New Release Blitz &

Two Awesome Giveaways!

Strange Magic by Michelle Mankin

Part One Now Available

YOU ARE INVITED

STRANGE MAGIC Release Party

January 15 to February 17th

Join us for a Mardi Gras/New Orleans themed party with games & prizes every day plus weekly video responses from Ask the Author. Party kicked off with a video interview of how Strange Magic came into being and will end shortly after an Anything-Goes-Embarrass-The-Author-Grand-Challenge for Author Michelle Mankin to undertake while in NOLA for the start of Mardi Gras.

Billy Blade is a hardworking, hard living, razor sharp musical force. Mysterious behind his dark shades, the rough around the edges Texan mesmerizes with his haunting harmonica and tantalizes with his dangerous looks and smooth country charm. His latest album is topping the charts. He’s the newly crowned King of the Bacchus Krewe. He’s definitely living the rock star dream.

Exotic Creole beauty Thyme Bellerose couldn’t be more content. She has it all. An adoring grandmother. A handsome Tulane medical student beau. A satisfying job in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. Her life is as rich as the ice cream she creates. She’s got everything under control.

But control is an illusion. Dreams can turn into nightmares. And now during Mardi Gras, otherworldly powers stand ready to shape their destinies in ways they could never imagine.

Shadow and light. Magic and mystery. Reality and myth. All come together in a place where rules bend and lines blur. Even those between life and death.

STRANGE MAGIC is a novel in two parts. Part Two, the finale of STRANGE MAGIC will be released on February 5th!

Want a preview of Part One? - check it out here!

http://www.michellemankin.com/strange-magic.php

Fred's Notes

I love this way this starts out with a bang (kinda literally), and the way we encounter burnt-out, beat down bad boy wanna be Bacchus Billy Blade, singing his gritty songs of experience to an audience that is grateful and, apparently only mostly dead.  A black stetson isn't your typical shining armor, but Thyme Bellerose (she's the song of innocence part), can't really afford to be picky about it at this point.  I love Michelle's poignant and pointed use of poetry to punctuate her perfect prose (girl can wax lyrical, in that violet tinged way we love!), and how the quotes she chooses enhance the vibe, and move the narrative too.  The mythopoeic, archetypal fairy tale nature of the story is beautifully reflected in Michelle's style, almost like a lover whispering the words in your ear.  Can't wait for part two, really girl, how can you leave us hanging like this! Belle is beyond tied to the damn tracks, the train has done come and rolled over her, backed up and done it again.  Gonna need some strange magic, indeed, to resuscitate this bruised reed, that hopefully will not break. Great story, great characters, great setting.  Michelle has rocked it again, and part two is just around the corner, so read this now to be ready when it comes.

Just for fun I put together a Strange Magic playlist at Spotify, some old friends (haven't heard Gimme Shelter in a while?  I promise it's still amazing, and a great harp part too!), and some new, including an awesome cover of Don't Fear the Reaper by The Beautiful South.  

Pre-Order for Part Two Now Available:

STRANGE MAGIC: Part One & Part Two

DREAM MAGIC: October 2015

TWISTED MAGIC: Coming soon

Love Evolution is a rock star romance based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

http://amzn.to/KZoJS4

After the death of her twin brother, nineteen year old guitar prodigy Avery Jones finds herself desperate, alone, and out of options. Hope arrives in the form of a job opening with Brutal Strength, one of the biggest rock bands out there. Only problem is temperamental lead singer Marcus Anthony doesn't want a woman in the group. So Avery and her manager Trevor come up with a plan involving a Bieber haircut and men's clothing. No one seems to be onto their little con. But what happens when Avery starts falling for Marcus? Will she be able to continue with the farce or will the whole thing come crashing down around her like a house of cards?

(Revised and an additional 10,000 words of content, including 2 new chapters and an epilogue)

Love Revolution is a rock star romance inspired by Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

http://amzn.to/1aeXf43

The wheels of love are always turning at Black Cat Records. Things are just starting to settle down when two Texas sisters start to stir things up at the Vancouver record label. CEO Mary Timmons sets spirited country superstar Sara Daniels on a collision course with cocky rocker Chris Alex. Meanwhile, Brutal Strength's suave drummer, JR, has his head turned by pretty young intern, Samantha Daniels. Do all their highways lead to happiness or will the wheels fly off when the sisters' tragic past comes back to haunt them?

Love Resolution is a rock star romance inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest.

http://amzn.to/1whIVAp

To forgive or not to forgive...There's a storm brewing at Black Cat Records and lead singer Marcus Anthony and guitarist Avery Jones are at the center of it. Brutal Strength is leaving Vancouver and heading out on a big stadium tour with the reprobate rockers from Tempest as their opening act. Avery is forced to deal with a troubling figure from her past while being pursued by Tempest's tatted bad boy, Bryan 'Bullet' Jackson. Meanwhile, Marcus must battle his own internal demons as well as this rival for Avery's affection. Can Avery and Marcus keep their fairy tale happily ever after together when the prevailing winds of the real world are against them?

Three full-length rock star novels in one limited edition set

Tempest series (spin-off of The Brutal Strength Series)

Irresistible Refrain: http://amzn.to/SFJ96J & Audible: http://bit.ly/1vOTPPm

Enticing Interlude: http://amzn.to/1gelLT3

Captivating Bridge: http://amzn.to/RT7AMV

Relentless Rhythm: http://amzn.to/1xQpof7

Unforgettable: Tempest #5. A Tempest/ Brutal Strength mashup. Coming soon!

Michelle Mankin is the Amazon bestselling author of the Black Cat Records series of novels.

Romance with subtext.

Reimagining classic stories with sexy rock stars and thought provoking issues.

For many years she worked in the insurance industry as an underwriter. Somehow, the boredom didn't kill her but the hours and hours of looking at facts and figures provided ample time for her mind to wander.

Love Evolution, Love Revolution, and Love Resolution are a Brutal Strength centered trilogy, combining the plot underpinnings of Shakespeare with the drama, excitement, and indisputable sexiness of the rock 'n roll industry.

Things take a bit of an edgier, once upon a time turn with the Tempest series. These pierced, tatted, and troubled Seattle rockers are young and on the cusp of making it big, but with serious obstacles to overcome that may prevent them from ever getting there.

Rock stars, myths, and legends collide with paranormal romance in a totally mesmerizing way in the Magic series.

When Michelle is not prowling the streets of her Texas town listening to her rock music much too loud, she is putting her daydreams down on paper or traveling the world with her family and friends, sometimes for real, and sometimes just for pretend as she takes the children to school and back.

Connect with Michelle Mankin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Michelle-Mankin/233503403414065

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleMankin

On tsu: https://www.tsu.co/AuthorMichelleMankin

On her website: http://www.michellemankin.com/

Receive the Black Cat Records newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Lvgzf

GIVEAWAY #1 of 2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY #2 of 2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Underworld's Daughter, by Molly Ringle

A few years ago I purchased a lovely little lot of books at an auction, and among them was a beautifully bound edition of “Chrysomela, A Selection from the Lyrical Poems of Robert Herrick.” The poems were chosen and introduced by Francis Turner Palgrave, the famous anthologist, and I enjoyed reading the charming and quaintly antiquated prose of his preface. One phrase in particular struck me as being quite apropos of Molly’s style, as well as of Herrick’s poems:

[T]he power to describe men and things as the poet sees them with simple sincerity, insight and grace: to paint scenes and imaginations as perfect organic wholes; -- carrying with it the gift to clothe each picture, as if by unerring instinct, in fit metrical form, giving to each its own music; beginning without affectation, and rounding off without effort; - the power, in a word, to leave simplicity, sanity, and beauty as the last impressions lingering on our minds ...

Let me give an example of why I find Molly’s prose (and okay, maybe it’s not “metrical,” technically, lol, but it IS lyrical!) so enchanting, and so powerfully able to pull you into the emotional world she’s created:

Lute music rose from somewhere near, and the smell of sweet incense and drying autumn leaves curled into the darkening sky. Her feet moved that direction, the domestic magic of a mortal city pulling her in.

Like our dear friend Francis said, simple, vivid and graceful. I love that about Molly’s evocative way with words.

This is the second volume in Molly’s Chrysomelia series (the series’ title is what made me think of the Herrick book, obvs), and it’s not a stand-alone, but rather a welcome continuation of the story that began in Persephone’s Orchard, the first book in the series. It begins, like the first book,in media res,  only this time the “res” is one of sweet intimacy and tenderness, the culmination of the tentative and touching relationship between Persephone and Hades (the originals). And the narrative again moves between the remembered past of Hades, Persephone and their peers, and the story of Adrian and Sophie, the contemporary counterparts of their ancient incarnations. Things aren’t easy for Adrian and Sophie (relationship status: complicated) this time around. The story starts with Sophie feeling “betrayed, or at least left out,” when inveterate trickster Niko bestows the gift of immortality on two others by stealing and sharing with them the underworld orange Adrian meant for Sophie. And Thanatos, the deadly antagonist whose violence ended the first book, has stepped up its game in ways that rock the characters' stability and emotions. The addition of more characters and points of view make this a deeper and more rewarding reading experience than Persephone’s Orchard, in some ways. The character of Hekate (she’s the titular Underworld’s Daughter, btw) both in the past, and in the now, is richly imagined and endearing, full of mystery, grace, intelligence and emotion. She’s just a really cool person, and an awesome addition to the cast. Dionysos (and his contemporary counterpart) is a fun and kind of frustrating character, full of fun and frivolity but also fractured and flawed in ways that make him/her, real and relatable.

“The past is never dead, it’s not even past,” said Faulkner, and that would be a fitting epigraph for this series, in which the events of the past echo and resonate in the now. Molly’s artfulness in setting patterns of relationships and events in ways that illuminate each other, create foreshadowing and dramatic tension is an especially enjoyable element of the book (cf. Demeter confronting the newlyweds in the Underworld with Sophie’s dad discovering Adrian in her room over Thanksgiving break, just for one delicious example).

So just to be clear, I loved this book. But be forewarned, it is the second volume in a three book series (“Frodo was alive, but taken by the enemy,” remember?), and as such, there are unresolved story lines and emotions at the end. I can’t say I was disappointed exactly, but man, it is going to be a long wait till next June.

Who's That Girl?

I’m a huge Molly Ringle fan, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a link to my interview with her from a
couple years ago. Take a read, learn about her other amazing books, and first literary success, winner of the 2010 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Award for worst first sentence!

Giveaways!

Last but not least, please enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance at winning one of two sets of Persephone’s Orchard and Underworld’s Daughter: the entries are simple. You’ll need to follow (or already be following) three people on Twitter: me (@flybrariman); Molly (@MollyRingle) and Michelle Halket, Molly’s editor at Central Avenue Publishing (@CentAvePub). I’m including Michelle because (a) she’s awesome, and (b) because Central Avenue Publishing has lots of other cool authors you should check out (one of their books I really liked was Across the Hall, by N.M. Facile, here’s my Goodreads review!). And just in case you don’t win my Rafflecopter, Central Avenue Publishing is running a really cool one, with some extra swag thrown in (that Greek coin necklace looks really cool, right?)(the picture is of all their swag, mine's just for the books).  Good luck to all, thanks for entering!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Purchase Links

Amazon Barnes & Noble

For a limited time, Grand Central has priced Persephone's Orchard at $.99, so on the off chance you don't win one, this would be a great time to buy!