Thunder storms up the bestseller lists

Flags are out in three countries, celebrating the last of the World Wise Writer gals to release her debut novel. Only been out a couple of days and it already hit #26 in the Amazon US Bestsellers list for Children's Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Books. That's against stiff competition like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and The Hobbit.
Here's the deal:

When fifteen-year-old Olivia Williams and her two younger brothers wake up from a car crash, they’re positive their world has changed. The talking horse is a big clue. And he has a lot to say. According to Thunder, fairies, magic and good ol’ St Nick are all for real. On some level. Which would be incredibly awesome, but there’s a problem. A rift has formed between the layers of existence, and the evil Sliders are taking advantage of it—bringing violence, fear and hatred with them.

Now the three siblings are immersed in a tangle of reality and fantasy. One with trolls, freakish amphibians ... and town-devouring rats. Fortunately, help is on hand as Thunder introduces them to a world of Shifters and other powerful beings. Like Olivia’s very own Guardian, Ethan. Whom she actually does like. A lot. How could she not, when his job is to stand between her and death?

With humanity at stake, the Williams children must do more than accept the unbelievable. They must accomplish the impossible. The rift needs to be sealed and they’re the only people alive with the potential to do it.

You can buy it now on Amazon US or Amazon UK - at a mere $3.99/£2.43, it's one of the biggest bargains you'll find today. See what other people have said about it (follow the link for your country's Amazon and click on comments) and if you are still not convinced, read an excerpt on her blog.
When you've enjoyed meeting Olivia and her brothers, a comment would be awesome.

Mirrored Time defeats the Goblins

Whoops - this is a couple of days late - too busy focussing on my own stuff. One of our wonderful World
Wide Writers has published her stunning debut novel. This is one you are going to want to read again and again - or even Time after Time (cue Cindy Lauper ...) This will give you the idea:

First it was water.
Then blood.
And finally smoke.

Gwen Conway never knew there were so many ways to die. Honestly, it was something she would have been happy not knowing. Maybe, they really are just dreams. Nightmares. But they won’t stop. And dreaming of her death is getting old. Then there’s the sleepwalking. She’d like to pass on that too. Gwen’s pretty sure the dreams have something to do with her new job. Which of course, is definitely not just a ‘job.’

Don’t get her wrong, working for the Archiver of the Time Streams has its perks. Having the power to travel to any past or future time is fantastic. Plus, there’s Rafe, the ex-gladiator from the future. She’d like to keep him around too. Not that she would tell him that. It’d go straight to his head.

But she’s less than pleased to find herself in the middle of a time travelers’ war. Especially against a crazed half-god who has the power to obliterate the existence of any time or place. And the Guardians, her so called allies? All the help they offer is strict rules and smug superiority. Plus, they seem convinced she’s already lost, that she’s already died.

Gwen is starting to wonder whether she should have read her employment contract more carefully.

When you've read it, a comment would be awesome.

I strongly recommend you check it out - if my word isn't enough, read an excerpt on her blog and see what other people have said about it. Also, you can follow her progress through the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award - she's currently a quarter finalist. it also gives you the option to download the 1st 16 pages for free.

What's not to like about a Hot Angel and Forbidden Romance?

Absolutely nothing. If that sounds like your cup of tea, check it out:
UK Death Wishes or US Death Wishes. Here's some more detail:

During a routine operation, Jo Gold dies, causing all hell to break loose in heaven. No more exciting explorations with her teenage kids. No more bringing the worlds of film and TV into her maths lessons. No more dreams of adventures further afield. Or are there?

Her list of "10 things I must do before I die," written in front of witnesses, constitutes a legal and binding contract. Based on seven key aspects of her life, the angels have to decide whether she deserves a stay of execution to fulfil her bucket list.

Machidiel is a complete rookie, so everything is against him, especially the technology that lets him experience her emotions. As he tries to build a picture of her creative accomplishments, he is drawn to her in ways no angel should be. The added complication? His boss Zadkiel is determined to cause chaos at every opportunity. Mac is equally determined this woman will not stay dead. He has no idea of the real complication. If she lives and he is appointed her guardian angel, he will have to resist his attraction to her.

When you've read it, a comment would be awesome.

Busy Little Bees

 Unfortunately, I've been so caught up with releasing Death Wishes, I neglected to tell you that the totally awesome sequel to the totally awesome Crossfire has been released ahead of schedule.

And it lets you get to know more about the boy who ought to have floated Mirissa's boat but never quite manages it because of his guilty secret. Go check them out. You will not be disappointed.


Crossfire: Once a normal teenage girl, now an Amazon warrior. Add in a bunch of kick-ass preternaturals and one maniacal demi-god and what have you got? The worst birthday ever!

Greco: When Greco’s long-estranged mother is taken by an unknown enemy, he must face more than just his own personal demons. Ruthless mercenaries, inept crooks, and deeply buried secrets abound while Greco and Mirissa push their relationship to the brink in their search for answers. In this short story sequel to Crossfire, the mysteries of Greco’s past are revealed and his biggest mistake threatens to destroy his future.

Don't forget to leave a comment when you've read it.

A flurry of activity

Goodness me, you go away to Wet, Windy Wales for a few days and it's all happening when you get back. First of all, my very good friend Shoshona (SD) Freedman released her amazing book The Faithful. How can I say this nicely? You MUST go and Buy this Book. And then Read It. And then Write a Comment saying exactly what you thought of it.
Here's the blurb:

For Agent Josh Metcalf, memories are ghosts. They are blood-soaked backpacks and the smell of strawberry Chap Stick. Josh is haunted by a little girl who went missing his first summer on the force. Decades later his search has become an obsession, and he’s pinned the photos of hundreds of missing children to his wall of tears. All the children had psychic abilities. All the cases went cold -- with no witnesses, no useful tips, and no children ever recovered. Until a woman gets injured trying to stop an abduction, and Josh comes face to face with his personal ghost.

For Rowan Wilson, a meteorite hunter for NASA’s Spaceguard program, memories are lies. The childhood she thought she knew has been erased, leaving a black hole in its place. New recollections are flaring to life: men dressed like priests, a ranch in the mountains, mind control, and rape. Each new memory draws her closer to one of the other missing children, Sumner Macey; and to I Fidele, the underground organization for whom kidnapping is just the beginning.

For Sumner, memories have become weapons. He’s sharpened each of his with surgical precision: the ranch, the doctrine, the mind-wash, and the murders. He’s eager to slice at the black sludge pumping through I Fidele’s heart, desperate to cripple those who stole his childhood.

To I Fidele, non-psychics are cockroaches in need of extermination, an inferior species destroying the earth. They’re ready to enforce eugenics on a global scale. If they succeed, only those faithful to their doctrine will survive.

Pretty amazing huh? This lady knows how to tease you in, entertain you and keep you so wrapped  up in her world that you forget to eat, sleep and - well, you can fill in whatever is important to you.
Buy, Enjoy, Comment! It's my new mantra.

Congratulations ...

... and celebrations, while I tell everyone I'm happy as can be.
(Apologies to Sir Cliff for mangling his lyrics)

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I am just so incredibly happy that two of the Awesome WorldWiseWriters have made it through to the third round of ABNA. Only the Quarter finals!!!
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Yay, way to go ladies!

Shoshona Freedman's truly thought-provoking book The Faithful is through in the Mystery and Thriller category.

Jennelle Faulkner's marvellous mind-mangling story Mirrored Time
is through in the Sci-Fi category.

Well done ladies, we are rooting for you all the way to the final where you'll just have to duke it out for overall winner. Or maybe mud-wrestling?

Critting for England ...

Oops, so busy reading, critting and trying to edit a bunch of my older stories, I haven't posted for two weeks. One of the things I've discovered is that there are certain things that snag so badly for me, they pull me right out of the story and I just cannot get over myself enough to carry on reading. Here's my hit list - any of them resonate for you?

1. Voice mis-match (a 'mumsy' voice then a page of blood-thirsty, bone-crunching wet and nasty action). Sorry but if the voice doesn't match up to the genre I'm not likely to get past the first page. Especially if the first character I meet is a killer. I need to be wooed by a voice fit for purpose.

2. Cardboard characters (I don't get to meet them properly before they're saving the world). Or even worse, there is a lot of description and I get told what type of character they are but I never get to see them in action or hear their thoughts.

3. Cardboard action (heroes faced with impossible odds on the first page but oh-so-easily resolved when hundreds of monsters are slain with each stroke of a magic sword). Sorry, but this just feels like a get-out-of-jail-free card and I just invested a raft of emotion for a computer game scenario? Never more than once.

4. Way too much world-building detail (especially great chunks of description, particularly when it pertains to stuff that has no bearing on the characters or the story). Who gives a monkey's whether her shoes were Prada or D&G?

5. Name soup - a cast of dozens of bit players and/or names of Places and Things, cluttering up a page and snagging me out of the action while I try to work out who/what they are.

6. Too much geography (he stood up, turned around and walked towards the door situated on the right of the room ... that sort of thing). I am snagged out of the story while my brain tries to do the visual reconstruction of whatever picture the author had in his/her mind.

7. Constant time-stamping. As with the name soup, every time you mention a time scale precisely, it snags me out of the story while my brain scrutinises this new piece of information to try and fit it into a recognisable time-line and determine whether it makes sense with my view of how long things take.