave readers hanging! So I will be posting The Adventures of Sel & Am on Wattpad. The first part is up nowhttps://www.wattpad.com/story/119342727-the-adventures-of-sel-am (if you are/were a newsletter recipient, you've already read it). More to come.

Books: Brynnde is FREE (for a limited time)

If you haven't yet picked up my sweet, clean Regency romance novel Brynnde, you now have the opportunity to grab it for free! Click here to go to the Amazon page. And if you don't have a Kindle, no worries—you can download a free app that allows you to read Kindle books on your smartphone or tablet.

And if you do read it, a request: Please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are very helpful both to me and other readers. Even just a star rating helps! Thank you for supporting my work!

Books!

So while I'm away at InD'Scribe this weekend, you can pick up a couple of my Sherlock Holmes stories FREE and my spy novel The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller for just 99 cents! What are you waiting for? Click here!

Books In Season

Do you feel that books have seasons? For me, fall is when the mysteries and spy novels ripen and are ready to be read. If you agree, consider picking up The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller to add to your stack. It's perfect to read with a cup of hot tea. Read more about books at various seasons and enter to win a $100 gift card here.

What's In A . . .

How do you name your characters? Or if you're not a writer, how important are the characters' names to you when you read or watch a film? Here is the story of all the names in Manifesting Destiny.

Manifesting Destiny Release

 

My new book is finally out!

Sixteen-year-old Cee has a hopeless crush on her best friend Marcus. Unfortunately for her, he's gay. In the wake of Marcus's older brother leaving home to join the Aerie, Marcus has become increasingly distant. Then, when Cee discovers she has a troublesome dragon named Livian living inside her things grow even more complicated.

Marcus urges Cee to go to the Magi to have Livian removed, but the more used to Livian Cee becomes, the less certain she is about letting him go. Should she change her natural self for the crush who will never love her anyway?

Manifesting Destiny is the first in the Changers trilogy. You can find it on Evernight Teen's site, where there is also an excerpt posted, and also on Amazon.

And read about how it all started with a flash fiction prompt here.

Books: Changers: Manifesting Destiny Cover Reveal

Here it is!!!

Gorgeous, isn't it? Book comes out on August 5th:

Sixteen-year-old Cee has a hopeless crush on her best friend Marcus. Unfortunately for her, he's gay. In the wake of Marcus's older brother leaving home to join the Aerie, Marcus has become increasingly distant. Then, when Cee discovers she has a troublesome dragon named Livian living inside her things grow even more complicated.

Marcus urges Cee to go to the Magi to have Livian removed, but the more used to Livian Cee becomes, the less certain she is about letting him go. Should she change her natural self for the crush who will never love her anyway?

Books: Smashwords Sale

Throughout the month of July, you can grab my novel The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller (and a lot of other good books too) for half the price. That means if you buy two, it's like BOGO! Great summer reading! Don't miss out!

[Aside: A lot of hits from Mauritius today. I want to go to Mauritius. Y u no invite me?]

Free Sherlock Holmes Story!

Today through the 17th, my Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of Ichabod Reed" is free on Amazon. It's an e-book, but remember that you don't need an actual Kindle to read Kindle books. Amazon has apps for your phone or tablet, and you can even just read it on your computer. Click here to grab a copy. And thanks for being readers!

Books: The Rejected Writers' Book Club by Suzanne Kelman

For me, this book is the epitome of average. It's got a cute story, is populated with colorful characters, yet somehow fails to rise. I didn't hate it, but there were plenty of places where Kelman slid past things that should have had more dramatic heft. Case in point: A character chains herself to a toilet in a publishing office and the others forget and leave her there. By the time they remember and go back, police and firemen are on the scene. But all we get is, "After a stern talking to by the police officer . . ." Here's a moment that should totally be shown not told.

There is a lot crammed into this book; it almost tries to do too much work. The story—more like stories, plural—is told from the point of view of Janet, librarian of Southlea Bay, which is a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest. She gets roped into a road trip with a bunch of would-be writers who actually seek to be rejected and the adventures roll on from there. Car problems, landslides, bad weather . . . It all gets heaped on.

Truth is, I may not be the target audience for this book. As a writer myself, I thought this might be more about a group of writers attempting to get published. Instead it's possibly more a book for my mother, who might identify with Janet's problematic relationship with her adult daughter (a strong-willed only child like me). All the women in the group are seemingly a generation older than me, and while I can enjoy books that feature such characters, I definitely did not get the sense of connection that one wants between a reader and the characters.

Also, there are almost too many characters, and though each is fun in her own right, overall some streamlining might've lightened the weight of all this story. Because there's a lot of it. This book is densely packed, but maybe not in the best ways.

On the plus side, Janet has a definite voice. She isn't bland. That's what kept me from putting the book down entirely.

Would I read another in this series? I honestly don't know. I'd have to be in a very particular mood, I think. But I will recommend this book to my mom.

Peter on sale through Monday

My latest novel The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller is only 99 cents through Leap Day! If you haven't bought it yet, now is the time. Pick it up on Amazon, or check the publisher's site for links to all other formats.

Books: The Dragon in the Garden by Erika Gardner

You've bought The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller, right? You're devouring it as we speak? And then you plan to write a review for Amazon or Goodreads or wherever else? Good! Because as soon as you're done with that, I have another book for you: The Dragon in the Garden by Erika Gardner.

Okay, so to be fair, this is a completely different kind of book than Peter. And maybe not everyone has as wide-ranging tastes as I do. But if you like fantasy, you'll probably enjoy this one. Dragons, angels, demons, and a Valkyrie? Anyone?

The official blurb:

There is magic beneath the mundane and in The Dragon in the Garden, Siobhan Orsini witnesses it all. No lie can fool her, no glamour or illusion can cloud her Sight. She sees through them all and wishes she could close her eyes. Returning to face her past, Siobhan inherits her grandparents’ house in California’s wine country. She encounters a talking dragon, a hot fallen angel, a demon lord, a Valkyrie, and, oh yes, her ex-boyfriend. And that is just in the first twenty-four hours.

You can pre-order from links found on the publisher's site. (There's an excerpt there, too.) The book comes out on February 19th and is the first in a trilogy.

Books: Happy Birthday to Peter!

My novel The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller is now available! If you pre-ordered, you should now be able to download the book to your device. If you haven't bought it yet, you can find buying options on PepperWords and also on my publisher's site.

For those of you who don't know what the book is about, well, it's set in 1960's London and follows a British spy as he tries to figure out the truth about his lover Charles who has been accused of treason. Sort of in the vein of John Le Carré, if you like that kind of thing.

On PepperWords, you'll find a sidebar with a collection of blog articles about Peter if you want to learn more. There are also book club discussion questions since a couple of people have expressed interest in selecting Peter for their reading groups.

It would mean a lot to me, too, if you'd write a review once you've read the book. Reviews really are the life's blood of a book (and author). I know time is a precious commodity, and that by even choosing to read my book you're gifting me with valuable hours. I certainly appreciate it.

Thank you for being readers! xoxoxo

The Story Behind the Story of Peter

I was given the opportunity to write an article about my inspiration for The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller for the literary magazine upcoming4.me. Click here to read it!

Books: The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller

It's now available for pre-order! At a huge discount, so don't wait.

You can pre-order for your Amazon Kindle, or on Smashwords. Apple, Nook, and Kobo coming soon.

Release is 15 January. But if you order now, you'll only pay 99c/99p and still get it on release day! It'll just pop right into your e-reader!

And when you do read it, please do me the favor of an honest review. Both pre-orders and reviews can make or break a book (and author).

Thanks again for supporting my work! I love my readers!

Two Lies and a Truth: Play to Win!

If you head over to PepperWords, you'll find guest author Jessica Bell giving away a copy of her e-book White Lady. All you have to do is comment on the post with your guess as to which of the statements is true. Easy, right? Take a STAB at it!

Books: Free K-Pro Download

You can temporarily pick up a free copy of The K-Pro for Amazon Kindle. (Click here.) And then be sure to follow along on PepperWords in April as I work on scenes for the sequel as part of the A–Z Challenge.

Books: The K-Pro On Sale for Cyber Monday

Get your copy (either Kindle or paperback) here! (This is the US link, but The K-Pro is available and for sale in all regions.) The sale continues through the week, but the price goes up a little each day, so the sooner you buy the better!

And look for a sequel, hopefully by the end of next year. A taste of it can be found here.

Books: The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court by Michelle Moran

I was looking for something to read, having difficulty finding something that appealed to me, and then I remembered how much I had enjoyed Michelle Moran's novels Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen, and Cleopatra's Daughter. And I wondered whether she had anything else out. So I looked her up and found The Second Empress.

Now, I'll admit my knowledge of Napoleon is limited to vague memories from history classes and references made in Regency romance novels, so this novel wasn't in my usual line. I love historical fiction, have since I discovered Judith Tarr when I was a middle grader, but mostly read stuff set in Ancient Egypt or Rome, or else Medieval and Tudor England (Regency romances notwithstanding). These are the areas I'm educated in. Which is funny because I'm French and should probably know more about France . . . I just get hazy around the 1700s because that's when my family fled and took up in Louisiana.

Okay, so The Second Empress is a quick read. And it's been a while since I read the other books by Moran, but I had the impression this one didn't have quite as much depth as those. That seems strange to say, since The Second Empress actually tells the story of the last few years of Napoleon's reign (and defeat, and attempted new reign, and final defeat) from a number of angles, using various players' points of view—though none of them Napoleon's own. The reader gets the thoughts of Marie-Louise, as the titular second empress after Napoleon set aside Joséphine; the thoughts of Napoleon's sister Pauline; and those of Pauline's Haitian chamberlain Paul Moreau. But instead of providing depth, the effect is prismatic, a sort of bouncing off of light and understanding. In the end, it all seems a kind of gloss, the story itself failing to delve.

Maybe it was the prose. It moves so quickly, and though at times the descriptions of the palaces are lush (particularly when dealing with Pauline, who is obsessed with all things beautiful, including herself), there were plenty of times I did not get a real picture of where anyone was. The book is filled with conversations and interior dialogue, but the settings are often impressionistic. I don't remember ever thinking this of the other books I've read by Moran, but because it has been so long it may simply be that my tastes, the things I look for when reading, have changed.

Still and all, for someone like me with only the vaguest knowledge of Napoleon's rule, The Second Empress is quite instructive. Moran has done her homework, and her notes at the end of the book are worth reading as much as the novel. I did enjoy the book on the whole. And I will continue to read more by Michelle Moran.