I know everyone is waiting for Valkyrie Bestiary Book 7. Alas, I am not a fast writer. I'm not as slow as G.R.R. Martin, so don't worry. It will be done soon. With the cold weather and dark days, I have been doing a lot of business stuff. The things that happen behind the curtains of book writing. These may have gotten in the way of writing a tiny bit. But I promise, the stories are coming. In fact, yesterday, I finished a rough draft of a short story that may or may not feature everyone's favorite dervish. Okay, it totally does feature Jacoby as he tries to be the perfect 'prentice on Kyra and Mason's big day. Yes, the wedding is coming! Get your streamers ready. I hope to have Jacoby's story ready at the same time as Book 7. And it will be free to everyone in the Readers' Group. So if you haven't subscribed yet, now is the time. You can do that HERE.
Here's a teeny-tiny snippet from Jacoby's story, tentatively titled, Unwanted Guests.
Two small creatures argued over a row of fallen chairs. They were shorter than Jacoby by a head and wore tattered brown pants and dirty shirts. One was bare-headed with greasy gray hair stuck to his head. The other wore a brown slouchy hat that fell over his eyes. They were red-faced as they played tug-o-war with one of Kyra-lady’s flowers. A broken bouquet lay trampled under their feet.
“Mine!” Yelled one brownie.
“Mine!” Yelled the other.
Jacoby curled his lip. Stinkin’ brownies.
Be sure to subscribe to the Readers' Group to find out how Jacoby saves Kyra's big day.
Book News
Grimalkins Don't Purr is on sale 50% off at Audiobooks.com, but only until February 24th. If you've been following Kyra's journey by audiobook, this is a great chance to get Book 4!I am a proud member of The International Association of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Authors (IASFA). They are offering new subscribers s chance to win a Kindle Fire HD10. Check out that deal HERE.
Finally, I found a cool new book browsing tool at Shepherd.com. Unlike other book search engines, Shepard gives you tools to find the books you're craving by searching for tropes or characters and other great lists. The site is in beta mode now and it will only get better. Check out my curated list of Urban Fantasy with Marvelous Monsters on Shepherd.com.
What is Kim Reading?
Writers gotta read. It's like a workout for our minds. Reading helps us stretch our imaginations. I like to keep track of what I read on Goodreads, and it brings me joy to look back over all the titles I've absorbed. This is the section where I let you know what books have caught my fancy in the last little while. And that's a two-way street. I'd love to hear about what you're reading. Feel free to let me know right in the comments below. If you'd like to follow me on Goodreads, you can find by profile HERE. So, here is my recent read.
"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.
Why did I read this book? If you look at my normal reading habits, sci-fi isn't my usual fare, but I heard a lot of good things about this one. Also, I'm doing some creative research for a future character who might be a robot. I thought this one would help me get in the zone. It did that and more. All the hype about this book is warranted. It was a terrific read, with an unusual protagonist in the shy robot, who calls itself Murderbot, but has actually modified its protocols so it won't have to kill again. In some ways, this story reminded me of Klara and the Sun, another story about a confused robot. On the surface, these 2 books couldn't be more dissimilar, but they share a certain winsomeness that's hard to pinpoint. I give All Systems Red 5 stars and recommend it even to non-sci-fi lovers. It's not too tech-y and big on character.
Spotlight Books
Endosymbiont
Book 3 of The Vampire Guard
By Elizabeth Noble
A werewolf and seven vampires are all that stand between the world and complete annihilation. When Kai Richter and Ori Bier met, sparks flew. Then a train blew up.
Tracking an organism deadly to not only humans, but vampires and werewolves alike, brings Kai and Ori into The Vampire Guard. Decades later, they, along with Operative Team Jack Rabbit, come face to face with the horrors that same virus produces. Dead bodies are coming back to life, and rational people are becoming violent and brutal killers.
A massacre is taking place nearly a mile under the Atlantic Ocean. Two teams of The Vampire Guard are in the thick of it, fighting to survive.
Get Endosybiont for only $2.99
The Spellcasting Hour
Witch Fantasy & Romance
Embark on a spellbinding journey with this collection of paranormal stories dedicated to magic-wielding masters of the mystical arts. Armed with ancient power, they need only whisper arcane incantations to bend reality to their every desire.
THE SPELLCASTING HOUR, an action-packed paranormal fantasy and paranormal romance collection in the BookMojo anthology series featuring witches, warlocks, djinn, and more from some of today’s best urban fantasy and paranormal romance authors.
~ FEATURED AUTHORS ~
Inborn Magic by Kim McDougall
Melt: Snow Queen Retold by Demelza Carlton
Nightshade by Jena Gregoire
Hexe by Brandy Dorsch
Gift of Air by C.L. Carhart
Get your FREE copy of The Spellcasting Hour
Book Fairs
It seems that book sales are in the air. Below are the newest Book Fairs that I am taking part in, but there are many more on the Book Fairs Page.Click on the banners below for free books and great deals.
