"A Darling Secret Is A Darling Finale" - Fantasia Reviews The Final Book in the Strange Luck Series

"Winters has always had a knack for setting a convincing stage, and this work is no exception. Then she takes it a step further, twisting the whole thing about and giving us something of a surprise, demonstrating more than just her world building, but her ability to tell a darn good story."

"Holding nothing back, Miss Winters has become more imaginative and daring in her storytelling, building a world, slowly disarming us and allowing us to appreciate the boldness of the world that she has built. This marks the darkest entry in the series, though it is no less fantastic."

"A Darling Secret Is A Darling Finale." 

Read what else Fantasia Reviews had to say about A Darling Secret in their lovely review.

A DARLNG SECRET Is Live!

The final book in the Strange Luck series is now available!

Before the Theater of Secrets was formed, before the Nameless was built, before Daisy Darling learned of her magical bloodline, there was the Realm of the Shadow Gods—ruled by the most powerful and wicked creatures known.

For nearly two decades, Daisy’s twin sister, Rose, was held captive by the Shadow Gods and survived. Now Rose has come to find Daisy to stop their impending evil from spreading into the human world. But Rose bears a terrible secret that has the power to destroy everything.

In the devastating Realm of the Shadow Gods, dark magic holds no bounds. Daisy will risk everything to save those she loves, but will the truth finally break her?

Order Your Copy Today!

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A DARLING SECRET Book Trailer - Is Your Heart Racing Yet?

I'm so excited to share the official book trailer of A DARLING SECRET!!! I hope you enjoy it :)

~~~

Enter a hidden world of magic, mystery, action, and romance in the last installment of the award-winning Strange Luck series - A Darling Secret!

Before the Theater of Secrets was formed, before the Nameless was built, before Daisy Darling learned of her magical bloodline, there was the Realm of the Shadow Gods—ruled by the most powerful and wicked creatures known.

For nearly two decades, Daisy’s twin sister, Rose, was held captive by the Shadow Gods and survived. Now Rose has come to find Daisy to stop their impending evil from spreading into the human world. But Rose bears a terrible secret that has the power to destroy everything.

In the devastating Realm of the Shadow Gods, dark magic holds no bounds. Daisy will risk everything to save those she loves, but will the truth finally break her?

~~~

AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

PRE-ORDER HERE

Review of “Strange Luck” & “The Nightmare Birds” by Amie Irene Winters PLUS Early Look at “A Darling Secret”

These lovely reviews by Sunshine Somerville started my week off wonderfully. :)

Take a moment to read the latest kind words about my books!

Strange Luck

"I loved the complex and unique use of memories. It was a great way to shape the fantastical world Daisy finds herself in, and it was a neat way to bring so many fantastical elements together – in a world of happy memories and dreams, anything goes! Overall, I’d recommend this for anyone who likes YA fantasies that give you a mystery to figure out."

The Nightmare Birds

"I loved how the plot thickened and you were never really sure what to believe – and Daisy wasn’t either. Is her own mind tricking her? Is Mr. Black telling the truth after all and there’s going to be a huge twist on everything we thought we knew as a reader so far? This story definitely kept me turning the pages as I tried to sort it all out. I liked how certain things from the first book tied in here, but it’s definitely a new story. And the end certainly suggests Daisy has more to learn."

Click here to read the full reviews AND read an excerpt from A Darling Secret.

Surprises Around Every Corner - Five-Star Review From Paperback Junkie

I'm delighted to share a five-star review of The Nightmare Birds from Paperback Junkie Book Review.

Here's a snippet from the review:

"If you are looking to get lost in a book that presents you with another option of what the world holds, I would highly recommend The Nightmare Birds...There are surprises around every corner. The book was well-written, thought out, and put together so well that it receives a 5 star review." 

Reviews like this put a big smile on my face. :) I'm thrilled you enjoyed my book.

You can also read what Paperback Junkie Book Review had to say about Strange Luck (book I) here.

Get Them While Their Young, Keep Them Until Their Old - Guest Post by Sarah Noffke

I recently had the pleasure of reading Suspended by Sarah Noffke. Since I've also written a book about a dark circus (The Nightmare Birds), I was especially anxious to read her story. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. :)

The more I discovered about Sarah, the more I was intrigued by this "superwoman". She's written fifteen books and is currently working on two more! I'm delighted that she found the time to share this guest post with you today.  Enjoy!

Get Them While Their Young, Keep Them Until Their Old

Scroll the feed on Instagram and you’ll come to a few conclusions. They might be: she definitely shouldn’t be wearing that, is that dude out of his mind, and holy batman young adults love their books. I follow more than a few book addicts on Instagram and they all happen to be ones who are obsessed with taking pictures of their bookshelves, rather than their freckled faces. When was the last time that you saw Helen, the retired widow, arranging her books in the garden so she could take a pretty picture to post on social media? So what’s my point? It’s that we need to be catering to this hungry market. Young adults crave the actual pages of books. They use the hashtag for cover love more than anyone else. Young adult fantasy is especially hot right now, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. And if we know this knowledge, then we might should be using it.

When I was a young adult, I didn’t think I liked to read. Stop gasping and listen to me. It’s because the books I was forced to read were Heart of Darkness and Frankenstein. Now before you forever loathe me for complaining about being exposed to classic literature, please hear me out. While those novels are amazing in their own way, they aren’t something relatable for a young adult. I know, you’re shocked, I’ve never, not once, sailed down the Congo. It wasn’t until later that I accidentally picked up a young adult novel that I fell in love with books. I remember the exact moment. It was like Prince Charming walked into the room and I was instantly in love. That passion for young adult literature then grew and now I read books of all genres. However, too often I think we force the classics before we’ve hooked the young reader. I think we cater to the adult readers, not realizing that it’s the teens of the world that are going to break down doors to get a fresh paperbacks. They are obsessed with covers. Obsessed with collecting spicy fantasy novels. And most importantly, they are consumers who have decades of reading ahead of them.

Having written five young adult and new adult series, I’ll claim to know a little bit about the genre. New adult is this relatively recent category that is just starting to emerge. It has less rules than young adult and is relatable to a larger audience. However, I will disclose that most of the readers of my young adult series are thirty-something-year-old women. The reason for the wide appeal is that young adult characters have more potentials and I’ve polled readers and found there’s an irresistible draw to that. It’s fun when a character is still developing and doesn’t know who they are, what they want or who they love. The key to good young adult fiction is exploring these potentials. And the key to happy readers is to find the stories that they can relate to, while also creating surprising potentials. Finally, because I like sets of three, the key to success for authors, libraries and retailers is tapping into this hungry market. Hooking the young and young at heart readers is a great strategy. From my experience there aren’t more loyal followers than those who post their TBR lists on social media.

I keep hearing a rumor that the book market is over saturated. Honestly, I can’t find relevant data to support this. If my Instagram feed serves as antidotal evidence then young adults actually don’t have enough books. If I see another picture in my feed of the Harry Potter series with a newly released cover then I’m chunking my phone across the room. #coverlove

~~~

 

Bio:
Sarah Noffke writes YA and NA sci-fi fantasy and is the author of the Lucidites, Reverians, Ren and Vagabond Circus series. She holds a Masters of Management and teaches college business courses. Most of her students have no idea that she toils away her hours crafting fictional characters. Noffke's books are top rated and best-sellers on Kindle. Currently, she has fifteen novels published. Her books are available in paperback, audio and in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. To get a free book from the author, go here: http://www.sarahnoffke.com/free-book/

Connect:

www.sarahnoffke.com
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2n0rnJO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialsarahnoffke?ref=hl
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9830676.Sarah_Noffke
Twitter: @RealSarahNoffke
Instagram: @sarahnoffke

~~~

Have you checked out these other articles? You might enjoy these, too:

• How to Write Historical Fiction Without Really Trying - Guest Post by Christie Stratos

• How to Write Fantasy and Have Fun While Doing It - Amie Irene Winters

• Don't Write for the Market - Guest Post by J.D. Estrada

Don't Be Afraid to Experiment - My Interview with Ingrid Foster

What's my advice for struggling authors? 

How did my background in environmental studies influence my writing? 

Find out the answers to these questions, and more, in my interview with Ingrid Foster.

While you're there, be sure to check out Ingrid's books. I just finished reading My Father's Magic and was stunned! I didn’t know what to expect with this book, especially since it’s labeled as ‘suspense’, which is something I haven’t read much of, but I can tell you I was very pleasantly surprised.

I felt like Alice falling further and further down the rabbit hole of magic and mystery. Whenever I thought I was starting to figure out where the story was going, it would take an unexpected twist. As the story unfolded, it became darker and more haunting, and I found myself thinking about the story even when I wasn’t reading it. I especially liked the character Esme. Her charisma, stamina, and flaws made her likeable and relatable. She was painted so vividly that I felt like I was watching her in a movie. Ingrid is a talented author. Her writing is succinct and thoughtful, accentuating this fantastical suspense story.

What's On My Nightstand - Reading Recommendations

Curious about what I'm reading? Here's what's currently on my nightstand:

A Monster Calls: I had such high hopes for this book, especially given its gorgeous artwork, but ultimately I was disappointed. I thought it was going to be able actual monsters, secret worlds, spooky things...magic. At least that's how it was presented. Instead, it was a depressing middle-grade book. The protagonist is picked on at school, his dad is ass, he hates his grandma and is forced to live with her, oh, and his mom is dying an extremely painful death. The story is really sad and at points gut-wrenching, especially if you've ever had anyone close to you die of cancer. I can appreciate what the author was attempting to do with this story, and some parts were genuinely creative, but ultimately I found it increasingly difficult to stay motivated to read it.

Tuck Everlasting: I remember when this came out in theaters back in the day and never knew it was a book until recently. A free copy recently landed in my lap and I've been reading it at night before going to bed. It's an extremely easy read with an intriguing concept. The best word to describe this book is cute. It's definitely geared towards a younger audience, or for people who just want something light and whimsical to read.

Collected Ghost Stories: This book is seriously creeping me out! The use of descriptions and story concepts are haunting, and dare I say reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft (yay!). James does an incredible job of transporting you into the story in just a few short lines. The biggest surprise about this book is that it's a lot easier to read than most Gothic horror stories, but it has just as much bite.

Suspended: This is a mysterious, fun, and easy to read story that is full of imaginative and vivid imagery. The Dream Travelers are an interesting and original concept, and the story’s many twists and turns keep you hooked until the last page. This story reminded me of The Night Circus meets Alice in Wonderland. I enjoyed getting to know each of the unique characters and their equally unique magical abilities. Noffke has written a delightfully whimsical book that is sure to delight fantasy and YA readers.
 
What's next? I just got The Chaos of Stars and am really looking forward to reading it. The concept of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses living in modern times sounds really interesting.

~~~

What's on your nightstand at the moment?

Have any books you want to recommend?

Please share below.  :D

10 Famous Writers’ Fascinating and Pecuilar Hobbies

Need some inspiration for a new hobby to pick up? In today’s post, I’ve put together a list of ten famous writers and their fascinating (and sometimes peculiar) hobbies. Enjoy!

Neil Gaiman: The master of fantasy enjoys beekeeping in his spare time. How awesome is that!? Sylvia Plath was also into beekeeping.

Ernest Hemingway: The Nobel Prize-winning author loved spending time outdoors, hunting, and fishing. He went on several African safaris and was an accomplished deep sea fisherman.

Susan Dennard: The Truthwitch author unwinds by practicing martial arts:

“I was immediately hooked. Everyone was so nice! The class ranged from all ages—kids to grandmas, other UGA students to officers off the nearby army base. Best of all, no one was competing with each other. The whole karate philosophy was about competing with yourself. A “be better than you were last time” mentality.”

She's also way into steampunk culture.

Madeleine L’Engle: Best known for A Wrinkle in Time, L’Engle would play the piano when she had writer's block:

"Playing the piano is for me a way of getting unstuck. If I’m stuck in life or in what I’m writing, if I can I sit down and play the piano. What it does is break the barrier that comes between the conscious and the subconscious mind. The conscious mind wants to take over and refuses to let the subconscious mind work, the intuition. So if I can play the piano, that will break the block, and my intuition will be free to give things up to my mind, my intellect. So it’s not just a hobby. It’s a joy."

Ransom Riggs: He unwinds by collecting creepy vintage photos:

"I have an unusual hobby: I collect other people’s pictures. The ones I love are old and orphaned and have found their way into flea markets or swap meets or into the hands of collectors. I have thousands, some of which have found their way into my books. Here are 18 that inspire me but have never been published."

Beatrix Potter: Potter was a successful breeder of sheep and well regarded for her work to protect the beautiful countryside she adored.

J.R.R Tolkien: When not writing, Tolkien invented new languages, many of which (e.g., Elvish) he used in his writing. He wrote songs and poems in his fictional languages. In addition, Tolkien worked to reconstruct and write in extinct languages like Medieval Welsh and Lombardic.

Agatha Christie: The British murder-mystery writer lived quite an adventurous life. She frequently accompanied her husband on his archeological digs.

Leo Tolstoy: The Russian writer was an avid chess player. He learned how to play as a young boy and recorded many of his games.

Ayn Ryad: Although she spent most of her time writing and promoting her philosophy of Objectivism, she was also a passionate stamp collector:

"I feel tired after a whole day of writing, I spend an hour with my stamp albums and it makes me able to resume writing for the rest of the evening. A stamp album is a miraculous brain-restorer.”

~~~

If you're curious how I unwind, I cook. A lot. Primarily Mexican and Italian dishes. I just got a dehydrator and have been busy making fruit rolls, dry rubs, and homemade jerky. My specialty is baking desserts though. I have a major sweet tooth. 

Overflowing With Charm - Five-Star Review from K.J. Simmill

I'm also thrilled to share a five-star review today from K.J. Simmill, author of Darrienia: The Forgotten Legacies Series. Here's a snippet from the review:

"A vast world of fantasy and imagination is created,

overflowing with charm and adventure."

Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, K.J. :)

You can read the full review here. Don't forget to check out K.J.'s awesome books while you're there.

How to Write Horror - Guest Post by Mercedes Fox

It's no secret that I love horror, which is why I'm especially excited to share this guest post today. If you've ever been curious about writing horror, or are just a fan of the genre, then you're in luck! Mercedes Fox, author of the Vengeance of the Werewolf series, reveals her trade secrets.

How to Write Horror

Although I put my books in the horror category I’m not sure they are actually scary. I tend to lean to putting them in the horror-splatter punk genre. The best way to write about horror is write about something which scares you. I’ve always had a fear of the closet monster or monster under the bed. Even now at 42 my imagination still rules my impulses.

You must first setup the scene. Make the reader smell it. Make the reader hear the world around them. Put the reader in your character’s shoes by ramping up the nerves. Horror/thriller scenes are best in the dark or a dark room. Somewhere spooky, like an abandoned barn or old mine shaft or old slaughterhouse. Aisle 13 at Walmart is not scary unless the power is out, zombies are breaking through the glass doors and wandering about. You can hear the breath rattling in their chests. Or the werewolf is inside with you. The reader hears the click of its claws on the floor.

A fellow writer and teacher of writing, Rayne Hall, said it best, “cowards are the best horror writers.” Another trick is to not keep the reader on edge the entire book. You must run your story on a squiggle line. Take them up and down or you lose the effect. Allow the reader to calm down and relax and then spring the monster on them.

I find short chapters help keep the story moving and it provides a good scene break. If the chapters are too long I tend to zone out. Although I’ve only wrote about werewolves, I’m going to do some reading of the greats (Tim Miller, Matt Saw, Sam West to name a few). I want to try my hand at psychopaths who don’t go all furry.

To tighten up your writing and really get the reader involved once you’ve wrote your first draft, take a look at all of Rayne Hall’s books in her Writer’s Craft series and then go back through your manuscript. A couple word tweaks here and then make a huge difference. I know from experience. After following the steps above my editor made comment my writing improved 100% from the first book she edited. She also said she never eats when reading my work :)

~~~

Bio:
I’m married for 22 years and the proud mamma to three dogs. I’ve published three books. I love werewolves so my books revolove around them. I write horror/thriller/splatterpunk; my books are explicit in everything from sex to killing. I write what I like to read. I enjoy reading, movies, shopping with my mother, folding origami cranes, crocheting, peg doll painting, and benchrest shooting. I’m also a big Harry Potter fan. Click here to learn more.

~~~

Have you checked out these posts? You might enjoy these, too:

• How to Write Historical Fiction Without Really Trying - Guest Post by Christie Stratos

• How to Write Fantasy and Have Fun While Doing It - Amie Irene Winters

• Science and Other Scary Word - On Writing Science Fiction - Guest Post By Belinda Crawford

• Don't Write for the Market - Guest Post by J.D. Estrada

Mass Book Giveaway and Book Bash

OMG! Free Books!!!

Join Brain to Books and GoIndieNow for a three day book bash and holiday giveaway on December 16, 17, and 18th!

Day 1 - December 16, 2016
Slush Brain Holiday

If you love Science Fiction, Fantasy, free stuff, and all things nerdy, join here.


Day 2 - December 17, 2016
Mass Book Giveaway - GoIndieNow Prize Pack

Every year Brain to Books hosts a holiday book giveaway. This year,  you can score signed paperbacks, tons of free e-books, GoIndieNow swag, and other awesome goodies. Click here to check out the prize pack. Did I mention that Strange Luck is one of the prizes??? While you're there, you can also enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card. You have until December 17 to enter.

Winners will be announced HERE.

Day 3 - December 18, 2016
Ani Manjikian Stars of Heros Release

Ani Manjikian is preparing to release the 2nd book in her series "Stars of Heros" (Heros as in Thracian Heros from Greek mythology) is a Science Fiction novel. They'll be prizes, games, giveaways, and so much more! Join Here


Good luck and Happy Holidays :)

Book Impressions - Fantasia Reviews The Nightmare Birds

"An impressive addition to the series."

"Fun and beautiful."

"Her use of the language, the pacing of the story, the imagination behind her imagery, each is admirable in their own right, but together pushes her strong narrative to be even greater."

Wow! I'm beyond thrilled about this review. Reading reviews like this makes it all worth it. :D

Read what else Fantasia Reviews had to say about The Nightmare Birds in their five-star review!

Book Review - Harables by Haidji

I rarely read poetry or short stories these days, but I've been meaning to read Harables - a collection of interesting and honest short stories by Haidji - for quite some time. The book was free to download via Kindle Unlimited, which is always nice, and I tore through it in only a few days.

Each story contains meaningful and powerful messages, the central themes being: to not let go of our childish wonder, to be our true selves, and to always look for the good in our selves no matter what. 

Her writing is incredibly vivid, and in many of the stories I was completely swept into the moment, and then left pondering the meaning of each story and how it related to my personal experiences.

Overall, Haidji's stories are unique, peculiar, interesting, alluring, and like nothing I’ve ever read before. Is it worth a read? Definitely! I'm looking forward to reading some of her other books now, especially SG- Suicide Game.

~~~

Haidji actually just released a review of my latest book, The Nightmare Birds, today, so I thought I'd share a snippet of it:

"With a fast speed, this book is a mixture of fantasy, mystery and --could I say-- thriller? It is like being in a race where you aren't sure where the finish line is and don't know exactly who is racing with you or against you."

I'm so thrilled that such a talented author said this about my book! You can read her full review HERE.

Five Books You Need to Read for Halloween

Looking for some spooky stories? You’ve come to the right place. :) I recently shared my horror movie recommendations, and this week I’m sharing my favorite scary books. Before you start reading, here's what you need:

• A nightlight
• Funny show or movie queued up on Netflix to watch after 
• A good cup of tea (preferably chamomile) to help you sleep

Here we go…

In a Glass Darkly: I don’t know how this one slipped my radar for so many years, especially since it’s considered a classic, but now that I’ve picked it up, I can’t put it down! Although a bit slow at first, this book has developed into an extraordinarily creepy tale about a metaphysical doctor’s experiences with the supernatural. Each story creates an atmosphere of mystery and dare I say anxiety. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that I’ll never look at a monkey the same way again. This is easily one of my favorite books of all time. This quote pretty much sums up what to expect:

“My memory rejects the picture with incredulity and horror. Yet I know it is true. It is the story of the process of a poison, a poison which excited the reciprocal action of spirit and nerve, and paralyses the tissue that separates those cognate functions of the senses, the external and the interior. Thus we find strange bedfellows, and the mortal and immortal prematurely makes acquaintance.”

Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children: I read this book before it became a sensation (and a movie). It’s an interesting concept and I love the creepy vintage photographs that accompany the story. The one with those twins in the white outfits on the back cover takes the cake for the scariest picture. For a brief time, I started collecting creepy Victorian pics too, but they freaked me out so much I had to get rid of them. Although I didn’t really care for the ending, it’s still worth a read if you’re looking for spine-tingling fantasy.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone: This was a random buy, primarily chosen for its beautiful cover. The description about a devil’s shop of human teeth was equally as intriguing. This story is incredibly imaginative and descriptive, although at times, so descriptive that I felt a bit nauseous.

M.R. James Collected Ghost Stories: Considered to be the most terrifying writer in English, his classic supernatural tales draw on the terrors of the everyday, in which objects unleash terrible forces. Muhahaha.

H.P. Lovecraft’s Book of Horror: I know what you’re thinking. She’s recommending another thing of H.P. Lovecraft. Yes and no. This books is actually a collection of works that inspired Lovecraft. There are stories by Charles Dickens, Robert Luis Stevenson, and Edgar Allen Poe to name a few. I chose to include this book because it's an excellent collection of the masters of horror.

Have a scary book you're reading at the moment? Give me a shout below. I love recommendations. :)