Book Blitz & Excerpt: Guardian + Giveaway

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Guardian
by Amy Winters-Voss
(The Liminal Chronicles, #2)
Publication date: May 10th 2023
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

“One hundred pieces of gold for every kitsune head laid at my feet!”

Convinced redemption lies in becoming a Guardian, Umeji Tatsuya seeks mentorship from the legendary tengu king Soujou-bou. Though, the rest of the Guardian Council is skeptical he’s left behind his dark yakuza past. There’s no time to prove his loyalty and worth before disaster strikes.

A pair of kitsune refugees arrive and hot on their heels is a massive oni army led by Ibaraki Douji, who plans not only to exterminate kitsune kind but also to resurrect the title of Shogun to become ruler of Japan. As kitsune are slaughtered and Umeji and his family fight for their very survival without the support of the Guardians, Umeji questions where his loyalties actually lie.

Just when Umeji thinks things couldn’t get worse, the oni army lays siege to the rural town of Nonogawa and takes on the League of Guardians themselves. When Ibaraki makes off with a legendary sword, the Guardian Council blames Umeji for its loss. He’s done playing by their rules. With family and friends by his side and all of kitsune kind counting on him, Umeji vows to recover the sword and stop Ibaraki for good.

Will the cost be too high? Because the search leads to places mere humans don’t dare tread and what Umeji and his crew find is darker than anything he saw in the mob…

Guardian is the second book in the Liminal Chronicles series. Buy now and enjoy Umeji’s action-packed journey into Japanese myth, personal redemption, and found family.

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EXCERPT:

Next, the tengu king’s eyes narrow and his wings ruffle. “Let us see you in your original shape, boy. Your magic doesn’t quite match the kitsune form you present.”

He waves his feathered fan, popping me back into human shape. At least I had the sense to dress formally, in a navy suit and a tie that Su-chan picked out for me. Though, I still feel out of place. Besides my aunt and I, everyone else wears a kimono and hakama. It’s different from the streets of Kyoto, where you see the traditional clothing only occasionally.

Then Soujou-bou raises a bushy eyebrow. “Nakamura-san, why do you associate with a magic thief?”

“That is his story to tell, Soujou-sama. Know that I believe him,” she responds in a flat, neutral tone that raises my hackles. She’s never this submissive.

As I give a deep, reverent bow, he remarks, “Boy, Nakamura-san’s recommendation does not excuse the evil in which you’ve partaken. Why did you stoop so low and steal kitsune magic?”

My insides twist at having to contradict the tengu king right off the bat. Taking a deep breath, I keep it simple. “We did not steal it, sir.”

But he snaps, cutting through the air with his feather fan. “No one gives such a gift! It destroys the owner. If I do not find your explanation satisfactory, you’ll not leave my palace alive.”

The declaration sends a shiver down my spine and my words spill out. “The fox I was fighting was Date Sari. She’d repeatedly attacked me and Aunt Hisako because of an old grudge and used her magic for evil—mixing it with that of an oni to add to her power.

“When she attacked my girlfriend, I tried to stop Date without killing her by dispelling her abilities. We didn’t know it would split and settle into each of us. The kami judged Date for her actions and Inari Okami was merciful. He didn’t require us to return her magic or hoshi no tama, which would have killed us.

“My aunt gave me a chance to start again after leaving the yakuza, and I wish to honor her and follow in her footsteps.”

“Yakuza, you say?” His eyes flick to my aunt.

I whisper, “I have much to atone for, sir.” Pressing my palms together in front of me, I bow as low as I can and remain in the position as I ask, “Please, teach me so I can serve as a Guardian.”


Author Bio:

Amy is a former programmer turned author after her first trip to Japan in 2017. Now she writes Japanese myth-based urban fantasy to reconnect with the country and culture that captured her heart. She lives in South Dakota with her supportive husband, two wonderful kids, and three wily and crazy ferrets.

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Book Blitz: Stolen Magick, by J.L. Vampa

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Happy publication day to J.L. Vampa and congratulations on another spectacular release! Read on for more info and visit one of our Bookstagram hosts for a chance to win a copy of Stolen Magick!

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Stolen Magick
by J.L Vampa
Publication Date: May 9th, 2023
Genre: 90’s Heist Fiction/ Urban Fantasy

A pub owner. A witch with broken magick. A crew of unlikely criminals. And the greatest diamond heist of all time.

Jonas and Yenna lead normal lives as a London pub owner and a journalist…but they moonlight as notorious thieves with their five-member crew of unlikely criminals. Since the night twelve-year-old Jonas and his feisty red-headed neighbor—who happens to be a witch—knocked over a corner shop, the two have been inseparable. Until Yenna’s magick breaks and the two of them have to face the traumatic after-effects. After years apart, Jonas brings Yenna in for one last heist—to steal a diamond from the Millenium Dome on New Year’s Eve 1999, just as the clock strikes midnight and the New Millennium is ushered in. But there is a new detective in town that has opened six cold-cases that are all too familiar…

With everything at stake, the two of them must work together to stay ahead of the police, unravel the mystery of Yenna’s broken magick, and face the ghosts of their own past.

This crew of misfit criminals will steal your heart as efficiently as they steal money and jewels.

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About the Author

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Jane Lenore (J.L.) Vampa is a published author of Dark Fantasy and Victorian Gothic fiction. J.L. also owns a macabre-style bookish shop, Wicked Whimsy Boutique. She lives in Texas with her musician husband and their two littles who are just as peculiar as they are.

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Spotlight & Giveaway: Magic Corrupts, Magic Conquers – by A.J. Locke

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Magic Corrupts, Magic Conquers

Warrior of the Divine Sword Book 2

by A.J. Locke

Genre: Paranormal Urban Fantasy

 

What if the world changed overnight…and it was all because of you?

All Pennrae wanted to do was to help. Now she’s found herself in a world that’s been instantaneously transformed by magic…that she brought back. She’s gone from a simple karate instructor to an instant celebrity—and she hates it. Fortunately, she has her friends, her beloved magic companion, and one ridiculously hot boyfriend.

But a sudden, unprompted attack in broad daylight is about to make Penn’s life even more complicated. An ancient forest guardian known as a Kiabi—a warrior of magic and almost impossible to defeat—has marked Penn to die. The attack at first seems incidental and unprovoked…until she discovers the true cause. Her. Penn may have saved the world, but her actions have set a chain of events in motion. In one brief moment, something dark, terrible, and older than time itself found an opportunity to escape, to free itself from the guardians and mark Pennrae as its enemy. Now the world and everyone she loves face a gruesome fate unless Penn can unleash the full force of her Divine magic…

The Warrior of the Divine Sword series is best enjoyed in order.

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Magic Dark, Magic Divine

Warrior of the Divine Sword Book 1

 

Falling asleep for almost 300 years was never part of Pennrae’s plan.

Of course, when you’re a mercenary with magical abilities and defy a spellbinding prophecy…bad stuff happens.

Now, magic is long gone from the world. So Penn works as a karate instructor, trying very hard to dodge her hot, flirty, and super annoying colleague, Callan. All is well until a Jigori – a nightmarish magic-eating monster – shows up at a New York City street fair, forcing Penn to use her Shaper magic, which allows her to transform wood and metal into deadly weapons.

Now, the Jigori’s master has her scent, and their eye on stealing her 300 years of life. If they succeed, Penn succumbs to centuries of sleep again, and magic will be unleashed on a completely unprepared world.

And to add to her ridiculously complicated life, something isn’t quite right with Callan. Which she could figure out if it weren’t for that evil, apocalyptic plot she’s trying to stop. But Penn may not have a choice – Callan could be the secret weapon she needs to save the world…

A.J. Locke is a young adult and adult fantasy author, and also writes and illustrates picture books. She is an artist of various mediums including oil and acrylic paint, and watercolor. When she’s trying to avoid her writing projects she can be found trying to make a dent in her TBR pile, playing video games, watching anime, baking, and chasing the ever elusive eight hours of sleep. A.J. is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and now resides in NYC.

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