New release sample: ALLERGIC TO MISTLETOE

 

"Hargrove?" Megan shook her head. "I don't remember him."

"He has a medical condition." He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. "He can't permanently turn off an invisibility spell he triggered when he was a kid."

"And that helps me how?" Bethany said slowly, while her mind raced through dozens of implausible scenarios. "Can he, like, infect me with it? But how do I turn it off so I can work? And how would that help me go home for Christmas? That's what I really want."

"He can wrap the invisibility field around you, enough to just blur you so you can still talk to people but nobody recognizes you. Or he can turn you... Well, the field is so strong, if he let it go full force, people could walk through you."

"That's more like phased out into another dimension," she murmured.

"Almost. Harry has a lot of control, except for turning the whole thing off. If he wants to be seen, he can be. And he can do the same for you."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Questions immediately sprang to mind:

Would he mind spending the holidays with strangers?

Would he mind going to Neighborlee?

She had always believed magic protected Neighborlee, but would that magic work against someone who had real magic? 

Most important: Did Harry know who she was, and would he turn out to be an irritating fan?

Off the Bookshelf: FLEDGLING, by Molly Harper

Audiobook, Audible exclusive

Narrated by Amanda Ronconi

Sequel to CHANGELING

 Our heroine, Cassandra, formerly known as Sara, is close to the end of her first year of magical finishing school when things start going wrong. Starting with a murderous unicorn-like creature attacking her dance class. While the boy she likes returns her affection, his mother is getting in the way, and the usual schoolgirl feuds are only enhanced with nasty magic, and the magical Mother Book isn't talking to Cassandra. That's a problem because a committee of demanding, sour old men isn't above locking her up somewhere to make her focus on the book instead of things like school and boys and summer holidays.

Cassandra has a quest: to find other Changeling children and ensure they are free to learn to use their magic, without being locked up or destroyed by the leaders of the Guardian society. Easier said than done, of course. Even with the help and scheming of her good friends, Alicia and Ivy, Cassandra's quest could destroy them all, not just Guardian society. Who would have thought magic would just make life even more complicated?

Another engrossing adventure in the world of Sorcery and Society! (Excuse me, but why do we have to wait so long for the next book to come out? Not fair!)

New release sample: ALLERGIC TO MISTLETOE

 

"Then why are you out here?"

"It's not really that great in there." Alexi linked hands with Megan, intertwining their fingers. "We like it out here. We have jobs out here, things to do. And believe it or not, sometimes it's more fun to do things the non-magical way."

"What Alexi is so delicately avoiding saying is that I'm a Halfling. That means my father is Fae, but my mother was Human. My Fae relatives like me a whole lot more once we married --"

"My family has a lot of clout," he muttered.

"But they weren't so welcoming for the last two centuries. Old habits die hard."

"Two centuries." Bethany took a few seconds to get her breath back, but she was relatively talented at thinking on her feet. That gift had gotten her through some really wretched scripts.

"Okay, so you make like the Cheshire Cat and vanish when things get heavy. I envy you." She chewed on that idea for a few moments. "So, how can I get some of that without making you hang with me? Do I have to get a bodyguard? I just want my freedom of movement, some privacy for the holidays." She sighed. "Am I whining too much?"

"Not at all," Megan said, and reached across the booth to catch hold of Bethany's hand. "You're sensitive enough to be miserable."

"A bodyguard might be a good idea," Alexi said slowly. He leaned back in the booth and slouched, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes going cloudy and distant.

"You can't just give me a bracelet or necklace or anything to wear, when I want to vanish?" Bethany felt a little queasy all of a sudden. She honestly hadn't expected to get answers so quickly. She had been mostly joking when she asked about magic.

Note to self: Don't joke about things you don't understand, in case they turn out to be real.

Bodyguard, Alexi had said. Something made Bethany think there were other kinds of bodyguards than the ones in dark suits with radio plugs in their ears, shoulder harnesses, and James Bond gizmos. She didn't want one. The studio had hired a bodyguard for her when she went to Greece for some location shooting. The jerk decided he needed to guard her body full-time, day and night, with as much physical contact as possible.

Bethany wondered if he was still singing soprano.

"My cousin, Hargrove." Alexi snapped his fingers.

Upcoming release sample: CADETS, Young Defenders Book 1

Jorgan wanted to apologize, but he wasn’t quite sure for what. He thought about that question he had asked his brother earlier. What was the girl’s name? “You really like that Belissa, don’t you?“

“Didn’t really get far enough in getting to know her.“ Shayn sat up and shook his head. “Do I sound stupid or what?“

“No. Dad says hormones really mess up the brain. It happens to everybody.“

“Oh, and you speak from experience?“ His grin looked more normal now. “Come on, better get back to bed before Mom and Dad wake up and wonder what’s wrong. They’ve got way too much on their minds to waste energy on us and our stupid problems.“

“You think they’re really excited about this?“

“Did you hear them? They asked to get transferred to the Defender. There have been all sorts of changes in Fleet, new ship designations. The Defender is in space dock right now, having all sorts of refits and additions. Room for fifty more crew and their families. Expanded equipment. Upgrades. It’ll be like being on a brand new ship.“

“So you don’t mind not being on the Inquest?“

Shayn laughed and gestured for Jorgan to go into the house ahead of him. “Dad is right. I’d rather be on a ship with an incredible reputation for all good reasons. Captain Shryne does great things for the Alliance, but honestly … one of these days she’s going to blow up her ship, and her crew with her, and maybe even trigger a war with Gatesh, Ankuar, Nisandros and a couple worlds that haven’t been discovered yet.“ 

Jorgan nodded. That made sense. Chief Engineer Kort was a legend because he performed miracles to get the Inquest out of danger. He would much rather learn from Chief Engineer Jasper Lore, who experimented and invented. Jorgan had read through five mission reports before he went to sleep, and he had laughed when he read comments about the “insane geniuses“ on Lore’s team. Maybe someday, he could become an insane genius too. That sounded like a lot more fun. 

 

Off The Bookshelf: CHANGELING, by Molly Harper

Audiobook, Audible Exclusive

Narrated by Amanda Ronconi

A book of Sorcery and Society, according to the cover art.

Mix Jane Austen with Harry Potter, sorta ... Lovely, fun, slightly scary book, with a snarky heroine who is very unsure of herself and walking a tightrope.

Sara is a Snipe -- a non-magical person. In her world, the magical folk are fed up with the Industrial Revolution, and slap the Snipes down to make sure they don't destroy the whole world, and establish themselves as Guardians. Meaning the magical folk rule, the non-magical are in perpetual indentured servitude ... and if a Snipe child is born with magic, there's bound to be trouble.

Which is what happens when Sara discovers the vitamins her parents make her take aren't vitamins, but to suppress her magical abilities, so they don't get in trouble and ruin the Winters, the Guardian family their family has been serving for generations. Sara hates the awful pills, doesn't take them for a while and ... you guessed it, one day she does magic.

Fortunately, Mrs. Winter is a fast thinker, clever, and determined to maneuver the new situation to benefit her family instead of threatening them. Sara's death is faked and she scrambles to become someone new: Cassandra Reed, distant relative of the Winters, newly orphaned, and possessed of what might be an extraordinary magical talent. IF she can survive her first year at a magical girls' finishing school full of infighting and political games and traps everywhere she turns.

Fun book. Highly recommended. 

New release sample: ALLERGIC TO MISTLETOE

 "Real magic?" Alexi gave her a convincing frown of confusion.

"Just as real as your pointed ears." Bethany smirked when he reached up to yank his tangled mane of silky blond hair down around his ears. "I've seen you two working real magic. Of course, I've been looking for it." She played all her cards. "So, are you like witches or wizards? Is there a real Hogwarts?"

"Actually--" Alexi jerked at a hard nudge from Megan now. He grinned at his wife. "Whether there is or isn't, that doesn't matter. What makes you want an invisibility spell, in particular?"

"You two seem to have some kind of force field or invisibility spell, so nobody ever mobs you." Bethany sat back in the booth and crossed her arms. "I've seen the groupies come after you, when you finish a show. It's like a switch is flipped or something. One minute they're circling you like vultures. The next, they just don't see you, and they go wandering off. And when we're out like this?" She gestured around the room. "When I'm with you, nobody sees me, either."

"She's good," Megan murmured.

"We're magicians. Illusion is what we do," Alexi said with another grin.

"You're more than magicians. So, what are you?" Bethany sat forward, elbows planted on the table, projecting belligerence and determination as hard as she could.

"Faeries." He jumped from the force of the elbow in his side, but laughed, totally destroying the scowl he directed at Megan. "All right. Fae. Just wanted to see if I could shock you."

"She's beyond shocking," Megan said. "She needs our help. Bethy … think Faire Folk. Lords and ladies. Tam Lin."

"Are we talking Lord of the Rings stuff?" Bethany said. 

"Well … that's a good analogy. But instead of going into the West, our ancestors created the Enclaves, where time passes differently and you can cram a whole lot into what seems like a crack in the sidewalk." She shrugged. "The simplified explanation."

Upcoming release sample: CADETS, Young Defenders Book 1

 

“We’re going to be living on a ship,“ he whispered, testing the idea aloud. Jorgan took a couple deep breaths of the damp, cool air.

And immediately sneezed.

He wouldn’t miss the spongeweed or slimeleaf or other plants that could make him sneeze from half a kilometer away. His brother and parents had incredibly sensitive noses and eyes, and that sensitivity to detail helped them as healers. His nose only picked up allergies.

On a ship, he would be away from allergies.

On a ship, he would be just a few decks away from the engineers. Chances to learn. Chances to meet up with people who might look at his gizmos and the things he experimented with and understand what he had tried to do. And know why it didn’t work. They wouldn’t look at it and tell him he made a good try, but they couldn’t help him figure out what he did wrong.

“We’ll be on a ship,“ he said a little louder. Jorgan knew better than to say the name of his hero. That could jinx everything. He refused to do that, because he felt like he had been a jinx to his parents since they landed on this planet.

“Yeah, on a ship,“ Shayn said from behind him. He offered Jorgan a crooked grin when the younger boy turned around so fast, startled, he nearly knocked himself off his feet. “Sorry. Excited?“

Jorgan just nodded. Despite everything being in silver-streaked shadows from the starlight, he thought his brother’s expression was clear enough. Shayn looked like he had the day they arrived at Kaylan Station, in orbit around Vayaneer. He had been excited to learn they had a zero-gravity tank on the station, and even more excited to learn there was a zero-ball tournament scheduled. Then, disappointed to learn the tournament had ended the day before. Shayn loved zero-ball, and would have given anything to see a game played live in front of him.

“Don’t you want to go? You could get training hours in, helping in Medical on the ship. You could put a lot of classes behind you before you even go to Basic, Mom and Dad both said.“ 

“Yeah. There’s that.“ Shayn brushed a last few raindrops off the edge of the bench to his right, and sat down. “But … I guess I never really thought we’d be leaving. I know this posting was temporary. Mom and Dad came here to help fight the flux, not become Fleet medics for the embassy. But …“ He sighed and his head drooped forward.

Off the Bookshelf: FORGOTTEN IN DEATH, by JD Robb

 

The In Death series.

Eve Dallas is back, standing up for the dead, making sure they receive justice and nobody forgets them. She has a busy day, when the murder of a woman living on the streets puts her on-scene for the discovery of the bodies of a mother and unborn child, murdered nearly forty years before.

The killers of the first woman were sloppy, so the body was discovered within hours, and the investigation that follows leads to several different kinds of justice -- and heartbreak for several families, when one killer tries to cover his tracks. Not a smart move, when it comes to Dallas and her team.

Uncovering the identity of the murdered mother and child leads to more heartbreak as more secrets are uncovered, and justice long overdue catches up with the cold-hearted, manipulative killers.

Another triumph for Dallas and her team, and more development of relationships, which are always a large, enjoyable part of the series. I love how people continue to grow together and learn from each other and new characters and situations are introduced. The nearly silent commentary and exploration of the value of a human life, of the individual, comes through clear and poignantly as Dallas fights for justice and truth, for child and mother and a woman who seemed to have been thrown away, but all of whom were loved and mourned.

New release sample: ALLERGIC TO MISTLETOE

 

"I don't suppose you two could help me go invisible for a few weeks?" she said, half-joking, to Alexi and Megan Ambrosius.

Her Las Vegas magician friends were real friends, met and made in her days of living from commercial to commercial. They had taken a nervous, first-time-away-from-home adolescent under their wings and had remained friends ever since.

Bethany could only go home to Neighborlee for Christmas if she could lose the press and scandalmongers who chased her. Athena's Artificial Intelligence friend, London Holiday, arranged for airplane tickets for her father and a condo in the middle of the desert. No one would know when Ben Miller was leaving to spend Christmas with Bethany this year. Not like the disaster of last year, when every time they turned around someone was flashing a camera at them or banging on their door. If they spent the entire holiday indoors, they would be safe. Bethany knew better than to trust to luck. Sometimes it felt like the whole planet was focused on finding her. And honestly, she didn't want to sit in the condo for three solid weeks.

She wanted to go home to Neighborlee, sleep in her own bed, eat at the family diner, hang with Athena, and make sure Wallace was good enough for her. Bethany was happy for her best friend, and jealous. Because honestly, the more successful she got, the more miserable she felt. Which made no sense.

Okay, just be happy with a peaceful Christmas with Dad. Leave it at that. Don't ruin things by wishing for more.

"And invisibility for my dad, too," Bethany added on a sigh.

"Sweetheart, you know our magic is little more than illusions," Megan began. She squeaked and turned red when Alexi nudged her hard enough she nearly fell out of the booth in the dark corner of the casino where they were currently working. 

"I don't know any such thing." Bethany pulled out her ace card. She had held it to herself, a secret treasure, for the past five years. "I know you can do real magic. I saw you."

Upcoming release sample: CADETS, Young Defenders Book 1

That night, Jorgan couldn’t sleep. Despite his parents reassuring him several times that the fight at noon and the rebukes on his record had nothing to do with their transfer off the planet, he worried. He was grateful Professor Alyss and Healer Sweetbriar and several other teachers had made their own report about what happened, and had sent that recording of the things Superintendent Daran had said. He was grateful his parents were angry for him and didn’t blame him at all. They commended him for stopping to help the two younger boys. Then they reminded him that he had been scolded by several teachers the last time he had tried to help someone with his “tinkering Talent,“ as Tila called it. Jorgan thought they were admitting that part of the trouble was his fault, until they told him that made them even more proud. He had done the right thing by using the gifts Enlo had given him to help someone, even though it would cost him in trouble.

Jorgan was glad he didn’t have to go back to school in the morning. He just wished that people would know the real reason why he wasn’t going back there. The other students, and the teachers who didn’t like him, would tell everyone he was staying home because he was a big baby and his feelings were hurt, or he was a coward. What he cared about was that he had no one to tell the incredible news: soon he would be living on an E&D ship, and prepare to go to the Academy.

“I shouldn’t care what any of those bokraks think of me anymore,“ he muttered.

In the room across the hall, Shayn sighed and rolled over. Jorgan flinched and held his breath. He hoped he hadn’t awakened his brother. If he couldn’t sleep, it would probably be smart to get out and away from the bedroom end of the house. 

He rolled out of bed and padded down the hallway in his bare feet. The rain had stopped during dinner, leaving the garden softly coated in damp that glistened in the starlight. He slid the door open and stepped out into the garden and left the door open.

 

Off the Bookshelf: DEAD AND BREAKFAST, by Kate Kingsbury

 

A Merry Ghost Inn Mystery

Audible/Audiobooks

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

 Melanie and her grandmother, Liza, have bought an allegedly haunted mansion to turn it into a bed & breakfast. Renovations screech to a halt when removing wallpaper reveals a hidden doorway -- with a skeleton sitting behind it.

The ladies can't continue renovations until the death is investigated, so they get involved learning about the history of the house. Which leads to investigating the family who lived there before them, and asking questions about the ghost that laughs quietly at inconvenient times. Then things get even more tense when a woman is killed on the beach nearby -- and she looks like Melanie. 

Looks like it isn't just the local cops who are irritated by the women sticking their noses into the investigation. 

Will Melanie and Liza survive to get their answers, and finally get the house renovated so they can take guests? Or will the murderer triumph? And what exactly makes the ghost laugh?

Looking for Audiobooks?

 Yep.

I got 'em.

Look for audiobooks at your favorite store online -- Audible, Amazon, Authors Direct.

What? You never heard of Authors Direct?

Go here: www.Authors-Direct.com 

What titles do I have available now in audiobook?

A Match (NOT) Made in Heaven (Match Girls Book 1)

Confessions of a Lost Kid (Neighborlee Book 1)

Living Proof (That No Good Deed Goes Unpunished) (Neighborlee Book 4)

Allergic to Mistletoe (Neighborlee Book 10) -- Newest release!!

Friendly Fire (AFV Defender Book 1)

The Kindness Curse (Magic to Spare Book 1)

And lots more coming!

Right now I'm working on editing/formatting CADETS, Young Defenders Book 1, which I hope to have ready for the print and ebook release of CADETS on December 1.

Stay tuned!!

New release sample: ALLERGIC TO MISTLETOE

 

They -- whoever "they" were -- lied.

It was not lonely at the top.

Bethany Miller found it danged crowded. The number of people who gathered around her growing stardom made her feel downright claustrophobic. What had made her think she wanted this?

Oh, yeah. To show all those idiots in school who made her feel invisible. Other than a few friends, starting with Athena Longfellow, it was like an invisibility cloak had been wrapped around her all her life. Except when she got on stage. Then she became visible, and audible -- everybody watched her, everybody listened. Meaning no sense of privacy. Sometimes she felt like her godmother, Angela, was a faerie godmother who had gone too far with a spell designed to protect her. The same sense of "go away, we don't like you here," that drove most troublemakers away from Neighborlee seemed to make her invisible to everyone in town.

When she won a talent competition, got an agent, started doing commercials and small recurring roles on networks like Nickelodeon, then she became visible.

Which wasn't all it was cracked up to be. 

With shooting wrapped on her third feature film, she looked back on those days of invisibility and anonymity with nostalgia. What insanity had driven her here? She could be perfectly happy right now, flipping burgers at her father's diner, being a perpetual student at Willis-Brooks College, clerking for Angela, spending her weekends hanging with Athena and her gang of computer geeks. And yes, trying not to be jealous that Athena was now engaged and deliriously happy. But no, she had taken the path that meant she couldn't even walk to the corner drugstore to get the paper without being recognized and mobbed.

Upcoming release: CADETS, Young Defenders Book 1

 

COMING DECEMBER 1

MIDDLE GRADE SCIENCE FICTION

Set in the AFV Defender universe

Behind every legendary ship are the little people who make the incredible discoveries possible.

 

In the case of the AFV Defender, they really are little -- the children of the crew, growing up below decks, learning lessons on faith, honor, loyalty, and what it really means to be a hero. No matter what it costs.

 

Cadets long before they go to the Fleet Academy for official training, they are preparing for the day the fate of the Alliance, and maybe the Human race, lies in their hands.

 

Jorgan -- a new kid on the ship, an orphan adopted by Fleet doctors, with a talent for gizmos and secret fears.

 

Tress -- leader of the gang by default, with special talents ready to bloom, and a gift for attracting trouble, no matter how hard she tries to be careful.

 

Elli -- raised by her older brother, and tormented by a new crop of bullies just when she's earned her place in Tress' gang.

 

Bo -- musical prodigy with brittle bones and unsure if the Fleet or Enlo can use a boy without real legs.

 

Dafna -- her love of solitude and dark, hidden places turns into the needed advantage when the Defender is invaded.

 

Kati -- her blooming talent isn't "cool" like everyone else's, and needs to learn the hard way that Enlo gives gifts to those who are willing to obey, no matter what.