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 Loftisrevealed 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.
It’s such an exciting time, my little mogdocs. My head is rushing with everything currently going on, and I want to share. So I am. I’m sharing like never before.
Expect a new post from me every week (if I forget, give me a nudge). In them, I will share tidbits about stuff I know, my work in progress, books/TV/movies that I’m currently fangirling over, and any other wonderfluff that wants to pour from my keyboard.
In today’s post, I’m gushing over Chris Wood and geeking out about Locke and Key, but first…
Here we go with the stuff I know…
Tomorrow, authorCasey Bond will release the trailer for The Omen of Stones, the follow-up to When Wishes Bleed. I got an early peek today and it gave me serious chills. Omen drops March 13th.
Misty Provencher recently dropped paranormal romanceOut Cold. Reading it now and completely absorbed. It’s one of those that gets into your head, and you think about it long after you’ve set the book down. Her next book, a middle grade monster novel called, Something Exquisite, is due out March 27th.
Our gal Misty has been super busy. In addition to the above two books, she and daughter, Sydney, collaborated as author and illustrator (respectively) on When I was Weird, a children’s book that helps little ones deal with bullying. So wish I had this for my boys when they were little.
Heather Hildenbrand and Bam Shepherd delighted everyone with the cover reveal for Girl Who Cried War. This is the third book in crazy cool Girl Who Cried Werewolf series. The covers are becoming known for the clever sayings on the protagonist’s t-shirts. This cover’s “Shift Happens” had me rolling. War releases March 3rd.
Kelly Martin‘s giddy video reveal of the What Rachel Didpaperback had me doing a giddy dance too. Monster Ivy published the middle grade horror novel with beautiful artwork in the interior. Pick up Rachel at bookstores starting March 3rd.
This week, I quietly released new covers for the Midnight Guardian series. Pleased as punch (yes, I’m bringing that phrase back) with the new covers that better convey that they are clean YA novels suitable for pre-teen readers.
Works in progressupdate…
Wrong Side of the Song will be the third Mothman Mysteries book. When Eric trips over a corpse in the woods, Bridget guilts him into following a stolen clue that leads them to a siren in the school show choir! It’s young Harry Dresden meets Pitch Perfect in a hilarious, mystery thrill ride.
The sirens in the Mothverse (did I just coin a new word?) are not aliens like Mothman, but native to Earth with powers over water and song. Look for (finally) some serious heat between Eric and Bridget as the siren’s seductive influence brings our favorite book blogger out of her shell. Song is roughly 50% complete with release anticipated later this year.
Simultaneously with Song, I’m also working on a yet-to-be-named project. Super excited about this idea, but I’m only about 4% in, so it’s not far enough along to share too many details yet. I can tell you that it is YA paranormal suspense/romance and will likely be a duology.
Dark fairy academy … changelings … closet monsters.
To quote Forrest Gump, “That is all I’ve got to say about that” for now.
What I’m excited abouton screen this week…
Locke and Key. Seriously, how did I not know this existed before? LOVED the first season on Netflix and have the graphic novels by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son) on my TBR. Cause you know the book is gonna be even better.
After the murder of their father, the Locke family moves into the father’s ancestral home, Key House. The children, three of them in varying teen years, start discovering magical keys, each with a unique, single power. It isn’t long before something dark, lurking in the creepy well house on the property, plots to steal the keys and unleash very bad things.
I loved it for its creativity. And as crazy as it sounds, I also loved it for the keys. For whatever reason (OCD?), I get really into stories where I have to keep track of a set number of objects/people. With Harry Potter it was horcruxes. With Hunger Games it was tributes. With Umbrella Academy, it was siblings.
And speaking of siblings, it’s time to talk about my favorite evil twin. Since he first stepped on the screen as Kai in Vampire Diaries, I’ve become a total Chris Wood fan. What can I say? The guy knows how to play a villain.
It seems to me that it would be almost impossible to pull off that character. Think about it. You have to have perfect comedic timing in one second and deliver believable, psychopathic lines in the next. But Wood nails it every time with a perfect mix of charm and chaos.
Needless to say, I’ve been thrilled to see him reprise the role on Legacies this month. But, I was absolutely screaming and jumping up and down when he popped up on this week’s SuperGirl in a what-if episode that had him back as Mon-EL. Significant because I believe that his portrayal of this character has been some of the best performances in SG‘s run. Certainly the most dramatic, uplifting, and heart-wrenching. As much as he knows how to play the perfect villain, he has also demonstrated the skills to be the perfect hero. Never too much Chris! Welcome back to these shows. Your CW fans missed you.
That’s all I know for now. 😉 Let me know what you know in the comments.
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.
Vampires, Witches, and Ghosts…oh my!! Are you looking forward to Halloween as much as I am? Beyond consuming copious amounts of fun-size chocolate (don’t judge me, it’s Halloween), I always love to get in the spirit by reading a creepy story. For the blog today, I’ve pulled together some of my new favorites as well as a few of my usual October re-reads. Enjoy.
Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
A jaw-dropping mystery about a woman whose life is turned upside down when she finds out that her husband is a serial killer. She and her kids must go into hiding to protect themselves from the cyber trolls that think she knew about his sinister hobby all along.
Lots of creepy cyberspace stalking, an abundance of interesting characters/suspects, and a soccer mom turned survivalist (reminiscent of Terminator’s Sarah Connor), make me love this new series from one of my all-time favorite authors. The next book in the series, Killman Creek, comes out December 12, 2017.
Frenzy by Casey Bond
Vampires verses zombies in an unsettling dystopia where there are more secrets than you can shake a stake at. Frenzy is the first book in the completed series of the same name.
I listened to these on Audible and found myself shouting out loud at almost every chapter end. Relentless thrills, unforeseen twists (how does she dream up this stuff), and drama that makes you cry one moment and laugh the next make Frenzy a must read.
The Vampire Wish by Michelle Madow
Original twist on the usual vampire stories. The vampire kingdom is separated from our own in a magically protected valley. A girl is kidnapped and pulled into the vampire kingdom to spend the rest of her days as a human slave. A chance encounter, changes her circumstances and brings her closer to her only wish, to become a vampire so that she can escape. The Vampire Wish is the first book in the Dark World series. The fifth book, The Vampire War, is slated to release in December/January.
Reminded me so much of my own Midnight Guardian series with the idea of a world of baddies separated from our world by only a thin layer of magic. A great meshing of contemporary and old world. This fresh take on vampires is a new favorite.
Dark & Deadly Things by Kelly Martin
Things go really, really wrong on the Dark & Deadly Things reality ghosthunter TV show’s live episode. The lead ghosthunter’s daughter and the last remaining survivor of the doomed episode pair up to solve the mystery of what really happened that night. Dark & Deadly Things is the first book of the completed Dark Things series.
Fans of Supernatural and The Conjuring/Annabelle movies will love this ghosthunting series. Don’t read it when home alone (trust me). Seriously creepy and imaginative, Dark & Deadly Things is the perfect Halloween read.
Halfway Dead by Terry Maggert
A loveable witch in a cozy, small town meets a stranger looking for some rare trees in the woods (so they say). In the search, the young witch uncovers and rights the wrongs of the past. Halfway Dead is the first book in the Halfway Witchy series. Halfway Drowned is the recently released fourth book in the series.
Forget Glinda and Elphaba, Carlie is my favorite witch. Ever. There I said it. Girl is powerful and smart, while sometimes vulnerable, and she makes waffles. Amazing descriptions make you feel like you are really there with her. Carlie plus a perfect mix of spooky adventure, cozy mystery, and comedy makes this a well-loved book.
Witch Hearts by Liz Long
Before I met Carlie, I met Ruby. Ruby isn’t all-in when it comes to the creepiness, but she is always there for her friends. When her roommate is killed by something that is apparently hunting witches, Ruby sets off to unravel the mystery. Witch Hearts is a standalone novel, even though I’ve personally begged the author for a second one. Many times.
One of my all-time favorite creepy mysteries, Witch Hearts delivers. Ruby is a very realistic character, so well-developed that I felt like I knew her. I found myself forgetting to breath during the suspenseful parts, and the mystery wraps around your brain and has you thinking of it long after you’ve left the page. Always a favorite re-read for October.
Bait by Kasi Blake
It’s not Bay-Lee’s fault that she is classified as “bait”, the lowest cadet level, at the Van Helsing School. Everyone has to start at the bottom. Secrets abound in this great, paranormal coming-of-age story. Bait is the first book in the Order of Spirit Realm complete series.
Fast action, the Van Helsing connection, and Nick and Bay-Lee’s dramatic relationship had me from the start. A monster mash-up with a strong female lead makes Bait a Halloween tradition.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Haunting prose about a boy that grows up in a cemetery filled with ghosts. My recommendation, don’t read it. Well, no, read it, but then also listen to the audiobook narrated by Neil Gaiman. Neil’s voice brings an all new dimension to the entrancing story. One of the most well-worn paperbacks in my personal library, The Graveyard Book is perhaps my favorite book of all time.
Grave Peril (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
I absolutely adore the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher, which I first picked up on recommendation of another one of my favorite authors, Charlaine Harris. As part of my own Halloween tradition, every October, I make it a point to listen to a Dresden Files book narrated by James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). This year, I chose the audiobook for Grave Peril, remembering its super creepy villain, the Nightmare, and its equally creepy spell that wrapped ghostly barbed wire around its victims. More Charlaine Harris Recommendations (always good)
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Coyote skinwalker Mercedes Thompson is tough. She had to be, being raised by werewolves. The Mercedes Thompson series is one of my most loved. Each book is an intense, action-packed mystery wrought with shifter testosterone, faerie magic, and snarky Mercedes. Moon Called is the first book in the ongoing series.
Those are my top 10 for this year. Have any more to add? Do it in the comments below. As for the creepiest one of my books, check out Shadows Rising.
