Today we are hosting Author Malika Gandhi with her new release Witch Crystal.
Blurb:
The Witch Crystal was silent, hidden from the clutches of the High Witch, somewhere, where she couldn’t find him. The time has now arrived to show what it can do...
Larissa is a young witch of fifteen. Nobody, not even her best friend knows about this. She goes to a normal school, has a great mother, and she likes the new boy in town.
Then, strange things begin to occur, and Larissa’s normal life is not so normal anymore. Her best friend, Chantelle, is not who she thinks she is, and why is Jake’s name really Xyth?
An abduction of Chantelle brings the unknown to the forefront, and Larissa is faced with the task of finding the Earth Spirits, to repair the Aurora Borealis. Only then will she be able to travel to Zrotaz, her home planet, and rescue her best friend from the High Witch!
Follow Larissa’s journey as she travels to Norway in search of the Earth Spirits, where she encounters fierce and frightening, but also good and kind, magical creatures. Will Larissa be brave? Will she be able to accomplish her task, to adhere to the prophecy?
Excerpt one, taken from Chapter one:
A deafening blast blew the door open, knocking Senon to the ground. He quickly picked himself up as an ear splitting scream followed, forcing both him and Marcaria to crouch over their daughter. With their hands over their ears, they waited for the scream to die down. They rose to their feet as soon as it did. The scream was the witches’ scream, deadly, if anyone came close to it. A series of blue, green, and yellow flares flew at them but Larissa had used her shield. “Good girl,” said Senon. “Father, so...hard...” Larissa lost her strength and the spell collapsed. “We can’t stay here, Senon.” Marcaria picked Larissa up and ran to the garden. Senon looked at the space where the door once stood and followed his family to the back of the house. The attacks were aimed from afar, but Senon knew the Empire Witches were moving closer into their village. The most powerful and merciless on Zrotaz, were the Witches of the West, the Empire Witches will do anything to get what they want, and this time it was the girl. No one had yet defeated this clan, meaning Senon and Marcaria alone did not stand a chance.
Embark on a journey into The Sea of Conscience, a mixture of poetry and prose by MJ Holman for absolutely #FREE on Smashwords until June 28th.
This collection also features three guest works by author Queen of Spades.
Blurb: Spanning thirty years, this collection of poetry and prose documents the discovery of mental illness through writing. It charts the slow crawl of mental decline and the gradual realisation this illness is a background noise that cannot be ignored.
It is not a volume defined by mental illness alone; passions for art, literature, opera, and history are here; passions which help us survive when illnesses can be unforgiving and we fail to forgive ourselves. These words explore our perception of ourselves during times of duress and how our passions can be part of our coping strategies, helping us to remain here - embattled - but as survivors.
Just visit Smashwords and enter code ZD36X upon checkout.
Today we have Author Sarah Michelle Lynch visiting us with an excerpt of THE RADICAL.
Ryken gestured for us to head to the back of a carriage and for me to look as inconspicuous as possible. Yeah, like how was I gonna do that?
We held our breath and kept a watch on the carriage doors throughout the journey; our hearts racing each time the train creaked to a stop at a station along the way.
When a suspicious character started wandering toward us, Ryken turned his body to mine in my window seat, eclipsing me. Protecting me.
‘Play along,’ he said.
I saw new intent in his eyes and it frightened me. His warm palm came up to my cheek while his other slid its way under my skirt to grab my thigh.
‘No‒’ I tried to protest.
His mouth came down on mine and he sucked on my top lip, pulling savagely so that my flesh hit the underside of my nose. I heard the sound as he pulled back and he grunted after letting me go.
‘No?’ he countered.
I grabbed his cheeks and brought his mouth back on mine, slicing my tongue between his lips to enter his mouth. We both had terrible breath and his stubble grated. However, my blood started pumping faster than ever before. I relaxed into my chair and he took over, pressing his chest against mine, lifting my thigh into his hand to stroke the underside.
Shit, I wanted to fuck him so bad.
‘Seraph, Jesus…’
When I felt relaxed, I put my arms around his deluxe shoulders, allowing him to continue kissing me passionately. My hand strayed into his hair and a thumb rubbed the edge of his ear, while my leg moved in sequence with his touch. I was almost lost to deep, sensual yearning. When he slowed down to plant a delicate butterfly kiss on my bottom lip, we eyed each other closely and I felt a seismic tremor shudder through me.
‘This cannot be happening,’ I pleaded. I looked into his eyes and saw a rich passion I wanted to find out more about.
‘I just needed some praise. That will give me enough bolster to get by with. Put your faith in me, angel.’
I nodded and gave him a smile, tugging gently on his silky hair. When a guard started walking down the aisle, Ryken went back to assessing whether there was any danger and I merely stared out of the window as though I was just another ordinary woman on a day trip. As soon as we heard over the tannoy that the next stop was King’s Cross, we stood together and he took my hand, his fingers through mine tender and reassuring.
I began preparing myself for London – that heaving metropolis of sweaty, agitated bodies crammed into as many tight spaces as possible. There was absolutely no population control. From what I had seen on that video in York and online, the skyline was littered with dozens and dozens of tower blocks, skyscrapers and multiple recycling plants.
Room was so tight people could no longer afford bathrooms of their own and had ended up having to use public baths to cleanse themselves. Most of these establishments had turned into centers for drug runners and small-time hoodlums to doss about in.
Traffic jams were never-ending, black smog left the place in perpetual darkness, and the river clung to itself in a congealed cesspit of excrement and fly-tipping. It is going to be hell itself, I thought. We would be lucky to escape. Lucky to survive the radioactive abyss.
BLURB:
In the first instalment of S.M. Lynch's dystopian adult romance series...
The year is 2063 and Big Brother has control; 40 years previously Officium took over global intelligence, government, supply and policing. In the wake of viral disaster they offered to return the world to order, but at a cost.
New York journalist Seraph Maddon has been trying to link the death of her British parents to the group that has rinsed the world of all hope - but more than ten years of investigations have turned up nothing. It is only when she leaves her job behind to travel to England for a funeral that she starts to unpick her family’s involvement in a movement known as UNITY.
Someone intends Seraph to cross paths with Dr Ryken Hardy and when they meet, it is not long before they are running for their lives - their combination a significant threat to those who believe themselves beyond surveillance.
Seraph’s rollercoaster journey of reawakening and newfound love is a battle to finally break free of the shackles of oppression. Secrets and lies are the norm amongst a frightened population and the truth may be best kept hidden.
But someone is determined… the truth will out, for better or worse…
Today I'm happy to present two fantastic people for the All Authors Blog Blitz.
I'd like to welcome Ms. Harmony Kent and Ms. Debra Chapoton.
Ladies, (extending my hand cordially) take it away...
Harmony Kent
Hi Y, it’s great to see you again.
How have you been?
For those of you who haven’t met me before, I’m Harmony. I hope the selfie hasn’t put you off your food! Don’t worry, my book covers are a lot better.
So, it’s June 15th, which means only one thing … another All Authors Blog Blitz. You can find Y over at my place by clicking here. Please pop in and give her a huge warm welcome. Thanks so much, Y, for organising this fantastic web event yet again.
I’ve been around on the web since May 2013, when I published my first book. In real life, I’ve been around a little bit longer than that. Here and there bits and pieces of info about me have surfaced, but never before have you had it all in one place … until now. So fasten your seatbelts, and get ready for a journey through my psyche: if you can handle it.
I’ve always been a writer, it just
took me a while to realise that. When I was a kid, I was always
writing. And if I wasn’t writing, I generally had my nose stuck in
a book, and would be oblivious to the real world. My Mom was always
telling me off for not hearing people when they were trying to get my
attention, and if I had to stop reading it was always like … ‘Just
one more line, please?’ or ‘Can’t I just read to the end of the
paragraph?’ I couldn’t bear the thought I was missing what was
about to happen next. That’s the great thing about books, as
opposed to movies. When you put them down, the story stays right
where it is, and you don’t really miss anything—except in your
own mind, which is where the real magic happens. Eventually, I grew
up and the writing kind of got lost somewhere in the morass of
everyday life. I wasn’t a very confident woman back in the day, and
the pressure of holding a job and managing relationships took its
toll. My creativity got a lot squashed. And, of course, the explosion
of the World Wide Web hadn’t happened yet (I know, I’m REALLY
showing my age now) … which meant that any research had to be done
at the library, the old fashioned way—trawling through shelves and
shelves and pages and pages of books. Not to mention taking a lot of
time, it could also prove an expensive business. And, a lot of the
time, my library just didn’t have what I was looking for. I did
keep my passion for reading though. This saved my imagination, and my
vital spark. Books were my personal ‘Great Escape’.
In my mid-twenties, I came across
Buddhism and very quickly took ordination in the Japanese Zen
tradition. I stayed in the temple for about 13 years, and it turned
my life around. Those were difficult years, but so worth it. I
wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. I found peace,
contentment and confidence. At last, I felt up to the awesome task of
living. There were a few speed bumps along the way, especially when I
received a severe injury to my leg. After three years of pain and
disablement I opted to have the damaged leg amputated, in the hope it
would give me a fresh start. That wasn’t to be, and all these years
on I still have a lot of problems with it. However, the years I had
spent in meditation and reflection more than equipped me to deal with
it. Not only that, but to use even this experience to evolve and
grow. Eighteen months ago, I left monastic practice and re-joined the
world. Within six months, I had published my first book. A fantasy
fiction novel based in Britain, Holland and Norway … oh, and
somewhere magical beneath the North Sea. The Battle for
Brisingamen was my springboard back into writing. Its publication
was also the catalyst for my educating myself in the intricacies of
editing and proofreading. I realised there was a huge need out there
in the world of indie authors, and that most editing services were
simply too expensive. Which is why I offer my services very cheaply.
Most indies just can’t afford that much money. And, as I say on my
website (harmonykentonline), I
am open to negotiation.
Another six months on saw the
publication of my second book: The Glade, a supernatural
suspense novel. It also saw me reviewing for Awesome Indies and The
Review Board, and even writing a guest post for All
Authors Magazine. Now, eighteen months since my life changed
massively yet again, I am about to publish my third book—which also
happens to be my first YA novel. Elemental Earth (Book 1 in The
Mysteries Series) is Young Adult Fantasy Fiction, and is due to
be released in mid-June. It is the first book of a series, and so far
the beta readers have loved it. I am thrilled to be able to tell you
that I have also been offered my own column in the All Authors
Magazine, and my first article debuts in issue five. The column is
All About Indie, and is the place you want to go to get the
low-down on all things indie. This is a great magazine, and as well
as being full of interesting stuff, it is also an entertaining read.
My author services are also starting to take off, and I am getting
busier with proofreading, editing, and doing MS appraisals. I also
offer honest reviews on every genre of book, and my ‘to review’
list is now huge. At the beginning of the year, I set my reading
challenge on Goodreads to 150 books, and I was worried I’d bitten
off more than I could handle. Well, so far, I’m 18 books ahead of
schedule (which means about six weeks-worth of reading time). So, I
guess I don’t need to worry about that particular deadline anymore.
It gave me quite a shock when I realised just how many books I’ve
gotten through so far this year. And that’s not counting the MSS I
work on pre-publication.
These days, my
life is so full and I’m so very happy—despite being physically
limited. My intellectual and
emotional horizons are broader than they
have ever been. I am so lucky to be able to spend my days doing the
things I love the most: working with books. I can write and read to
my heart’s content, and—best of all—I can help other authors
realise their dreams. And I’ve met some great friends along the
way, such as Y. What an awesome lady! I feel blessed to have met her,
and one of these days I WILL get over to the states to meet her, and
a few other great gals I’ve come across during my online journey.
If you’d like to connect up, and
learn more about me, then you can find me in all these places …
These days, my
life is so full and I’m so very happy—despite being physically
limited. My intellectual and emotional horizons are broader than they
have ever been. I am so lucky to be able to spend my days doing the
things I love the most: working with books. I can write and read to
my heart’s content, and—best of all—I can help other authors
realise their dreams. And I’ve met some great friends along the
way, such as Y. What an awesome lady! I feel blessed to have met her,
and one of these days I WILL get over to the states to meet her, and
a few other great gals I’ve come across during my online journey.
If you’d like to connect up, and
learn more about me, then you can find me in all these places …
Thanks so much for stopping by, and for
listening to me ramble on. And hugs to Y for hosting me on her blog
again.
Debra Chapoton
How an Author Finds Her Inspiration
Every time I read a book with a great theme I think wow, why didn't I come up with that? After all, there are roughly forty billion novel ideas floating around in the air just above our heads, right? Well, I've written almost twenty books in various genres and have plucked those themes from said air. The tricky part once I grabbed a theme was getting my muse to cooperate. Let me give you two examples of how I got my inspiration.
For my first young adult novel, Edge of Escape, the idea came to me as I sat in the passenger seat staring at a green line of trees. My husband and I were heading home from a weekend in the quiet woods of northern Michigan, aiming the car toward the traffic-crammed streets of suburban Detroit where we both taught in a large high school. The idea struck: What if a misunderstood teen set his sights on a popular girl and took her to the woods we just left? Well, that wasn't quite earth shattering. Here was where the inspiration fairy needed to do her thing. And poof! I thought of a particular student I had: tall, dark, handsome, but with some emotional problems. He didn't interact with the other kids; he ate lunch at the special ed table; his mother had arranged for individualized treatment from his teachers. The kid was smart, but a social misfit. What if his simple crush on a girl developed into a plan to kidnap her and make her like him back? Aha, almost there. To read the final synopsis go here:
Like Edge of Escape, my next two YA novels, The Guardian’s Diary and Sheltered, were set in suburban high schools and I also (loosely) based some of the characters on my students. Then for A Soul’s Kiss my inspiration came from – this is going to sound strange – STD’s. Here’s the thought pattern: I wish I knew what other people were thinking … I wish I could be that person for a day … What if your body could release your spirit and you could inhabit their body? Yeah, yeah, I know – body swapping. Freaky Friday, Disney movies, etc. Now for the inspiration: What if she didn't swap bodies? What if she just left behind others’ thoughts and dreams? Like an STD. The novel evolved from there with sub-themes of bullying, hidden crushes, and even racial tolerance. Here’s the back of the book blurb:
When a tragic car accident sends Jessica’s comatose body to the hospital her spirit escapes. Navigating a supernatural realm is tough, but being half-dead has its advantages.
Like getting into people’s thoughts.
Like taking over someone’s body.
Like experiencing romance on a whole new plane – literally.
Jessica learns an amazing truth as she struggles to return to her body before the doctors pull the plug, only she can’t do it alone. Now the only people willing to help Jessica’s splintered soul – the two she has hurt the most – must guide her soul back to her body before it’s too late.
Excerpt:
I think about Michael, but Hannah’s face keeps interrupting every memory. I think about Rashanda and Tyler, but again Hannah’s voice splits my thoughts in two. Her voice. And what I last heard her say as I sat behind her in her friend’s car. Last night: “We could make Andrew the next victim if you want.”
“We could make Andrew the next victim if you want.”
It echoes. I can remember the entire conversation. And more. I can remember touching my forehead to the back of her head. I got inside, but she would not acknowledge me. I could not get past the boxes of darkness that litter her head. It was like there were doors and more doors, all of them closed, and I didn’t have the keys to open any of them.
And now I’m stuck. There’s no pulling back out of her mind. Last night I felt her nausea, her migraine. I heard Brittany’s voice, took in their conversation, their good-byes, the walk into the house. I saw her father, felt Hannah’s disappointment – a mixture of repulsion and love as she sneaked past the snoring hulk sprawled on the living room couch. I remember her, us, getting ready for bed.
And then this blackness.
My heart, or maybe it’s Hannah’s, stutters to life in a race to beat my mind to a horrible conclusion: I am stuck in Hannah and Hannah is waking up.
Author bio:
Debra Chapoton has taught kids of all ages in her main career as a teacher. She has a BA in Spanish and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching English. She started writing in 2002 and was surprised to find out that the characters quickly take over the action and dialogue in the stories.
Her first YA novel, Edge of Escape, was self-published and then discovered by Piper Verlag Publishing and translated into German. Stalking and obsession get a sympathetic twist in this story of physical and psychological survival.
Her next two YA novels, Sheltered and The Guardian’s Diary, detour into a different genre as she writes about teens who confront supernatural forces. A Soul’s Kiss crosses genre boundaries to combine the paranormal, suspense, coming of age, and romance.
Chapoton has also written eleven chapter books for middle grade kids and two non-fiction works for adults, Crossing the Scriptures and Building a Log Home in Under a Year.
When she’s not writing she enjoys the quiet of the full log home she designed and built with her husband. They live in the middle of 62 beautiful wooded acres in northern Michigan.
Today, All Authors is knocking out two things as once.
(1) The featuring of Miss. C. Desert Rose.
(2) The showcasing of All Authors Graphic Design.
So, let's get to it, shall we?
We shall.
First we'd like to present to you the Upcoming Release Poster Ad for "If Death Should Love Me" by Miss. C. Desert Rose, created by All Authors Graphic Design for on $35 (USD).
A poster of this kind (or similar) can be created for you too, for the low base fee of $35 (USD).
Additional fees may apply.
(Any & all additional fees are applied when more than the allotted alterations are requested and made.)
Following we have a professional grade Book Trailer video for Miss. C. Desert Rose created for only $60 (USD).
A video of this quality and professional grade can be created for you too, for the low base fee of $60 (USD).
Additional fees may apply.
(Any & all additional fees are applied when more than the allotted alterations are requested and made.)
For more information on how you can get your affordable, professional book cover, poster, ad, banner and book trailer, visit All Authors Graphic Design.
Like the Wizard of Oz when Toto scurries across the stage and tugs on the red velvet curtain, I want to throw my hands over myriad levers and valve handles to throw up a smoke screen laser light show to distract you from paying any attention to the girl behind the keyboard. That rather defeats the point though, doesn’t it? In a market fraught with competition, and most of it being poor competition at that, we’re all authors with a voice struggling to be heard. Introverts like me, and countless others, who have wrapped themselves in words as dual means of expression and insulation from a chaotic outer world, are now asked to open the window, draw back the drapes and let in a little light so that readers can get to know them better.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. In fact it’s a tremendously positive thing – this whole necessity of finding a new comfort zone in finally finishing writing the story that has been growing and developing in my head for the last twenty years. Signing on for publication is an even greater leap of faith. I wrote it for a reason – to be read. And now others are reading it, even if just to edit and polish the prose – the lifeblood of the characters whom have become some of the greatest friends I’ve ever had.
Aha, okay, see, now I had to get used to the curtain being pulled back. Pardon me. I got a little ahead of myself and skipped over some pertinent details. Allow me to start over. Ahem.
Hello! My name is Andrea Houtsch (real name, no pseudonyms here) and I am the author of the upcoming novel She Will Become, an erotic LBGT-themed romantic drama. I recently signed on with All Authors Publishing House to publish and am anxiously awaiting a release date while enjoying a rousing round of editing and revisiting old friends.
I began writing this story back when I was a junior in high school. Originally an exercise in visualization, what began as a simple story of wandering through the woods to discover an old mansion, over time, became a sweeping epic revolving around identity, relationships, sexuality and love. I humbly offer up a synopsis.
When Tristen Callayas, 22, confesses to her best friend Ani that she has been in love with her for the last eight years of their life-long friendship, she hopes only that Ani’s blatant homophobia won’t destroy them. When she is rejected and fully ejected from Ani’s life Tristen is cast into a mire of doubt and suicidal thoughts. Unable to find solace she decides to end her life. In the course of attempting such a drastic end to her misery she finds an abandoned mansion housing a beautifully carved wooden box and a mystery involving a woman who disappeared a hundred years earlier. Following the puzzle pieces and discovering the box contains a portal to another world entirely, Tristen throws both caution and fate to the wind and finds Abiniam, a rustic world filled with as much beauty as pointless violence, ruled by the dual fists of a repressive religious Ostian regime and the wayward, emotionally distant King Reese Westphalia.
Abiniam and its peoples offer up a new chance at life, love, meaning and purpose. Through the relationships Tristen establishes and builds with a host of characters – from Gwyneth, her beautiful handmaid who bears an uncanny and haunting resemblance to Ani; to Genevieve, the woman whose disappearance led Tristen to Abiniam; to Fahl, the king’s personal servant who hails from the war-savaged southern lands of the Uwate Mountains and whose self-avowed belief in the opposing religion sets him distinctly apart; to Endecai, Gwyneth’s quietly observant younger brother; to Bastian, the Master Rabani/”Ost’s Chosen Illuminator” so obsessed with fulfilling a thousand year old prophecy he will stop at nothing short of burning anyone Tristen has come to love and care for on the Purification pyres to obtain his goal; to the mysterious castle steward Rabani Theo; and finally to King Reese himself, a man full to bursting with inner torment over the “sinful” callings of his heart versus living up to the ideals and responsibilities ruling over a kingdom engaged in a four hundred year war entails – she learns more of what it truly means to love and be loved, to see the world through a lens unclouded by misery and angst, and instead through the filter of human compassion and self-sacrifice.
How will Tristen navigate these relationships? Will she affect as much change upon the people of Abiniam as they bring about in her over the course of the story?
Watching the characters grow over the course of twenty years has been much like watching as my son grew from infancy to the tweenager he is now. Ideas loosely formed in my formative years took on weight and definition. A world developed and a map to explore it drawn. The ghostly outlines of the main cast of characters slowly took on shape and substance. Secondary and even tertiary characters developed to fill the gaps and make the connections. Sometimes these secondary and tertiary characters transcended their original purpose and became someone more. For a certainty every person populating and interacting in this book took on a life and voice of their own. Writing this book became a fellowship of sorts. I wasn’t so much as creating anything. I was observing and recording what I heard and saw – what the characters needed me to experience in order to tell their story. I was only graced to be a witness to their unfolding, and to have learned some lessons of my own in the process.
She Will Become is about relationships and how they serve to move us through life, no matter where we are in the universe or what God we believe in. This is a story about love and loss, drama and intrigue, emotional connections and discovering who we are by navigating the tangled web of relationships that make up the foundations of our human lives. It is in and through the quality of our relationships and the mirrors they represent that we discover and become our truest selves.
In addition, several of the characters who transcended their original roles to play a more integral role in the plot Tristen finds herself inextricably embroiled in merited erotic short stories of their own. These I am all too happy to share to give readers a broader look at the world of Abiniam and the people who inhabit it.
In Stitching Inseams: Nyra and Astrid we meet Castle Westphalia's court seamstress and tailor, Nyra Sellet and her assistant and life partner, Astrid, as she struggles and to resist Astrid's beauty and wiles. Tristen Callayas has come to Abiniam from Earth and turned society on its head with her other-worldly ideas on how women should dress, among other ideas. Tristen's penchant for trousers has Abiniam's Peerage raising polite eyebrows and filling Nyra's coffers and hours with design work. There simply hasn't been time for anything beyond scissors, needles and thread for weeks and the two women are feeling the gulf between them. Become a fly on the wall with as these two creative denizens of Abiniam make time for one another and sharing their love.
In Between the Pages: Sedge and Akiva the servants of Castle Westphalia are forbidden from fraternizing. Personal relationships are taboo. This doesn't stop Sedge and Akiva, two unlikely lovers. One is a thief and spy, the other a bookworm and archivist. When the festival of Wintertide arrives Sedge wants to take his lover out to celebrate but Akiva has other plans. She's on a secret mission for illicit information and only reluctantly agrees to allow him to help when he decides any time alone with her is time he'll take no matter what they're doing. Follow Sedge and Akiva as they descend into the belly of the castle to explore the archives and each other.
Today All Authors P&P is SO VERY PROUD TO PRESENT the very first recipient of the All Authors Certificate of Excellence.
CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. BEEM WEEKS FOR HIS OUTSTANDING WORK ON THE HISTORICAL NOVEL TITLE JAZZ BABY!
We here at All Authors P&P believe that Mr. Weeks demonstrates and upholds all of the qualities that All Authors stands for with his work on Jazz Baby. Therefore without further ado, we present to you Mr. Weeks with an acceptance speech.
On May 20th of this year, I received notice that I have been selected as the first recipient of the All Authors Certificate of Excellence for my novel Jazz Baby. I must say, this honor came as quite a surprise. I never expected any sort of achievement award for this work. While I am certainly proud of the story I’ve written, I remained convinced that any sort of commendation would have to wait until I had three or four novels under my belt. But here it is.
This award, the All Authors Certificate of Excellence, is something that I accept with a humble heart and with a certain amount of pride. That the wonderful staff involved with All Authors Magazine would even consider my work for such recognition is, in itself, such an amazing honor.
I wrote Jazz Baby over the better part of a decade, taking care to research and study 1920s America and the cultures of the day. I proudly admit to investing plenty of time and effort into making this story historically accurate, as well as entertaining to readers. This project truly was a labor of love—even when I put it away for two years! I cannot say thank you enough to the staff of All Authors Magazine for recognizing my work—especially when there are so many other amazing indie books that deserve this honor as well.
Thank you to Y. Correa, Queen of Spades, and the incredibly talented staff at All Authors Magazine for making this honor possible. Your continued support has been such a blessing, not only to me, but to indie authors everywhere.
I would also like to say thank you to all those who have taken the time to read and review Jazz Baby. It is your words of encouragement that drives me to continue along this path as an author.
A deafening blast blew the door open, knocking Senon to the ground. He quickly picked himself up as an ear splitting scream followed, forcing both him and Marcaria to crouch over their daughter. With their hands over their ears, they waited for the scream to die down. They rose to their feet as soon as it did. The scream was the witches’ scream, deadly, if anyone came close to it. A series of blue, green, and yellow flares flew at them but Larissa had used her shield. “Good girl,” said Senon. “Father, so...hard...” Larissa lost her strength and the spell collapsed. “We can’t stay here, Senon.” Marcaria picked Larissa up and ran to the garden. Senon looked at the space where the door once stood and followed his family to the back of the house. The attacks were aimed from afar, but Senon knew the Empire Witches were moving closer into their village. The most powerful and merciless on Zrotaz, were the Witches of the West, the Empire Witches will do anything to get what they want, and this time it was the girl. No one had yet defeated this clan, meaning Senon and Marcaria alone did not stand a chance.
