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 ...

We always welcome ghosts to Sorchia’s Universe! Randy Overbeck’s latest release, Scarlet at Crystal River , combines hauntings with romance and a murder. Who can resist that? A New Ghost Story by Randy Overbeck Crafting a new ghost story is no simple feat for me.             When I envisioned the Haunted Shores Mysteries, I set out to create something different. I wasn’t interested in imitating the terrifying, blood-curdling ghost tales of authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz. At the same time, I didn’t want to go the route of the whimsical, all-too- helpful ghost, the kind popular with a number of cozy mysteries. Instead, I wanted to create ghost stories more closely rooted to reality. Thanks to the work of scores of ghost hunting groups across the country, we now have considerable evidence of ghostly encounters—digital photos, audio and video recordings, recordings of thermal imaging and temperature fluctuations, ...

Healing Magic releases in October but you can get a sneak peak right now. Read about the town of New Mourne and the witches who live there in Neely Powell’s post. Notice the giveaway!! If you are an author, take a peak at a couple of promo opportunities at the very bottom. If you are a reader, take a look also because in October, you can take advantage of the bargains these two promos will provide. Creating a Witchy World by Neely Powell Like millions of others, we have a deep appreciation for the complexity of the world Patricia Briggs creates in her books. Werewolves, shifters, witches, vampires, and fae erupt from every corner, but the stories are seamless. And just when we think she can’t give us a more hideous monster, she does it again. We bow to Ms. Briggs’ genius, and we want to emulate her.  To build the world of the Witches of New Mourne trilogy, we started with a sprawling, squabbling family coven. You have your leaders and followers, your whiners and drama queens...

Everything we love! Witches, Werewolves, Weirdness!! Take a look at this week’s feature–you can get a FREE short story and an exclusive sneak peak at Love Spell, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets on the author’s website. Contests, giveaways and Freebies at the end. A Mortal’s Survival Guide to Clayridge By Cameron Allie A corn maze on one of the spookiest nights of the year sounds like fun, right? But once you get inside those tall stalks there’s no breeze. The air gets thick and heavy, despite the fall weather. And be sure to watch your footing. Those big fat rain drops might turn that path your on into a slick mud slide. But that’s all okay, too, right? One hour to get out of this maze, and the last one out buys the beer for the rest of the night. All you have to do is NOT be the last one out. But what if you don’t come out at all? Hidden deep within this corn maze is a magical portal and on the other side? A realm full of creatures of myth and legend and campfire sto...

Get a dose of Dragons and Urban Fantasy this week! Author Dan Rice provides a sample of his debut novel, Dragons Walk Among Us , and explains how an otherwise normal (so far as we know) human makes the decision to write fantasy books. It’s a question I’ve often asked myself–and I answer myself out loud no matter where I am and in much the same way Dan describes. If you are an author–what books led you to write the books you do? If you are a reader, what fantasy books did you read as a kid that sparked your imagination? Why Write Urban Fantasy? by Dan Rice For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in writing fantasy. My first inclination to do so came after reading  Dune  by Frank Herbert or perhaps The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. My interest grew as I read more fantastical works by Tolkien and The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Of all these classics, I was most impressed by  Dune  because Herbert creates, in my m...

Sunflowers! Bright, Beautiful, and featured in today’s Novel Magic post by author Jeny Heckman. Read all about Sunflowers and how they connect to Jeny’s new book, Dee’s Cornucopia– Released August 4 . Grab your copy today! And find the link to the newest Giveaway from N.N. Light’s Book Heaven. Sunflowers in the design of Dee’s Cornucopia by Jeny Heckman Greek Mythology is such a giving source of inspiration for many aspects of our modern life. The never-ending soap opera-like saga of Greek gods and Greek Goddesses was the inspiration of my fantasy paranormal Heaven & Earth Series. Dee’s Cornucopia is a novella telling the story of Dee Taylor, the beloved grandmother who started the Quest in our modern lives when she communed with Demeter the Greek Goddess of Harvest and Agriculture.  Dee is a grower! She can grow anything! She has a nursery in Hawaii called Dee’s Cornucopia and also happens to be a descendant of Demeter! The sunflowers are the sto...

Novel Magic features a YA fantasy this week– The Lost Chord by Lyndi Alexander. I’m excited for you to learn about this book and the inspiration behind the main character. Also, note the link to Arms Around ASD , a resource center providing therapies for people on the autism spectrum. Meet the Inspiration for Bee Warrick by Lyndi Alexander I have a daughter on the autism spectrum. She is not Rain Man. What she is, though, is uncannily intuitive. She often seems to be listening (and even conversing) with someone I clearly can’t see. I can make a mental wish that she would do something like turn off her light—and she will without my even saying it. She has a whole separate world where she lives part-time and is incredibly happy. She bursts into peals of laughter without any explanation. It’s kind of amazing. It’s also the inspiration for The Lost Chord , a YA fantasy novel I wrote about an autistic girl who travels through multiple dimensions to help a professor of music save...