Published June 7, 2022 by Black Spot Books T he skeletons in the closet have nothing on the one in your backyard. Freshly divorced and grie...
Review || Little Bird by Tiffany Meuret
Publication date: February 22nd, 2021 Her Grandfather took her father’s life, and now Jess wants revenge. Heir to a multi-verse kingdom Jess...
Guest Post || The Inspiration of Cats by VK Tritschler
Publication date: February 22nd, 2021
Her Grandfather took her father’s life, and now Jess wants revenge.
Heir to a multi-verse kingdom Jess should be the most powerful woman in the world, able to keep her loved ones safe and bring peace to the realms. But with her newfound powers, came newfound dangers.
Jess is determined to protect the people she loves. To keep her sister, mother and boyfriend Peter safe, she sends them away, where her enemies can’t find them. When, Peter’s parents find out she’s the offspring of their mortal enemy, they are determined to keep them apart forever.
Going alone is perilous, and it’s hard to tell the difference between friend and foe. Determined to bring down her maniacal Grandfather, Jess is just beginning to realize the depth of her ties to those around her and the strength they bring to her.
Will she become the great protector or is she more like her Grandfather than she wants to admit?
the inspiration of cats
by VK Tritschler
Recently I received an emergency phone call from a lady I know locally who helps rescue cats. She had picked up two barely born kittens, one with an injured leg, and since I was one of the few people she knew who had bottled fed newborns before, and she wanted to know if I would help out. Of course, I replied instantly. Who doesn’t want to help a small creature in need?
I had forgotten how hard work they are. The two hourly feed, the unenviable task of wiping their wriggling backside, and the replacement of bedding to keep it clean and warm. There were moments in the small hours of the night when I am warming up the bottle yet again, I wondered about my sanity. It was similar to when I get a story stuck in my mind keeping me awake at night.
Unfortunately, due to the injuries of her sibling only she survived, so we name her Uno. As I write this, she is chasing her tail across the lounge floor in the later afternoon sunshine. She has escaped the tragedy of growing up as a feral and will never know how lucky she was.
She is a beautiful black cat, which through the sunlight you can see the flecks of her true tiger self. And watching her at play I begin to daydream of another of my great entertainments. Magical creatures.
Last year I wrote a couple books (with the third due out next year) about werepanthers in Australia. There was a show on local television about people who believed they had seen these big cats in various locations and held grainy photos or imagery to prove their point. Fascinated with the idea, I wrote a series in which werepanthers are a set of shifter packs who reside here and are occasionally spotted by accident. The beauty of these creatures is they had blended capabilities, part human and part beast. Which allowed me as an author to explore beyond the mere human capacity of my characters.
More recently I expanded on magical worlds, with idea of a multiverse. My characters now not only held extraordinary abilities, but they could move through worlds which were limitless. And I just loved writing it! There are mermaids, and royalty, scientists, and adventures. It was one of the most freeing stories I have ever written because the only boundary was my imagination. I remember at one point almost losing myself in the pleasure of a new world and the creatures that could exist there.
As an author allowing your imagination free reign is both rewarding and challenging. Uno is now sleeping through the night, curled into a little back ball with tiger sized dreams rushing through her head. But sadly, I cannot join her, for my own mind is drawn into the next great adventure already,the twists and turns unravelling in my mind before they join together on the page.
Perhaps a new world will emerge that is ruled by cats?
However, I feel like perhaps I have seen that firsthand already.
VK Tritschler is the definition of very busy. Having both a fulltime job, a growing family and a career as an author she has a lot going on both around her and in her imagination. She lives on the amazing Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, having moved there from her hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. Her family consists of a very patient husband, two rampant boys, and too many pets to mention.
She has a wonderful set of amazing writers who support her in the form of Eyre Writers, and in return, she offers crowd control services for the Youth section who are the future best-selling Australian authors.
Her first book “The Secret Life of Sarah Meads” was released in 2018 and since then she has participated in the NYC Writing Challenge, the Clunes Booktown, and helped organise and run the Eyre Writers Festival. Next came the paranormal anthology of "Magic & Mischief" with her story "Vital Impetus" which came out in July 2020.
After this, "The Risky Business of Romance" was released in October 2020 - a romantic suspense set in rural South Australia, and Trade Secrets is a rom-com based in Adelaide came out in December 2020. "A Town Called Nowhere" a paranormal romance about were-panthers set in rural Australia, was released in April 2021, with the second book out in October 2021.
Ever available to her readership you can find her at:
the inspiration of cats
by VK Tritschler
She has a wonderful set of amazing writers who support her in the form of Eyre Writers, and in return, she offers crowd control services for the Youth section who are the future best-selling Australian authors.
Her first book “The Secret Life of Sarah Meads” was released in 2018 and since then she has participated in the NYC Writing Challenge, the Clunes Booktown, and helped organise and run the Eyre Writers Festival. Next came the paranormal anthology of "Magic & Mischief" with her story "Vital Impetus" which came out in July 2020.
After this, "The Risky Business of Romance" was released in October 2020 - a romantic suspense set in rural South Australia, and Trade Secrets is a rom-com based in Adelaide came out in December 2020. "A Town Called Nowhere" a paranormal romance about were-panthers set in rural Australia, was released in April 2021, with the second book out in October 2021.
Ever available to her readership you can find her at:
Today's mini-reviews are Boneset & Feathers by Gwendolyn Kiste, Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo, Certain Dark Things by Silvia...
Mini Reviews || Boneset & Feathers by Gwendolyn Kiste, Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo, Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Today's mini-reviews are Boneset & Feathers by Gwendolyn Kiste, Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo, Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
You don't know their fire is coming until it's too late. That's exactly the way the witchfinders like it. As an isolated enchantress, Odette knows this too well--she lost nearly her whole family to the last round of executions, barely escaping with her own life. All the magic she could conjure wasn't enough to protect her mother and sister, a burden that leaves a despondent Odette practically wishing she'd burned with the rest.
Now it's five years later, and as the last witch left from her village, Odette has exiled herself to the nearby woods where she's sworn off all magic, hoping instead for quiet and for safety. But no witch has ever been permitted a peaceful life.
It starts with crows tumbling out of the clouds and spectral voices on the wind that won't leave her alone. Then there are those midnight visits to the graveyard that she can't quite remember in the morning and the strange children following her everywhere she goes. Odette wants to forget magic, but her magic doesn't want to forget her. Meanwhile, the former friends she left behind in the village are cowering together, hiding from the ghostly birds they believe she's sent to torment them for abandoning her. But that's only the beginning of their problems, as Odette soon discovers their worst nightmare is about to come true--the witchfinders are returning. And this time, the decree is clear: to burn the witch that got away.
With the men drawing nearer to the village, Odette must face the whispers from the dead and confront her fear of her own growing power if she wants any chance of stopping the army of witchfinders determined to rid the countryside of magic once and for all.
Publication date: November 23rd, 2020Add to Goodreads
My Thoughts...
My Thoughts...
Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn't include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.
Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?
My Thoughts...
Publication date: June 22nd, 2021 Links: Amazon | Goodreads The third and final installment in Sean's rip-roaring 'firefighters m...
Review || Flame Riders by Sean Grigsby
Publication date: June 22nd, 2021
The third and final installment in Sean's rip-roaring 'firefighters meet dragons' fantasy series
In the final installment of the Smoke Eaters series, the New United States Army has taken over and America has devolved into a full-on dragon apocalypse. Smoke eaters are banned and have gone into hiding to avoid being held prisoner by the soldiers.
Guiellermo Contreras is a private in the NUSA, and when he's accused of potentially being a smoke eater upon pain of death, he escapes and sets out to find the heroes who disappeared years before. But what he discovers is that the NUSA has been working on something unthinkable, and it's going to take more than a few smoke eaters to stop them.
Read now
In the final installment of the Smoke Eaters series, the New United States Army has taken over and America has devolved into a full-on dragon apocalypse. Smoke eaters are banned and have gone into hiding to avoid being held prisoner by the soldiers.
Guiellermo Contreras is a private in the NUSA, and when he's accused of potentially being a smoke eater upon pain of death, he escapes and sets out to find the heroes who disappeared years before. But what he discovers is that the NUSA has been working on something unthinkable, and it's going to take more than a few smoke eaters to stop them.
Publication date: October 19th, 2021 Links: Amazon | Goodreads F lowers for the Sea is a dark, dazzling debut novella that reads like Ro...
Review || Flowers For The Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn
Publication date: October 19th, 2021
Read now
I am insistence personified, and the spite I draw is my sustenance...
This is a novella that will speak to all your senses. Not only is Iraxi's rage all-consuming, but the descriptions of the ship and its people will also engulf you. Seventeen hundred forty-three days at sea. She is locked in this place surrounded by rotting wood, the sea lapping at it from all sides, mildewing in the salty air. The stink of bodies and fluids and blood all around. Unable to even escape to fresh air due to the razorfangs from the sky and tentacles from the depths. This narrative will envelop you in its depictions like a dark, oily dream from which you can't awake.
While the eldritch creatures encircling the ship would typically be the focus of a novella, Rocklyn beckons us to sit with Iraxi in her boiling resentment and fury. We experience her loathed pregnancy, the debilitating changes to her body, and eventually the horror of her labor and what comes after. If you are looking for a dark and disturbing visceral tale, Iraxi's account will whisper bleakly to you. Flowers For The Sea is ghastly and gloriously weird and well worth the read.
Publication date: October 31, 2021 Links: Amazon | Goodreads J oey’s a mechanic. One night, she receives a call from her best friend, ask...
Review || Bleedmore, Bodymore by Ian Kirkpatrick
Publication date: October 31, 2021
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Publication date: September 21st, 2021 Links: Amazon | Goodreads ' H umans, as is there wont, have a terrible habit of making a mess ...
Review || The Monsters of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny
Publication date: September 21st, 2021
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Today's Author Spotlight is author Lisa Hofman! Read on for the full interview. Publication date: April 5th, 2021 Amazon | Goodreads A...
Author Spotlight || Lisa Hofmann, Author of Artemis' Wings
Today's Author Spotlight is author Lisa Hofman!
Read on for the full interview.
Publication date: April 5th, 2021
An Island in the lake. A curse. A stargazer's daughter whose time is running out.
The girl in the tower watches the stars from her window – and the black waters of the lake below.
Monsters thrive between the rocks and the fouling weeds, guarding the cursed shore. Her people seem to have forgotten her. It’s easier to forget than to fight.
Only Elnathan still knows she’s there on that island. He would fly on broken wings to the ends of the earth just to be near her, but the dark spell Abaddon cast could cost him everything, and time is against them both.
Enjoy this new magical, thrilling shapeshifter love story by Lisa Hofmann!
What's your latest release?
Can you start out by telling us a little about your latest work?
Where did you get the inspiration to write this story?
When you developed the characters, did you already know who they were before you began writing or did they develop organically?
Which of your characters was your favorite to write and why?
What was more important to you when you were writing: character development or plot?
What was one of the most surprising things you learned (about your story, about yourself, etc.) while writing?
Over the past years, I learned that I can actually be patient! With myself and with the process. And I also learned to love editing, which is kinda weird, but here we are.
In your opinion what makes a good story?
Good character development, a steady pace that doesn't kill me, and a few good twists along the way.
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
It changed everything about my writing process up until that point because I began working with a very cool and competent non-eye-rolling editor, who taught me a lot about finding out what's important and what isn't, and how to further develop my voice and style of writing.
Do you read your book reviews? What do you consider "good" /"bad"?
I want to know what my readers think and how to improve what I'm doing if something was genuinely off.
I recall one reviewer telling me they didn't like the book cover, so 2 stars for that, despite the fact that they weren't into fantasy and hadn't read the free book they'd gotten from me... That's what I mean by not very helpful.
But I also generally get a few that I can really work with, and the ones that are posted to Amazon definitely help me promote my work.
What led you to start writing?
Do you have any writing superstitions?
I have to have my cat nearby. She's probably the one who's really working all the magic.
What attracted you to the genre(s) you write in?
Everything. In Fantasy, you can be anyone or anything and go anywhere in a thousand worlds. So much to explore there!
What is one of your favorite words? OR Is there a word you find yourself using too often?
Shenanigans. I don't think I've ever actively used it, but I just love it. It's cheeky.
What are you currently reading?
Spinning Silver by Noami Novik
A lot of authors have a soundtrack while writing. Are there are songs you had on repeat?
Not really - I need quiet to really get into the deep of things while I write. Sometimes I have music with no lyrics on while I'm still drafting, though. First drafts are always quick and non-wordy.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Be a bit more brave and start publishing earlier.
What are a couple of your favorite movies to kick back with to relax?
I like shark movies, which - again - is weird and so not what I write. Whenever I'm ever really stressed out, though, I don't watch a lot of TV. I try to get out and about and into the woods.
Which animal would you say is your spirit animal and why?
The blue-and-gold-glittered Middle-European Coffee Sloth
Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or a cottage surrounded by fairytale creatures?
I'll take a haunted mansion surrounded by fairytale creatures.
What is something about the genre that annoys you?
I love that women play a bigger role in Fantasy now than ever before, but think there are a lot of very similar characters and story arcs being written, which makes some of the series that started out great quickly become a bit dull.
I don't like formula-writing because I like the unusual twists and turns that a story can take. I wish there was more of that out there.
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
In terms of my writing process: I tend to slash and burn my way through my finished manuscripts while revising to the point where my editor shouts stop. In terms of my style: what I hear a lot from others is that I do well with my prose. I like atmosphere, so I try to create one for the reader that's relatable - if you like my type of stories.
Are you on social media and can your readers interact with you? What are your links?
I also have a website, on which you can find a newsletter sign-up. My newsletters are practically non-existent, though, because I have to admit I'm really sloppy about sending them out to people. I never remember...
But here are the links:
https://www.facebook.com/authorlisahofmann
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LisasBookdragons (the group is worth joining because here's where you get ARCs and other freebies, as well as some good bookish discussions)
https://www.lisahofmann.net
Do you have a favorite line that you've written? What is it and why do you like it?
I couldn't really pick one because my favorites are always the ones I'm currently working on.
What advice would you like to pass on to aspiring writers that is unconventional but true?
Do your thing and write that book you've always wanted to write - but remember that you're not writing to entertain only yourself. When you finish it, others are going to want to read it, so know who your readers are going to be, and what they would like you to present them with, or you're going to set yourself up for a heartache.
Do you have a WIP? If so, can you tell us anything about it?
Thanks so much for participating in the Author Spotlight! Anything you'd like to add?
Thanks for having me on your blog!
Lisa is a European-based writer, born in 1975. She was educated in the nerd factories of Germany and the mystery moors of Ireland. Before she began writing medieval and shapeshifter fiction in her late thirties, she worked internationally as an interpreter, translating specialized publications on early education and literacy.
She is a genuine Dr Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde: a teacher of multilingual children by day, and producer of character-driven fantasy novels by night. Since Stealing the Light, she has published three other novels and several shorter works. She writes predominantly in English and works with a weather-proofed Pennsylvania-based American editor.
Lisa lives in Germany with her husband, three outrageous children, and a house full of exceptionally vocal pets. Whenever she finds herself teetering on the brink of boredom, she will generally resort to exploring old towns and castles, walks in the woods, and reading anything that other people throw at her.
Publication date: September 2nd, 2021 Tales from the Midnight Forest is an enthralling collection of unusual shapeshifter stories you won...
Feature Fiction || Tales From the Midnight Forest by Lisa Hofmann
Publication date: September 2nd, 2021
Tales from the Midnight Forest is an enthralling collection of unusual shapeshifter stories you won't want to miss!
Enjoy five hauntingly suspenseful stories that will leave you guessing until the end.
Amberflame
Take a midnight walk with Willa to meet her lover. But keep an eye on the sky, or you might not make it home.
Amélie
A castle under siege. A magic amulet. Amélie is on her own. She knows that the enemy has come a long way and will take no prisoners.
Artemis' Wings
Cross the cursed lake with Artemis to face an evil sorcerer. But beware. Something is lurking in the dark waters.
Aura
Breitenau is in flames. Marielle can’t control the fire. Who will she turn to for help when there is no one left to trust?
Anguish
Enjoy an evening in the gardens of Asterbury Hall with Mary. But careful! The creature in the hedges has teeth, and it will bite.
Read now
– excerpt from Amberflame
Lisa Hofmann's debut novel, Stealing the Light, received top star ratings and reviews on the Writer's Digest and Publisher's Weekly platforms for independently published works.
Lisa is a European-based writer, born in 1975. She was educated in the nerd factories of Germany and the mystery moors of Ireland. Before she began writing medieval and shapeshifter fiction in her late thirties, she worked internationally as an interpreter, translating specialized publications on early education and literacy.
She is a genuine Dr Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde: a teacher of multilingual children by day, and producer of character-driven fantasy novels by night. Since Stealing the Light, she has published three other novels and several shorter works. She writes predominantly in English and works with a weather-proofed Pennsylvania-based American editor.
Lisa lives in Germany with her husband, their three outrageous children, and a house full of exceptionally vocal pets. Whenever she finds herself teetering on the brink of boredom, she will generally resort to exploring old towns and castles, walks in the woods, and reading anything that other people throw at her.
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