Category: Random Ramblings

Random Ramblings, Stuff Bryna Knows

Stuff I know this week: Loftis & Hunter’s pretty new covers, OUAB Awards finalists announced, and the return of Ember

Crazy week, right?

For those of us in Ohio, coronavirus concern exploded this week with the announcement that schools are dismissed for the next three weeks–four with spring break–and a ban on events of 100 persons or more. This news was followed by today’s restriction of restaurants to carry-out/delivery only and a warning that daycare facilities would be closed soon.

At this point, I welcome a little distraction from the world around me. So, here we go with the things I know…

The second book in the newest duology by the incomparable Casey Bond hit shelves on Friday. And before the end of the first day, The Omen of Stones, reached the #1 spot in Amazon YA Royalty Fairy Tales and Folklore category.

Quinn Loftis revealed a beautiful new cover for Luna of Mine. I have to admin, this one is my favorite of the Grey Wolves redesigns.

Chanda Hahn announced that Of Sea and Song, book 3 in her Daughters of Eville fairy tales series, will be releasing June 16. We talked about Book 1, Of Beast and Beauty on the Halloween episode of On the Same Page.

Yesterday, L.L. Hunter revealed the cover for Reign of Secrets, an epic YA fantasy romance which drops June 30.

On Wednesday, the fabulous Stacey Rourke announced finalists for this year’s Once Upon A Book Awards. It’s stiff competition for Author of the Year with Tish Thawer, Kelly Martin, Heather Hildenbrand, and Karen Lynch! More category finalists on the fan page.

What I’m fangirling over…

I’ve watched The Magicians on Syfy since the beginning, but it’s only been the last few seasons that I’ve become a real fan. Season Three’s key quest reeled me in, and I’m still hooked.

Currently in its Fifth and final season, writers have kept the surprises rolling, starting with a new foe gloriously played by Sean Maguire, who also portrayed Robin Hood on Once Upon A Time.

Season Five has already had such fun moments as a 300-year jump in Fillory, psycho Dean Fogg, Penny as dean, Eliot and Margot body switch, the crew MOVING the moon, Julia with an unexpected “development”, and Finn with knives. Oh, I so love Finn.

And this week, I was already geeking out over seeing Penny 40 again, but then the trailer for next week popped up with Ember! Ember!! I am freaking out, guys.

Last season’s goodbye episode is a permanent staple on my DVR, and I’ll be watching these last few episodes with wonder. If you watch too, send me your thoughts.

Until next time, Happy Reading and stay healthy!!

Bryna

Anthology, Mothman Mysteries, Random Ramblings

Storm, Gals, cable access, and The Roanoke Star

So many things to catch up on. The past few months have been wonderful chaos.

Wrong Side of the Storm, the second in the Mothman Mysteries, is coming out April 8th. My plan for these mysteries is that they will be standalones that can be read in any order. So, if you didn’t pick up Wrong Side of the Grave, no worries.

In Storm, Eric a.k.a. Mothman and his human best friend, Bridget, are separated during an attack on the men in black’s base. The attack, in the form of a constantly-shifting, lethal storm, forces the base into lockdown with a countdown to self-destruction.

For a long while, I wrote it under the working title of Rock Me Like a Hurricane, (which gave author Terry Maggert a chuckle when I mentioned it to him), but I ultimately decided to stick with the Wrong Side of the … naming convention.

Though a standalone, those who delved into Grave will have a tad more backstory. Get your first look at Duey as human and Miranda North as a … well, I don’t want to give any spoilers. You can pre-order now.

Brave New Girls: Adventures of Gals & Gizmos, coming this summer, is a clean YA/middle grade sci-fi anthology that will include my original short story, Let the Numbers Show Truth. The story follows Stella Purser, the youngest intern ever hired by the First Intergalactic Bank and Trust, located safely below the waters of Lake Erie not far from the ruins of Cleveland.

Stella’s gift for figuring probabilities in seconds got her the job, but when a bomb goes off in the moon pool, all predictions go out the window. What are the chances Stella will survive her first day?

Brave New Girls is a benefit anthology with profits going to The Society of Women Engineers earmarked for college scholarships for girls choosing careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

On the Same Page debuted on YouTube and cable access stations throughout Ohio in March. I co-host this bookish talk show with fellow author, Casey Bond. Each month, we talk about one book we read together and several more we love, plus books we’re looking forward to.

Want to see it live? Catch the livestream at 11 am eastern on the first Wednesday of every month on the Rio Grande Cable Access channel on YouTube. In Episode 1, we covered Wake the Dead by Stacey Rourke, The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King by Holly Black, Small Kingdoms… by Charlaine Harris, and more.

Roanoke Author Invasion is just under one week away as of the date of this post. Join me on Saturday at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood and meet the dozens of authors in person who make this annual trek for one of the best run signing events in the nation. Find out more at roanokeauthorinvasion.com.

Lastly, over the last month, I’ve made some changes to the old website. Be sure poke around a bit before you leave.

See you in Roanoke!

Bryna

Random Ramblings

Halloween memories from a bestseller

Thought it would be fun to share some insider favorite Halloween memories from one of my favorite authors. And she agreed!! So, here in pic form, straight from the undisputed Queen of Furball Nation herself, is Quinn Loftis’s favorite Halloweens.

Personally, the smurf costume has to be my favorite. Comment below to let us know which you like best, and don’t forget to pick up Quinn’s Grey Wolves series, werewolfy fun perfect for the season.

Happy Halloween Ya’ll!

Midnight Guardian series, Random Ramblings

Vacationing in the Lost City of Atlantis?

Ran across this today. Over the years, I’ve been known to send this travel advisory to enthusiastic Midnight Guardian readers.

~ATLANTEAN TRAVEL ADVISORY~

The Mogdoc Royal Empire has been informed of your imminent crossing of the barrier. According to our records, you have been classified as HUMAN. Therefore, we would like to welcome you to the beautiful, lost continent of Atlantis.

We hope you find our residents charming. If any should extend an invitation to dinner, please do not hesitate to comply.

Just a few rules to help make your trip more enjoyable…

Bring a flashlight

The evil that banished our land across the barrier plunged us into a world without sun or moon, a land of forever night. From our experience, humans often find it difficult to see in the dark without assistance. This beacon will also make it easier for us to find you if you should escape become lost.

Discard your Token upon arrival

While it is true that humans must hold an Atlantis token to cross the barrier, once you arrive you should discard it or hand it over to the nearest mogdoc authority. Common sense may tell you that you need to hold onto it to get back, but common sense is so overrated.

Avoid the village known as Elsted

Please know that this destination is not a safe haven for humans as you may have been told. It is old, secluded, and infested with rodents.

Never question these rules.

You can trust us, we’re mogdocs.

We hungrily await your arrival.

Featured pic by Chen YiChun at unsplash.com

Random Ramblings

The scoop on House of Gammen, Literacy Leaders, and everything else I can think of

Busy.

This year has been a roller coaster—fast, frantic, and at some points, yes, it even made me nauseous. So I’d like to take a moment to step off the ride and give you all an update.

This summer, I started Bryna’s Literacy Leaders. At its core, it’s a monthly e-newsletter for teachers and youth librarians with ideas for book-inspired snacks, classroom activities, and downloadable worksheets, and a bunch of giveaways. But it’s more than that. My vision for Bryna’s Literacy Leaders is that it becomes a resource hub for those out there looking for innovative and engaging ways spark an interest in reading for the next generation. If you know of a teacher or librarian that’s feeling a little uninspired lately, I urge you to direct them to the Literacy Leaders page where they can learn more and subscribe for free.

In September, I released my first audiobook. Posted a bunch about it on Facebook, so you might be tired of hearing about it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop gushing over it. For Wrong Side of the Grave, the narrator’s voice is just soo dreamy. He makes rocker Eric come to life. You can sample the book here.

I’m starting to book engagements for next year. I’ve already made commitments to appear at the Roanoke Author Invasion and Utopia in Nashville (formerly UtopYA).

And there’s some big news, but it’s not quite ready to release yet. Like super big news, and it’s killing me to keep it all in. Let’s just say that it all coincides with the release of House of Gammen, the 6th and final installment of the Midnight Guardian series.

iStock_000004032250SmallOkay, so that’s my most received question, isn’t it? When is House of Gammen going to be released? I’ve been promising it for a very long time. All I can say is, YES, it is coming, NO, I don’t have a date, and YES, it is going to be epic. Sorry, the mogdocs won’t let me say more at this time. But soon. Subscribers to my New Book Alert will be the first notified when a release date is set and will even get a sneak preview at a chapter or two.

That’s all for now. See you across the barrier.