Release Day For Steadfast

The final novel in Michelle Hauck's Birth of Saints trilogy, Steadfast follows Grudging and Faithful in telling the fateful story of Claire and Ramiro and their battle against a god that hungers for blood.

When the Northerners invaded, the ciudades-estado knew they faced a powerful army. But what they didn’t expect was the deadly magic that was also brought to the desert: the white-robed priests with their lethal Diviners, and the evil god, Dal. Cities have burned, armies have been decimated, and entire populaces have been sacrificed in the Sun God’s name, and it looks as if nothing can prevent the devastation.

But there are still those with hope.

Claire, a Woman of the Song, has already brought considerable magic of her own to fight the Children of Dal, and Ramiro, a soldier who has forsaken his vows to Colina Hermosa’s cavalry in order to stand by her side, has killed and bled for their cause. Separated after the last battle, they move forward with the hope that the saints will hear their prayers, their families will be saved, and that they’ll see each other once more.

A stirring conclusion to the Birth of Saints series, Ramiro and Claire’s journey finds completion in a battle between evil and love.

Find It: Amazon|Barnes and Noble|Harpercollins|Goodreads

My Appreciation to You:

The end is here. In some ways it's been a long journey. In others it has passed in the blink of an eye. It seems only yesterday the announcement for my Birth of Saints series came out. It was three years ago. Back then I was worried whether I could manage to write a series. Now it's finished. 

I want to thank everyone who has helped me on this journey. Thanks for your friendship that kept me writing. Your financial support to buy these books, and the support of your time to read them and even better to give more time to leave a review. 

It's because of readers that storytellers get to do their jobs.

New adventures wait for all of us--if we seek them. I look forward to finding a new adventure and surprising myself again.  

I Need You for Signups for Steadfast Cover Reveal

Signups have begun for a cover reveal for the last book of my Birth of Saints series, Steadfast. If you have a blog, a tumblr, instagram or facebook, I'd love your help with a cover reveal blitz on July 31st.

A bit about Steadfast:

Against an angry god whose only desire is to wipe out all life, what hope is there to survive?

The army from the north has left a trail of burned and captured cities. In trying to stop them, Claire and Ramiro unleashed the northern god, Dal, but now they face two monstrosities and no amount of honor or hope can stop the killing as Dal grows in power.

Searching for a miracle, Claire finds the elders of the Women of the Song, who might teach her a thing or two about using her voice magic to fight back—if they can put aside their own problems first—while Ramiro searches for truth in his dreams, leading him to the northern priestess Santabe, the only one who could share her knowledge of Dal and the mysterious magical Diviners. 

Claire must unite the Women of the Song in the face of utter destruction, and Ramiro must decide how far he will go to get the answers he needs to defeat the rampaging god.

It will take nothing less than a saint to rise and face the leviathan before they all become martyrs.

SIGN UP

A Goal Set- And Why Promotion is So Hard

It's good to have goals. Goals keep you moving forward, give you something to strive toward, and provide incentive to work harder. 

The Chicago Cubs made their goal of winning the World Series last year. I think I can give myself a kick and try and achieve something just for me. 

I've been rather lax on promoting my Birth of Saints series lately. It goes against the grain to beg people to read my books, as epic fantasy isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea. (Though those who give it a try are pleasantly surprised.) I'm much more comfortable working for other folks and using my contests to try and match writers with agents, or reading and promoting for friends' books. Much easier to speak up for others than for myself. I've been told that's quite a common feeling.

Self-promotion seems like a mixture of bragging and being selfish and we've been trained since forever to put others first. By we, I mostly mean ladies. We're supposed to give, not receive. Take care of others and neglect ourselves. Not shout about our accomplishments from the roof tops. 

But hey, "I GOT AN EPIC FANTASY SERIES PUBLISHED BY A BIG 5 AND IT'S AMAZING!!" (Yes, that was hard to do.)

I'm setting my goal small and manageable in hopes it inspires me to keep going. I want to see if I can get 11 more ratings on Goodreads for GRUDGING by June. That will take the overall number to 100, which is a nice round number.

Just a small goal to help me work toward getting over my reluctance to promote.

Total bonus if the ratings include some honest reviews or get copied to Amazon or elsewhere. Even better if it results in some new fans. You never know, it might help me feel a little better about promoting my own writing. 

So deep breath. Here goes. I'll be checking back in with my progress. Here's the blurb and some links in case you want to help out. And if you have this same problem speaking out and self-promoting, I'd love to hear how you get over that feeling. 

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

  

FAITHFUL RELEASE DAY

The next volume in the Birth of Saints series is available now! (Reminder all my personal proceeds from the series for the rest of the year will go to the American Civil Liberities Union.)

Following Grudging--and with a mix of Terry Goodkind and Bernard Cornwall--religion, witchcraft, and chivalry war in Faithful, the exciting next chapter in Michelle Hauck's Birth of Saints series!

A world of Fear and death…and those trying to save it.

Colina Hermosa has burned to the ground. The Northern invaders continue their assault on the ciudades-estados. Terror has taken hold, and those that should be allies betray each other in hopes of their own survival. As the realities of this devastating and unprovoked war settles in, what can they do to fight back?

On a mission of hope, an unlikely group sets out to find a teacher for Claire, and a new weapon to use against the Northerners and their swelling army.

What they find instead is an old woman.

But she’s not a random crone—she’s Claire’s grandmother. She’s also a Woman of the Song, and her music is both strong and horrible. And while Claire has already seen the power of her own Song, she is scared of her inability to control it, having seen how her magic has brought evil to the world, killing without reason or remorse. To preserve a life of honor and light, Ramiro and Claire will need to convince the old woman to teach them a way so that the power of the Song can be used for good. Otherwise, they’ll just be destroyers themselves, no better than the Northerners and their false god, Dal. With the annihilation their enemy has planned, though, they may not have a choice.

A tale of fear and tragedy, hope and redemption, Faithful is the harrowing second entry in the Birth of Saints trilogy.

Faithful- November 15, 2016

Harper Voyager

Find It: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | HarperCollins | Goodreads

Also enter to win a signed paperback of Grudging, the first book in the series: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.

GRUDGING

November 17, 2015
Harper Voyager

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two kids in college. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack.

She is a co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat, Nightmare on Query Street, and Sun versus Snow.

Her Birth of Saints trilogy, starting with Grudging and Faithful (November 15, 2016), is available from Harper Voyager. Another epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir Publishing. She's repped by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary.

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Do All the Good You Can

The second book in my Birth of Saints series, Faithful, releases in three days and I haven't really had the heart to promote it on social media or anywhere else. It seems such a tiny thing in the face of all the uncertainty and unhappiness. I love my book, but there's so much more happening in the world. How can I talk about myself at this time?  

That's why I decided to donate all my proceeds from sales from the Birth of Saints books in November and December to the ACLU. It's a small gesture, but every little bit helps to prove that love is more powerful than hate.

If you'd like to help, here's where you can purchase them:

Grudging: 

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

Faithful:

Find It: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | HarperCollins | Goodreads


Thank you! 

Spotlight Post for Faithful

Hi everyone!

I need to ask a favor. The second volume of my Birth of Saints series releases on November 15th and I could use your help to get out the word.

Following Grudging--and with a mix of Terry Goodkind and Bernard Cornwall--religion, witchcraft, and chivalry war in Faithful, the exciting next chapter in Michelle Hauck's Birth of Saints series!

A world of Fear and death…and those trying to save it.

Colina Hermosa has burned to the ground. The Northern invaders continue their assault on the ciudades-estados. Terror has taken hold, and those that should be allies betray each other in hopes of their own survival. As the realities of this devastating and unprovoked war settles in, what can they do to fight back?

On a mission of hope, an unlikely group sets out to find a teacher for Claire, and a new weapon to use against the Northerners and their swelling army.

What they find instead is an old woman.

But she’s not a random crone—she’s Claire’s grandmother. She’s also a Woman of the Song, and her music is both strong and horrible. And while Claire has already seen the power of her own Song, she is scared of her inability to control it, having seen how her magic has brought evil to the world, killing without reason or remorse. To preserve a life of honor and light, Ramiro and Claire will need to convince the old woman to teach them a way so that the power of the Song can be used for good. Otherwise, they’ll just be destroyers themselves, no better than the Northerners and their false god, Dal. With the annihilation their enemy has planned, though, they may not have a choice.

A tale of fear and tragedy, hope and redemption, Faithful is the harrowing second entry in the Birth of Saints trilogy.

November 15th 2016 by Harper Voyager Impulse

Please fill out this really simple form to host a spotlight post about Faithful for me on your blog that day or even anytime that week. The more the merrier! No blog is too big or too small. It's all about numbers. 

I'll collect your email address and send an easy copy-and-paste html version of the post and also a regular version of the post a few days ahead of time. 

I will not keep or share any email address or use them for any other purpose.

Thank you so much for your support!   

Sainthood- Real Life versus Fictional

If you watch the news at all you saw Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa, making her a saint. Usually the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church takes decades, or even centuries. First the candidate's, called the Servant of God, life has to be examined to make sure they lived and died in an exemplary holy way and the person is worthy of being a saint. So there is a lot of paper work and documentation to reach this state, all their writings and speeches are examined, their whole life is under a microscope. Pope Francis intervened and put Mother Teresa on a fast-track, where instead of having to wait five years, they only had to wait two after her death to being this process. 

When enough information has been gathered, a report of the candidate's heroic virtue will be passed up to the pope. If the report is favorable then the candidate becomes "Venerable."

After this comes the process of searching for verified miracles. Or in the case of the Venerable being declared a martyr, where they gave his or her life voluntarily as a witness for the faith and/or in an act of heroic charity for others, you jump right up to being "Blessed." If the person wasn't a martyr, such as Mother Teresa, then a miracle is needed to become "Blessed." Miracles today usually take the form of a miraculous healing/cure after praying to the candidate. They have to include suddenness, completeness, and long term stability of the cure. Such was the case with Mother Teresa when another nun was healed of stomach cancer after praying to Mother Teresa.

To be declared a saint, a second miracle must be recorded. That came for Mother Teresa in the form of a Brazilian man who placed an icon of Mother Teresa in his home and prayed to her for intercession with his brain abscesses. All of this of course occurred after Mother Teresa's death.

That's the real life way to become a saint. The fictional method for my Birth of Saints series takes a whole lot less time, includes more magic and sword fighting, and the characters are very much alive--for now. It's an invented religion, a mishmash of different pieces of the real thing, but the journey to sainthood does happen in three stages.

The story opens in GRUDGING with the characters standing against an invading army come to enslave them. They are tested again and again as they prove or fail at heroic virtue. The book blurb says it best and doesn't give away the ending.

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.


The second book FAITHFUL comes out this November. And as the world falls apart around them and the Northern threat escalates, the major players fight to hold tight to their beliefs and each other.

A world of Fear and death…and those trying to save it.

The Northern invaders continue their assault on the ciudades-estados. Terror has taken hold, and those that should be allies betray each other in hopes of their own survival. As the realities of this devastating and unprovoked war settles in, what can they do to fight back?

On a mission of hope, an unlikely group sets out to find a teacher for Claire, and a new weapon to use against the Northerners and their swelling army.

What they find instead is an old woman.

But she’s not a random crone—she’s Claire’s grandmother. She’s also a Woman of the Song, and her music is both strong and horrible. And while Claire has already seen the power of her own Song, she is scared of her inability to control it, having seen how her magic has brought evil to the world, killing without reason or remorse. To preserve a life of honor and light, Ramiro and Claire will need to convince the old woman to teach them a way so that the power of the Song can be used for good. Otherwise, they’ll just be destroyers themselves, no better than the Northerners and their false god, Dal. With the annihilation their enemy has planned, though, they may not have a choice.


And I'm in the process of writing the third volume for release in 2017, tentatively titled BLESSED. Miracles will happen. Lives will be given. Will it be enough to stop the blood-thirsty Children of Dal? 

Dreamer. Warrior. Politician. Philosopher. Counselor. Who will live to become saints?

Honor Has No Gender, Bravery Has No Race, and Family Has No Limits

Grudging: Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads
Faithful: Find It: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | HarperCollins | Goodreads


     

GRUDGING GAME

So I'm a little bored waiting for Query Kombat submissions to roll in on Monday and I thought why not try a game. I haven't done any promotion for my books in a while, why not get on that? I have this tweet pinned to my twitter profile about Grudging.

Warrior/Soldier Dreamer Politician Philosopher Conscience Which will live to become Saint?

Each of the labels in the tweet describe one of the characters from Grudging. I wondered if anyone could match the correct character name to the label. This will be very tricky because, first, you have to have read Grudging and, second, some things don't become 100 percent apparent until the next book, Faithful (which nobody has read but me and my CP). I mean a few of the labels don't go in the obvious directions you'd expect, but some of them do. If no one gets the answer by Monday, I'll give a hint to help.  

Just comment with who you think goes with the labels and the first correct guess will win a prize. You can have a query critique from me, a signed copy of Grudging, or you can be a Query Kombat slush reader. Your choice. 

Hint: In Grudging there are only four point of view characters. In Faithful another woman gets added. Teresa is the philosopher.

Good luck!

Signed Copies

If you can't make it to C2E2 on Saturday, you can get signed copies on Goodreads.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Grudging

by Michelle Hauck

Giveaway ends March 20, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Speakers Badge

I'll be picking up my first speakers badge on Saturday, March 19th at C2E2. That's in Chicago in case you are as ignorant about cons as I am. I'm on a panel that seems right up my alley called Fight the Power at 12:30 Central time. Here's the description:

Frodo and the Fellowship fought Sauron and his evil horde; a rag-tag group of rebels take down the Empire in a galaxy far, far away. Sci-fi/ Fantasy is full of stories about revolution, a few taking on many, an unlikely hero surmounting incredible odds to achieve victory. A panel of SFF authors will discuss their favorite stories of SFF revolution, and what they like so much about writing books where their characters take on the man and fight the power, no matter what the odds of success are!

Pretty good panel for a girl who wrote a book about a city under siege from a crazy huge army and who loves to read epic fantasy. I think Grudging fits right into that topic. There will be a book signing afterwards and I hope to see some friendly faces!

So help me out. This is my first con. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? What should I make sure to do or see? What should I take for the book signing?  Leave me informative comments about your experience at cons. I'm a trifle nervous about it all.

And also if you're a fan of SFF, how would you answer this topic? What are your favorite books where the characters fight the power? Why do bigger odds and larger consequences make the story more exciting for you?
  

The Beards of Grudging

Beards are very important world building and cultural tool in Grudging. You've heard of the beard making the man? In Grudging, that is literally true.

A boy isn't considered a man until he "earns" his beard.

In the city of Colina Hermosa, earning a beard is different for every profession and even changes over time. For main character Ramiro in the military during wartime, that means living through a single, hand-to-hand combat experience. Until he's done that, he can't speak up in council or court a wife. And his military brothers will continue to tease him and call him bisoño and peach-face.

I had a fun time going through pictures online and looking for beards that fit my characters. Also looking for pictures of how I imagined my female characters--and no, they don't have beards. I created a pinterest board about it. 

I really want to find more awesome beard pictures to add to my collection. And I'd like to make a contest out of it!

Such as this great Ricky Martin beard.

You can't post pictures in blog comments, so it will have to be on twitter. Hmm. How to make this easy?

Tweet me your favorite beard picture (@Michelle4Laughs). Or if you read Grudging, a picture that reminds you of a character. (Keep in mind that Grudging is set in a Spanish-inspired land.)  Then so I can keep track, paste the link to that tweet in the comments of this post.

I'll pick three comments to win. One winner will be my favorite picture. Two winners will be random picks by number generator.

Prizes.

Hmm.

I'll let the winner pick a prize from these three options:

-a query critique (one round)
-an ebook of Grudging
-bookmarks of Grudging and a razor

These can be funny or sexy pictures. Please nothing naughty or that you couldn't show your grandmother. I will let this run through Monday, January 25th. You can check out my pinterest board link above for ideas.

So let's give this a try and see what happens! Did anyone else notice there is a nice beard picture in the post below this?

How to Help a Writer Friend

Chuck Sambuchino has a great post on how to support authors with new books out. See it here. It mentions reading in public, leaving reviews, and talking about the book on social media. I want to go beyond that a bit and ask a little more of my loyal followers.

Not every book is going to be picked up by libraries or bookstores. Some authors, like me, have digital first books and aren't going to be displayed in bookstores or libraries unless someone asks for them. Next time you visit your library, consider filling out one of those little request forms and asking them to get a copy of Grudging. Or many libraries are online now and you can request right from your computer or phone. It only takes a few minutes, doesn't cost a thing, and could be a great help to getting the word out.

Also if you planned to buy a paperback copy of Grudging, order it in a bookstore. Bookstores will often purchase an extra copy to put on their shelves when a customer orders something. I'm afraid that's the only way Grudging will end up in stores as it's buried deep in the HarperCollins catalogs. 

Thanks for your support and I hope you enjoy your holiday season and get lots of reading done! 

Discouraged By Amazon's Cull of Reviews

Some of you might have seen me mention on twitter that Amazon took down all the reviews for Grudging. There weren't that many, but it still hurts. Apparently, this was done because the people who left the reviews follow me on social media or maybe because they are also writers and more suspect. I didn't give the reviewers copies of the book. I didn't trade a review for a review with them. Heaven forbid, I didn't pay them. I've never met them in person. They aren't family members.

It seems that followers of an author on social media can't leave reviews because they might benefit financially in some way. It's unlikely that I'll benefit financially in any way other than to take my family out for ice cream. Grudging is digital first. It's not going up in bookstores. The publisher hasn't done any marketing to get it noticed. I don't expect to make more than a pittance from sales. How could I manage to benefit other people?

I worked extremely hard to get the word out for Grudging's release. It was all I did for over two weeks and was very stressful to boot. I used social media and the contacts I've struggled for years to create. We are told to make friends because not only is it good to have friends, it will help your writing career. I did interviews. I arranged a book release tour, which I didn't pay for--all reviews from it should be allowed (but one of those was taken down also). I emailed dozens and dozens of book bloggers, telling them about Grudging and how they can get a review copy from the publisher, not from me. I followed in the footsteps and advice of other writers whose books have come out and did the same sort of marketing.

But in the big picture, because of the lack of marketing from the publisher, the only people likely to know about my book are the people who know me from social media--thus rendering all possible reviews ineligible and tainted to Amazon.

To say I'm discouraged is an understatement. It's hard to feel penalized because you have social media contacts.

It's a proven fact that reviews help sell a book. They make people more confident to buy a book. Having more than X (supposedly 10 or maybe 50) number of reviews means Amazon will help promote you by putting your book in their advertising. I worked my tail off trying to find book bloggers who might be interesting in reading Grudging. (Post to come.) I didn't ask for anything other than honesty in their review. (If they don't like it, I hope they say so and why.) In return, many of those very nice people followed me on twitter. I don't think any of the reviews given to me by them will be allowed to stay.

At this point, I feel like throwing in the towel.

I know it's not personal. It just happens that I have a lot of friends from social media, and they are writers. It's a good thing that Amazon weeds out fake or paid reviews. They want things to be fair. I agree that it should be. Unfortunately, that doesn't make me feel much better. Doing promotion for myself instead of my contests makes me uncomfortable to begin with. It's hard to talk about your books all the time. Reviews do that for an author so we don't have to.

I don't know what to say. I don't have a solution. But if you wanted or planned to post an honest review of your thoughts of Grudging to also please copy that review to Goodreads in case the other gets erased. Maybe those will get seen. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and your generosity. It means a lot.

Thanks to everyone that has gotten a copy of Grudging and who plan to review--or already have. You don't know how helpful that is to a writer.

Obviously writers do this because they love it, not because of the money. But it's hard when someone enjoys your story and their opinions are not allowed to be seen.

I certainly don't regret any friends I've made from social media. I'd rather have you than all the reviews in the world! But it would be nice to have both. :-)

HUGE RELEASE DAY GIVEAWAY FOR GRUDGING

Hooray! It's finally here! The big day!

You can now officially get your ebook copy of Grudging at your favorite retailer. And the paperback is available for preorder! (December 22nd release)

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | HarperCollins | Goodreads

To celebrate, I'm giving away a huge prize package of books donated from my fellow authors at Harper Voyager Impulse. I think authors at the same publisher, especially one that features a limited number of genres, should be a big family. We support each other. And we provide prize packs when someone has a special day!

Happy Dance everyone! 

These are super books in fantasy and science fiction. I have read several of them and can vouch they are great reads!

There are ebooks and paperback copies. All you have to do to enter is use the rafflecopter below. Follow all these generous authors on Facebook or twitter for additional entries.

I'll have a short blurb about each book below the rafflecopter so keep scrolling to see in more detail what you could win. And don't hesitate to buy a few if you can't wait for the rafflecopter! I'm sure the authors will appreciate you for it!

The rafflecopter will determine the winner, and each author will send their prize to said winner individually. 

Thanks for celebrating with me and don't forget to pick up a copy of Grudging!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Books You Could Win:


Paperback for the Winner:

Geologist Petra Dee arrives in Wyoming looking for clues to her father’s disappearance years before. What she finds instead is Temperance, a dying Western town with a gold rush past and a meth-infested present. But under the town’s dust and quiet, an old power is shifting. When bodies start turning up – desiccated and twisted skeletons that Petra can’t scientifically explain – her investigations land her in the middle of a covert war between the town’s most powerful interests. Petra’s father wasn’t the only one searching for the alchemical secrets of Temperance, and those still looking are now ready to kill. Armed with nothing but shaky alliances, a pair of antique guns, and a relic she doesn’t understand, the only thing Petra knows for sure is that she and her coyote sidekick are going to have to move fast, or die next.

Buy: Amazon|Barnes and Noble|HarperCollins





Paperback for the Winner:

Anders Jensen is having a bad month. His roommate is a data thief, his girlfriend picks fights in bars, and his best friend is a cyborg…and a lousy tipper. When everything is spiraling out of control, though, maybe those are exactly the kind of friends you need.

In a world divided between the genetically engineered elite and the unmodified masses, Anders is an anomaly: engineered, but still broke and living next to a crack house. All he wants is to land a tenure-track faculty position, and maybe meet someone who's not technically a criminal—but when a nightmare plague rips through Hagerstown, Anders finds himself dodging kinetic energy weapons and government assassins as Baltimore slips into chaos. His friends aren't as helpless as they seem, though, and his girlfriend's street-magician brother-in-law might be a pretentious hipster—or might hold the secret to saving them all.

THREE DAYS IN APRIL is a speculative thriller that raises an important question: once humanity goes down the rabbit hole, can it ever find its way back?

Buy:  https://edward-ashton.squarespace.com

Paperback for the Winner:

Compiled for the first time, The Oldest Trick comprises The Iron Ring and Iron and Blood in the Saga of the Redeemed.

Tyvian Reldamar gets betrayed by his longtime partner and left for dead in a freezing river. To add insult to injury, his mysterious rescuer took it upon himself to affix Tyvian with an iron ring that prevents the wearer from any evildoing.

Revenge just got complicated.

On his quest to get even, Tyvian navigates dark conspiracies, dodges midnight assassins, and uncovers the plans of the ruthless wizard Banric Sahand. Tyvian will need to use every dirty trick in the book to avoid a painful and ignominious end, even as he learns to work with—and rely on—his motley crew of accomplices, including an adolescent pickpocket, an obese secret-monger, and a fearsome gnoll.

Buy: Amazon|Barnes and Noble|Kobo|Google Play

Ebook for the Winner:

The Empire is Shrouded, not only by the barrier that covers the land, but by the lies and oppression of the mierothi regime. Magic is the privilege of the elite, and the people of this shadowed country have forgotten what it means to hope under their rule.

But there are some who would resist, with plans put into motion millennia before. For returned to the Empire is a valynkar, servant of the god of light, and with him come the strength and cunning that could tip the scales to end the Emperor's reign. He has gathered a group of heroes ready to ignite the flame of rebellion and fight against the dark power that has ruled for nearly two thousand years. A power that has champions of its own.

Nathan Garrison's Veiled Empire throws a mythical land into chaos, with races long thought forgotten, and magics only just discovered. Steel and sorcery clash as brave souls vie for freedom and control in this astonishing debut novel.

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A body is found in the Alabama wilderness. The question is:

Is it a human corpse … or is it just a piece of discarded property?

Agent Samantha Rose has been exiled to a backwater assignment for the Commonwealth Bureau of Investigation, a death knell for her career. But then Sam catches a break—a murder—that could give her the boost she needs to get her life back on track. There's a snag, though: the body is a clone, and technically that means it's not a homicide. And yet, something about the body raises questions, not only for her, but for coroner Linsey Mackenzie.

The more they dig, the more they realize nothing about this case is what it seems … and for Sam, nothing about Mac is what it seems, either.

This case might be the way out for her, but that way could be in a bodybag.

A thrilling new mystery from Liana Brooks, The Day Before will have you looking over your shoulder and questioning what it means to be human.

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Sixteen-year-old Marci Guerrero is one of the best teen hackers in Seattle. However, she’d give up all her talents to know she isn’t crazy.

Marci feels possessed by what she perceives as shadowy spectres that take control of her body and make her do crazy things. While spying on the clandestine group known as IgNiTe, she’s confronted by the leader, James McCray. His presence stirs the spectres inside her brain into a maddening frenzy. Her symptoms and ability to control them don’t go unnoticed by James, who soon recruits her and shows her the awful truth.

Half of the world’s population is infected by sentient parasites. They bind themselves to the human brain and replace the pathways for all thoughts and actions. The creatures then morph their hosts into grotesque monsters with extraordinary strengths. Winged, clawed, fanged half-humans become living nightmares. Now Marci wishes she was crazy, because the truth is worse.

She’s infected.                                     Buy: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

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For ten millennia, the leaders of the Overland have been Selected by the Machinery, an omnipotent machine gifted to the world in darker days.

The Overland has thrived, crushing all enemies. But the Machinery came with a prophecy: it will break in its ten-thousandth year, Selecting just one leader who will bring Ruin to the world. That time has arrived.

Katrina Paprissi is an Apprentice Watcher, charged with seeking out any who doubt the power of the Machinery. But as the Machinery nears breaking point, her own doubts begin to surface. She must travel to its home in the depths of the mysterious Underland, to see if Ruin really is coming for them all…

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Tonight, for the first time in over a century, a mortal child will be kidnapped by faeries.

When her daughter Fiona is snatched from her bed, Caitlin's entire world crumbles. Once certain that faeries were only a fantasy, Caitlin must now accept that these supernatural creatures do exist—and that they have traded in their ancient swords and horses for modern guns and sports cars. Hopelessly outmatched, she accepts help from a trio of unlikely heroes: Eddy, a psychiatrist and novice wizard; Brendan, an outcast Fian warrior; and Dante, a Magister of the fae's Rogue Court. Moving from the busy streets of Boston's suburbs to the shadowy land of Tír na nÓg, Caitlin and her allies will risk everything to save Fiona. But can this disparate quartet conquer their own inner demons and outwit the dark faeries before it's too late?

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Across the United States, children are vanishing. Only this time, faeries may not be to blame ...

Dante, Regent of the fae's Rogue Court, has been receiving disturbing reports. Human children are manifesting magical powers in record numbers. Shunned and forgotten, they live on the streets in ragtag groups with the already-booming population of homeless changelings. But the streets aren't a haven; someone, or something, is hunting these children down.

Wraith, a teenage spell slinger, has no home, no family, and no real memories of her past. She and her friends SK, Fritz, and Shadow are constantly on the run, fleeing from a dark and unknown enemy. But when her companions are taken by "the snatchers," Wraith is their only hope. Her journey to find them will test the limits of her magic--and her trust. A dark force is on the rise, and it could spell the end of our world as we know it.

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Ayla Nightshade never wanted to rule Darkhaven.

Yet her half-brother Myrren hasn't inherited the family's ability to shapeshift, so their father, Florentyn, forces Ayla to take over as heir to the throne.

When Ayla is accused of Florentyn's brutal murder only Myrren believes her innocent and aids her escape. A fugitive from her own guard, Ayla must now fight to clear her name if she is ever to wear the crown she never wanted and be allowed to return to the home she has always loved.

But does something more sinister than the power to shapeshift lie at the heart of the Nightshade family line?

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A fantasy full of sumptuous characters, rip-roaring adventure and dark deeds…” Harper Voyager, UK 2015

Archivist, Devin Roché has just taken his finals at Coreé prestigious Académie. As the sixth son of the ruler of Llisé, his future is his own, and so he embarks on an adventure to memorize stories chronicling the history of each province.

As Devin begins his journey with only his best friend Gaspard and their bodyguard Marcus, he hears rumors of entire villages disappearing without a trace and of Master Bards being assassinated in the night.

As the three companions get closer to unearthing the truth, they can’t help but wonder whether it is their own quest that may have set these events in motion. But if that is the case, what do Llisé and Devin’s father have to hide?

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It frightens me, knowing the One has called up two such strong individuals. It means that there are troubled times in our future, and you must prepare yourselves."

The Temple at Illian is the crown jewel of life in the Northern Territory. There, pledges are paired with feli, the giant sacred cats of the One god, and are instructed to serve the One’s four capricious deities. Yet Sulis, a young woman from the Southern Desert, has a different perspective – one that just might be considered heresy...

Sulis’s twin Kadar, meanwhile, is part of a different sort of revolution. When Kadar falls in love with a woman from a Forsaken caste, he finds he’s willing to risk anything to get these people to freedom. But with Sulis drawing a dangerous level of attention from the deities, and war about to break out on two fronts, the twins find change may not come without great sacrifice.

An astonishing debut, Kelley Grant brings to life a powerful new epic fantasy tale of determination and self-discovery.

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Sebastian Grey always thought he was a fairly normal teenager – good friends, decent grades, and a pretty sweet job in his foster brother’s tattoo shop.

But when Romany gypsies arrive in town, Sebastian discovers his world is not what it seems. There is an age-old feud between his family and the gypsies – and this isn’t the only secret his brother has been keeping from him. His life is not his own. The girl he’s been dreaming about has just turned up at school, and he feels compelled to protect her at all costs.

Even if that means life might never be normal again.

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