How are you? What are you reading? We’re trying to get back into the swing of the (home)school year. Giggly is now four, so he’s actually enrolled in our homeschool community rather than just hanging out with me while Wiggly is in class. Both of them love their classmates and teachers, and I love watching them enjoy learning!
My friend JA Andrews is re-releasing her epic fantasy A Threat of Shadows for only $0.99! This is an expanded 2nd edition including a map, artwork, and a bonus short story called “The Black Horn,” which originally appeared in the Still Waters anthology. The second book in this series is coming out very soon, and it is fantastic!
Alaric betrayed everything he believed to save Evangeline — and failed.
His last chance to save the woman he loves lies in an ancient Wellstone, a repository of power, buried and lost long ago.
Luck—or something more troubling—leads him to a small group searching for the same stone.
A disgruntled dwarf,
a bumbling wizard,
and an elf with an unsettling amount of power.
If he can gain their trust, they might help him find the cure.
But the Wellstone holds more than he knows, and a terrible evil he’d thought defeated is stirring again, searching for the stone.
Can the companions survive a traitor, a dragon, and their own pasts to reach the stone before time runs out?
I loved this epic fantasy, not only because it was beautifully written, and not only because it took epic fantasy tropes and gently turned them on their head (with humor and affection), but also because it explored themes of redemption and forgiveness, of sacrifice and love and friendship and honor. If you love noblebright epic fantasy, you really ought to read this book. Find it here.
Also, my friend W.R. Gingell’s next book is up for pre-order now too! Between Shifts is the sequel to Between Jobs. This series is funny, smart, clean urban fantasy set in Hobart, Australia. I was lucky enough to read an early version of this story, and enjoyed it immensely!
There’s a body beneath the skip bins. Fae on the forklift. A vampire in the manager’s office. And there’s definitely something skeevy going on in the locker rooms.
Hi. I’m Pet. Well, not exactly Pet. I am a pet.
I was meant to stay out of it, but somebody’s gotta do something when humans are being killed by Behindkind creatures.
Lucky for me, my owners are just as dangerous and inhuman as the bad guys…
…maybe more.
If you’ve been thinking about getting the September PhoenixCrate, with the theme Dragon Fire, don’t wait! We’re nearly sold out. Please use coupon code SBIslClb for 10% off! (Image credit)
Last but not least, Shards: A Noblebright Fantasy Anthology will be released October 1! This is the third anthology I’ve published through Spring Song Press. The first two have received some great reviews, and I hope you love this one just as much!
Amazon | B&N/Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords | Direct | Signed Paperback
Shards of lives, shards of a broken heart, shards of broken pottery or glass, shards of myth and memory… each author in this exciting collection of fantasy has interpreted the theme in a different way. Focused on noblebright fantasy, this anthology includes stories that edge toward grimbright and nobledark, exploring themes of despair tempered by hope and brokenness tempered by redemption.
This anthology features stories from:
B. Morris Allen, J.E. Bates, Jade Black, Gustavo Bondoni, Bokerah Brumley, Stephen Case, R. K. Duncan, M.C. Dwyer, Chloe Garner, Kelly A. Harmon, Pete Alex Harris, Ben Howels, Tom Jolly, Brandon M. Lindsay, Alice Loweecey, Jason J. McCuiston, Alex McGilvery, Ville Meriläinen, Jennifer R. Povey, Holly Lyn Walrath, Pat Woods, and Richard Zwicker.
Edited by Robert McCowen and C. J. Brightley.
Are you active on Instagram? I haven’t been very active on it, but since I’ve been working on PhoenixCrate, I’ve spent more time there. Bookstagrammers are so creative! My personal/author account is https://www.instagram.com/cjbrightley/ and the PhoenixCrate account is https://www.instagram.com/phoenixcrate/. There’s a giveaway coming up soon, so you may want to check it out. I’d love to see you there!
Happy reading!
~ C. J.
