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Summary: In one night, change comes with the strike of a match as Leo Riley loses everything. Giacomo Bianco's hitmen burned his home to the ground with his family inside. Leo will pay any price for his revenge. He will need power. Oguina, the mythical woman turned monster, can give it to him. But at what cost? Bianco gazes into an abyss that stares back. His fall to madness is a one-way trip Leo aims to stop at all costs before Bianco kills again. In his quest for vengeance, Leo teeters over that same cliff. Monster and Mafioso fight for dominance over Fall River's streets. Bianco’s got more up his sleeve than anyone suspects, including the means to make his power absolute. Even new powers and strange allies might not be enough to ensure Leo’s victory. Who is the real monster? Bianco, Oguina, or Leo himself?
Word Count: 125075
Summary: In the aftermath of Ahnak’s Doom, the Elementals have fled to the North. Have they escaped one peril only to encounter another even more terrifying? Fallout from the Doom threatens the survivors with starvation. Aftershocks set the simple dwellings of Tenfir Abarad quaking, sending townspeople screaming into the streets in renewed fear. And in the near-total darkness, the Elementals find their powers dwindling. Can the refugees resolve their differences with the northern people and work together to survive the Impact Winter? Is the planet still resonating from the gargantuan impact, or are more sinister forces at work? And will the Elementals discover the reasons for their limited powers in time to face their latest, most devastating enemy? Continue your journey of discovery with this first book in the Second Chronicles, and follow our heroes as they battle once more with nature, dread foes, and their own internal demons!
Word Count: 84000
Summary: Edmund is heir to the throne of Thalassa and a wielder of Water magic. Devoted to his kingdom and his duty to it, Edmund can do nothing but acquiesce to an arranged marriage with the queen of a neighboring kingdom. The marriage and the child it is required to produce will seal an alliance between Thalassa and Aither that is vital to Thalassa’s safety, and far more important than Edmund’s personal misgivings. Arden is the younger brother of Aither’s queen and a wielder of Air magic. Raised in the politics of the court to support his sister’s rule, he understands the alliance is important to Aither, even as he worries about his sister marrying someone she’s never met. When Edmund arrives in Aither to prepare for the wedding, Arden is tasked with helping him settle in at court. As they spend more time together, Edmund and Arden develop a close friendship, then stronger feelings, but with Edmund’s wedding approaching, they must hide their feelings, even from themselves. When someone tries to assassinate the queen, Edmund is blamed, and Arden rescues him before he can be executed for a crime he didn’t commit. To prevent a war between their kingdoms and protect them from a dangerous enemy, Edmund and Arden will have to discover who wants to pit Aither and Thalassa against each other and mend relations between the two kingdoms as they evade those searching for them—all while finding a way to be together.
Word Count: 114192
Summary: In the new land of Nanegria, every Elemental’s power is enhanced and strengthened. But unlimited, uncontrollable power is more of a curse than a blessing. What is causing these strange effects? How is it connected with the overwhelming Stone memories that plague Piers’ every waking moment? And can the Elementals persuade the dragons of Nanegria and their riders to join them on their last quest to find the ultimate answer? The final volume in John Beresford’s epic fantasy series The Second Berikatanyan Chronicles brings to a thrilling conclusion the adventures of the seven Elementals and their companions, as they race to an electrifying and unanticipated climax. Fans of high-stakes adventure and intricate world-building will not want to miss this stunning finale.
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Summary: NOMINATED FOR BEST NOVELLA OR SHORT STORY IN THE 2020 PARANORMAL ROMANCE GUILD REVIEWER'S CHOICE AWARDS Taken from the arms of her mother, a girl is raised by a family so alien that she hardly knows how to describe them. They are incredibly feral. She is anything but. As life with them becomes more and more bizarre, she has no choice but to incur the wrath of the pack and plead for her release--risking her life to ask it. Much to her surprise, but even more to his, her chosen mate devises a plan to get her home. It involves considerable deception but if ultimately successful, makes it possible for her to return to the mother and the home she so desperately misses. The plan succeeds. It has, however, unintended consequences since his actions cause her to question his motives and what it is to be his mate. She leaves him, nevertheless, returning home with her faithful dog as her travelling companion. Once there, she has a chance encounter with someone--a man who has a surprising connection to her past. But their joyful and unexpected reunion is short-lived. And in the aftermath of the tragedy that occurs, they learn family is what you make it, the people who love you most are the ones who make the greatest sacrifices, and home is where you belong.
Word Count: 86611
Summary: Prince Edmund of Thalassa and Prince Arden of Aither are eagerly anticipating their upcoming wedding, but the danger to their kingdom hasn’t lessened. They have a plan, but they won’t be able to carry it out alone: they need a strong wielder of each Element, whom they can trust implicitly, to carry out the magic. Rhys is a commoner and wielder of Earth magic. He and his sister have made a living from the use of their magic for years and have become highly respected in scholarly circles, though he prefers a more simple life with his plants. When a message from Prince Arden reaches them asking for their help, they don’t hesitate. They stop only to request that Gaz, a strong Fire wielder and the man Rhys has long been enamored of, accompany them on the journey to Thalassa’s royal palace. What no one knows is that Gaz was once known as Prince Gareth of Thalassa and is Edmund’s younger brother, long believed dead. He fled his home after his Fire Affinity made itself known and put him in danger, and he had no intention of ever going back. But he can’t keep himself from going to his brother’s aid, despite the risk of discovery and of the weight of his secrets potentially crushing his fledgling relationship with Rhys. Working against time, they must find a way to come together in a magical working the likes of which none of them has ever imagined, or their homelands will surely burn.
Word Count: 22000
Summary: A sellsword’s bargain. A burgeoning desire. A future balanced on the point of a blade. Sellsword Des is travelling alone in a dry and dusty southern land, after a spectacular bust up with her best friend. She’s running low on coin, so when former client Karina offers her a job leading her caravan’s security through brigand country, it feels like a gift. Des has done the route before, but she isn’t sure about leading solo. She recommends Karina hire Cap, a rugged old mercenary, to head up the crew. Maybe she’ll even learn a thing or two about how to lead, in between the delightful distraction of Karina’s flirtations and keeping the marauders at bay. As they head off on their long trip across Rescalin, though, the wheels start to come off Des’s plan. The crew is drinking too much, even on duty, and Cap is dismissive of the dangers she identifies. Des worries she’s made the wrong call by putting Cap as the lead, and Karina is in her ear, wanting her to take over. As brigands close in, will Des back the merc she put in charge? Or will she take over — and risk the caravan’s safety resting on her blade alone? If you enjoy badass, sword-wielding women, an Australian-inspired setting, sapphic fantasy, and untrustworthy mercenaries, pick up A Hired Blade today, and join Des on her journey.
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Summary: A Scotland Yard Inspector hunts something more dangerous than werewolves through the gaslit streets of London. Royston Jones, unacknowledged bastard of a high-born family, is determined to track the killer before more young women fall to his knife. But his investigation puts him in the way of a lord who is a clandestine werewolf and the man’s fiancée , a woman alchemist with attitude and a secret of her own. Will they destroy Royston to protect their covert identities, or will they join with him to hunt the hunter?
Word Count: 93700
Summary: A princess on the run. A captain on the hunt for treasure. When their paths cross, will they be each other's salvation? Keola is a mermaid – and bound for marriage to a foreign human prince. Unable to face a life cut off from the ocean with a man she despises, she chooses freedom at a terrible cost. Posing as a human wavesinger to remain hidden from her pursuers, she finds work on the ship of the dashing captain Anaar Kahlani.Anaar is searching for a mythical treasure and believes that Keola is the key to finding it. Amidst the hunt for fame and fortune, Anaar begins to fall for the mysterious wavesinger. Confronted with a secret and a dangerous revelation, she must decide what price she is willing to pay for untold riches – and for love. When Keola’s past catches up with her, can they survive the oncoming storm together, or will the trials ahead demand more of them than they are willing to sacrifice?
Word Count: 53,000
Summary: “Orcs are the answer but what is the question?” Elias is a priest at the Temple of the Divine Sibyl. When he becomes lost in the woods after his brother’s hunting party abandons him, it’s just his luck that he’d stumble upon an angry orc caught in a trap. Unable to stomach the suffering of others, Elias throws self-preservation to the wind and frees the orc. Then Gurrkk—that’s a name?—ends up leading him to safety. Gurrkk finds himself rather smitten by the sweet, awkward human. He’s always been fascinated with his people’s sworn enemy, and now he has a life debt to fulfill to maintain his honor. Hiding an orc among the temple’s crypts wouldn’t have been Elias’s first choice but Gurrkk is stubborn about leaving. As they learn each other’s languages and spend more time together, Elias realizes they’ve become friends… and maybe more. And when the dying sibyl gives her last prophecy, Elias knows it wasn’t chance that brought them together, it was the gods. But why? This is a sweet, ace romance, so no sexy times, but plenty of snuggles and cuddles!
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Summary:
Word Count: 115000
Summary: Aaron Okonkwo, a Nigerian scientist, travels with a crew in the 24th century to evaluate Viridis, which proves to be a beautiful and fabulous world. There, Aaron discovers a strange, alien species and amazing machines and technology left in a vast underground complex by a mysterious race called the Creators. Aaron soon falls under the irresistible, seductive spell of Nightsong, a green alien female with ominous and bewitching powers. However, an even greater danger rises. He will be forced to fight for the planet’s survival against a ruthless invasion of many ships to conquer and enslave the planet – just as Africa itself was once enslaved. Aaron knows it’s A Senseless Act of Beauty to try to reclaim his ancient warrior heritage and fight back against such overwhelming odds, but he knows he must try.
Word Count: 124703
Summary: A distant, compelling mental summons drives Ru'ita to seek out its origin, accompanied by the other Elementals. But the source is not at the coast. It lies much further east, and the Silver Sea now lies between the Elementals and their ultimate destination. Can they persuade a shipmaster to take them, when for generations they have avoided sailing east, fearing that they would fall off the edge of the world? And if such a voyage can be taken, what other strange encounters are waiting from them, beyond the farthest point anyone has navigated in living memory? The Elementals' journey of discovery becomes a true voyage in this second book of the Second Berikatanyan Chronicles, where the natural forces they must battle with prove more sinister and terrifying than anything they have faced before!
Word Count: 120,000
Summary: When Denny isn’t working as a photographer, they spend their time at the local coffee shop mooning over one of the regulars, the mysterious and beautiful Peri. No one’s more surprised than Denny when she asks them out on a date. What happens that night throws the couple into a world where nothing is as it appears and everyone wants to get their hands on Peri and her powers to inspire artists – especially Joolie, the controlling and egotistical leader of Denny’s art collective. If that wasn’t enough, the powerful, capricious water elementals known as Nyxen have inexplicably taken an interest in Denny. They warn that Peri’s gifts bring nothing but trouble to those around her. It’s hard to argue with them when the magic starts to go wrong; paintings greedily come alive with grasping tentacles, an obsessed ex-lover returns to threaten the couple, and Denny begins to wonder if their grip on reality is beginning to slip…
Word Count: 95900
Summary: “There is always a way.” Kelnaht, Taruif, and Ianys are meant to be together, but old promises and the decree of the elders prevent them from claiming each other openly at Solstice. Kelnaht can investigate murder and foul play, but he can’t see how he can keep both his lovers without breaking the rules. But if he believes in the guide’s words and trusts his faith in Ma’terra, they will find a way to clear the fog and puddles from their paths. The Forester Kelnaht, a cloud elf, is a truth seeker caught between love and faith, when a murder reveals an illicit affair between two tree elves he desires more than he can admit. Kelnaht’s former lover Ianys once betrayed him, and the shunned forester Taruif is not allowed to talk to anyone but the guide, their spiritual pathfinder. Lost and Found A stripling goes missing from the tribe, and heavy rainfall hides all traces of his whereabouts. With days creeping by without a lead, it’s hard to keep the tribe’s spirits up, more so when Kelnaht’s own future depends on the elders. Taruif has been shunned for almost twenty turns, but now that a possible forester’s apprentice is coming of age, the elders consider reducing his sentence. Taruif could be set free. Full Circle When several children fall ill with more than a summer bug, truth seeker Kelnaht is assigned to investigate. What he finds is deadly and threatens the life of every underage child in the tribe, including Ianys’ daughter Atèn. Then a wounded traveller is found in the forest, left to die after a vicious attack. This is the Complete Forester Trilogy in one book
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Summary: Rudyard Albert Goldstein, inventor of the Biomic Network Algorithm, made piece with death once in the 22nd century, but an idiot doctor hijacked his mind, placing it in the care of Nessie, an impish AI guardian. Nessie preserved him from a civilization-ending asteroid strike so that he could help his descendants survive contact with an alien species 923,000 years, four months, and three days later. Then, he died again, merged with a worm-a-pede alien male who narrowly survived fulfilling his mating duties. They expired peacefully on a cliff top, pondering the nature of existence—and the promise of abominable liaisons. Two deaths should be quite sufficient for any genius to endure. Somehow, Nessie resurrected him from oblivion. His descendants needed him again. New hostile aliens roamed the Earth—along with an immortal, alien-human hybrid whose agenda was unclear. Was the healthy young body Nessie had prepared for him, along with the prospect of finally discovering “the meaning of it all” enough of a bribe to risk dying a third time? Apparently so. Readers of Raham’s A Singular Prophecy (Biostration, 2011), and A Once-Dead Genius in the Kennel of Master Morticue Ambergrand (Penstemon Publications, 2018) will reconnect with old friends (both human and alien). But even those new to the author’s quirky sense of humor will enjoy this third and final adventure that spans the breadth of time and space.
Word Count: 34,300
Summary: It all started with a dare. The best thing Robyn Martin Donahue did was give her controlling ex the boot. It only took thirty-five years, but hey, she’s finally living life on her own terms. Now her bestie wants her to believe the Silverstar Agency can hook her up with a guy who will love and respect her, and not try to rule her? As if. By law, a monarch cannot govern alone. Recently widowed, Kyzel Raptorclaw will honor his vow to remate for love. Although, things would be far less complicated if his potential match was not from another planet. Breaking with his peoples’ ancient mating tradition is nothing compared to the personal sacrifice expected of her, if she is to stand at his side as his equal. What could go wrong? Can Kyzel convince Robyn they are better together, or will their happily ever after crash and burn before it has a chance to soar? Welcome to the Silverstar Agency, specializing in intergalactic love matches for those over fifty.
Word Count: 56000
Summary: New Hopeland was built to be the centre of the technological age, but like everywhere else, it has its dark side. Assassins, drug dealers and crooked businessmen form a vital part of the city’s make-up, and sometimes, the police are in too deep themselves to be effective. But hey, there are always other options …
For P.I. Cassie Tam, business has been slow. So, when she’s hired to investigate the death of a local VR addict named Eddie Redwood, she thinks it’ll be easy money. All she has to do is prove to the deceased’s sister Lori that the local P.D. were right to call it an accidental overdose. The more she digs though, the more things don’t seem to sit right, and soon, Cassie finds herself knee deep in a murder investigation. But that’s just the start of her problems.
When the case forces Cassie to make contact with her drug dealing ex-girlfriend, Charlie Goldman, she’s left with a whole lot of long buried personal issues to deal with. Then there’s her client. Lori Redwood is a Tech Shifter, someone who uses a metal exoskeleton to roleplay as an animal. Cassie isn’t one to judge, but the Tech Shifting community has always left her a bit nervous. That wouldn’t be a problem if Lori wasn’t fast becoming the first person that she’s been genuinely attracted to since splitting with Charlie. Oh, and then there’s the small matter of the police wanting her to back off the case.
Easy money, huh? Yeah, right.
Honorable Mention: Rainbow Awards 2017 - Lesbian Sci-Fi Category
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Summary: The fourteen tales in Adventures in Bodily Autonomy flow across alternate universes and through space and time to consider the issues of reproductive justice through a fresh perspectives. There is an adventure here for everyone. An astronaut on her way to Mars discovers she’s pregnant—can she keep her baby? Bee-like entities try to force a human to be their queen. In1930s Philly, a vampire offers a novel form of birth control. From a ghost, lessons learned too late. Women who cannot find a comfortable fit in their mythic realities. Future worlds where reproductive choices are different, but individual choice and external battles for that choice are just as real. Join the authors in supporting NARAL Pro-Choice America. One hundred percent of the royalties are being donated to NARAL Pro-Choice America. “So satisfying to read a volume of new speculative fiction stories centered on women’s experience, women’s lives, women’s choices! You’ll find a pleasurable variety here: hard sf, fantasy, ghosts, vampires, horror, sweet lyricism and steel-edged noir — stories from well-known names, and stories from writers you've never encountered before. I guarantee that at least one story in this volume will make you punch the air in triumph, and another will work its way into your dreams, and not let go.” —Elizabeth Lynn, World Fantasy Award Winner “I’m absolutely blown away. Featuring so many authors who I love, this is a stunning anthology with many different approaches to the subject of bodily autonomy. Readers are going to be captivated by its range and variety. “This anthology will be a breath of fresh air ins the ongoing fight for the right of women to control and make decisions about their own bodies.” —Chinelo Onwualu, author of “What The Dead Man Said” “Adventures in Bodily Autonomy is a fresh and bold collection. In our current political climate, these stories and imaginings are desperately needed.” —Myriam Gurba, author of Mean
Word Count: 73,151
Summary: Time travel. For mages, it violates their number one rule: what the Mother has written, let no one unwrite. The Mother writes the destinies of the creatures on the world of Karishian. If her writings were undone, it is feared that Creation itself could be undone. The dark mage Morgorth takes this rule to heart, but there are others who do not. Morgorth is about to claim a stone of power when it is stolen from him by a female mage he hasn't seen in decades. As they struggle for the stone, she activates it, and Morgorth is unwillingly plunged into another time and another place. It isn't long before he realizes what time he's found himself in and there are a few familiar faces. Most notable is a much younger version of Aishe. His mate. Living with a tribe who will be massacred, caring for a young lad who will become his mate, and fighting a battle against a mage who can travel from past to future at a whim—Morgorth's life has never been easy but now he must contend with the will of the Mother. Unable to change the future and the tragedies of Aishe's life, he must decide what his role in his mate's past will be, and ask himself one vital question: how does one defeat time?
