Category: Fantasy

In the Author Spotlight: Chatting with Angel Martinez on Writing, Endangered Fae and Much More! (contest)

spotlight on booksDiego Endangered Fae coverFinn_432(1) coverSemper Fae cover

ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Sits Down with

Angel Martinez to chat about  her Endangered Fae series, writing, and 

much more!

 

 

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I fell in love with Angel Martinez and her Endangered Fae series from my first introduction to Finn, the Fae in question, and his lover Diego in Finn (Endangered Fae#1).  A first interview with the author followed, as did the second book, Diego (Endangered Fae #2).  By now I was captured up in the universe Martinez had built for her series and the characters involved.  So  when I heard the third  novel was coming out, I knew that a second interview was needed to learn more about the author and the series as it evolves.

Contest: Angel Martinez has brought along a copy of  Finn (Endangered Fae #1) to give away.  To enter to win an eBook copy of Finn, leave a comment below, along with an email address where you can be contacted.  In addition, STRW is offering up a eBook copy of Semper Fae as a prize as well.  Two Endangered Fae books, two winners! You must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Contest ends midnight EDT on July 25th.

 

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STRW:  Endangered Fae combines a number of mythologies. Native American, Irish…what prompted that combination and which ones to choose from?

Angel Martinez: Myth and folklore are passions of mine, from when I was very young. Part of that probably stems from the leftover bits of the old ways in my mother’s and grandmother’s kitchen wisdom, (Stir that in one direction! You’ll upset the kitchen spirits!) and partly from a fascination with fairytales that morphed into something more.

The Irish/British Isles mythology stems right from the pooka himself, who is a mostly Irish spirit. In the second book on, Finn’s associations extend to more of the creatures of that myth/folklore region since those would be the people he knew. Later on, the world expands further as we travel further, so we run into creatures of Arabian myth as well.

The Algonquian mythology was also a matter of geography. Finn and Diego travel to Nova Scotia, so what they met there needed to be local as well.

STRW:  The Fae continue to fascinate and they appear in many forms from the elegant “human” type to the alien and frightening “Good folk” in the old tradition. Which appeals to you?

Angel Martinez: I actually like both, and pookas, while they can appear as handsome humans, are more “good folk” than Tolkien elvish. For the purposes of romance, the fae I’ve chosen throughout the series as love interests are ones who are more humanoid and beautiful, but our heroes encounter many different types along the way, some lovely, but some alien and strange.

STRW:  Did or do you have a muse for this series? If so, what was it? Or who?

Angel Martinez:  I don’t often have muses, but Finn insisted on taking the job. He’s more real to me some days than the people in my neighborhood (and often more sensible.) Authors often talk about characters communicating with them or demanding things. It often seems a silly conceit, but Finn’s been beside me, whispering in my ear, for many years now.

STRW:  You write in a number of genres. Do you feel that is important for you as a writer to continue to do so? Do you have a favorite?

Angel Martinez:   I think it’s important for an author to have a recognizable milieu. You pick up Anne Rice, you’re pretty sure what you’re going to get. While I’ve done a couple of short contemporary pieces, I concentrate on Science Fiction and Fantasy because that’s what I love, as a reader and as a writer. I’ve set myself up so that readers (I hope) will see the name and make that instant connection (Oh, yes! She writers SFF.)

Mind you, I’m adamant about the fact that Science Fiction and Fantasy are *not* the same thing. There are distinct differences that shouldn’t be muddied if you want a believable story and when I write, I feel that they use different parts of my brain. SF uses that more rational side of the brain, even when I’m writing SF humor, and Fantasy uses that more fanciful, surreal side of the brain. (SF = plan, build, measure Fantasy = wheeee!)

I do write both adult SF and all ages (under my given name) as well, though I don’t really consider those different genres, just different focuses of story arc.

STRW:   How long have you been writing?

Angel Martinez:  Writers get asked this a lot. Most of us will tell you we’ve been telling stories all our lives, whether we wrote them down or not. I’ve written stories from the time I could write, but didn’t finish my first novel (that will never see the light of day) until the late 1990’s. My first published work was picked up in 2006 and my first gay romance published in 2007. So I’ve been around the block a few times 😉

STRW:. How long does it take you to research a story? Have you ever traveled for your research or folded your experiences into a story?

Angel Martinez:  It depends what I’m trying to do. If the subject matter is something I have a lot of experience with and a lot of source material lying around, research might take a couple of days. If it’s something I’m struggling with, it could take weeks to hammer out the basic points (as in a new interstellar spaceship propulsion method.)

I wish I had the money to travel just for research. That would be lovely. But I do often use places I’ve been in stories: New York, Nova Scotia, Los Angeles, Wilmington. I sometimes do rough sketches of things I see to get the details right later. All of us pick bits and pieces of our experience out of our brains and use them for our stories, whether it’s conscious or not.

STRW:   What’s next in the series?

Angel Martinez:  Semper Fae, the third Endangered Fae book, just released from MLR Press on 7/11/14. That one’s Zack’s story, for all my readers whoSemper Fae cover said the Marine needed his own story. But never fear, Diego and Finn (especially Diego) play a huge part in the plot still.

After that, I’ve just finished No Fae Is An Island, in which we have Diego and Finn traveling farther than ever and getting into just as much trouble as usual, and some new characters, one of whom we’ve met in Semper Fae, get to be the heroes.

Here’s a sneak peek blurb for No Fae Is An Island:

“Three years ago, Danu banished Diego for a time from the human world. Three years and three days doesn’t seem that long to be away from home but time among the wild fae can change a man and the human world returns the favor by changing while he’s away. Human governments haven’t all had humane reactions to magic users. There’s a vampire on Tearmann Island’s security force. A curious selkie’s followed him home. So much to do to keep the world safe…but Diego’s no longer sure he has the right to interfere.

Theo Aguilar started his vampire life on the wrong side of the law. He’s killed and knows how dangerous he can be if he doesn’t stay in control every moment of every day. But the fae took him in and Prince Lugh has given him a position of trust. He owes them more than gratitude, so when Diego and Finn are arrested on a diplomatic mission far from home, he knows his duty. He’s striking out on his own to rescue them, a lone vigilante once again, though this time for the good guys. The only glitch? The selkie, Limpet, can’t seem to understand the alone part.”

STRW: Do you write one story at a time or have several at different stages at one time?

Angel Martinez:  Ideally, I have one at a time. I’m not one of those writers who can switch back and forth from one story to another. But I do, sometimes, start a story and then have to set it aside for another deadline. At one point this year, I had three stories started and had to work on a fourth. We’re now down to one at the edit stage, one started and set aside and one that needs immediate attention.

STRW:   Finally, why do you write?

Angel Martinez:  *tortured, dramatic sob* Because I must! Seriously, though,I enjoy it. It’s what I love best. And if you find something you love, why would you do anything else?

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Thank you, Angel Martinez, for stopping by and sitting in the Author’s Spotlight chair for a moment.  I can’t wait to read the next two stories in the Endangered Fae series.

For those of you new to the series and, perhaps, the author as well, be sure to leave a comment below and be entered to win an eBook copy of Finn (Endangered Fae #1) from Angel Martinez and a second winner will be chosen to win a eBook copy of Semper Fae from ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords.  Happy Reading!

Stories in the Endangered Fae series are to date:

Finn (Endangered Fae #1)
Diego (Endangered Fae #2)
Semper Fae (Endangered Fae #3) released 7/11 (5 stars review to follow!)
No Fae Is An Island (Endangered Fae #4) to be released

Author Bio:

Angel Martinez currently lives part time in the hectic sprawl of northern Delaware and full time inside her head. She has one husband, one son, two cats, a love of all things beautiful and a terrible addiction to the consumption of both knowledge and chocolate.

Angel’s alter ego writes the all-ages science fiction – Sandra Stixrude.

You can contact//follow Angel Martinez at:

Review: Faire Protector (The Faire #2) by Madeleine Ribbon

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

MR_FaireProector__coverinIt’s been almost a year since assassin Max chased his foster brother Devin onto the mystical Renaissance Faire grounds with orders to kill him. But the Faire has a mind of its own as does its small band of inhabitants and Max ended up a prisoner of the Faire and his soul captured in a magical amulet.  Now its time for the Faire to return from its home in another dimension and take up residence in the Faire grounds in the present.   During the past year, Max has changed profoundly and found friends amongst the villagers and Faire workers.  Even his foster brother Devin has forgiven him and found love.

So now its time to return to the normal world and with Joryk’s help, they will smash the amulet and return Max’s soul and free will to him.  Max is afraid that with the return of his soul, the worst of Max will return as well.  Plus Kelderman, Max’s old crime boss, is still after Max and Max is afraid he will put the Faire and his friends in danger  once they return.

Joryk, the Faire’s mage, has assigned Max to work with the Faire’s brew master, Shepherd, to keep Max busy until the amulet can be broken and out of sight of any of the crime bosses underlings looking for Max on the Renn grounds.  But Shepherd wants nothing to do with Max, even as a worker helping him at the brewery. Shepherd thinks Max is the reason his cousin, Perry, got back into drugs, and Max has a past history as a drug dealer, no matter what Max tries to tell him.  Even at odds, both men find the other attractive.  With everything coming to a head, criminals on the hunt, an amulet to destroy and a soul to return, can love still find a way into the hardest of hearts?

I found Madeleine Ribbon’s stories when I read the first book in this series, Faire Fugitive, last year and fell immediately in love with both the characters and the premise behind the series.  A lover of all things Renaissance Festival, the idea of a magical Renn Faire that disappeared into an enchanted dimension once the season was over, only to return the following year to sell it’s inhabitants wares and restock up on supplies needed, charmed me.  A sort of Renn Faire Brigadoon! Only some of the Renn Faire workers are year around inhabitants and know the secrets of the Faire and Faire grounds, including the fact that the Faire has a mind and will of its own.  That concept alone had me in thrall.  But then Madeleine Ribbon added some vulnerable and fascinating characters and I was hooked!

Max was a villain, sort of, in the first story.  Forced into becoming an assassin for the crime boss Kelderman, Max thought becoming a killer was the only way he could protect Devin who his boss wanted dead.  Instead of killing Devin, Max would hunt him, scaring Devin into running over and over again.  But Max also had to kill others on Kelderman’s orders and that ate at his soul until the voices in his head almost destroyed him. Only being captured by Joryk in the Faire grounds and having his soul taken away and imprisoned in a crystal amulet, saved Max.  The year spent in the other dimension restored much of Max’s humanity and gave him peace even if he was left without free will and still a prisoner  within the village boundaries.  Ribbon’s descriptions of the magic of the other dimension and the places that Max seeks out as solace make it easy to understand how Max feels and the sanctuary it has provided.

But everything has its complications, including the soul spell that Joryk and the others didn’t fully understand.  The repercussions of the spell are just being fully realized and that’s a huge part of this story and its most poignant element.  Max is full of guilt for his past actions and the fear of the future once his soul returns haunts him.  As it should. I loved that the author realizes that there should be weighty consequences for Max’ past actions.  He destroyed peoples lives.  And you can’t get off with a new life without paying the price of the pain and death you caused in the past. The ramifications will be as horrific as his deeds and Madeleine Ribbon’s scary descriptions are up to the task of making us feel what Max feels.  Those scenes hit home with some hefty emotional power.

Yes, there is a romance here as well.  A reluctant one at the start, given the personalities and histories involved.  That a great choice because a case of instant love would definitely be out of place here.  The relationship is a slow one, evolving over a period of 3 months, the duration of the Faire in present time.  And the romance between Max and Shepherd is always a tenuous one.  Given the circumstances, neither is sure how to go forward or even if that is possible.  That’s a lovely realistic touch.

The story flows rapidly to its conclusion and I was left wanting to remain with the characters back in the land of shimmering birds and lights that chase each other through the ancient woods.  Just as I was at the end of Faire Fugitive.  Madeleine Ribbon has created a magical world that you won’t want to leave and filled it full of characters to love.  I can only hope that there is another Faire story on the horizon.  I know there is one Faire librarian in need of romance and a HEA.  I hope he gets it and we get another story.

Cover Art by Fiona Jayde.  Nice even if the dot over the “i” is placed directly over the cover model’s nipple!

Buy Links:       Loose id           ARe                Amazon   Faire Protector

 

 

 

Book Details;

ebook, 263 pages
Published July 1st 2014 by Loose Id (first published June 30th 2014)
ISBN139781623004064
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Faire #2

Books in The Faire series to date:

Faire Fugitive (The Faire, #1)
Faire Protector (The Faire, #2)

Review: In Despair (Princes of the Blood #3) by Megan Derr

Rating 5 stars out of 5

In Despair coverSixteen year old Prince Telmé Guldbrandsen has been groomed to become a Prince of the Blood and take over as Commander of the Legion.  Equally young Korin is heir to the Reach of the House and the Temple of the Sacred Three. Expectations run high for him as well since it has been foretold that he will be the next High Priest.  Telme’ and Korin are also engaged to each other, an unfortunate affair since neither boy can stand the other.  Between the constant fighting and endless quarreling, the Halls of Castle Guldbrandsen have been ringing with shouts of anger and  fists hitting flesh instead of calm and the silence of boys at their studies to the displeasure of the royal family and all the others around them.

Monsters and dark mages left over from the last war lurk all around the kingdoms.  Princes of the Blood, and their fellow supernatural beings are the only things that stand between them and the remainder of humankind.  But humans that will allow their children to be tested to see if they have the right percentage of Demon blood are few as are pure blooded humans.  When found, they are brought to the Castle Guldbrandsen for testing and to strengthen ties through marriage.  Just such an happening at Castle Guldbrandsen ends in a devastating and unthinkable event, leaving those still standing awash in grief and anger.  Telme’ and Korin are Castle Guldbrandsen’s last hope but can they put aside their distrust and personal hatred long enough to save the kingdom and each other in the bargain?

In Despair marks the end of the Princes of the Blood trilogy by Megan Derr and I am so sad to get to the end of this marvelous tale of love, loss, and magic.  From the beginning, Megan Derr made the fascinating and quirky decision to write this trilogy backwards.  The first book, Of Last Resort (Princes of the Blood #1) takes place towards the end of the trilogy’s timeline, and each book thereafter moves the story back towards the beginning years and the history that is only hinted at in the first book.  It’s a challenging and imaginative format and its has worked beautifully here.

In Despair starts out with the characters in deep despair, a state that will follow them into the past.  Telme’ stands at the bedside of Koren who is terribly wounded from his fight with an angel from Of Last Resort.  That momentous battle came at the end of the first story and it left Koren in a coma.  Now as the trilogy comes to an end, Derr puts us down at Castle Guldbreandsen to get at glimpse at the lives of those impacted by that battle.  While Telme’ waits at Koren’s bedside, he remembers back to when they were teenagers and at odds with each other.  And from that time on, In Despair  starts its own tale of war, black magic, loss and love.

Megan Derr is one of my favorite fantasy authors.  In the Princes of the Blood trilogy she weaves together romance, action, adventure, fantasy and magic into stories that both the YA and adult readers will love.  As with all her stories, we start off with some amazing world building.  From Castle Guldbrandsen whose rulers have a very close connection to demons as well as all the fantasy beings that make up the incredible magic protectors of the realm,  the army of mixed-blood beings known as the King’s Legion: dragoons, shadowmarch, sorcerers, titans…and of course, the Princes of the Blood.  Derr has folded so many rich details and layers into this world.  The trilogy starts after a cataclysmic war has occurred that brought forth all sorts of demons and set them loose in the world almost destroying it.    While the war ended centuries ago, the aftermath has left demons scattered throughout the kingdoms, the human population with varying degrees of demon blood in them due to intermarriage, and necromancers others still trying to reopen the door’s to hell and start the war all over again. And with each story, Derr reveals more about the past through the characters battles in the present time and their interactions with each other.

In Despair is a standout from the other two stories in the trilogy in a number of ways.  First, the characters here are the youngest of all the main characters whose tales and romance unfold in these three books.  Telme’ and Koren are but sixteen (with Koren slightly younger than Telme’).  Telme’ and Koren exhibit all the stubbornness, impetuousness, and capriciousness of youth.   Quick to anger, unable to communicate, and equally quick to assume hurt and humiliation, these two young boys yet have the weight of the kingdom on their shoulders.  Both are expected to assume two of the highest positions in Castle Guldbrandsen and neither has the maturity or knowledge needed to make that leap to power and responsibility.  Sullenness and fights are the rule for both as are misunderstandings and punishment.  Derr makes both boys come across so real, so human in their insecurities, pain, and anger.  It is easy for the reader to see both sides of the picture for each teenager because it is such a recognizable stage of human growth.  Between hormones and pushing back against parental expectations, Telme  appears not only “bratty” as the adults term him but overwhelmed by the responsibilities he doesn’t want to assume.  And the reader gets that too, particularly as becoming a Prince of the Blood means turning into a demon or half demon at a young age.  By his behavior Telme has delayed the test but time is running out.  Derr makes both boys so young in their mental and emotional development that we connect with them easily.  Then she jerks their foundations out from under them and the tale really gets underway.

As with all marvelous coming of age stories that include high adventure and fantasy, it must also include the darkness of evil and absolute loss.  As Castle Guldbrandsen falls under the destructive powers of both, Telme’ and Koren must pull together, grow up (somewhat) and assume the duties they have been avoiding.  It’s a timeless, dramatic concept and Derr’s treatment of it and her characters growth is as compelling as they come.   That’s possible because no matter what challenges these boys face or hurdles they must overcome, they remain the teenagers they are.  They still make poor judgement calls, make assumptions about each other and the events that occur that adults with more experience would disregard, and suffer from the lack of practical knowledge and maturity that age would have given them.  I love that there is no “instant adult” changeover in persona.  No, these are still kids trying to fill adult shoes and mostly succeeding  to mixed reviews from the grownups around them.  How can you not empathize with a sixteen year old who has just kind of “saved the day” only to come back to adults who don’t like the way he did it?  As an adult, you can see both sides but the teenager in you will be just as dumbfounded and angry as Telme’ is. That’s one of the real beauties of this story and this trilogy,  Megan Derr tells it in such a way that we believe so deeply in these characters and their lives that we can see all sides to every argument and still come down on the side of youth and fragility no matter our own age.

At the end, Megan Derr brings the story back around to the time of the first story, Of Last Resort, with Telme’ still waiting to see if Koren lives.  Her circle is complete, and her trilogy is almost over.  All the characters from all three stories appear and their stories resolved in scenes and mentions of events happening inside the castle.  Did I love the way In Despair ended?  Absolutely.  Do I recommend In Despair and the entire Princes of the Blood trilogy?  Without question.

Of Last Resort, With Pride and In Despair will all be at the top of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Best of 2014 lists this year.  Check them all out but read them in the order that Derr wrote them.  It will make for some magical reading and leave you sighing for more at the end.  Just like me.

Cover art by Aisha Akeju who is quickly becoming a new favorite artist of mine.

Buy Links:           Less Than Three Press              ARe                 Amazon               In Despair

 

Book Details:

ebook
Published July 9th 2014 by Less Than Three Press
original titleIn Despair
ISBN139781620043233
edition languageEnglish
seriesPrinces of the Blood #3

Princes of the Blood Series include (written in reverse sequence)

Of Last Resort (Princes of the Blood #1)
With Pride (Princes of the Blood #2)
In Despair (Princes of the Blood #3)

June 2014 Summary of Reviews and June’s Best Covers

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June header

flowers June

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2014 Book Review Summary

*Key:
S series
C contemporary
F-fantasy
SF-science fiction
PN-paranormal
SP-supernatural
H-historical
HR-horror
N-Nonfiction
YA-young adult

Rating Scale: 1 to 5, 5 stars is outstanding

5 Star Rating:

Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair by Amy Lane C,S
Cold Feet by Lee Brazil C, S*
Diego (Endangered Fae #2) by Angel Martinez F, S
Isle of Waves by Sue Brown C, S*
Swords, Sorcery and Sundry by Mina MacLeod, F, S*

4 to 4.75 Star Rating:

Apollo’s Curse by Brad Vance (4.25) F, SN
Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux (4.5) C, S
Duty to the Crown by Rebecca Cohen (4.25) H, S
Finn (Endangered Fae) by Angel Martinez (4.5) F, S
Let It Ride by L.C. Chase (4) C, S
Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan (4.25) F
Nothing But Smoke by Daisy Harris (4) C, S
Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon (4.25), C
The Actor and the Earl by Rebecca Cohen (4) H, S
The Dog Trainer by Owen Keehnen (4) C
Voodoo ‘n’ Vice by K.C. Burn (4.25) SF, S

 

3 to 3.75 Star Rating:

Dinner At Home by Rick R. Reed, (3.75) C, S
Out of the Gate by E. M. Lynley (3.75) C

2 to 2.75 Star Rating:

None

*rounded up to 5 stars

Best Covers of April 2014

 

GranbyKnittingMenagerie[The]LGBlackbird Knitting in a Bunny's Lair coverCover_NothingButSmoke

Miles and the Magic Flute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isle of Waves coverDinner at Home coverOutoftheGateLGLet It Ride cover

 

 

 

 

 

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Photographic Covers and Non Photographic Covers:

Dinner At Home, cover by Reese Dante
Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair, cover by Catt Ford
Granby Knitting Menagerie, cover by Catt Ford
Isle of Waves, cover by L.C. Chase
Let Ir Ride, cover by L.C. Chase
Miles and the Magic Flute, cover by Wilde City Press
Out of the Gate, cover by Reese Dante
Nothing But Smoke, cover by Kanaxa

 

 

In the Author Spotlight: Madeleine Ribbon on Faire Protector release (contest)

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spotlight on booksIn the Author Spotlight Today –MR_FaireProector__coverin

Madeleine Ribbon, author of the Ren Faire series

 

 

 

 

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I encountered Madeleine Ribbon through her first story, Faire Fugitive almost a year ago.  Recently I sort of ran into her again and asked about how the series was doing, where the idea came from…those sorts of questions.  My answer from Madeleine was that the sequel, Faire Protector, was getting ready for release shortly.  That news prompted all kinds of anticipation and ideas, including having Madeleine Ribbon here to talk about the series inspiration behind Faire Fugitive and Faire Protector.

To help celebrate the release of Faire Protector,  Madeleine has brought a book giveaway with her, a choice of either book to one lucky reader.  To enter to win, leave your email address and a comment at the end of the post.  As usual, must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Contest ends July 8 at midnight, Winner to be announced on July 9th!

The Maryland Renaissance Festival starts August 23, Chances are you can find both myself and Madeleine in attendance at some point in time.  Wave a turkey drumstick or pint at us if we happen to walk on by….

 

 

A Trip to the Faire by Madeleine Ribbon 

When I first started writing the Faire series, my entire goal was finding an excuse to get my ass into costume and flounce around any and every Renaissance festival I could manage to get my grubby little hands on. Luckily, all that Ren faire visiting (and subsequent note taking, because I had to justify ticket prices somehow) led to some perfectly reasonable ideas, and Devin and Max’s stories were born while I was in the midst of half-hour Shakespeare skits, jousting tournaments, bagpipe concerts, corsets, steak on a stake, and copious amounts of ale and mead.

A Renaissance faire is like the bastard child of a seventh-grade world history book and the most amazing circus ever. The festivals all try to recreate a romanticized version of history, and in doing so, they create a place that’s almost magical in its other-worldliness. At the faire, you can get lost in a new world for a day. You have a chance to marinade yourself in everyone else’s weirdness—and just about every sort of weird is acceptable there. My Faire takes these bits and kind of pushes them to the next level by making the magic real.

I gave the main characters for both Faire Fugitive and Faire Protector rather unfortunate histories, and since I didn’t want to go full-on angsty in this series, I needed something to balance the darker sides of the story out. Using the Ren faire has been a great way to create a peppy, wacky, unique, can’t-take-yourself-seriously environment to balance out the harsh realities of my characters’ lives.

BLURB:

MR_FaireProector__coverinMax’s soul has become a virtual slave to the magical Renaissance Faire, and he can’t leave the grounds. He’s very, very attracted to the Faire’s brewmaster, but Shepherd wants nothing to do with him. Shepherd thinks Max is the reason his cousin got back into drugs, and Max has a bad history—dealing, a prison term, and last but not least, a little four-year stint as the personal assassin of a drug kingpin. For once, Max didn’t do it, but Shepherd isn’t about to believe him.

When Max’s old boss becomes a threat, the Faire that had been his prison becomes his protection. Max hides out at the brewery. As he deals with Shepherd’s bad attitude, the physical and mental side effects of having his soul imprisoned, and guilt over the people he’s killed, he finds himself falling for the sexiest man to ever hate him. But the only way he can keep Shepherd is if he can find some sort of magical redemption for his past.

Buy Link:   Loose id

Book Details:
Author: Madeleine Ribbon
Book 2 of the Faire series
Length: Novel, 90,000 words
ISBN: 978-1-62300-406-4
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

Contact Madeleine Ribbon:

Website: http://www.madeleineribbon.com
Twitter: @muddyribbon
Email: madeleine.ribbon@gmail.com
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/MadeleineRibbon

 

In the Author Spotlight: Mina MacLeod on Swords, Sorcery and Writing!

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spotlight on booksSSS Edges & Embers - coverSTRW Welcomes Mina MacLeod, author of

Swords, Sorcery and Sundry into the 

Author Spotlight!

 

 

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I found Mina MacLeod through her latest story, Swords, Sorcery and Sundry.  This was a wonderful story that I felt crossed not only generational lines but genres as well and I wanted to know more about this author and her plans for these characters and storyline.

Contest: Mina MacLeod graciously accepted my invite for an interview and brought along an eBook copy of Swords Sorcery and Sundry as a giveaway.  To enter to win, leave a comment and an email address where you can be reached.  Let us know if you have a favorite fantasy character(s) or duo!  Must be 18 years of age to enter.  Contest ends 7/7.

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Now on with our interview:

STRW• Why fantasy?  What about this genre appeals to you?

MM: Fantasy has always been my home base—my genre of choice. I like fantasy counterpart cultures, swords, and playing with the mechanics of magic. I’ve always preferred twists on the old ideas: male-identifying wizards, and female-identifying knights. For the longest time, fantasy doorstoppers were the only novels I would read. Eventually I did branch out, but fantasy remains the genre closest to my heart and I’m always happy to return to it.

STRW• Same goes for writing in the M/M genre?

MM:   Every time someone asks me this question, I always toy with the idea of trying to sound intellectual or profound—maybe there’s a deep, hidden meaning to why M/M intrigues me so much! But the fact is that there is no reason beyond the fact that I love it. I love men; I love homosocial and homosexual relationships with all matter of complexities. Whenever I start up a new RPG, I always create/play as a man, and romance other men if the option is at all available. This doesn’t mean I don’t love all types of women; I adore well-rounded ladies—but male/male is my jam.

STRW• All three main people are wonderful characters.   They have diverse set of talents and an equality among them that works beautifully. How did you come up with the idea of a tightly knit group that had a M/M couple and a strong female presence as well?

MM:  Two Guys & A Girl has always been a group dynamic I’ve loved. I tend to prefer the friendship aspects of the trope as opposed to the potential romantic tension. Often, one of the guys and the girl hook up—which is fine, but just as I enjoy female knights and male wizards, I like going the other way with this group. In my work, the men tend to end up romantically involved, and the girl plays the strong supporting role.

As you may have guessed, I’m a gamer—mostly console, but occasional tabletop. I like having a balanced party wherein everyone has a job and no one comes off as a hanger-on or filler. On the battlefield, the trio each have a role to play (Ashe being the fighter, Sylvain the mage, and Niklas the thief) but I wanted them to complement each other out of battle, too.

As much as I adore M/M, I love stories about BFFs even more. Friendship is very important to me; I’ve had the same best friends for over twenty years, and we wouldn’t trade each other for the world. They’re the kind of friends who just barge into your house and raid your fridge without asking, the kind who can call or pop over at any time, day or night—and you can do the same to them. You can tell them anything, and they won’t turn their back on you. Those kinds of bonds are forged over years of sticking together. You have to help your friends when they screw up just as when they’re screwed over. That’s the kind of relationship I wanted Sylvain, Ashe, and Niklas to have.

STRW• Your world building is terrific from the inns and innkeepers to the “red light” districts that vary from Duchy to Duchy.  Where did you get your inspiration for them?  Do you travel and do you work that into your stories?

MM:  Why, thank you! Funnily enough, my goal with the world-building was simplicity. Don’t get me wrong; I love a fantasy world detailed from the ground up as much as the next SFF fan, but because it’s the sort of thing done so often, I purposefully went in the opposite direction. The world of SSS is revealed to the reader in bits and pieces, some of it mundane and some of it extraordinary—like that necropolis just across the way.

I try to travel whenever time/funds permit; I spent two weeks in Japan a few years back, and the love hotels and host clubs of the country fascinate me. I’m a fan of organized structure and big cities having defined districts, like Tokyo and New York. My childhood was divided between a small town and a large, diverse city, so I love exploring juxtapositions between the two. The places our heroes visit in the sequel are a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Abelia.

STRW• I was thrilled to see that this is a series.  What do you have planned for our heroes and when can we expect the next book to be released?

MM:  The first adventure of the next book is actually the original finale of SSS. It’s going to kick off a large portion of the plot in the second book. Sylvain continues to grow and discover that he doesn’t fit in Muscari Aucheri as well as he used to; Niklas and Sylvain have to get used to the idea that they are lovers who happen to work together—and sometimes that work is very dangerous. While the first book was mostly episodic, the second focuses on a larger overarching plot. It might involve the necropolis from the first book … someone really should have done something about that thing by now.

I still haven’t finalized the outline, so I won’t give anything else away. However, I can say that I planned for a duology, so this will be the last book. The title will be Border Fires.

Border Fires is moving along very slowly at the moment. We are expecting our first child in the fall and are busy preparing for that. Between all that work and the day job, there isn’t much spare time these days. I hope to really dive into it on my much-anticipated year off.

STRW• I think SSS works equally well as a YA story or a M/M Romance.  Was that planned?

MM:  It was meticulously planned. I love both YA and M/M, and desperately wish there was more adventurous YA with queer relationships on the market. I’m acquainted with a lot of people who grew up knowing they didn’t fall into the heteronormative crowd; I grew up knowing I wasn’t heteronormative. I want more novels to which queer teens can better relate. The characters in SSS are all adults—mostly for the freedom of movement and backstory this gives them—but I wanted the story to be accessible for younger readers, as well.

STRW• What do you like best about writing?

MM:  Character/location sketches are the most fun jobs out of the entire process. And names. I spend a lot of time thinking about names. Sometimes I end up with an overall theme; in SSS’s world, all city names take their cues from flowers. Sometimes I go for camp, absurdity, or jokes that are (sadly) usually only funny to me. Ah, well. Can’t win ‘em all.

STRW•  What is the least favorite thing about writing for you?

MM:  The soul-crushing realization that you’ve written yourself into a corner, and you have to backtrack considerably to fix it. I also hate it when inspiration strikes and you’re powerless to act upon it, like in the middle of your workday. By the time you get to your desk/pen/paper, the drive has faded and you feel as though you’ve wasted an opportunity.

STRW•  Any favorite books that started you on the path as an author?

MM:  My very first piece of creative writing was a piece of Legend of Zelda fanfiction when I was six years old. It was pretty much exactly as you’re probably imagining it. So I can’t say any one book in particular ignited my passion for creative writing. I’ve always loved making up stories and immersing myself in other people’s stories. Some of my favorite books include Bridge of Birds, The Gentleman Bastard, Snow Crash, The Dresden Files, the Hurog duology, and probably a thousand others I’m forgetting. Five minutes from now, I am going to think of 50 other titles I should have included here.

Thank you so much for having me! It was a pleasure to answer your questions. And if anyone decides to give SSS a chance, thank you so much! I’m humbled and grateful.

STRW• Thank you, Mina, for stopping by.  Readers, I have the book details and blurb below.  My review can be found here.  If you love fantasy, no matter your age, you will want to pick this story up!  I highly recommend it to all no matter your age!  High adventure awaits inside!

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Bio:
Mina MacLeod is a bilingual, bisexual Canadian living with her husband in Montreal. A geek at heart, she drives fast and plays with knives, balancing a career with a love for queer media. She has a thing for men who have a thing for men.

You can follow Mina MacLeod at:

Website: http://www.minamacleod.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/minamacleod
Tumblr: http://minamacleod.tumblr.com

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SSS Edges & Embers - coverBook Details:

ebook, 330 pages, m/m for YA or Adults, friendship only m/f
Published May 21st 2014 by Less Than Three Press LLC
original titleSwords, Sorcery, and Sundry
ISBN139781620043639
edition languageEnglish

Buy Links:      Less Than Three Press      Amazon         ARe

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Blurb:
Wizard Sylvain just wants to sit down and have a drink, after days of walking when a shortage of funds forced him to sell his horse. Soldier Ashe would like to enjoy her evening, and not have it ruined by trouble. Assassin Niklas wishes they had both minded their own business and not made his bad night worse.

The bar they accidentally burn down is only the beginning, and they quickly learn that if they are to survive their penchant for trouble, teamwork will get them farther than standing alone.

Amazon

 

 

Review: Swords, Sorcery, and Sundry (Edges & Embers #1) by Mina MacLeod

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

 A wizard, a soldier, and an assassin walk into a bar … 

SSS Edges & Embers - coverWizard Sylvain has just recently arrived in Abelia, the large capital of the Firmiana Duchy.  He’s hot, tired and just wants a drink before going up to his rooms.  Soldier Ashe is at a table nearby wanting to enjoy her food and  friendly banter with the bar owner.  Assassin Niklas is situated right in the middle, with an agenda of his own and hopes not to be interfered with.  Alas, once the trouble starts and it seems that Niklas has been ganged up on, then Sylvain and Ashe just naturally jump into the fray with sword and sorcery at hand.

But quickly things go awry as Sylvain accidentally sets the bar on fire and the culprits escape.  No one has any money to pay for the damages they caused.  With the Duchy’s guards at the door, and gold needed to repair the damage to the hotel and bar, the wizard, the assassin, and the warrior team up (it was their fault after all) to earn the money they required to keep them out of the jail and maybe make them even solvent.  But the mission they were hired for will take them into the Deadlands and in order to survive, the three will have to become a team to contend with.  What happens when a wizard, an assassin and a soldier combine and become something much more than any of them expected….

 When a story opens with a tongue in cheek reference to a long-standing bar joke, I just knew I was in for a rollicking great time and Mina MacLeod’s Swords, Sorcery & Sundry delighted me at every turn.  How I loved this story and MacLeod’s characters! From the very premise,three disparate people meet in a bar and bonding over a combined debt, I was hooked. And I stayed that way to the end of this adventure and the possibility of a series.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

Swords, Sorcery and Sundry is that wonderful and rare story that be listed either as a YA book or M/M Romance, an element that was intentional on the author’s part.  That is due largely because it is a story about the tight bonds of friendship first, and then the beginnings of a m/m romance between two of the friends secondly.  But always it is the ties of friendship that guides them and forms them into a family of sorts as well as a business.

Mina MacLeod has created some very charismatic characters for her story.  At first we are as much of a stranger to them as they are to each other.  Then believably that changes as a financial debt none can pay forces them to work together. I love watching the characters open up and reveal parts of themselves and their stories as the mission continues.  It felt both fantastical and realistic.  As the story progresses so does the friendship go from one of expediency to one of choice and close fellowship, the bonds shifting from the shallow need of a combined debt to  deep sense of comradeship and closeness.

All of the characters are both strong, equal in their own powers and talents, and open about their chances of success and pasts.  This turns out to be a close-knit group of friends.  Ashe, the women, is an amazing swords person and warrior.  Trust me, she needs no champion here, she is the champion.  She is sarcastic, smart, easy in her own skin, and doesn’t need a man to make her life fulfilling (although she doesn’t mind one on the side).  Nor does she fall in love with either of her friends.  What a relief!  A marvelous character you will connect with immediately no matter what manner of adventures or goings on she is involved in. Sylvain is a wizard, from the Muscari Aucheri kingdom of wizardry.  He is the first of the trio we meet as he forlornly enters Abelia on foot, having sold his precious mare to get the funds needed to eat and find room.  No longer in good standing at the Wizard Academy (no spoilers zone), he is at loose ends when he arrives at The Beckoning Siren Inn.  Disheveled, tired and thirty, it is still easy to see that Sylvain is a good compassionate man, haunted by his past but ready to move forward but where?  I loved Sylvain because while he has power, he is not a powerful presence and doesn’t dominate the proceedings or the other friends.  And then there is Niklas Valconaire, an assassin of great skill and little desire to be an assassin.  The dichotomy that is Niklas continues throughout the story. A tender killer, a shadow of death that covets life.  And Niklas is well aware of  the handsome wizard he is traveling with.   Niklas is the one character whose past is still waiting to be revealed whereas Ashe and Sylvain’s histories will become known by the end of their story.

There is a m/m romance here.  It’s sweet and gentle, even given the participants.  A first true relationship for both,and neither wants it to impede their friendship. So a dance begins between them that lasts the journey and the end of this tale.  But as I stated, their romance is a side issue, its the friendship that blossoms between them as they learn they can counter on each other to have their backs and support when needed.  Also a good joke, a flagon of wine, and perhaps even a lovely replacement mare, these are friends at ease with one another no matter the setting or situation they find themselves in.  That’s the best element of this story and reason alone to buy this book.

MacLeod has created a vivid, magical landscape for her friends to journey through.  It’s fraught full with the living dead, familiars, evil rulers and yes, corrupt businessman.  Not even fantasy can let us escape those.  And along for the journey is the new company born out of need and finalized in camaraderie. Swords, Sorcery & Sundry, a name picked by Ashe to Sylvain’s disgruntlement and  Niklas’ amusement as a way to sell their talents as a group.  As Sylvain is quick to point out time and again, he is not a sorcerer but a wizard.  But as Ashe remarks that doesn’t make a snappy title for their business and so a new venture is born.  And a series as well.

At the end of 330 pages, I still wanted their adventures together to continue.  I wanted more of their snark and funny dialogs, more of the surprises that are revealed along with new talents, and more of the marvelous friendship exhibited by all three.  Luckily for us all, Mina MacLeod is turning this story and characters into a series, Edges & Embers.   I can’t wait to see what new escapades and dangers will befall them.   All I know is that my expectations are as high as my excitement over this series and a new author to love.  Consider Swords, Sorcery and Sundry (well you can’t very well advertise Assassinations can you?) a must read and highly recommended story. I think you will love it as much as I do.

Happy Reading!

Cover art by Le Burden Design.  I am a fan of the old cover design favored here.  Lovely job.

Buy Links:          ARe        LT3   Amazon  

Book Details:

ebook, 330 pages
Published May 21st 2014 by Less Than Three Press LLC
original titleSwords, Sorcery, and Sundry
ISBN139781620043639
edition languageEnglish

Review: Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Miles and the Magic FluteMiles Larson believes the world has turned against him.  The poor economy cost him his cushy job and lifestyle, now Miles lives in considerably reduced circumstances back in his hometown in Minnesota. At least that’s how he sees it.  He works in a friend’s pawn shop fixing broken down appliances while living in his friend’s trailer behind the shop.  And all the time, he is thinking “why me, why did this happen to me?”  As Miles begrudgingly goes to work and then home, the only thing that lifts his spirits is a walk in the woods nearby, a place of solice and adventure when little,  now a blessed respite from the disappointment that is his life.   Little does he know that as he bemoans his life, the wood have ears and are listening.

One day at the pawn shop, a box of personal goods to be sold revealed an intricately carved silver flute to be pawned.  When asked to research its origin, Miles’s investigation opens up an enchanted world where one can have all he wants if only he asks the right question.  Before he realizes it his reality becomes one of two worlds vying for his body and soul.  An ethereally gorgeous fae wants Miles to choose him and his world but is everything there exactly as it seems?  Who is the beast he encounters along with the Fae Lord in the Otherworld?  For each choice that Miles might make, a price is to be paid.  But what is the price of being given everything you desire?  What if what you desire wars with true love and happiness? What price will you pay then? Only Miles can answer those questions…now if only he knew what those answers are….

Miles and the Magic Flute is less a romance and more of Heidi Cullinan’s LGBTQ version of Aesop’s Fables.  Or should that be Cullinan’s Fae Fables?  An intricately layered cautionary tale, Miles and the Magic Flute starts with one character whose sense of entitlement and displeasure with his current status starts the games of enchantment to follow.

From the beginning Cullinan builds two very realistic and opposite worlds to vy for Mile’s body and soul.  One is the small town in Minnesota that Miles has returned to after losing his job and condo in the big city.  A sense of desperation covers the town like a layer of dust.  A factory has closed putting much of the town’s population out of work, and sometimes only the largesse of his friend Patty of Patty’s Pawn shop keeps some of them from going without food or a home.  A cluttered store filled with the bits and pieces of peoples lives, the pawn store has been passed from father to daughter as has the trailer behind it.  Into the shop flow various sundry folk, from a hispanic family seriously weighing how they will spend their strictly budgeted dollars to an antagonistic bully who learns that homophobic slurs will cost him big time from the lesbian pawnbroker.   Cullinan paints these small town characters with the same brush as her main ones, and they are as realistically detailed and human as they could be.  You can feel the paint peeling and the cars falling apart from neglect from the author’s descriptions of a small town barely surviving and the people who remain behind while others have left.

The second world starts off as nothing more than a shivery feeling as Miles walks through the woods nearby.  A feeling of being watched, a ripple in the air, the appearance of a small white flower in winter, and little by little Cullinan’s Otherworld, the Fae Dream world arrives to encroach on Miles’ reality and the well being of all.  I loved how the author built up not only Miles anticipation and sense of alarm but the readers as well.  Layer by layer the magic comes and at first its wondrous and enchanting….and then it deepens to something more.  And as we begin to  get a true sense of exactly what and who the Fae Lord represents, Cullinan continues to pivot us and Miles back and forth between reality and desire, human and Fae until the contrasting images and worlds start to blend eerily into each other. The author’s locations and world building is superb and each feels as real as the other.

Heidi Cullinan has also provided the readers with one of the most realistic and wonderful lesbian couples that I can remember. Patty with her blunt ways and mannerisms that cover a depth of personality just waiting to be revealed.  And  Julie whose perceptions and world views are startling and compelling.  I loved this couple and they provide the anchor that the story and Miles requires.  Patty and her long time lover, Julie, have slowly been pulling Miles out of his depression over losing his job and successful life in Atlanta at Fetterman Financial.  Patty gave him a job fixing the appliances she pulls out of trashcans or brought into the store.  Julie feeds him vegan food she cooks from her amazing garden out back and items she has traded for.  Cullinan does an exemplary job of conveying how grey and small this world appears to Miles in his current  emotional state, the businesslike and frank manner in which Patty deals with her customers and Miles, and the generous, compassionate nature that is Julie’s answer to everything she confronts in life.  And while we see their trailer, business and partnership only from Miles’ viewpoint, it is clear that Miles’  self-absorbed outlook keeps him from seeing his friends  and their lives in a clear and realistic way.

And that is part of what I feel is a real issue for the reader here.  The story is told from Miles’ point of view.  And he is whiney, complaining, and his sense of entitlement is hard to take after a while.  I get that we need to see Miles at his worst in order to get a base line from which we can chart his growth but that doesn’t make his selfishness and self centeredness any easier to take.   Even as Miles realizes that he sees everything now through his “Atlanta filter”, comparing and contrasting his current life against that which he lost, his musings become a Greek chorus of want, hate, and envy.  “I hate this, I hate my life, I hate what I’ve become, I hate what I lost, I hate realizing that I never really had it.” and finally “I hate my life and I would do anything and give anything to change it.”    Heartfelt worlds that the woods, or someone in the woods is listening to and geting ready to answer with an offer.

But the most damning words here are probably the ones that the readers will recognize, if not understand.  How the readers feels about hearing Miles utter them will reflect in how much the reader will like this story.  Those words are the ones that will propel Miles to accept an offer too good to be…well good.  And they are “I’m better than this.  I deserve so much better than this.”  What an all too human phrase…one that probably propels many a person into actions that they will regret later on.  How readers feel about Miles’ sense of entitlement will be the lens through which they view this story.  For many, I think it will mean they look at Miles and his predicament with a sense of detachment.  And no matter what befalls Miles, that lack of emotional investment in his problems and terrors will keep readers disconnected from the story and Miles.  I will admit I came perilously close to that detachment myself.  It took me much longer to connect with Miles than I anticipated and by then the story was almost over.

As I said this is a story of lessons and morality.  “Beware of what you wish for, as you just might get it”, “Be happy with what you have,” actually Miles and the Magic Flute is a roll call of lessons from Aesop’s Fables among others.  Whether it is about appearances being deceiving or giving one’s enemies the means for your own destruction, Cullinan lines them up and marches Miles through them on his way to  enlightenment, redemption, and finally love.

Yes, there is several love stories here, although no romances.  I wish I had a better understanding of “the Beast” here, he is the one character without much substance.  There is so much about Miles and the Magic Flute that is as wondrous as its plot.  From Terris and Murali to Patty and Julie and the worlds they all inhabit, Cullinan’s ability to bring both the magical and the mundane to life is amazing.  I just wished I had more of a connection to Miles, that I had wept when he did but ultimately that didn’t happen here.    Other readers might find themselves incredibly moved by Miles’ story and the terrific ending that Heidi Cullinan has crafted for them all.  Pick up this book and decide for yourself.  I am still so very happy that I read it and journeyed for a while in their shoes.

Cover art by Wilde City Press.  What a beautiful, magical cover.  Loved it.

Publisher’s Note: This title has been previously published and has been revised from its original release

 

Buy Links:    Wilde City Press       Miles and the Magic Flute ” Amazon          ARe

 

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition
Published May 27th 2014 by Wilde City Press (first published June 7th 2010)
original titleMiles and the Magic Flute
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.heidicullinan.