I wasn’t going to share this just yet because my bio on the Amazon page is wrong (I haven’t lived in Calgary for 36 years) but I can’t resist đ
Check. This. Out.
The cover for Mark and my book, Haunted Hospitals has been decided upon. What’s more, it’s all online and has a release date and everything! Exciting!
Making this move into non-fiction was definitely not easy but, thus far, it’s been a very positive and rewarding experience đ
p.s. I’m glad this is the cover which got used in the end. I liked the hospital beds option, thought it did a fantastic job of capturing the lonely, institutional feeling of a great many of these stories and the hospitals they are set in, but “Mary” captured my heart from the beginning. I love the colours, the imagery of an empty hallway (who knows where it leads?) and I think when it’s sized down to a thumbnail it will be much more legible than the beds.
p.p.s. I named this apparition Mary (and Mark was lovely enough to go along with it) because, as I frequently bemoaned on social media while I was researching this book, a disproportionately high number of female ghosts are named Mary. It makes me happy to see us continuing with that tradition đ
Here she is, the much-anticipated cover and table of contents for the fourth of my Magical Menagerie anthologies: Sirens!
Cover by Jonathan C. Parrish
Sixteen siren songs that will both exemplify and defy your expectations.
Sirens are beautiful, dangerous, and musical, whether they come from the sea or the sky. Greek sirens were described as part-bird, part-woman, and Roman sirens more like mermaids, but both had a voice that could captivate and destroy the strongest man. The pages of this book contain the stories of the Sirens of old, but also allow for modern re-imaginings, plucking the sirens out of their natural elements and placing them at a high school football game, or in wartime London, or even into outer space.
Featuring stories by Kelly Sandoval, Amanda Kespohl, L.S. Johnson, Pat Flewwelling, Gabriel F. Cuellar, Randall G. Arnold, Micheal Leonberger, V. F. LeSann, Tamsin Showbrook, Simon Kewin, Cat McDonald, Sandra Wickham, K.T. Ivanrest, Adam L. Bealby, Eliza Chan, and Tabitha Lord, these siren songs will both exemplify and defy your expectations.
Table of Contents:
Siren Seeking by Kelly Sandoval
The Fisherman and the Golem by Amanda Kespohl
We Are Sirens by L.S. Johnson
Moth to an Old Flame by Pat Flewwelling
The Bounty by Gabriel F. Cuellar
The Dolphin Riders by Randall G. Arnold
Is This Seat Taken? by Micheal Leonberger
Nautilus by V. F. LeSann
Sirenâs Odyssey by Tamsin Showbrook
Safe Waters by Simon Kewin
Notefisher by Cat McDonald
Experience by Sandra Wickham
Threshold by K.T. Ivanrest
The Fishermanâs Catch by Adam L. Bealby
One More Song by Eliza Chan
Homecoming by Tabitha Lord
Earlier this month I sent three potential cover images out to the members of my newsletter and asked them to choose which one would be the cover. The response was overwhelming and the winner, with 75% of the vote is…
This installment of Rhonda Parrishâs alphabet anthology series asks skilled storytellers to write around the theme of chimera. The resulting tales are part fable, part poem, part dream. But like any chimera, the parts make up a greater whole.
Blend reality with fantasy. Mesh science fiction with mystery. Mix history with what should have been. They are all chimera.
A shadow tells a tale of schoolyard bullies. A long-vanished monster returns from the cold dark. Make-up makes up a life. Alchemy, Atlantis, and apocalypse. These 26 tales bring both chaos and closure to dark and elusively fantastic geographies.
Contributing authors include:
~ Alexandra Seidel ~ KV Taylor ~ Marge Simon ~ Pete Aldin ~ Michael M. Jones ~ Simon Kewin ~ BD Wilson ~ Gabrielle Harbowy ~ Sara Cleto ~ Megan Engelhardt ~ Michael Fosburg ~ Megan Arkenberg ~ Lilah Wild ~ Laura VanArendonk Baugh ~ Milo James Fowler ~ Brittany Warman ~ Michael B. Tager ~ L.S. Johnson ~ Beth Cato ~ C.S. MacCath ~ Sammantha Kymmell-Harvey ~ Steve Bornstein ~ Suzanne van Rooyen ~ Michael Kellar ~ Jonathan C. Parrish ~ Amanda C. Davis ~
Today I’m actually away at my favourite convention When Words Collide launching Scarecrow and Corvidae. However, due to some awesomely good luck it just so happens that today B is for Broken is being featured on Cover Reveals. You’ve seen the cover already (I hope) but pop on over anyway because they’ll have uh… honestly, I don’t remember what I sent them as content to run with the cover (I booked the spot a long time ago and this blog post is pre-scheduled and was written at a time when I had pre-convention brain, which is kinda like pregnancy brain [which I do not have]). So. Yeah.
I love this cover. Don’t you just love this cover? I feel like this anthology series has been blessed with great covers (thank you Eileen!) but this one is my favourite. Love, love, love, love, love it.
Oh. But wait. There’s more! In addition revealing the cover of Scarecrow I have copies to give away! There are two ways to win (I suggest entering both draws LOL). The first is a Goodreads giveaway. We’re giving a copy of Scarecrow to two lucky winners (US and Canada only, sorry :-/ ). It’s super easy to enter, you can just click here to go to the page on Goodreads or use this:
That draw is only open for like 5 days (it closes on August 3rd). Can we get 500 entries in 5 days? I don’t know, but let’s try! đ
The other way to enter to win a copy (well, actually ten copies) of Scarecrow is via #ScarecrowSelfies. This one is open to people anywhere in the world. You can check out all the details by clicking here, and in the meantime take a look at the entries that have come in so far:
I mean, I could have started this post with some text, maybe an explanation about what you were going to see but seriously? Were you going to notice? No. Because as soon as you looked at this page this cover would have captured your attention and once you’ve seen it, what additional explanation is needed? Still, there is protocol to follow… đ
This is the cover for my latest anthology, coming out July 7th!
Corvidae
Associated with life and death, disease and luck, corvids have long captured mankindâs attention, showing up in mythology as the companions or manifestations of deities, and starring in stories from Aesop to Poe and beyond.
In Corvidae birds are born of blood and pain, trickster ravens live up to their names, magpies take human form, blue jays battle evil forces, and choughs become prisoners of war. These stories will take you to the Great War, research facilities, frozen mountaintops, steam-powered worlds, remote forest homes, and deep into fairy tales. One thing is for certain, after reading this anthology, youâll never look the same way at the corvid outside your window.
Featuring works by Jane Yolen, Mike Allen, C.S.E. Cooney, M.L.D. Curelas, Tim Deal, Megan Engelhardt, Megan Fennell, Adria Laycraft, Kat Otis, Michael S. Pack, Sara Puls, Michael M. Rader, Mark Rapacz, Angela Slatter, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Leslie Van Zwol.
âA creepy, crazy kaleidoscope of corvids,Corvidae is what happens when you bring together ingenious writers and sagacious subjects. Itâs nothing short of a thrill ride when this anthology takes flight.â
â Susan G. Friedman, Ph. D., Utah State University; behaviorworks.org.
Pre-orders available now (within the United States) from World Weaver Press or add it to your shelves at Goodreads!
It’s a very distorted version of the cover for B is for Broken đ
I’m going to reveal the real, un-distorted cover here on my blog on April 22nd and I’d like your help.
We we launched A is for Apocalypse I asked people to sign up to host a cover reveal post on their blog, but this time I want to do things a little differently. I’ll host the official reveal on this blog, but I’d like your help ensuring sure as many people as possible see it. If you’d be willing to help, in whatever way you can (sharing the link on social media, writing a blog post* that links back to our official reveal post, telling a friend, whatever) please sign up with the form below. Then, as soon as the cover reveal post goes live on the 22nd I will email the direct link to you so we can start spreading it around.
Every little bit counts and I really appreciate your help with this. Thank you!
***The form used to be here, but sign-ups are closed and spam robots keep filling the form out and filling up my inbox so I’ve removed it***
*I’m totally happy to provide guest blogs, do interviews, etc. if you want additional content to go along with that. We may even have some Broken Stories to share by then. Just leave a comment in the form above and I’ll get back to you right away. I can provide bloggers the cover reveal URL before it goes live so they can schedule posts ahead of time but you’ll still receive an email when the link actually becomes functional đ
Today it is my pleasure to host a cover reveal for Crystal Collier’s book, Soulless đ
~*~
Have you met the Soulless and Passionate? In the world of 1770 where supernatural beings mix with humanity, Alexia is playing a deadly game.
SOULLESS, Book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy
Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and
lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to
reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage.
But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soullessâ
who then steal the only protection her people haveâ
she’s forced to unleash her true power. And risk losing everything.
What people are saying about this series:Â
“With a completely unique plot that keeps you guessing and interested, it brings you close to the characters, sympathizing with them and understanding their trials and tribulations.” –SC, Amazon reviewer
 “It’s clean, classy and supernaturally packed with suspense, longing, intrigue and magic.” –Jill Jennings, TX
 “SWOON.” –Sherlyn, Mermaid with a Book Reviewer
Â
Crystal Collier is a young adult author who pens dark fantasy, historical, and romance hybrids. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and ââŹĹfriendââŹÂ (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.
That’s the sound effect I imagine accompanying this image loading on your computer monitor. Because to me, this cover has weight, it has presence. This cover says Boom when you first see it đ
This is the cover for Fae. In case you’re new here, let me tell you a little bit about Fae, then I’ll share an excerpt and tell you how you can enter to win an ARC đ
Fae Description:
Meet Robin Goodfellow as you’ve never seen him before, watch damsels in distress rescue themselves, get swept away with the selkies and enjoy tales of hobs, green men, pixies and phookas. One thing is for certain, these are not your grandmother’s fairy tales.
Fairies have been both mischievous and malignant creatures throughout history. They’ve dwelt in forests, collected teeth or crafted shoes. Fae is full of stories that honor that rich history while exploring new and interesting takes on the fair folk from castles to computer technologies and modern midwifing, the Old World to Indianapolis.
Fae covers a vast swath of the fairy story spectrum, making the old new and exploring lush settings with beautiful prose and complex characters. Enjoy the familiar feeling of a good old-fashioned fairy tale alongside urban fantasy and horror with a fae twist.
With an introduction by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, and all new stories from Sidney Blaylock Jr., Amanda Block, Kari Castor, Beth Cato, Liz Colter, Rhonda Eikamp, Lor Graham, Alexis A. Hunter, L.S. Johnson, Jon Arthur Kitson, Adria Laycraft, Lauren Liebowitz, Christine Morgan, Shannon Phillips, Sara Puls, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Kristina Wojtaszek.
There were so many fantastic excerpts I could have chosen to share here. I am honestly having the hardest time in the world picking just one. My plan then, is to pick one to share right now, from the very first story of the anthology (Rosie Red Jacket by Christine Morgan) and then as we inch toward Fae’s release I’ll share a few more, spread out over the weeks. You won’t be disappointed, I promise đ
Excerpt from Rosie Red Jacket by Christine Morgan (230 words):
âBoys are the horridest,â someone said. âArenât they just?â
Georgina, on the stone bench by the garden hedge, started so that she almost dropped her book. She caught it against her lap and looked around.
Here was the yard, grassy lawns and flower-beds and tree-shaded paths sloping up toward Drewbury Hall, where her uncleâs family lived. Where she, too, now lived, because she had noplace else to go. The brick walls climbed green with ivy, the roof-slates were grey, and curtains stirred in open windows as the maids aired out the rooms.
The only person she saw was Partridge, the driver, out by the carriage-house. He crouched in front of the big brass-grilled snout of Uncleâs gleaming auto-motor, polishing the luminaries with a soft rag. It couldnât have been him that she heard, because he was too far away, whistling as he worked.
And the voice had sounded much more like that of a child, a girl her own age.
Which would have been nice, but the only other girl for miles about was the coalmanâs daughter in the village. Mrs. Curtis, the housekeeper, insisted it simply wouldnât do for Miss Georgina to associate with the coal-scuttle girl. Such things werenât proper, and therefore, werenât done.
She was about to decide sheâd imagined it when the someone spoke again.
âDonât you wish that theyâd all get the speckles and die?â
To celebrate the cover reveal and forthcoming publication of Fae, we’re giving away six ARCs through Goodreads, so enter below to win, and don’t forget to put Fae on your ‘Want to Read’ shelf. I think it improves your odds of winning, plus it makes me happy to see the number of people who have this on their shelves slowly growing đ
Speaking of slowly growing numbers, we thought it would be fun to see how far up the list of ‘Books About Faery’ we could get Fae. So far we’re up to #59. If you have a couple minutes to spare, why not pop by and vote for Fae on the list of Books About Faery? I want to see if we can break into the top 50 *fingers crossed*
đ
Fae
Edited by Rhonda Parrish
Release date: July 22, 2014 (ebook and paperback)
World Weaver Press and I are going to host an official cover reveal for Fae on May 21st. In addition to showing off our fantastic cover, we’ll also be hosting a giveaway of several copies (through Goodreads).
About Fae:
Meet Robin Goodfellow as you’ve never seen him before, watch damsels in distress rescue themselves, get swept away with the selkies and enjoy tales of hobs, green men, pixies and phookas. One thing is for certain, these are not your grandmother’s fairy tales.
Fairies have been both mischievous and malignant creatures throughout history. They’ve dwelt in forests, collected teeth or crafted shoes. Fae is full of stories that honor that rich history while exploring new and interesting takes on the fair folk from castles to computer technologies and modern midwifing, the Old World to Indianapolis.
Fae covers a vast swath of the fairy story spectrum, making the old new and exploring lush settings with beautiful prose and complex characters. Enjoy the familiar feeling of a good old-fashioned fairy tale alongside urban fantasy and horror with a fae twist.
With an introduction by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, and all new stories from Sidney Blaylock Jr., Amanda Block, Kari Castor, Beth Cato, Liz Colter, Rhonda Eikamp, Lor Graham, Alexis A. Hunter, L.S. Johnson, Jon Arthur Kitson, Adria Laycraft, Lauren Liebowitz, Christine Morgan, Shannon Phillips, Sara Puls, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Kristina Wojtaszek.
If you’d like to participate in the official reveal, please leave a comment to this blog post before May 17th (short notice, I know) and I’ll send you all the information you need by the 19th. Otherwise, just be sure and check back here on the 21st for the official unveiling of the cover and information about how you can enter to win a copy for yourself!
ETA:A friend asked me to explain a bit about what ‘hosting the reveal’ meant, for those people who aren’t familiar with the jargon. Basically, right before the day of the official reveal I will send out a copy of the cover image, a description of the book, links for the Goodreads giveaway, excerpts and all that sort of fun stuff to everyone who signs up to host the reveal. Then, on the day of the reveal all the hosts will post a blog entry with the cover image and whatever other bits of the book information they want to share.
People who don’t have a blog don’t need to sign up, but they can absolutely help still by spreading the word on social media, voting for the book in polls and entering to win the giveaway.
“A stellar group of authors explores over two dozen of the bangs and whispers that might someday take us all out. Often bleak, sometimes hopeful, always thoughtful, if A is for Apocalypse is as prescient as it is entertaining, we’re in for quite a ride.”
It is with great pleasure that I share the image above, the cover for the forthcoming anthology, A is for Apocalypse!
What do you get when you take twenty-six amazing writers, randomly assign them a letter of the alphabet and give them complete artistic freedom within a theme?
A is for Apocalypse
A is for Apocalypse contains twenty-six apocalyptic stories written by both well-known and up-and-coming writers. Monsters, meteors, floods, warâthe causes of the apocalypses in these tales are as varied as the stories themselves.
The thing is, that description isn’t being hyperbolic when it describes the varied ways the apocalypse comes about in this anthology. There are so many different causes we couldn’t go the easy route and just put a zombie, an atomic bomb or a massive flood on our cover because any one of those things would leave out more stories than it would encompass. So we went with this image instead. I have a soft spot for corvids, which is one reason they are featured on the cover, but I also thought they gave a nice foreboding feeling that went well with the dead grass and the sun setting (on the world! Dun dun dun!).
I also wanted to include all the contributors names on the cover, and set up a style which we’d be able to continue for all 26 books in this series. I feel like we accomplished that, and this cover will stand on its own as well as flow together with the rest of the titles in the series. I hope you agree đ
To help celebrate Iâm giving away three ARC copies of A is for Apocalypse. These are physical copies but I am willing to ship them to anywhere in the world. The Rafflecopter draw will run from May 12th to May 19th. On May 20th I will choose three winners and email them in order to get their shipping address. Anyone who doesnât respond by May 27th will forfeit their prize and I will choose a new winner to receive it. Cool? Cool.
In a few days I will be sharing a bit more about A is for Apocalypse (I have super short interviews with some of the contributors and positive blurbs) but for now I hope you’ll take advantage of all the ways you can enter our draw for an ARC of this fantastic book (the cover of which looks even better in reality than on your monitor!).
It is with great pleasure that I share the image above, the cover for the forthcoming anthology, A is for Apocalypse!