Category Archives: Guest Post

Giveaway – The Next Witness by Kirstyn Petras @GoddessFish

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I want to welcome Kirstyn Petras to fundinmental to share her thoughts about characters. Love ’em or hate ’em, they need to draw us into their lives.

One of the interesting, and slightly tricky things about writing unreliable/disagreeable narrators is finding enough in them to make readers like them enough to care, but also have a healthy distaste for their flaws. Anti-heroes are very fun to write and create, to have a combination of sympathy and odiousness to keep the story interesting. A mentality of “it’s okay if they’re hurt, but maybe don’t?”

            Balancing Melody in The Next Witness is my best example of this. In the writing process, I had conflicting advice from beta readers – some that wanted to enhance her more asshole characteristics, and others that wanted to enhance her good qualities. But, I enjoyed the discussion because it was a reflection of her role within the story as well. Is she weak, vulnerable, and innocent? Or the leader of a movement that allows its members to die without a second thought? Should readers care about her fate? Absolutely. But with the acknowledgment that she is a deeply flawed human, not wholly good or bad, just a product of a very cold, claustrophobic environment.

            Derek is similar, he is not a genius, he places himself in an environment in which he realizes, too late, he has no control over. Alexander is absolutely responsible for his actions, but he is also attempting to survive and advance in a society that has drilled certain expectations of his behavior into his head.

            It’s so easy to vilify or glorify. Writing this book was a chance to explore the layers in between, and I hope readers feel the same.

Thanks so much for visiting Kirsyan. I love this simple cover. Says so much with so little.

The Next Witness by Kirstyn Petras

GENRE: Thriller

BLURB

Alexander Covington is hunting a traitor: Melody Karsh, a missing girl accused of treason, a Party member who has forsaken her country. But, letters are appearing in mailboxes, being slipped beneath doors, and in the pockets of passersby. “Free Melody” is being spray painted on walls. Her image – cold, shivering, pathetic – has captured the public’s attention and sympathy.

Melody has no idea that her name is being used to start a movement, not until the executions of those demanding her freedom start airing on television.

Derek Lin would feel sympathy, if he didn’t blame Melody for the deaths of those who have disappeared without a trace, caught up in the investigation to find her.

Melody must choose to join the fight or stand aside. Derek will become a leader or break under the pressure. Alexander will decide how many bodies must fall to save his own life.

EXCERPT

“Well, we thank you very much, Detective Covington, for your time and encourage the public to cooperate fully. And now, a word from our sponsors.”

“Clear!” Morgan called, and Covington stood up. He ripped the microphone off his blazer, and, without a word, strode out of the studio. Morgan started screaming the second he was out of earshot.

“Do you want us shut down?! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”

“Morgan, what is he going to do?” Denise asked, leaning back. “Look, he didn’t want me to ask a question, and I did anyway. They never actually announce stories like this. I wanted to know why – how far she could have gotten – the fact he didn’t answer doesn’t make that look good, does it?”

Morgan gaped at her, before returning to the mixing booth. Derek followed her and peeked over her shoulder to watch the playback.

There, on the screen, were the pictures of the so-called terrorists. And there was her picture. She’d been at the bar, waiting for Sean, however long ago. He’d seen her picture, the background of Sean’s phone, heard Sean talk about her, mope about her, drink himself stupid over her.

“We have a problem.” He muttered to Morgan.

“What?” Morgan jumped, not having seen him following her. “Why?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Kirstyn Petras is a fiction writer and commodities reporter but primarily identifies as caffeine in a human suit held together by hair spray and sheer force of will. She currently resides in Texas, though claims home as a combination of New York and Edinburgh. When not writing, she trains contortion and aerial hoop. She has been published in Punk Noir, and is the co-host of Dark Waters, a literary podcast exploring all that is dark, ready, and wonderfully twisted.

Website / Twitter

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Giveaway – Friends To The End by C L Colyer @CherieColyer @GoddessFish

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Friends to the End by Cherie Colyer

GENRE: Middle Grade Action Adventure

Hi, and thanks for having me on your blog!

I’m not sure if it’s common knowledge, but traditionally published authors have limited control over the cover of their books. The Wild Rose Press has a Cover Sheet with basic questions like genre, tone, elements an author would like to see on the cover, and hero/heroine descriptions. Once the form is submitted, their talented cover artists take over.

For Friends to the End, I felt the tone of the cover should be suspenseful, mysterious, and just a little spooky. It’s a ghost adventure, after all. And since Zach and his new friends are looking for a mysterious vanishing house, I suggested that the cover might include a spooky house or a room in a spooky house. And maybe even Zach’s silhouette or the silhouette of four kids. From there, it was a waiting game. I had no idea what the cover artist would do.

I was thrilled when I saw what cover artist Diane Carlile put together. I really couldn’t ask for a better cover for this book, and she included elements I hadn’t thought to ask for. The moon is full on the night Zach and his friends find the house, and their first glimpse of the old Victorian home is through the trees. Before they reach the house, they visited a graveyard. And I like that on the cover we only see the backs of the kids. This allows the reader to use their imaginations. The dark purple and yellows give an ominous feel. The cover is better than anything I had imagined. There isn’t anything I hate. I feel lucky about that, but then The Wild Rose Press does a wonderful job on their covers.

What do you think about the cover? Is it spooky, yet not too spooky to scare you away? I hope so because the adventure is worth braving ghosts.

Thanks for having me on your blog!

BLURB

Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he’ll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach’s concerned, it’s his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.

When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach’s not worried. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what’s real and what’s not.

Excerpt

We stopped a few yards from the cemetery, our mouths hanging open and our eyes wide.

“Please tell me you see that,” I whispered.

“If you mean the white lights floating above the ground,” Josh said, “we see it.”

“They’re orbs,” Morgan corrected, as if knowing the proper name for the glowing spheres made it okay to see them.

“Orbs?” Josh asked.

“Spirits of the dead,” I replied, remembering what Morgan had told me.

Dom scooted his bike closer. “Maybe we should ask them if they’ve seen the house.”

“Seriously?” Morgan asked.

“Yeah.”

Morgan shook her head, causing her ponytail to swing from side to side. “Oh, no! I learned my lesson the last time we were here. I’m not stepping one foot off the shoulder of the road.”

“Your right foot is in the grass,” Dom said, shining his flashlight on her sneaker.

Morgan scowled and repositioned herself to have both feet on concrete.

Three iridescent orbs floated over headstones. I thought about the movies that warned people to stay away from the light. Maybe they weren’t warning us about a bright beam of light, but instead small glowing balls. Maybe if one of them touched you, the spirit would take over your body. Maybe they were waiting for someone to be stupid enough to come closer. I suddenly wondered if I’d met anyone who’d been possessed by a spirit and immediately thought of Olivia and her strange habits.

Then I told myself I was being ridiculous.

Or was I? Think about it. How would anyone know if a ghost hitched a ride with the person in front of him or her?

AUTHOR Bio and Links

C.L. Colyer found her love for writing in first grade when her class was sent to the library and asked to find a book for their first book report. While she doesn’t still have this book report, she’s very proud to say she got an A on it. Her favorite thing about the book was that it had no words. That’s right, not one! That gave her the freedom to interpret the pictures in any way she wanted and write her own story.

This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical.  You’ll find examples of this in her novels.

She lives in Illinois with her family.

Keep in Touch:

  • Website: https://cheriecolyer.com/children/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cherie-Colyer-author-250631921629169
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieColyer
  • Instagram: www.instagram.com/cherie_colyer/
  • Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21748654.C_L_Colyer
  • Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/C-L-Colyer/e/B09C6JPT3X/
  • Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cherie-colyer
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Giveaway – Strange Love by T L Bradford @XpressoTours

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StrangeLove
T.L. Bradford
Publication date: April 18th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Archer

The year began great for me.

Became the starting quarterback for an NFL team – check.
Secured a multi-million-dollar contract – check.
Moved to LA and lived the glamorous life – check.

What could possibly cause me any issues?
Oh yeah, one more thing. I’m gay.

I was outed a couple of years ago to my former team and my family, but it hasn’t been made public knowledge yet. Well, that is, until now. I’ll be known as the first LGBTQ+ active player in the league’s history. And if I stick to the conditions of my contract, it won’t be a problem. The thing is, I’m not really a guy known for playing by the rules.

Most people think of my personality as the three B’s: bold, brash, and blunt. My mouth has gotten me into more predicaments than I can count. Even my best friends have told me I’m stubborn as a mule and have the delicacy of a bull in a china shop. This presents a big problem for me because I have my eyes set on winning over the guy who stole my heart years ago, only he doesn’t know it yet.

Getting his attention is going to be challenging. It’s a good thing I’m tenacious.
Unfortunately, it’s not great timing and could get me into a whole mess of trouble.
Why does falling for a guy need to be anyone’s business but mine?

Kai

The past couple of years were a whirlwind of activity. My career took off after my guest shot appearance in Americana. I appeared in a few indie features and finally got a shot at my first major motion picture release. The work came as a great distraction from my personal life, which took a further nosedive after I found out the guy I was falling for had already fallen for someone else.

Why should I be surprised? He was another in a string of failed relationship attempts. I swore I wouldn’t get involved with anyone else, choosing to stay focused on my career instead. That is, until the force of nature known as Archer McMillan came storming into my life.

To be the pursued instead of the pursuer was not in the cards. To top it off, he’s everything I’m not. Yet, there’s something to be said for a guy who can make you laugh when it’s the last thing you want to be doing. I’ll admit he’s got a playful and determined spirit. Archer also has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve ever known. Not the mention the cute way he… Hold on. What am I doing? We cannot be a thing. Nope. Not gonna happen. Ever. Right?

**

Follow Kai and Archer as they cross the lines as friends, partners-in-crime, and confidants, to discover a love beyond boundaries that needs no definition.

(StrangeLove is a funny, heartwarming, slow-burn love story. It contains a cast of fully developed characters that encounter romance, laughter, and life lessons. It contains adult language, mature themes, and is best enjoyed by those over the age of 18. It can be read as a standalone; however, if you would like to know the backstories of some characters, check out the prior books in the series.)

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Peculiarities

He takes the mustard bottle, shakes it up, and then squirts a blob onto the corn dog. He takes a long, leisurely bite.

“How’s the corn dog?”

“It’s pretty good. Do you want a bite?”

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll take some of your fries though.”

He pushes the bag over to me. I dig until I find the ones I want.

He says, “This is why we work. You like the mushy fries on the bottom, and I like the crisp ones. Therefore, no fry goes uneaten.” He pops a big chunky one into his mouth.

“Our quirks work well together.”

“What quirks?”

I stop to stare at him. “You have to admit you have some… peculiarities.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says indignantly.

“Are you being serious? You have a ton of quirks.”

“I most certainly do not. Name one.”

“Let’s start with the entire hand sanitizer thing.”

“What’s wrong with that? Lots of people use sanitizer.”

“You keep it in your pocket, your car, on the set, the bottles are freakin’ everywhere. It’s amazing you haven’t dissolved your fingerprints yet with that stuff.”

“Fine. I have one quirk.”

I throw up my hands. “Hold on. I’m not done. What about not being able to have your food touch? Your plates have compartments in them.”

“That’s… a justifiable quirk.”

I squint at him. “Is it?”

“Yes.”

Lifting my fingers, I start counting off his issues. “You freak out around animals.”

“I already told you about that one.”

“You’re terrified of glitter.”

“They were tossing that stuff around at Gay Pride Fest, yet they never tell you how harmful it can be to your health.”

I huff. “Were you hospitalized?”

“Yes! It was embedded in my eye. I needed minor surgery to have it removed. That was my first and last Pride.”

I sit back and chuckle.

“I had a bad infection! What’s so damn funny?” he asks me.

“You! You’re so damn high strung, I can’t see how you function.”

“I’m not high strung!”

“Dude, you get anxiety over trying to open those plastic bags in the produce section.”

“It was that one time!”

I bend over, howling at how incredulous he is about his own behavior.

“Are you done?”

“This conversation will never be over.” I hold my stomach and laugh out loud.

Author Bio:

T.L. always hated math, so it was a good thing she had a way with words. Since she was a shy and quirky kid; words were her best friends. She would imagine entire worlds in her head and talk to herself endlessly. Her mother wondered if she was speaking with ghosts for a while.

Her older sister was a voracious reader of trashy romance novels and would pass them down to her after she had finished them. T.L. was the only 10-year-old kid sitting in class reading “The Stud” by Jackie Collins during reading time. Oddly enough, she never got called out on it.

As she grew older, her tastes evolved, but one thing held fast; her undying attachment to love stories. One day out of the blue, she decided to write the love stories she always wanted to read instead of searching for her story. Since then, writing has been a dream fulfilled for her and she could not be happier.

She enjoys writing about love, regardless of gender and is a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community.

T.L. calls the Pacific Northwest her home and enjoys the quiet rural life of her little oceanside home with her playful/crazy husband and their giant dog Noah.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub


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Giveaway – Thunder On The Moor by Andrea Matthews @AMatthewsAuthor @GoddessFish

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Thunder on the Moor by Andrea Matthews

GENRE:   historical time travel romance

BLURB

Maggie Armstrong grew up enchanted by her father’s tales of blood feuds and border raids. In fact, she could have easily fallen for the man portrayed in one particular image in his portrait collection. Yet when her father reveals he was himself an infamous Border reiver, she finds it a bit far-fetched—to say the least—especially when he announces his plans to return to his sixteenth century Scottish home with her in tow.

Suspecting it’s just his way of getting her to accompany him on yet another archaeological dig, Maggie agrees to the expedition, only to find herself transported four hundred and fifty years into the past. Though a bit disoriented at first, she discovers her father’s world to be every bit as exciting as his stories, particularly when she’s introduced to Ian Rutherford, the charming son of a neighboring laird. However, when her uncle announces her betrothal to Ian, Maggie’s twentieth-century sensibilities are outraged. She hardly even knows the man. But a refusal of his affections could ignite a blood feud.

Maggie’s worlds are colliding. Though she’s found the family she always wanted, the sixteenth century is a dangerous place. Betrayal, treachery, and a tragic murder have her questioning whether she should remain or try to make her way back to her own time.

To make matters worse, tensions escalate when she stumbles across Bonnie Will Foster, the dashing young man in her father’s portrait collection, only to learn he is a dreaded Englishman. But could he be the hero she’s always dreamed him to be? Or will his need for revenge against Ian shatter more than her heart?

GUEST POST

What’s in a Name: The Border Reiver

To the Border reiver, surname took precedence over all else, including king and country. Oddly enough, it was my surname that introduced me to their tales. I should first note that Matthews is my pen name, not my actual last name – that would be Foster. In fact, I was in the midst of doing some genealogical research when a friend brought the connection to my attention. Foster, it seemed, was a right riding name, the most notable of all being Sir John Forster, warden of the English Middle March in the last half of the sixteenth century. Now, Sir John was a gentleman, but he was no angel, for he was a Forster above all else.

The story intrigued me. Visions of my husband’s ancestors riding across the moors sparked my imagination. I had to know more about these rugged rogues who placed such value on a sense of honor and loyalty to their families, in spite of their nefarious preoccupation with cattle rustling and blackmail, I started formulating a story in my head, a tale of thunder across the moors and forbidden love, for although family came first, national pride was still a consideration, even if it was somewhere down the pecking order after their surname and allegiances they may have formed with other families. The blood feud, however, was a deadly affair, and an affront to any member of your surname or allied family would be an affront to the whole surname.

And so my plot was taking form. These feuds could go on for years and be sparked by anything from a small slight to a full-blown disagreement. I turned back to my research. And as I learned more riding names, I realized how many famous and infamous people carried border names. Men like Lyndon Johnson and Neil Armstrong and Walter Scott. Which of course led me to the latter’s poetry. I admit, he may have romanticized the period a bit, but then I suppose I did as well. Time and distance gives us that luxury. And there was the final piece to my novel —Time.

Alas, I still haven’t traced the family back far enough to make a direct connection to a specific person, but they were from the North of England, and still today have that strong sense of honor and familial loyalty, so I know it’s there. And so, my quest continues. Who knows there may even be a Will Foster back there somewhere?

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Andrea Matthews is the pseudonym for Inez Foster, a historian and librarian who loves to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogical speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science and enjoys the research almost as much as she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. She is the author of the Thunder on the Moor series set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Border, and the Cross of Ciaran series, where a fifteen-hundred-year-old Celt finds himself in the twentieth century. Andrea is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Long Island Romance Writers, and the Historical Novel Society.

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Giveaway – The Light in the Darkness by Jo St Leon #jostleon @GoddessFish

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The Light in the Darkness: Musings on Living With Cancer by Jo St Leon

GENRE:   BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Inspiration & Personal Growth

BLURB

The Light in the Darkness is a must-have companion for anyone living with a serious illness, or caring for a loved one with such an illness.

With this collection of reflections and personal essays, Jo St Leon shares her experiences, her darkest moments and her greatest joys. She tells of the journey from fear and denial to acceptance and a determination to live her best life. She shares her deepest thoughts and feelings, always with her characteristic blend of wry humour and wisdom.

The Light in the Darkness is the book Jo wishes she could have found when she first received her cancer diagnosis.

Tell us about your cover

My cover is a particular source of joy to me. It expresses exactly how I feel after living with a cancer diagnosis for six years. I marvel that the Tellwell designer seemed to read my mind.

My initial requests concerning the cover were very vague. I have no talent for design, and although I had an idea of how I would like it to look, I had no faith that this idea was a good one. I thought that if I gave the very sketchiest of information, the designer would come up with something that looked good. Worst case scenario: I had one revision as part of my publishing package, so I could tweak it, or even perhaps reject it altogether.

My requests were something like: mostly dark, with pops of light. What came back was good beyond my wildest dreams. I don’t know if the cover artist read the book, but s/he encapsulated the whole of the content with this one image. No revisions necessary. I sent back a joyous ‘Oh, yes!’ straight away.

So what is it that I love so much? First, it’s the way that the darkness is a landscape. There are so many shades of dark—near-black, grey, darkening, lightening—the hidden depths are extraordinary, and beautiful. There are mountains and valleys, peaks and troughs. This is very much how receiving a cancer diagnosis felt to me. I didn’t fall into the depths of despair, as I might have expected to do, and my world didn’t turn black. Rather, there was this inner world that didn’t have the vividness of the outer world, but was there for me to explore. The book is really a telling of that exploration.

Then there is the light, and the figure gazing into it. It’s almost a religious image, although it’s not a religious book. But the suggestion of walking towards this transfixing light is irresistible, and very much how it felt as I neared the end of the writing. When the book told me it was finished, and there was nothing I could usefully add, it felt a bit like emerging from a chrysalis. For me, and I think for many people, receiving a serious diagnosis prompts much soul-searching. It’s a search for meaning, a need to understand and integrate one’s shadow self, and a determination to live with authenticity for however many weeks, months or years remain.

I think the cover suggests all this and more, although I don’t think anyone idly picking up the book in a bookshop would instantly say all that I’ve just said. This is where I think the cover is so clever—it suggests mystery and majesty. It invites readers in to find out more.

The lettering on the cover is the work of a very dear calligrapher friend, Gemma Black, who donated her services for what she believed to be an important cause. In recognition of her generosity, I am donating $1 from each book sale to Cancer Research.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Jo St Leon is a musician and writer living in Hobart, Tasmania. Receiving a cancer diagnosis in 2016 prompted her to transition from being a full-time musician who loved to write to being a full-time writer who loves to sometimes play the viola. She shares her house with two very pampered felines. She loves reading, cooking, swimming and yoga.

Connect with Jo St. Leon

Buy The Light in the Darkness            

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Giveaway – The Abdication by Justin Newland #JustinNewland @GoddessFish

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The bullish cover for The Abdication by Justin Newland has me curious. How about you? Does it make you wonder what the book is about? How about a few words from Justin Newland and let him tell us about the cover. Welcome Justin…

GUEST POST

The Cover of The Abdication.

The cover of a book is seminal. Isn’t it said, don’t judge a book by its cover? But we all know, that we do judge it, all the time. Perhaps it’s fair to say that we may not pick up a book because of its cover, but we may well put it down if we don’t like the cover. Either way, it’s an important conduit.

            For all my four novels to date, I have been fortunate to work with a well-known cover artist,  Jim Burns, who lives not far from me in the South West of England. Because his covers obviously have a particular style, having them on all four books has helped me to create a recognisable brand.

            The front cover is shown here. I wanted to have certain features within it, and because of his experience, Jim was able to help me choose the right images and refine their placement and arrangement.

A cover has to tell a story, and to draw the prospective reader in to want to open the book and read more, or at least read the back cover blurb. It has to make a strong statement about the book, its genre, its setting, and its main theme(s).

            Therefore, the central figure in the story has to have a central place in the book cover. In the case of The Abdication, that’s the horned, black, bull-headed figure, aka the Hebrew god Moloch.

            He was an interesting and challenging figure. If the ancient Hebrews believed they had displeased the god in some way, their priests would tell them to make sacrifices to him.

            The setting for the novel is a fictional ravine. The ravine itself plays a large part in the novel, so it’s fitting that it’s also included in the front cover.

            On one side of the ravine is a town called Topeth (shown on the front cover) and Unity is on the other side (shown on the back cover). A slender rope bridge joins the two towns. The setting is on the top of a mountain somewhere in Israel, in the Middle East, hence the scorched, sandy look of the rock, the land, and the brick walls.

            The houses and buildings in Topeth resemble those of the Middle East, and give further clues as to the setting. In the lower right-hand corner of the front cover is a wooden hut, in front of which two men dressed in Arab clothing guard the entrance to the rope bridge.

            In the background, upper right, is a derelict Acropolis, its pillars standing forlorn against the backdrop of a blue sky and high, wispy cirrus clouds. While the Acropolis is originally Greek, the image of the building or the temple is used here to represent ancient wisdom and ancient ways of understanding things.  

            This is all the main images of the front cover. It’s the artist who then puts them all together, and creates a unified image, leaving the titles to be placed top and bottom.

Justin Newland

23rd February, 2022

Amazon

The Abdication by Justin Newland

GENRE: Supernatural Thriller

BLURB

The town of Unity sits perched on the edge of a yawning ravine where, long ago, a charisma of angels provided spiritual succour to a fledgeling human race. Then mankind was granted the gift of free will and had to find its own way, albeit with the guidance of the angels. The people’s first conscious act was to make an exodus from Unity – they built a rope bridge across the ravine and founded the town of Topeth. For a time, the union between the people of Topeth and the angels of Unity was one of mutual benefit. After that early spring advance, there had been a torrid decline in which mankind’s development resembled a crumpled, fading autumnal leaf.

Following the promptings of an inner voice, Tula, a young woman from the city, trudges into Topeth. Her quest is to abide with the angels and thereby discover the right and proper exercise of free will. To do that, she has to cross the bridge – and overcome her vertigo.

Topeth is in upheaval; the townsfolk blame the death of a child on dust from the nearby copper mines. The priests have convinced them that a horde of devils have thrown the angels out of Unity and now occupy the bridge, possessing anyone who trespasses on it. Then there’s the heinous Temple of Moloch!

The Abdication is the story of Tula’s endeavour to step upon the path of a destiny far greater than she could ever have imagined.

EXCERPT

19.       The Freedom of Prison

Evening was a special time in Topeth. As the pall of dusk fell upon the rooftops, the birdsong quietened to a hush. For the moment, though, prison bars prevented Tula from enjoying it.

From what Enoch had said, mankind’s ignorance and cruelty had unduly restrained the angels. Humans were granted the freedom to spark warmth into the freezing cold of the Universe. Angels and humans were partners in a grand dance, in which the ballroom was the Universe, and the orchestra was the Creator. That sacred dance was meant to be a thrilling voyage of discovery, and most important of all, of mutual benefit. Angels were the keepers of the next step for mankind. In passing it on to humanity, they, the angels, through a spiritual osmosis or transference, could learn about the great human qualities such as wisdom, benevolence and compassion.

While they waited for humanity to make the full and final retreat from barbarism, the angels were custodians of that noble purpose. She had no idea if, or when, that would ever happen. But while she lived, she would die trying. What else was more honourable to do with the great gift of life? Angels could learn nothing from people who danced to the tune of the merchant or who bowed before the altar of self-gratification. Ignoring the Covenant, humanity had fallen from its state of grace, not because of some wicked snake, but because they consciously chose to.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Justin Newland is an author of historical fantasy and secret history thrillers – that’s history with a supernatural twist. His stories feature known events and real people from history which are re-told and examined through the lens of the supernatural. He gives author talks and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

His Books

The Genes of Isis is a tale of love, destruction and ephemeral power set under the skies of Ancient Egypt. A re-telling of the Biblical story of the flood, it reveals the mystery of the genes of Isis – or genesis – of mankind. ISBN 9781789014860.

“The novel is creative, sophisticated, and downright brilliant! I couldn’t ask more of an Egyptian-esque book!” – Lauren, Books Beyond the Story.

The Old Dragon’s Head is a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. It explores the secret history of the influences that shaped the beginnings of modern times.  ISBN 9781789015829.

‘The author is an excellent storyteller.” – British Fantasy Society.

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation reveals the secret history of the Industrial Revolution. ISBN 9781838591885.

“The novel explores the themes of belonging, outsiders… religion and war…  filtered through the lens of the other-worldly.” – A. Deane, Page Farer Book Blog.

His latest, The Abdication (July, 2021), is a suspense thriller, a journey of destiny, wisdom and self-discovery. ISBN 9781800463950. 

“In Topeth, Tula confronts the truth, her faith in herself, faith in a higher purpose, and ultimately, what it means to abdicate that faith.”

V. Triola, Coast to Coast.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / BUY LINK: https://amzn.to/3LYX5E8

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Giveaway – The Gingerbread Curse by April Marcom @AprilMarcom @GoddessFish

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The colors on the cover for The Gingerbread Curse by April Marcom sure caught my eye and made me curious…and Run, run as fast as you can. The moment you stop, you’re a dead man…what the hell is that all about? LOL

Amazon

The Gingerbread Curse by April Marcom

GENRE:   Fantasy/Fairy Tale

BLURB

All her life, Falon’s grandfather told her the age-old tale of ‘The Gingerbread Man’. Even as a teenager, she’d fallen asleep to his favorite bedtime story, a special tradition she knew she’d never outgrow.  However, when he makes a dying wish, asking her to visit a secret underground world of magic to rescue the best friend he left behind fifty years ago, the tale begins to come to life.

Setting out with her self-obsessed cousin and a cure for the magicked man with skin like gingerbread, she finds herself tangled within an adventure nothing like the story her grandfather always told.

Once having found the long lost man of her grandfather’s youth, her only hope of ever returning home, or even surviving his world, lies in the talons of a deadly hybrid she scarcely trusts. Together they must face the animals taken from the children’s tale and magicked into monsters, a man who can move mountains who is bent on killing them all, and a labyrinth rumored to have never allowed a survivor.

AUTHOR GUEST POST

I am usually attracted to a book, first and foremost, by its cover. So, whenever I get the chance to have an author share firsthand their thoughts, and here is what April Marcom had to say:

Topic: Discuss your cover — how it came to be, what it represents, what you love or don’t love about it, etc.  Anything you’d like to share about it.

It’s been so many years, it’s hard to remember exactly what ideas or descriptions I sent to 5 Prince Publishing in the book cover request form. I’m sure I described the magical underground world and the poisonous, deadly maze Falon has to travel through for most of the story. But the cover came out great. It’s an underground image with Falon running toward the gold pool of immortality, taken from a scene early in the story. I love the ‘catch phrase’ of sorts printed across the top of the cover: “Run, run as fast as you can. The moment you stop, you’re a dead man.” My favorite part has got to be the beautiful gold lettering of the book’s title, though. 5 Prince Publishing always makes amazing book covers! They capture the story in one shot beautifully. 

A thrill shot through me as I approached the spectacular tree. Something wonderful was about to happen, or something I might very well regret for the rest of my life. Either way, I was simply too hungry, and there was too much time ahead of me with no food, to have a choice in eating it or not…

I stared at all the tear drops. None stood out especially. The ones closer to the trunk of the tree were the biggest. My appetite was pushing me in their direction. I followed one of the branches inward, wondering if a larger crystal meant a stronger ability. No amount of time trying to decide which one would make any difference. And part of me was terribly excited to discover which of Sierra’s ‘gifts’ I was about to inherit.

The leaves twinkled and sparkled against one another. I reached out for the largest one in sight, wondering if it might give me fearlessness or musical ability or wisdom beyond my years, but stopped at the last moment when I noticed the one hanging just above it. Frost-like patterns etched over the higher crystal created a perfect calligraphy F. It was as if my name was written on it. This was the one.

I reached out with both hands and cupped them around the leaf, catching nearly every purple petal. They had a chill to them, and felt damp as if they’d been painted with fresh morning dew. The rest liquefied, one by one, as they hit the ground.

Cautiously, I ate one petal. The sweet burst that erupted like grape juice inside my mouth was so delightful, I ate the rest without restraint.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

April Marcom works as a Pre-K teacher’s assistant, but her true passion is writing. When she’s not teaching or creating stories, she’s enjoying the country life with her car-obsessed husband and three fabulous children. She also enjoys rainy days, traveling, and her very rowdy dogs. April grew up a southern bell in Mississippi, but is now a proud Oklahoman.

Website / Twitter

Buy links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Apple

The book will be $0.99.

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Giveaway – Blinded By Love by Gladys Cross @GoddessFish #GladysCross

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Blinded by Love by Gladys Cross

GENRE: Romantic Comedy, (RomCom), Contemporary

Here at fundinmental, I enjoy seeing what the authors like to share, so I left the topic for discussion up to Gladys Cross.

Things that make you go hmm…….

Recently I was asked in a podcast if I thought there was anything missing from the romance genre and immediately all the recommendations posts I read on a daily basis sprang to mind. The most common theme I’d noticed lately was paranormal romance readers clamoring for more mature characters that let the heroine have a say. A lot of readers mentioned they couldn’t identify with teenage characters, or they didn’t always want the man to save the day.

This was very thought provoking, and I wondered if I’d secretly harbored these same feelings and just not given it a second thought considering I write about the characters these readers desired. None of the women in any of my books are wilting daisies waiting on price charming. In fact, in my Order Bound Series, the women save the day more often than the men. None of them are young either.

Something still bothered me, though. Was I subconsciously writing for how I felt at this time in my life? Granted, I’m equal opportunity with ethnicity and weight in my characters, but was I missing some key component?

I’d love to hear what you guys would love to see happen in the romance genre. Drop me a line or stalk me HERE. I’m not shy.

BLURB

Kassie knew she was in trouble when her matchmaking best friend announced she’d gotten professional help in time for Valentine’s Day. Her friend’s attempts had always been hilariously ridiculous and never in a million years was Kassie expecting a hunky firefighter to show up on her doorstep.

Her online dating profile said she was looking for a superhero, and Declan couldn’t help but believe it had to be fate. But fate was a fickle mistress who left him to wonder who he was behind the mask. He’d been hiding in plain sight for long enough that he wasn’t sure if he even knew the answer. And until he figured that out, he had nothing to offer the world, let alone Kassie.

Love had already ended in tragedy once for Kassie, and she feared that history was doomed to repeat itself unless Declan could learn to trust her with his secrets. This time around, would it be enough to harden her heart for good, or would his deception restore her faith in second chances?

EXCERPTS

Excerpt from Declan:

“Declan went on a date and called me from in front of her apartment.” There was a hushed conversation that I only caught bits and pieces of, mainly hugged, and thought he was gay. Fuck my life, I thought as I drove down the long straight-away leading out of her apartment complex. “Are you still there?”

“Of course, I’m still here. Who else am I going to call Spencer?” I asked sarcastically. “I’m not even sure the boy’s balls have dropped yet.”

Sadly, there was no one else I could call for love advice outside the guys from the firehouse and it made me miss my mom that much more. Hell, she’d probably be calling Kassie herself, asking what colors she wanted for the baby blanket. 

“He is eighteen,” Webster said pulling me from my melancholy. “It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”

I snorted. “Do you remember that call we went on where there was an eighty-year-old dude in leather that had lost the keys to his handcuffs?”

He chuckled. “Don’t remind me, and I mean that literally. I’m still not fully recovered, and that was two years ago.” There was silence on the other end of the line as I drove under the overpass. The nothingness went on for long enough that I wondered if we’d gotten disconnected when he snapped his fingers. “Call her back right now and ingeminate the date tomorrow.”

“Do what with the date?”

“Repeat the date.” He huffed an exasperated sigh. “You didn’t make it to the movies, right?”

“Webster you’re a genius!”

“And Declan. This time kiss the girl, so she doesn’t have to ask if you’re a homosexual.”

“She only asked me that because I admitted to watching every episode of Sex and The City.” I hit my head against the back of the seat. “Never mind, I just heard myself, I am an idiot.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Books transport us to a fantasy world where anything can happen, and once I overcame my difficulties in learning how to read, I was hooked. My mother always carried a Harlequin Romance with her, so it was only natural that I was drawn to that genre. There was something magical about the concept of eternal love and as I grew older, my tastes within the genre broadened to include everything from historical to dark.

My writing blossomed in much the same way. The first story I wrote was the Vanderbilt Affair, which was inspired by a field trip. Back then, I was fortunate enough to have an English teacher willing to nurture my love of writing by becoming my editor after school.

The writing bug stayed with me, but over the years, life got in the way, and it wasn’t until my early forties that I published my first short story in a Christmas Anthology. From there, I began writing and publishing across many sub-genres, with each book carrying some element of the unexpected.

When I’m not up to devious pursuits, like shooting a character, you’ll find me curled up with a book next to my dog, watching TV with my better half, or engaging in random water gun fights with my daughter and the neighborhood kids.

Stalk Me!

  • Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3w9JkKM
  • Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2102530.Gladys_Cross
  • Facebook Private Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3772742262760749/?ref=share
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladys.cross.author/?hl=en
  • Tiktok: http://tiktok.com/@authorgladyscross

The book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour. Buy Link: Amazon

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Giveaway, Guest Post & Excerpt for Santa’s Destiny by Tami Lund @RoxanneRhoads

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So I’m a romance author. That means a lot of things, but mostly, it means I crave a happily ever after so much that I feel inclined to write about it, over and over again.

Is there a reason I feel compelled to figure out a happy ending for every heroine in every book I ever have – and ever will – write? Is it because reality is so terrible that I just need to escape from it, through the written word?

Let me tell you how my husband and I met…

I was 25. He was 31. I was at a point in my life where I was finally happy; secure, comfortable being single and living on my own. Throughout college I dreamed of finding Prince Charming and settling down and birthing adorable little babies. Unfortunately, the boys I dated in college, and shortly thereafter, were anything but Prince Charming. Eventually I realized I was having far too much fun simply hanging out with my girlfriends and I figured if Prince Charming existed, he’d come along… Someday.

I should mention that, at the time, I lived in Louisiana and the hubs-to-be lived in Michigan.

Before you think, how in the world…? Let me add that I am originally from Michigan and the vast majority of my family still lives there.

We met in May.

A dear friend was graduating from broadcasting school (in Michigan) and asked me to go to the ceremony and after-party. I had some vacation time, and I hadn’t been home in a while, so I decided to burn two weeks and spend it up north.

Turns out, the hubs-to-be was graduating from broadcasting school, too. At the same time. In the same class. Notable event from the graduation ceremony: My girlfriend’s brother and I sat in one row, while her parents sat two rows behind us. I asked my future in-laws to please move for a moment so I could take a picture of my friend’s parents.

My future husband and I didn’t officially meet at the ceremony. Nope, not yet.

It was at the party, afterward. My friend’s brother and I sat at a table in a corner, indulging in alcoholic beverages and pretending we were commentators on The Talk(or whatever version of that show existed back in 1998), while my social butterfly friend flitted about the room, celebrating with her classmates. At one point, she was out on the dance floor with my hubs-to-be and a few minutes later, she came bee-bopping over to our table.

“Hey, Tami. See that guy out there?” she asked, motioning toward the dance floor.

I nodded.

“He wants to know if you’d be interested in a one-night stand.”

What?!

(The joke I like to tell now a-days is, “He sure ended up with a hell of a long one-night stand.”)

I was naturally affronted and maybe a little intrigued (oh yes, this is reality; you are not reading a novel right now), so I downed the rest of my drink and headed out to the dance floor. To this day, I have no earthly idea what I intended to do or say. All I know is that we immediately began dancing, then we eventually took a break so that I could go to the restroom, and when I returned, he had a plate in his hand with a piece of cheesecake perched on it, and he fed me the cheesecake.

Let me be clear: He fed me cheesecake. Swoon.

I probably would have gone home with him then and there, except the biggest joke of all is that he absolutely was not that kind of guy. He had been trying to be funny. Instead of a laugh, he ended up with a wife. Joke’s on him…?

We spent quite literally every single day of the rest of my vacation together. I met his parents (officially). We discussed bridesmaids and groomsmen (nope, not kidding). I met his best friend, who had to give his stamp of approval before the hubs-to-be could officially date me. (Apparently he had a history of picking up the wrong kind of woman. Maybe he should have changed his pickup line. Or maybe not.)

The day I left to fly back home to Louisiana, I had his demo tape tucked into my luggage. At the time, I worked in PR, and was friendly with the general manager of one of the local television stations located in the city in which I lived. The hubs to be was trying to break into the industry, and wasn’t particular about whether that would occur in his home state of Michigan or somewhere else.

We met on May 1st. The week of Memorial Day, he flew down to visit me and interview for a job at the local television station. They offered him the job that same day.  My BFF had to meet him and give her stamp of approval (hey, fair’s fair, right?).

At the end of the week, he flew home and gave his two weeks’ notice at the current job. He moved into my apartment six weeks after we met. And proposed at Christmas. We were married six months later. And still are, 22 years later.

Mostly happily.

So why do I write romance? I guess the answer is: because it happened to me.





Santa’s Destiny
Tami Lund

Genre:  Paranormal Romcom/Chick Lit
Publisher: Tami Lund
Date of Publication:  12/1/2021
ISBN:9781005702335
ASIN:  B09HQ2XDFZ
Number of pages:  68
Word Count: 17,851
Cover Artist: Kathryn R. Biel 

Tagline: This elf is in for the sleigh ride of her life

Book Description: 

Des (don’t call her Destiny—she hates that name) is an elf with a problem. A jolly, red-suit wearing, gift-bearing, reindeer-loving problem.

Turns out, someone has stolen Santa Claus’s magic. And it’s three days before Christmas. What’s an elf to do?

Help him out, of course. That’s her specialty, after all.

Except that creates a whole new problem: Des has to work closely with the Man in Red while keeping her presents under wraps, because there is definitely one thing she will not do.

Ride in Santa’s sleigh tonight.


Amazon US      Apple      Nook      Kobo


“Get up. It’s time to go.”

“I’m already up,” Santos, aka Santa Claus, replied while rolling his hips, which earned him a scowl from me and a giggle from his companion.

I turned to the blond bimbo. Okay, to be fair, I had no idea if she was a bimbo. Santos had the ability to pull pretty much all women from rocket scientists to, er, candy cane lickers under his seductive spell. Truth be told, they all became candy cane lickers once he set his sights on them.

“Listen, honey, he’s a one-and-done kind of guy. He’ll use you to get his rocks off”—Christmas euphemisms were Santos’s thing, not mine—“and walk away and never talk to you again. Is that what you really want?”

She eyed the still-impressive bulge in his shorts. “If I get an orgasm out of it, I’m game.”
Mentally, I slapped my palm against my forehand. In actuality, I ground my teeth. “You’ll be out of luck. Giving, at least in that respect, is not how he rolls.”

“Hey—” Santos started.

“How do you know?” Blondie interrupted.

“Yeah, do tell,” Santos added. “Did I miss something along the way? Did I stuff your stocking and neglect to eat your milk and cookies? Maybe we need a do-over.” He eyed me like I’d seriously ever give him a first time let alone a do-over.

“Never have I ever, and never will I ever,” I proclaimed. “I know of him. His reputation. We’ve run in the same circles for a long time.” A few centuries too long, but who was counting?
Blondie’s focus shifted to my outfit. “Why are you wearing so many clothes?”

“Yeah,” Santos said, “you should take them off. Unwrap that present for me.”

Blondie giggled. I glared at her. “Do you even realize that he’s flirting with me?”

She shrugged. “He flirts with everyone. And everything he says makes Christmas sound so dirty.” There she went, staring at his candy cane again.

I bent and grabbed a sheer wrap and tossed it at her before slapping Santos’s leg. “Time to go, Father Christmas. You’re under my protection now.”

He groaned. “You aren’t seriously still doing that whole saving souls gig, are you, Des?”

“As you well know,” I retorted, “since you’ve been dodging me for days now.”

“Sugar plum, if I’d known you were chasing me, I would have slowed my sleigh so you could have a ride.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Should I call you Mrs. Claus instead?”

“Don’t ever fucking call me that.”

The jerk had the gall to laugh at my obvious indignation.

“Do you ever stop?” I demanded.

He rolled his hips again. “Wanna climb my North Pole and find out?”




About the Author:

Tami Lund—author, wine drinker, award winner. Lover of romance. Writing happily ever afters, one book at a time. 

Those happy endings come in contemporary and paranormal, so pick your poison. Or try them all. You’re bound to find something that curls your toes and makes you smile.



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Giveaway – If Darkness Takes Us by Brenda Marie Smith @bsmithnovelist @GoddessFish

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If Darkness Takes Us by Brenda Marie Smith

GENRE:   post-apocalyptic science-fiction

BLURB:

In suburban Austin, Texas, Bea Crenshaw secretly prepares for apocalypse, but when a solar pulse destroys modern life, she’s left alone with four grandkids whose parents don’t return home. She must teach these kids to survive without power, cars, phones, running water, or doctors in a world fraught with increasing danger. And deciding whether or not to share food with her starving neighbors puts her morality to the test.

If Darkness Takes Us is realistic post-apocalyptic science-fiction that focuses on a family in peril, led by a no-nonsense grandmother who is at once funny, controlling, and heroic in her struggle to hold her family together with civility and heart.

The book is available now. It’s sequel, If the Light Escapes, is told in the voice of Bea’s eighteen-year-old grandson, Keno Simms, and will be released by SFK Press on August 24, 2021.


“Bea Crenshaw is one of the most unique characters in modern literature—a kick-ass Grandma who is at once tough and vulnerable, and well-prepared to shepherd her extended family through an EMP disaster, or so she thinks.”

—Laura Creedle, Award-winning Author of The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily


“There is real, identifiable humanity, subtle and sweet and sad, and events utterly shattering in their intensity.”

—Pinckney Benedict, Author of Dogs of God, Miracle Boy, and more

GUEST POST

WHY AREN’T MORE OLD WOMEN ON OUR SCIENCE-FICTION SCREENS?

Has anyone else noticed that there aren’t many old women in our science-fiction television and movies? Yet, we have no shortage of old men.

I wanted to know why, so I did the most scientific thing I could think of. I asked the Twitterverse for old women sci-fi characters—pivotal characters who were truly old as opposed to middle-aged.

It surprised me when most women Twitter came up with were not old but were perceived to be. All the women in this list were in their 50s in the latest versions of these shows, except for one, who was 62.

  • President Laura Roslin, from Battlestar Galactica, played by Mary McDonnell.
  • Madison Clark in Fear the Walking Dead, played by Kim Dickens.
  • Dr. Abigail Griffin in The 100, brought to life by Paige Turco.
  • River Song from Doctor Who, played by Alex Kingston.
  • Lt. Nyota Uhura, from the original Star Trek, played by Nichelle Nichols. The cast from 1960s TV made six movies into 1991, and out of the seven core characters, she was the only woman.
  • Princess Leia Organa of Star Wars fame, portrayed by the now-departed Carrie Fisher.
  • Sarah Connor from The Terminator series, whom Linda Hamilton has played since 1984. She made another appearance in Terminator: Dark Fate in 2019.
  • Sarah Connor , in The Walking Dead, portrayed by Melissa McBride. Maybe people think of her as old because her hair is gray, but Carol is living through a zombie apocalypse. It’s enough to make a tweener go gray. It’s not like she can color her hair, something I’ve been doing since 1983, and I’ve just hit retirement age.

That said, a few actual old women characters do exist in our on-screen science-fiction, though they be scarce, and they often have a caveat. Many are played by women who are younger than the age of their character.

  • Mother Abagail Freemantle in Stephen King’s The Stand, 106 years old. In the 1994 miniseries, Mother Abagail was played by Ruby Dee, 72 at the time.
  • Ellen Ripley, better known as Ripley in Alien, is arguably the most badass woman character in all of science-fiction. In Aliens, which came out seven years after Alien, 57 years have transpired while Ripley was in hyper-sleep. Ripley is supposed to be 87 in Aliens, yet she’s played by 37-year-old Sigourney Weaver.
  • The Ancient One from Doctor Strange is a man in the comic books, but is a Celtic woman in the movies, played by Tilda Swinton, who is not ancient.
  • Professor Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter, a 70-year-old portrayed by a fittingly old Maggie Smith. Finally! A badass old woman who hasn’t hyper-slept and who first springs to fictional life already old. Smith was 67 in the first Harry Potter movie and 77 for the final one.
  • Sara Jane Smith, portrayed by Elisabeth Sladen, was a recurring character on Doctor Who from 1973 up until 2011, when Sladen passed away at age 65.
  • The Oracle in The Matrix, played by Gloria Foster in the first 1999 movie when she was 66.
  • Chrisjen Avasarala a powerful UN executive from The Expanse. Shohreh Aghdashloo is 68 in the most recent episodes and appears to be a similar age in her role.
  • Melisandre from Game of Thrones, a witch played by Carice van Houten, 43 when the series ended. In the story, Melisandre is disguised as a younger woman. SPOILER ALERT: When Melisandre finally lets go of her young body, she’s so ancient she turns to dust.
  • Aereon in Chronicles of Riddick, portrayed by Judy Dench at age 69.
  • Secondary and tertiary characters played important roles: The clan of older women in Mad Max: Fury Road to whom Charlize Theron transports the young women on their mad ride across the Outback; the Vulcan priestesses in Star Trek; the Bene Gesserit school of witches in Frank Herbert’s Dune; T’pau from classic Star Trek, who made Kirk and Spock fight to the death. There are others, but not many.

I’m detecting another pattern. I get that we’re talking about science-fiction and fantasy and these are wonderful stories, but why are so many of the few old women characters either royalty, priestesses, seeresses, or witches? It’s empowering for these women on the one hand, but it’s also distancing. It’s almost as though old women without special powers or high social status aren’t considered good enough for sci-fi. Meanwhile, we have old men sci-fi characters out the wazoo. I counted forty of them in Games of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Fear the Walking Dead alone.

My point here is that elder women throughout history have been the keepers of family and tribal history, repositories of collective knowledge, nurturers and teachers of the young, and keepers of peace in the family and neighborhood. It’s far past time to tap into the wisdom and experience that elder women have to offer. And what better place to start than with our storytelling?

My apocalyptic sci-fi novel, If Darkness Takes Us, stars a 70-year-old woman whose only special power is her fierce love for her grandchildren. Someone needs to put this story on the screen pronto. Naturally, I would think that, but seriously…

Because here’s the thing: I am a badass old woman, and I want to see regular women like myself facing down their fears and insecurities and performing heroic feats on the screen. I want our stories to show respect for old women as a crucial part of the human family. It’s not too much to ask.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

2018-10-18_Brenda Marie Smith

Brenda Marie Smith lived off the grid for many years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. She’s been a community activist, managed student housing co-ops, produced concerts to raise money for causes, done massive quantities of bookkeeping, and raised a small herd of teenage boys.

Brenda is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their own limitations to find their inner heroism. She and her husband reside in a grid-connected, solar-powered home in South Austin, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.

Her first novel, Something Radiates, is a paranormal romantic thriller; If Darkness Takes Us and its sequel, If the Light Escapes, are post-apocalyptic science fiction.

Social Media:

Buy links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / BookPeople Austin

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