Christmas Sale, Polls, And Other Updates!

Hullo, friends! It’s hard to believe that it’s already December and that 2021 is almost over! This year has flown by far too fast. I just wanted to hop on here and give you guys a few updates!

First, I’m having a Christmas sale! If you haven’t had a chance to read The Villain Who Saved Christmas yet, this weekend is your chance to pick it up for FREE on Amazon! The ebook will be free from Friday, December 3 through Sunday, December 5. If you’ve already read it, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or share the link with your friends and family to help promote the short story. It’s a fun, cute, quick read. and it’ll be free, so why not check it out?

Second, a writing update! Throughout November, I was working on getting back into the groove of writing for fun. I joined a writer’s group at my school, and it’s been a lot of fun writing short pieces and workshopping them with friends. I also took the opportunity to work on Forcefield, which is now almost at 40,000 words! The progress is slow, but once I finish a few finals, I should be able to kick it up a notch. My goal is to finish it before Christmas, so wish me luck!

Finally, due to some updates with Amazon Publishing, I now have the option to create hardcover versions of Twinepathy and Lightporter! This isn’t something I had really considered before, but I’m very excited about the possibility. Before I jumped headfirst into that project, thought, I wanted to get your thoughts and see whether or not anyone would actually be interested in hard cover copies of these books.

Additionally, I’m looking at creating a small paperback version of The Villain Who Saved Christmas; something that could be given out as a small gift or stocking stuffer. However, since it’s a short story, I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested. What are your thoughts?

Happy December, everyone! Be sure to say hi in the comments below and let me know what you think about these possibilities. And don’t forget to check out The Villain Who Saved Christmas free on Amazon this weekend!

Blog Tour: The New Emperor’s Concerto by Hazel West

Hey guys! So today (a day late… oops!) I’m participating in the blog tour for Hazel West’s new book, The New Emperor’s Concerto. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Hazel on some projects lately, and I’m excited to read more of her writing! You can check out the full official tour schedule hereAlso, her short story prequel for this book, The Butler’s Story, is free on Amazon this week during the tour, so go check it out! Also, make sure and go to the bottom of this post to read an excerpt from the book. Now, on to the post!

Synopsis

The year is 2228 and the world is on the cusp of World War Four. London is rife with anarchists and secret plots. It looks like dark days are coming for the British Empire. Darker than any that have been seen for decades.

But luckily England has some help.

Sir Lysander is the King’s Righteous Man-and all that entails. He’s the king’s right hand, and a red one at that, the man who stands in the shadows and does what needs to be done for the protection of his country.

Eidolon is a phantom, the anarchist group Apophis’s top retrieval expert. They need something, he gets it, no matter the consequence. Even though he’d secretly prefer to be in his flat with his cat and a good book.

They’ve been butting heads for a while, but in times like these loyalties are known to change and right now, any help is good help. They just didn’t count on being the only thing standing between England and the start of the next world war.

Goodreads | Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Smashwords

 

Author Bio

Hailing from Purgatory (aka, Florida) Hazel is an indie author, book wyrm, and coffee connoisseur. She typically enjoys writing books with an unconventional flair, probably with a bit of folklore and mythology, most definitely with a lot of siblings or brothers-in-arms. When she’s not writing, she manages an Etsy shop, drinks a lot of coffee, listens to music, haunts conventions, or just holes up like an eldritch horror and binges her favorite shows—for inspiration. If you meet this rare creature on the street, she has been known to respond to the offer of coffee and old bookstores. But it’s probably best you try to contact her online first.

Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Ko-fi*

*Anyone who donates or subscribes to Hazel’s ko-fi this month will be able to see an exclusive sneak peek of the next book in the Concerto universe, Requiem in Red.

 

Live Chat 

Hazel and Claire are doing a live Q&A on Thursday (tomorrow!) so be sure and check that out on Instagram!

 

Instagram Photo Challenge and Giveaway

Speaking of Instagram, there’s also an Instagram Photo Challenge going on!

The winner gets a signed copy of the book or the awesome swag pack below! Along with that, you can also enter this giveaway to win the same goodies.

Tour Schedule

Monday 4/20
Tuesday 4/21
Wednesday 4/22
Thursday 4/23
Friday 4/24

 

Excerpt

This was one of the labs, he saw instantly as he entered, long tables filled with glass and metal, beakers and vials, and things he couldn’t guess the use for. He could see some glass on the floor, but no sign of life.

He stalked into the shadowed room, his dark clothing keeping him hidden save for the metallic glint of the king’s crest he wore on the breast of his waistcoat, telling of his occupation. That, however, was enough for the second man in the room.

A ghostly shape appeared out of the shadows with a roundhouse kick, slamming the gun out of Lysander’s hand.

He leapt back, regaining his footing, and blocked the next punch thrown at him with his forearm, before kicking out and gaining a grunt as his heavy boot connected with his opponent’s hip.

“Intriguing,” Lysander said mockingly. “I was told you were a ghost and had begun to believe it myself with all the times you’ve evaded me in the past. But it seems you are only a man of flesh and blood like all of us. What a disappointment.”

A wicked smirk appeared on the face of the other man as he ducked backwards into a beam of ambient light from a skylight. A shock of unnaturally white hair fell over his pale eyes, giving him an otherworldly look despite his obvious corporeality. He gave a small bow.

“What a shame that I must disappoint one such as yourself,” he said. “I must say I am honored that King John would send his very own lapdog after me.”

Lysander lunged forward, and the other man skipped aside as if made of the shadows that crowded the majority of the room. Lysander stumbled into a metal table in his haste, hearing lab equipment crash to the floor. He cursed, wishing he’d had the foresight to bring his night vision gear. He heard a chuckle and spun around to see his opponent standing on another table, a gun in his hand. Lysander marveled at how he had gotten up there so fast and seemingly without any trouble. Perhaps he was a ghost after all.

“So sorry to cut this short, old chap, but I really must be going,” the pale man said and reached up.

Lysander dove for his gun on the floor, only to hear a shot ring out, and send his own weapon skittering across the floor. He leapt back and spun around, seeing the other man grabbing hold of a line with an automatic winch. He saluted Lysander as he was lifting off the floor and through the broken skylight.

So don’t forget to go check out the other posts in the tour, the giveaways, and of course the book itself! Have a wonderful day my friends, and if you’ve made it this far down the post, I offer you virtual cake as well!

Want Some Free E-Books?

Well, hello, everyone! It’s nice to (virtually) see all of you in all of this craziness. With schools moving online, work canceled, and various levels of quarantines going on, I’ve found myself with a bit of extra time on my hands, and I know a lot of other people have, too.

Because of that, this week, the e-book versions of all of my books will be FREE on Amazon!

Monday/Tuesday: Twinepathy

Wednesday/Thursday: The Villain Who Saved Christmas

Friday/Saturday: Lightporter

All Week: Paralyzed Dreams

My whole goal in writing and publishing these books has been to share clean, fun, uplifting books, the kind of books that I want to read. So share this deal with your friends and family, especially those who might need a fun read, and enjoy them yourself if you haven’t already! If you haven’t already followed my Facebook page, I’ll be posting reminders when each book goes on sale.

Twinepathy and the TCK Reader’s Choice Awards

Hullo, friends! How is your February going so far? A lot of us are back at school now and struggling through the craziness. Don’t worry, you can make it!

I have a quick update to share with you guys. Twinepathy is up for an award in the YA/Middle Grade category in the TCK Reader’s Choice awards! A couple of you have already voted on there, and thank you so much for your support. If you’ve got a minute, would you mind heading over there and voting? The young adult section is section 12 out of the 16, and I would really appreciate your vote!

How’s your 2019 going so far? Did you get a chance to vote? I’d love to talk to you! 

A Blazing Seal of Approval: An IDIA Short Story

Why, hello, everyone!!! It seems I’ve been neglecting this blog a teensy bit. The school semester has been crazy, but I’m trying to put together a few more posts for you guys before next semester. I’m also still working on the editing for Lightporter, and I’m hoping to have an update (with a release date!!!) for you guys soon! We’ll see how it goes.

Anyway, I was looking over some of my older stories and I saw a short story I wrote as fluff a little while back that takes place right after Twinepathy, and I thought that would be a fun way to celebrate the new year with you guys! So I hope you enjoy, and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

“It just makes absolutely no sense.”

I look over at Denver as I pour milk on my cereal, trying to decide if I should shake my head or laugh. The two of us are the only ones home. It’s Saturday, so the rest of our family is out shopping. We opted to sleep in, instead. “Denver, Brooklyn and I can speak to each other with our minds, and you don’t seem too weirded out by that. Why should teleportation make sense?”

Denver sighs, stirring his oatmeal. “I don’t know. It’s just weird. None of this makes any sense scientifically.”

I shrug. “It’s kinda weird, but I’m starting to get used to it.” I lean forward. “And I also told Blaze he could join us for breakfast, so be nice.” It’s been about three weeks since we officially joined IDIA, and while our family has met some of the IDIA members, Jen thought it might be a good idea for them to hang out some more. I think she just wants to keep an eye on our family, but that’s fine with me. As long as we don’t have to lie to them anymore, I’m happy.

Denver’s frown deepens. “Every time I’ve met him he seems sarcastic and rude. Why do you like hanging out with him so much?”

“You’ve spent five minutes with him!” I protest. “Give him a chance.”

He sets down his spoon. “His illusion stuff and teleportation don’t help. He could be spying on you when you least expect it.”

There’s a laugh nearby, one that I instantly recognize. “Like right now?” Blaze teases. He appears, grinning. “Hey, Jazz. ‘Sup, Colorado?”

Denver and I both look at him with blank expressions, and Blaze’s grin widens. “Your name’s Denver. That’s in Colorado…”

I groan. “Blaze, you are not helping his opinion of you.”

Denver takes a deep breath and turns back to his oatmeal, electing to ignore Blaze, I guess. Blaze sits down at the table. “Do you guys want donuts?” he asks. “Because I can go and grab some.”

“You mean steal some?” Denver asks, looking up at Blaze.

Blaze’s face reddens, and he glares at my brother. “I would never do that!”

“Sure, Blaze, I’d love some donuts!” I interrupt cheerfully, trying to break up the tension. “Maybe you could grab some more milk, too, if that’s okay? We’re almost out.”

“Definitely,” Blaze agrees tiredly. He disappears instantly, and I wave a hand through the spot to make sure he teleported and didn’t just turn invisible.

I immediately turn to Denver. “I thought I asked you to give him a chance! He’s trying super hard to impress you.”

“Does this really mean that much to you?” Denver asks with a sigh.

I nod. “Yes, it does. Could you just try to find some common ground, or at least not insult him by insinuating he’s a thief?”

“Fine.” Denver leans back in his seat. “I’ll ask him about his powers. Maybe he’ll like talking about himself.”

“Denver!” I protest.

He smiles. “I’m teasing. But just so you know, I do not give you permission to date him yet.”

“WHAT?!” I practically screech, but before I can protest further, Blaze reappears with donuts and milk in hand. I clamp my mouth shut and slump back in my chair, glaring at Denver. With Blaze here, I know I can’t protest about Denver’s statement because I’d never hear the end of it from Blaze. After all, we’re just friends, and Blaze said he doesn’t date… whatever that means.

Denver reaches over and picks up a donut out of the box. “So, Blaze, how exactly does your teleportation work?”

Blaze looks over at him, as if trying to decide if Denver’s trying to get valuable information on how to destroy him. “Well, it’s all based off of light,” he explains vaguely. “It’s kind of complicated, and I’m not sure I completely understand it, either.”

Denver straightens, actually looking interested now. “It’s based off of light? Really?”

“Yeah…” Blaze glances at me and back to Denver. “Why?”

“I did an in-depth study of light for a science project in high school.” Denver leans forward. “So if your powers are based off of light, I might be able to understand them.”

Blaze tilts his head to the side. “Maybe you can help me figure out exactly how my teleportation works, too. If you’re interested, that is…”

Denver smiles. “Definitely! You know, we might be able to use the physics lab at the college to run some tests, as long as you can make sure no one sees you teleporting or anything.”

Blaze brightens. “Sure! And I could bring in some other teleporters, too, if you want to compare the difference between our teleporting. Most teleporters’ powers work similarly, except for mine.”

“Don’t even ask Trav,” I add in. “She’s always so grumpy.” At least they’re getting along well. I should have known my nerdy brother would find something interesting to do with Blaze. I stand up, putting my empty cereal bowl in the sink. “I’m going to leave you two here to do your science stuff while I go… read or do something interesting.” I grin at the two of them as I leave.

A couple of hours later, I’m deep in a novel, laying on the couch in the living room, and Denver comes in, flopping down in an armchair. I ignore him, flipping a page in my book, but he clears his throat. I sigh and put my book down. “What?”

“You now officially have permission to date Blaze,” he says with a grin.

“Denver!” I protest. I consider throwing my book at him, but I opt for a pillow instead. “Come on! We’re just friends.”

He shrugs. “That’s what I always said about Ezra before we started dating.” I groan, but he grins at me, although his grin is a little sappy since he’s thinking about his girlfriend. “Anyway, Blaze and I are going to get some teleporters together next month to work on some tests and stuff to figure out exactly how his teleporting works. Do you wanna be my lab assistant?”

I give him a fake grumpy frown. “Not if you’re going to keep teasing me about Blaze.”

Denver leans forward. “But if you’re just friends, why should it bother you?”

I want to wipe that teasing grin off of his face. “Because…” I groan. “This is a losing battle, isn’t it? Fine, I’ll help you.”

He stands up. “Good. I’ll let you get back to your book.” He ruffles my hair when he walks past. “And you were right, by the way.”

I lift an eyebrow. “As usual. About what?”

“Once I gave Blaze a chance, it turned out he wasn’t so bad.” Denver smiles at me. “I may be your big brother, but you can still teach me a thing or two, I guess.”

I grin. “Well, that’s what I’m here for.”

I hope you enjoyed that fun little story! What did you think? Would you like to see this published as an ebook on Amazon? Comment below! I’d also love if you’d leave a review on Goodreads if you can!

I Need Your Help! (Awards, Voting, and Such)

Hullo, everyone! Happy late Thanksgiving! I know I haven’t posted much lately, but I have some exciting news! Twinepathy has been nominated for TCK Publishing’s 2017 Reader’s Choice Awards! *throws confetti*

I’m super excited about this, but I need your help. Since this is a reader’s choice award, you can vote for Twinepathy to help it win. Just got to the contest website here, go to the YA/Middle Grade Book category (category 12), and vote for Twinepathy! The entries are in alphabetical order. It’s super easy and only takes a minute, and I would really appreciate your vote. Even if you haven’t read Twinepathy yet, you can still vote for it. Every vote helps!

I’d also appreciate if you could help spread the word! Post on social media, tell your friends, and spread the word. The contest is open until December 10, 2017, but don’t wait!

Thank you guys so much! 😀 Also, as a reminder, the Indie Christian Book Sale is now live, so go check it out and pick up some free or bargain books!

 

Indie Christian Books Black Friday Sale!

Hullo, everyone! It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted! With school and trying to squeeze in time to edit, I haven’t had much time for my blog. But today I’m happy to be hosting the Indie Christian Books site for a special Thanksgiving/Black Friday sale. I’m super excited about this, and although I wasn’t able to get my own books in the sale this year, I’m glad to help support other Indie authors! So here’s some more about the Indie Christian Books Black Friday Sale.

From Nov 24th through Nov 30th, a huge selection of independently published Christian books are on sale. You can find discounted paperbacks, dozens of books offered with free shipping, $0.99 ebooks, package deals and more. Even if your budget is depleted from Christmas shopping, we have some freebies for you! Need even more of a reason to support indie authors and fill your shelf with good stories? When you purchase a paperback book through indiechristianbooks.com you’ll be eligible to enter an exclusive giveaway including free books and an Amazon gift card!

You can meet our authors by visiting the Author Database on the website. Want to get to know the authors better AND have the chance to win some fun prizes? We’d love to have you join our week long Facebook party which will feature 39 authors over 7 days.

A note on the Ebooks Only page. Many of the books are listed as “Sold Out.” This is because we aren’t selling those directly through our site. Please click onto the product pages to find descriptions and links to discounted or free ebooks.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Leah E. Good and Kendra E. Ardnek for their work organizing this sale, and Hannah Mills for her fantastic design work on the website graphics. Hannah can be contacted at hmills(at)omorecollege(dot)edu for more information about her design services.

Check out the giveaway here!

What books are you excited to get on sale? Have any on your Christmas list? Comment below with your favorite book you’ve gotten for Christmas!