Throughout July, Drollerie Press is sponsoring a periodic blog tour for its writers as well as a few who have published elsewhere. Below are fascinating blurbs, scintillating reviews, purchase information and other details concerning SEVEN books from MEREDITH HOLMES, ANNA KASHINA, CINDY LYNN SPEER, HEATHER S. INGEMAR, ELIZABETH BARRETTE, SHAUN JEFFREY, and Yours Truly, JOHN B. ROSENMAN. Please check VACATION READS for more: http://vacationreads.com
GIVEAWAYS: Each weekend, we will be offering great prizes, including copies of the featured titles, promotional items, and more!!! To enter the drawing, please leave a comment on one of the blogs AND on the master site at vacationreads.com and then e-mail us your contact information.
BONUS GIVEAWAYS: If anyone features any of our titles on their blogs and e-mails us the link, they will be eligible for a second drawing, to win more of our great prizes.
Winners will be notified by e-mail.
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UNSEELIE, Meredith Holmes http://seasonalreading.com/?p=37
My name is Meredith Holmes and I am the author of Unseelie and several short stories for Drollerie Press and a few WIPs as well. I fell in love with urban fantasy by accident–one day I saw a card in a local metaphysical shop, one of those blank jobs that you fill out for random occasions, when you forgot a birthday or need to send a thank you note and don’t like what the mainstream card shops have to offer (you can only deal with so many dancing bunnies and softly flourished flowers, after all). The card had a picture of a autumn-colored man clad in green velvet and wearing a crown of dark leaves. A story sprang into my head about him and I called him Cadfael. By that night, I had the first six chapters of Unseelie written (in their earliest, raw form); Alfhild, Cadfael and Du had taken off and were running away with my plot and the twists and turns of the Unseelie and Seelie Courts were just pouring out into the digital pages. I blithely called it a romance but within a few more chapters, I realized no, it was urban fantasy, a genre I’d shunned as a fantasy purist… Well, fool me! Now that is my genre of choice when I write and I’ve expanded from faeries to include demons, witches, and creatures of all sorts. You can find more information on my projects at www.meredithholmes.com !
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IVAN AND MARYA, Anna Kashina http://seasonalreading.com/?p=5
Blurb:
Every Solstice, every year, a young girl dies to prolong the life of a madman.
Every Solstice a hero tries to stop them…and dies.
But this is Ivan’s year. Though his brothers plot his death, and the villagers whose daughters are dying warn him not to interfere, Ivan the Fool is determined to stop the sacrifice.
With the help of the immortals, gotten by sympathy, force, or guile, Ivan believes his love will save the beautiful Marya from herself.
Interview question: Where did the idea for IVAN AND MARYA come from?
I felt that Russian fairy tales have not been explored enough in fiction, and they have so much to offer to a writer and a reader. I built on a most classical one, but also did something different with it. My story is told from two points of view — Marya, who is on the side of ‘evil’, and Ivan, who is on the side of ‘good’, and the contrast between the two creates shades of depth that amazed me when I was working on the story. It was a pleasure to write, and I constantly had this feeling of revelation, as if I am not making this up but uncovering yet another layer of a fascinating world. I also did my best to make it as authentic as possible, down to the details of the Russian Solstice celebration, an ancient tradition that is very much practiced today.
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CHOCOLATIER’S WIFE, Cindy Lynn Speer http://seasonalreading.com/?p=51
Book Blurb: Tasmin, William’s wife to be, was chosen by a spell, as all wives and husbands are chosen. It’s a nice, tidy way to find a reasonable mate for almost everyone. Unfortunately, Tasmin is from the North, a place of magic and strange ritual, and William is from the South, where people pride themselves on being above that kind of insanity.
William doesn’t seem in a hurry to send for Tasmin, for which none of his family blame him. After all, she’s a barbarian. She, on the other hand, would like to know what’s keeping him. When he’s framed for murdering his patron, Tasmin takes matters into her own hands. She’s gotten to know Wiliam from his letters. He’s not a murderer and she’s going to help him prove it.
Someone out there doesn’t like him and is beginning to dislike Tasmin almost as much, and that someone isn’t at all averse to making sure William and Tasmin aren’t around long enough to celebrate their wedding.
Tasmin, of course, has other plans.
Read more at http://www.apenandfire.com
Question: Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?
I am a part time writer…like everyone, I’m juggling a lot of delicate porcelain plates…one for writing, one for work, one for family, one for fencing. It splits your focus…but it also gives you a lot of great ideas and experiences to pull from. Would I like to be a full time writer? For certain. But I think that being forced to go out and talk to people every day, being exposed to life, enriches me and therefore will, hopefully, be reflected in my work. So, in that way, it affects things positively…in the whole productivity issue, well…sometimes things are not so positive.
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COLLECTING DREAMS, Heather Ingemar http://seasonalreading.com/?p=29
There are eyes in the darkness.
Late one night, Isabele’s reality takes a wild and supernatural turn into the shadows and shimmering light of stolen dreams.
Once lost, they aren’t easily reclaimed. And she’s been touched by the monster….
From the beginning with ‘Dream-Drinker’ (appeared in “StereoOpticon” from Drollerie Press), Isabele finds her way through two other tales. But what’s learned cannot be unlearned. What’s done cannot be undone. At the end of it all, Isabele may or may not be the same.
What did you like most about writing this work, Heather?
I loved how grim “Collecting Dreams” became, how it made me think of the old Grimm-style fairytales, where the monsters are very real and very vicious and the heroes and heroines don’t exactly get off scott-free, as it were. Prices need to be paid and sacrifices need to be made, and I think it makes a richer story all around. Life isn’t watered down like the Disney-esque versions of fairytales I grew up with – life takes real strength of character, and I think that’s what drew me into Isabele’s story. She’s a strong girl, and good at heart. She’s fierce. She’s not going to let the Dream-Drinker get the better of her, no matter what. I love that.
Learn more about Heather S. Ingemar at her website: http://ingemarwrites.wordpress.com/
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COMPOSING MAGIC, Elizabeth Barrette http://seasonalreading.com/?p=22
BOOK BLURB (83 words) Composing Magic: How to Create Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers guides you through the exciting realm of magical and spiritual writing. Explore the process of writing, its tools and techniques, individual types of composition, and ways of sharing your work with other people. Each type of writing includes its history and uses, covering diverse traditions; plus step-by-step instructions, finished compositions, and exercises. Intended for alternative religions, but it can be generalized to others or used by fiction writers to create background tidbits.
INTERVIEW QUESTION (133 words) Q: Why did you write this book?
A: I spotted a gap in previous material — I have a knack for doing that. Pagan/magical books tell people to write their own rituals, spells, etc. but rarely give any guidance on doing it. Writing books tell people how to write in general, but there were no specific guides for magical writing and not many for spiritual writing. I’m good at figuring out how I do what I do and then explaining it to other folks so they can work through the steps. It wasn’t until the reviews came in for _Composing Magic_ that I realized this is a rather rare skill — most of them mention how clear and doable the instructions are. So now I’m trying to make more use of this skill.
LINKS: “The Wordsmith’s Forge” blog by Elizabeth Barrette / Ysabetwordsmith http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com Special post “So Your Story Needs a Prophecy” on adapting _Composing Magic_ to write cultural bits to put into fiction: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/1212401.html
Elizabeth Barrette’s personal Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000506157220 FB Fan page for Elizabeth Barrette’s business, PenUltimate Productions Writing & Editing: http://www.facebook.com/pages/PenUltimate-Productions-Writing-Editing/118404341520029?v=app_2347471856&ref=ts#!/pages/PenUltimate-Productions-Writing-Editing/118404341520029?v=wall&ref=ts
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ALIEN DREAMS, John Rosenman http://seasonalreading.com/?p=61
Link to purchase: http://drolleriepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=11
Personal Website: www.johnrosenman.com
My name is John B. Rosenman and I am the author of Alien Dreams for Drollerie Press and other SF adventure-romance novels for different publishers. I think Alien Dreams stands out from other space operas because I tried to open myself to and expand the vast conceptual possibilities of the genre. Captain Latimore faces a unique threat to his crew on the planet Lagos: beautiful but deadly angel-like aliens who invade their dreams. To save his crew, he must not only change into a gigantic angel himself, but mate with their ravishing queen for thousands of subjective years. I believe this erotic scene breaks new ground, as does the hero himself, who is not one but two: a silent brother exists within his mind and ultimately tries to take over. Finally, Latimore must travel across the universe and do battle with a cosmic Gatekeeper for control of the universe. In such areas, I try not only to explore new dimensions but to illuminate what it truly means to be human.
BLURB:
Captain Eric Latimore leads a four-person crew to Lagos to investigate a previous team’s mysterious disappearance. Once there, he discovers that an ominous alien presence is invading their dreams. Each member of his crew has the same dream–huge, seductively beautiful “angels” speak to them telepathically.
The creatures strand his crew on the planet and only Latimore can free them–if he survives.
REVIEWS:
John B. Rosenman weaves an intricate plot and a most exciting tale with mind-stretching concepts that make us look at the universe in a new way. This book is classified as science fiction, but there is a lot more romance and intrigue than in your ordinary SF materials. Berry’s Reviews and The New Book Review
With a strong science fiction setting, John B. Rosenman explores the importance of culture, compassion and love by pitting a race that has none of these qualities against a number of species.
Alien Dreams is, in my opinion, John Rosenman’s most substantial offering to date. One could say that he shows us what it is to be human by slowly tearing everything that means away from Captain Eric Latimore, all the while holding up the angels as examples of the horror of what he is to become. Clayton Bye, Book Reviews
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People are predictable. That’s what makes them easy to kill.
Acting out of misguided loyalty to his friends, police officer Prosper Snow is goaded into helping them perform a copycat killing, but when the real killer comes after him, it’s not only his life on the line, but his family’s too. Now if he goes to his colleagues for help, he risks being arrested for murder. If he doesn’t, he risks being killed.
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“With Kult, Shaun Jeffrey hits one out of the park with this creepy, character-driven thriller that starts with a jolt, stays in the fast lane, and plunges into the darkest territory of the human mind. It’s a bumpy ride through nightmare country.”
–Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of PATIENT ZERO and PUNISHER: NAKED KILL
“Jeffrey, one of horror’s rising young stars, has really hit his stride with THE KULT. Part mystery, part police procedural, part horror story, it’s one thrilling ride. Jeffrey had me guessing at the killer’s identity half a dozen times, and the reveal, when it finally came, knocked me over. You don’t want to miss this one!” –Nate Kenyon, author of THE REACH and THE BONE FACTORY
“The Kult is a creeping stalk through a shadowy labyrinth of thrills and terror. Shaun Jeffrey delivers a pulse-pounding novel of superb skill and unequivocal horror. Fans of many genres should be ready to embrace one of the brightest new talents on the scene today.” — Jon F. Merz author of PARALLAX and the Lawson Vampire novels.
Details of these and any other projects can be found on Shaun’s website: www.shaunjeffrey.com and sample chapters and his previously published short story collection ‘Voyeurs of Death’ can be read for free at http://www.scribd.com/document_collections/2519626
Captain Temple leads an expedition to K22, an exotic, tropical planet, hoping to create a great new market for the Merchants Guild. But why are the beautiful cities empty? Where are the inhabitants, and what terrible secret does this world conceal?
