I am so excited to announce the launch of Reign of Ash, the second book in the Blaine McFadden Ascendant Kingdoms series!

Now available in book and ebook!

Survival is only the beginning.

Blaine McFadden endured six long years in the brutal Velant prison colony, exiled for murder. War devastated his homeland of Donderath, and destroyed the magic on which the Ascendant Kingdoms relied. Now, Blaine and a small group of fellow exiles have returned to a lawless wasteland, where unrestrained magic storms wreak havoc and monsters roam free.
Yet, amidst the chaos, rumors persist of a new magic that could restore the kingdoms. But the key lies within a dangerous, ancient ritual and a group of vanished survivors. Now, McFadden’s only hope is a small, desperate, quickly rallied army. Together they must make one last stand knowing that if they fail, the civilization of the Ascendant Kingdoms dies with them.
Reign of Ash is now available in bookstores and online everywhere!

NEW Urban Fantasy Novel—Deadly Curiosities—Debuts June 25

Curses. Restless ghosts. Malicious magic. Some family heirlooms are to die for….

Cassidy Kincaid’s job is to find haunted and dangerous objects of power; Sorren’s job is to destroy them. For centuries, a secret coalition of mortals and immortals have spirited malicious supernatural objects out of unsuspecting hands to avert disaster. Cassidy can touch an object and see its history, and when that includes curses, ghosts and dark magic, it’s time for her team to get to work, because the shadow world is closer than you think…
Deadly Curiosities is the all-new novel, coming June 25 from Solaris Books!

Anthologies!

Athena’s Daughters Anthology Features Stories About Women, by Women Authors

“Athena’s Daughters” features short stories by 25 women writers in science fiction, fantasy and steampunk. Authors include Mary Robinette Kowal, Gail Z. Martin, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jean Marie Ward, Janine Spendlove, Maggie Allen, Conley Lyons, Cleolinda Jones, Cynthia Ward, C.A. Verstraete, Tera Fulbright, Tanya Spackman, EJ Lawrence, Nisi Shawl and art by Kellie Neier, Ginger Breo.

A portion of every book sold will benefit RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network), the nation’s largest anti-abuse organization.

You can order the ebook or trade paperback from Silence in the Library Publishinghttp://www.silenceinthelibrarypublishing.com/store/

Graphic Novel Project Includes My Short Story – Illustrated by a LucasArts’ Artist!

I have a short story in “Icarus: A Graphic Novel” illustrated by artist Joe Corroney, an awesome artist who has done posters and comic book art for LucasArts. Other authors/artists include Maxwell Drake, Mike Stackpole and Matt Slay. Order in ebook or trade paperback from Silence in the Library http://www.silenceinthelibrarypublishing.com/store/

New Crowdfunded anthology “Dance Like a Monkey” Campaign Runs through May 1

This anthology of fantasy and sci-fi stories includes stories from over 30 authors including Kevin J. Anderson, Timothy Zahn, Ed Greenwood, Mike Stackpole, Aaron Rosenberg, Jean Rabe, Danielle Ackley-McPhail and me! The anthology benefits author CJ Henderson, who is battling cancer for the second time. $10 gets an anthology that should hit over 700 pages and 60+ authors if we meet all our stretch goals—fund it on Indiegogo here: http://bit.ly/1l0t4nk

Two Different Superhero Anthologies!

“With Great Power” will launch this summer from Dark Quest Books, exploring a variety of superhero stories, including my tale, “Windows on the Soul.”

“Heroes” is a Kickstarter superhero anthology which will feature one of my stories as a stretch goal. Campaign kicks off in May.

Watch for these anthologies too:

“Clockwork Universe: Steampunk Vs. Aliens”—includes my story “Airship Down” from my Sound and Fury Adventures, coming this fall from Zombies Need Brains Publishing

“The Big Bad 2” will have a story from me told from the villain’s point of view, Fall 2014 from Dark Oak Books.

“Dreams of Steel V” will include another Sound and Fury Adventure, Fall, 2014, also from Dark Oak Books.

Short Stories–Available on Kindle, Kobo and Nook–New story each month!

In addition to my two new novels and the anthology projects, I have a number of short stories available on Kindle, Kobo and Nook, with more coming each month!

Dark Passages, A Jonmarc Vahanian Adventure—A poisoner is loose in the caravan, and men are dying. Powerful old enemies have returned for vengeance, and Jonmarc finds honor and courage tested as he risks his life to save his friends.

The Deadly Curiosities Adventures

This series of adventures spans over 500 years, from the 1500s to modern day as a small cabal of vampires and their human helpers battle supernatural enemies to find and destroy dangerous magical items and keep the world safe from dark forces. Vanities; Wild Hunt; Dark Legacy; Steer a Pale Course; Among The Shoals Forever; The Low Road; Buttons
The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures

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 take his journey. Raiders’ Curse; Caves Of The Dead ; Storm Surge; Bounty Hunter; Blood’s Cost; Stormgard; Monstrosities; Bad Places; Dead Man’s Bet; Dark Passages

Signings and convention appearances

• Apr 1 Reign of Ash launches from Orbit Books!
• Apr. 9 Reddit Ask Me Anything AMA, 3 p.m. on r/IamA
• Apr 5 Book Signing, Barnes & Noble Birkdale (Huntersville, NC)
• Apr 12 Book Signing, Barnes & Noble Morrison (South Park)
• Apr 18 – 20 Awesomecon, Washington, DC (launch party for Reign of Ash)
• Apr 24 Reddit Ask Me Anything AMA on r/Fantasy
• Apr 25-27 Ravencon, Richmond, VA (launch party for Reign of Ash)
• May 3 Book Signing, Books A Million Concord Mills
• May 10 Book Signing, Books A Million, Carolina Mall, Concord NC
• May 17 Book Signing, Park Road Books 2 – 4 p.m., Charlotte, NC
• May 23-26 Balticon, Hunt Valley, MD (launch parties for Reign of Ash, Athena’s Daughters and promo party for Dance Like a Monkey)
• May 27-30 Book Expo America, New York City (Signing at Solaris Booth)
• May 30 – Jun 1 ConCarolinas, Charlotte, NC
• Jun 21 Hawthorn Moon Online Event
• Jul 25 Deadly Curiosities launches from Solaris Books!
• Jun 27-29 LibertyCon, Chattanooga, TN (Deadly Curiosities launch party!)
• Jul 9 9:00 AM (ET) I’m Fantasy Writer of the Day on Reddit – come and chat!
• Jul Watch for Reddit “Ask Me Anything (AMA)”
• Jul 11-13 Congregate, Winston-Salem, NC (Deadly Curiosities launch party!)
• July 19 Book Signing Barnes & Noble, Pineville, NC
• July 23-26 Book Signings, London, England—Forbidden Planet, Waterstones
• July 31 Book Signing at Waterstones, Cardiff, Wales
• Aug. 1 Book Signing at Waterstones, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Aug 29-Sep 1 Dragon*Con, Atlanta, GA
• Oct. 3-5 ContraFlow, New Orleans, LA
• Oct. 24 – 31 Days of the Dead Online Event
• Nov. 7 – 9 World Fantasy Convention, Washington, DC
• Nov. 14 – 16 Atomacon, Charleston, SC

You can always find me on Twitter @GailZMartin and on Facebook as Winter Kingdoms. I’m also on Goodreads, Wattpad and Pinterest. Please come say hello and chat awhile, or stop by a signing and say hello!

Categorized as: Uncategorized

Thank you for helping put Ice Forged at #1 in the US and Canada in three categories for books and ebooks on Amazon and into the top 70 books on Kindle in both countries!

Some of the contests in the list below are still running for a limited time, so there’s still a chance to win free books!

The blog posts and videos will be up long-term, so here’s the full list. A couple will be posting later in November. And like any good Halloween party, there are extra treats—downloadable excerpts and audios of my work and several of my author friends. Enjoy!

• Orbit Books (www.OrbitBooks.net)—A guest blog post on Stalking the Shadow Side and a chapter excerpt from Ice Forged http://www.orbitbooks.net/2013/11/01/stalking-shadow-side/
• AND a post on my vote for who is the Ultimate Urban Fantasy Fighter http://www.orbitbooks.net/2013/10/31/ultimate-urban-fantasy-fighter-vampires-vs-werewolves/
• New Video for Ice Forged and Reign of Ash: http://youtu.be/TZmpDbDWuWI
• I Smell Sheep http://www.ismellsheep.com/2013/10/guest-post-my-brain-is-dangerous-place.html on why my brain is a dangerous place for characters.
• Solaris Books —A blog post about the new Deadly Curiosities novel plus a never-before seen excerpt http://solaris-editors-blog.blogspot.com/2013/10/solaris-author-gail-z-martin-talks.html
• Magical Words—A guest blog from me on “Looking Over the Brink” plus a different excerpt from Ice Forged http://www.magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/looking-over-the-brink/
• SFSignal.com—a drawing to win a copy of Ice Forged (through 11/4) plus a blog post on “Epic to Urban and Back Again” http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2013/10/guest-post-gail-z-martin-on-switching-gears-between-epic-and-urban-fantasy
• SciFiChick.com—another chance to win a copy of Ice Forged and a blog post about Genre and Gender at scifichick.com/?p=21753
• Out of the Box Media http://www.ootb-media.co.uk/guest-blog-series-characters-and-sanity-gail-z-martin/ A drawing for a copy of Ice Forged and a blog post on the Brave New World of Publishing
• BullSpec.com – a blog post on The Hardest Part of writing urban fantasy http://bullspec.com/2013/10/30/the-hardest-part-gail-z-martin-on-deadly-curiosities/
• AudioBookaneers is offering a drawing for an audio copy of The Sworn http://audiobookaneers.com/ Coming soon!
• RisingShadow http://www.risingshadow.net/articles/279-an-interview-with-gail-z-martin Asks me all the questions no one else dared to ask!
• Beauty In Ruins http://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/2013/10/gail-z-martin-talks-deadly-curiosities.html has a brand new interview where I spill all my secrets!
• Fantastical Imaginations http://fantasticalimaginations.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/terview-with-gail-z-martin/ has an all-new interview
• Civilian Reader http://civilian-reader.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-its-end-of-world-bring.html has my take on It’s the End of the World—Bring Charmin
• Fantasy Book Critic http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-when-grid-goes-down-by-gail.html?m=0 on When the Grid Goes Down
• Paranormal Authors on Digging up Bones: Through a Glass Darkly http://paranormalauthors.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-blog-through-glass-darkly.html
• Janine Spendlove’s blog http://www.ailionora.com/2013/10/26/guest-post-misbehaving-women-gail-z-martin/ on my upcoming story in the Athena’s Daughter’s anthology
• Toni Sweeney’s blog http://www.tonivsweeney.com/tvsweeney tonivsweeney.com/Blog/Entries/2013/10/24_Living_in_Interesting_Times.html on Living in Interesting Times
• Tera Fulbright’s blog http://terafulbright.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-gail-z-martin.html?spref=fb and a post on The Con-Going Writer
• A Marvelous New World http://writermaggie.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-blog-series-characters-and-sanity_25.html on Series, Characters and Sanity
• Joshua Palmatier’s blog http://jpsorrow.livejournal.com/414590.html on my upcoming story in Steampunk Vs. Aliens
• Kelly Hashway’s blog http://kellyhashway.blogspot.com/2013/11/writer-wednesday-line-between-horror.html Where’s the Line Between Horror and Epic Fantasy on 11/13
• Skiffy and Fanty http://skiffyandfanty.com/2013/10/29/my-superpower-gail-z-martin/ on My Superpower
• Chaos & Insanity http://www.chaosandinsanity.com/7299/guest-post-by-gail-z-martin/ talked to me about Creating Fictional Holidays
• Vonnie Winslow Crist’s blog http://vonniewinslowcrist.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/suspense-horror-and-romance-in-epic-fantasy-by-gail-z-martin/ on Suspense, Horror and Romance in Epic Fantasy
• RachaelAcks.com http://katsudon.net/?p=2379 on Urban/Epic Whiplash
• KristiPetersenSchoonover.comhttp://kristipetersenschoonover.com/2013/10/29/writers-what-terrifies-you/
• on The Long and Short of It about the new short story series on
• FanGirlBlog.com http://fangirlblog.com/?p=14979 on Epic Fantasy is No Place for Wimps http://fangirlblog.com/2013/10/epic-fantasy-is-no-place-for-wimps/
• Indian SF http://indiansf.in/ on Myth, Magic, Folklore—and Fantasy Coming soon!
• The BroadPod http://broaduniverse.org/podcast/october-2013-broadpod/ includes an audio reading of Vanities
• GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com—Readings from all of my new short stories—including some that haven’t been released yet!
• ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com—A special post from me about how the short stories fit into the world of the novels, and a different chapter excerpt from Ice Forged, and sample chapters from books by several of my author friends!
• TheWinterKingdoms on Facebook (please “like” my page!) “like” my page before 11/30 and enter for a chance to win a signed copy of The Dread!
• DisquietingVisions.com—a blog post on what new surprises lie in store—and where I’ll be in 2014, plus more excerpts!
• On Goodreads Talking about Your Favorite Monsters—join in here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/117069-ghoulies-and-ghosties–favorite-monsters
• New radio interview on Beware the Spaceman http://www.bewarethespaceman.com/test/6938-spacecast-40-aka-all-new-spacecast-episode-4
• Twitter.com @GailZMartin—Links to some of my excerpts and audios, plus links to downloads from some more of my awesome author friends!
• Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/gzmartin/boards/—See some of my photos from the conventions I attend, cities I visit and more—plus my favorite board, “Abandoned Places”
• I’m now on Reddit and I’ll be the Fantasy Author of the Day on April 2 for Reign of Ash and on July 9 for Deadly Curiosities and an AMA-Ask Me Anything in April!
• Watch for excerpts and new short fiction from me on Wattpad—Come hang out and connect! Excerpts from Buttons, Reign of Ash, The Low Road, Among the Shoals Forever and Raider’s Curse. http://wattpad.com/GailZMartin
• Reign of Ash excerpt here: http://www.orbitbooks.net/excerpt/reign-of-ash/
• Speculative Scotsman excerpt and Q&A here:

http://scotspec.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-gail-z-martin-explains-days.html and here: http://scotspec.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/excerpt-emporium-reign-of-ash-by-gail-z.html

• On Falcata Times, I talk about rebuilding after the apocalypse http://falcatatimes.blogspot.com/2013/10/days-of-dead-blog-tour-out-of-ashes.html
• For Fantasy Faction, I riff about why anarchy is overrated. http://fantasy-faction.com/2013/why-government-is-better-for-society-than-anarchy
• On Dave Brendon’s blog, http://davebrendon.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/gail-z-martins-days-of-the-dead-blog-tour-guest-post/ I muse about “found families” in fantasy
• With SFBokhandelin, www.SFBok.se we discuss my own version of “chaos theory.” https://www.sfbok.se/extra/onchaos.asp
• No Cloaks Allowed NoCloaksAllowed.com explores When Magic Is The Problem. http://nocloaksallowed.com/2013/11/01/article-when-magic-is-the-problem-by-gail-z-martin/
• J For Jetpack JForJetpack.com Let’s Hear it For Reluctant Heroes http://jforjetpack.com/guest-post-lets-hear-reluctant-heroes-gail-z-martin/
• Meetup.com http://www.meetup.com/Thrifty-Author-Publishing-Success-Network/events/147930392/ Discusses “Writing the Holiday Tie-in” on Nov. 13
• The Squealing Nerd, Review of The Dread http://squealingnerd.blogspot.com/2013/10/kinda-makes-you-want-to-spawn-on-gail-z.html

Trick or Treat wouldn’t be complete without Treats! In this case, book excerpts—some mine, and many from my author friends. Enjoy!

From my friends at Dark Oak Press—a sampler platter of delights!

• http://www.darkoakpress.com/afterlife.html
• http://www.darkoakpress.com/miami.html
• http://www.darkoakpress.com/goth.html
• http://www.darkoakpress.com/allanstory.html
• http://www.darkoakpress.com/galenrev.html
• http://www.darkoakpress.com/darkchances.html
• http://www.darkoakpress.com/decembrists.html

From my Broad Universe friends, the Wicked, Wild and Whimsical Words Tour: http://ow.ly/qbWhv

From E Rose Sabin

• http://www.erosesabin.com/Page4-5a.html or http://www.erosesabin.com/Page4-4a.html or http://www.erosesabin.com/Page4-3a.html
• https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/124619
• https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/122483

From Linda Nightingale

• Cardinal Desires: http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-132-3
• Sinners’ Opera: http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-112-9
• We Shadows: http://xenex.org/writing/weshadows.php
• Danse Macabre: http://xenex.org/writing/dansemacabre.php
• Artificial Gods: http://xenex.org/writing/artificialgods.php

From John Hartless

• http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/eAuthor.php?Name=Jon%20Hartless
• http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/eAuthor.php?Name=Barnabas%20Corbin

From Charlene Roberts

• http://charlenelroberts.wordpress.com/books-3/books-2/
• http://double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-064-5

From Ben Manning

• http://vrilcodex.blogspot.com/

And some of mine:

• An excerpt from Buttons, the Deadly Curiosities Adventure that inspired the upcoming novel: http://www.wattpad.com/28207044-buttons
• An excerpt from Among the Shoals Forever, from the Deadly Curiosities Adventures—one of my scariest yet! http://www.wattpad.com/28329866-among-the-shoals-forever
• An excerpt from Reign of Ash (1 of 4) http://www.wattpad.com/28212257-reign-of-ash-excerpt-1
• An excerpt from Raider’s Curse, in the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures– http://www.wattpad.com/28575506-raider%27s-curse
• An excerpt from The Low Road, from the Deadly Curiosities Adventureshttp://www.wattpad.com/28657396-the-low-road?d=ud
• An excerpt from Ice Forged, Book 1 in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga: http://www.orbitbooks.net/excerpt/reign-of-ash/
• An audio excerpt from Stormgard from the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures– http://ghostinthemachinepodcast.com/?p=448
• An audio excerpt from Wild Hunt in the Deadly Curiosities Adventures: http://ghostinthemachinepodcast.com/?p=444
• An audio excerpt from Storm Surge from the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures: http://ghostinthemachinepodcast.com/?p=446
• http://scifichick.com/2013/10/26/guest-post-gail-martin-on-gender-and-genre/
• http://www.sfbok.se/
• Fantasy Faction (Marc Aplin: Marc@Fantasy-faction.com)
• Falcata Times (Gareth Wilson: drosdelnoch@hotmail.com)
• J For Jetpack (Paul Wiseall: paul.wiseall@gmail.com)
• No Cloaks Allowed / Gav Reads (Gavin Pugh: gavreads@me.com)
• Speculative Scotsman (Niall Alexander: thespeculativescotsman@gmail.com)—all-new interview plus an excerpt from Reign of Ash

Categorized as: Uncategorized

Welcome to my annual Days of the Dead Online Event. As always, I’ve got lots of treats—excerpts (from my own stuff plus some of my friends), audios, and even some giveaways for Ice Forged!

I’ve always thought this week is the best time of the year. Samhain, All Hallow’s Eve, Halloween, Dia De Los Muertos all in one week—what’s not to love? And I just came back from the ContraFlow convention in New Orleans, so I had a chance to soak up all that haunted history that makes the Big Easy so amazing. Be sure to check out my pictures of voodoo museums, haunted cemeteries and supernaturally-spectacular mansions on Facebook on my Gail Martin profile page.

While you’re on Facebook, “like” my Winter Kingdoms page and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win a signed copy of The Sworn.

On 10/31, Ice Forged will be the Kindle Daily Deal, so you can get it on Kindle for just 1.99 that day only—please grab a copy for yourself and tell all your friends.

I’ve also got a new book video for Ice Forged and Reign of Ash!

What’s up this year? Reign of Ash comes out from Orbit Books in April, 2014. It’s Book Two in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and picks up where Ice Forged leaves off. Then in July, I’ll have a brand new urban fantasy novel out with Solaris Books, Deadly Curiosities. It’s set in modern-day Charleston, SC and tells the story of Cassidy Kincaide, who owns Trifles & Folly, an antiques and curio shop that exists to get dangerous magical objects off the market. Both are rollicking-good adventures, so please join me for the ride!

I’m in four new anthologies in 2014: Unexpected Journeys from the British Fantasy Society, Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens from Zombies Need Brains Press, Athena’s Daughters from Silence in the Library Press, and With Great Power, a superhero anthology.

Did you know I publish a new short story every month on ebook? I write two ebook series, with original content every month. The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures are a prequel to The Summoner, and show you how Jonmarc became the greatest warrior in the Winter Kingdoms and what it cost him. In the Deadly Curiosities Adventures, I share the back story for the new novel, tracking the exploits of an intrepid group of mortals and undead whose mission is to find and destroy magically malicious objects. The short stories are lots of fun, and at .99 each, they’re a cheap thrill!

This year’s Days of the Dead Tour has more free giveaways of Ice Forged than ever before—details are below, but with all those chances, why not try your luck!

Here’s the deal—different blogs will post my guest articles on different days. Make the rounds, enter the contests, be entertained and grab some fun freebies!

What are you waiting for? You can get in on all the Days of the Dead fun on a treasure hunt/Trick-or-Treat just by visiting these sites. And please, “like” my TheWinterKingdoms page on Facebook when you visit to get the goodies!

Here’s where the action is:

• Ice Forged is the Kindle Daily Deal on 10/31 (http://amzn.com/B008AS86QY)—one-day only get it for $1.99!
• Orbit Books (www.OrbitBooks.net)—A guest blog post on Stalking the Shadow Side and a chapter excerpt from Ice Forged AND a post on my vote for who is the Ultimate Urban Fantasy Fighter.
• New Video for Ice Forged and Reign of Ash: http://youtu.be/TZmpDbDWuWI
• Goodreads (www.Goodreads.com)—A drawing for a free copy of Ice Forged plus an open Q&A session—ask me anything about writing, publishing or any of my books.
• Solaris Books (www.SolarisBooks.com)—A blog post about the new Deadly Curiosities novel plus a never-before seen excerpt.
• Magical Words—(www.MagicalWords.net)—A guest blog from me on “Looking Over the Brink” plus a different excerpt from Ice Forged on 10/29
• SFSignal.com—a drawing to win a copy of Ice Forged plus a blog post on “Epic to Urban and Back Again”
• SciFiChick.com—another chance to win a copy of Ice Forged and a blog post about Genre and Gender on 10/26
• Bookloons.com is giving away a copy of The Sworn, The Dread and Ice Forged here: http://www.bookloons.com/HandHTML/contest_bookloons9.html—are you feeling lucky?
• Out of the Box Media http://www.ootb-media.co.uk/A drawing for a copy of Ice Forged and a blog post on the Brave New World of Publishing
• BullSpec.com – a blog post on The Hardest Part of writing urban fantasy http://bullspec.com/category/the-hardest-part/
• AudioBookaneers is offering a drawing for an audio copy of The Sworn http://audiobookaneers.com/
• RisingShadow.net Asks me all the questions no one else dared to ask!
• Beauty-inRuins.blogpost.com has a brand new interview where I spill all my secrets!
• Fantastical Imaginations http://fantasticalimaginations.wordpress.com/ has an all-new interview on 10/28
• Civilian Reader http://civilian-reader.blogspot.com/ has my take on It’s the End of the World—Bring Charmin
• Fantasy Book Critic http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/ on When the Grid Goes Down
• Paranormal Authors (http://paranormalauthors.blogspot.com) on Digging up Bones: Through a Glass Darkly
• Janine Spendlove’s blog http://janinekspendlove.blogspot.com/ on my upcoming story in the Athena’s Daughter’s anthology
• Toni Sweeney’s blog http://www.tonivsweeney.com/ on Living in Interesting Times 10/25- 11/1
• Tera Fulbright’s blog http://www.terafulbright.blogspot.com/ and a post on The Con-Going Writer
• A Marvelous New World http://writermaggie.blogspot.com on Series, Characters and Sanity
• Joshua Palmatier’s blog http://jpsorrow.livejournal.com/on my upcoming story in Steampunk Vs. Aliens
• Kelly Hashway’s blog http://kellyhashway.blogspot.com on Where’s the Line Between Horror and Epic Fantasy on 10/23
• Skiffy and Fanty (http://skiffyandfanty.com) on My Superpower on 10/29
• Chaos & Insanity http://www.chaosandinsanity.com/ talked to me about Creating Fictional Holidays
• Vonnie Winslow Crist’s blog http://vonniewinslowcrist.wordpress.com on Suspense, Horror and Romance in Epic Fantasy on 10/30
• RachaelAcks.com on Urban/Epic Whiplash on 10/30
• KristiPetersenSchoonover.com on The Long and Short of It about the new short story series on 10/29
• FanGirlBlog.com on Epic Fantasy is No Place for Wimps on 10/29
• Indian SF http://indiansf.in/ on Myth, Magic, Folklore—and Fantasy
• ISmellSheep.com on My Mind is a Dangerous Place
• The BroadPod http://broadpod.posterous.com/ will run audio readings of Vanities and Caves of the Dead
• GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com—Readings from several of my new short stories—including some that haven’t been released yet!
• ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com—A special post from me about how the short stories fit into the world of the novels, and a different chapter excerpt from Ice Forged, and sample chapters from books by several of my author friends! Plus an excerpt from my story, “The Low Road” and more!
• TheWinterKingdoms on Facebook (please “like” my page!) “like” my page before 10/31 and enter for a chance to win a signed copy of The Sworn!
• DisquietingVisions.com—a blog post on what new surprises lie in store—and where I’ll be in 2014, plus more excerpts!
• On Goodreads Talking about Your Favorite Monsters—join in here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/117069-ghoulies-and-ghosties–favorite-monsters
• New radio interview on Beware the Spaceman http://www.bewarethespaceman.com/test/6938-spacecast-40-aka-all-new-spacecast-episode-4
• Twitter.com @GailZMartin—Links to two more of my short stories, “Steer a Pale Course” and “The Low Road”, plus links to downloads from some more of my awesome author friends!
• Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/gzmartin/boards/—See some of my photos from the conventions I attend, cities I visit and more—plus my favorite board, “Abandoned Places”
• I’m now on Reddit and I’ll be the Fantasy Author of the Day with an “Ask Me Anything” on April 2
• Watch for excerpts and new short fiction from me on Wattpad—Come hang out and connect! http://wattpad.com/GailZMartin

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without Trick or Treat, and so not only will you find downloadable links to excerpts from my books, but you’ll also find sneak previews and excerpts from dozens of my author friends. Enjoy!

Remember—each partner site with an excerpt from Ice Forged has a different excerpt!

Categorized as: Uncategorized

By Gail Z. Martin

Since January, I’ve been publishing a new short story on Kindle, Kobo and Nook every month.  Some are in the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures series, and some in the Deadly Curiosities Adventures series.

How do the short stories fit with the novels? Will there be an Ice Forged series of short stories?  What’s the connection between the short stories and the anthologies I’ve been in? If there’s a Steampunk short story, is there going to be a book?  Will they ever come out in anthologies or in print? Am I crazy?

Let’s start with the last one first.  Yes, I probably am crazy.  The short stories run about 30 pages a piece, so 12 of them add up to nearly a whole book on its own.  That’s a lot of writing, but fortunately it’s fun and almost counts as recreation.

How do the stories fit with the books?  The Jonmarc Adventures take place more than a decade before Jonmarc meets Tris in The Summoner.  The short stories let you experience events in his past that get mentioned in passing in the books, milestones that made Jonmarc the man he is.  You can think of the stories as a serialized novel, since each story builds on the ones that came before.  I’ve got the equivalent of three books worth of back story, so this series will be running for a while.

The Deadly Curiosities Adventures are part back story, part between-the-books stories for the new urban fantasy novel.  The short stories begin in 1565, where we first meet Sorren, the vampire who becomes the patron behind Trifles & Folly.  So far, we see Sorren and the Alliance at work in 1560s Belgium, in 1780s South Carolina and in modern Charleston.  Don’t rule out stories set in other historical periods as well as more stories, and maybe a novella (hint) in the modern setting.

Will there be an Ice Forged series of short stories?  Probably, but I’m not sure when.  I’d like to revisit the six years Blaine spends in Velant and Edgeland, which gets mentioned but not told in depth in Ice Forged.  Sooner or later, I’ll get around to it.

What’s the connection to the anthologies?  Most anthology contracts require a certain period of exclusivity, after which the story is mine again to do what I please.  That means once the anthology has had its contractual period, I can post those stories as ebooks, which is why some of the stories may look familiar if you’ve read any of the anthologies where I’ve been an author.

I’ll be doing a Steampunk short story and a superhero story.  Does that mean there might be books?  The superhero story may not lend itself to an ongoing series—I’ll have to think about that.  As for the Steampunk, could be!

A lot of people have asked whether I’ll be collecting the short stories into anthologies and or releasing them in print.  Perhaps, but it won’t be any time soon.  I need to write quite a few more stories in both short story series to have enough for a compilation to make sense.  At that point, I’ll see whether a print version makes sense and go from there.  But that’s probably at least a year away.  Why wait when you can get the stories for .99 now!

I also get asked what order to read the short stories in to get them chronologically.  Here you go.

Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures: Raiders’ Curse, Caves of the Dead, Storm Surge, Bounty Hunter, Blood’s Cost, Stormgard

Deadly Curiosities Adventures: Vanities, Wild Hunt, Steer a Pale Course, Among the Shoals Forever, The Low Road, Buttons

Thanks for reading!

Categorized as: Uncategorized

It’s time for the Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek on June 21—and you’re invited!

Get a look at Reign of Ash, plus new short stories, book giveaways and more!

Reign of Ash

Reign of Ash won’t be out in bookstores until April, but you can get a first look at the cover and read four different excerpts, enter to win free copies of my books, plus plenty of other free downloadable fun like interviews and blog posts in my Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek event June 21!

Disgraced lord Blaine McFadden returned from exile to restore magic after a mage war devastated his homeland of Donderath. The king is dead, the army is scattered, and the once-powerful kingdom has been reduced to chaos and rubble.  Blaine may be the only one who can bring back the magic, so it’s up to Blaine and his small group of ex-convicts to save the kingdom, but the price might be their lives.

Reign of Ash is Book One in my Ascendant Kingdoms Saga.  Reign of Ash will be available in stores and online world-wide in April of 2014.  But you can read an excerpt here, plus get exclusive Q&A, interviews and other online goodies by visiting the partner sites, which are listed on my web page.

Monthly Excitement with New Short Stories on Kindle, Kobo and Nook

Each month, I bring out a new .99 short story on Kindle, Kobo and Nook.  You’ve got two different series to choose from, and plenty of exciting entertainment!

The Deadly Curiosities Adventures

This series of adventures spans over 500 years, from the 1500s to modern day as a small cabal of vampires and their human helpers battle supernatural enemies to find and destroy dangerous magical items and keep the world safe from dark forces.

Vanities—Jewel thief and newly-turned vampire Sorren sets out to steal a priceless brooch possessed by an ancient evil before it sets the Black Dragon loose in medieval Antwerp.

The Wild Hunt–When a strange relic shows up in town and people start dying, Sorren and Dietger battle dark forces and the hounds of Hell.

Coming July 1—Dark Legacy—Sorren and Dietger follow a series of cryptic clues to discover the dangerous secret of a Viking chalice, and fight a powerful supernatural enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy them.

Steer a Pale Course—Two young fishermen in post-Revolutionary America are forced to retrieve a deadly object from an ancient burial mound or face the vengeance of raiders who have taken their village hostage.

The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures

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 take his journey.

Raiders’ Curse—The legend begins.  When sea raiders threaten the villages along the Margolan coast, young Jonmarc Vahanian risks everything to save his family.

Caves of the Dead—To make ends meet, Jonmarc Vahanian sold a few odd items from ancient graves. When a stranger offers him gold for a particular relic,  it could be a lucky break…or the beginning of a nightmare.

Storm Surge—When the caravan is beset by danger and a black beast stalks the shadows, Jonmarc Vahanian fears he is being stalked by a blood mage with a dangerous vendetta.

Bounty Hunter—Three bounty hunters come prowling around the caravan.  Are they after Jonmarc, or does one of his fellow travelers hide an even darker secret?

During the Hawthorn Moon event, you can find never-before-released excerpts, interviews, audio, and other goodies on a variety of great fantasy sites that have agreed to be part of this debut party.

Here’s where to find the goodies:

@GailZMartin Book Giveaway on Twitter—Every day from June 21 – June 28 I’ll be choosing someone at random from my Twitter followers to win a free signed book.  Invite your friends to follow me—for every new 200 followers I gain between 6/21 – 6/28, I’ll give away an additional book, up to 20 books!

OrbitBooks.net—First look at the cover art for Reign of Ash plus an original guest blog post Q&A on the new books and the future for the Ascendant Kingdoms. Plus exclusive excerpt #1

Goodreads—Book giveaway of Ice Forged! http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway

SolarisBooks.com—All-new guest blog post!

http://www.tonivsweeney.com/—Guest post on Settings that Feel Real

SFSignal.com—Exclusive guest blog post on Digging Deeper Into Chaos and a book giveaway!

MagicalWords.net— Guest blog post on Writing for an Ensemble Cast posting on 6/25

WriterFunZone.com–Exclusive guest blog post on Surviving the Publishing Apocalypse

http://SandraSaidak.com/ — Read my exclusive blog post on The Line between Fantasy and Mythology. Plus Excerpt #3

www.thewriterslens.com—Catch my new blog post on Promoting Your Book with Podcasts and Trailers

ecambrose.wordpress.com—New blog post on History Vs. Fantasy (Posting July 11)

http://maggie-secara.com—Guest blog post on Why We Can’t Get Enough of Medieval Magic (posting on 6/26)

http://nickvalentino.blogspot.com/—More Exclusive Q&A for a Behind The Scenes Look at Reign of Ash

http://sitwritebleed.blogspot.com/—10 Answers You Won’t Find Anywhere Else!

http://erosesabin.wordpress.com/— Exclusive Q&A plus excerpt #4

The Book Whisperer—A Romanian interviewer  digs into what to expect from Blaine McFadden’s world at http://www.bo0kwhispere.blogspot.ro

http://melissa-melsworld.blogspot.com/—Take a look at my all-new blog post on What Comes First, Plot or Character? Posting on 6/25.

TheFutureAndYou.com—Watch for a live interview with me at ConCarolinas with host Stephen Euin Cobb.

Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms—(Please “like” the page while you’re there!) Audio readings and excerpts from short stories Vanities and Steer a Pale Course and the upcoming Dark Legacy.

DisquietingVisions.com—Audio readings and excerpts from short stories Raiders’ Curse, Caves of the Dead and Storm Surge.

GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com—Brand new audio of me reading an excerpt from Reign of Ash plus new short stories Wild Hunt and Bounty Hunter!

MySpace (GailZMartin) and my ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer newsletter will also have all the details and updates.

Excerpt #2 http://www.4shared.com/office/dF6YbEPP/Reign_of_Ash_excerpt_2.html

Thank you for checking out my Hawthorn Moon sneak peek party.  Enjoy!

Categorized as: Uncategorized

More Adventure Than Ever!

Lots of news and three new short stories start Spring off with a bang!

First, the stories:

In the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures:

Storm Surge—When the caravan is beset by danger and a black beast stalks the shadows, Jonmarc Vahanian fears he is being stalked by a blood mage with a dangerous vendetta.

Bounty Hunter—Three bounty hunters come prowling around the caravan.  Are they after Jonmarc, or does one of his fellow travelers hide an even darker secret?

And in the Deadly Curiosities series:

The Wild Hunt–When a strange relic shows up in town and people start dying, Sorren and Dietger battle dark forces and the hounds of Hell.

Storm Surge and Bounty Hunter are available on Kindle, Kobo and Nook.  The Wild Hunt is currently only on Kindle, but stay tuned—it will be released for Kobo and Nook later this year. At just .99, they’re a cheap thrill!  (And if you haven’t checked out the rest of my short stories on ebook, take a look—there’s a new one every month!)

Next, new books coming!

Reign of Ash, the sequel to Ice Forged, will be out in early 2014.  Blaine McFadden and his friends will be back, and the fate of magic—and the Continent—rests in their hands.

News Flash! I’ve just signed a contract with Orbit for at least two more Ascendant Kingdoms books, so you’ll be seeing more of Blaine after Reign of Ash!

Catch me if you can!

May 24-26 I’ll be at Balticon in Hunt Valley, MD, and then May 31 – June 2, catch me at ConCarolinas in Charlotte, NC.

Later this year, you can find me at DragonCon in Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, Philcon in West Orange, NJ in November, and in October I’ll be in the Big Easy for ContraFlow, a new con for me in New Orleans!

June 21, I’ll be hosting the annual Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek online event, your first glimpse of excerpts from Reign of Ash, brand new blog posts, podcasts and interviews.  It’s always plenty of fun, so be sure to watch for more details!

If you’re interested in writing and you’re in the Charlotte area, I host a monthly writing Meetup group on the second Wednesday evening of the month.  Hope you can join us!  Details are here: http://www.meetup.com/Thrifty-Author-Publishing-Success-Network/

If you can’t come to the Meetup group, I host a different discussion topic every month on Goodreads.com.  Sometimes we talk about writing, sometimes we talk about things we love about the books we’ve read—come and play with us!  Details here: http://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin

I hang out on Facebook and Twitter, so if you’ve got questions or just like to talk about fandom, favorite shows, books and movies, join the conversation at Facebook.com/TheWinterKingdoms and on Twitter.com/GailZMartin.

Thank you…and a small request

Thank you very much for reading.  If you didn’t read, there would be no need for me to write.  And out of all the things you can choose to read, thank you very much for reading my stories.  It’s an exciting thing to share the world that’s in your head with others and have it become real to them.  You make that possible, and I am very grateful.

And now a small request….if you’ve enjoyed the books and short stories, please help others find them by adding a review on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Indigo, Waterstones or your favorite online booksellers, or on Goodreads.  I truly appreciate it!

I hope to see you soon, online or at an event.  Thank you!

Categorized as: Uncategorized

by Gail Z. Martin

Now that Ice Forged is in bookstores everyone (and topping the Amazon charts on both sides of the Atlantic—thank you readers!), and the sequel is already in the hands of my editor, it’s time to unveil new short stories coming each month to ebook!

If you like pirates, magic, vampires, and cursed objects, try my new Deadly Curiosities Adventures.  The first two stories, Vanities and Steer a Pale Course, are now on ebook—with more all-new, never-before-published stories to come.

If you liked my Chronicles of the Necromancer and Fallen Kings Cycle series and want more Jonmarc Vahanian excitement, I’ve got new stories just for you, starting with Raider’s Curse!

Ever wonder how Jonmarc Vahanian became the most dangerous warrior of his generation? How he earned the bounties on his head? What really happened in Nargi?  And where he got that scar? My new Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures take you back to the beginning, and I’m planning to tell his story all the way up to where he meets up with four young men running for their lives who need to hire a guide.

And if you haven’t grabbed Ice Forged, what are you waiting for?  It’s in trade paperback wherever books are sold, and also on Kindle, Nook, Kobo and iBooks.

Here’s more about those new short stories….

The Deadly Curiosities Adventures

This series of adventures spans over 500 years, from the 1500s to modern day as a small cabal of vampires and their human helpers battle supernatural enemies to find and destroy dangerous magical items and keep the world safe from dark forces.

Vanities—Jewel thief and newly-turned vampire Sorren sets out to steal a priceless brooch possessed by an ancient evil before it sets the Black Dragon loose in medieval Antwerp.

Steer a Pale Course—Two young fishermen in post-Revolutionary America are forced to retrieve a deadly object from an ancient burial mound or face the vengeance of raiders who have taken their village hostage.

The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures

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 take his journey.

Raiders’ Curse—The legend begins.  When sea raiders threaten the villages along the Margolan coast, young Jonmarc Vahanian risks everything to save his family.

“Like” my Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms page to get all the news first when new short stories are ready to post plus con photos and other news—or just hang out and chat!

Are you on Twitter?  Follow me @GailZMartin for updates on signings, funny stuff and sort-of witty conversation.

Join me on Goodreads for a new writing-related group every month—we talk about favorite books, how to get published, and other stuff you won’t want to miss.  Friend me at http://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin

Come hang out with me at a con!

I’m everywhere from New York to Arizona in the coming months—and I do it to talk with readers!  So come by and see me!

• Feb. 15 I’ll be signing Ice Forged at the Books a Million at Cotswold from 1-3
• Feb. 16 I’ll be signing Ice Forged at the Barnes & Noble in Pineville, NC from 2-4
• I’ll be back in Roanoke for Mysticon Feb. 22 – 24—Ice Forged Launch Party is Saturday night!
• I’ll be at Lunacon March 15 – 17 in Rye Brook, NY
• Look for me at the Arizona Renaissance Festival (near Phoenix) signing books March 23-24
• I’ll be at Ravencon in Richmond, VA April 5 – 7.
• Going to Balticon in Hunt Valley MC May 24-27
• Come see me at ConCarolina in Charlotte, NC May 31 – June 2
• I’ll be at Dragon*Con Labor Day weekend!

That’s all for now—but watch for new short stories, updates on upcoming new books and new signings and events on Twitter and Facebook.  And whether you stop by at an event or catch me online—let’s connect!

May I ask a small favor?  If you enjoy the books and short stories, please tell your friends, share a link on Twitter or Facebook or put a review on Amazon.  I’d really appreciate it!

Thank you for reading—because readers like you give me a reason to keep on writing.

Categorized as: Uncategorized

Welcome to my annual Days of the Dead Online Event. As always, I’ve got lots of treats—excerpts (from my own stuff plus some of my friends), audios, and even some giveaways for your first chance to get an advance copy of Ice Forged three months before it’s in stores!

For any fan of the supernatural, this week is the best time of the year.  Samhain, All Hallow’s Eve, Halloween, Dia De Los Muertos all in one week—what’s not to love?

What’s up this year?  For starters, Ice Forged—the first book in my new Ascendant Kingdoms series—will launch January 8.  It’s available now for pre-order, but you can read four different excerpts for free on my Days of the Dead partner sites—and three sites will be offering giveaways where the lucky winners can get their hands on a copy right away!

I’ve also got two new short stories in two different UK anthologies, Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane (from Solaris Books) and The Mammoth Book of Women’s Ghost Stories.  And even better, I’ve got free excerpts!

Drawings for signed copies of Ice Forged, so make sure you enter—you can’t win if you don’t play!

What are you waiting for?  You can get in on all the Days of the Dead fun on a treasure hunt/Trick-or-Treat just by visiting these sites.  And please, “like” my TheWinterKingdoms page on Facebook when you visit to get the goodies!

Here’s where the action is:

• Orbit Books (www.OrbitBooks.net)—book giveaway plus a guest blog post from me on why my new Ascendant Kingdoms Saga is a little darker and edgier than what I’ve done before, and a chapter excerpt from Ice Forged
• Solaris Books (www.SolarisBooks.com)—Author interview about my short story universe, plus an excerpt of my story from the Magic anthology, “Buttons”.
• Magical Words—(www.MagicalWords.net)—A guest blog from me on “When Magic Goes Off the Grid” plus a different excerpt from Ice Forged.
•  DoubleDragon Books (http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/)—a Q&A with me on “Characters of Questionable Virtue” plus a third different excerpt from Ice Forged.
• Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews—Paranormal Edition 10/28— (http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com/) A guest blog post from me on “Why I Still Write About Heroes” and, you guessed it—excerpts!
• SandraSaidak.com—A guest blog post from me on “Middle Ages Crisis—Apocalypse Then” plus excerpts!
• Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/—another chance to win an advance copy of Ice Forged!
• Goodreads—A special author Q&A event—ask me anything!  Plus, I’m offering several review copies of Ice Forged—first come, first served!  And please friend/subscribe to me!  Here’s the discussion:  http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/82307-q-a-with-gail-z-martin-oct-24—31?utm_medium=api&utm_source=group_widget
• Goodreads giveaway—Try your luck to win a copy of Ice Forged!  http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/35959
• The BroadPod (http://broadpod.posterous.com/october-2012-unnatural-and-undead) and GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com—A reading of one of my favorite vampire scenes in The Dread plus a link for an excerpt from The Dread on Ghost in the Machine.
• ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com—A special Q&A with me about scarred heroes, and a different chapter excerpt from Ice Forged, and sample chapters from books by several of my author friends! Plus an excerpt from my story, “The Low Road” and more!
• TheWinterKingdoms on Facebook  (please “like” my page!) a Q&A with me about where ideas come from, plus the full short story “Vanities” for free!
• DisquietingVisions.com—a blog post on “The Stuff of Nightmares”—the scenes I’ve written that creep me out—and more excerpts!
• Twitter.com/GailZMartin—Links to two more of my short stories, “Steer a Pale Course” and “The Low Road”, plus links to downloads from some more of my awesome author friends!

Remember—each partner site with an excerpt from Ice Forged has a different excerpt!

I’ll end with my favorite childhood blessing:  “From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night—good Lord, deliver us!”  (Even better, deliver the books so we can read all about it!)

__________________________________________________________

Why We Love Scarred Heroes

For me, people who have sailed through life to adulthood without any scars are not lucky, they’ve been deprived of life’s most valuable lessons—how to get back up again when you’ve been knocked flat on your ass.

The trick, of course, is to come to an understanding with your scars so that you learn from them but they don’t control you.  Depending on what caused the scar, that can be trickier than it sounds.

I believe everyone who lives past infanthood gets a few scars along the way,  but some people really do seem to live a charmed life, affording them no more than the emotional equivalent of a scraped knee, while other people end up in body casts.  You might think that the people who have coasted through unscathed are the lucky ones, but in my experience, folks like this often lack a level of empathy, making them incapable of really identifying with other people’s traumatic experiences.  That kind of pain, because it’s outside their personal experience, even by extension, seems impossible for them to understand.  Without being able to identify with someone else’s pain, loss or suffering, it’s impossible to truly care.  At best, these charmed-life folks are a little clueless.  At worst, they’re unsympathetic or judgmental—or indifferent.

All my heroes have scars—deep ones.  Without those scarring experiences, they would not rise to become heroes.  They wouldn’t have been prepared by the same life experiences, they wouldn’t have had to face their own shadow-side, and they wouldn’t have gained the courage that comes from knowing what you’re truly capable of withstanding.

Under extreme circumstances, some people collapse.  Others take an every-man-for-himself approach.  Heroes find something in themselves that will not give in, and resolve to leave no one behind.

Real heroes aren’t the people who get themselves out of danger.  They’re the ones who go back into dangerous territory—real or emotional—to bring others to safety.  In real life, they’re the fire fighters or soldiers or police officers who go into a dangerous situation when everyone else runs the other way.  They’re the grief counselors and coordinators of battered women’s shelters and safe houses for abused children who are willing to stare evil in the face to save someone, because more often than not, they’ve lived the battle themselves.  They’re the suicide hotline people, the AA leaders, the people who are there to call when there’s no one else to turn to. They’re credible because most of the time, they faced the dragon and lived to tell the tale—and then they turned around and went back into the fire to make sure others also get to safety.

My heroes have paid a high price, and they’ve earned their scars.  But their personal survival isn’t what makes them heroic.  It’s that, when given a choice, they turn around and put themselves in danger to save others.  Those are my kind of heroes.

Please enjoy this excerpt from “The Low Road,” my short story in the Spells and Swashbucklers anthology: http://www.4shared.com/office/CQ5Af400/An_Excerpt_from_The_Low_Road_b.html

And an excerpt from “Buttons”, my short story in the Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane here: http://www.4shared.com/office/20nwnf1S/Buttons_excerpt_1.html

Categorized as: Uncategorized

Ice Forged won’t be out in bookstores until January, but you can get a first look at the cover and read four different unique excerpts, plus plenty of other free downloadable fun like interviews and blog posts in my Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek event June 21!

Condemned as a murderer for killing the man who dishonored his sister, Blaine “Mick” McFadden has spent the last six years in Velant, a penal colony in the frigid northern wastelands of Edgeland. Harsh military discipline and the oppressive magic of the governor’s mages keep a fragile peace as colonists struggle against a hostile environment. But the supply ships from Dondareth have stopped coming, boding ill for the kingdom that banished the colonists.

Now, McFadden and the people of Velant decide their fate. They can remain in their icy prison, removed from the devastation of the outside world, but facing a subsistence-level existence, or they can return to the ruins of the kingdom that they once called home. Either way, destruction lies ahead…

Ice Forged is Book One in my brand new Ascendant Kingdoms Saga.  Ice Forged will be available in stores and online world-wide in January 2013.  But you can read an excerpt here, plus get exclusive Q&A, interviews and other online goodies by visiting the partner sites, which are listed on my web page.

During the Hawthorn Moon event, you can find never-before-released excerpts, interviews, audio, and other goodies on a variety of great fantasy sites that have agreed to be part of this debut party.

Here’s where to find the goodies:

OrbitBooks.net—First look at the cover art for Ice Forged plus a Q&A with me about the new Ascendant Kingdoms Saga series.

SFSignal.com—Exclusive guest blog post:  Things I Learned from Writing Fantasy

BookLoons.com—Exclusive excerpt #1 from Ice Forged in early July

MagicalWords.net—What Level of Insanity Inspires an Author to Start Writing a Brand New Series? Posts 6/29

SciFiChick.com—Exclusive excerpt #2 from Ice Forged posts 6/22

FreeTheWriterInside.com—Exclusive excerpt #3 from Ice Forged

TheWritersLens.com—Why and How I Write—exclusive guest blog post

http://SandraSaidak.com/ –What are the challenges of creating a new series? Why is the Ascendant Kingdoms set in a post-apocalyptic medieval world?  Read my exclusive blog post and find out!

Twitter.com/GailZMartin—Directions to all the goodies that are part of the sneak peek event!

Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms—A free short story, “Vanities” that’s never appeared before in the U.S. (Please “like” the page while you’re there!)

DisquietingVisions.com—an interview with Ice Forged main character Blaine McFadden

GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com—Brand new audio of me reading an excerpt from Ice Forged

MySpace (GailZMartin) and my ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer newsletter—an interview with courtesan/spy/assassin Kestel Falke.

And on my AscendantKingdoms.com web site, you’ll find the following “party favors”:

• And exclusive excerpt from Chapter 1 of  Ice Forged (one of four different excerpts)
• An interview with master thief Verran Danning

Thank you for checking out my Hawthorn Moon sneak peek party.  Enjoy!

Interview with Verran Danning, master thief and sometime musician

Q:  Rumor has it you were exiled to Velant for theft.  Is that right?

A:  Really?  Well, maybe, if you count the time I stole that guard’s drink. No, wait.  I stole the wagon full of ale that was headed to the tavern where the guards drink.  Something like that.  Of course, it could have been for playing off tune in a crowded bar, although I like to think I do a bit better than that, most nights.  Then again, it might have been when I slept with the wife of the captain of the guard….really, does it matter?

Q:  And you met Lord Blaine McFadden during your transport?

A:  Well now, that’s a bit of a sore point.  I met a guy who called himself “Mick” when we were both on the boat to Velant.  Didn’t find out for six years that he was a bleedin’ lord!  By the gods, you go through prison with a fellow, pool your wages to set up a homestead with him and four of your best mates, and then out of the blue, you find out he’s a bleedin’ lord!

Q: Do you think Blaine McFadden can bring back the magic?

A:  Damned if I know.  But that vampire mage seemed to think so.  And that assassin sure seemed to think so.  I mean, have you ever heard about someone sending an assassin after a convict?  Where’s there’s smoke, there’s fire, I always say.  Mick’s a decent sort, for a murderer and all—but, from what little he’ll say about it, which isn’t much, the other fellow had it comin’, so it’s not really Mick’s fault about the killin’. Anyhow—magic?  Didn’t have much myself, but I missed it once it was gone.  So if there’s a way to bring it back, I’m in.  Never say Verran Danning passed up a good story…or a drink.

Interview with Kestel Falke,  courtesan, spy and assassin

Q:  You were once the most sought-after courtesan in King Merrill’s court.  How did you end up a prisoner in Velant?

A:  (Shrugs) Things can change so quickly at court.  Kill the wrong person, and everyone gets touchy.

Q: You met Lord Blaine McFadden in Velant?

A:  I met Mick at court, although he doesn’t remember.  That’s all right.  I’m good at keeping secrets.

Q: Rumor has it you share a homestead with McFadden, court-martialed soldier Piran Rowse, condemned murderer Dawe Killick and thief Verran Danning.  Isn’t that a little…cozy?

A: Let’s get this straight right now.  We’re housemates, not bedmates.  The boys and I have an understanding.

Q:  You’ve earned your Ticket of Leave and become a full colonist in the Edgeland colony.  Can Edgeland survive without Donderath?

A: I won’t lie to you.  It isn’t exactly comfortable up here, even when the supply ships come on a regular basis.  Commander Prokief up at the prison skims off the best of everything, and leaves the colonists with the dregs.  But then again, it’s not like Donderath goes out of its way to provision us, either.  We’re Merrill’s oubliette, remember?  We’ve got more herring than we know what to do with.  We can grow crops.  We survived Velant.  We’ll make do.

Q: Can Edgeland survive without magic?
A:  Well now, that’s the real question, isn’t it?

Categorized as: Uncategorized