THIS CRUMBLING PAGEANT ~ The Cover Reveal

I‘m thrilled to finally share my amazing cover for This Crumbling Pageant, available in hardcover, trade and digital on May 6!

This Crumbling Pageant

 Persephone Fury is the Dark daughter, the one they hide.

England, 1811. Few are aware of a hidden magical England, a people not ruled by poor mad George, but the dying King Pellinore of the House of Pendragon.

The Furys are known for their music, their magic, and their historic role as kingmakers.  When Fury ambitions demand a political marriage, Persephone is drugged and presented to Society–

Only to be abducted from the man she loves by the man she loathes.

But devious and ruthless, Persephone must defy ancient prophecy, embrace her Dark magic, and seize her own fate.

Be swept away into the first book of a dark fantasy series combining swashbuckling adventure, heart-pounding romance, and plot-twisting suspense.

To stay up to date on the latest, sign up for the newsletter [if you haven’t already], add the books to your goodreads list [if you’re there], follow me on Facebook and Twitter [if you don’t already]!

Excuse me while I go off and quietly squeee.

Ahem.

Cover designed by the fabulous Kim Killion.

Book published by the fabulous Story Spring Publishing.

 

WWW Wednesday 1-15-2014

WWW Wednesday. This meme is from shouldbereading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

• What are you currently reading?

Through author/reviewer Paul Weimer‘s end of 2013 “best of” post I discovered a new fantasy trilogy that I am positively inhaling. The first book of Emma Newman’s Split Worlds Trilogy is Between Two Thorns. This is an amazing bit of world-building, a setting in modern day London, Bath & Manchester with a hidden magical world in Londinium, Aquae Sulis and–how embarrassing. I’ve forgotten their name for Manchester. [Note: Thanks to Emma (@EmApocalyptic) on twitter for reminding me that Manchester has no hidden world, thus doesn’t have a different name.]

Those magical worlds have remained in the 19th-ish Century with their clothes and lives, living without electricity because, really, how gauche.

There are dynastic families, sorcerers, steampunk details, and more. A wonderfully strong, independent heroine and fascinating twists and turns. If you like magic with your England, as I certainly do, you must check this out. Thanks, Paul, for the head’s up!

• What did you recently finish reading?

I’ve been listening to Georgette Heyer Regencies, and delighting in the experience, as always. I haven’t read them all, so occasionally I stumble across one that is new to me, as happened with False Colours. What a delight! Identical twins, for the win! And such charming twins, who adore their mother, despite the fact that she’s totally inept with money and has landed the entire family in financial hell with her gambling. One twin is set to announce his ‘arranged marriage’ to a rich young heiress, but disappears, and the other twin has to step into the breach and take his brother’s place, lest the arrangement all fall apart. Her characterizations are fun and it’s no wonder her work is still popular almost a century after it was written.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m back into heavy writing mode, which means my listening and reading both are going to shift into historical English voices, especially Regency/Napoleonic War era. My Texas twang needs help getting the right tones in my head so this is where I go into deep immersion. All suggestions welcomed. [Obviously I’m already heavy into Austen, Heyer and various Regency romance and magic worlds!]

Oh, and in case you missed the announcement, La Desperada is on sale for .99 all over the freaking world!

What about you? What have you been reading lately? Put the link to your WWW Wednesday entry in comments, or just tell us!

While you’re at it, want to take a survey on book covers, especially fantasy and/or YA bookcovers? Go here!

WWW Wednesday 11-20-2013

WWW Wednesday. This meme is from shouldbereading.

 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

 

• What are you currently reading?

So many covers to choose from! Do they even show them to her any more when there’s a new edition? I like this one.

Listening to A Knight in Shining Armor, the classic time-travel romance novel by Jude Deveraux. It was her first hardcover book back in 1989 and it shows its age around the edges. Dougless Montgomery is not exactly an independent feminist, despite the fact that she claims to be one. But it’s a fun story and Steve West does a good job with his narration. He’s also the narrator of the Martha Grimes/Inspector Jury mysteries I mentioned last week, which is why I decided to get this book. I like his voice.

 

 

• What did you recently finish reading?

Holy cow, was The Coldest Girl in Coldtown a good book. I’ve never read any Holly Black novels before. Are they all this good?

I’ve been seeing this YA Horror/Paranormal thing all over the interwebs and people loving it, and finally downloaded the sample.  I’ve been reading a lot of samples in an effort to deal with them, something I put into the Embarrassment of Riches meme. I was going to keep track of them but changed my mind, because I really don’t want to list in public all the stuff I checked out and didn’t like enough to buy. Because that is rude. Maybe if I were a reviewer it wouldn’t be; it would be what I do. But I’m not a reviewer. If something sucks or doesn’t hold my attention, I usually just won’t mention it, unless it’s by somebody so hugely successful that I don’t think I’ll hurt anybody’s feelings.

But this? I finished the sample, immediately bought it, and went and told my class to download the sample and read it. This book hits all the marks. As a writer and teacher, my response to this book is that it’s smart in the way it uses and reflects contemporary culture from streaming internet to cell phones, the way it paints the official federal reaction to this vampire outbreak. It has a smart plot, smart world-building, smart characterizations and a really great ending.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m beta reading another historical romance for Patricia Rice. I love my job!

Now, while I have you here, which of these covers do you like better? I love them both for different reasons, but I am changing to the one on the right so that all my contemporary romances will have the same basic cover style.

Which do you like best?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What about you? What are you reading, have you been reading, wanting to read next?

 

Recycled Cover Art

I’ve shown examples of this before, back in the previous planetpooks lair.

 

This time, I bought two books with the same cover art.  On Sherwood Smith’s recommendation I ordered Lascivious Bodies: A Sexual History of the Eighteenth Century. When it arrived, I looked at it and thought, “Hmmm…

“This looks familiar.”

At first I thought I’d bought the same book twice, possibly retitled. But no, even though the subject matter is similar, Sex in Georgian England is a different book.

I love the cover art. Is this a famous illustration? Anybody recognize it?

Enquiring pooks wants to know.

So. I went to war this morning with my desk.

And just as i was getting my desk cleared so i could:

Go to work on the edits that are due oh-sometime-soonish.

Fiddle more with CreateSpace for my first attempt at POD.

Write some on the not-a-prologue.

Fill a fountain pen with ink to be ready for all the work.

Amongst other things.

I spilled iced tea across my MacBook Air.

All hail the genius of solid state engineering and Apple! It dried out.

One of my shift keys isn’t working. So far, that’ the only prob and maybe it will start working soon.

So much for best laid plans. it’s time to leave Robbie Burns behind and follow the philosophy of Scarlett.

Tomorrow is another day.

(What? You thought I was going to say fiddledeedee?)

In the meantime, here is something pretty to look at.

Meet Cecil. Coming to Amazon and Book View Cafe July 17, 2013!