Dawn of the Dreamer: Dreamer Trilogy book 1 by L. J. Higgins

Dawn of the Dreamer: Dreamer Trilogy Book 1 by L. J. Higgins, a YA Scifi Dystopian novel, is free in the Kindle Store from August 8th-11th inclusive.

You can download it here: Amazon

About Dawn of the Dreamer:

For Amelia Bailey, a normal life is a farfetched reality. She’s an anomaly; a Dreamer. 
In a society where everyone has a microchip implanted in their wrist, the Wristcuff promises to give the wearer nothing but pleasant dreams. But to some, nightmares still prevail. They call them Dreamers, and Amelia Bailey is one of them. Desperate to shake the nightmares she’s endured for years, Amelia submits to testing in the hopes of being cured. Then she meets Joe, a mysterious stranger whose shocking revelations open her eyes to the deceit and secrets behind the Wristcuff and its creator, the MultiMind Corporation. With her once quiet life spinning out of control, Amelia is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever.
Fight for the freedom to dream, or eradicate her nightmares and lose the ability to think for herself?

Foreshadow: Book One of the Saga of the Dragon Born by Cynthia Clay

Release date: June 12, 2017

Sub-genre: Fantasy, Historical; Sword and Sorcery

About Foreshadow:

In a time when dragons and gods seduced mortals, greedy kings plot to
overthrow the tiny, impoverished kingdom of Allsongs, tempted by the
promise of its future. It is said the hope and best defense of Allsongs
lies in the person of a small child, Tristabé-airta, the Princess Royal,
whose magic always works. Yet, it is the king and sword souled dragon born
children whom the enemy kings fear will usurp their kingdoms. An assassin
is sent to kill them. One of these children is surely a threat, Princess
Burta who trains in arms for the day she can snatch the Allsongs kingdom
from Tristabé-airta. While Tristabé-airta knows Burta hates her,
Tristabe-airta must do what she can to save her or Allsongs will fall when
they come of age.

“Foreshadow is a beautifully written fantasy tale that wraps readers in
poetry, new mythology and magic. ...If this is the precursor for things to
come in the series, we are in for quite an adventure.” –Compulsion Reads

Excerpt:

Come one and come all, and hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Freyzon, Prince Royal of Allsongs he,
By right of his might in the fight of his life,
Has won the Heirship and a priceless bride!
The bells sing out in sweet ringing pride!
For Future King Freyzun weds a poetess wife!
—from The Almanac of Proclamations

The queen bled to death upon the delivery of the princess, her only child,
only child to the king. The infant princess was therefore named
Tristabé-airta (Bright Sorrow) with the pretty diphthong of the end of the
name carefully, royally pronounced. The death of her mother was the first
sorrow set upon the royal baby. The second was the red flaw, the
strawberry mark, upon her cheek. The red flaw meant she could never rule
Allsongs, never contend for the crown, because the monarch must be
flawless. Tristabé-airta was whisked promptly into the arms and bosom of a
lady of country nobility, newly delivered she of an infant girl. Lady
Tendrea of Stonyhills, royally appointed Lady Milk Mother, wept in joy at
the wee, helpless lass given into her care.
“I am going to kill a dragon,” announced the distraught king, interrupting
the council of poets studying the new princess’s astrological natal chart.
At his words one poet tapped a certain configuration in the royal infant’s
chart. Maybe the horoscope was off a bit. What with the Two Sorrows, who
at the time would not have made some error (please, please all the
Goddesses let there be an error!) in the marking of the natal time.
“Do you have a particular dragon in mind?” asked the Lord High Poet.
“That dragon… that dragon with the quills.”
A high poet spoke up at this alarming news: “We need to recheck some
positions of the stars. We beg your indulgence, Your Grace, as we go to
our tower.”
The high poets jumped out of their seats as though they had been tricked
into sitting on farting-funny cushions. They ran out of the room, their
usual dignified poet procession turned chaotic rush. The Lord High Poet,
though, did not leave his king.
“My belovéd is dead,” said Freyzun, King of Allsongs brokenly. “I must do
something.”
“My sister is dead,” wept Woadwyn, the Lord High Poet. “I will come with
you.”
“Then gather your poets, Poet. I’m to my horse. You can catch up with me.”
“This is an undertaking in which I can not order any poet to take part.
The quill dragon is so deadly they would have to fight it, and they are
only allowed to defend against it. Brother-by-my-sister’s love, only the
power of our grief can save us if we can be saved.”
The king rubbed his eyes. “You are too valuable to the realm, Poet. I will
go alone.”
The Lord High Poet, his voice full of tears said, “It is the law, Your
Grace. No royal may face a dragon without a poet to defend him and to
compose the history.”

Amazon

About Cynthia Clay:

Cynthia Joyce Clay is an award winning author and a member of the Dramatists' Guild. Cynthia was judged to be a computer program on Shakespeare at the First Loebner Prize Competition of The Turing Test - a truly science fictional experience. The Competition was filmed as part of a PBS Scientific Frontiers episode and aired internationally. In addition to living sf, Clay has experience with the thriller genre: she was invited to Russia to deliver her paper, The Application of Vector Theory to Literature and Drama at the international conference "Languages of Science, Languages of Art" and was chased by the KGB. For reasons she refuses to face, she obviously prefers to write fantasy. She is working on The Saga of the Dragon Born; books one (Foreshadow) and two (The Contending) only need to cover art and blurbs to launch!

Facebook page is under Cynthia Clay
Twitter is under cynthia@storycrafterstudio.com

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Cover reveal for War's Reward: Free Fleet 6 by Michael Chatfield

*Coming soon - on July 23rd 2016*

 

War’s Reward: Free Fleet 6

 The War did not end, it was only put on pause.

The newly formed Union undergoes it’s first baptism, the baptism of war. The Free Fleet fights, holding the line and hoping that reinforcements reach them in time.

Destroyers and fleets assemble to stop the Kalu’s progress in Sol and Worshun. Politics and power are at work in the Union, no matter the outcome the Universe will change forever.

 

Michael Chatfield's books on Amazon

 

 

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The Water Road by J.D. Byrne

release date: June 22, 2016

sub-genre: Epic Fantasy

About The Water Road:

Two women are about to expose a terrible secret that will turn their world upside down.

For centuries the great river known as the Water Road separated the Altrerians in the north from the Neldathi in the south. When the Neldathi clans united and struck out across the river, the nations of Altreria formed an alliance, the Triumvirate, to drive them back. For more than a hundred years after, the Triumvirate kept the Neldathi barbarians at bay, fighting amongst themselves across the Water Road.

Antrey is a woman without a country, the daughter of a Neldathi mother and an Altrerian father. She’s found a role for herself in Tolenor, the headquarters of the Triumvirate, that's given her access to a secret the alliance has kept for generations. When she finds it, she explodes with rage and embarks on a quest to find justice for the Neldathi people.

Strefer is a reporter without a story, desperately working the streets of Tolenor for any kind of lead. When Antrey flees the city, Strefer slips in and discovers her uncovered secret, stained with blood and fury. It’s the story of a lifetime, one powerful forces want to keep her from telling. With the help of a renegade Sentinel, Strefer sets out for a mythical city in hopes she can make the world listen to the truth.

Together, they’ll inflame the passions of a people and set the world alight. The Water Road - first book of The Water Road trilogy.

Excerpt:

“Antrey, you know how happy it makes me to see you so involved with books,” Alban said, adopting a fatherly tone, “but your grasp of history is rather shallow at this point. Bringing together the Guilders, the Arborians, and the Telebrians has brought out the best in all of us. It has shown that we can work together peacefully in common cause.”

“Can you actually hear yourself, Alban?” Antrey asked. “How can you make that argument, to me of all people, in the face of this enthusiastic embrace of bloodshed? I know you, Alban. You are such a good man. If not, I wouldn’t be here right now. Why would you, of all people, defend this?”

“Because it’s worked, damn you!” Alban shouted, all pretence of respect and calm shattered. “Because in the century since the Neldathi revolt was put down and this alliance was formed the Neldathi have stayed where they belong, in those horrible mountains south of the Water Road. Their nature is base. They seek only conflict and know only strife. Better those urges be turned on themselves than on us.”

Antrey staggered under the weight of his words, unable to respond for a moment. “Is that it, then, Alban? No matter how distasteful the means, so long as your people benefit, the suffering of others is all right? You care nothing for the Neldathi who dies, cold and alone in the falling snow, in the wake of some pointless battle?” Although she spoke calmly and chose her words with care, Antrey’s fury was still present and had begun to focus itself. Her initial reaction to the Triumvirate’s policy had been abstract, a rage against something done long ago by people long since dead. All that had changed, however, the more Alban talked. Now the anger in her was directed at the man in front of her. He was her employer, her mentor, and her savior. Still, she hated him for the secret he kept and the way he kept it.

As she had come around the desk, Antrey had somehow picked up the pikti, the ancient Sentinel fighting staff, that was normally propped in the corner of Alban’s office. It was so light that it felt like barely anything was there. The weight surprised her. She had held a sword once, a small one, and by comparison it was a clumsy weapon, a weight that hung on the end of her arm like a dead limb. Not the pikti. Even when she took it in both bands, it felt like a part of her, an extension of her will. As if it would do whatever she commanded. She held it out in front of her, hands about a foot apart.

“Antrey, put that down,” Alban said, raising his hands again. His tone had softened considerably since he, too, noticed the weapon in her hand. “You have no idea what that can do, and you’re liable to hurt yourself. Neither of us wants anyone to get hurt, right?” He started to back away from her slowly.

Amazon

About J.D. Byrne:

JD Byrne was born and raised around Charleston, West Virginia, before spending seven years in Morgantown getting degrees in history and law from West Virginia University. He's practiced law for more than 15 years, writing briefs where he has to stick to real facts and real law. In his fiction, he gets to make up the facts, take or leave the law, and let his imagination run wild. He lives outside Charleston with his wife and one-eyed dog.

He has a blog series called Water Road Wednesday where he talks about the book, provides excerpts, and more. You can read more about The Water Road Trilogy here.

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Transition (Anathema Book 1) by Olivia Rising

release date: May 7, 2016

sub-genre: Magical Realism, New Adult

About Transition:

Two years ago, The Pulse—a sudden shift in Earth's electromagnetic field—caused a global blackout and wiped a minute from mankind’s collective memory. This event introduced superhuman powers to our world. But the worst was yet to come. 

Now two teenagers are caught in the chaos of a changing world: 

Christina Chung, an antisocial misfit whose force fields are fueled by the social bonds she broke during the event of her transition. 

Former coke addict Sarina Baumann, whose reality-altering power forces her to abandon everything she holds dear. 

The two girls find themselves entangled with the renegade hero Radiant and the authorities that made him. The three must find a way—and a place—to be the heroes they're destined to become. But sometimes, even the heroes fall... 

Transition is the first book in the Anathema series, which contains some harsh language and graphic violence.

Excerpt:

 

She heard the front door swing open. Wincing, she pushed the cigarette packet back into the planter. Then she spun around, keeping her hand with the cigarette behind her back. But instead of facing a parent, she found herself face to face with Ryan. He cocked an eyebrow as she let out a relieved puff of smoke.

“You of all people shouldn’t startle me like that,” she said, bringing the glowing cigarette back up to her lips.

“Sorry, but I had to get out. They’re making fun of us guys now.” He jerked a thumb at the illuminated window behind him. “Your dad is holding the line, making a last stand. How are things out here?”

Chris suspected that he was just checking up on her to make sure she was okay. Yes, that was something he would do. She shrugged. “Peachy. Looks like it might rain again, but I was thinking of going for a run anyway.”

Ryan made his way down the stone steps with the casual ease of someone who was perfectly comfortable with himself and the world around him. He took a seat beside her, and turned to face her with his head bowed in that hangdog way he sometimes used to get her to open up. “You sure everything’s good?”

Chris nodded. Since dinner he had done his shoulder-length brown hair up in a small top knot. It would have looked ridiculous—maybe even feminine—on anyone else, but not on Ryan. In combination with his athletic physique and the aura of confidence that clung to him, the hairdo emphasized his chiseled features. She had to grudgingly admit that he and Princess Perfect were a pretty good match.

A faint lightness settled within Chris’s stomach as she looked at him, and she inhaled another lungful of smoke to keep herself anchored in reality. Her former BFF was way out of her league. It didn’t matter that she possibly knew him better than her sister did, or that she had known him longer. He had never looked at her the way he looked at Helen.

Chris had stopped competing with Helen by the time her sister had reached puberty. Even back then, Chris had known that she wasn’t particularly pretty, or feminine, or successful at school. She was athletic then in a tomboyish sort of way, and she still was. There was nothing girly about her. Even the way she tied her dark hair back in a short unfashionable ponytail was done to keep it out of her face because it was too unruly to let it grow below her shoulder.

Beside her, Ryan draped his forearms over his knees and hooked his thumbs together. He leaned over the porch rail to gaze up at the dimming sky beyond the roof, squinting at the sunset. “Have you decided what you’re going to do after graduation?” he asked.

“Yeah. Going to aim for a professional parkour career, and maybe get a job at the mall until that works out,” she joked.

 

 Amazon

About Olivia Rising:

 

Born and raised in Switzerland, Olivia appreciates the small things in life. She shares her cozy little apartment with numerous books, video games, and a multitude of fictional characters. True to form, even her bio is small. It might grow some if her book turns out to be a big hit, however.

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Interview with Kate Coe, author of Green Sky and Sparks

Today the Speculative Fiction Showcase have great pleasure in interviewing Kate Coe, author of Green Sky and Sparks and Grey Stone and Steel. The third book in the series, High Flight and Flames, is due out this summer (watch this space!)

What’s the difference between steampunk and steampunk fantasy?

Magic! Steampunk is Victorian tech, gadgets and goggles, gears and gizmos. I have the brilliant fun of writing in a world that also has magic, and it’s so interesting to explore the conflict (or not) between the two disciplines. I’m mostly using Renaissance-era technology, but I’ve also got steampower and clockwork  - it’s great fun to just play with things without worrying too much about genre.

As a Librarian, why are libraries such magical places?

When you become a Librarian, you get inducted into the magical world of L-Space...but in all seriousness, how can you resist somewhere with that many voices and worlds and that amount of knowledge just at your fingertips? Books contain so many thoughts and facts and worlds with just 26 letters, and a library is somewhere you can access all of that for free, in an environment that encourages you to sit and read and learn. They’re so important and so magical (even without the L-Space aspect!)

If you could travel in time, what era would you visit?

I studied classics at Uni and my dissertation was on the Roman Republic, so it’s got to be then. It’s a period of absolute flux, the end of the Republic and beginning of Empire, with so many great characters who were giants and yet only human...plus it would be fascinating to just see the everyday life of the time.

Tell us more about the sloth with the speed addiction...

Duster is my absolute favourite! He wanted to be a pilot, but he fell asleep during the exam. So now he wears a flying cap and goggles, and gets his speed thrills racing down the Library banisters. I absolutely adore the Madcap Library characters, and I really need to get back to writing the stories again!

Apple or PC?

PC. I just can’t get Macs...plus I know enough shortcuts and tricks for PC that I can break almost anything.

Do you use Scrivener or Word? Or another word-processing program? Or pen and paper?

Word; I do jot notes in a hardcopy notebook or on my phone, but I do my long writing in Word or on Google Docs if I need to access it in multiple places.

Do you have any pets? Do they influence your writing?

We have two; a bearded dragon called Pep and a cat called Frankie. The lizard tends to do “sit” and “stay” very successfully, and is very good at just ~watching~ which can be a little disconcerting. Frankie’s more of the “take over your lap and demand cuddles” so he’s not a particularly good influence on my writing!

Would you rather see your stories on the big screen or the little screen?

I think little would suit my stories better; I write novellas, so the plot arcs are smaller, and I follow the interwoven threads of many different characters. Although to be honest, either would be fabulous!

Have you seen Game of Thrones and if so, what do you think?

I read the first book, got fed up with people being killed off just as I remembered who they were, and decided I had better things to do with my time! It looks like an interesting world but not one for me.

What is your favourite Science Fiction (or Fantasy) film?

It’s got to be a Studio Ghibli; I’m probably going for Spirited Away, just because of the combination of sheer weirdness and fantastic elements, and the stunning scenery. I love that it’s not a trite lesson, and that it does have so many amazing aspects that means it can be watched and re-watched.

Are you a Luddite? Or do you prefer to be on the bleeding edge of technology?

I’m not on the bleeding edge, but I do upgrade often enough that I keep fairly up to date. I like having a smartphone but I don’t adopt things unless I think I have a use for them, and my laptop’s a two-year-old Lenovo that’s built to survive the apocalypse - and needs to!

Are you--or have you ever been--a gamer?

I am a computer gamer and an RPG’er! My favourite computer game is Portal; I love the combination of puzzles and sarcasm. I play Pathfinder and Fate RPGs, and I currently GM a Dresden Files RPG with some friends, which contains a suitable amount of idiocy, pratfalls, explosions and general chaos to make it a lot of fun.

Would you prefer an independent bookshop, or a big chain?

I have to admit that I do most of my book shopping online! The last physical bookshop I was in was a Waterstones. I tend to try to support indie presses so I’m probably an independent bookshop person when online, but a chain one in real life, if only because there are so few independents nearby.

Do you have your own office, study or writing space, or can you write in a cafe or the library?

I have a window seat (when the cat vacates it), an old desk and a spot on the sofa (again, when available). I can write anywhere, but only certain things; I can’t write my novellas as they require more concentration, so if I’m writing outside my house then it tends to be short stories.

Who do you consider are your major influences in writing?

My absolute favourite authors are Diane Wynne Jones and Neil Gaiman; I love both of their abilities to take mythology and odd facts, and weave them into compelling and amazing stories. I’d love to be able to write like China Mieville; he’s one of the best writers in my style (aka. random) that I’ve ever read.

What writer, living or dead, would you most like to meet?

I think Joanne Harris would be really interesting to just have a chat with over tea; she’s so down-to-earth and interesting on Twitter that I hope it wouldn’t be awkward! I can see myself just panicking if I met anyone else and not knowing what to talk about.

If you could have any director to shoot the film of your books, who would you choose?

I’m going to have to n/a to this...I don’t really watch films at all, so I’ve got no real preference for live action direction. If Green Sky could get turned into a Ghibli film then that’d be a win for me!

How would you define Speculative Fiction?

Anything with a weird element or a question; anything that makes you think about the world outside this one, that adds another dimension or another force, that makes you question reality and the life inside this universe. The usual suspects are obviously magic, technology, aliens...but you don’t necessarily need anything big to be able to write an extremely good Spec Fic book.

Green Sky & Sparks Kindle  and Paperback 

Grey Stone & Steel Kindle and Paperback 

 

About Kate Coe

I'm a writer of fiction and fantasy, and I blog at writingandcoe.co.uk. In real life I’m a librarian with a background in classics and law, I live with an engineer and very grumpy bearded dragon, and I fill my spare time in between writing with web design, gaming, geeky cross-stitch and DIY (which may or may not involve destroying things). I also read far fewer books that I'd like to, but possibly more than I really have time for.

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