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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The Shadowed Path, the first new Chronicles of the Necromancer book in 5 years, is now available in print and ebook! It’s Jonmarc Vahanian’s back story, how he came to be the embittered warrior readers met in The Summoner, and provides eleven sequential short stories (including an exclusive story not available anywhere else) that tells the first portion of his history.

Here’s the scoop: Jonmarc Vahanian was just a blacksmith’s son in a small fishing village before raiders killed his family. Wounded and left for dead in the attack, Jonmarc tries to rebuild his life. But when a dangerous bargain with a shadowy stranger goes wrong, Jonmarc finds himself on the run, with nothing ahead but vengeance, and nothing behind him but blood.

Soldier. Fight slave. Smuggler. Warrior. Brigand lord. If you’ve met Jonmarc Vahanian in the Chronicles of the Necromancer and Fallen Kings Cycle books, you don’t really know him until you walk in his footsteps. This is the first segment of his journey.

Order here and read an excerpt! http://localhost:8888/gail-testing-php5/short-stories-and-more/the-jonmarc-vahanian-adventures/the-shadowed-path/

And check out Modern Magic: Twelve Tales of Urban Fantasy, the new 12-full book, 12-bestselling author ebook boxed set that includes my can’t-get-it-anywhere-else collection of Deadly Curiosities short stories, Trifles and Folly—all for $1.99 for a limited time!

Dark fantasy tales from modern masters of Urban Fantasy, including: Jeanne Adams; Erik Asher; Christopher Golden; Rick Gualtieri; John G. Hartnessr; Stuart Jaffe; Julie Kenner; Nicole Givens Kurtz; James Maxey; Jennifer St. Giles; Karen E. Taylor; Thomas E Sniegoski—and me!

Grab it here, only on Kindle! https://amzn.com/B01FNF8DHS

That’s what’s coming up–you won’t want to miss a thing! And if you want to catch up with me live and in-person at a convention or signings, check out my schedule on the events page.

The June short story will be late! With luck, I’ll have two new short stories or novellas in July to make up for it!

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Are you ready for summer reading? I’ve got some suggestions for you!

First of all, check out Modern Magic: Twelve Tales of Urban Fantasy, an ebook boxed set exclusively on Kindle for a limited time. I’m talking about 12 book-length works by authors (including me) who know their way around the dark side, who can put a shiver down your spine and who dream up stories to give you nightmares. It’s a walk on the wild side, into the shadows, where things go bump in the night and the hour of the wolf never ends.

You don’t even have to sell your soul to get this deal. Just $1.99 only on Kindle, only for a limited time, https://amzn.com/B01FNF8DHS

It’s the ONLY place to find Trifles and Folly, the first-ever collection of the initial 10 Deadly Curiosities Adventures stories with Cassidy, Teag and Sorren, all in one volume!

Here’s what’s included in Modern Magic:

THE TENTACLE AFFAIRE: A Slip Traveler Novel by award-winning and RT Recommended bestselling author Jeanne Adams–He doesn’t believe in aliens. She doesn’t believe in magic. They’re both wrong.

DAYS GONE BAD (Vesik, Book 1) by Eric Asher – An urban fantasy about a necromancer and his vampire sister. And chimichangas.

THE NIMBLE MAN by New York Times bestselling author and Stoker Award winner Christopher Golden, first book of The Menagerie series. They are beings of myth and legend. They possess powers beyond imagining. They are our only hope.

BILL THE VAMPIRE (The Tome of Bill, part 1) by Amazon Top 100 author Rick Gualtieri – Bill Ryder was a dateless geek, but then he met a girl to die for. So he did.

HARD DAY’S KNIGHT – by award-winning author John Hartness– A pair of comic book nerds get turned into vampires, and now they have to save the world. The world is so screwed.

SOUTHERN BOUND (Max Porter, Book 1) by Top 100 Kindle author Stuart Jaffe – When Max Porter discovers his office is haunted by the ghost of a 1940s detective, he does the smartest thing possible — starts a detective agency.

TAINTED by New York Times bestselling author Julie Kenner—In the demon world it’s sometimes hard to tell your ally from your enemy…

THE SOUL CAGES: A Minister Knight Novel by Nicole Givens Kurtz -Sarah risks everything to save her soul and be reincarnated back into flesh. Now, the real adventure begins…

TRIFLES AND FOLLY (Deadly Curiosities Adventures) by #1 Kindle Top 100 bestselling author Gail Z. Martin – A Charleston, SC antique store is the cover for a coalition of mortals and immortals who have sworn their lives and magic to saving the world from supernatural threats and cursed relics.

NOBODY GETS THE GIRL by 2016 Piedmont Laureate and award-winning author James Maxey — The fate of the free world is at stake as the superhuman battles escalate, wiping entire cities from the map, threatening the survival of all mankind. Who can save us from the looming apocalypse? Nobody!

TOUCH A DARK WOLF (Shadowmen Book 1) by USA Today bestselling author Jennifer St. Giles–Poisoned by evil, Jared fights to save Erin before the murderous darkness in him claims them both .

CELLAR by Bram Stoker Award-nominated author Karen E. Taylor– If Laura Wagner’s inner demons don’t get her, the real ones just might…

So load up on your beach reading in one easy ebook boxed set for less than the price of a cup of coffee! Pre-order now and be first in line when it goes live June 2!

Now if you still like a good bedtime story, check out Gaslight and Grimm, a collection of Steampunk fairy tales including one by Larry and me, The Patented Troll, which is our clockwork retelling of the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. With tales by James Chambers, Christine Norris, Bernie Mojzes, Danny Birt, Jean Marie Ward, Jeff Young, Gail Z. and Larry N. Martin, Elaine Corvidae, David Lee Summers, Kelly A. Harmon, Jonah Knight, Diana Bastine, and Jody Lynn Nye. Order here: https://amzn.com/B01E6C03OA

Ready for some Unlikely Heroes? If you’ve heard me read from the story about the lady in the parking lot having a really bad day, this is for you. The Breaking Point, A mother has one of the worst days ever as everything seems to go against her until she finally snaps and takes charge. In Windows on the Soul you meet an unusual superhero, they call her in when they want to minimize collateral damage. She’s not showy and won’t be on the evening news but she’s the one the other superheroes fear and avoid. Finally you meet Old Nonna, part legend, part myth, no one likes to speak of Old Nonna out loud but they know she’s there – waiting for those who need to find her. Grab it here: https://amzn.com/B01G47SXNS

And coming June 14, the first new book in the world of The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer), The Shadowed Path—a collection of the first 10 Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures short stories PLUS an exclusive 11^th story you can ONLY find in this collection. The Shadowed Path will be available in PRINT as well as ebook, so for everyone who’s been asking for dead-tree edition Jonmarc stories, here it is! Pre-order here: https://amzn.com/B01EBDMX38

How do you like to connect with authors at conventions? Answer my May survey and let me know! Plus, you’ll be entered for a chance to win 4 ebook short stories! http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ecn04bwwinsz8049/start

And don’t forget to catch up with Gaslight and Grimm authors David Lee Summers and JeanMarie Ward on my DisquietingVisions.com blog, and with more authors on the ESpecBooks.com blog!

I’ll be at a bunch of summer conventions, and holding launch parties at many of them. Watch for a Modern Magic/The Shadowed Path room party at Balticon on Saturday night, plus I’ll be part of the Gaslight and Grimm launch party on Sunday. Larry and I will both be at ConCarolinas and Congregate, and I’ll be at Origins Gaming Fair as well. Hope to see you soon!

And don’t forget—The Shadow Alliance is my street team of awesome readers who get insider information, extra contests and giveaways and lots of fun, and help me boost the signal about new books. Come play with us—it’s free! https://www.facebook.com/groups/435812789942761/

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Shadow and Flame, the fourth and final Ascendant Kingdoms novel, is now in stores and online! Not only that, but Orbit and I have some killer special deals with special low launch prices and great extras!

Here’s the scoop:

Blaine McFadden and his allies have brought magic back under mortal command and begun to restore order to the beleaguered kingdom of Donderath. Now, new perils and old enemies gather for a final reckoning. Foreign invaders, a legendary dark mage and vengeful immortals fight Blaine’s battered forces for control of the continent, and Blaine’s weary army is the only thing standing between a kingdom struggling to rise from the ashes and a descent into fury and darkness.

So here’s what’s REALLY cool!  Right now, the paperback copy of Shadow and Flame is just $10.24 (save $5.75) on Amazon! AND Orbit has done a price drop on ALL of the Ascendant Kingdoms books for a limited time—Ice Forged, Reign of Ash and War of Shadows are just $4.99 on Kindle (save $5 on each)! That makes is really easy to catch up on your reading or binge-read the series. Grab them quick!

And to sweeten the deal a little more, if you buy Shadow and Flame (ebook or paper) before 3/31, you get Arctic Prison (a Blaine McFadden prequel novella) free! (That’s a $2.99 value!) Need to catch up on the series? Buy 2 or more Ascendant Kingdoms novels (any format) by 3/31, and get King’s Convicts (three Blaine McFadden prequel novellas) free! (That’s a $9.99 value!) Details here: http://conta.cc/2293EXk

Here’s what they’re saying about Shadow and Flame!

“The perfect conclusion to a truly epic tale.” — Michael J. Sullivan, author of the Riyria novels.

“Gail Z. Martin is the one of the finest storytellers writing today. Her fascinating characters and mastery of atmospherics gives readers stories that have to be savored. Her characters display the sort of quick wit and heart that make them a joy to follow through their adventures.”
–Michael A. Stackpole, New York Times Bestselling author of I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron

“A flawless finale that does not disappoint.” — RT Book Reviews

And Shadow and Flame made io9 and Gizmodo’s “Most Talked About Books for March” list! 

But as they say on QVC, wait—there’s more! Join my Chronicles newsletter in March and enter for a chance to win a free copy of Arctic Prison (2 lucky winners!).

Join me on March 23 for an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit/Fantasy! I’ll be posting around noon, and returning later in the day to answer your questions. Want to know something about one of my books or characters, what’s coming up next, or just have questions about writing and publishing? Ask Me Anything! (If you miss the date, stop by anyhow and check out the Q&A or ask a question—I’ll be dropping by for a while to pick up latecomers!)

Shadow and Flame isn’t the only thing that’s new—we’ve got a new Storm and Fury Adventure for Steampunk fans. Airship Down takes the Department of Supernatural Investigation on a wild ride in search of mysterious orbs that might be sabotaging New Pittsburgh’s factories. It’s jam-packed with adventure and explosions!

Want another chance to win a prize? Answer my March reader survey question!

If you like bookmarks and book swag, you can get a whole envelope of cool free stuff for my books! Free swag! Send SASE (w 2 stamps on return envelope) to PO Box 241721 Milwaukee WI 53224 Must say ‘Attn: Gail Martin’ on outside envelope

If you were part of my Shadow Alliance street team, you’d get sneak-preview snippets from Work In Progress, exclusive t-shirts, and other special stuff. It’s free to join. Help spread the word about my books and have access to cool contests, giveaways and more!

Want a signed copy of Shadow and Flame? I’ve got two signings coming up! Mar. 26  at Park Road Books, Charlotte NC from 2-4 and Apr. 2 at Barnes & Noble, Morrison (South Park) Charlotte, NC from 1-3! Come by and say hello!

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So I’ve gotta ask–have you read Vendetta, my new urban fantasy novel, yet? What are you waiting for? Vendetta is packed with old secrets, haunted houses, cursed objects and supernatural threats. It’s a spookalicious read! If you’ve read it, thank you! Please show your love with a review on Amazon or Goodreads, which is better than chocolate for a writer!

Here’s my Valentine’s month gift to you! Buy Iron & Blood, get Grave Voices for free!

Buy Iron & Blood, our Steampunk adventure, anywhere from any bookseller between 2/14-2/29/16. Be one of the first 200 to sign up at this link: http://conta.cc/1Q9tKHr and follow the instructions to email a photo of your receipt for proof of purchase. We’ll send you download links to Grave Voices, a steampunk novella in our Storm & Fury tie-in series for free!

New February reader question! Answer it and be entered for a chance to win a prize!

Ever wonder how other readers read? You can find out the results of my reader habit survey here:   Thanks to everyone who participated!

Newsletter giveaway! Join my Chronicles newsletter in February and be entered for a chance to win a Starbucks or Tim Horton’s gift card! Two winners—one from new sign-ups and one from existing subscribers mean more chances to win!

Coming Attractions—here’s where to find me at conventions and bookstores!

• Feb 20 Signing–Books A Million, Concord Mills, Concord NC 1-3 pm
• Feb 26 – 28 Mysticon, Roanoke, VA (launch party)
• Mar 5-6 AZ Renaissance Festival, Apache Junction, AZ
• Mar. 22 Shadow & Flame comes out!
• Mar 23   AMA on Reddit/Fantasy
• Mar. 26 Signing–Park Road Books, Charlotte NC
• Apr. 2   Signing–Barnes & Noble South Park, Charlotte, NC
• Apr. 14   Broad Universe Facebook party
• Apr. 29 – May 1 Ravencon, Williamsburg, VA (launch party)
• Secret new project! Shhhh—details to come!
• May 7 Book Festival in Rutherfordton, NC

Have you heard about the Shadow Alliance? It’s my street team, and Shadows get all kinds of cool stuff plus exclusive work-in-progress snippets. Free and fun—help me spread the word!

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Happy New Year! Here’s hoping you’re staying warm and holed up with plenty of books to see you through the winter storms.

In case you need some suggestions, here’s some new stuff  to read while it snows …

Vendetta is hot off the press, and it’s the newest Deadly Curiosities novel in my urban fantasy series set in historic, haunted Charleston, SC. Someone very powerful is trying to destroy Sorren and everyone he cares about. That puts Cassidy, Teag and Trifles and Folly in the cross-hairs, against an unknown enemy with strong magic and significant resources. Sorren has spent centuries shutting down the plans of powerful immortals, dark warlocks and supernatural creatures, and now he’s got to figure out which of those many enemies is out to get him before they pick off his friends one by one and come after him to finish an immortal vendetta.

Redcap is the latest Deadly Curiosities Adventure short story, with killer pixies running loose in Charleston. It’s a ‘bloody’ good Christmas story!

Binge readers! If you’ve been waiting to read the Blaine McFadden Ascendant Kingdoms series until all the books were out—now’s the time to start!  Shadow and Flame, the fourth and final book in the series comes out March 22 (now available for pre-order). And now there are three new ‘prequel’ novellas in my new King’s Convicts set plus a short story that fill in a six-year gap at the beginning of Ice Forged and spill the secrets about Blaine’s years as a convict, how he met Kestel, Piran, Verran and Dawe, and more! Here’s the sequence: Ice Forged (novel), then Arctic Prison, Ice Bound, No Reprieve, and Cold Fury (novellas and short story), and Reign of Ash, War of Shadows and Shadow and Flame (novels). Perfect reading for long winter nights! Click on the links for excerpts and ordering.

Contest just for newsletter readers!  The Chronicles newsletter is going monthly and so are the giveaways with two new winners every month, one from existing subscribers and one from new subscribers! January’s prize is a $10 Amazon gift certificate plus an envelope of signed swag! Watch for a new prize and new drawing in February!

New Steampunk! Grave Voices, our newest novella, is now live on Kindle, Kobo and Nook. It’s a Storm and Fury Adventure, set in our Iron & Blood world of 1898 alternative history Pittsburgh. Clockwork zombies, mad scientists, creepy dolls and awesome inventions make for a thrilling tale packed with explosions!

We’re also stretch goal authors for the Gaslight and Grimm steampunk fairy tale anthology funding now on Kickstarter! We’ve hit our basic funding level, but to add our story (a steampunk retelling of the Three Billy Goats Gruff), we need to add a few more bucks to the bucket. Hurry—the Kickstarter campaign ends soon!

What kind of reader are you? Take my survey and enter for a chance to win a prize: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DR323ZC

Join the Shadow Alliance!  My new street team gets exclusive snippets from the books and stories I’m working on, plus special contests, giveaways and get-togethers for helping spread the word about my books. It’s free—and fun!

Upcoming events—Here’s where to find me in February and March. If you’re at a con with me, I love it when people take panel photos or take a pix with me and tag/post!

• Jan 30 Signing–Barnes and Noble, Morrison Charlotte, NC 1-3 pm
• Feb 11 – 14 Capricon, Chicago, IL
• Feb 20 Signing—Books a Million, Concord Mills, Concord, NC 1-3 pm
• Feb 26 – 28 Mysticon, Roanoke, VA (launch party)
• Mar 5-6 AZ Renaissance Festival, Apache Junction, AZ

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