Read? Read. Read!

OK, yes, silly post title. Forgive me, but I've acquired my youngest's cold and I am miserable. Anything to make me laugh right now and encourage me to write this post. It'll be a short one at least. ;)

If you're looking to fill up your e-reader in preparation for spring and summer reading, now is the time to do it! Two of my Fortunes of Fate stories are part of promotions running this week, and you'll find a lot of good fantasy and science fiction to add to your To Be Read pile.

Both of these promotions go through March 19, 2017. So don't wait too long if you're curious what's available!

First, a word everyone likes. FREE! You can find over 100 SF/F books in the Mega Promo for March. Take a look and see if any covers grab you, then click for more information and download it from Instafreebie! Dreams in Shadow (Fortunes of Fate, 1) is part of this giveaway. You'd be silly to not at least take a look at all the titles available.

Second, there's a SF/F 99 cent Sale going on as well! Heck, there are even some boxed sets in this sale, so a lot of bang for your buck. You can find Love Fades (Fortunes of Fate, 2) among these titles.

So, yes... Read? Read. Read!

Edge of Sorrow Excerpt

It's time for the next Fortunes of Fate story! Edge of Sorrow is the 6th title in the series, and the release date is March 14. Not just at Amazon, either. I'm immediately releasing this one to all the major online retailers. And when I say all, I also mean Google Play! As a matter of fact, in the next couple of days all of the Fortunes of Fate stories will be available on Google Play (in the next week for my other titles).

For now, you can preorder Edge of Sorrow on Amazon, Kobo, and iBooks. The 14th isn't that far away, right? The Google Play preorder should be up soon, and I'll add the link to the post when it is. No preorder at Barnes & Noble, but Edge of Sorrow will be available there some time on the 14th.

I actually have some other exciting news. The first story in the Fortunes of Fate series, Dreams in Shadow is FREE at all retailers right now (and on Instafreebie - it will be part of a group promo, but more on that next week). So, if you haven't grabbed a copy yet, your budget won't stop you from snagging your free copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play, and Smashwords. Grab it while you can. Not sure how long I'll keep it free.

Free stuff is good, but I'm hoping you're looking forward to the Edge of Sorrow excerpt. I have to say, this short story is my favorite of all the ones I've written so far to date. Happy reading!

❦

Jasp draped his arms over the gargoyle and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers. The stone bench was as chilly on his backside as the gargoyle was on his wrinkled hands, but he’d suffer through any temperature for his daily vigil, which had lasted going on two decades.

A plum tree rattled in the breeze as if it spoke to him. No other tree or bush in the garden stirred.

If only Yetta could still speak. Her voice had been that of a songbird. Sweet as honey. And all those other wretched clichés.

No one’s fault but his own, though. He’d been lucky he’d had enough magic to turn her spirit into a plum tree before she’d completely faded from Fate.

Although Jasp didn’t think she was too happy with her current status. Twenty years was a long time. “Sorry, Yetta. Can’t let you go.”

Can't let go? The external thought burrowed into his brain, clear as the sky if he hadn’t intentionally kept it cloudy and gray.

Jasp slapped the gargoyle on the head, and it woke up. It flapped away and offered a vexed look over its shoulder.

“Yetta?” Stupid question. The voice wasn’t hers -- he’d know it anywhere. A soprano. This one was an alto, saturated with accusation.

A calico cat with shimmering red eyes slunk out from behind the plum tree. No Yetta here. Name's Amber.

“Cat.” Jasp stood and stalked toward the creature, but it held its ground. He waggled a finger. “You’re the one who ruined my fun then with that Darney boy?”

Oh, no. I love some tormenting fun, Mage Jasp. Maybe more than you. That was probably my meddling sister Joslyn. And feel free to kick that Darney fellow for me next time you see him, if you’d like.

“Humph. Makes no difference to me. Punishing one cat is as good as the other.”

The cat sauntered closer and rubbed up against his old, ratty purple robe. Little minx. You don't want to punish me. A purr vibrated through his mind.

“No?” He squatted down and stared into her mischievous red eyes. “Why’s that?”

You need me to show you.

He wanted to kick her and her bothersome riddling. She’d destroyed his peace, gazing upon his dear Yetta in tree form. The only time his aging body quieted. “What do you want from me, you mangy critter?”

Mangy? Amber yowled. I'll forgive the insult, for now. I need you to... meddle.

"But you just..." Vexing, contradictory creature.

Meddling has its advantages. Just don't tell Joslyn I said so.

❦

The woman’s skin blends into the gray of the bark, her body melded with the tree. And she weeps.

The mage Jasp spent the last two decades shuttered away in his crumbling mansion, mourning the loss of his wife, Yetta – his guilt and a couple of stone-brained gargoyles his only companions. He intends to continue his self-inflicted solitude, until the calico cat Amber appears. A malicious mage is imprisoning women and draining their life force. Amber insists the great and powerful Jasp must save them.

Jasp’s memory of Yetta spurs him to act. Making no promises, he follows Amber to the weeping women in the woods. But it’s not as simple as freeing them. It never is.

Fortunes of Fate Series Cover Update

Hello, loyal readers! (Do I have any of those? If I do -- thank you for reading!) The first two Fortunes of Fate covers were bugging me. I felt like I needed to go simpler than I did, since the texture and the gold outlining was a bit distracting. So, I have redone the covers for Dreams in Shadow and Love Fades!

That's not all that's in this post, though. After you admire the new covers, you'll have a chance to vote on the cover for the next Fortunes of Fate title: Reversed! Make sure to scroll past the first two covers to take a look at the two options for Reversed. And do it soon because there's not much time to vote.

First we have the Dreams in Shadow cover. Please understand, I just pushed the changes on Amazon, so if you take a look at it there, it may be 2-3 days before the new cover shows up. Heck, it will give you the chance to compare covers at least!

And then of course there's the Love Fades cover. I still love this story. Got to have a little bit of romance with the fantasy once in a while. As a matter of fact, I'm hoping to do a free promo for Love Fades some time in May! So, watch my Facebook and Twitter feeds if you're interested in snagging a copy. Again, the cover changes were just pushed to Amazon, so it may take a bit for them to show up on the page.

Now for the cover sneak peek you probably quickly scrolled down to see. Reversed is the third story in the Fortunes of Fate series. It will be available from Amazon on May 13, 2016, but the pre-order will be up this weekend. And I'd like to have the cover figured out before the pre-order goes live! That's where you come in. What do you think? Should The Magus card be upright (as you see to the left) or should it be reversed (below and to the right)? The latter would reflect the title, but the former might be better pleasing to the eye.

Take a look at the covers and let me know what you think. You may post here, on my Facebook page, or on Twitter. If you want to keep your vote super secret, feel free to use my Contact page to e-mail me your vote. I will be taking votes up to Noon CDT on Friday, April 22.

EDIT: The REVERSED version of the cover won the votes! And the pre-order for Reversed is now up on Amazon!

Dreams in Shadow Snippet

Yes, another release! Dreams in Shadow came out this past Friday. It's the first in a planned 78 short story series called Fortunes of Fate. All the stories will be somehow interconnected, but it won't necessarily be in serial form. There will be lots of different point-of-view characters. Dreams in Shadow can be found for purchase on Amazon and can also be read for free via Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

Interested in a taste of the beginning? Here you go!

❦

Tilly swung her mud-caked bare feet over the edge of the cliff. She enjoyed sitting on the precipice after a long day of playing, watching the purple leaves in the valley below flutter in the wind. It gave her ideas.

And the one that popped into her head that day was a grand one.

The leaves nearby rustled, and a gray cat emerged from the underbrush. It rubbed up against her, smearing its damp nose on her arm.

"Ew," Tilly said.

Ew? the cat voiced in Tilly's mind. You're covered from head to toe in dirt, and you can't stand my wet nose against your skin. Aren't you particular?

"Sorry." Tilly scratched the cat under the chin.

My speaking doesn't alarm you?

Tilly giggled. "A servant once told me a chicken begged for its life before she chopped its head off. This is Fate, after all."

Home.

"Huh?"

Nothing.

Tilly leapt up. "Time to go."

Where, might I ask?

"On an adventure!"

❦

Fortunes of Fate Series

For every card, there's a story.

The three cat sisters, Joslyn, Mia, and Amber, are world-hoppers. They're in search of a world to call home, and they finally find it in Fate.

However, they've grown fond of Earth as well, and they stick their noses into the lives of people from both worlds. From Fools to Magicians, the three cats are witnesses to the stories that unravel.

Dreams in Shadow

Twelve-year-old Tilly is the epitome of a little Fool. The moment she meets Mia, a cat who speaks into her mind, she decides on a whim that it's time for an adventure. Unfortunately, her carefree romp in the world of Fate is cut short by the willful Tillnea, a spoiled brat who won't take no for an answer.

As Tilly's adventure unravels, Mia seeks a way to get them both back on the proper path.