Sunrise, sequel to A Dry Patch of Skin, launches!

SUNRISE …the end of the workday for vampires…

For Stefan Székely it is a fate worse than death: To be a vampire yet stuck with his vampire parents. After 13 years Stefan can endure it no more. He wants a castle of his own. But first he must visit his family’s bank in Budapest.
With endless strife rumbling across Europe, Stefan hardly recognizes Budapest, now capital of the Hungarian Federation. The world has changed.  Nevertheless, he embarks on the reign of terror he always denied himself, living the vampire playboy lifestyle.  Until he gets a stern warning from the local vampire gang. He is not welcome – unless he plays by their rules.
Should Stefan fight for his right to party like it’s 2027? Or will an unexpected encounter with a stranger change everything? As clashes between vampire gangs and State Security escalate, Stefan realizes he just might be the key to changing the fate of Europe forever!  . . . If he can survive three bloody nights in Budapest.
Budapest at sunrise

In 2014 my medically accurate vampire novel A DRY PATCH OF SKIN came out to a couple rave reviews. My main purpose then was to counter the hysteria of the Twilight experience with some medical research crossed with an understanding of established legends. I wanted to tell a realistic vampire tale. I even set the story in my own city and the action in the story followed the actual days and months I was writing the story. The story and my writing of the story ended the same week. Of course, I revised and edited after that.

Then I thought . . . what might possibly happen next? So I chose a gap of, say, 13 years (the number seems significant in horror stories). Now, where did I leave my protagonist? How is he doing? What could have happened since the end of the first book? What has changed in the world during these 13 years? How would what’s different in the world affect his own corner of the world? How would he cope with these changes?

As I started on another vampire story I quickly realized that I had to also write essentially a science-fiction story. A futuristic story. If I were setting the story 13 years after the end of the previous novel, then this sequel would be set in 2027. And it would be somewhere in Europe, which is where our hero was at the end of the first book.

What do I know of 2027? Not much. Like many science fictioneers writing about the future, I took the present circumstances, the way things are now (good and bad), and extrapolated how they might progress. Remember that novel by George Orwell1984? It was published in 1948 just as fears of a Communist takeover gripped Europe. It was supposed to be a warning. Orwell imagined how the concerns of his present might play out in the future.

With the current strife in Europe, mass immigration, refugees coming to Europe from the Middle East and Africa, the increase in crime, warfare between left and right political groups, I could see all these happenings extending, continuing and growing through the following decade. The moral question that arises is whether an author should follow his/her own beliefs; that is, how the world should be, a Utopian view – or choose a path of development which would be the best setting for the story, however the society might become – or try to take an honest look at current events and let things fall where they might, for good or ill.

I chose both. If I have to make a choice, I will lean toward what makes a good story over what my own beliefs might be. For the sake of this story and for the way I think society will continue to progress/digress or develop or evolve over the next 10 years, I’m letting the European conflicts play out in the sequel: my now less-medically accurate vampire novel, titled SUNRISE.

In this sequel, the new Hungarian Federation is a strictly run Euro-centrist society. The State Security apparatus runs a tidy ship and getting in is very problematic. Staying in if you are a “diseased” resident such as a vampire is dangerous. However, our hero, Stefan Székely, is already within the boundaries of the Hungarian Federation at his family’s estate in the former Croatia; therefore, I, the author, must deal with the vagaries of that location. It was not an unpleasant effort. I love to travel vicariously.

Needless to say, our hero has difficulties – or there wouldn’t be a story. Yet as I charged through the final chapters and then undertook the revision stage, the look and feel, the horrors, and the dystopian ambiance seemed right. Will Stefan escape from the repressive Hungarian Federation? Or will powers greater than himself and the vampire gangs of Budapest have the final say? 
In SUNRISE the world gets darker before the light shines again. Book 3, to be titled SUNSET, picks up the story even further into the future. By then, we are in full-fledged Dystopia territory. But, hey! I’m sure everything will work out just fine…if you transform into a vampire in time.

Cover Reveal For ‘Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar’ And A Quick Word About PaintNET

The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar by Rachel Tsoumbakos FINAL COVER ART 940 resize

Now that Christmas and New Year’s has come and gone and the school holidays are nearly over here in Australia, it is time to get serious about edits for my upcoming book, Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar. But, before that can happen, there was just enough time to create the cover!

Thanks to some awesome input from my fellow Myrddin authors, and, in particular, Connie J. Jasperson, there has been many hours spent relearning how to use PaintNET. So, what does the cover for Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar look like? All the details are below.

 The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar by Rachel Tsoumbakos FINAL COVER ART 940 resize
[Image via © Nejron | Dreamstime.com/Rachel Tsoumbakos]

Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar Blurb

 

Lagertha was known to be one of the wives of the famous Viking, Ragnar Lodbrok. But did you know they first met each other at a brothel? And just how long did their marriage last? Was Lagertha really the revered shield maiden we see her as today? The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar aims to unravel all these secrets.

Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar is so much more than a history book though. While Part One examines the historical facts, Part Two brings their whole story to life with an historically accurate novella of their lives.

Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar aims to discover just how much of what we know of the shield maiden, Lagertha, and the famous Ragnar Lodbrok in popular culture today is actually true.

The Truth About series explores the historical fact from present day fiction in regards to the Vikings and other key historical figures that existed in the Viking era.

You can add Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar to your Goodreads reading list. Also, once the next stage of editing is completed (I’m around the halfway mark for this), I should have more idea of a release date, which means you will soon be able to pre-order The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar on Amazon. Make sure you sign up to the Myrddin Publishing blog so you will know as soon as pre-order is available!

Also, for some fun facts you might not know about Lagertha and Ragnar already, you can check out my previous post on these two Vikings here.

So, What Is PaintNET Anyway?

If you have ever wanted to use Photoshop but just can’t afford the money or time to learn how to use such an enormous program, PaintNET might be just your thing. It is a freeware product designed by the people and for the people. This program is part of GNU, another free software operating system. While PaintNET is a great resource for those designing book covers and manipulating images, it is not entirely a full version alternative to Photoshop. If you want that, you will need GIMP, which is very much the freeware equivalent of Photoshop. However, if you — like me — have tried Photoshop and become completely overwhelmed with all it can do, PaintNET is nice alternative. It is very much a bridge between what can be done in Microsoft’s Paint program with a few added extras and the full Photoshop experience.

[Image via © Nejron | Dreamstime.com/Rachel Tsoumbakos]

Cool off with “Cover of Snow”

Every summer I search for the perfect beach read that has certain qualities:  not too long, not too mushy, and with a plot that will keep my mind from drifting lazily back to the hypnosis of the surf.  The funny thing is, I generally don’t read mysteries.  They are the literary equivalent of math puzzles to my brain, and who wants to sit in a beach chair and do those?

For inexplicable reasons, I decided to read Jenny Milchman’s “Cover of Snow,” hoping it wouldn’t bring about the aversion I felt while trying to read Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” (loved the movie, hated the book).   I needn’t have worried.

The story is set in New York state’s Adirondack mountains where Nora Hamilton lives with her husband, Brendan.  She wakes one morning, sleepily recalling their lovemaking from the night before.  The warm reveries don’t last long as Nora discovers that Brendan has committed suicide, hanging himself inside their farmhouse.  From that shocking beginning, Milchman takes her readers on a wild ride through the frozen rural community.

 

cover of snow

Milchman’s descriptive prowess telegraphed the bitter cold straight to my bones, and wove an artful suspense that kept me engaged to the very last page.  This is her debut novel, which has won the Mary Higgins Clark Award.  I can’t wait to read more from this talented writer.

 

Kathleen Barker was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, but spent much of her life as the traveling wife of a Navy pilot. While working for a Fortune 500 insurance company in New Orleans, she wrote feature and human interest articles. After Hurricane Katrina, she returned to her beloved state of Maryland where she started work on “The Charm City Chronicles”. All four volumes, “Ednor Scardens”, “The Body War”, “The Hurting Year”, and “On Gabriel’s Wings” are available in Amazon’s Kindle store.

Shaun Allan comes to Canada!

Shaun Allan, one of Myrddin’s masters of dark fantasy, and who is also a Wattpad Featured Author, is being flown to Toronto, to  tour Wattpad HQ as part of the Wattpad Stars program. Once he arrives in Toronto, Shaun will be wined and dined as he deserves! We couldn’t be more proud of his accomplishments.

To follow Shaun on Wattpad, and to read his amazing, scary work go to
https://www.wattpad.com/user/ShaunAllan

If you love horror, we recommend you check put his new Wattpad serial, “Red Queen,” an exploration of the darker side of Alice in Wonderland. We will soon see “Red Queen” published in book form as part of the Myrddin line-up.

red queen, shaun allan wattpad

#ReadMe: Into the Woods, a fantasy anthology

MyrddinAnthologyECover
Here we are at the end of the year. We’ve had a great year here at Myrddin Publishing, with several new books and new authors.

And now we are beginning a new year with the launch of our new anthology, Into the Woods. This collection of amazing tales came about almost by accident.

One day last summer I was looking through stock images I’d found for a cover I was designing for another author. I came across a wonderful image of a lonely house set in the woods. I’m not sure why, but suddenly, like the proverbial dog after a squirrel, I was off looking at images of houses in the woods.

Of course, my brain being wired to write stories, I found myself imagining all sorts of scenarios and plots to go with these amazing images. Then, it occurred to me that if I was inspired to write by these images, my fellow authors here at Myrddin Publishing would also be.

I threw out a challenge to the group: Write a short story about a house in the woods. The only caveat was the tale had to fall under the genre of fantasy, and the theme was “a house in the woods.”

And wow! What a response– I received nine wildly different tales, ranging from humor to ghostly, to romantic, to horror. These ten tales are some of the best I have read.

In the first tale, “A Peculiar Symbiosis,” Alison DeLuca gives us the story of a man who discovers he loves his wife–but only after she is dead.

“The Forest House” is my own take on the Tam Lin tale. Tam Lin is a character in a legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders as collected by Francis Child in the 19th century, but there are many tales from all over northern Europe featuring variations on his name, and the story will have slight variations. It is also associated with a reel of the same name, also known as Glasgow Reel. I had always wondered if Tam Lin and the Faerie Queen had a child, and if they had, what would have happened to it when Janet rescued Tam?

In “A House in the Woods,” Stephen Swartz takes us back to the 1960s with this dark fantasy. Two boys playing in the woods come across an abandoned house, and discover a true ghost story.

Irene Roth Luvaul takes us deep into the forest in “The Guardian.” A woman discovers her family’s history, and the terrible secret a cabinet once held.

Ross M. Kitson offers up a “A Matter of Faith.” In this dark prequel to Kitson’s epic Prism series, an uptight paladin must find a way to work with a free-thinking druid, if he is to be successful in finding and killing a demon.

In “If I Have to Spell it Out” Marilyn Rucker lightens things up with her hilarious take on two cousins quarreling over the tenancy of their family home, via letters.

“A Haunted Castle” by Lisa Zhang Wharton shows us that a house can can also be a haunted castle in the Bavarian Forest, in her hilarious, hallucinogenic tale of ghosts, rottweilers, and a costume party.

Our own master of horror, Shaun Allan, swings us back to the dark side with a horrifying twist on the Hansel and Gretel tale, with “Rose.” Told with his usual flair for words and style, this is a chilling story of demonic magic. It is definitely not you mam’s Hansel and Gretel!

In “Hidden,” Carlie Cullen takes us deep into the woods, where two young women take shelter from a storm in an abandoned house, with terrible consequences.

For the final tale in this treasury, Lee French presents us with a post-Civil War tale of star-crossed love, in her magical tale, “Forever.” Tara and Marcus share a forbidden love–and only one place is safe for them.

We’re celebrating the launch of this fantastic collection of tales with a launch party on Facebook. You can join us there until January 2nd, 2016. Myrddin Authors will be dropping in and out of the party, offering gifts and prizes, and also sharing their own brand of craziness to help you kick off your New Year with a bang. To join us, click on this link, which will take you to the 2016 Myrddin Facebook New Years Party.

I am continually amazed and awed by the talent of the wonderful authors I am privileged to work with here at Myrddin Publishing. You can purchase this wonderful collection of short stories at Amazon by clicking on the buy button below:

Into the Woods: a fantasy anthology
Amazon Buy Button PNG

_____________________________________________________
Connie J. Jasperson is an editor and a co-founding member of Myrddin Publishing Group. She is the author of the epic fantasy Tower of Bones series, and also the medieval fantasy, Huw the Bard.

Zombies, Horror, Ghouls and more…

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Need something to read while you wait for trick or treaters this Halloween? Why not try one of the gruesome delights from Myrddin Publishing Group? Whether you are into straight horror, or horror that resides in the paranormal genres, or even if you like a little romance mixed in, Myrddin Publishing Group has just the Halloween delight for you! But be careful, you won’t be able to stop at just one gruesome story.

RACHEL TSOUMBAKOS

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE NOW! (The Complete Series)

Rachel Tsoumbakos Zombie Apocalypse Now! The Complete Series 375Four women find themselves in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Each from different backgrounds and locations, they somehow manage to find each other.

PURCHASE NOW

METANOIA

Rachel Tsoumbakos Metanoia 375Marli Anderson must return to the town she once knew to kill the man she was once married to. Instead of revenge, she finds zombies.

PURCHASE NOW

THE RING OF LOST SOULS

Rachel Tsoumbakos The Ring Of Lost Souls 375Larundel – A place plagued by lost souls.
A ring that has claimed a few of them.
And a woman who is about to collide with a world she has forgotten about.
What will Isobel find when she finds herself drawn to an abandoned asylum?

PURCHASE NOW

STEPHEN SWARTZ

A DRY PATCH OF SKIN

Stephen Swartz A Dry Patch Of Skin 375The truth about being a vampire: It is not cool, not sexy. It’s a painful, miserable existence. Good reason to avoid that situation, thinks medical technician Stefan Székely. He’s too busy falling in love with TV reporter Penny Park. Until one day when she notices a dry patch of skin on his face.

You can read my review of Stephen’s book here.

PURCHASE NOW

SHAUN ALLAN

SIN

Shaun Allan Sin 375Dead, dead, dead. Say it enough times and it becomes just another word.

What would you do? Could you kill a killer? Does the death of one appease the deaths of a hundred? What about that hundred against a thousand?

What if you had no choice?

You can read my review of Shaun’s book here.

PURCHASE NOW

DARK PLACES

Shaun Allan Dark Places 375There is darkness and madness in each of us. We must do battle with our own demons. But – what if those demons opened the door in the back of your mind and stepped out. What if they became real? If the night, the shadows, the reflections, and Death himself walked among us? And what if they were watching you? Waiting? Thirsting? Dark Places. Thirteen stories. Thirteen poems. Thirteen doorways.

PURCHASE NOW

DARKER PLACES

Shaun Allan Darker Places 375What if you could steal the final moments from the dying? What if you had the darkest secret, but couldn’t think what it might be? What if you entered the forest in the deep of the night. Who is the melting man? And are your neighbours really whom they appear to be?

PURCHASE NOW

MR. COMPOSURE

Shaun Allan Mr. Composure 375“Once upon a time…”

All the best stories begin that way. Once upon a time, Jack climbed a beanstalk. Cinderella did go to the ball.

Once upon a time, his parents died.

*Specially commissioned by NBC Universal for the release of the film The Purge: Anarchy*

PURCHASE NOW

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN

Shaun Allan Suffer The little Children 375Simon, Fey and Rebecca. An ordinary family trying to cope after the death of the girls’ mother. One day, Rebecca ‘gives’ her imaginary friend, Nathaniel, to Simon, telling her father he can keep Nathaniel ‘forever’…

*Specially commissioned by Universal for the release of the movie sequel Sinister 2*

PURCHASE NOW

Myrddin Halloween 2015 image template books text

How do readers find books in the digital age?

How do readers find books in the digital age? (Photo Credit: MorgueFile.com)

It a burning question and one that we at Myrddin Publishing are keen to explore!

Do readers still read paperbacks, hardcovers or are eBooks really taking over the reading world? And where do you go to find new books and authors?

We would like to find out just how exactly people do search for and purchase books these days – and that is where your help is needed.

By filling in our survey and sharing it will your friends, we will be able to better target you, the reader, with just what you crave – new books!

Clicking here will take you to the survey

Thank you for taking the time to participate in our short survey.

Free and Bargain Books from Myrddin Publishing! (February Newsletter)

Thank your for signing up to the Myrddin Newsletter which covers news and information from Myrddin authors. In this issue we cover bargain and free books as well as recent and imminent releases.

Bargain and Free eBooks

Unremembered Thiongs Kindle Edition

BARGAIN: Unremembered Things

Check out Unremembered Things on Amazon.com

To celebrate its release on February 10th 2015, Unremembered Things will be on sale for only 99 cents – for one week only.

The paranormal romance tells the story of Indiana Shamira who has a dark secret that could shatter her version of reality and get her killed in the process. Now if only she could remember what it was…

Heart Search Book One: Lost. Kindle Edition

FREE: HEART SEARCH – Book One: Lost

Check out Unremembered Things on Amazon.com

Heart Search will be free on Amazon 7th and 8th Feb only! http://smarturl.it/HeartSearch-Lost

One bite starts it all . . .

When Joshua Grant vanishes days before his wedding his fiancée Remy is left with only bruises, scratch marks and a hastily written note. Heartbroken, she sets off alone to find him and begins a long journey where strange things begin to happen.

As Joshua descends into his new immortal life he indulges his thirst for blood and explores his superhuman strength and amazing new talents while becoming embroiled in coven politics which threaten to destroy him. But Remy discovers a strength of her own on her quest to bring Joshua home.

Hunted Heart Kindle Edition

BARGAIN: Hunted Heart

Check out Hunted Heart on Amazon.com

Hunted Heart is on sale for $.99 with all proceeds going to charity. http://bit.ly/HHkinUL

When Tali is hired to cut out the heart of Prince Kas, the huntress can’t refuse. Tali realizes there is no escape from the dark magic of the queen’s mirror, even though her own feelings for the prince are far too complex to understand.

As they try to run from their shared destiny, Tali and Kas have to rely on their wits and each other as hunter becomes prey and hearts are won and lost.

A genderbent Snow White for adults (18+ only.) All royalties go to SavetheChildren.org.

Darkness Rising Book One is Free at Smashwords

FREE: Darkness Rising, Book One – Chained

Check out Darkness Rising for free from Smashwords

The first book in the popular epic fantasy series Darkness Rising remains free to download in a variety of formats through Smashwords. Dive into the spellbinding series today.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/392664

Wild magic comes at a cost… that of the mind.

Emelia dreams of escape from her life of servitude. She dreams of magical powers; she dreams of dark things. When tragedy awakens the sorcery within her she embarks upon an epic journey in the company of two charming thieves.

In the Dead City an ancient evil awakens. The Lord of the Ghasts covets a magical Prism, the clues to which lie with Emelia. And when he begins to share her dreams, surely it is only a matter of time until she succumbs to his power?

Huw the Bard Kindle Edition

BARGAIN: Huw the Bard

Check out Huw the Bard at Amazon.com

Smuggled out of the burning city in a reeking ale barrel, Huw the Bard is a wanted man. Starving, reduced to begging and worse, he must somehow make his way north to safety. It’s a 200-league walk to the one place he might have a friend, though the path Huw must take is anything but straight.
A lot can happen to a man on journey like that.

Step into the dangerous world of Waldeyn for only $ .99 through February 28, 2015
http://bit.ly/HuwTheBard_US

Recent and New Releases

Darkness Rising Book Five Kindle Edition

Darkness Rising. Book Five – Broken

Check out Darkness Rising Book Five at Amazon.com

Ross M Kitson releases the fifth book in the epic fantasy series, Darkness Rising. Book five – Broken picks up from the shocking finale of book four, with the companions in disarray. Emelia must make a journey through her past to find her future, but the schemes of Vildor the Darkmaster draw her ever closer to the darkness.

Heart Search Book Three Betrayal. Coming Soon

HEART SEARCH – Book Three: Betrayal

Check out Betrayal on Amazon

One bite started it all . . .

Joshua, Remy, and the twins are settled in their new life. However, life doesn’t always run smoothly. An argument between Becky and her twin causes unforeseen circumstances, an admission by Samir almost costs him his life, and the traitor provides critical information to Liam. But who is it?

As Jakki’s visions begin to focus on the turncoat’s activities, a member of the coven disappears, and others find themselves endangered.

And when Liam’s coven attacks, who will endure?

A Dry Patch of Skin Kindle Edition

A Dry Patch of Skin

Check out A Dry Patch of Skin at Amazon.com

Stephen Swartz writes literary fiction about troubled relationships, science fiction involving interdimensional doorways, and recently published his first horror thriller, A DRY PATCH OF SKIN, about a man transforming into a vampire against his will. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O82ESRC
Swartz is currently finishing another science-fiction novel for New Adult readers about an alien trying to return to his family after being captured by…humans!

A Simpler Guide to Google+ Paperback

A Simpler Guide to Google+: An unofficial user guide to setting up and using the Google Plus social network (Simpler Guides)

Check out the paperback of A Simler Guide to Google+ at Amazon!

Do you want a better way to organize and manage your social relationship? Do you want to keep in touch from friends and family all over the world in one video call? Are you interested in meeting people across the web with similar interests? Then this guide is for you!

*Learn why Google+ is the best social network
*Set-up a new Google+ account
*Learn about Hangouts, the best and easiest way to meet your friends and family face to face online
*with video Hangouts. Up to 10 people at a time!
*Have better privacy than on Facebook or Twitter
*Post, comment, ‘like’ and share
*Discover like-minded communities, Google+ i*s the best social network for photographers!
*Understand and use the settings
*Easily control who can see your stuff
*And much more…

A Simpler Guide to Gmail Paperback Edition

A Simpler Guide to Gmail: An unofficial user guide to setting up and using your free Google email account (Simpler Guides)

Check out the paperback of A Simler Guide to Gmail at Amazon!

Are you looking for free e-mail but don’t know where to start? Do you use Gmail but want to use it more effectively? Do you want to organize your emails better? Spending too much time on your email? Then this guide is for you!

*Learn why Gmail is the best email solution
*Set-up a new Gmail account
*Send and receive emails
*Avoid and explain the best way to deal with scams, spam and phishing emails
*Protect your email from hackers
*Organize your email
*Understand and use the settings
*Discover and use Google+
*And much more…

A Simpler Guide to Calibre Paperback

A Simpler Guide to Calibre: How to organize, edit and convert your eBooks using free software for readers, writers, students and researchers for any eReader: 3 (Simpler Guides)

Check out the paperback of A Simpler Guide to Calibre at Amazon!

Do you have hundreds of e-books but can never find the one you want? Would you like to convert an e-book to work on a different device? Are you itching to organize your e-books but are not quite sure how? Then this guide is for you!

*Learn how Calibre can be useful to you

*Set-up Calibre *Catalog ebooks, i.e. add books, edit book information

*Send e-books to your Kindle or other devices

*Find free e-books

*Browse and search your e-book collections

*Convert e-books *Edit e-books

*Discover, download and send news sources to your devices

*And much more…

Coming Soon

Unremembered Thiongs Kindle Edition

Unremembered Things

Check out Unremembered Things on Amazon.com

Rachel Tsoumbakos announces the release of Book #1 in the Wood Nymph Chronicles entitled Unremembered Things. The paranormal romance tells the story of Indiana Shamira who has a dark secret that could shatter her version of reality and get her killed in the process. Now if only she could remember what it was…

To celebrate its release on February 10th 2015, Unremembered Things will be on sale for only 99 cents – for one week only.
http://www.amazon.com/Unremembered-Things…/dp/B00RM7MEFI/

 

Your Guide Said What? Coming Soon

Your Guide Said What?

Do your spirit guides watch you shower?
Can you have an alien as a spirit guide?
What if I don’t have a spirit guide?
Our spirit guides are constantly with us even if we do not realize it.

Your Guide Said What?
A spirit guide Q&A
Answers the questions many people were either afraid to ask or did not know who to ask.

All the authors at Myrddin, would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support in reading this newsletter and we hope you enjoy our books!

 

 

Unremembered Things – Book Launch plus #giveaway

Unremembered Things by Rachel Tsoumbakos

Unremembered Things by Rachel Tsoumbakos (Genre: Paranormal Romance)

Unremembered Things†(Wood Nymph Chronicles #1) by Rachel Tsoumbakos
Age category: New†Adult
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Genre: Paranormal†Romance

Blurb

One woman, two worlds and nothing but UNREMEMBERED THINGS separating them.

Indiana Shamira has a dark secret that could shatter her version of reality and get her killed in the process. Now if only she could remember what it is.

When Indiana wakes with no memory of her past life and a vampire called Sam hanging from the rafters in her cellar, she knows things are about to get nasty. Not only does Sam know all about her previous life, but he seems intent on seducing her as well. Of course her boyfriend, Kurt, has different ideas – like making her open the portal to hell!

And then there is the nagging suspicion that Indiana is not entirely human, now she can see ghostly images from the Otherworld. Or could it be from the life she can no longer remember? They include the flickering effigy of Kurt and a redwood forest that conjures up deeply repressed magic.

Not only will Indiana have to risk everything to keep the door to another dimension closed, she will have to decide whether she is ready to lose her heart to someone who has more secrets than herself.

Set in the lush Australian bush, UNREMEMBERED THINGS is a fusion of fantasy, paranormal and forbidden romance.

Add to GoodReads

Purchase (Pre-order)

AMAZON

Excerpt

“It is time.” Her voice purred like a kitten, but Indiana suspected she was really a feral animal on the inside.

“For what?” Her voice was raspy, hesitant and unsure if she really wanted to know the answer. Somewhere, deep inside, she suspected she already knew.

“Just remember I’m doing this for us,” Sam whispered into her ear. “So we can be together forever.”

Before Indiana could question him further, she felt a flurry of hands over her body. Indiana tried to open her eyes, but a warm hand reached up and carefully covered them.

Indiana was bitten hard, and she groaned in pleasure. Shocked by her unexpected display, she clutched her hands†outwards. Feeling the writhe of skin on skin, she tried to pull herself free. The tickle of fingers across her neck and down her spine calmed her with their warm familiarity.

“It’s okay, Indiana.”

The feathery words danced across her skin, warm like a summer breeze. She stilled and let Sam’s fingers intertwine with her own, relieved by his simple touch.

Time seemed to move forward and Indiana was presented with brief snippets of fleeting images; Camilla biting Sam, biting her. Indiana enjoying the pain of Camilla’s sharp teeth as they gnashed at her neck, her thighs and her wrist. The flurry of skin and hands and teeth as they writhed together in the height of passion. Pale hands slithered over her own luminescent skin, then Sam’s darker skin brushed against her own, warming her and protecting her but against what she was unsure.

Then Camilla poised over Sam, a knife in her hand. A flash of blood as it splayed out from a gaping neck wound. Indiana’s involuntary gasp and then choking sob at the sight of the cavernous hole. Hungry sucking as Camilla drank her fill. A warm hand, its fingers still laced through hers, slowing turning ice cold.

Giveaway

PRIZE (international):

  • 1 x eCopy of Unremembered Things
  • 1 x eCopy of Metanoia
  • 1 x eCopy of The Ring of Lost Souls
  • 1 x $10 Amazon gift card

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About the Author

Rachel Tsoumbakos. Author of contemporary horror and paranormal fiction.Rachel Tsoumbakos is a stay home mother of two.

Her main passions are writing, reading and organic gardening. Rachel lives with her husband, two kids, three cats and eight chickens in the hills surrounding Melbourne, Australia.

While she has had several articles published through mainstream magazines, she has also written extensively for True Blood Net and the now defunct Suite 101.

When she is not tending to her organic veggie garden, she is working on her cardio as she trains for the zombie apocalypse.

Author Links

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS | GOOGLE + |PINTEREST

 

Bring in the New Year With Myrddin Books!

Myrddin Publishing Group New Years Eve 2014 Party Banner

2015 is nearly upon us – and what better way to bring in the new year than with some new releases, 99 cent and free eBook deals from Myrddin Publishing Group?

As well as these great offers, we will be hosting a New Year’s Eve Facebook party.

Make sure you head on over early and join the event here. Once you are joined up, you can pop in as often as you like over various time zones (after all our authors span across Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) to join in the party atmosphere as well as to possibly win some great prizes! You can also join us on Twitter by using the following hashtags: #PartyInTheLibrary #Myrddin #NewYearsEve

On offer we have Myrddin authors giving away free eBooks and signed copies of their paperbacks via a plethora of competitions and pop up giveaways.

To find out if your favorite author is participating in this fantastic event, then head on over to the Facebook event page and find out now!

Free Book: Hunted Heart #FREE 12/19/14

HuntedHeart cover final bit smallerHunted Heart is free for 24 hours on December 19th. Enjoy the download, and if you can leave an honest review it would be wonderful.

When Tali is hired to cut out the heart of Prince Kas, the huntress can’t refuse. Tali realizes there is no escape from the dark magic of the queen’s mirror, even though her own feelings for the prince are far too complex to understand.

 

As they try to run from their shared destiny, Tali and Kas have to rely on their wits and each other as hunter becomes prey and hearts are won and lost.

 

A genderbent Snow White for adults (18+ only.) All royalties go to SavetheChildren.org.

 

 

Hunted Heart cover reveal

Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
I met a friend online who gave me a prompt for Hunted Heart. Her idea was to have a strong heroine as the Hunter from Snow White who is given the job of killing the
prince. Heartbreak, magic mirrors, and poisoned apples all wound themselves
into the plot, and fifty thousand words later I had an adult take on the fairytale.
My publishing group, Myrddin Publishing, does a charity publication each year in
December. This year my Myrddin effort is Hunted Heart and all royalties will be donated. It’s available for pre-order on Amazon, and you can add it to your reading lists on Goodreads.
When Tali is hired to cut out the heart of Prince Kas, the huntress can’t refuse. Tali realizes there is no escape from the dark magic of the queen’s mirror, even though her own feelings for the prince are far too complex to understand.
As they try to run from their shared destiny, Tali and Kas have to rely on their wits and each other as hunter becomes prey and hearts are won and lost.
A genderbent Snow White for adults (18+ only.) All royalties go to Save the Children.
My illustrator did a lovely job with the book. Here is Lisa Daly’s cover for Hunted Heart:

 

About the author: Alison DeLuca is the author of several fantasy and steampunk novels. Currently she lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter, where she wrestles words and laundry.
You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and
Goodreads.

 

Myrddin Gives Back : Christmas O’Clock

Christmas FairyMyrddin Publishing announces the successful campaign to raise funds for the international charity, Water is Life, via sales of their Christmas anthology, Christmas O’Clock.  In 2014 the publishing group donated all the revenue generated from sales of this book, totaling over $200.00 in royalties. This purchased three bucket systems and eight drinking straws, providing fresh water to three families, and eight individuals. Their goal is to double that in 2015.

Christmas O’Clock is a collection of holiday-themed stories including magic, space travel, and Rudolph. With two complete chapter books, lots of stories, and plenty of spirit, this anthology is great for kids of all ages.

All proceeds from this wonderful book go to Water Is Life to help children and families in an international effort.

Christmas O’Clock  can be purchased at www.amazon.com

Paperback  $9.51

And for the Kindle  $2.99

Myrddin Authors Help Libraries

This story is linked from the NJ paper, The Asbury Park Press :

APP photo

JACKSON — Alison DeLuca is part of an international effort to restock libraries that were severely damaged by superstorm Sandy.

The Jackson author, who has penned a series of young adult novels called the “Crown Phoenix” series, donated about 40 books as part of an effort to fill the shelves the damaged libraries, located in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

“We were really incredibly lucky,” said DeLuca, 52, while sitting in her Jackson living room. “We had friends who lost their roof.”

DeLuca said her Jackson home only suffered a long power outage after the superstorm. Though her family was spared the kind of devastation she has seen to the east, the author said she wanted to help.

Through a collective of independent authors, DeLuca learned of the program “Indie Authors for Hurricane Sandy Library Recovery” organized by author K.S. Brooks of Spokane, Washington.

“I wanted to do something to help libraries devastated by Hurricane Sandy,” Brooks wrote in an email from her home in rural Washington. “Since I’m broke, I figured I could send books. I knew just my books wouldn’t make a whole lot of difference, so I asked other indie authors to get involved.”

Five months after she proposed the idea, 170 authors have joined together and donated 1,200 books to libraries in the region, said Brooks, who was born in New York City and has lived in coastal Connecticut. The books will go to nine libraries that were flooded by the storm, the majority of which are located at elementary schools, she added.

“I’ve worked closely with the administrators at the libraries to make sure they only receive the genres and family-friendly ratings they need,” Brooks said, who is known for writing a children’s educational series called “Postcards from Mr. Pish.”.

She declined to share which New Jersey libraries were participating in the program, to protect them from unsolicited and unwanted donations.

The program not only benefits the libraries but the authors, too; they are reaching a broader audience, Brooks said. Not only are independent authors contributing, but best-selling authors such as mystery writer Warren Murphy are also participating, she said.

DeLuca, who’s “Crown Phoenix” series is a steam punk-themed action adventure, said the program is unifying libraries in need with authors.

The Jackson-based author said: “This is a great way to get the two groups together in a really meaningful way.”

Myrddin Supports Water is Life: Call for Submissions

This year, Myrddin is delighted to announce that the Christmas O’Clock anthology raised sixty dollars for the Water is Life charity. The organization works to create potable drinking water for families and children in the third world.

A special thank you goes out to Sherrie DeGraw, who donated the cover, and Rachel Tsoumbakos, who did the formatting of the manuscript. Nicole Carson did the layout of the cover.

The authors included in the book are: Shaun Allan, Connie Jasperson, Nicole Antonia Carson, Mary K. Mitchell, and Alison DeLuca.

Sales of the book topped last year’s efforts, and we hope to continue the charity drive in 2013.

If you are an author and would like to submit a story for the 2013 anthology, you may contact us here.

Submission requirements:

All submissions to be sent as word docs in attachments. No print submissions, please.

We accept short stories, poems, and novellas. Please keep the length under 30,000 words.

The anthology is for children, so feel free to include the following in your story: excitement, humor, holiday magic (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Eid themes are very welcome!)

We will not accept entries that include gore, violence, sexual themes or language, adult language, mature themes.

Writers retain all rights to their work, as stated specifically in the copyright page and author contract. All royalties from the anthology will be donated to charity.

Christmas O’Clock will be published on Amazon under the Kindle Select program.

All submissions are due by midnight EST July 31, 2013.

Stories will be judged on creativity, interest for children, and compatibility with the existing anthology. You may take a look at this year’s Christmas O’Clock here.

If you have further questions, please use the contact link found on the home page.

 

Water is Life

We’ve released an anthology of Christmas stories for kids called Christmas O’Clock. It includes two full-length books and three stories, including Rudolph Saves Christmas and Bah, Humbug!

All royalties go to the Water is Life charity, which works to provide clean drinking water for kids and families in the third world. Since the anthology is an international effort, we wanted the charity to be worldwide as well. And this charity is amazing – it dispenses a simple, small filtration system known as “The Straw.”

The Straw removes tiny microbes that can cause typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. It also removes nasty things called “guinea worms” so children can drink and stay healthy. Each one costs ten dollars and lasts for a year.

Of course, that is only a first step. Water is Life also works to put in complete water systems so villages can access clean water without using The Straw.

We are offering Christmas O’Clock for FREE today and tomorrow – 12/3 and 12/4 –  on Kindle in order to get the word out about our book and this very important charity. If you haven’t downloaded Christmas O’Clock yet, do have a look on Amazon US, UKGermany, Spain, France, Japan, and Italy.

Enjoy!

Heart Search: Book launch announcement

Myrddin Publishing Group are proud to announce the publication of Heart Search, book one: Lost by Carlie M A Cullen.

This debut paranormal romance novel, the first in the Heart Search trilogy, begins the story of Remy and Joshua. Here’s the blurb:

‘One bite starts it all . . .

When Joshua Grant vanishes days before his wedding his fiancée Remy is left with only bruises, scratch marks and a hastily written note. Heartbroken, she sets off alone to find him and begins a long journey where strange things begin to happen.

As Joshua descends into his new immortal life he indulges his thirst for blood and explores his superhuman strength and amazing new talents while becoming embroiled in coven politics which threaten to destroy him. But Remy discovers a strength of her own on her quest to bring Joshua home.

Fate toys with mortals and immortals alike, as two hearts torn apart by darkness face ordeals which test them to their limits.’

Heart Search, book one: Lost is available as an ebook at Amazon on 8th October 2012 with the print book following closely on its heels.

A Blog Tour with giveaway to celebrate the launch will run from 8-31 October. For further details, please visit http://carliemacullen.com