Sorchia's Universe

Irish roots and Korean folklore blend together in a debut novel by April Kelley Jones. Read more about her process and grab a copy. Oh–and don’t miss all the freebies, sales, and giveaways going on in October. Links galore below. Writing The Cursebreaker by April Kelley Jones As an undergraduate student, I stumbled across a collection of Irish folktales. They made it home with me but soon landed on my bookshelf to be neglected for several years. Fourteen generations have passed since my Irish ancestors immigrated to America, and while that number feels almost uncountable to me, I’ve always held a spot for Ireland in my heart. A couple of years ago for a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), I decided to pull those folktales off the shelf. I perused several stories before I came upon the one that would serve as a base for The Curse Breaker .  For me, a big part of the fun in writing comes from the challenge of trying to put together a story of seemingly unconnected parts. So, when

Leave a comment for a chance to get a Free Copy of this week’s featured book, Prophecies of the Mayan Undead by Fiona McGier. How did she dream her way out of writer’s block? Oh, and there are vampires! When a character talks directly to the author, you have to listen! by Fiona McGier I’ve always maintained that I get my best ideas for books from my dreams. I’ve woken up with entire story arcs–the details of the story unfold as I write them. I often have characters talking in my mind, showing me scenes of their lives, or the conversations they have. They especially like to do this when I’m in the shower–or driving long-distance on a highway. I’ve even gotten used to the abuse they give me when I don’t have time to write. Sometimes they yell at me, demanding that I write their stories immediately.  Sometimes they pout and go quiet on me, which isn’t a bad thing when I’m uber-busy and can’t get any time to write. But I’ve never had a character talk directly to me until my experience

Do you keep a journal? Author Susie Black tells how her journal became the spark for a mystery series. How a Daily Journal Became a Novel by Susie Black Before I became an author, I was a sales exec in the ladies’ swimwear industry. During my career, I kept a daily journal. I documented all the quirky, interesting, and yes, sometimes quite challenging people I encountered and the zany situations I often found myself in. The daily journal is the foundation of all my writing. I have often been asked if my writing style is that of a plotter or a pantser. In other words, do I plan the whole story out or do I write it with no game plan in mind just by the seat of my pants? My answer is neither. My writing style is a hybrid. I plot the beginning and the end of the story, but I give the characters free rein in the middle and let them take the plot wherever they want to get to the end. The result is I often end up with a story quite different than the one I originally envisioned. The characte

A witch–a PI–and plenty of noir! Read about the genesis of The Raven Tales by J. B. Dane in this week’s Novel Magic.  About Marked Raven–Book 2 of The Raven Tales by J. B. Dane As this is the second book in the series, let me fill in a few blanks. Way back in the late 1980s (you know, the Jurassic Age before home computers were common), a character walked into my muse’s office. It’s situated in my head, naturally. He said he was fictional and that he’d gotten yanked out of a book into the real world. My muse told him to take a seat. As I was deep into spinning romantic comedy and historical romance and still unpublished, he ended up sitting there for decades. Probably read all the magazines more than once from cover to cover. Then the 21 st century struck. I’d now been published for over a decade and had recently suffered through a bout of clinical depression where I couldn’t think my way out of a paper bag. The doctor told me that was because clinical depression shuts down the part o

Novel magic features Rise of a Storm Warrior by M. Garnet. See Murial’s recent post– How to be an Author . Hey, and while you are browsing posts, check out my latest– Dialogue Tags from Hell in which I rant about a minor annoyance to the point of absurdity. Maybe it’s a sign of a return to a semblance of normality when I have time to gripe about editorial stuff instead of–you know–the Apocalypse and the End of Times. Below, you will find a Fantasy Freebie I like to call the WitchFest. A bunch of on sale or totally free witchy books–but snap it up because this offer ends on June 15. Did you want more–OK. Check out N.N. Lights May Giveaway–many, many books to win. This giveaway ends May 30. Rise of the Storm Warrior by M. Garnet One thing is always a fact about the rich world known as the Storm Planet, life is never boring. A new Warrior rises up to help a Royal Lady, stop a war, and save a small child. He is a lazy young man who is forced into greatness. All he wants to do is live off

Murder and Mystery in the Universe! Also, a giveaway that is ENDING SOON!! A million pounds of gold bullion . Where is it hidden? Who can find it first? Cassidy Beauvoir, head overseer of Amity Landing? Jasper MacEwan, director of the movie crew that has descended on Amity? Or someone else—someone willing to murder to get the gold. What do you do when Hollywood takes over your tiny Maine village to make a movie? Cassidy Beauvoir, chair of the board of overseers of Amity Landing, is ready to throw the bums out; that is, until she meets Jasper MacEwan, the director of American Waterloo: the Rout of the Penobscot Expedition . It’s instant attraction until a series of deadly incidents threatens their budding romance. Are the attacks directed at the movie crew or the townspeople? As the two search for answers, the trail leads them to long-held secrets of the worst naval defeat of the American Revolution— including betrayal, murder, and a lost hoard of English gold. Do You Feel Lucky? Well,

A hapless witch. A newbie vamp. A blind date. What could possibly go wrong? Witch Harper Clarke is pretty sure misfortune follows her around like a bad smell. Her spells end in disaster, her dating agency for supernaturals has an embarrassing lack of clients, and her love life is a washout. So, when a vampire signs up to the agency and she can’t find him a match, she agrees to date the vamp herself. Charmer Damon Vertefeuille has it all: power, status, and wealth. Becoming a vampire to get his errant brother out of trouble isn’t what he expected. Newbie vamps aren’t supposed to be dangerous, but one look at his witchy date and he has a sudden desire to sink his fangs into her pale flesh. Thing is, she wants his bite. She’d dumped her cheating fiance at the altar, she could handle an arrogant werewolf, right? Alpha werewolf, Grayson Beckett, thinks money can buy anything—including a wife. But when he joins Love Bites, a dating agency for supernaturals, finding a mate proves harder than

Is it love, or just enchantment? From a young age, Tansy Bellrose Gant has been getting into trouble and wanting what she should not have. Just because she can make certain things happen by wishing doesn’t mean she’s a witch. But when she rashly curses a neighbor, her fellow villagers tie her to a stake at the crossroads and threaten to send her to the Royal Commission for trial. Malcolm Montgomery is a man carrying an unbearable burden of guilt and obligation. The last thing he needs is an encounter with a troublesome wee lassie who just might be a witch. But once rescued, she won’t go away. In fact, she insists on involving herself in his quest to ransom his brother, and she charms her way into his bed, as well. Has Tansy merely enchanted him, or has she claimed his heart? When she faces the ultimate danger, how will love be enough to save her? Buy a Copy Now! Buy Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones Buy Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen PreOrder Zoraida Grey and the Pictish Runes

It’s not winter without a WereWolf!! And this one’s rich, too. Who wants the number of the Love Bites Paranormal Dating Agency? A Date with a WereWolf by Abbey MacMunn A date with an arrogant werewolf – what could possibly go wrong? Alpha werewolf, Grayson Beckett, thinks money can buy anything – including a wife. But when he joins Love Bites, Paranormal Dating Agency, finding a mate proves harder than he thought. To help her boss, dating agency coach, Jamie Osborne, reluctantly agrees to go on a date with Grayson. After all, she dumped her cheating fiance at the altar, she can handle an arrogant werewolf, right? Tensions run high, but the date goes better than Jamie expected when Grayson turns out to be a doting dad with a tragic past. But can the alpha win her trust and melt her heart? Buy a Copy Amazon US Amazon UK A Wee Nip from Date with a WereWolf “His name is Grayson Beckett.” Her boss paused on the end of the phone. “Am I supposed to know who that is?” Jamie asked. “I gues

Thank you so much for your warm welcome to the Universe! I’d liketo talk about my latest release, Orion’s Foot: Myth, Mystery, andRomance in the Amazon, and about cryptids. I will be happy to present one lucky readerwith a copy of Orion’s Foot . Please see theRafflecopter link below. The Amazon—where monsters and mystery lurk. Orion’s Foot is a taleof passion and obsession. Most people have never heard the word “cryptid” and indeed, Petra learnsof the term for the first time when she’s researching the Mapinguari, aBigfoot-like beast rumored to live in the Amazonian rainforest. A cryptid canbe any of the following: A creature from myth andlegend A supernatural or paranormalentity An extinct animal who maystill inhabit a specific area An animal found in an areait doesn’t normally inhabit An animal of an unusual sizeor appearance An animal that doesn’tresemble any known species A hoax—stuffed,photoshopped, false accounts The Mapinguari, which the team of scientists in Orion’s Foot have

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Lacewood: A Novel of Time and Place   Sometimes love is too powerful for one lifetime…   MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN in Virginia is a big change for New York socialite Katie McCain. But when she stumbles across an abandoned 200-year-old mansion, she’s enthralled by the enduring beauty of the neglected estate—and captivated by the haunting portrait of a woman in mourning.   Purchasing the property on a whim, Katie attempts to fit in with the colorful characters in the town of New Hope, while trying to unravel the mystery of the “widow of Lacewood.” As she pieces together the previous owner’s heartrending story, Katie uncovers secrets the house has held for centuries, and discovers the key to coming to terms with her own sense of loss.   The past and present converge when hometown hero Will Durham returns and begins his own healing process by helping the “city girl” restore the place that holds so many memories. As the mystic web of destiny is woven, a love story that might have been lost for