Welcome to my stop for the book tour of The Knave of Secrets by Alex Livingston! Coming out this June, this book promises to thrill by introducing a world where “a deck of cards in the right hands can be more powerful than armies” – as teased by the author himself. đ Aside from hardcover and ebook, it’s also going to be released on audiobook, which should delight audiences of all kinds. Check out more information below đ
(I actually pre-ordered this on Audible so please do watch out for a proper review next month! đ)
A twisty tale of magicians, con artists and card games, where secrets are traded and gambled like coin, for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Mask of Mirrors.
Never stake more than you can afford to lose.
When failed magician turned cardsharp Valen Quinol is given the chance to play in the Forbearance Gameâthe invitation-only tournament where players gamble with secretsâhe canât resist. Or refuse, for that matter, according to the petty gangster sponsoring his seat at the table. Valen beats the man he was sent to play, and wins the most valuable secret ever staked in the history of the tournament.
Now Valen and his motley crew are being hunted by thieves, gangsters, spies and wizards, all with their own reasons for wanting whatâs in that envelope. Itâs a game of nations where Valen doesnât know all the rules or who all the players are, and canât see all the moves. But he does know if the secret falls into the wrong hands, it could plunge the whole world into war…
GENRE: Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: 7 June 2022 (US) / 9 June 2022 (UK) LENGTH: 140 Pages
Alex Livingston grew up in various quiet New England towns before moving to Buffalo, NY to study English at Canisius College. He writes SFF prose and interactive fiction. Alex is married and lives in an old house with his brilliant wife and a pile of aged videogame systems.
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Welcome to my stop for the book tour of Hag of the Hills by J.T.T. Ryder â Today’s your last chance to get the ebook for free, so if you’d like to treat yourself to a new historical fantasy read, look no further! đ
âNothing is unconquerable; even our gods can die.â
All his life, Brennus has been destined for warriorhood. However, a farmerâs life doesnât provide many opportunities for swordplay and glory, despite the Goddess of Winterâs gift of the Sightâthe ability to see the sidhe of the Otherworld. But when the Hillmen kill his family and annihilate his clan, he knows the truthâno one can avenge his homeland but himself.
As he prepares to set out against the Hillmen and their Queen, the clanâs chief druid entrusts his daughter, Myrnna, to his protection, to which Brennus swears a solemn oath. As they fight toward the sanctuary of Dun Torrin, he must survive the endless hordes of Hillman and the monstrous sidhe while shielding Myrnna from harm, aided only by the Sight, a band of shifty mercenaries, and an ancient bronze sword.
As Brennus struggles through this new world of blood and magic, the tension between protecting Myrnna and avenging his homeland threatens to tear him apart. Failure means the curse of dishonour. Victory would bring glory to himself and his ancestors. But what if keeping both of his promises proves impossible?
In the words of his father…
âNothing is unconquerable; even our gods can die.â
Hag of the Hills is the first book in The Bronze Sword Cycles duology, a heroic fantasy set in 200 B.C. on the Isle of Skye, steeped in Celtic mythology and culture.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: The story takes place in 200 BC, as a result, attitudes toward various aspects of life may be drastically different than ours. GENRE: Adult Historical Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: 1 March 2022
Guys, we have a legit archaeologist writing a book! My archaeology/history/folklore loving heart has been doing jumping jacks since I got the chance to chat with our guest đ and he’s got a lot to share with us, so I’m giving the floor to him to tell you all about it â€ïž
Hag of the Hills takes place in the real world, that is, on the island of Skye in Scotland. The story is heavily based on archaeological, historical, and folkloric sources.
The idea of the story first came to me after my time in grad school in the UK, where I just completed my master of archaeology in the Celtic Iron Age of Britain. I travelled to Skye, because I had heard both the archaeology and landscape were fascinating.
On my first night of arrival, I found myself at a youth hostel in Broadford (literally from Old Norse: broad fjord, if you are into Vikings â the island was colonized by Vikings). At sunset, I sat outside the hostel with some pen and paper and found myself enthralled by the nearby mountain (called a hill in local colloquial). The reddish, barren hill both intimidated and awed me. I stared at it for quite some time, went back inside the hostel to retrieve a notebook, and penned a little poem that would ultimately become a brief description of the mountain from the prologue of the book.
While writing, I spotted the cairn (a heap of stones made by humans, usually for burials) that caps the mountain. I would later learn that the cairn has not been explored archaeologically, but it is likely Bronze Age. From where I sat, the cairn looked awfully like a woman throwing her hands up into the air. I thought to myself âhag of the hillsâ, because I knew that hags often lurked in the mountains in Scottish folk belief. Little did I realize that âBeinn Na Callieachâ means âthe hill of the Callieachâ. The Callieach is not only the arch-hag, but the Scottish goddess of winter! Local folklore credits the Callieach with creating Skye itself â defeated by Cuchulainn, she falls apart, and her body turns into natural features. Her spine, the mountains, for example.
Armed with this poetic prologue, I ventured back to some sword & sorcery stories I had written about a wandering hero some years back, and decided to infuse it with this new dynamic.
When figuring out the story and the direction I wanted to go as a writer, I asked âwho am I?â, and realized that one of my strengths was my archaeological knowledge, and another was my love for myths and folklore. I decided to craft a story that not only drew heavily from archaeological, historical, folkloric, and mythological sources pertaining to the Celtic Iron Age, but also had these aspects guide the story. The plot, the characterizations, the themes â are all driven by these sources. I attempted to get into the mind of a 2nd century B.C Celtic warrior, and set the story in the landscape that fascinated me and demanded such a story.
About the Author
J.T.T Ryder is an archaeologist and author of the heroic fantasy novel HAG OF THE HILLS, book 1 of THE BRONZE SWORD CYCLES duology. He is a published author of Viking archaeology, and a doctoral candidate specializing in the Viking Age and Celtic Iron Age. He resides in Norway where he conducts archaeological research and writes heroic fantasy set in historical periods.
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The authors of Wicked Wishes are pleased to present this “be careful what you wish for” charity anthology to the world!
Check out the stunning cover and blurb below! Grab a copy to help an amazing cause, then enter the release giveaway!
Be careful what you wish for…it just might come true…
Join the authors of Wicked Wishes as they explore all the ways a simple wish can go horribly wrong!
Will these characters be able to set things right again? Or is that just wishful thinking?
All proceeds from this anthology will benefit the World Literacy Foundation,
a global not-for-profit that works to lift young people out of poverty through literacy.
If you enjoy your thrillers with a sci-fi edge, you’re going to want to check out Rationality Zero by J.M. Guillen! Now available on Amazon!
A living weapon. An attack on the laws of reality. One chance to save the world.
Michael Bishop is a man who never dreams, who never gets ill. He lives his entire life oblivious to the truths hidden from him.
He is a tool in the hand of the most powerful organization on Earth.
Michaelâs world transforms when They bring him online- when They activate the mysterious technology buried within his skull.
Then, the lies fall away. He becomes Asset 108. Using intricate technology, he defends humanity from the gibbering, tentacled horrors that haunt our world.
When mysterious renegades fracture the very laws of nature, Asset 108 is put into position. As the world begins to unravel, a cabal of madmen with physics shattering powers hunt 108 and his cadre, driving them into an alternate realityâ a realm filled with inhuman horror.
Between otherworldly arachnids, muscled brutes infected with psionic parasites, and depraved cultists, grisly deaths lurk behind Michaelâs every choice.
Yet all too soon, things become far, far, worse.
GENRE: Sci-Fi / Techno Thriller PUBLICATION DATE: 28 April 2022
Regular people, folks with normal lives, never dream of how strange their world could quickly become. When things get weird…
That’s where I come in.
Most of the time, things were simple. I lived the perfect life, my days drawn from most menâs fantasies. I didnât work; I didnât have to. I got a wire into my account every two weeks. It varied, but the amount surpassed what some people made in six months. Yet I didnât know where it came from. The sources had vague names like VRS Solutions or Apex Enterprises, throwaway companies that disappeared the next week.
Some might call me spoiled. Yet it got better.
I drove a new sports car. A candy-red thing that got me all kinds of attention. My wardrobe was perfectly tailored to me and quite expansive. My apartment in San Francisco should have run over ten grand a month, yet I never paid a dime of rent. It had a movie room, three separate bedrooms, and a small library, not to mention the personal white room for my Facility gear.
Oh, and⊠company.
I almost never spent an evening alone. I could have a different enchanting companion every night if I wanted. Or two. Not due to being a sleazy pickup artist, it was simply the way my evenings unfolded. I went to the right clubs, wore the right clothes. Before I knew it, I was dancing with someone like Caprice or her nameless friend. And the nightâs enticements had just begun.
As I said, I lived most menâs fantasies.
There were other things though, odd things.
I never got ill. Never.
I never remembered my dreams.
I never worked out, ate whatever I pleased, and remained incredibly fit.
Iâve never done taxesâin any country. A notation on all deposits read: tax paid.
I had no account with any public utility or phone company, yet I owned a phone and used electricity.
I never bought my clothes or books or other diversions. A metallic white board hung on my fridge. Just now, it had âMen in Blackâ scrawled across it, indicating I wanted the VHS. As soon as I left, I felt certain itâd appear, yet Iâd never seen anyone come into my place.
When in torpor, I had no curiosity about any of this. They took care of everything. It was simple. I lived the perfect life.
Until activated.
Once active, I was a tool in the hand of the most powerful organization on Earth. I had access to devices and technology that literally shaped reality as we know it. We accomplished this through the alteration of laws we termed axioms. In actuality, axioms were an analogy for the various laws of physics, some yet to be discovered by mankind.
To Assets such as myself, the axioms of physics were weaponry. They might be bent or altogether broken while on assignment. The awesome technology responsible for that was an absolute requirement for what we did, the bare minimum of what we needed in order to come back alive. Because dark, inhuman things lurked in the shadows of our worldâthings most people couldnât even imagine. Our very reality was under siege by beings older than humanity itself.
About the Author
JM Guillen was your average, everyday awesome writer just trying to make it in this modern, awful corporate dystopia. He knew he wanted to make wonderful, bizarre things, but how could he afford to make that happen? Every day, he sat about crying and drinking, trying to figure out what he could do.
THEN A RADIOACTIVE METEOR CRASHED INTO HIS BACKYARD! FROM OUTER SPACE!
While examining the fuming interstellar rock, unknowable emanations radiated into the very center of his being. These unearthly energies changed the very depths of him, granting him powers that no man can name, and no god could ever master.
Reeling from the influx of spectral energies, he stumbled back into his home, his eyes open. Now, an entire universe unfolded before him. Now, he saw the way.
HE STARTED HIS OWN EVIL PUBLISHING COMPANY!
Now, JM Guillen begins to meet AWESOME people who supported his INSANE plans. Fiendishly, he scrawls story after story, writing steampunk, dark fantasy and eldritch horrorâŠ
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Welcome to my stop for the book tour of The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge!
Cadenza is the City of Words, a city run by poets, its skyline dominated by the steepled towers of its libraries, its heart beating to the stamp and thrum of the printing presses in the Printing Quarter.
Carlo Mazzoni, a young wordsmith arrives at the city gates intent on making his name as the bells ring out with the news of the death of the cityâs poet-leader. Instead, he finds himself embroiled with the intrigues of a city in turmoil, the looming prospect of war with their rival Venice ever-present. A war that threatens not only to destroy Cadenza but remove it from history altogether…
GENRE: Adult Literary Alternative History PUBLICATION DATE: 15 March 2022 LENGTH: 528 Pages
I must admit that I had different expectations at the beginning, with the book being marketed as fantasy. Reading the blurb, I’d conjured images of sweeping libraries and even poets battling it out with words, flyting style (or some other). Fortunately, I’d gotten some feedback before I had the time to start reading that this was a different kind of book, so I had the opportunity to realign my expectations.
Also, be warned of suicidal ideations in the first part. And… well, there’s a lot, really. It’s not that easy a book to get through; there’s violence, abuse, misogyny, sexism, among others. It gets dark. But then, the story is about a city that’s falling apart. Call it what you will – descent into madness, crash into hell. Yeah.
So with that out of the way…
The writing’s definitely appropriate for a book featuring a “city run by poets.” It’s rich and beautiful, though not a fast read. (Then again, I do struggle a bit more with literary type pieces, as opposed to those with “simpler” prose and screenplay material. But that’s just me.) I always love a story from multiple perspectives that blend together in some fashion though, especially if the characters are intriguing, even if I have to waddle through the confusion for a while. And I don’t shy away from dark(er) themes, so there’s that.
My Rating: âïžâïžâïžâïž
Recommended Listening: As I mentioned in my open call for books to review, Iâll now be adding a song to my reviews! Itâll be one that either sums up the book for me, or what Iâd imagine in a trailer were it a movie⊠or maybe even an original inspired by it đ
About the Author
Tom Beckerlegge grew up in the northwest of England in a house filled with books. Writing as Tom Becker, he won the Waterstones Childrenâs Book Prize with his debut novel; The Carnival of Ash is his first adult book. He lives in Enfield with his wife and young son.
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Welcome to my stop for the book tour of No Gods, Only Monsters by Steve McHugh! đȘ
Diana, the Roman Goddess of the hunt, lives alone on the far edge of the Roman Empire. When an old friend arrives looking for help, Diana finds herself thrust back into her old life, and old problems.
With innocent lives caught in the crossfire, Diana realizes that the only way to ensure the safety of her friends and loved ones is to do what she does best: hunt her enemies down.
GENRE: Historical Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: 1 May 2022 PUBLISHER: Hidden Realms Publishing Ltd.
What a fun combination of mythologies! The book’s set during the Roman empire, but the focus is on the “magical” shenanigans happening behind the scenes with spins from various pantheons. Couldn’t have had a better combo than an immortal huntress worshipped as a goddess, the goddess Artemis of Greek myth fame, and a Norse dwarf. I liked how Diana and Artemis are different people, and while the fights got gory at times, it’s fun how stuff from the myths were incorporated into them. Like rune-inscribed weapons and armor, and the Gorgon thing.
It’s an easy read, so I got through it pretty fast. I was initially confused by the setting and world since it’s not quite the standard tone for historical fantasy – or at least the ones I’ve read – and feels more fantasy than anything. But I enjoyed it nonetheless.
My Rating: âïžâïžâïžâïž
Recommended Listening: As I mentioned in my open call for books to review, Iâll now be adding a song to my reviews! Itâll be one that either sums up the book for me, or what Iâd imagine in a trailer were it a movie⊠or maybe even an original inspired by it đ
About the Author
Steve is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy. His book, Scorched Shadows, was shortlisted for a Gemmell Award for best novel.
Steve was born in a small village called Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton.
Win a Signed Copy of No Gods, Only Monsters Ends 4 May 2022 at 11:59pm EST CLICK HERE TO ENTER
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Good morning from Lincolnshire! đ„° I finally found some real life cherry blossoms over the bank holiday weekend and I’m just a happy kid, as you can see here:
I’m starting my new full time job today, which makes me both nervous and excited at the same time. I’m still not able to quit the corporate world and live my full time author dreams alas đ but I do have some publishing-related stuff in the horizon. And with my work being an actual 9 to 5 as opposed to 9-to-5-and-beyond-as-necessary (đ€Ł) I’m hoping to have some more time to work on those dreams. Wish me luck! đ
Also, today is newsletter day! đ Please feel free to subscribe if you haven’t yet, but if you want the short version of what’s going on:
I finally create a reader group! Thus we now have The Marienettesđ, which youâre more than welcome to join if youâd love more regular updates on my shenanigans đ„° We even have a âbeginnerâs guideâ in case youâd like to check out my other works, although my websiteâs About section also has links to my publications and socials.
I can now officially announce that we finally have an audiobook edition for Hotel Fen, narrated by the superbly talented Rebecca Lemke! đ§ If you like Norse mythology, lit RPG, and the song Hotel California, you just might love the vibes of this book. Itâs not YA but NA, so we recommend 17+ for violence and fade to black level romantic content.
To celebrate the audiobookâs release, weâre having a launch party this Saturday! Join me, my co-author Meri Benson, Rebecca, and some surprise guests for an hour of live readings, performances, Q&As, and fun and games đ„ł The stream will be via Zoom at 8AM CST / 2PM UK / 9PM PH. Meeting IDâs 995 8308 0480 and the passcode is 761331 đ
Enough of me, let’s hear about you! đ It’s been a while and now I’m here, really here, to catch up! Please please do leave a comment, I’ve missed hanging around this part of the internet and talking to you guys â€ïž
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You are going to want to check out this book and find out what readers are saying about it! Read on for more info about Trial of the Lovebird Butcher by Lumen Reese.
An antiquities dealer and amateur childrenâs magician named Edward Fox is charged with three murders dating back to the 1980âs, when he should have been only a child. But evidence suggests he has been around and interfering with the lives of humans for a very long time: back to 1920âs Chicago, through decades with a traveling circus, and during the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama, 1965.
In New Haven, Connecticut, a decades-old cold case resurfaces. As charges are brought, the details grow stranger and stranger…
An antiquities dealer and amateur childrenâs magician named Edward Fox is charged with three murders, dating back to the 1980âs, when he should have been only a child. Fox is a wanderer and a fall-down drunk. The caseâs unnatural timeline combined with one alleged victimâs status as a teen beauty queen set the stage for the State of Connecticut v. Fox to become the trial of the century.
Maggie Stowe -insomniac, Private Investigator, dream thief- has been following Fox for months. She is a crusader for women and girls and can still hear them screaming in Foxâs dreams every night. But reality has begun to blur for the exhausted Maggie. Soon she is unsure of anything except for the fact that sheâs a pawn in a perilous game.
Defender Ben Cartwright -the son of a murdered civil rights activist- knows to never take justice for granted. To him, the case reeks of prosecutorial overreach. All three counts are alleged murders without cadavers, linked to his client by circumstantial evidence rooted out by an obsessive PI with a direct line to her girlfriend at the Stateâs Attorneyâs Office. Edward insists that Ben is the man to defend him. Never mind that heâs young, or only just passed the Bar, or that he speaks a bit slowly because his mind works differently than most peopleâs.
The trial becomes a battle of wills. A jury and a nation are asked to consider -as the evidence strongly suggests- that Fox has been around and interfering with the lives of humans for a very long time; back to the Depression-era streets of Chicago, through decades with a traveling circus, and during the Selma to Montgomery marches that took place in Alabama, 1965…
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Welcome to my second and final stop for the book tour of The World Breaker Requiem by Luke Tarzian, the sequel to The World Maker Parable đ„ł I’m still working through the second half of the book – again, I blame my move for my sluggish pace these days – but I’ve already been treated to the delightful fantastical weirdness that embodied the first one. Weird and dark, mind you; spine-tingling on many occasions. You might not even want to blink, because the next part (not even the next chapter!) might catch you unaware and leave you baffled and shocked by the developments. If you’re into that, and a way of writing that throws expectations out the window but delivers what it’s come for, then this book might just be right for you đ
Prince of Woe…
Avaria Norrith is the adopted heir to the Ariathan throne. But that means little to a man who, for the better part of fifteen years, has sought and failed to earn his motherâs love. Fueled by pride and envy, Avaria seeks the means to prove himself and cast away his mental chains. When heâs tasked with the recreation of The Ravenâs Rage he sees his chance, for with the infamous blade he can rewrite history and start anew.
Daughter of the Mountain…
Erath has not felt sunlight for a century. Not since Ariath condemned her people to a life of darkness with their misuse of The Ravenâs Rage. But when an old friend comes seeking the remnants of the ancient sword, Erath cannot contain her curiosity and resolves to lend her aid. Is it trueâcan history be revised? Can her people be reclaimed?
Toll the Hounds…
They are hungryâand they are here.
GENRE: Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: 14 April 2020 LENGTH: 140 Pages
The stars shine high above my Rach Na’Schuul as they have done for years, for like this ruin they are slaves to perpetuity. They call these pockets of eternity Arcadiaâbut idylls they are not, for what is peace when I sleep circled by the dead, my Listener brethren of yore?
I shan’t abandon Rach Na’Schuul; I can’t abandon Rach Na’Schuul for I am bound to ruin by a quietus the hands of time would surely gift me if I did.
I sit, now, in the courtyard of a spire-keep and do as I have done for yearsâ
I Listen. To a prelude long and dark.
A herald to a symphony of broken dreams.
About the Author
Luke Tarzian was born in Bucharest, Romania. His parents made the extremely poor choice of adopting him less than six months into his life. As such, heâs resided primarily in the United States and currently lives in California with his wife and their twin daughters. Somehow, they tolerate him.
Unfortunately, he can also be found online and, to the dismay of his clients, also functions as a cover artist for independent authors.
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Welcome to my first stop for the book tour of The World Breaker Requiem by Luke Tarzian. That’s right, this is the first stop, for today I’ll first be reviewing the first book, The World Maker Parable đ„ł A lot of firsts there, but yes! While tomorrow we dive into book two, because that’s just how I roll when I finally have the time to be productive with my TBR pile đ€
What a captivating, surreal book. And I mean that in the best way. It did get weird and really confusing at some point, and while that might throw other readers off, it only made me want to push on and get to the end. The payoff was worth it! Because, wow. What a twist. What twists, rather.
The short length promised a quick read, but the prose and the world just sucked me right in. Didn’t finish it in one sitting, but within a day’s close enough, right? And I’m definitely looking forward to more. There are still so many stories to tell, so many lives, so many lies, so many dreams, after all!
My Rating: âïžâïžâïžâïž
Recommended Listening: As I mentioned in my open call for books to review, Iâll now be adding a song to my reviews! Itâll be one that either sums up the book for me, or what Iâd imagine in a trailer were it a movie⊠or maybe even an original inspired by it đ
Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree I travel the world and the seven seas Everybody’s looking for something
SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS), mckenna breinholt
About the Author
Luke Tarzian was born in Bucharest, Romania. His parents made the extremely poor choice of adopting him less than six months into his life. As such, heâs resided primarily in the United States and currently lives in California with his wife and their twin daughters. Somehow, they tolerate him.
Unfortunately, he can also be found online and, to the dismay of his clients, also functions as a cover artist for independent authors.
Got a book you’d like me to review or an author you’d like me to feature? Drop me a line! đYou can also subscribe to my newsletter for free short stories, special offers, and writing opportunities.
Marie Sinadjan 