Wednesday, October 31, 2012

New Release: Dromos by G. Arden O'feden


Thousands of people go missing each year, and Everett Lacrowe discovers where they go when he falls into a world where the only purpose seems to be collecting others like himself. While most people in Dromos accept their surroundings and use a pointless routine to distract themselves, Everett will attempt to find out a way out.
by G. Arden O'feden
Pages: 11 / Words: 3500
Genre: Prizm Pinch, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Paranormal/Horror
Age Rating: Young Adult
Excerpt:
The last shop had a back entrance to the alley where the dumpster sat. With the last of the trash in my hands, I stepped through the door into a wall of rain, slipped on the pavement under my feet, and fell into an ocean. Before I had the chance to ponder why I was about to drown in a puddle, a current sent me into downward darkness. The force of the pull launched me into the light and onto a metal floor.
Where I awoke exists somewhere between the physical and the real, in the depths of a city nowhere near Earth --a factory is the easiest way I can describe it. The ceiling arched upward like a ribcage of iron girders, to a grey dome pulsating with waves of luminous water sealed off by a glass casing at the top. If this place had an exterior, I never saw it. For all I knew, I was looking at the exterior.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Desmond and Garrick Book 2 by Hayden Thorne


As the vain and self-absorbed poets continue their campaign of destruction via awful verse and catastrophic romantic advice in Dryden Abbey, tutor Garrick finds himself struggling in the classroom, with increasingly distracted and agitated pupils eroding all of his hard work and reducing him to using all things dead and decaying in order to keep Desmond and Lavinia’s minds on their lessons. As if that isn’t enough, his parents embark on a mad countryside ramble, their ultimate destination being Dryden Abbey and a face-to-face meeting with their son’s unholy employers.
Meanwhile, with Phillip Priestley’s unexpected appearance, Desmond’s world slowly unravels as infatuation, lust, confusion, and revulsion drive him into wilder mood swings and an overwhelming desire to play with his father’s antique executioner’s axe. Mr. Sherbourne’s coldly distant yet attractive presence in Dryden Abbey further complicates things, prompting Desmond to do something he never thought he’ll ever do: reach out to unlikely allies for help.
In the midst of the wild goings on around them, Garrick and Desmond will realize that the chasm that separates them as distinct species will not only teach them important lessons on understanding and acceptance, but also forge a stronger bond of friendship than they expected.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

"Josef Jaeger", a Prizm historical novel

I'm Jere' Fishback, author of "Josef Jaeger", a YA historical novel set in the early days of Nazi Germany. Here's the book's blurb:

"Josef Jaeger turns thirteen when Adolf Hitler is appointed Germany's new Chancellor. When his mother dies, Josef is sent to Munich to live with his uncle, Ernst Roehm, the openly-homosexual chief of the Nazi brown shirts. Josef thinks he's found a father-figure in his uncle and a mentor in his uncle's lover, streetwise Rudy, and when Roehm's political connections land Josef a role in a propaganda movie, Josef's sure he's found the life he's always wanted. But while living in Berlin during the film's production, Josef falls in love with a Jewish boy, David, and Josef begins questioning his uncle's beliefs.

"Complications arise when an old friend of his mother's tells Josef that his mother was secretly murdered by the SS due to her political beliefs, possibly on Roehm's order. Josef confides in his Hitler Youth leader, Max Klieg. Klieg admits he knows a few things, but he won't share them with Josef till the boy proves himself worthy of a confidence.

"Conflicting beliefs war within Josef until he must decide where his true loyalties lie, and what he really believes in."

Since its publication in 2006, "Josef Jaeger" has enjoyed critical acclaim. The book placed first in the Young Adult category in the 2010 Rainbow Excellence Awards competition sponsored by the Rainbow Romance Writers association. 

The American Library Association's Rainbow Project strives to ensure that books appealing to GLBTQ youths are present on shelves of school and public libraries throughout the United States. Each year a "recommended reading" list is compiled of books deemed appropriate for GLBTQ, YA readers, and Josef Jaeger has been nominated for inclusion in the 2011 list.

"Josef Jaeger" was also include don a recommended reading list for gay male teens by "The Trevor Project." This is a program aimed at decreasing the number of suicides among LGBTQ youth. 

The Speak Its Name review site recently issued a highly favorable review of Josef Jaeger: http://speakitsname.com/2010/01/26/review-josef-jaeger-by-jere-m-fishback/ The reviewer, Hayden Thorne, said:

"Josef Jaeger is a real treat, one of the more intelligently-written YA books I've had the pleasure to read. It's thought-provoking, wonderfully dense, and well-researched, touching on one of the darkest moments in world history. Kudos to Jere' Fishback for giving us a behind-the-scenes look into the rise of Hitler without sentimentalizing things or toppling into melodrama through his use of clean, concise language and Josef's matter-of-fact voice." 

J. M. Snyder, an author of GLBT fiction for both adult and YA readers, reviewed Josef Jaeger for the Rainbow Reviews website. Here's what she had to say:

"The accuracy of detail brings 1933 Germany alive for the reader, and the motley crew of characters adds human faces to the names we've read about in our history books. Those interested in historical fiction, particularly young adult stories or romances, will thoroughly enjoy this book as much as I did."

Snyder gave Josef Jaeger a 4-1/2 star rating on a scale of one to five stars, five stars being the highest possible rating.

You can read more about "Jopsef Jaeger" at my website: www.jeremfishback.com

I often hear from young gay men who've read "Josef Jaeger". It's gratifying to know how much the book means to so many young adults. One boy told me, "So many feelings Josef expressed in your book are feelings I've had since reaching adolescence. After I read your book, I felt like Josef was my personal friend. Thanks for this wonderful book."

Wow, what can I say? 

Friday, October 26, 2012

Josef Jaeger by Jere' M. Fishback

Join us tomorrow to chat with Jere' M. Fishback here on the blog!

Josef Jaeger turns thirteen when Adolf Hitler is appointed Germany’s new Chancellor. When his mother dies, Josef is sent to Munich to live with his uncle, Ernst Roehm, the openly-homosexual chief of the Nazi brown shirts. Josef thinks he’s found a father-figure in his uncle and a mentor in his uncle's lover, streetwise Rudy, and when Roehm’s political connections land Josef a role in a propaganda movie, Josef’s sure he’s found the life he’s always wanted. But while living in Berlin during the film’s production, Josef falls in love with a Jewish boy, David, and Josef begins questioning his uncle’s beliefs.
Complications arise when an old friend of his mother’s tells Josef that his mother was secretly murdered by the SS due to her political beliefs, possibly on Roehm’s order. Josef confides in his Hitler Youth leader, Max Klieg. Klieg admits he knows a few things, but he won’t share them with Josef till the boy proves himself worthy of a confidence.
Conflicting beliefs war within Josef until he must decide where his true loyalties lie, and what he really believes in.


Josef Jaeger placed first in the Young Adult category in the 2010 Rainbow Excellence Awards competition sponsored by the Rainbow Romance Writers association.
Josef Jaeger won the Rainbow Award for the Best Coming Of Age/Young Adult novel published in 2009. This is an international competition sponsored by Elisa Rolle’s website.
Josef Jaeger placed thirteenth in the Young Adult novels competition for 2009, sponsored by the Predators & Editors website. This competition included all YA novels published in 2009, not just those aimed at LGBTQ readers.

Eye of Ra by Dakota Chase


What do you do when you accidentally destroy your history teacher’s prized collection of historical artifacts? If you’re teenaged delinquents, Aston and Grant, this is more than just a rhetorical question. They've made a huge mistake, one that might cost them everything. Adding to their misery, their history teacher’s name is Merlin. Yes, that Merlin, and the answer to their dilemma is deceptively simple according to the old wizard. You go back in time to replace the items you destroyed!
Aston and Grant find themselves in ancient Egypt, where their first task is to find and retrieve “The Eye of Ra,” a golden amulet owned by none other than King Tut, the boy king of Egypt. Neither of them is all that versed in history, so they have to play it cool and learn as they go. It's not just the amulet that's causing them trouble, either. They soon become friends with Tut, and find that they want to help him out. Surrounded by enemies, needing to survive in a primitive world, Aston and Grant quickly learn one basic truth. History isn’t dead when you’re living it.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Desmond and Garrick Book 1 by Hayden Thorne


It's 1815, just after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo and Garrick Mortimer is a scholar extraordinaire, an underemployed and starving genius. Desperate, he agrees to sign on as tutor to Desmond Hathaway, the youngest son of a vampire family living in Yorkshire. Desmond, who's suffering terrible heartbreak caused by another boy's callous treatment of him in school, rebels against Garrick's attempts at educating him and does everything he could to chase Garrick away, which proves to be a greater challenge than he first believes.
When Desmond's older brother returns from Italy for a visit, bringing with him a small group of talentless and self-absorbed poets, his (and Garrick's) world turns upside-down, mainly when he meets Leigh Blaise Sherbourne, a vampire poet who seems to detest Desmond and also harbors secrets regarding his past. Throw into the mix a desperate mother's plea for grandchildren, a family-owned torture chamber, a curious cottage-abbey-and-quarter-castle, and a grumpy family magician, and Garrick finds that life in the Hathaway household is a great deal more than he bargained for.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

New Release: Prizm Pinch


Dromos
By: G. Arden O'Feden
11 pages / 3500 words
$1.99

Blurb:
Thousands of people go missing each year, and Everett Lacrowe discovers where they go when he falls into a world where the only purpose seems to be collecting others like himself. While most people in Dromos accept their surroundings and use a pointless routine to distract themselves, Everett will attempt to find out a way out.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Devilwood Lane by Lucia Moreno Velo


When the Jeffersons move to Darkfort, their reputation precedes them. Mrs. Jefferson has recently disappeared and everybody just knows her husband must have killed her. Suddenly, the whole town is in an uproar. But nobody is more shaken than Jamie Park, who falls in love with Timothy Jefferson. When Jamie finds out that Timothy’s a werewolf, he’s surprised, but not enough to stop inviting him to his bedroom every day after school. But then the school bully dies after a fight with Timothy, and Jamie starts thinking that maybe he is dating a monster, after all.
Then Jamie finds disturbing information about his father’s death, ten years before. He starts looking into Kevin’s death and decides there must be another werewolf pack in Darkfort. But Timothy doesn’t believe him. As Jamie starts to understand the true nature of werewolves, he is revolted by their violence. But when the Jefferson’s old pack turns up to destroy them, Jamie finds himself fighting along Timothy.
Fighting for the pack and for his life. And with a little luck, for a chance to unravel the mystery of Kevin’s and his father’s death.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Curse of Arachnaman by Hayden Thorne


The Curse of Arachnaman follows the events in the first three books in the Masks series, including Masks: Rise of Heroes and Masks: Evolution. Eric is settling down into a near-normal existence. He's learning to cope with a different kind of closet - being kept from talking freely about his relationship with Calais and the other superheroes - as well as an increasingly protective mother, his sister’s new squeaky-clean boyfriend, and a bingo-obsessed best friend.
Eric also learns that sometimes, being an asset to the forces of good means simply being himself. In the meantime, Vintage City is under siege from a new threat, one who’s proving to be much more dangerous than all of the other supervillains the heroes have faced combined. Good people find themselves at the mercy of an angry lunatic who will stop at nothing to purge the city of what he sees to be undesirable elements. Can Eric and his friends triumph over evil again, or will this be their last battle?

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Aisling Book Three: Beloved Son by Carole Cummings


Newfound love might not be enough. Trust holds the possibility of both salvation and damnation.
Circumstances having forced them to seek asylum in Lind, Wil and Dallin are momentarily safe, but find themselves at the center of a convergence they’re not sure they’re strong enough to face. The power of the land and the Mother awaits Wil in the bowels of Lind, but it comes with strings attached. With Dallin's help, Wil must find a way to defeat the soul-eater, save the Father, Her Beloved, and manage to keep his soul in the process.
Through deduction and magic and mutual strength, Dallin and Wil must accept their roles as the Guardian and the Aisling and stand together against a ruthless god in a climactic battle of dreams and wills. The fates of their souls and those of all mortals hang in the balance. But what good is the power of love if the one who needs it doesn't know how to trust?
Aisling: Book Three, Beloved Son, is the third book in the Aisling series. Other titles in the Aisling series include Book One: Guardian, and Book Two: Dream.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Comfort Me by Louis Flint Ceci


Fifteen years after his mother left town in disgrace, Malachi "Mally" Jacobs returns to Croy, Oklahoma to take care of his ailing grandfather. Outcast and abandoned, he knows nothing about his father, or why he and his mother left Croy shortly after he was born.
Mally is taunted by the older boys and shunned by his classmates. But after a few false starts, he forms an unlikely alliance with Randy, a football player with dysfunctional parents, and Joanie, an intellectually curious and courageous girl who cannot face the truth about her own family.
The three kids find a haven in each other that takes the place of their fractured families. But it’s a refuge that has its costs. Randy’s best friend, Red, harbors a jealousy that goes deeper than the loss of a football buddy, leading to ever more violent bullying of Mally. Randy’s abrasive run-ins with Joanie blossom into romance, even as he uncovers the betrayals that underlie her seemingly perfect family, and Joanie’s efforts to bring Mally out of his shell seem on a collision course with her hopes for a steady boyfriend.
Ultimately, Joanie, Mally, and Randy must face the truth about themselves and each other, and take comfort in the bonds of true friendship.

Friday, October 12, 2012

City/Country by Nickey Gray


When Cody heads off to rural Georgia for the gay version of the popular reality TV show, City/Country, he has no idea that things are going to be so disorganized. What starts out as a legitimate offer from network TV dissolves into a farce where Cody and the other four guys who agreed to do the show are being used as guinea pigs for a doctoral thesis.
Cody can’t turn down the offer of enough money to go to college, though, and agrees to do the show along with the others: rough and ready Frank, punky Paki, quiet Alan and mysterious Shay. Things go from bad to worse once the show gets rolling, with the producer, Kendra, acting like the worst kind of smarmy used-car salesman, encouraging the guys to turn on each other.
As the unwilling leader of the group, Cody tries to play the game the best way he can, but everyone seems to be against him. Alan has a crush on him, and Cody thinks Alan is sweet, but it’s surly, hard-to-read Shay that captures his attention. When a few careless mistakes turn the rest of the house against him, Cody knows he has to do something, because things are not only complicated, they’re getting dangerous. Can Cody and the rest of the guys outwit Kendra and survive their time in the middle of nowhere?

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Aisling Book Two: Dream by Carole Cummings

What begins as Constable Dallin Brayden escorting the prisoner Wilfred Calder back to Putnam quickly turns into a flight for both their lives. Political betrayal and malicious magic lurk behind every bush and boulder in their flight across the countryside, resulting in Dallin becoming more protector than gaoler, and fostering a growing connection between him and his charge. Haunted by dreams not his own and pursued by just about everyone, Dallin begins to understand that he’s not just protecting Wil out of duty anymore.

As the shadow of Wil’s previous life as a captive and tool continues to loom, the shadow of the man who kept him prisoner looms larger. Forced into a terrifying battle of both will and magic for not only his life, but his soul, Wil discovers that the Aisling is sought by more powerful enemies than the Guild and the Brethren: ancient gods and soul-eating spirits seek what lives inside him as well. And it seems his only salvation may well be Dallin and his goddess, the Mother, against whom Wil has been warned all his life.

Pick up yours today!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Changing Jamie by Dakota Chase


Jamie’s pretty much your average gay teenager. He’s not out with his folks, he’s got a crush on a fellow high school athlete, and his life isn’t perfect. It’s a good thing he has his friend, Billy, to take his mind off things, and to show him that all things are possible.
Billy seems to be all Jamie isn’t. Billy’s openly gay, he has enough money to follow fashion trends, and he’s got dates all the time. Lots of them. With older men. When Billy starts acting weird and hiding things from him, Jamie’s whole life seems to tilt off its axis.
His stepfather, who has never been the greatest role model, escalates his behavior until Jamie dreads going home. His English teacher assigns him tutoring sessions with the object of his crush, the gorgeous track star Dylan. Jamie’s not even sure he can talk to Dylan, let alone tutor him, but it’s impossible to talk to Billy about it. Billy’s too wrapped up in a very dangerous game they call bug chasing: trying to catch HIV.
Learning about Billy’s risk-taking nearly shatters their friendship, and forces Jamie to look at the world in a whole new way. Can Jamie try to keep Billy safe and still stay on top of homework, a new boyfriend, and keeping his step-father in line?

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Introducing: Kari Jo Spear


Hi! I'm the author of Under the Willow and Silent One

I live in northern Vermont, which, especially this time of year, is about the most beautiful place in the world. We're famous for our fall foliage, and I live right in the heart of foliage country. My commute to town is other people's idea of a vacation destination. This is the view outside my window.



My novels are set in Vermont, with a dash of science fiction and fantasy thrown in. I've lived here all my life, and so have my ancestors for at least five generations. The state's beauty and strength have inspired me, and yet here, as everywhere, is trouble and sadness, and that has all seeped into my writing as well. I work with high school students every day, so, in a sense, I live in a YA world. I see the stress many kids are under. But my characters cling to brightness and hope the way Vermont farms cling to rugged hillsides, and the way tough cedar trees grow out of narrow cracks in rocky cliffs.

Publishing YA fiction has been one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I've been invited to speak to high school classes, I've signed books at our local independent bookstore, and people from around the world have read my stories. I've corresponded with a gay teenager in Turkey who fears for his safety if his secret gets out. He told me that he rereads Under the Willow when things get tough.

In keeping with the tradition started by other authors who've posted on this blog, I've been thinking about books that are on my shelves. I grew up (and this is probably going to date me) reading Walter Farley's The Black Stallion novels, Alexander Key's Escape to Witch Mountain, Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, Chaim Potok's My Name is Asher Lev, Richard Adam's Watership Down, Mary Stewart's Merlin Series, Katherine Kurtz's The Chronicles of the Deryni, and of course C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. More recently, I've read and loved Harry Potter. I can feel the influence of all these authors in my work, too.

Here is a link to the book trailer I made for the release of my second novel, Silent One. To watch it, click HERE
  
Thanks for reading!

Kari Jo Spear






Friday, October 5, 2012

Banshee by Hayden Thorne


Nathaniel, or Natty as his family calls him, is a young man at a crossroads. His mother wants him to spend time with her family, far better off than his father, who is a poor vicar. His father would rather he do just about anything else, and his cousins have no interest in getting to know him. So what’s a young man with very few prospects to do?
When Natty meets Miles Lovell, a sophisticated friend of his cousin, he thinks he’s found something worth his while. During their long visit together, Natty discovers things about himself that he never expected, and manages to acquire a ghostly companion, as well.
Haunted by a faceless woman, who seems to appear when he’s at his weakest, Natty struggles with his own nature, and with his family’s increasing difficulties. His mother is distant, hiding things from him as she never has, and his father is growing old and tired before his eyes.
While Natty tries to find his place in the world, his childhood is crumbling around him, and he becomes more and more convinced that his persistent spirit is a harbinger of doom. Caught in a web of deceit and desperation, Natty must decide whether he will let his life be ruled by others, or if he can make his way on his own, or if the family banshee will bring about his ruin.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Aisling Book One: Guardian by Carole Cummings


Constable Dallin Brayden knows who he is, what he's about, and he doesn't believe in Fate. 'Wilfred Calder' has no idea who he is, what he's about, and has been running from Fate for as long as he can remember. When Wil is brought in for questioning as a witness to a brutal murder, and subsequently flees, Dallin is dragged by duty into the chaos of ancient myth, fanatical religion, and the delicate politics of a shaky truce between two perpetually warring countries, all of which seem to hinge on the slender shoulders of the man he knows is not Wilfred Calder.
The eventual capture of Dallin’s quarry only makes matters worse. Wil is prickly and full of rage, rebellious and lethal, and tells an unbelievable tale of magic and betrayal that threatens to rock the carefully cultivated foundations of Dallin's world. Leery and only half-believing, Dallin finds himself questioning not only his own conscience and his half-forgotten past, but the morality and motives of everyone around him, including those who hold the power of his own country’s fate in their hands.

Monday, October 1, 2012

A Field Guide to Assassins of Muromachi Street by Tamara Sheehan


Hyabusa Jao has it bad. He's out of work, and his old boss is using him as a pincushion to train the new recruits. His boyfriend has some mysterious problem that everyone but Jao seems to know about, and now the Anu brothers, rival gangsters from Katawaza, are in Okatsu and walking all over the Good Men.
The Anu are looking to collect on an old debt, a debt Jao's best friend thought he'd left behind. They seem to think Akai's daughter should be working off what her father owes. Lucky for Fan, she's nowhere to be found. Trouble is, everyone seems to think Jao had something to do with her disappearance.
So all Jao has to do is get his boss off his case, save his boyfriend, and rescue the girl. It can't be that hard, can it? A Field Guide to the Assassins of Muromachi Street is a companion volume to The Mediocre Assassin's Handbook.

Introducing: Missouri Dalton

Greetings! I'm Missouri Dalton, author of many an adult novel, and just recently moved into the YA field. To be fair, I started writing YA first and then adult and then published in adult first. Odd.

Anyhow, I rather liked Voss' bit about book shelves, so I thought I'd share some series from my YA shelf.

The Alex Rider novels
The Heroes of Olympus
Harry Potter
The Collegium Chronicles (Valdemar)
The Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner


Yeah, I read a lot of the action stuff. So it's funny to compare to my adult shelf where I've got the Parasol Protectorate, the Urban Shaman books and a lot of female oriented characters, while my YA/MG is all boys. Mostly boys. Ah well.

So of course, what did I just sign on for? A "boy" book, as it were. My first YA novel, Vampirism and You! 

Louis has a lot on his plate. He's just turned seventeen, he has to move to America from his home country of England, he could--maybe--be gay and he just joined the ranks of the undead. His foster-sire Duncan--who he has absolutely no feelings for whatsoever--forces him to go to high school to help him learn to be around humans without eating them. As if his life wasn't difficult enough, there's a strange vampire hanging around that Duncan really doesn't like and Louis accidentally turned the head cheerleader into his minion while playing Dracula in the school play.

And that's just the tip of the bloody iceberg, because as Louis is about to find out, being Dracula's grandson is not all it's cracked up to be. 


No release date yet, but I'll be keeping apprised on my new YA blog, Quill, Quips and Quirks. I love alliterations. So sue me.

I feel it's important to my character to note, that I wrote this blog post while listening to The Eagles, Witchy Woman.

Cheers!

Missouri