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Book Blast: OBSIDIAN WORLDS by Jason Werbeloff

11/30/2015

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Jason Werbeloff in his promotional tour for Obsidian Worlds, a collection of dark and bizarre science fiction. Jason will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner, so be sure to enter using the Rafflecopter box below.

About the collection:

Jason Werbeloff’s short stories have been downloaded over 20,000 times. Obsidian Worlds brings together his 11 best-selling sci-fi shorts into a mind-bending philosophical anthology.

In "Your Averaged Joe," a man’s headache is large enough to hold the multiverse. "Q46F" is an obsessive-compulsive android who finds love in a zombie-embroiled apocalypse. The end of the world isn’t all that bad – "The Experience Machine" will fulfill your every desire (and some you hadn’t considered). A sex bot dares to dream of freedom in "Dinner with Flexi." But mind what you eat, because "The Photons in the Cheese Are Lost." Don’t fret though: "The Cryo Killer" guarantees that your death will be painless, or your money back when you’re thawed. Unless, that is, you’re "The Man with Two Legs."

Plug into Obsidian Worlds for these and other immersive stories, including the hilarious "Time-Traveling Chicken Sexer." Your brain will never be the same again.

Excerpt (from Your Averaged Joe):

“Sorry, this is a bit overwhelming. Let me introduce myself.” Then all three men spoke in unison, extending their hands, “I’m Thursday.” They each chewed a piece of gum, their masticating movements simultaneous.

Joe eyed the identical hands. Long, frosty fingers. Whitest skin. He shook hands with each. Their grips were firm. All three.

Thursday continued, “This is the Chamber.” He waved his arm around the room proudly. Joe considered the space. The rows of beds seemed to stretch forever. He couldn’t see the end of the room. And no pillars. Nothing to support the pink ceiling that extended in all directions. Joe scrunched his feet at the enormity of the Chamber, and the floor squeezed between his toes. But the floor wasn’t smooth – it was … hairy? He glanced down, and yup, fine dark hairs covered its surface. It was like standing on a forearm. Goose bumps erupted along his arms, down his legs, Joe shifted his weight to his heels, trying to avoid the hairs from scratching between his toes. And as the goose bumps spread across his back, down his chest, the ground beneath his feet changed. Between the silky black hairs, the fleshy floor lumped in places. Lumps the size of fists. Bumps, goose bumps. On the ground. He shivered.

Trying not to think about it, and resisting the urge to jump, to get his feet anywhere but on the fleshy floor, he stared at the beds. Each held a single occupant, each with brown hair, each wearing the same pale blue nightgown he was wearing. Joe looked to the bed beside his, and his heart stopped.

The man in the bed was him.

About the Author:

Jason Werbeloff is a novelist and philosopher. He loves chocolate and his Labrador, Sunny.

He's interested in the nature of social groups, personal identity, freedom, and the nature of the mind. His passion is translating philosophical debate around these topics into works of science fiction, while gorging himself on chocolate.

Download all of Werbeloff's fiction from Amazon, subscribe to his newsletter to get "The Solace Pill" free and VIP access to Werbeloff's latest fiction. Follow him on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter, and read about the author, and the philosophy behind his fiction at http://www.jasonwerbeloff.com/.

Buy the book--for only $0.99 through November--at Amazon.

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Book Blast: FUTURE WINDS by Kevin Laymon

11/25/2015

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Today, I have guest Kevin Laymon here to promote his recent sci-fi release, Future Winds. Kevin will be awarding a $20 gift card to Thinkgeek.com (international) to a randomly drawn winner, so be sure to enter using the Rafflecopter box below.

About the work:

Set in a science fiction setting with elements of twisted horror, Future Winds is a strange yet wondrous tale of species self preservation and the all out moral cost of survival. Forced to leave earth, humanity discovers a planet capable of supporting life and hatches an audacious plan that will warp them across the universe to settle and begin anew. There is a darkness that resides below the planet's surface, but with no option to turn back, humanity must find a way forward.

Excerpt:

Though humanities new planet is mostly desert, there is an abundance of lush and complex alien life that dwell below the hot surface.

The channel was lit up by neon flora of green and blue, beautiful little plants that swayed back and forth despite the lack of a breeze or draft to give them a push. Reaching out to touch one with his glove, the little blossom reacted by illuminating brighter, so much so that the exterior became transparent, and Tyler could see the thousands of cells within, that made up life for the spectacular flower.

About the author:

"My name is Kevin Laymon. My passions are space exploration, music, sailing, snowboarding, wildlife, and of course writing. I have been writing for some time but the focus has been primarily on short stories and dark poems strictly for personal use. Future Winds is the first of a handful of novels I am working on for publication. I grew up in upstate New York and have lived up and down the east coast. New York is a location that holds a very special place in my heart. After working a wide range of jobs that I hated for far too long, Sara my significant other, and I decided earlier in 2015 to make some dramatic changes and travel. We scraped together some cash, I quit my job, and we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where we live a libertarian life as vegetarians. We share our desertscape living quarters with an aquatic turtle named Taz and a rabbit named BunBear. On October 9th 2015 Sara & I got married in Las Vegas, Nevada. The sunshine in New Mexico has helped immensely in illuminating a greater perspective as to who I am and what I was placed on this planet to do; that is to teach and inspire. I have a hunger to awaken humanity so that we may break away from our programed way of thinking. Our minds are powerful and I encourage everyone to open them up, exercise them, and tap into the potential I know every living man woman and child has. Though my stories at times can be very dark there is a reason for everything I do. Perspective, perception, and relativity are everything in the world of literature."

For more about Kevin Laymon and his work, visit his website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed. Future Winds is available through Amazon.

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Guest Post: Alex Palmer

11/24/2015

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Today, guest author Alex Palmer is here to share about his historical true crime work, The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York. Alex will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter, so make sure not to miss the entry box below.

About the book:

Before the charismatic John Duval Gluck, Jr. came along, letters from New York City children to Santa Claus were destroyed, unopened, by the U.S. Post Office. Gluck saw an opportunity, and created the Santa Claus Association. The effort delighted the public, and for 15 years money and gifts flowed to the only group authorized to answer Santa’s mail. Gluck became a Jazz Age celebrity, rubbing shoulders with the era’s movie stars and politicians, and even planned to erect a vast Santa Claus monument in the center of Manhattan — until Gotham’s crusading charity commissioner discovered some dark secrets in Santa’s workshop.

The rise and fall of the Santa Claus Association is a caper both heartwarming and hardboiled, involving stolen art, phony Boy Scouts, a kidnapping, pursuit by the FBI, a Coney Island bullfight, and above all, the thrills and dangers of a wild imagination. It’s also the larger story of how Christmas became the extravagant holiday we celebrate today, from Santa’s early beginnings in New York to the country’s first citywide Christmas tree and Macy’s first grand holiday parade. The Santa Claus Man is a holiday tale with a dark underbelly, and an essential read for lovers of Christmas stories, true crime, and New York City history.

Excerpt:

A strange candidate for Santa Claus, Gluck had no children of his own. He was a bachelor, once divorced, and though a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Gluck was not particularly religious.

The oldest of five brothers, Gluck had lived for two years in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, before his family moved to Westfield, NJ. He described it as a happy home with few wants and where every holiday was a huge deal, especially Christmas, when kind gestures both within the family and toward less-fortunate outsiders were a tradition.

At 5-foot-6, he was the shortest of his brothers by several inches and also the only one losing his hair, for which he began to compensate with a lustrous mustache, maintained with an assortment of combs, brushes, and clippers.

Gluck inherited his father’s custom brokerage business, but, at age 35, he was restless for fame and hungry to do something with his life. Picking up any day’s newspaper or stopping in at one of the movie theaters in Manhattan, one encountered thrilling stories of heroes, self-made men, and adventurers. Gluck sensed he was destined for great things too, to bring delight to the city, help his fellow New Yorkers, and garner himself some public esteem in the process. Santa might offer just the route.

Gluck was a natural showboat, and after the Post Office gave its approvals and he started the “Santa Claus Association,” he proved adept at delighting the reporters who dropped by the headquarters, in the back room of Henkel’s Chop Shop on 36th Street.

When Zoe Beckley, a reporter for the Evening Mail, arrived, Gluck told how children wrote in asking for sleds or dolls and more unusual things. Several children even asked for coal; so cold and desperate were the letter writers that they would consider it a blessing, rather than a punishment for naughtiness, to receive coal in their stockings. Kids addressed letters to Ice Street, Cloudville and Behind the Moon (it would be a few more years before the North Pole was accepted as Santa’s home).

Gluck boasted the process he had devised, drawing on years of exacting customs work, was what really made the Santa Claus Association special. A team of volunteers would go through each letter, flagging any repeats from the same child. If the child described starvation, homelessness or abuse, the volunteer set it in a special stack, which was forwarded to the Public Charities Commission for further investigation.

If the writer asked for excessive gifts or gave some other indication of not really needing Santa’s help, it was set aside in an investigation stack. If the missive passed all inspection — Gluck estimated 70% of them did — the letter was finally ready for a response.

Association members did not actually touch the gifts these children would receive. Each approved letter was sent out to a potential donor — drawn from a list of names and addresses Gluck compiled from his own business along with suggestions made by the association’s directors and volunteers.

Gluck revealed to Beckley something unmentioned to other reporters, a credential that made him almost cosmically qualified to play New York City’s Santa Claus: He had been born on Christmas Day.

“[Gluck] never had a birthday,” Beckley would write after her tour. “He had one of course, in a way. But nobody noticed it because it fell upon the 25th of December. Deeply Master Gluck pondered on this left-handed compliment of fate. He finally decided that while it was tough luck to be done out of birthdays, it would be tougher yet to be done out of Christmas.”

About the author:

Alex Palmer is the author of The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York, called "required reading" by the New York Post and "highly readable" by Publishers Weekly.

Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and IndieBound.

The son of two teachers, Palmer's love of learning and sharing surprising stories behind familiar subjects has led him to become a secret-history sleuth. In addition to The Santa Claus Man, he is the author of Weird-o-pedia: The Ultimate Collection of Surprising, Strange, and Incredibly Bizarre Facts About (Supposedly) Ordinary Things, published in 2012 by Skyhorse Publishing. it offers up a wealth of unexpected facts of familiar things. His first book, Literary Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Literature, takes a look at some of the more colorful aspects of great writers and their works, and was published in 2010 by Skyhorse.

He is a full-time freelance journalist whose work has appeared in Slate, Rhapsody, Smithsonian, Vulture, the New York Daily News, Publishers Weekly, and The Rumpus, among others.

See more at www.alexpalmerwrites.com and follow him @theAlexPalmer.

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Win a Copy of AFTERMATH

11/21/2015

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Between now and December 20, go to Goodreads to enter for a chance to win a copy of my recent release, Aftermath: Beyond World-Mart.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Aftermath

by Leigh M. Lane

Giveaway ends December 20, 2015.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Aftermath picks up right where World-Mart left off, beginning with the end of civilization. Readers who enjoyed World-Mart, Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, Orwell's 1984, and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 will enjoy this last installment of the World-Mart trilogy. Thanks for entering--and good luck!

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R. Arundel: THE FACE TRANSPLANT

11/20/2015

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Today, R. Arundel is here to promote new release, The Fact Transplant, a medical thriller. The author will be giving away a $50 Amazon or B&N gift card, so make sure to enter the drawing using the Rafflecopter box below.

The Concept for The Face Transplant
--R. Arundel

The concept for the book came from my work as a surgeon. I wondered what would happen if it were possible to transplant one face to another. Initially most people would think we’d end up with a million ‘Taylor Swifts’ or other such celebrities. Then I realized the potential to use such technology for spying and infiltration. By being able to take the face from one person to put it on another without any detection you could impersonate anyone. The possibilities are endless. So the initial concept quickly turned into a suspense thriller, since the physician at the center of this story Matthew MacAulay is forced to deal with the effects of face transplants.

The initial concept begins with creating face transplants. This is reminiscent of “The Boys from Brazil”. This is a 1976 thriller novel by Ira Levin. This novel has a series of ‘clone assassins’ that is another way to end up with a group of identical people who could be used for military purposes. In The Face Transplant the government uses the technology to create doppelgangers (identical lookalikes) by taking one face and putting it on another. In “The Boys from Brazil”. Instead of face transplants, which is the dominant cutting edge technology of our time, that book, revolves around cloning, the cutting edge technology of that era.

Quickly the idea around face transplants means that the White House and the military would closely control the technology. These are natural extensions of the original idea of how face transplants would evolve. Although perfect transplants would have a great deal of humanitarian medical uses in restoring faces of trauma or burn victims, would the government in possession of this technology allow it to be used for this? Or would they guard the technology and use it for military purposes or to get an advantage on other countries.

The last concept around which this novel is constructed is robotic technology. Alice is a supercomputer who is really lifelike with the ability to reason and help Matthew in his quest to stop the destruction of the USA and find the killer of his mentor. The book juxtaposes the state’s use of technology “Face Transplants” vs. the private sector creation of a supercomputer robot. A Silicon Valley wunderkind created Alice. No different than the men and women who have found success in Silicon Valley today. The book shows how Alice the supercomputer is used for good and helps to save the USA. The book sets up the contrast between the state, which controls face transplants, and the individual who created Alice the supercomputer.

Lastly the book comments on technology and machines versus human beings. Despite all the technology and machines it is the relationship between Matthew and his friend Sarah Larsson that allows the intriguing puzzle to be solved. In the end human beings triumph over machines. Love triumphs all. The love story between the two characters thrown together in an impossible dilemma adds counter point and perspective to the narrative.

About the novel:

An epic journey of suspense, murder, and sacrifice....

Dr. Matthew MacAulay is a facial transplant surgeon at a prestigious New York hospital. When his friend and mentor, Tom Grabowski, dies under mysterious circumstances, Matthew uncovers his friend’s secret: a new technique that allows perfect facial transplants. No incisions, no scars. Tom was able to accomplish this monumental feat with the help of Alice, a supercomputer robot with almost human abilities. While trying to find the people responsible for murdering Tom, Matthew realizes he is the prime suspect. He must flee for his life with the help of Dr. Sarah Larsson, a colleague and reluctant helper, who has a secret of her own, and Alice, who helps them make sense of a baffling series of seemingly unrelated events. The clues carry Matthew and Sarah around the world. They stumble onto a sinister plot of monumental proportions that leads Matthew all the way to the White House.

The Face Transplant is a powerful medical suspense thriller of the first order. The novel was written by a surgeon who weaves politics, medicine, and espionage into a tightly paced, intelligent thriller.

Excerpt:

Matthew, “Sarah, I know. The tremors, the leg weakness. I put it all together. ALS.”

“My Sherlock Holmes at work again.” Sarah laughs.

“I know and I don’t care.”

Sarah smiles at Matthew. “Do you know what you’re saying?” “ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. A progressive neuro-muscular disorder with no cure. You will stop walking one day, and finally, you will lose control of all your muscles.”

“Not bad, Holmes.”

“We surgeons aren’t as thick as you think.”

“Then you know I don’t have long.” Sarah punches in the code to lock the anesthetic machine.

“I don’t care. I need you,” says Matthew.

“You know what my life will be very soon, how it is going to end.”

“I don’t care. I have to take a chance—I have to live. Give me that chance.”

“In the end I would regret doing that to you. I refuse to have you

look after me in the prime of your life. I’m going to be on a ventilator, not able to move any muscle in my body. I’m going to end up being only able to use my eyes. Totally locked in a useless body.”

About the author:

R. Arundel is a practising surgeon. This experience brings realism to the story. The novel asks what would happen if a surgeon were to develop the perfect face transplant. This would allow people to have a new face, in essence create a new identity. You can create the perfect double, the perfect Doppelganger. For more information, R. Arundel has a page on Amazon.

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AFTERMATH: BEYOND WORLD-MART

11/7/2015

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After sitting on this book for a couple of years--delayed by publisher interest only for the publisher to close--I've decided World-Mart fans shouldn't be forced to wait any longer. With sincere apologies about the delay, finally I bring you Aftermath, the World-Mart sequel so many readers have been asking for.

About the novel:

When all seems lost, when all the world has crumbled away, what will rise in its place?

In this highly anticipated conclusion to the World-Mart trilogy, George once again travels beyond the district in search of possible surviving family. What he finds along the way, however, changes everything he thought he’d known about the world—and the end of the world—as he knows it.

Travel alongside George, back through the deviant shanty-towns and beyond, to a place he’d nearly forgotten—and to another he never could have imagined existed.

Now available on Kindle. Paperback coming soon!

Want a chance to win a free copy? Leave a comment about your greatest dystopian fears. What type of future do you foresee arising out of social complacency? Do you see a World-Mart not too far in the distance? Maybe something more like The Private Sector or 1984.

What does your future look like?

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Untethered Realms: MAYHEM IN THE AIR

11/6/2015

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Today, I've opened up my blog to the Untethered Realms group, which is promoting its new collection, Mayhem in the Air. A $40 Amazon or B&N gift card is up for grabs, so be sure to enter using the Rafflecopter Box below.

bout the collection:

From Amazon bestselling and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Mayhem in the Air, a supernatural anthology of ten thrilling tales. Meet hot robots, hungry winds and the goddess of chaos. Explore alien planets, purgatorial realms, and a shocking place where people bury the living with their dead. Mayhem in the Air is the second, long-awaited story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

Excerpt: "Mass Transit" by Graeme Ing

Dylan joined her at the back of the room, waiting for the vac-tube pod. It gave her satisfaction that he looked worse than she felt.

They stepped inside and sat facing each other. A magfield fizzed into place instead of a door. There was a hiss of air, and a lurch in her stomach betrayed their rapid acceleration into the tube under the landing field.

“You look like shit,” he said.

Emily rubbed her tired eyes. “You’re such a charmer, you know that?”

“Why should I want to charm you? You aren’t my equal.”

“You’re right,” she replied. “I came top of the class. I earned this opportunity. Why the hell are you here?”

He stared at her with his arms folded. She wanted to slap the smirk from his face.

“It’s all about connections,” he said. “My father went over Erickson’s head. He’s just an instructor, nobody important. What does he know? I’m a better controller than you. Erickson just has a soft spot for you. Probably wants to get in your panties.”

She sucked in a breath. “You’re sick. Don’t speak to me anymore.”

“You’re so prim and proper. All right, let’s look at the stats, shall we?”

He made a series of gestures with one hand and a hologram filled the air between them. Bright light flickered off the walls as tables of data scrolled into view. A section entitled “Trainees” highlighted itself. She knew she should turn away, but curiosity got the better of her, and she scanned the data in front of her face.

Her eyes narrowed. “You landed 90,000 tons to my 40,000?”

He laughed and his nose creased like a pug’s. “As I said, you aren’t my equal.”

“No, you’re an asshole.”

He frowned, emphasizing his ridiculous thin eyebrows.

She blink-highlighted a row of data. “Twelve flight deviations to my one.”

“You gotta be bold,” he scoffed, “not such a timid girl.”

“That’s not bold. That’s dangerous. Even your rich father can’t protect you if you’re going to be stupid.”

He growled. “You’re the stupid mongrel.”

Stop falling for his tricks!

She forcibly relaxed her tight shoulders and leaned back in her seat. All she had to do was let him make one mistake too many and she’d come out on top.

I’m going to be the best damn controller I can. Forget this idiot.

“Maybe you’re right.” She shot him a huge smile.

His mouth sawed side to side, and he cocked his head, studying her. She met his stare and began to hum a song.

About the Untethered Realms group:

Untethered Realms Website: http://untetheredrealms.blogspot.com/

River Fairchild is somewhat odd, brandishes a dry sense of humor, owned by several cats. Lives in a fantasy world. A fabricator of magic. Makes stuff up and spins tales about it. Believes in Faerie crossings and never staying in one place for very long. Speculative Fiction wordsmith. The secret to her stories? Spread lies, blend in truths, add a pinch of snark and a dash of tears. Escape into her world. She left the porch light on so you can find your way down the rabbit hole. For more information, please visit her website at http://riverfairchild.blogspot.com.

Gwen Gardner is a native Californian living in sunny San Diego, where her love of reading and writing led to a BA in English literature. Life is now complete with her husband, two dogs and a daily call from her daughter. Since ghosts feature prominently in her young adult Indigo Eady Paranormal “Cozy” Mystery series, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face—but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does. Gwen adores travel and experiencing the cultures and foods of different countries. She is always up for an adventure and anything involving chocolate—not necessarily in that order. For more information, please visit her website at http://gwengardner.blogspot.com.

Misha Gerrick lives in the scenic Western Cape, South Africa, where she's currently working on some more books. Her Epic Fantasy Series, The War of Six Crowns, is out now. For more information on what she's writing and reading, visit her website at http://mishagerrick.tumblr.com.

Graeme Ing engineers original fantasy worlds, both YA and adult, but hang around, and you’ll likely read tales of romance, sci-fi, paranormal, cyberpunk, steampunk or any blend of the above. Born in England in 1965, Graeme moved to San Diego, California in 1996 and lives there still. His career as a software engineer and development manager spans thirty years, mostly in the computer games industry. He is also an armchair mountaineer, astronomer, mapmaker, pilot and general geek. He and his wife, Tamara, share their house with more cats than he can count. Please visit his website at www.graemeing.com.

Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckon to M. Pax, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers, and one of her cats has a crush on Mr. Spock. You can find out more by visiting her website mpaxauthor.com.
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood but make her a great Jeopardy player. She has one novel and several novellas and short stories published. Her paranormal romance series, The 13th Floor, has been met with rave reviews. Her newest geeky romances were released by Ellora’s Cave early 2015. Please visit her website at http://christinerains.net/.

Cherie Reich has more books than she can ever read and more ideas than she can ever write, but that doesn’t stop this bookworm from trying, even if it means trying to curb her TV addiction. She is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the paranormal horror collection Once upon a Nightmare and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel. She is a member of the Virginia Writers Club, Valley Writers, and Untethered Realms. For more information, please visit her website at http://smarturl.it/CReichWebsite.

Catherine Stine’s fiction spans the range from contemporary to dark fantasy to sci-fi. Her futuristic companion thrillers Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire are Amazon bestsellers and indie award-winners. Dorianna, her YA paranormal won Best Horror Novel in the Kindle Hub Awards. Her work is included in the boxed sets Future Tense and Secret Worlds as well as in the Untethered Realms anthologies Twisted Earths, Mayhem in the Air and Fantasy Uprising. In addition, Catherine writes new adult fiction as Kitsy Clare. She suspects her love of dark fantasy came from her father reading Edgar Allen Poe to her when she was a child. She teaches creative writing workshops and is a member of SFWA, RWA and SCBWI. Visit her at catherinestine.com.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway

by Leigh M. Lane

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