Tag: reading

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    Not your typical vampire: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #13

    Author Jennifer Loring asking me the ever-important question about writing in the fantasy genre. What makes my vampires and other supernatural creatures stand out from the crowd? How did I put my own spin on the mythology while still making my characters recognizable? Take a quick look: My vampires fit the mold in that they’re…

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    Author Interview: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #12

    The weather is spectacularly stormy here in my corner of Maryland today. I can only assume that the star of Steel Magic, storm-mage Toria Connor, is perturbed that all the attention has been on Victory lately as the main character in Steel Blood. Too bad for both of them, though, because today the focus is on me!…

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    But I’m not a horror writer!: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #11

    Yesterday, we got a look at the more “human” side of my main character, the vampire Victory (over here, if you missed it). And while I love that scene, it’s not unique — being a vampire is just part of who Victory is, which also includes being a partner, a mother, a politician, a mercenary,…

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    Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #10

    Author Anna Zabo offered to host a short excerpt from Steel Blood on their blog for this stop of the blog tour! The scene takes place near the beginning of the novel, when Victory and Mikelos have arrived in the Qin Empire’s colonial city of Jiang Yi Yue. As a vampire, Victory was prepared to wait…

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  • Book Spotlight & Review: HOUNDS OF THE UNDERWORLD (Path of Ra #1) by Dan Rabarts & Lee Murray

    Today is release day for the newest Raw Dog Screaming Press authors: Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray! I read this book ages ago, and I’ve been so excited to share it with all of you. ABOUT THE BOOK On the verge of losing her laboratory, her savings, and all respect for herself, Pandora (Penny) Yee…

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    Tell Me: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #9

    Author and editor Jennifer Brozek (currently living the live I sometimes envision for myself) was kind enough to host me on her regular blog feature: Tell Me. So, I told her all about how I was inspired to make up some new rules (and then break them) as I started the process of writing Steel Blood.…

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  • Review: BONE KEY (Supernatural #3) by Keith R.A. DeCandido

    My quest to become a genuine Keith R.A. DeCandido fangirl continues today with his second Supernatural media tie-in novel. I enjoyed this one a lot more than his first, Nevermore, for a variety of reasons. 

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    Meet Victory: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #8

    Because our books are being released a week apart, I teamed up with fellow RDSP authors Lee Murray and Dan Rabarts to do a bit of cross-promotion. This morning, I interviewed the main characters of their upcoming novel, Hounds of the Underworld, on my blog, and they were kind enough to do the same! A quick…

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    Sunday inspirational interview at the Tower of the Archmage: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #7

    One of my life goals is to eventually see the Steel Empires series adapted into a table-top RPG. A lot of my history and passion for gaming has gone into this series, which the Tower of Archmage captures nicely in it’s Sunday Inspirational post, featuring an interview with me! A quick look: Let’s jump right…

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  • Review: DYSTOPIA BOY: THE UNAUTHORIZED FILES by Trevor D. Richardson

    Disclaimer: I consider myself friends with the author, and I received a harcopy version of this novel through a book trade with him. There’s so much talent packed into this novel that I’m honestly not sure where to begin. It’s a beast of a book that almost drags on too long, but at the end,…

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    Writing strong female characters with Rhonda Mason: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #6

    I have kind of a love/hate relationship with the “strong female character” trope. Today, with author Rhonda Mason, I talk about the ways the main character of my series falls into this particular urban fantasy stereotype — and how I break the stereotype. A quick look: I’ve only been participating in programming at conventions for…

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    (Other) Excellent urban fantasy authors with Sara Dobie Bauer: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #5

    There are honestly too many awesome urban fantasy writers in the genre to name right now, but fellow author Sara Dobie Bauer asked me to write about my top 5 favorite and most influential. Instead of a sneak peak at the text, I’ll just show you a picture of a bookshelf in my living room.…

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    The history of Limani with A.M. Justice: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #4

    For the next stop on the Steel Blood blog tour, I couldn’t miss a visit with my internet doppelganger, author A.M. Justice! We share a love of world-building in our fantasy novels, so she asked me to write a bit about how the city of Limani came to be. A quick look: But while the…

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  • Spotlight Round-Up: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #3.5

    As expected, someone left a toothbrush behind before we started the road trip (we’ll blame the gray cat currently purring in my lap, trying to look innocent). So, we had to swing back around to Speculative Chic for a book spotlight and short interview. Thanks so much to everyone who spread the word on social…

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    New Book Excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #3

    Happy book birthday to the third book in the Steel Empires series! Steel Blood features the continuing adventures of Victory and Mikelos, who couldn’t quite manage to stay safe at home while their kids were off having adventures in Steel Magic. Today, the book is now officially available in hardcopy and ebook form from the following retailers:…

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    State of the Empires at Raw Dog Screaming Press: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #2

    For day 2 of the Steel Blood blog tour, I visited the Raw Dog Screaming Press blog for the first annual State of the Empires! Here’s a short excerpt: In the past few months, since the official announcement of Steel Blood, people keep congratulating me on finishing my book trilogy. While many fantasy series do typically come…

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  • STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Schedule!

    Next week is the big week! To celebrate the launch of Steel Empires Book 3: Steel Blood, I’ve organized an awesome tour through the Internet with blog posts, author and character interviews, and short excerpts from the new book. Below is the official schedule, and I hope you pack a snack and join me for the…

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  • Cover Reveal: A COLLECTION OF NIGHTMARES by Christina Sng

    Congratulations to fellow Raw Dog Screaming Press author on her upcoming poetry collection! I’m pleased to share the cover with you today, and you can find information about the book and author below. ABOUT THE BOOK Hold your screams and enter a world of seasonal creatures, dreams of bones, and confessions modeled from open eyes…

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  • Cara Recommends…me!

    Today, my books were highlighted in a monthly feature by author Cara McKinnon, where she recommends other works that her readers might enjoy. I’m incredibly honored to be in such company as Martha Wells. Cara talks a little bit about what she enjoys about my books, and provides lovely little summaries about each book in…

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  • Review: NEVERMORE (Supernatural #1) by Keith R.A. DeCandido

    There are four of us in a group of some of my best friends, and we’re all fans of the show Supernatural (though some of us are more caught up than others, ahem). Along the way, we even acquired nicknames from the main characters, and it should surprise none of you that I’m Sam. So when…

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