Awesomecon and Ravencon were wonderful, and now that I’m home, we’re back to getting more books out to satisfy story-hungry readers!

Watch for Tangled Web (Deadly Curiosities novel #3) to come out very soon, in ebook/print and in audiobook! When a malicious weaver-witch awakens the spirit of an ancient Norse seoir warlock and calls to the Wild Hunt, Cassidy, Teag, and Sorren—and all their supernatural allies—will need magic, cunning, and the help of a Viking demi-goddess to survive the battle and keep Charleston—and the whole East Coast—from becoming the prey of the Master of the Hunt.

Vengeance (Darkhurst book #3) is also due later this spring, continuing the adventures of undertaker brothers Corran and Rigan Valmonde and their outlaw friends as they battle the monsters and uncover a conspiracy much larger than they ever imagined.

Also coming soon from Falstaff Books is Deep Trouble, our third Spells, Salt, and Steel Mark Wojcik monster hunter adventure. Mark’s gone up against plenty of big bad creatures and cryptids, but never like this! Mark Wojcik fights a dragon, has a battle of wits with the ghost of Mad Anthony Wayne, and even takes on the infamous Pig People of Radio Tower Hill, but when the angry spirits from a bloody mine disaster come looking for vengeance, Mark knows he’s in deep trouble!

We’re working on plenty of other stuff behind the scenes, so expect plenty of new stuff yet to be revealed—we’ve got your summer reading covered!

Under my Morgan Brice pen name (urban fantasy MM paranormal romance), I’m working on the first book in a new series, Badlands, set in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I hope to have it out in May, so stay tuned to find out more!

Witchbane, the first Morgan Brice release, is racking up 4 and 5 star reviews! The Witchbane blog tour includes excerpts, a Q&A, a post from me on Paths to Publication, and musings about the inspiration for the new series and the addition of a new name and a new sub-genre! Plus a chance to win a $25 gift certificate! Here’s the master page—visit the participating blogs and enter the Rafflecopter drawing from their sites! http://www.ltpromos.com/2018/04/23/morgan-brices-witchbane-tour-and-giveaway-2/

Supernatural fans—I’m going to the #SPNNC convention in Charlotte in August. I’d love to meet up with you there! Here’s the link to the con group I started to help attendees find each other https://www.facebook.com/groups/169524930423807/

Come see me at a convention, follow me on Twitter @GailZMartin (and @MorganBriceBook), join the Shadow Alliance street team or The Worlds of Morgan Brice free Facebook groups, or check out my Pinterest boards www.Pinterest.com/Gzmartin (includes a Morgan Brice board, as well as abandoned buildings, cute animals, nostalgia and Supernatural).

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Can you believe it’s almost summer? And for those of us on the con circuit–can you believe it’s almost time for Balticon and ConCarolinas?

We’ve been busy coming up with lots of choices for your summer beach reading!

Scourge: A Novel of Darkhurst comes out July 15! This is the start of a brand new series from Solaris Books, and I’m really excited to share it with you!

Here’s the description: In a city beset by monsters, three brothers must find out who is controlling the abominations. The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant Princes and Guild Masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver League rivals for the king’s favor and advantageous trading terms. Lord Mayor Ellor Machison wields assassins, blood witches, and forbidden magic to assure that his powerful patrons get what they want, no matter the cost.

Corran, Rigan, and Kell Valmonde are Guild Undertakers, left to run their family’s business when guards murdered their father and monsters killed their mother. Their grave magic enables them to help souls pass to the After and banish vengeful spirits. Rigan’s magic is unusually strong and enables him to hear the confessions of the dead, the secrets that would otherwise be taken to the grave. When the toll exacted by monsters and brutal guards hits close to home and ghosts expose the hidden sins of powerful men, Corran, Rigan and Kell become targets in a deadly game and face a choice: obey the Guild, or fight back and risk everything.

Jonmarc Vahanian fans! His epic journey wraps up in Death Match, Guardian and Smuggler–now on Kindle, Kobo and Nook! Put all the short stories and novellas together, and you have three serialized novels that show you how Jonmarc becomes the man you meet in The Summoner! (And don’t forget–the first 10 short stories plus a bonus story are collected in The Shadowed Path, which is available in both print and book!)

Steampunk addicts! Two new Storm and Fury Adventures for your reading pleasure are now available on Kindle/Kobo/Nook! Ghost Wolf and Lagniappe continue the adventures of Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich as they deal with pirate ghosts in New Orleans and a vigilante werewolf in New Pittsburgh.

As you probably know if you follow me on Twitter, I’m a big Supernatural fan. I’ve been invited to do two guest blog posts about the season on WinchesterFamilyBusiness.com, and have been asked to consider doing more over the summer hiatus. You can read them here and here.

Also did a fun interview with Keystroke Media on books, publishing and life, listen here.

Keep an eye out for my Hawthorn Moon blog tour coming in late June! And watch for me at upcoming conventions including Balticon, ConCarolinas, LibertyCon, ConGregate, GenCon, DragonCon and Atomacon!

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What happens when more than 75 sci-fi and fantasy authors start a conversation about mental wellness, mental illness, depression, suicide prevention, domestic violence intervention, PTSD treatment and related issues?

We don’t know, but we’re going to find out.

#HoldOnToTheLight is a blog campaign encompassing blog posts by fantasy and science fiction authors around the world in an effort to raise awareness about treatment for depression, suicide prevention, domestic violence intervention, PTSD initiatives, bullying prevention and other mental health-related issues. We believe fandom should be supportive, welcoming and inclusive, in the long tradition of fandom taking care of its own. We encourage readers and fans to seek the help they or their loved ones need without shame or embarrassment.

Among the authors participating so far are: Robin Hobb, Jody Lynn Nye, Cat Rambo, Seanan McGuire, Laura Anne Gilman, Chuck Gannon, Kameron Hurley, Catherine Asaro, Gaie Siebold, Karen Miller, Rowena Cory Daniels, David B. Coe, Marc Tassin, Jonathan Oliver, Jeanne Adams, Nancy Northcott, Aaron Rosenberg, Jennifer St. Giles, Mark Van Name, Juliet McKenna, Jennifer Brozek, Darynda Jones, Christopher Golden, Clay and Susan Griffith, Gregory Wilson, Josh Vogt, Darin Kennedy, Jon Sprunk, James Maxey, Karen E. Taylor, Justin Gustainis, Misty Massey, John G. Hartness, Gail Z. Martin, Jean Marie Ward, Jaym Gates, Laura Taylor, Weston Ochse, Ron Garner, Kathy Lyons, Mari Mancusi, Leanna Renee Hieber, Davey Beauchamp, Cheryl Wilson, Rod Belcher, Travis Heermann, Cara Santa Maria, Mike Allen, Joshua Palmatier, Mindy Mimudes, Emily Leverett, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Tera Fulbright, Tamsin Silver, Stuart Jaffe, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Eric Asher, Rick Gualtieri, Chris Kennedy, Ken Schrader, Samantha Dunaway Bryant, Valerie Willis, Alexandra Christian, Jake Bible, Matthew Saunders, Jay Requard, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Kelly Harmon, Sascha Illyvich, Kelly Swails, Bishop O’Connell, Sherwood Smith, Peter Prellwitz, Tracy Chowdhury, Trisha Wooldridge and more.

These authors will be posting a #HoldOnToTheLight blog either on their own blogs or as a guest blogger during September or October. I’ll be adding every post to a master list, but I encourage you to go to the authors’ sites and comment, like and share their posts to show your interest.

From the massively positive response to recent convention panels dealing with real-life mental health issues, we know this is a topic that resonates with fans. We also know from experience that readers identify with the struggles our characters face related to PTSD, depression, survivor guilt, and other related challenges. And most of us know first-hand what it’s like to wrestle with our own shadows.

September/October are the months for Depression Awareness, Suicide Prevention, Bullying Prevention, Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness, World Mental Health Day and Domestic Violence Awareness.

What’s our end game? We want to bring the issues, struggle and treatment out of the shadows and make it clear that no one is alone in the journey. We want to demonstrate fandom taking care of its own. And we want fandom to be a safe space for everyone.

The steering group behind #HoldOnTotheLight is made up of John Hartness, Jaym Gates, Jean Marie Ward, Emily Leverett, Mindy Mymudes and me.

How can you help? Share, retweet and engage with the blog posts and social media outreach about the campaign and by the participating authors to spread the word. Encourage the conventions you participate in to add or expand panels on mental wellness. Learn more about the issues, so you can be an educated participant in the discussion.

If you want to get even more hands-on, please consider donating to or volunteering for organizations dedicated to treatment and prevention such as: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Home for the Warriors (PTSD), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Canadian Mental Health Association, MIND (UK), SANE (UK), BeyondBlue (Australia), To Write Love On Her Arms and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

Together, we can #HoldOnToTheLight because #FandomTakesCareOfItsOwn.

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DragonCon is this coming weekend—and I’ll be there! Here’s where to find me:

Friday
11:30 a.m. Effective Promotion for Writers Embassy CD Hyatt

2 pm Signing at The Missing Volume in the Vendor Hall

2-3 pm Larry N. Martin will be signing in Booth 1223-1225 Author’s Lair

3-4 I will be signing in Booth 1223-1225 Author’s Lair

5:30 Magical Tropes Embassy EF–Hyatt

7 pm Avoiding Historical Mistakes 204J Mart2

8:30 Social Media as Tool not Trial Embassy CD–Hyatt

Saturday
10 – noon Signing in Booth 1223-1225 Author’s Lair

1 pm The Craft of Dystopia Chastain F-H Westin

2:30 pm Signing at Larry Smith Books in the Vendor Hall

2:30 pm Larry N. Martin will be signing in Author’s Lair

4 pm Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading Piedmont–Hyatt

5:30 Plotting/Sustaining a Series Embassy CD–Hyatt

7 History or Alternate History 204I Mart2

Sunday
10 a.m. Literary Comfort Food Embassy AB–Hyatt

11:30 Awesome Women of Podcasting 202-Hilton

1:30 – 3:30 Signing in Booth 1223-1225 Author’s Lair

4 pm Niche Markets in Ebooks/Print 208-209 Hilton

Monday
10 a.m. Hiding in Plain Sight: Closed Worlds in UF Chastain DE-Westin

1:30 – 3 Signing in Booth 122301225 Author’s Lair

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What’s all the fuss about? Well, two new books and more! The Shadowed Path, a Jonmarc Vahanian collection (and the first new book in my Chronicles of the Necromancer series in 5 year) came out June 14 and Modern Magic: Twelve Tales of Urban Fantasy, a 12-book multi-author dark urban fantasy ebook boxed set came out June 1.

The blog tour got its name from a holiday in The Summoner, my first Chronicles of the Necromancer book, which took place on the summer solstice. And the name stuck. So–celebrate the solstice with some new books, new insights, and plenty of goings-on!

What’s a blog tour without blog posts? I’ll be a guest on a bunch of blogs throughout North America and Europe over the next week or so–here are some of the sites that are hosting my posts! Check on Twitter, because I’ll add links to the posts as they go live. Some also include excerpts and giveaways!

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