Word Count: 85000
Summary: A charming traditional quest fantasy, full handsome villains, dangerous sorcerers, and a pretty, perky apprentice. Not to mention lots of very cool magic!
Word Count: 73600
Summary: The king is dead. Hail to the queen. Born with weak magic, Zhenya, the heir apparent to the throne of Askary, is faced with a choice when her father the king dies unexpectedly: Rule the land alone and rely upon the mercy of others to protect it, or give her hand in marriage to someone who will bring true power back into the bloodline. Before she can make her decision, Zhenya narrowly survives an ambush – but quickly finds herself in a new predicament. Keryth has spent years fighting her way up the ranks of the royal guard. Now, she serves close to the queen, but her ambitions reach higher – guard captain, or even the future queen’s personal entourage. When the king dies, she sees an opportunity, but before she has a chance to impress her new queen, she has to make a rash decision to save both their lives. Stranded on a remote island, surrounded by a strange fog that won’t let them leave, Zhenya and Keryth are forced into an unlikely alliance to survive. In such close proximity, it doesn’t take long for the lines between royalty and commoner to blur, and feelings blossom that neither woman is sure they can afford. The fragile peace on the island is shattered when they make a harrowing discovery – their misfortune was not an accident. Now in a race against time, they both need to find their strength and unravel the mystery of the island to return home, or risk losing everything – and each other.
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Summary: Collected here are 35 short vampire tales by David Lee Summers and Lee Clark Zumpe. You'll find humor, horror, and history, loss, love, and legends, sex, seduction, and surprises. Many are good tales for couples to share. You'll find vignettes such as "Jornada del Muerto,""On the Ramjet," "Nosferatu Watches Dracula on the Lateshow," "Until Tonight,""The Poet," and "Ostrava, 1995." These particular pieces first ran in the magazine Blood Samples between 2001 and 2003. You'll also find longer works here including "Dragon Reborn" which is an excerpt from Dragon's Fall: Rise of the Scarlet Order Vampires that tells the origin of Lord Draco from Vampires of the Scarlet Order and Lee Clark Zumpe's story "Becalmed". The collection features a cover by Laura Givens and interior illustrations by Marge Simon. Blood Sampler is a must-read, even if you don't care for the usual suckers.
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Summary: Lasair Faol, Master of the Fade-Hounds to the Royal court of the Demesne of Fire in the Fae Realm, has been exiled to the human world by the Princess Consort for failing to catch her son’s kidnapper. Bryce Newhouse, Greenwich Village investment banker, is universally loathed by all who know him. Generally, he’s perfectly cool with that, but he discovers what he’s been missing—literally — when he finds Lasair chained in his basement. Bryce was supposed to receive half of Lasair’s soul at his birth, but thanks to the Fae of Purgatory, the Pattern — the portal between the worlds — has been damaged, and Bryce’s soul arrived 31 years too late. Now the exiled Fae is the shunned human’s only hope of healing his broken past. And with the fate of two worlds riding on that healing, Lasair is going to have to overcome both his race's innate mistrust of genuine emotion and his own very unFae awkwardness, to have any chance of reaching Bryce's impenetrable heart.
Word Count: 30020
Summary: Willem’s father never approved of his artistic talents, his choices in life, or the fact that he’s gay. When the only thing Horst leaves to Willem is the family cat, he thinks it’s his father’s last insult from the grave. That is, until the cat starts talking to him. Though Willem’s lost his boyfriend, his home, and his job, Kasha, who claims to be a magic cat, reassures him that all will be well. All he needs is Willem’s trust and a good pair of boots. But giving boots to a talking cat has unexpected consequences when odd events ambush Willem at every turn, such as the appearance of a handsome stranger in his arms at night. While he begins to suspect Kasha’s plans might be dangerous for all involved, how can he distrust such a charming kitty in cowboy boots?
Word Count: 23000
Summary: Christmastime brings out memories, and ghosts. Silas tracks down a poltergeist haunting a local tree farm. Darien hopes to convince Silas that despite experiences with demons and hells, Christmas can still be fun. Pip tries to catch his first rat. And Grim watches from a high vantage point and a position of moral superiority—he has holiday memories of his own, but cats know how to keep a secret. - A 23,000 word holiday novella in the Necromancer series.
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Summary: When Centriel roams the Earth in a dark mood and atypical despair, in a mountain clearing, far from humankind, he unexpectedly discovers a runner, followed by a petite hunter. The way the woman treats the giant fugitive amuses the Archangel, but he quickly learns that neither of them are what they seem to be. Simin Arnatt is an extraordinary woman. Her occupation as a Bounty Hunter takes her all over the world, as she follows her prey to the most unusual places. She would have never expected to meet the famous Centriel while on a hunt. When he offers to help her, she feels the enormous attraction, but she knows, with the secret she holds, she could never dare to hope for love. Neither of them could guess that with her next assignment, Hell is breaking loose… [embed]https://youtu.be/dK4mKAhhvow[/embed]
Word Count: 136000
Summary: With his career firmly established and his reputation as a successful PI growing, Hades should have the perfect life with his human lover, his faithful ferryman, his dogs and the parts of his family still speaking to him. But murder and chaos are never far away for death lords as his nephew Dionysus and his oldest friend Charon are drawn into the maelstrom. Includes: Books, Bulls & Bacchanals: Brandywine Investigations #4 Midwinter Dancing: Brandywine Investigations #4.5 Pack Up The Moon: Brandywine Investigations #5 Please note: Books, Bulls & Bacchanals has been re-edited for this edition.
Word Count: 125662
Summary: When humans forsake the temples, the gods need to find other employment. Hades opens Brandywine Investigations after his divorce and his subsequent move to the modern world. If he was hoping for boring infidelity cases and lost dogs, he’s sorely mistaken as murder and mayhem find his agency and his extended family at an astonishing rate. Includes: Canines, Crosshairs & Corpses: Brandywine Investigations #1 No Enemy But Time: Brandywine Investigations #2 Dragons, Diamonds & Discord: Brandywine Investigations #3
Word Count: 30000
Summary: There are creatures lurking in our world. Obscure creatures long relegated to myth and legend. They have been sighted by a lucky—or unlucky—few, some have even been photographed, but their existence remains unproven and unrecognized by the scientific community. These creatures, long thought gone, have somehow survived; creatures from our nightmares haunting the dark places. They swim in our lakes and bays, they soar the night skies, they hunt in the woods. Some are from our past, and some from other worlds, and others that have always been with us—watching us, fearing us, hunting us. These are the cryptids, and Systema Paradoxa tells their tales. * * * 1942. Gallup, New Mexico. Marine recruiters have come to town looking to fill their ranks with a secret weapon against the Axis powers—what would become Navajo Code Talkers—but not everyone supports the prospect of young native men going off to war. When one new recruit is found dead, and a rancher's cattle are mutilated, whispers of witchcraft and skinwalker filter through the town and interest in enlisting wanes. Is there evil afoot, or is that just what opponents to the cause want everyone to think? Whether guided by magic, mischief, or malevolence, without a doubt, nothing is as it seems…
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: A lady of resources has the power to change the world—if she can stay alive long enough to do it. Lady Claire Trevelyan had been looking forward to glittering balls, congenial society, and relief from pursuit during her stay with Lord and Lady Dunsmuir in the Canadas. Though being pursued by a handsome airship captain is rather satisfying, especially when it appears Andrew Malvern is becoming distracted by a certain blond mechanic. But a shot fired in the night puts an end to such diversions, and instead plunges her and her orphaned band of children into a fight for their very survival. Between secret conversations at the highest levels of society and skullduggery in the diamond mines, Claire must discover who is behind the attempts on her friends’ lives—before her mother is compelled to make funeral arrangements yet again.
Word Count: 83336
Summary: A land has fallen. An escape was made. It’s a victory, but at what price? Shaleigh has made a terrible mistake, one she may not ever be able to fix. Lost and in a strange land with anger and death all around her, she must navigate her way through treacherous lands on her quest for redemption. Along the way she’ll have to negotiate with the mercurial Queen of the Fae, survive the dangers of the Masked King’s realm, and seek out a terrifying fire dragon. With two powerful beings hot on her trail, Shaleigh has no choice but to keep moving, or else face the dangerous magic of the Madness that has already caused so much pain and heartache. With her sights on helping her friends and her heart longing for home, Shaleigh is determined, but will it be enough? Book 2 of the Stolen series
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Summary: Brute leads a lonely life in a world where magic is commonplace. He is seven and a half feet of ugly, and of disreputable descent. No one, including Brute, expects him to be more than a laborer. But heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and when he is maimed while rescuing a prince, Brute’s life changes abruptly. He is summoned to serve at the palace in Tellomer as a guard for a single prisoner. It sounds easy but turns out to be the challenge of his life. Rumors say the prisoner, Gray Leynham, is a witch and a traitor. What is certain is that he has spent years in misery: blind, chained, and rendered nearly mute by an extreme stutter. And he dreams of people’s deaths—dreams that come true. As Brute becomes accustomed to palace life and gets to know Gray, he discovers his own worth, first as a friend and a man and then as a lover. But Brute also learns heroes sometimes face difficult choices and that doing what is right can bring danger of its own.
Word Count: 8000
Summary: Edward didn't know what to expect when he got to the restaurant for his date. He certainly didn't expect Veronica to have full-blown angel wings or that she'd been watching over him for sometime now. The wiseguy didn't know what to expect after he'd been shot dead in the street. He didn't expect to see Heaven until it was in front of him. And then it was taken away and a different fate awaited him. Plus: A bonus story
Word Count: 9000
Summary: Avgonne and Revell, would-be adventurers, hadn’t yet reached their sixteenth years, but both had dreams. Unfortunately, they lived in the village of Crimplebush, where dreams went to die. Neither wanted to die there. They dreamed of dying just about anywhere else. And maybe living a little before then. So when the thief hatched a plan to make their dreams reality, the warrior went along to a narrow lane off Market Street to the home of Knwult, the village’s resident seer. Will what is seen portend gloom or gold?
Word Count: 10000
Summary: Vampires are not alive, but they have lives and wants and needs and desires. And other cravings. Erased from her vanity, Lady Isabelle, a three-hundred-year-old vampire, longs to see her image and commissions an artist to paint her portrait. She's feared nothing but daylight for centuries, but she trembles at the thought of what she might see. Magnus attends to his Guinevere and her bloody cravings as a cursed event approaches. He takes to the night to find an appropriate snack from the diner but not something on the menu. However, sometimes substitutions have to be made, and they can be found in unlikely places. Lord Matthias St. John rose under the spell Countess Finch, who'd killed his wife. After her demise, he fled to America to start a new life, such as it was, in New York. How did he come to find himself dying from a silver bullet on a farm on the prairie? Plus a bonus story!
Word Count: 60097
Summary: Once upon a time, on a rocky island with enchantment under the ocean ... Cadence Bell left the windswept Northern Isles and his parents’ inn for the theaters and royal masques and glitter of Londre, swearing he’d make his fortune as a playwright and poet, trading fish stew and rain for fame and adoration and a place at the Queen’s Court. Now his parents are gone and Cade’s inheritance brings him back home, where he’d never wanted to return. But magic lurks beneath the waves, a stray pearl might be a key to another world, and even the quiet local schoolteacher has secrets of his own. Jeremiah Carver never meant to hide secrets. But he promised to tell no one about the other world he’s seen, and he keeps his word. Even if that means concealing magic from Cadence Bell. Which is difficult, since Cade’s not only a dazzling literary success, but also the person Jeremiah’s loved from afar since their years-ago childhood. And he’s afraid he’s falling for Cade all over again now. When Cadence falls under the siren spell of the ocean’s magic, Jeremiah has to make a choice and return to a world he’s left behind once before to rescue his heart from the sea.
Word Count: 22000
Summary: RELEASING IN AUDIOBOOK FORMAT APRIL 26TH, 2021 Colton is a trans man living in a climate-changed world. He plies the canals that used to be city streets, earning a living taking tourists on illicit journeys through San Francisco's flooded edges beneath the imposing bulk of the Wall. Tris is an elf who comes through the veil to the City by the Bay - the Caille - on a coming of age pilgrimage called the Cailleadhama. He is searching for his brother Laris, who went missing after crossing through the Caille years before. The two men find they have common cause, and together they set off to find Laris in a world transformed by the twin forces of greed and climate change. And in the end, they find out more than they ever expected, both about the warming world and their own selves. Note: This story was originally published in the "Myths Untold: Faery" anthology from Wilde City Press. It is presented here in its original form.
Word Count: 113000
Summary: A twist of fate changed both their destinies. The wyrbears, once a long-lived species, were being lost to the forest in their prime. A people borne of a curse, their abilities not a gift but something wrongly taken, they nonetheless live in harmony with their animal spirits. But over time the curse they lived under changed, mutated, and now what once was a refuge from the world when they became too weary is culling mathan in their prime. Ewen mhic Friscalach, the leader of his peoples, lost his father too early and is now a widower with four children. The vow he made as a youth to break the curse afflicting wyrbears has been buried by grief and responsibility. Roi mhic Alric, a priest of Cerridwen and seer, watched his fellow priests slaughtered and his temple desecrated. The only thing that kept him going the last three horror-filled years was the vision Cerridwen had granted him of his emancipation. If freedom came at the cost of his life, well, he was more than ready for the Otherworld. A fated meeting upon a bloody field of battle. A wrong done long ago. Their choices could save a people… or send them into extinction. Either way, their love will be legend.
Word Count: 17314
Summary: IChurch Chetwood, renowned motion picture director, is given an ultimatum by his studio: film a movie with romance or else. Since this is the height of the Depression, and since Church enjoys eating, he reluctantly agrees. He finds a beautiful woman who’s willing to sail on the August Moon to the uncharted island of Iwi Po’o. While there, he makes the discovery of a lifetime, guaranteed to make them all millionaires ... Only it doesn’t exactly turn out like that. The “discovery of a lifetime,” a saber-toothed tiger the press dubs Chetwood’s Kitty, breaks free and runs amok in Manhattan, causing death and mayhem. Months later, Church is facing indictment and a long stretch up the river and has no choice but to lie low until he can get out of town. While nursing his troubles in a saloon, he spots a young man who’s even more down on his luck than Church. Johnny Smith has been on his own since Black Tuesday, four years earlier, and he does what he has to in order to keep body and soul -- what’s left of it -- together, even if it isn’t what he ever expected to do. He enters the saloon, hoping for a little warmth and perhaps a meal. What he finds is Church Chetwood, the director whose documentaries have fascinated him for years. Mr. Chetwood buys him that meal, and Johnny willingly goes with him to his rooming house, ready to do whatever Mr. Chetwood wants, even if Mr. Chetwood claims he isn’t “like that.” Is Johnny’s luck about to take a turn for the better? After all, Mr. Chetwood has a plan to get out of town, and if Johnny’s really lucky, maybe Church will let him come along. Johnny crosses paths with Church in a dingy saloon. Two orphans of the storm that’s the Depression, what will their future bring, and will it bring it to them together?
