It's Release Day For UNDER A BRASS MOON & A Giveaway!

I'm still in Summer Ketchup mode. Don't know what that is? Go HERE. Like I mentioned back in HERE, I'd be popping in from time to time to help out FPP (fellow pub peeps), writer friends, and to make announcements. And today I have an announcement.

It's release day!  The next young adult anthology I'm a part of is available today! 

UNDER A BRASS MOON A Steampunk and Science Fiction Anthology

is available now from Curiosity Quills Press!  Grab your copy from Amazon and make sure to check out reviews on GoodReads. And if you do purchase a copy, we'd be forever grateful if you'd leave a review!  

This anthology includes twenty-seven short stories intended to enchant and consume.  Enjoy the works of Jordan Elizabeth, G. Miki Hayden, Benjamin Sperduto, D. J. Butler, Christine Baker, Lorna MacDonald Czarnota, Jessica Gunn, Lorna Marie Larson, Quinn Southwick, James Wymore, Terri Karsten, W. K. Pomeroy, Ashley Pasco, Jeremy Mortis, Grant Eagar, Amberle Husbands, Nick Lofthouse, Perry McDaid, and S.A. Larsen.

Here's a peek into my story: 

Ethereal Coil by S.A. Larsen: A new sin eater's refusal to do her job of keeping balance between good and evil awakens Wrath - one of the Seven Deadly Sins - endangering those closest to her.

And here are just a few of the other amazing stories you'll find in UNDER A BRASS MOON:

Maiden in the Clock Tower by Jordan Elizabeth: A young woman is trapped in a clock tower of her father's doing to be held as a pawn in an evil merchant's scheme. Can she escape to her true love? 

The Queen of Cobwebs by Jeremy Mortis: Something is hunting people in the foggy streets, and the Professor and his assistant are about to meet it.

Vacant by Nick Lofthouse: Where does a dreamer fit into a world where ideas are a finite resource from any one person? Could free-thought be our savior, or just a sweet distraction from the inevitable?

Hour of Darkness by Ashley Pasco: Carissa Upton is just your average Victorian street urchin - little does she know that her life is about to change forever. Not only is her entire life a lie, but her future is uncertain.

A Connecticut Yankee in Queen Victoria’s Court by G. Miki Hayden: Engineering professor Dr. Alice Alante doesn't believe in time travel. But when she's sent to Queen Victoria's Windsor castle in a strange machine, her only choice may be to help build a dirigible to defend the crown.

Lucky Escape for Goldilocks Girl by Perry McDaid: On a new world structured to reprise all the patriarchal and elitist notions of the Elizabethan era, a young girl promised to an old but influential suitor chooses to rebel by masquerading as a Knight of the Road … or Highwayman.

Calliope by Terri Karsten: Roscoe Gordon dreams bringing back his dad’s Steam Calliope, but he’s hindered by a pair of prank-loving ghosts. With their help, will he lead the parade or blow the whole thing up?

The Balloon Thief by Jessica Gunn: Adeline has made a name for herself as Beltham’s Balloon Thief for stealing high-priced jewelry items and leaving only a balloon in their place, setting sail for finer lands on her steam-powered hot air balloon. Adeline has been told the stolen rings and gems open a door on the mysterious Leikei, the temple in the air where she thinks her friend Colin is stranded. On her last robbery attempt, she’s arrested and forced to place her trust in the museum owner’s daughter who has her own reasons for wanting to get to Leikei. If she can trust her, Adeline just might be able to rescue Colin. If not, it might be the end for them all.

Fritz Finkel and the Marvelous Mechanical Thing by Lorna MacDonald Czarnota: Every era has to begin sometime, and every inventor starts someplace. For Fritz, it is the opportunity to impress the "apple of his eye," the lovely, unobtainable Greta Spielmacher--the toymaker's daughter.  Fritz wants to be a toy designer, but he's the janitor. Will his special toy be the key to winning his lady love?        

                                                                                                                        

Henry the Tailor by Grant Eagar: Henry is a tailor and inventor of flying machines. Sophie is an agent for the English secret service. Henry and Sophie live in the alternate, steam powered world of Victorian England. The country is at war with Count Von-Friedrich and his horde of mercenaries. The spies of the count are killing and kidnapping the English scientists and inventors. Sophie’s job is to root out the spies and she uses Henry’s inventions as an enticement.

Talking Metal by W. K. Pomeroy: Five years after piloting a zeppelin to the other side of the world to find the spark, Saskia is on the verge of inventing greatness, but her old professor appears to have beaten her to the patent office, or has he? 

Women of Lastonia by Lorna Marie Larson: Earth's best team must learn why a distant planet won't join the Interstellar Alliance. Diplomacy is key, but the closed steampunk society has some primeval ideas on how to treat the fairer sex.

We're also having a giveaway of the book on Goodreads, so head over and ENTER for your chance to win! 

Help us celebrate the release with the chance to win a $30 Amazon gift card.  

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VERY SUPERSTITIOUS~Are you?

TOUR SCHEDULE

When I think of Halloween certain words come to mind. Eerie, spooky, and zombies, just to name a few. The Holiday of Halloween has deep roots in many cultures and within those roots lies controversy. One element each hold in common - other than the obvious spirit theme - is superstition threading through the Upper and Under Worlds, Inner and Outer Worlds, or Heaven and H.E.Double Hockey Sticks.

So what better word to use for the title of a collection of short stories during Halloween?

AMAZON | KOBO | GOODREADS

Title: VERY SUPERSTITIOUS: Myths, Legends and Tales of Superstition

Publisher: Month9Books

Released: October 2013

I'd like to thank the publisher for supplying me with a copy of this anthology in exchange for an unbiased review.

Description: This is a charity anthology to benefit SPCA International. The stories are based on urban legends, myths, tribal tales and superstitions from around the world. My story is “Thirst,” which is set in the Riders world a long, long, long (long) time ago. It’s a Famine tale. And Death, of course; it wouldn’t be a Riders tale without Death.

The full list of contributors is: Shannon Delany, Jackie Morse Kessler, Stephanie Kuehnert, Jennifer Knight,Mari Mancusi, Michelle E. Reed, Dianne Salerni and Pab Sungenis.

COVETED! A MUST HAVE...for the Halloween Season.

Plus, it's for a great cause!

My Splats: a collection of spook-licious tales that will taunt, and in a few cases, tickle the fear bone in any reader.

Throughout each story, vivid word choices paint living pictures. Well-developed settings draw the reader even deeper into each small world, while diversity breaths life and uniqueness to each. Some characters speak volumes through quick-witted and sassy dialog, while others hold their secondary positions to enhance the tales.

At points, unexpected paranormal elements mix nicely with old England or a drab forest. Each text is paced nicely, filled with action, mystery, and a bit of BOO. There's even tantalizing serenity to some prose--a calm before a storm within an ominous journey. 

Lessons of love that could never, should never be, and some passions are just stronger than curses bleed throughout. Character growth takes a ride, and sometimes in unexpected ways. Intrigue is found among the stories, which are fairly quick and easy reads. A few even play on old tales, but all pull in ancient superstitions we all know.

About the Very Superstitious Authors:

Shannon Delany

Shannon Delany's newest novel, WEATHER WITCH (St. Martin's Press) is already available for pre-order (which both stuns and delights Delany)!
     Shannon Delany has written stories since she was a child. She began writing in earnest when her grandmother fell unexpectedly ill during a family vacation. In 2008 her greatly abbreviated version of 13 to Life (written in just five weeks) won the grand prize in the first-ever cell phone novel contest in the western world through Textnovel.com . 
     Shannon was thrilled when St. Martin’s Press offered her a contract for a series about her 13 to Life characters. She expanded on the cell phone novel version, adding the subplots and characters she didn’t have time to during the contest. As paranormal as werewolves seem, the grief Shannon used to build Jess’s character is something she personally experienced with the loss of her own mother. Focusing on Jess and Pietr’s story of loss, love and dramatic and dangerous changes, Shannon came to better grips with her own struggle. The resulting novel has earned her blurbs from authors she respects most.
     The first novel in Shannon’s YA paranormal series, 13 to Life, debuted June 22, 2010, and was followed by Secrets and Shadows, Bargains and Betrayals, Destiny and Deception, and the Rivals and Retribution (August 2012).
     Shannon has also debuted with interactive science fiction in her short story ("To Hel and Back") for Spirited: 13 to Haunting Tales (Leap Books) and will make her high fantasy debut with Month 9 Books' charity anthology titled Two and Twenty Dark Tales (October 2012, "Pieces of Eight" with musician Max Scialdone). 
     Shannon's new series (a steampunk trilogy titled WEATHER WITCH, also with St. Martin's Press) will launch June 25, 2013.
     Previously a teacher and now a farmer raising heritage livestock, Shannon lives and writes in Upstate New York and enjoys traveling to talk to people about most anything. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Pab Sungenis

Born in the swamps of Southern New Jersey, Pab Sungenis developed a childhood fascination with cartooning and drew a daily strip for his own amusement for two years before realizing he couldn’t draw. He wound up in broadcasting, worked for numerous stations including WSBU, WOND, WMGM, WSKR, WBNJ, WWBZ, and WKTU. He describes his drawing ability as like that of “a mentally challenged rhinoceros on a Ny-Quil bender”, but thanks to the wonders of photo-manipulation and computer image editing, on February 8, 2006 he found himself creating The New Adventures of Queen Victoria, which has appeared ever since, first on Comicssherpa.com., and now in online syndication with gocomics.com. Pab Sungenis is available for quotes, signings, video or podcast appearances, and all opportunities relative to SIDEKICK: THE MISADVENTURES OF THE NEW SCARLET KNIGHT. Website | Twitter | Facebook

Stephanie Kuehnert


STEPHANIE got her start writing bad poetry about unrequited love and razor blades in eighth grade. In high school, she discovered punk rock and produced several D.I.Y. feminist 'zines. After short stints in Ohio and Wisconsin, Stephanie ultimately returned home and received her MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago. She currently resides in Forest Park, IL. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads




Jennifer Knight

Hi. I’m Jen. I am twenty-two years old and live in Miami, Florida with my family. I’m a lifelong lover of books, romance and anything even vaguely supernatural. Except zombies. Zombies scare me.
     I started writing in college after trying and failing to find a major. It was all I really knew how to do and since school was going nowhere, I threw myself into it. I wrote my first book in a matter of months and watched it go up in flames.
     Smoldering, but still determined to make this writing thing work, I moved on to something completely different. Werewolves! Love them. Who doesn’t? I wrote the first draft of Blood on the Moon in about two months, during which I locked myself in my room and thought about teeth and moons and kissing.
     I must have done something right, because Running Press bought my book and now you’re here reading this. I guess that means you liked the book. Yay! If I had a cookie, I’d totally give it to you. You deserve it.
     Anyway, now that Blood on the Moon is done, I’m writing the sequel. And also some other stuff that hopefully you’ll see one day. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Mari Mancusi

Mari Mancusi used to wish she could become a vampire back in high school. But she ended up in another blood sucking profession --journalism -- instead. Today she works as a freelance TV producer and author of books for teens and adults. 

When not writing about creatures of the night, Mari enjoys traveling, cooking, goth clubbing, watching cheesy horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure--videogames. A graduate of Boston University and a two time Emmy Award winner, she lives in Austin , Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon and their dog Mesquite. You can find Mari online at www.marimancusi.com orwww.bloodcovenvampires.com. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Michelle E. Reed


Michelle was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Jackie Morse Kessler

Jackie Morse Kessler grew up in Brooklyn, NY, with a cranky cat and overflowing shelves filled with dolls and books. Now she’s in Upstate NY with another cranky cat, a loving husband, two sons, and overflowing shelves filled with dragons and books (except when her sons steal her dragons). She has a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature, and yet she’s never read any Jane Austen (with or without zombies). She also has a master’s degree in media ecology. (The living study of technology and culture. Which is cool, but she still can’t figure out how to use Tweetdeck.)

Jackie spends a lot of time writing, reading, and getting distracted by bright and shiny new ideas. (She just came up with a new idea right now.) She has a weakness for chocolate and a tendency to let her cat take over her office chair. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Dianne Salerni

DIANNE K. SALERNI is a fifth grade teacher by day and a writer by night. She's the author of YA historical novels, We Hear the Dead (Sourcebooks) and The Caged Graves (Clarion/HMH), and a forthcoming MG fantasy series, The Eighth Day (HarperCollins 2014). 

The Caged Graves is a Junior Library Guild Selection, and We Hear the Dead was the inspiration for a 10 minute short film, The Spirit Game, which premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.http://vimeo.com/64738099

In her spare time, Dianne is prone to hanging around creepy cemeteries and climbing 2000 year-old pyramids in the name of book research. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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What's your greatest superstition? If you're not superstitious, why?