Cover Reveal: Legend of the Wildlings, by Brittney Brewer

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Legend of the Wildlings
by Brittney Brewer
(The Ellesmere Saga, #1)
Publication date: November 14th 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Everyone who is meant to end up here always does, eventually.

At fifteen, Ember Lothbrok has spent half her life passing through the Galway foster system, though strange occurrences seem to follow her around like a cloud of bad luck. Even if her guardians aren’t completely put off by the rain clouds that form inside, footstools that transform into pigs, or their walls suddenly turning a horrifying shade of puce, her lavender eyes flecked with ash always seal her fate.

Everything changes the day a mysterious new social worker appears for her next family transfer and whisks her across Loch Lurgan to Ellesmere—an island inhabited by Vala—of the magic blooded Northmen, like her. An island of mythical creatures and a magical school. After settling in with the Kitts, her newest foster family, and starting school at Heksheim Academy of Myth and Magic, she allows herself to have hope for the first time in years. A hope that maybe this one will stick.

But if Ember is sure of anything, it’s that a happy ending is not in the cards for her. Just as she’s beginning to settle in, she unearths a prophecy promising death and destruction to the magical creatures and beings on the island. With her newfound friends and a boy with a secret, Ember must try to stop the dark forces threatening her found family and new home before it’s too late.

This is the story of a girl with nothing left to lose,
An island filled with magic and mystery,
And the legend that could destroy it all.

…but what if the legend was wrong?

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Book Blitz & Excerpt: The Soothsayer + Giveaway

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The Soothsayer
by Glen Gabel
Publication date: July 1st 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

★★Colin Devereaux is a teen in crisis. He’s an outcast at school, a target for bullies, and a helpless bystander as he watches his single mother wither from cancer. But those problems pale to the things he can’t explain – the dark creatures he’s spied lurking over his sleeping mother’s form, the strange old shopkeeper at the marina who seems to know Colin’s mind, and the mysterious puzzle box that the old man trades for Colin’s name. The line of reality blurs as the puzzle box opens, revealing a path to another world and a clue that may save his mother’s life. Stranded in a kingdom devastated by darkness and war, Colin joins a ragtag resistance against evil forces to find salvation for his mother and himself.★★

Goodreads / Amazon


EXCERPT:

Colin and Balaam burst past the dark creatures, knocking them over, and raced back down the lane. The serpents coiled and chased after them.

“They’re following us!” Colin yelled as Balaam veered down a narrow alley of gravestones. The demons flung themselves around the tombs and closed in to pinch off their escape.

“They’re cutting us off! We’re dead!” Colin shrieked as he kicked at Balaam’s sides frantically.

“Yes, wonderful! Keep saying such helpful things!” Balaam yelled back and veered again, running up the sagging side of a crumbling tomb to its roof and hopping to the next one and the next like they were stones on the water. The serpents hissed and raced forward at the bases of the tombs, slithering parallel to the donkey’s course.

Colin clutched Balaam’s mane as he stared, wide-eyed, ahead. They were charging towards the cemetery’s wall, several inches higher than the tombs themselves.

“Wall! Wall! Wall!” Colin screamed and pulled back on Balaam’s mane.

“Let’s see them try this!” Balaam yelled back as he ran across the last roof and, with a mighty jump, hurled them into the air, barely missing the wall’s ledge and crashing into a thatch cart on the other side. Colin held tight as they smashed through the cart and onto the street. Guards nearby ran forward, brandishing spears. “Halt!”

“New problem!” Colin yelled as he clung to Balaam, who darted past the guards, knocking them over in his wake.

“Always!” Balaam snorted as he careened down an alley and onto another street, then veered again onto the King’s Way leading to the royal courtyard.

“Okay, slow down!” Colin called. “We lost them.”

Balaam slowed his pace as they entered the great market. Stands, overhangs, and shops were littered with random goods. Crowds of people moved about, and merchants carried baskets of wares. “Let me have control here. Subtlety is key,” Colin whispered to the donkey.

A group of guards on horseback turned onto the street before them. The captain’s face went sour. “You! Boy! Halt!”

“Oh shit,” Colin moaned.

“Wonderful leadership, very subtle,” Balaam said and rushed to the right, knocking over a cart and sending pottery flying.

“After him!” yelled the captain, and his men gave chase.

Colin spun his head around as Balaam charged down another street. The guards rushed closer and closer. One soldier grimly eyed Colin, pushing his mount ahead to match Balaam’s speed. He thrust his spear at Colin, and Colin grabbed it. The two struggled with it as they hurtled down the lane, their mounts neck and neck. The onlookers screamed and ran as the two riders knocked over merchant carts and crates between them.

Without warning, a merchant pushed a cart out from a side alley in front of Colin’s opponent. Both man and horse collided with it and fell away. Two other guards replaced him within seconds.

“Go faster!” Colin yelled as he kicked Balaam’s side.

“I’m a donkey! Not a race horse!” Balaam called back.

The lane split to the left and the right ahead. “Pick one, great leader!” Balaam demanded.

“Uh, right! No, left!” Colin screamed.

Balaam dashed ahead, down the left lane, and into a caravan of garments.

Reams of fabric went flying, covering both Colin and the donkey.

“I can’t see!” Balaam screamed.

An unending ream of silk covered Colin’s face. He could hear the guards’ horses behind as he fumbled with it. “Just keep going!”

Balaam flew past scattering crowds, past screaming merchants, and right through a thatched wall.

 

Author Bio:

Glen Gabel learned to love storytelling at an early age, enlisting his friends in short films, plays, and anything he could jot down on paper. Later his passion turned to screenwriting and eventually into novels and short stories.

After graduating from The University of Southern California with a B.A. in Creative Writing and Film, Glen worked under Joss Whedon at Mutant Enemy/Fox as a production assistant before transitioning to education and earning an M.ed at Portland State University. He later accepted a lead instructor position in Pasadena, California, before moving on to professional copywriting.

Glen’s work includes selling his supernatural thriller screenplay, “The Harrow,” script doctoring on several independent films, and his latest YA fantasy novel, The Soothsayer. Glen’s most recent short story, “Where Light Has No Purchase” was shortlisted as a finalist in Reedsy’s Writing Contest in April 2022 and published in the 2022 Bardsy Character Anthology. He lives in Idaho with his wife and wonder-pup, Duke.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter

 

GIVEAWAY!
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Book Blitz & Author Faves: Nether After + Giveaway

NETHER AFTER BLITZ

I am so excited that NETHER AFTER by Jodi L. Cox is available now and that I get to share the news! If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below.  This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

 

About The Book:

Title: NETHER AFTER

Author: Jodi L. Cox

Pub. Date: August 19, 2023

Publisher: Spirit Gate Studio

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 216

Find it: Goodreads, books2read

 

In a world of darkness and danger, where secrets lurk in every shadow, one young necromancer is determined to uncover the truth and rescue his lost mother. Meet Faust Thaed, a courageous 15-year-old trapped in the treacherous realm of the Nether After. Haunted by the memory of his beloved mother, taken captive by the enigmatic Leiche Guard, Faust’s journey becomes a relentless quest for answers. As he navigates the eerie landscapes, he finds solace in the company of ghosts, drawing upon their arcane powers to fuel his necromantic abilities.

 

Faust’s path is fraught with unimaginable perils. From harrowing encounters with ravenous poltergeists to facing off against bloodthirsty monsters and cannibalistic predators, every step brings him closer to the truth and the menacing soldiers of the secret police.

 

Thrills abound as Faust’s clandestine adventure unfolds, his fate hanging in the balance as he battles not only for his mother’s life but also for his own. Every choice he makes, every spell he casts, could tip the scales toward triumph or catastrophe.

 

Will he rescue his mother from the clutches of the Leiche Guard? Or will his magical powers consume him, leaving him forever trapped in a realm of despair?

The Nether After awaits-will you dare to enter?

 


 

Jodi’s Favorites:

Manga Choices In no coherent order:

Naruto
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Trigun
Sailor Moon
Slayers
Soul Eater
Vampire Hunter D
Boy’s Over Flowers
Full Metal Alchemist

Webtoons—Too many titles to list.

Top 5 favorite movies.

Spaceballs
Labyrinth
Goonies
Legend (Tom Cruise and Tim Curry One)
Harry Potter

Top 5 favorite Video Games.

Final Fantasy
Everquest
Rune factory
The Sims
Cooking Mama
Anime Play List
All of Studio Ghibli’s Work
Trigun Both Series (Don’t hate on me; I like them both)
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill
Cowboy Bebop
Utena
Attack on Titan
Chainsaw Man
Naruto
Slayers
Sorceress Hunter
The Big O
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Ouran High School Host Club
Noragami
Fruits Basket
Ghost in A Shell


About Jodi L. Cox:

Jodi Cox is an American dieselpunk author born on April 10, 1979 in Union City, Indiana. She graduated from Simon Kenton High School in 1997. Later she went on to graduate with a BFA from the College of Mount Saint Joseph, now known as the University of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After college, Jodi started writing for Citybeat magazine. Later she went on to become a pioneer in internet graphics and website development. After spending nearly ten years writing for everything from tax websites to poetry, Jodi began developing the world of the Nether After, unbeknownst to her that steampunk and dieselpunk was turning into a literary genre.  

Jodi enjoys all things speculative fiction, but has a pension for the weird and unusual.  She describes herself as a comic book snob. She is often found with a stack of Japanese and American graphic novels in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.  She enjoys drawing and painting, as well as writing.  Her hours not spent on writing are devoted to geeking out over new computer hardware, or the latest video games. She loves ripping into electronics to see how they work, as well as cooking and developing new recipes.

As a writer Jodi has been writing steampunk, dieselpunk, and fantasy of all types. She has even dipped her toe into science fiction.

Sign up for Jodi’s newsletter! Scroll to the bottom of the page.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub


Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours, International.

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Ends September 12th, midnight EST.
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