The once-magnificent city now sprawls dormant beneath the Amazon jungle, its pulse a terrible power still in play to this day. And it desperately wants entry back into our world… Gather your nerves for this spellbinding adventure filled with amazing treasure, disturbing villains, and shocking revelations in Fate Walkers by Shar Martin.
The story begins in the depths of the Amazon jungle. Protagonist Ellis Hollander is a teenage prodigy in the field of archeology, and finds himself in charge of a haunted site. Forced to shut down after his workers run away, he returns with spiritual reinforcements in the form of his best friend, Salvar. In the meantime, while working on a dig in the Congo, he is plagued by horrifying visions and dreams, which he can only attribute to the Amazon project…
Unbeknownst to Ellis, he has an enemy. Avrum Henson hates him and wants to destroy his reputation as “a leader among men.” Driven by greed and envy, their inevitable clash ends in an unforgettable and terrifying revelation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Southern California, the author dabbled in the motion picture industry with extensive training in the craft of screenwriting. After writing several feature-length scripts she discovered a passion for writing books. Over the years she has worked in the corporate arena and later attended Ashford University, majoring in English. She currently lives in Houston, Texas with her family. Shar Martin is her pen name.
Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. She is the recipient of April Moon Books Editor Award for “author voice, world-building and general bad-assery,” and the One Book Two Standout Award in 2015 for her Cursed trilogy. She has been featured on various author blogs and publishing websites, and is an active member of the Writing GIAM and Weekend Writing Warrior communities. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, and struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction.
Amy’s current work includes the full length novels Demon’s Daughter, Dark Divinity, Crimson Sky, and Path of the Horseman, and the novella Needfire. She has short stories in various horror and urban fantasy anthologies such as Call From The Grave, Hotel Hell, Survivalism in The Dead Walk: Volume 2,Dismantle in The Steam Chronicles,Lost Sky in Avast, Ye Airships!, Secret Suicide in That Hoodoo, Voodoo, That You Do, Bring Back The Hound in Stomping Grounds, Charlatan Charade in Lost in the Witching Hour, and her award winning short Dark Intentions And Blood in AMOK! Amy can be found online through her frequently updated blog, Literary Braun (literarybraun.blogspot.ca), as well as on Twitter (@amybraunauthor) and Facebook (facebook.com/amybraunauthor).
The first novel in a brand new series, CRIMSON SKY, the first 238 page novel of the DARK SKY books, marks the beginning of new characters as they forge their way through a shattered world, struggling to erase the perceptions left behind by their families, and relying on unlikely allies to survive horrors that have become commonplace…
CRIMSON SKY is a steampunk horror novel set in the ruined city of Westraven, once a powerful city filled with trade, airships, and daring pirates. Ten years after a cataclysmic event known as The Storm, when the human populace has been desecrated by savage monsters– deemed Hellions– from another dimension, the remaining survivors are forced to hide underground, using their skills and instincts to scavenge and endure. Among these survivors is a young engineer named Claire Abernathy. Claire is shunned by her fellow survivors because of her parents failure in The Storm, and the only light in her life is her younger sister, Abby. But on a scavenging mission, Abby is kidnapped by the Hellions. When Claire is discovered by roguish marauders, she is desperate enough to make a deal with them, and their fickle captain, Sawyer. As their adventures begin and unexpected relationships begin to form, Claire learns secrets about her past, as well as Sawyer’s, and realizes that she could be connected to the Hellions in ways she never imagined.
I’ve wanted to write the DARK SKY series since I was fourteen years old. I love vampires and I love pirates, and I wondered what it would be like to mesh the ideas together. I was tempted to go the obvious route– a crew of pirates crosses paths with a vampire crew, and chaos ensues– but I just couldn’t fall into the idea the way I wanted to. So I left it alone for a little while, and a few years ago, the solution came to me when I discovered the amazingness that is steampunk. It’s a genre where literally anything is possible, and I saw no reason why I couldn’t meld the ideas into something cohesive.
I worked on creating a new, fantasy world with rich history (I made a map and everything!), adding more elements as I worked harder on the details. I did my research to understand what Claire would be capable of creating, and I thought carefully about how desperate people would become after living in a wasteland for a decade, barely seeing the sun. I especially thought about who would hold the power in a steampunk world filled with grounded pirates, and how they would mingle. Or clash. I’ve enjoyed building this world as much as any story I’ve ever written.
Just as exciting was writing the characters of Claire and Sawyer. While I have fun with the secondary characters, both protagonists are at the forefront. I loved writing the banter between them, and they have some of my favorite interactions. They’re both so different from one another, yet alarmingly alike in certain elements. They’re stubborn and strong-willed, loyal and defensive, and they both suffer from the burden of carrying secrets to preserve their family’s honor.
I wrote the story like a madwoman, loving it more and more. When I was presented with the opportunity to submit a story for Mocha Memoirs Press’s steampunk anthology, AVAST, YE AIRSHIPS!, I thought it would be a good idea to test CRIMSON SKY out. This was a new series after all, and completely different from my other urban fantasy trilogy, CURSED. I revised the work into a short story called LOST SKY, and submitted it. I was delighted to hear back from the anthology’s editor, Rie Sheridan Rose, who absolutely loved the story and was excited to include it. I learned a lot during that period, understanding how spotlights and blog tours could help in promoting my work. It definitely helped that my story was well received and enjoyed by many readers.
CRIMSON SKY had a fair amount of editing to do once it was finished. It was the first time I’d used a professional Beta reader, and I was amazed at how in depth they could be. I made some important changes and worked with my editor to revise and perfect the story. Every reader gave me positive feedback, particularly with the characters of Claire and Sawyer.
I continued to work with Deranged Doctor Design for the cover and promotional work, and while their covers for my CURSED series have been absolutely gorgeous, I got the best responses for CRIMSON SKY. The promotional material is incredible, and I find every opportunity I can to use it.
I think every author gets nervous when they have a new book released, especially one that’s part of a new series, but at time of putting this media kit together, I’ve found I’m not as terrified as I think I should be. I mean, yeah, the nerves are still there, but I feel confident with CRIMSON SKY and the DARK SKY series in general. I think a lot of readers will like it, and find it different from traditional vampire and steampunk stories. It’s a mix of everything– steampunk, horror, post-apocalyptic, fantasy– so hopefully it will cater to a wide audience. I loved writing it, so hopefully there will be people who love reading it.
Q: When you began writing Crimson Sky, did you know the direction the series would take?
A: Yes and no. I had an idea of what I wanted the characters to achieve, but I had no idea how they would get there. I didn’t really know what Claire’s key from her mother would be used for, and I was still working on the history between her parents and the Hellions. But the more I wrote, the better understanding I had of the series and how it should progress. Hopefully readers will want to continue reading into the second book, which will be just as exciting as the first.
Q: What were the challenges in writing Crimson Sky?
A: To be honest, I don’t remember the story being that challenging as compared to some of my other work. Oh, there were times where I had to sit back and really think about what I was doing, and the research was bland as ever, but I knew I had to move past the roadblocks and just get the story done. The more I wrote, the more eager I was to reach the end, just to see how it ended.
Q: What inspired the design of Westraven?
A: One of my favorite movies is The Lord of the Rings. They’re beautiful films and the set design is incredible. I loved the look of Gondor, and I actually based the setting of Westraven off that city. A flatter, less medieval version to be sure, but I liked the idea of a crumbling city of white stones. I have another steampunk series planned that follows the more traditional ideas of a derelict steampunk town, but I didn’t want to write the same setting for two very different series’. I also think that Westraven’s stony, broken look gives a certain, haunting echo to the story, and I think a lot of readers will like it. There are still places in and outside of Westraven that haven’t been seen yet, and I can’t wait for readers to see them.
Q: Why did you choose vampires as the monsters?
A: It’s true that vampires are overused in fiction. It’s not something that’s lost on me. But the thing with vampires is that they’re such a changeable species, and when you stick to the tradition (more or less), they will always be terrifying. I modeled them after the vampires from Thirty Days of Night– they hide in the shadows, are super fast and savage, and have their own, animalistic language. I can’t read those books or watch that movie without getting chills when I see those vampires. Plus, I like the idea that even after its destruction, the Hellions continue to suck the life out of Westraven and its inhabitants. That definitely seems to raise the stakes.
Q: What can we expect in future books in the series?
A: Dark Sky will be a collection of three full length novels and two prequel novellas when it’s all said and done. Right now, the sequel, Midnight Sky, is scheduled for release in August 2016, with the novellas to be released in October and December. The final novel is scheduled for February 2017. Midnight Sky will have a lot of surprise reveals and twists, and an ending I seriously doubt anyone will expect. There will also be a lot more chemistry and interactions between Claire and Sawyer, which I think will leave a lot of readers happy. The novellas will focus on the secondary characters, Gemma and Nash, and chronicle their adventures before they joined Sawyer’s crew. I won’t say anything about the third and final novel, because I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say that things are going to get dark for our heroes, and they’ll find themselves in places they never expected. And that’s a good thing, because you can’t write a steampunk pirate story without some wild adventures.
In a world where warring nations use magic in combat, years ago young sorceress Aetria’s untamed power caused a disaster on the battlefield. Temporarily banished for retraining, she has returned to the army to redeem herself as head of a company of novice mages. She uncovers a traitorous plot by her own commander, renews her bond with her “imaginary” childhood friend, and meets her long-lost twin sister. While also becoming a trusted friend of the commanding general of the army, Aetria unearths secrets of the true nature of the magic she and her comrades wield.
About the Author:
Margaret L. Carter specializes in vampires, having been marked for life by reading DRACULA at the age of twelve. She earned degrees in English from the College of William and Mary, the University of Hawaii, and the University of California (Irvine). Her dissertation included a chapter on DRACULA.
In addition to her horror, fantasy, and paranormal romance fiction, she has had several nonfiction books and articles published on vampires in literature, including THE VAMPIRE IN LITERATURE: A CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY and DIFFERENT BLOOD: THE VAMPIRE AS ALIEN.
Her first vampire novel, DARK CHANGELING, won an EPPIE Award in the horror category. Other creatures she writes about include werewolves, dragons, ghosts, and Lovecraftian entities with tentacles. Her stories have appeared in anthologies such as Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover and “Sword and Sorceress” volumes.
With her husband, retired Navy Captain Leslie Roy Carter, she has collaborated on a sword-and-sorcery trilogy, beginning with WILD SORCERESS. She and Les have four sons and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Explore love among the monsters at her website, Carter’s Crypt
When a new island forms in the South Pacific after a volcanic eruption, nearby nations quarrel over who owns the fresh land. One of the countries sends an advance scouting party to plant flags and lay claim to the nascent isle, but none of that party returns. The sponsoring nation is accused of deception. Political rivals assert that members of the landing party are still on the island, building a military installation in secret.
In response, a United Nations expedition is assembled to land a second, neutral outfit comprised of scientists and humanitarian aid workers. This team is well-equipped and ready to report back to the U.N. in-situ about the fate of the first party. But once on the island, they discover that along with hot magma, something else has been dredged up from deep within the Earth…something alive.
About the Author
Rick Chesler holds a Bachelor of Science in marine biology and has had a life-long interest in the ocean and its mysteries. A certified scuba Divemaster, when not at work writing he can be found diving, boating or traveling to research his next thriller idea. He currently lives in the Florida Keys with his family. Visit him online at rickchesler.com, facebook.com/RickChesler, or twitter.com/RickChesler.
Africa, a place where superstition and witchcraft runs deep, a place of beauty, but where death lurks in the shadows. A land shrouded in mystery, with ancient beliefs simmering just beneath the surface – set on a collision course with modern western ideas.
An innocent act unleashes a horror that walks the African night… under the full moon… and nothing is safe.
Piet van Zyl, safari owner, finds himself drawn into a world of witchcraft, and face to face with a horror returned from the grave. With the support of Veronica Strydom, with her vast knowledge of African Culture, he must rid the night of the abomination, or die trying.
REVIEW
“…you cannot help but be compelled to read on…” reviewed by Lilian Flesher
[This review is from a gifted ebook reviewer copy.]
“You will be taken on a journey, an adventure, a scary trip that will have you rooted to the spot, whispering to yourself, WATCH OUT, perhaps yelling at the kindle like me!!! This is a fabulously well-written story, it tells the story of the old ways, witch doctors, medicine men, of tribal beliefs, the things that scare the tribes, the information is endless, you cannot help but be compelled to read on, to follow the journey to the end, keep praying for a miracle because these pair along with their friends and helpers are going to need more than help, they are going to need every ounce of their wits, their courage, their skills, and prayers to protect them.!”
Book Club Extras Packet includes author bio and photo, title information, covers, discussion starters, and full color printable bookmarks.
Author Paul Zunckel
Paul Zunckel was born in 1957 in Zimbabwe, then known as Rhodesia. His family moved to South Africa in 1966, where he completed his schooling at Kingsway Senior High School in Amanzimtoti.
He did his two years National service in the South African Defence Force as an Ops Medic, wanting to follow his heart and study medicine, but life got in the way.
Paul was employed in Air Traffic Control for twenty years, and has been involved in Management positions for over twenty-five years. He has a Human Resource Management Diploma, and is an accredited Facilitator.
He started to write full time in August 2014, about something that is close to his heart… Africa. The mysteries, the superstitions, and all the beauty and treachery of the land. He holds his wife responsible for the road he is now traveling, as she was the driving force behind him in his Debut novel, Blood Moon over Africa. Since then, the stories line up to be told.
Paul loves to write as it takes him into another world, and he enjoys the reaction that he receives from readers.
Apart from writing novels, he also plays the guitar and writes his own material, although he is unable to read music. Music forms a big part of his life, and he can lay claim to having cut one CD, although he does say, “I’m too old to be an idol.”
He has two children from a previous marriage, and has been married to Lucie, the love of his life, for the last fourteen years. Paul and his family live in the Eastern Cape, South Africa along with man’s best friend, a cross Alsatian/Lab who answers to the name “Pooch” and is at his feet every time he sits down to write and will not move until “his human” is finished and types The End.
When the Vietnam War pull pacifist David Ward away from Montana, mountain climbing and magic, he leaves for Navy boot camp with a suitcase of regrets. His fiancé ignores him, a close friend callously tells him to kill bad guys and have sex in every port, and an old flame sends devastating news, wrenching his life from its foundations.
Sweet Victory by Angela Kay Austin is now available as an AUDIOBOOK on Audible, iTunes, and on Amazon! Also in All Ebook Formats and Print Editions.
Sweet Victory tells the story of Victoria James… ‘Victory’ to her high school sweetheart, Chad.
For her employees’ sake, Victoria James quits her job to save theirs. That decision loses her the man she thought she loved, and sends her back to Memphis, TN with everything she owns to face a neglected and forgotten relationship with her grandfather.
Everything she has is stolen. Chad Kirkpatrick, her childhood love, the first man to break her heart, now a police officer, comes to her aid.
Can she move forward, and put her past behind her? Will Chad forgive her?
Narrated and Produced by Diana Birdsall, 12 Time Telly Award Winning Voice Talent, an experienced voice in ‘the Biz’ for over 25 years.
To Celebrate the upcoming release of Book 2 in Malcolm R. Campbell’s Garden of Heaven Trilogy, for a limited time we’re holding a price reduction on Book 1, The Seeker! Yes, it is a trick. A trick to get you hooked on Malcolm’s trilogy!
The Seeker by Malcolm R. Campbell
Book 1 of the Garden of Heaven Trilogy
David Ward grows up on a Montana ranch where he develops an enduring love of mountains and the magic of the high country secrets he learns from his medicine woman grandmother. A vision quest at the summit of a sacred mountain opens his eyes to his future while blinding him to the details.
As a seasonal employee at a mountain hotel, David meets Anne Hill during the summer of Glacier National Park’s worst flood. Out of the ravages of water, they spend an idyllic summer in the beautiful Garden of Heaven.
When Anne is confronted by a stalker on a dark street in her Florida college town, the magic David uses in an attempt to save her changes her and leads them into the dark territory of misunderstandings and the blood of Tate’s Hell Swamp.
Summer at the Jersey Shore just got hotter… Take one widower grandfather, add two little grandkids, and widowed grandmother with a small granddaughter. Mix well. Stir in sun drenched beach days and moonlit nights. What have you got? A kite flying high with a new tail; an author writing a book to sort out emotions; a talented boy with his mother returned to claim the prize. Family complications and a happy beginning… not the end.
From the new Charmaine Gordon series The Beginning…Not the End.
In the middle of a rogue thunderstorm, two young men are mysteriously drawn to an old bridge in the middle of a Florida swamp. They discover the dead are waiting to speak, their lives are in jeopardy, and they must help an injured young woman they find beside the road.
Moonlight and Ghosts
On a moonlit night, Randy’s intuition is drawing him back to an abandoned psychiatric hospital where he once worked. He and his friend, Alice, have heard the ghost hunters’ claims the building is haunted, filled with strange lights, apparitions and the voices of former patients calling for help. The Forgotten point Randy and Alice to a crime in progress… and there’s not much time to save the victim.
Vanilla Heart Publishing is pleased to announce our most recent expansion! Audiobooks! In the coming weeks and months,professional narrators and producers will complete our long list of fabulous VHP works by our Core Group Authors, including our first audio catalog due out in mid-June and to be available on Amazon, Audible.com, and iTunes!
Can you hear it now? YOU BET!
Final Sin by Chelle Cordero is now available as an AUDIOBOOK on Audible, iTunes, and on Amazon!
Also in All Ebook Formats and Print Editions.
Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full with the investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife when he meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. He is immediately drawn to her and finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. Julie finds herself just as drawn to him. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of their lives in extreme danger…Romance…danger…adventure…suspense…another great Chelle Cordero novel sure to grab readers from many genre!
Final SinReviewSuspense/Thriller, Romance; Reviewer: Lototy, Rating: 5 CupsThis story nearly vibrates with tension, and the impending doom will have you on the edge of your seat. The cast of characters is brilliantly depicted, each given both good and bad qualities that really enliven them to the reader. You actually get into the minds of several characters, and not just Jake’s and Julie’s. Final Sin is a real nail biter, and entirely too good to pass up, a true testament to Chelle Cordero’s talent…To read the entire Coffee Time Romance Review. http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Finalsin.html
Final Sin audiobook is narrated by Gwendolyn Jensen-Woodard, a professional narrator and voice-over artist, residing in the Pacific Northwest.
and the FREE Book Club Discussion Packet with full color printable bookmarks, author bio and photo, discussion starters, and synopsis – http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=912009
Can you hear it now? YOU BET!
Hunting Heartbreak by Marie Hampton is now available in Print, All Ebook Formats and is our first live Vanilla Heart Publishing AUDIOBOOK on Audible, iTunes, and on Amazon!
Hunting Heartbreak by Marie Hampton is the Winner of the Vanilla Heart Publishing Author Contest and is Marie’s debut novel, the first in a series featuring Kasumi, a female assassin involved in the Las Vegas Yakuza.
Hunting Heartbreak tells the suspenseful tale of Kasumi, a young woman deeply involved in the Las Vegas Yakuza, as she runs headlong into danger, both to her profession as an assassin…and to her heart.
Emily’s Stories by Malcolm R. Campbell is now available in All Ebook Formats and as an AUDIOBOOK on Audible, iTunes, and on Amazon!
Emily’s Stories are three short stories that will delight and entertain readers (and listeners) of all ages, with the tales of the young girl, Emily Walters, as she explores her world and that of the world around her… both mundane and temporal.
Emily Walters is a sharp, inquisitive fourteen-year-old north Florida girl who loves maps, her rusty old bike, and the forest behind her house. Sometimes her dreams tell her the future and sometimes her waking hours bring wise birds and other spirits into her life. In these three short stories, join Emily in adventures and mysteries.
When her family vacations in the mountains in “High Country Painter,” a wise Pine Siskin tells her she must quickly learn how to paint dreams into reality to prevent an afternoon hike from becoming a tragedy.
In “Map Maker,” she’ll need her skills—and the help of a Chuck-will’s-widow—to fight a developer’s plans for from bulldozing the sacred forest behind her house and replacing it with a subdivision.
In “Sweetbay Magnolia,” she’ll learn the secrets of her grandmother’s favorite tree, the crumbling almost-forever house down on the river, and why some ghosts would rather visit than haunt.
Vanilla Heart Publishing is currently OPEN TO QUERIES. We accept queries in the following genre only: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller (not gore), Fantasy, Adventure, and Historical Fiction. We have a full title lineup through Summer 2013 at this time, thanks to our terrific VHP Authors. We will be considering additional manuscripts after July 15, 2013. Please be aware that we do not publish poetry except as inclusions to specific anthologies. Nor do we publish children’s books, books that are epic in length, or erotica, which we define on a case by case basis.
Rick Chesler holds a Bachelor of Science in marine biology and has had a life-long interest in the ocean and its mysteries. A certified scuba Divemaster, when not at work writing he can be found diving, boating or traveling to research his next thriller idea. He currently lives in the Florida Keys with his family. Visit him online at 
A Potpourri of Promos, Book Talk, Entertainment & Articles of Interest from Chelle Cordero 