Miss Pamela — Pamela Des Barres, famed groupie of the 1960s and 1970s… and beyond … — may have only been the first to pen exploits of her tales.

Then came Roxana Shirazi, whose The Last Living Slut is a memoir I keep meaning to blog about. It’s sitting on my desk and yes, I finished reading it. I know. What’s taking me so long?

I’m sure there have been others between Miss Pamela and Roxana.

Now there’s a third.

“Once Upon A Rock Star” is author Rita Rae Roxx’s ’80s sex-and-tell book about all the heavy metal rock icons she met who toured through Omaha, Nebraska back in the day and whom she followed to L.A., even while attending Omaha’s Central High School.

I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t. After all, this wasn’t even my scene; back in those days, I was already into the heavier stuff. I was the DJ. I was too cool to be a groupie, and we all thought I’d go work at a record label. One of the cool labels, that only hired the cool people, who looked down their noses at the groupies.

But… somehow… it’s like a train wreck… I can’t stay away…

Check out more info, including a photo album filled with really fucked-up men. How they did that much partying and still survived could be part of the alluring mystery of it all…

I was sloughing off recently, something I haven’t been doing nearly enough of (have you SEEN my editing calendar? You wouldn’t slough off, either!) and caught a Tweet from Dave Owens, who I was already following even though I had no clue until now who he really was.

In short: an author of Rock Fiction.

I tried to coerce him into throwing a review copy my way, but he didn’t bite. Probably a good thing ’cause he’s one of those authors (and you know who they, and you, are) who’ve only made their books available on the Kindle. Hello? Some of us prefer to get our nookie however we can, sad to say. TMI? Okay, how’s this: we like the idea of competition, so we own Nooks. Which means we can’t read books that are available for Kindle only.

Why are you teasing your potential audience like this, folks?

Okay. We’re not here to talk about exclusives (which suck). We’re here to talk about Dave’s book. Music or Death.

Sounds like the battle cry of my life.

Here’s the blurb, shamelessly stolen from Amazon.uk’s page:

London in the near future. Music has been outlawed in all its forms as part of anti-terrorism measures. The people have been emptied of emotion and are kept in line by The Anthem, a soulless mockery of music that hooks society like a drug. The people are addicted to government control.

Cain is accidentally recruited into the terrorist cell Music or Death when he is caught up in a bomb attack. It’s dedication to bringing down the government and returning music to the people draws Cain deeper into their world of violence. As MOD’s actions spiral out of control, culminating in a chemical attack on the London Underground, Cain’s dedication to the cause is confused by a budding romance with Sarah, girlfriend to MOD’s leader and believer that violence doesn’t have to be the only way.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Xementhis, head of elite police division Soundcrime, exercises all his powers to find and destroy the terrorist cell. As his actions become increasingly violent, it becomes apparent that his anti-terrorist fervour may be more personal than professional, culminating in a fatal clash deep in the tunnels beneath the city.

Does that kinda remind you of a dystopian Footloose, or WHAT? (That’s a compliment, by the way. I always liked the premise of Footloose.)

So. If you own a Kindle, go pick it up. If you don’t, join me in clamoring for other sales outlets. ‘Cause it really sucks when you find a book you want to read, but are a victim of elitism. Yes, I said it. I went there.

THAT’s how bad I want to read this book. Yes, the editor said BAD.

Don’t go all Beavis on me, here…

Here’s one from another new friend! Michele Drier has just released the third book in the Kandesky Vampire trilogy, Plague: A Love Story.

Plague and love in the same book title? Really? This, I gotta see!

Michele didn’t say much about why she chose The Girl Can’t Help It as the song that makes her think of her book. In fact, she didn’t say ANYthing about it — feel free to ask in the comments, or to find another way to reach her to ask. I’m curious. Are you? Adding a bit of mystery to the topic of the day, there are a couple of versions of The Girl Can’t Help It. There’s the Journey version and the Little Richard version.

Which do you think she means?

Here’s the blurb:

The third book of the Kandesky Vampire Chronicles begins the saga of the family’s start during the chaos of 14th century Hungary. When Stefan’s wife and infant son die in a minor plague outbreak, he has nothing to live for, so Theron’s turning him to a vampire is just a way out of his anguish.
Until he takes over the estate of a merchant, recruits Jean-Louis to teach him business and meets Lady Penelope Kandesky.
Plague returns to Budapest and this time paves the way for Stefan to become Baron Stefan Kandesky, a businessman who builds a trading empire with the help of Jean-Louis and Pen.

This is another one you can only get at Amazon. Guess us non-Kindle users are SOL. Bummer!

The lovely — and for once, I mean that and am not sneering as I type — folks at Amazon have decided to include The Demo Tapes triplets in their 4-for-3 promotion.

That means you can buy all three Demo Tapes anthologies in print (instead of the Kindle format) and get something thrown in for free!

Go on. What are you waiting for?

Oh, you already have Demo Tapes 1, 2, or 3?

Well, go browse around! Check out my list of other Rock Fiction you may have missed. See if any of THEM are on the sale. Maybe it’s Demo Tapes 3 that you’ll get for free…

Go find some new reads while supporting your favorite author.

Hey! What do you mean? *I* am your favorite author.

Right??

Right.

My friend JC Cassels is one cool lady. I adore her, and not just because she originally posted this over at her blog and is graciously allowing me to repost it here. It’s a long post, so we’ll wax poetic about JC another day, and you can see for yourself how truly awesome she is.

While involved in a writer’s discussion several weeks ago, the topic turned to music as inspiration for our writing. I was relieved to find out that I wasn’t alone in listening to music to help me get in the mood to write certain scenes. What I found fascinating was the wide range of musical tastes and genres preferred by the different writers. Some of their choices surprised me, but knowing their books, I could see the influence the songs brought into play.

I started writing BARRON’S LAST STAND first to the soundtrack of artists like Great Big Sea, Dropkick Murphys, and Flogging Molly. SOVRAN’S PAWN was originally part of my backstory notes for what I’d planned as a stand alone novel ~ a last desperate bid at publication. From the first moments Bo Barron and Blade Devon strolled across my imagination, I’d always planned to tell their story as a series. After nearly 30 years, delays caused by personal crises and multiple rejections from agents and publishers, I was almost ready to give up. BARRON’S LAST STAND was in actuality what the title suggests.

A submission call from an editor I admire and wanted to work with came out last October. BARRON’S LAST STAND was nowhere near completion, but I had enough of the backstory written to cobble together a novella. I toyed with the idea for weeks while continuing work on BARRON’S LAST STAND. It wasn’t until a spate of family tragedies hit that I turned to the goal of completing and submitting a novella to escape my own emotional turmoil. I needed a realistic challenge to regain a sense of control over my life and my situation.

With apologies to BARRON’S LAST STAND, I set it aside and threw myself headlong into SOVRAN’S PAWN.

It was about that same time that my husband took me to St. Augustine to see one of my favorite bands in concert supporting their new CD, released six months prior. The band is Duran Duran and the CD they were supporting is ALL YOU NEED IS NOW. As the band who provided much of the soundtrack for my misspent youth, I’ve always found a measure of inspiration in their often obscure lyrics and their haunting melodies. That night was no exception. I came away from the concert as inspired as I had been the night I drove home from their STRANGE BEHAVIOUR tour back in the late 80’s.

The title track touched a responsive chord in my soul and with this CD as my soundtrack, I attacked SOVRAN’S PAWN with an optimism I hadn’t expected to find. One track on my playlist kept returning to haunt me ~ LEAVE A LIGHT ON. The song captured for me the very essence of theme of the book as well as the relationship between Bo and Blade; and I played the hell out of it. Before I knew it, my novella became a full-length novel and I completed it in record time.

***
[youtube]
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ALL YOU NEED IS NOW started out without a record label as a labor of love and a leap of faith by Duran Duran. I’d followed their progress on social media and was impressed with the grassroots way they rallied their fan base. By the time the tracks hit iTunes in December 2010, they had generated enough buzz to warrant a CD release, a music video and now a concert tour they’ve been on for more than a year.

Inspired by their faith in their own project, and the fact they recorded, released and now support it on their own terms, I decided not to submit SOVRAN’S PAWN to a publisher who wouldn’t have as much at stake, nor be as emotionally invested in the project as I would be. I followed the example Duran Duran set and I’ve published independently, on my own terms. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to do so without witnessing the painstaking progress of ALL YOU NEED IS NOW.

I didn’t set out to link my book to this CD, or to Duran Duran. It just happened that way. I’m so very glad it did.

Thanks guys!

As always, apologies for not getting the graphics in… anyone want to teach me and answer some REALLY dumb questions?

Buy links!

Smashwords (This is an affiliate link. Use it!)
Barnes and Noble
Amazon

It wasn’t merely inevitable, it was probably forecast by the people who sit around and forecast this stuff.

Everybody and their brother’s now writing a book.

This isn’t necessarily bad, especially if it means more people find and buy my books or if more of those authors hire me to edit their books (although to be honest, I’m pretty darn backed up right now with the editing work. Go, me! And thanks to all my authors for their patience as I work through the queue to their manuscripts).

But this one? I dunno… maybe there are some books that shouldn’t be brought into the world. Maybe there are some people who shouldn’t try to seek out their fifteen minutes, you know?

Like this guy. He’s famous for punching out the legendary Glenn Danzig, and that’s about it. And now, eight years later, he’s compiling the hate mail he got and is putting it into a book.

Could be interesting, but the blurb from the official Facebook page is … full of grammatical errors. If that’s a sign of things to come, unless I’m about to be hired as the crack editor I am, I’ll pass on this one.

Most likely.

(As always, thanks to the guys at Metal Sucks for turning me on to the truly bizarre)

Every now and then, someone comes along and does things their own way. Author Meliha Avdic is one of those people. Read on and see what I mean.

For instance, when I asked what song made her think of her book, Just Another Life, she sent me a link. No explanations, just the link.

And you know what? It makes sense. It really does.

Read the blurb and tell me what YOU think:

Only the extraordinary long for an ordinary life.

After a life lived, May learns how extraordinary an ordinary life is in the web of love and hate, sorrow and joy, friends and foes, good and evil, knowledge, understanding and ignorance, truth and illusion.

Hmm, huh? Intriguing…

But there’s more! Check out her buy links — definitely not what the rest of us are doing. And that, too, is different and very, very cool.

e-bay

GroovyCart

Feel free to contact me via e-mail if you wish to arrange alternatives: mbavdic at gmail dot com

For background information:

For extracts

FaceBook

Twitter: @MelihaAB

G+

I know it’s not quite the middle of the month yet, but the Smashwords Summer Sale is turning up some interesting results. (Go visit my profile page, if you haven’t yet)

Not surprisingly, Trevor’s Song is my top seller. This reinforces the common belief that novels sell better than short story collections.

Demo Tapes 3 comes in second, having sold one fewer book than Trevor’s Song.

Demo Tapes 1 is next

then Demo Tapes 2

and finally, Mannequin.

I know what you’re saying: “Hey, Sooz, what about King Trevor???”

Yeah. Exactly.

I know we live in a world where free is the way of life. I noticed that in the early days of the sale, when Demo Tapes 3 and Trevor’s Song, both set to free for the first time since I published them, were outselling the other books, 2-1. It was like people had been waiting to get their Trevor fix until I did the inevitable and set them to free.

Okay. I get that.

But… I’ve got bills to pay, folks.

So here’s what I’m asking, and it’s really no different than what many others are currently asking: If you like what you read, why not leave a review someplace? Leave it on the sale page at Smashwords. Post it around wherever you have an account: B&N. Amazon. Powells. GoodReads. If you have a blog, send me the url and I’ll link to it from my reviews page for each book.

Even if you write, “I liked this because…” (and fill in the blank!) and that’s your entire review, it’s a help. No one said you had to be a professional reviewer. In fact, sometimes, it’s better that you’re not. Your reaction is going to be more honest, more real. There’s an authenticity that I lose when I write for the people who pay me. Take advantage of the power that gives you, friends.

It’s also a nice way to say thanks for the freebie.

I can’t believe the world is this coordinated. I can’t, and not just because if I do buy into it, it means I’m a bigger disorganized mess than I am willing to face. That’s simply not an option.

What’s going on is that the summer is being set up for a summer of Metallica, something I ordinarily would be totally into. And maybe I am, but it’s hard to tell when I’m so focused on selling the existing books, writing new ones, and building up the editing business. Which means: my Metalli-love is limited and I didn’t travel to their inaugural Orion Music + More festival. (Hmm. I wonder if next year, I could be a vendor and go sell books, even though that’s not the sort of vendor they’re looking for… what do you guys think?) Truth be told, I was okay with missing it, if only because the only bands I’m currently interested in seeing are Avenged Sevenfold and, of course, the Mighty Met themselves. And there was that pesky matter of being at Boy Scout camp.

Sheesh. When did Metallica fall in importance to the Boy Scouts? It’s funny how life changes.

Which means if I hadn’t been at camp, I’d have stayed home and read a book. Or two. Doesn’t matter which (although one’s made me yawn already).

Two Metallica books are coming out. The first is Birth. School. Metallica. Death. Yep, it’s the one that made me yawn, and I’m still yawning even with word that the book is finally scheduled for a US release — in fall of 2013. Which is, obviously, after the Orion festival, but whatever. We’re still seeing a lot of Metallica for a band who’s NOT recording a new album, let alone releasing it.

The other book is called Metallica: The Early Years and the Rise of Metal. It’s purportedly going to focus on “the massive impact of METALLICA’s first four albums on the international metal scene. The 208-page book shows the birth and rise of the monster known as METALLICA and will link the band — and the American metal scene — with the famed New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement in the U.K. and metal originators such as BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST.” (Quote yanked from the press release I saw.)

It’s supposed to be the first and only book to do this.

Okay… I’ll reserve judgment, if you don’t mind.

At least this book is giving details about author Neil Daniels, even if they only say, “Daniels has written about classic rock and heavy metal for a wide range of magazines, fanzines and websites. He has written books on JUDAS PRIEST, Robert Plant, BON JOVI, LINKIN PARK and JOURNEY.” — it’d be nice if they’d provide titles and/or links to some of those backlist titles…

This one’s set to release on May 28, which means you could have read it before the Orion festival and used it to get all pumped. Or, if it sucks, I suppose you could make a collection of biographies about Metallica and say THAT’s your collection required to be a vendor…

I love it when cool people drop into my inbox, and sbr martin is one of those cool people. She and I also share a cool Pittsburgh connection: the cover artist for her book, Pig, is (was? I can’t keep up) a member of Pittsburgh-based Rusted Root.

… and so, once again, music and books collide in Susan’s life. You know I’m loving this.

Anyway, let’s get to the post ’cause that’s what you’re really here for, not my babble.

What song makes you think of your book?:

“Piggy” by Nine Inch Nails – and it’s not just because of the similarity in title! If “pig” were ever made into a movie, I’d want “Piggy” to be on the soundtrack, as the series of dark, disturbing, and sensual sounds that opened the flick.

“Pig” is about domestic abuse, sexuality, reflection, and loss – and so too seem to be Trent Reznor’s unassuming lyrics.

The book’s main character, Lily, has been called a lot of things in her life – Lilith, Mom, Flower, and Pig, for example. Pig is one of the clever, thoughtful nicknames her husband gave her, and when Reznor bellows “Hey Pig,” it reminds me of the ill-intentioned, mocking way Lily’s husband might greet her, “Yeahhh you.”

“Black and blue and broken bones | You left me here, I’m all alone,” Reznor sings, though these words could very well have come out of Lily’s lips. Yep, Lily’s husband, Bender, liked to hit her sometimes; and, Lily sometimes hurt herself, in drunken accidents and the like. Too many times she wound up black and blue, with broken bones. And, too many times Bender left her there all alone – including the last time he left her, the night of his own unfortunate “accident.”

Lily was an accomplished lady when it came to enjoying the company of men. She settled for her husband, thinking he might be the one to tame her. But, instead, he caged her in a volatile relationship from which Lily could not, or did not want to, escape, and about which she could have borrowed Reznor’s lyrics: “Nothing’s turning out the way I planned… What am I supposed to do? | I lost my shit because of you.”

And as per Reznor’s refrain, “Nothing can stop me now | I don’t care anymore | Nothing can stop me now | I just don’t care” – well, that too has much to do with “pig.” But I ain’t gonna tell you about that. You’ll have to read my book to figure it out.

Read it. Live it. Love it. sbr martin. pig.

Ready for the blurb?

A troubled woman sits alone on a couch in a crowded funeral home, in wake of her husband’s “accident.” In her right hand, she holds a scrap of paper she refuses to reveal, and, in her heart, she holds a lot of secrets, including a big one she’s keeping from herself. As the familiar faces of funeral home patrons stir in her a lifetime of memories, her story and her secrets unravel in a narrative of domestic abuse, sexuality, motherhood, and loss.

And a buy link, too.

Personal links:
Facebook
GoodReads
Amazon Author Profile
YouTube
Twitter
website

By now, I think most of India Drummond’s fans know how she and I came to work together, me as her editor.

I don’t do this for all my clients, since some of them prefer to stay incognito, but with Enemy of the Fae being released, I wanted to give India some extra time over here at West of Mars. I truly loved working on Enemy of the Fae, and I’d love to see this turn into a best-seller. It’s THAT good.

Which means, of course, that I asked India my famous question: What song makes you think of your book?

I challenged India, which isn’t easy. But I did it.

Here’s what she had to say:

I find it really difficult to relate real-world music to a fantasy world! But I think I’d have to say Jump Up Behind Me by James Taylor. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekUFyTdeb3s if you don’t know it.) It has a lovely feel to it, but it also reminds me of the way Eilidh swept into Munro’s life and carried him away. Although he left behind everything he knew, his career, his family, he couldn’t turn away the chance at real love and the all the promise that came with his own personal transformation.

Here’s the blurb:

Book 3 of the Caledonia Fae urban fantasy series

With a young, inexperienced monarch on the Caledonian throne and traitorous plots implicating those nearest Queen Eilidh, unrest is rife in the kingdom. She must sift through the intrigues and lies to survive, all while trying to discover which of her trusted companions hates her enough to commit mass murder.

Pressures threaten to overcome the young ruler, and to protect Quinton Munro, her bonded druid, she must send him away. His journey becomes a mission when he stumbles on an ancient truth that will shake the foundations of the entire faerie realm. Confronted by infinite danger and the promise of limitless power, Munro faces the most difficult choices of his life. Will he hide the truth to preserve stability in the faerie kingdoms or embrace the promise of his true druid heritage?

One friend will die because of that truth, one friend’s betrayal will cause irreparable scars, and the once tightly-knit band of druids will learn that not all magic is benevolent.

Caledonia Fae:

Book 1: Blood Faerie
Book 2: Azuri Fae
Book 3: Enemy of the Fae
Book 4: Druid Lords (Dec 2012)

And, last, the buy link!

Yes, only one. Maybe, if you’re not a Kindle user, you can ask India nicely? She’s really quite wonderful.

Yep, gang, it’s that time of year again — the time when Susan throws convention and royalties to the wind and makes most (well, all but King Trevor) of her books free as part of the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale.

The idea here is exposure, gang. I’m hoping to pick up new readers, maybe some who’ll be kind enough to leave reviews at all the various spots where one can leave reviews.

Yeah, I know. Giving that many books away — last year, I blew past my previous record — means fewer royalties. That means my bank account struggles and it’ll be that much longer before my web guy and I can work on even more site improvements, but … this is Trevor and over and over, the people who meet Trevor love Trevor, once they get past his crusty, asshole exterior. With the editing taking up so much of my time right now (which is both a blessing and a curse, no?), I need all the help that I can help with spreading the Trevor love.

So… I know most of you reading this already have the books. Why not buy a copy (or two) for a friend? Take a few minutes and write a review? (Not sure how? Start here: I liked this because ____. I didn’t like _____. I wish ______. Yes, reviews CAN be that easy!)

Your support now means more good stuff in the future. I promise.

ETA: The link! How did I forget the link?

I know. Some things get lost in the annals of history (what the heck IS an annal, anyway? Any of you erotic writers want to weigh in here?), and one of those things is that Randy Rhoads was in a band before Ozzy’s.

Now, we can read about it. And watch and listen, as well.

“Randy Rhoads: The Quiet Riot Years”, a new book from QUIET RIOT’s personal photographer/lighting director Ron Sobol, is tentatively due this spring via Red Match Productions. As a bonus, this book comes with a 90-minute DVD documentary of the QUIET RIOT years with Randy, containing interview footage telling the story of the band.

Know how far back in history we’re going here, folks? 1975. That’s right. Raise your hands if you weren’t even born back then. (No comment from THIS member of the peanut gallery!)

The pictures, the clothing alone… this could be a lot of fun. Plus informative… really. In all my years of learning about music, I think I’d skipped the Randy Rhoads pre-Ozzy lessons. It’s like the guy had joined Ozzy right after he jumped out of the womb, fully formed and guitar blazing…

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the heads-up. Now if they’d only send me this stuff instead of waiting for me to find it myself…

(demanding, aren’t I?)

You don’t have to be a child of Seventies Rock to be able to appreciate all Alice Cooper has brought to the world of rock and metal. From the stage show to the persona to the music to the classics, this man and his band have earned their spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Cooper once, at a show in the early 90s, I think it was. My friend was on the production staff; I spent most of the show backstage with her. But I made a point of seeing Alice’s set. It was everything it was cracked up to be — and best of all, it wasn’t slick and polished, like you’d expect after so many years. Nor was it a train wreck of drugs and addictions.

Neither was the man, himself. He was a kind, quiet, class act.

Just the sort to make me fall a little bit in love.

We’ll see how I feel after I read Welcome to my Nightmare, a new biography by multi-published rock biographer Dave Thompson. Maybe I’ll be inspired to create an Alice-like character who changes the face of rock and roll. Who knows?

Here’s a bit about the book, shamelessly — as always — lifted from the press release I saw:

“Drawing from exclusive and unpublished interviews with a variety of names and faces from throughout Alice’s career, the book follows Cooper’s tale from his life growing up as a preacher’s son in Arizona, through the early years of struggle in Phoenix and then Los Angeles, and then onto the roller coaster ride that has been the years since then. Includes interviews with original bandmates Michael Bruce and the late Glenn Buxton, drummer Neal Smith, the late Frank Zappa, manager Shep Gordon and producer Bob Ezrin. Includes tributes and recollections from many of the artists who call Alice an influence — from THE DAMNED and THE CRAMPS, to WHITE ZOMBIE and GWAR. Session players and songwriters who have made their own contributions to the Alice story recall their days spent with this Prince of Hell-raisers. The result is a story that alternately thrills, shocks, surprises and delights. Includes full discography and bibliography.”

That’s quite a roster of people paying tribute or, more hopefully, contributing great stories, anecdotes, and tales of wild (or not-so-wild) adventures.

This is one book that’s going to have quite a reputation to live up to… I can’t wait to read it.

I’ve long had an uneasy relationship with Slipknot. They either strike a nerve with me — usually but not always in a good way — or I find them too ugly to bear. I’m sure the band’s mastermind, M. Shawn Crahan — you may think of him as Clown — would be flattered.

His art is the same way for me. Fascinating, and not always in a sick way.

So… of course I’m totally coveting his forthcoming photo and art book, The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey.

Here’s what the press release I saw has to say:

Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey, which will be published by MTV Books in June, is a collection of explorations in darkness and light from Shawn’s experimental photography, his second and equally powerful artistic outlet which he has honed for over a decade. Weird, wired, paranoid, endlessly imaginative and cancerously prolific, he’s created thousands of dangerous representations of reality through eye-gouging Polaroids in numerous styles in this hand-picked collection.

That says everything… and absolutely nothing. Notice that?

I’ve seen pieces of Clown’s work, as it’s been posted online. It’s been enough to make me realize that for a press release that says everything and nothing all at once, it’s dead-on accurate.

The book, featuring a foreward from one of my heroes, Lars Ulrich, will be out in June.

As word of the Featured New Book spot spreads, more of you are dropping into my inbox. This is cool, and I hope these authors won’t be strangers once the post is up.

Today we’ve got Kathleen S. Allen, whose Lore of Fei is the first in a new series. Check it out!

Song is: To The Fairies They Draw Near By Lorena McKennitt

TAGLINE: Faeries vs. humans, who will win in the battle for Fei, the land of the faeries? The Book of Lore states a silver-winged faerie will be born to save their race but, no silver winged faerie has been born. There is only Ariela, a faerie without wings, and no wings means she has no magic, or does she?

Hmm…. no reason or explanation given… maybe it’s self-explanatory?

LORE OF FEI BLURB:

“I am not a human girl, Duri. I am a faerie, like you. I was born without wings.” His eyes widened, but he still did not speak. “The Old Ones sent me to find a way to stop the humans. There can be no war on Fei. I need to know what the humans plan and when they will raid Fei again. You can help save Fei from extinction, Duri. Will you help me and be loyal to me and to Fei?”

He nodded. It was a slight nod, but it was a nod.

“Thank you Duri.” I sensed relief from him. “Sunvi, of the Old Ones has been captured and is ensconced in the food area. His wings have been clipped, too. He will help us restore Fei to the land it once was.”

I moved away from Duri toward the dragons. Tashie spotted me and flew over. She gave me a look, and I laughed at her. I sensed hunger from her. I reached in my pouch and pulled a sweet out. She took it and gobbled it down. I scratched under her chin, feeling the happiness flowing from her into me. I looked over to where Duri had stood, but he had gone back to the Lair. I hoped I could trust him. Faeries were much harder to read than humans.

Intriguing, no?

Why don’t you go pick up a copy? And remember: if you like what you read, a few words in a posted review help an author out a LOT.

Buy it at Amazon

Watch the book trailer

Websites:

https://www.loreoffei.weebly.com

https://www.gaelicfairie.webs.com

Facebook Author Page

On Twitter: @kathleea

I am so overdue with this one, and it’s not fair ’cause it’s a humdinger… And a favorite song around these parts!

Author Jaidis Shaw is too cool for words. She’s one of those people who makes you nervous ’cause she brings back that old high school insecurity, where you so desperately want someone to like you…

No? Only me?

Yeah. Whatever. On to the subject at hand… Jaidis wrote a book called Destiny Awaits. The synopsis follows her answer to my famed one-question interview: What song makes you think of your book?

I don’t know if there is a song that sums but the entire book but there is one song that would often make its way onto the Pandora station I listened to while writing Destiny Awaits that fits one of the main characters. I didn’t really listen to the lyrics at first but the beat was nice so I continued to listen and hesitated briefly as a few words caught my attention:

“The secret side of me, I never let you see…”

Alayna, the main female lead, is able to see visions in water but she has always kept this part of herself hidden so that she wouldn’t be considered a freak. After she is attacked by a Vampire, she becomes more comfortable with this side of herself but the bite has left her with a sense of hunger that she struggles to control:

“I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin, I must confess that I feel like a monster.”

With this new thirst threatening to burst forth at a moment’s notice, especially when she is in close proximity to Jayden, she feels as though she is a monster. She doesn’t understand what she is becoming and when the effects of her blood are revealed, she realizes just how dangerous (or helpful) she can be. So it is because of those reasons that I feel “Monster” by Skillet is an accurate song for Alayna.

Link to “Monster” by Skillet on YouTube

Yes! Skillet!

I ran into their touring cellist… do I get cool points for that? He used to work for a friend of mine.

Okay. Back to Jaidis and her book. I want to read this one!

Synopsis:
Twenty-year-old Alayna Scott receives visions around water, but even her foresight couldn’t prepare her for the tragic accident that claimed the lives of her parents. With everything she loves gone, Alayna packs up and moves to the small town of Juniper Grove in hopes of starting over.

Jayden McKnight can’t explain the attraction that he feels whenever Alayna is near, but he does know that he will do whatever it takes to win her heart. When a vampire selects Alayna as his next victim, Jayden will stop at nothing to ensure her safety – even if that means bringing Alayna into a world that she never knew existed.

Love blossoms, challenges are made and Alayna will find herself fighting not only to survive, but to understand what she has become.

LINKS!!!
Amazon

GoodReads link for Destiny Awaits

Jaidis’ Links:
Juniper Grove Blog
Amazon Author Page
GoodReads
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter
YouTube

I met Larry Enright through a writer’s group on Facebook, I believe it was. We Tweet often; he’s funny and charming and is always good to lift your moods when you need to have ’em lifted.

Which of course means I have to host him now that he’s got a new short work out! It’s called 12-21-12 and if you know anything about numbers, you recognize the date. That should tell you plenty as to what the book’s about.

So. On to the song that makes Larry think of his new release.

Answer this question: What song makes you think of your book?
It’s the End of the World by R.E.M.

2. Please provide your book blurb:
The world ends for someone every day. One day it will end for everyone.

3. Buy links:
a. Amazon only!

4. Please provide any personal links you’d like to include:
a. Website
b. Facebook
c. Twitter
d. Goodreads

I met DJ Butler not too long ago, when he dropped into my inbox. A mutual friend had suggested we hook up, and let me tell you, I owe that mutual friend! DJ’s pulp series is FUN, FUN, FUN. The fourth installment of his rock band fighting evil came out right around the time King Trevor did, and I was busy with my own release and getting this place back up and running. Poor DJ had to wait all this time for his feature.

That means that once you’ve read this, you need to head over to Amazon and get yourself ALL the titles in the series. Yes, I’m serious. No, doing so won’t break the bank. (Especially because, for you freebie hunters, there are some this week only!)

Read on and see what song inspired this fourth episode, Devil Sent the Rain.

That’s an easy one: “Sympathy for the Devil.” I actually was going to use that title (all the Rock Band Fights Evil books steal their titles from blues, folk or rock songs), until I saw that it had already been done. Many, many times.

I choose “Sympathy for the Devil” for three reasons. First, I think we can all agree it’s a bitching song. And Rock Band Fights Evil is nothing if not bitching.

Second, the song is a devil’s eye retelling of the history of the human race. It’s epic in scope, involving great human wars and famous atrocities (the World Wars, the killing of Christ and the Kennedys) in a tale in which it’s not always easy to tell the cop from the criminal, the sinner from the saint. This is also true of Rock Band Fights Evil, which is a sort of rock ‘n’ roll telling of the apocalypse, revolving around a not-entirely-unsympathetic figure of Azazel, greatest of the Princes of Hell.

Third — and this is why I wanted to use the title for one of the books in the first place — the action in the early books is driven by sympathetic magic. (For anything who is now raising a puzzled eyebrow, the basic idea of sympathetic magic is that two things that are once together are always together, so you can take magical action on a part of something to cause an effect on the whole thing.) Azazel, imprisoned in the wastes of Dudael for centuries under a bath of holy water, lost a fragment of his hoof. The band, a gaggle of variously-damned men, grab the hoof fragment in book one and race towards Hell against the powers that want to snatch the hoof from them, because they want to use it in an act of sympathetic magic — think voodoo doll principles — to force Azazel to undamn them.

Hey, look, I think I’ve just given you my book blurb, too. Ha! Rock on!

(Sadly, it looks like the Stones have yanked all the video of this off the Internet. Shoot.)

[Note from Susan: I found one! Click that link above!]

Rock Band #1 is Hellhound on My Trail

Rock Band #2 is Snake Handlin’ Man

Rock Band #3 is Crow Jane

Rock Band #4 is Devil Sent the Rain

Blog

Rock Band Website

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Goodreads

One final note: Be sure if you do nothing else, you check out the cover art for these books. They’re every bit as awesome and entertaining as the books themselves and I HATE that covers this slick have to be reduced to greyscale!

Since the hack caused my Rocks ‘n Reads blog to be lost, I’ve come up with a new way to post my book reviews. You can access them from the Rock Fiction page — once I’ve got them all up.

Down the road, one of my goals is to come up with really cool templates for each page. Yes, each review will have its own sidebars!

(Buy my books and hire me to edit yours so I can afford this project, okay??? Yes, I’m eyeing Kickstarter, too.)

Since there won’t be an RSS feed associated with the new reviews, I’ll take this space to notify you of the reviews I post.

Which means I’ve got a review to tell you about! It’s for Rachel K. Burke’s Sound Bites, a really cute beach read that is totally worth your time. Once you read my review, use this link (my Smashwords affiliate link) to pick up your own copy. You won’t be disappointed!