New release sample: SHRUNK: THE EXILE OF MAURICE

 

Note: SHRUNK was previously released as DIVINE'S EMPORIUM. This new version has been updated to include people and events in Neighborlee who were written about and "discovered" after the publication of DIVINE'S. Plus you can now get a print copy, when before it was only available in ebook.

Just so you know!

Only an hour into the office Christmas party Friday night, Jo suspected someone had spiked the spicy lime punch. Everywhere she looked, a clump of mistletoe hung directly over her head. Either it hung from every light and in every doorway in this party center, or the silly bit of useless decoration was following her.

"Something wrong?" Ken came up behind her and held out a tall glass of amber liquid.

She opened her mouth to refuse, then saw the drink had bubbles in it. He was definitely her knight in shining armor. Tonight proved it. His eyes had gleamed when he'd seen her dark blue velvet dress. His attention made her feel special. This newest move, bringing her plain ginger ale, only proved he was the Mr. Wonderful she had dreamed of all her life.

"You okay?" Ken asked.

She pointed at the mistletoe hanging above their heads. Jo could have sworn it was four feet to the right the last time she looked. Then she forgot that problem when Ken went bright red.

"I wasn't suggesting -- not unless you want to. But I swear that thing is moving. It's in a different place, every time I see it."

"Thank you." He slumped for a moment. "I thought I was just imagining it." He gestured at her glass, which she sipped with grateful relief. "That's why I decided to go for something a little less likely to be polluted. Just in case."

"My hero." She laughed when he colored up again. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mr. Myerhausen beckoning to Ken. "It looks like the visitors from the Pittsburgh office want to talk to you." She decided to be flattered when he groaned.

He apologized and promised to hurry back before he walked away. Yes, Ken was definitely Mr. Wonderful. So nice. So strong and considerate. How could that idiot Brittney have let him go, much less tossed him over in favor of Allistair?

As if on cue, Allistair appeared at the edge of her vision, slithering toward her through the crowd of chatting, nibbling, drinking employees. That was her cue to flee.

Off the Bookshelf: SHIFTERS IN THE NIGHT, by Molly Harper

 

Audible, Audiobooks

Narrated by Amanda Ronconi and Jonathan Davis

The NEW Mystic Bayou release through Audible.

This time around our hero is Jon Carmody, brother to Will, the town's doctor. The new girl in town is Lia Doe, a deer-shifter, working for a construction company building an apartment complex to handle the tidal wave of people moving to Mystic Bayou.

Lia can read people's emotions, which makes her very valuable as a liaison for the company. She works to make sure everyone is happy with the deal, on both sides. And maybe Lia will get something she wants before the job is done.

Nothing will ever calm down in Mystic, even though the problem of the Rift has been dealt with. The town is growing fast. Maybe too fast. Then there's the Founder's Day celebration. Jon is struggling to figure out how he feels about Lia, while trying to keep up with the demand for his boat repair business. Then Lia's boss starts breaking all his patterns. He has plans for the town, but none of the residents are complying. Lia listens to her instincts, and they tell her it's time to get out. Someone isn't happy with all the changes she's making, and strikes back. Will Lia and Jon unmask this new enemy before someone is hurt permanently?

New release sample: THE KINDNESS CURSE

 The baker's girl came around the smithy from the back way, with a basket covered in cheesecloth. Her furtive look gave Merrigan a good hint of what she was doing. She wasn't surprised at all when the girl whistled softly and stayed in the shadows of the trees, close to where Merrigan sat. The boys came running and she quickly handed them bread with thick slabs of cheese, and an apple each. They thanked her with much nicer manners than Merrigan would have credited them, and she blushed prettily and turned to leave. Then she saw Merrigan sitting only a dozen or so steps away.

"Oh, Granny, I'm sorry. If I had known …" She looked back over her shoulder at the boys, who had emptied her basket. 

The youngest looked up and his gaze met Merrigan's. She shivered and lost her breath for a moment. Was that tingle in her fingertips a sign of some majjian nearby, watching? Of course, it would be the youngest who looked at her, looked at the remaining bread and cheese and the apple in his hand, and moved away from his brothers. Why was it always the youngest chosen for magical tasks and help? More important, why wasn't she granted such protection and help, since she was the youngest daughter of the King of Avylyn?

Coming New Title! SHRUNK: THE EXILE OF MAURICE

 

The next Neighborlee, Ohio book

Coming JULY 1

Maurice used his Fae magic to help the downtrodden and abused. But when he went too far, the Powers-That-Be decided he needed to learn humility, self-restraint, and mercy. They took away most of his magic, shrunk him down to five inches, and slapped wings on his back that no self-respecting Fae would be caught dead in. Then they exiled him to the Human realms, to work out his sentence helping Humans. 

 

His destination: Divine's Emporium, a curiosity shop touched with magic, on the edge of the odd town of Neighborlee, Ohio. 

 

His parole officer: Angela, the proprietress of Divine's Emporium, touched with magic and a shadowy past of her own. 

 

His sentence: Help the Humans who come into Divine's to find answers, freedom, their own magic, and true love. Not necessarily in that order. 

 

His problem: How does a five-inch-tall Fae, invisible to most Humans, win the heart of the ugly duckling who has caught his interest, his sympathy, and then his heart -- when she can't see or hear him?

 From Ye Olde Dragon Books

Remember: in the month leading up to a new release, you can get print and ebook copies of the book at a discount at Ye Olde Dragon Books, BEFORE they're available in stores!

Off the Bookshelf: ALWAYS BE MY BANSHEE, by Molly Harper

 

Audible Original, Audiobook

Mystic Bayou

Narrated by Amanda Ronconi and Jonathan Davis

Return to Mystic Bayou for more guilty pleasure. This time we have two newcomers as our heroine and hero, both dealing with lots of baggage before they're even hit with the wonderful weirdness that is Mystic Bayou. Cordelia and Brendan have come to town to deal with the "artifact" found in the bayou in the last adventure. It's a black box that seems to be the source of all the growing magical disturbances and problems coming out of the Rift.

Several problems to get over: Cordelia is a touch psychic, which makes it hard to be around people, much less deal with everyday living because everything she touches fills her mind with their stories. Brendan is a rare male banshee, so technically he's dead. And when he gets visions, they're always about people's deaths. Then there are the occasional sightings of Cordelia's psycho, entitlement attitude, con-woman mother, whom she fled when she was a teen. And the pressure from some pretty high up people in the League, to get the artifact to not just communicate, but cooperate and toe the line with the League's goals and ideals. That's just the tip of the problem-loaded iceberg.

Some answers, some changes, some danger. Lots of laughs. And more strong performances from all our favorite characters living in Mystic Bayou. I really hope Harper keeps writing more stories, because I want to keep coming back and seeing my old friends. Hmm, there is that phoenix/dragon baby on the way. A new generation to watch and cheer for? Please?

New release sample: THE KINDNESS CURSE

"Well, there's some hope for you yet." The frog let out a croaky chuckle. "You're right, he did steal it. He's selling the boys as slaves, at the fair in Blintytown tomorrow. I heard him promising them to a one-eyed man who stopped here three days ago."

"You have to do something. That's unfair. This is their home, not his."

"What can I do? Besides, you're the only person here who can hear me."

"What can I do?" she echoed, only half-heartedly mocking him. "I'm a stranger. People may be kind to the elderly and frail, but they don't listen to them. Especially not strangers. I'm quite tired of being laughed at and called mad."

"Forewarned is forearmed." He hopped away while Merrigan tried to decide if she should kick him, or even risk warts by picking him up and flinging him away. 

She fumed, chewing on his words, until the blacksmith walked away at noontime to get his meal. The boys were left to tend the forge, and he left nothing for them to eat. That just added fuel to the fire inside her. Ordinarily, Merrigan believed in letting peasants cheat and trick and steal from each other and reduce their numbers so their betters didn't have to look after them. However, those boys looked so helpless, and so young, and there was just something appealing about them, under their dirt and bruises. Forewarned? Would it be enough to warn them?

 

New release sample: BRIDE OF THE LIVING PROOF

Thanks to less power being sucked away and more power building up in Neighborlee for our defensive purposes, I was getting leg tremors and prickling at the most inconvenient times. Winkies swarmed me at the most inconvenient times. It was one thing to be the only one in the room who could see them. It sometimes got pretty dang difficult to sit in a meeting at work and not swat at or laugh at the sparkling bits of light creating images in the air around my co-workers' faces.

Along with the winkies, Fae came to visit. Not Will and Phil, who I had gotten used to during their infrequent visits when I was younger. These were people who sort of ghosted their way through town. Gliding through the crowds of shoppers and people taking advantage of unseasonably nice weather to get outside and socialize or just get their steps in for the day. I recognized them by the trails of winkies. If that didn't confirm their identity for me, their pointy ears did. 

Funny thing. Most of the Fae, I saw at Miller's Diner. They didn't seem to be making any effort to connect with Ben Miller. Who, I might add, displayed definite points in his ears. I hadn't seen those points until our New Year's battle with Big Ugly solved the whole power-siphon problem. (And created some new ones. The fluctuations as energy levels struggled for a new normal made my legs twitchy. A few times, I needed to get out of my wheelchair and walk, to get rid of the feeling, before I started screaming. However, I couldn't really explain to people the whole power field problem and how I might finish healing after all these years, now could I?)