Merry Christmas!

 

Holiday-Themed Writing Prompts

 If you find yourself needing a little push or a little help getting started, try some of these prompts for Season-Themed tales:

https://minds-in-bloom.com/20-christmas-writing-prompts/

http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com/christmas-writing-prompts.html

Merry Christmas!

The Blockhead's Awesome Tree

A Holiday Message from Me to You!

 

No bah. No humbug. X's allowed!

You know, it's okay to tell me happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas, even if you're a fellow member of my faith. I'm not going to get in your face about how you're not "keeping Christ in Christmas."

I don't care if you use Xmas either, because I understand the history of the X (and that it precedes both Malcolm and Stan Lee).

I understand that Constantine and his ilk thoroughly mixed the birth of Christ with pagan celebrations to obtain political ends. And if people still continue that today, they're not "not keeping Christ in Christmas" -- they're just continuing the blending that Constantine started all those years ago.

I get that.

If my understanding of the holiday season is about the work of Christ incarnating into humanity in order to be a perfect substitutionary sacrifice on humanity's behalf, then nothing you say or refuse to say can change one jot or tittle from that. No dollar sign can attach to it. And you can't wrap it or stuff it on a tree.

I can celebrate Christmas as I understand it without offending you or getting in your face, because the season is not some church-ordained mass evangelism event. Nothing about the season changes how I interact with you on behalf of my faith and what I perceive as your need for salvation from original sin -- I still have the same mandate to treat everyone, believer and nonbeliever alike, with the same grace, love, forgiveness and understanding that I do every other day.

Just because the word "Christ" is in "Christmas," it does not, nor should it ever, give me carte blanche to hassle you about becoming like me. (I would love for others to find what I've found, but it's not my job to be God's used car salesman or God's Internet spammer.)

I even enjoy the game of Santa Claus and dig the idea of adding a little drummer boy to our legend version of the nativity (as opposed to the real one that smelled like animal crap and was filled with a crying -- not silent -- baby, and didn't have any -- much less three -- wise men drop by until almost two years later).

All this to say, I hope that you have a wonderful time getting together with your friends and family. I hope you take advantage of this time to share some of your wealth with those less fortunate (trust me, in comparison to the rest of the globe, you ARE bone-idle rich). I hope you experience the love of those around you and share that love with everyone you encounter.

And I hope that, somewhere, in the busy-ness of this season, you find a few moments of peace on earth to contemplate the true and higher peace the angels spoke (not sang) about when they said: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

Merry Christmas! Happy holidays! Peace on earth!

Holiday Re-Runs: Writing Holiday Fiction

Let's get seasonal, all you writerly girls and boys and those along the spectrum. This week we're going to look at what goes into writing great holiday stories.

What makes seasonal-themed fiction popular?

Lucy Blue: I think seasonal fiction is popular for the same reason some people start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween. Readers want to cocoon themselves in that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling, and publishers are more than happy to feed that to make a buck. And writers are as susceptible as readers. The first time I see those Hershey's Kisses playing handbells or hear Nat "King" Cole, I want to drop every other project and write a Christmas story. Sadly, that's only about six months to a year too late to effectively publish, but never mind - so far, Christmas always comes back around.

Alexandra Christian: Even kids want to write and read about Christmas. When I taught 2nd grade, my kids would write and read Christmas stories well into March.

Mandi Lynch: When you're in the spirit, you're in the spirit. Alternatively, when you're buried under 14 feet of snow, the last thing you want to read about is somebody sweltering in the hot July sun.

Selah Janel: I think it has certain themes, tropes, and archetypes in a way that a lot of people relate to. Everyone has some sort of relationship with the holiday, good or bad, included or excluded. At times holiday fiction can be a comfort during a stressful time, at the extreme, some types can be an anesthetic. Because the go-to is cozy holiday stories, it's also ripe for subversion in the dark fiction genres, too, because that inversion can be really jarring.

Sean Taylor: Seasonal fiction taps into the general positive vibe of the holidays. It is able to reinforce those happy thoughts of holidays past and, if done well, cause the reader to reflect on something else to make their season a little more exciting, or spicy, or romantic, or action-packed, or just plain on more filled with warm fuzzies.

Do you find it to be as good as "regular" fiction, or does it tend to be mere marketing and/or sentimentalism?

Sean Taylor: I'm a bit of a snob, so I tend to find a lot of holiday stories to be melodramatic drizzle designed to cater to the easy plots and tired tropes of either love lost and rediscovered just in time for the holidays or to the Christmas Carol model of someone learns the "true meaning" (insert the author's personal definition of that here) and makes a permanent change for the better. I don't, however, find some truly enjoyable -- even to my snobbish tastes -- holidays tales.

Selah Janel: Depends. I've read enough to be able to tell when it's hitting an obvious formula. There are tons of bland or plain not great holiday fiction out there, but that doesn't mean they don't speak to someone. When it's done super well, whether it's because of well-developed characters, use of obscure folklore (because this time of year is FULL of it), or just really taking a chance on an unconventional plot choice (and doing it well), holiday fiction can strike a chord in people and be really exceptional.

Mandi Lynch: Depends. I've found both - but then again, I find good and bad in all genres. Depends on who writes the story.

Lucy Blue: Some genres lend themselves more to holiday stories than others, and their publishers quite obviously know it--the mainstream romance Christmas cowboys start riding onto the shelf at Wal-Mart by mid-October. But my hubs played a Christmas-themed DLC mission for Hitman last weekend, so no genre or format is entirely immune. I think a lot of them ARE callous cash grabs, playing on our sentiment or feeding our contempt. The overarching theme to almost every holiday romance is "You don't have to be alone at Christmas." The overarching theme to almost every holiday horror or pulp story is "You're smart to hate Christmas." The overarching theme to almost every science fiction holiday story is "Christmas is an illusion." As readers, we look to these stories not so much for originality or art but to find confirmation of our own feelings about the holidays. And as writers, we do the exact same thing. I don't think this makes these stories worse than "regular" fiction; they just have a somewhat different purpose. But because of that, they aren't nearly as effective in July. (There are many, many notable exceptions, of course.)


What makes for bad or mediocre holiday fiction?

Mandi M. Lynch: A story that's too worried about the pretty to worry about the storyline. It's fine that you want to describe all 42947 ornaments on the tree, but there needs to be something beyond, too.

Sean Taylor: Tired tropes. More Christmas Carol redunits. Anything that is satisfied with the low-hanging fruit of just warm fuzzies. A lack of surprise for the reader. And most of all, anything so steeped in sentimentalism that it requires more suspension of disbelief than an episode of Gumby.

Selah Janel: For me, if it's supposed to romance or a cozy read, it's bad if I can figure out the plot immediately, if the characters are cardboard audience-inserts, or if it tries so hard to be holiday that it breaks from reality. A lot of anthology Christmas reads are this way for me - maybe ok once but they fall apart on repeat reads. In the case of horror or even romance, if people try to be too out there or too clever-clever without backing up the idea with great plot elements and characters, it's just as lame. Everyone has done evil Santa, so if you make that choice you'd better give me a fantastic reason for it and a gripping plot arc. Every conceivable type of holiday romance has been done so if you go too out there, there'd better be some balance with the Christmas crazytown. The old legends work whether they're medieval or from different countries or what have you because they're short narratives. The moment you build on that with any holiday story, you need to be able to do it with some substance or else it's sugary icing with no Christmas cookie underneath.

I've had mixed reactions to my title Holly and Ivy, but my intent was to show the good AND bad of the season. People struggle that time of year, just like any other. People still hurt, they still die, but there's also family and relationships and hopefully some comfort, as well. There's magic, romance, holiday cozy rituals, and some faeries, but at its heart, it's about the choices the main character has to make and how she tries to grow and do the right thing, just like so many of us do. It's about trying to find the bright spots when things are shadowing the season, and I hope that's something that people can identify with, because it's definitely something I face every year.

What elevates holiday fiction into something that still stands beyond the season?

Ryan Cummins: I'm going to use one of my favorite films here as an example, DIE HARD. People argue it's relevancy in the holiday genre constantly but what I love about this film is that it has a great story that just so happens to take place during the holidays. Would it have worked just as well if it was set during Labor Day? Probably, but the fact that they used the Christmas as a seasoning instead of the main course is what gives the story its charm. That's why no one ever debates whether DIE HARD 4 is a Fourth of July movie or not. As long as what is at the center of the story has an emotional pull for the audience, its place on the calendar should be of little consequence.

Mandi M. Lynch: A story where the main issue could fit without a holiday. Blaire could just as soon bring Enrique home in April, it would still make a story. Luther could still want to keep within his budget. Frohmeyer will still be an overbearing neighbor in summer.

Selah Janel: For me, if it connects with my actual life experience. I love On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts because I know women like those characters. I grew up with similar traditions. I've seen that clash of wills. Likewise, I like the graphic novel Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol because it takes a gimmick but makes it make sense without going completely off the rails and destroying the original story. In both cases, you actually come to empathize with the characters and identify with the familiar holiday rituals.

Sean Taylor: Personally, I think the best holiday fiction uses the holiday itself as setting more than marketing or moral. It should have something to say about the people celebrating the season rather than merely becoming more "true meaning of Christmas" propaganda. The characters need to be fully realized people, not just Colorforms stuck into the same old manger scene rediscovery or "Scrooge learns his lesson" fable. Regardless of the time period in which they are set, they should say something true and honest and meaningful to modern readers. They should get beyond marketing and be good stories... period.

Case in point, I can watch It's a Wonderful Life anytime during the year, as well as Gremlins and Die Hard, and even Scrooged, but not The Bells of Saint Mary's, Christmas in Connecticut, or any of the Hallmark seasonal movies. Why? It's the difference between being steeped in sentimentalism and using the season as a springboard to tell a genuinely human story.

And yes, mentioning Scrooged sounds like I'm disagreeing with my own criteria, but that movie transcends it's typical Christmas Carol plot in so, so many ways.

From my own work, I tend to use the holidays to let my characters reflect, but not in the traditional sense. I've had them have to figure out the true nature of being a hero while dying during the holidays, rediscover the spark that died long ago because of a robbery and a captive's life in danger, and deal with the life choices that led to going from superhero to street bum (and was it worth it?) -- and that's a far cry from your visits with family in the snow-capped mountains or your big-city lawyer discovers the true meaning of Christmas in the idealized, pastoral setting where his car broke down. But, to each his or her own.

Lucy Blue: My own holiday-themed writing usually comes from something silly. For example, the one and only Hallmark-Channel-ready, contemporary holiday romance I've ever written in my life, Jane's Billionaire Christmas, came about as I was watching a Southpark Christmas episode with my digital artist/writer husband. We were discussing how obviously the guys who make Southpark have some female influence in their lives--every once in a while, Stan's girlfriend, Wendy, comes out with a monologue that Justin swears I wrote. ;) And as we were watching, I was thinking, geez, what WOULD it be like to be in a relationship with the brain that came up with Cartman? Laws, can you imagine taking that guy home to meet your parents at Christmas? And out of that came a Christmas story that is very sentimental and romantic and smooshy, but also, I hope, very funny. 

A Christmas Wish for You!

 Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Seasons Greetings to all (and God bless us, everyone! -- thanks, Tiny Tim)

=======================================

... "That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "that I simply must hear!"

He paused, and the Grinch put a hand to his ear

And he did hear a sound rising over the snow

It started in low ...

... then it started to grow ...

But this--this sound wasn't sad!

Why, this sound sounded ...glad!

Every Who down in Whoville,

the tall and the small,

was singing--without any presents at all!

He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming--it came!

Somehow or other, it came just the same.

And the Grinch, with his Grinch feet ice cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling:

"How could it be so?

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

He puzzled and puzzled, till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before:

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store--

Maybe Christmas--perhaps--means a little bit more."

And what happened then--well, in Whoville they say

That the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day.

And then the true meaning of Christmas came through,

And the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches--plus two.

-- Dr. Seuss, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas"

The Watson Report: THE PULP AVENGER’S CHRISTMAS

by I.A. Watson

 

’Twas the night before Christmas and down in the gutters

The vermin were stirring with curses and mutters.

Mister Big puffed on his big fat cigar

And stared at his henchman beside the wrecked car.

 

“What do you mean that the loot isn’t there?

How can it be missing?” he said with a glare.

“And where are the guys that we sent out as guard?

And who wrecked the auto? And who left that card?”

 

For all that was left of the briefcase of loot

Was a silhouette logo, some man in a suit

With a mask and a gun, on a card on the dash.

No sign of the gunsels, no sign of the cash.

 

“I want all the boys out patrolling the street.

Beat up all the stoolies and turn on the heat.

I want that case found and my money returned!”

Mr Big wasn’t about to get burned.

 

But as all the goons made to shake down the bars

A smoke grenade rolled out right under the cars

And a horrible laugh pierced the still Christmas night

And the thugs and enforcers looked round them with fright.

 

“Oh felons! Oh killers! Oh infamous crushers!

Oh murderous cutthroats and drug-dealing pushers!

Oh sinners! Oh cowards! O criminal scum -

Your dark days are numbered, your reign here is done!”

 

Then out from the alley through shadow and fume

Came a fast-moving figure of terror and doom

With two pistols blazing and fire-filled eyes

As he cut through the villains and made for the prize.

 

“Protect me, you idiots!” the overboss cried.

His thugs screamed and scattered as more of them died.

And the gentleman champion advanced on his prey;

Their crime-spree was over and now they must pay.

 

Mr Big fumbled a gun from his coat.

Before he could fire, strong hands clutched his throat.

“You thought you could kill me,” the gentleman said.

“But nothing can stop me at all now I’m dead!”

 

Police sirens roared through the slush-slickened street

To the site where the gangsters had met their defeat

And some men lay dying and some lay there dead

And Mr Big gibbered, his sanity fled.

 

And they heard a voice call, as the snow blurred their sight:

“There is justice for all… and to all a good night!”

 

Best wishes

 IW

A Dickens of a Christmas (All Year Long)

The Blockhead's Awesome Tree

 

Support Indie Artists for the Holidays!

Holiday-Themed Writing Prompts

If you find yourself needing a little push or a little help getting started, try some of these prompts for Season-Themed tales:

https://minds-in-bloom.com/20-christmas-writing-prompts/

http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com/christmas-writing-prompts.html

Holiday Re-Runs: Writing Holiday Fiction

Let's get seasonal, all you writerly girls and boys and those along the spectrum. This week we're going to look at what goes into writing great holiday stories.

What makes seasonal-themed fiction popular?

Lucy Blue: I think seasonal fiction is popular for the same reason some people start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween. Readers want to cocoon themselves in that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling, and publishers are more than happy to feed that to make a buck. And writers are as susceptible as readers. The first time I see those Hershey's Kisses playing handbells or hear Nat "King" Cole, I want to drop every other project and write a Christmas story. Sadly, that's only about six months to a year too late to effectively publish, but never mind - so far, Christmas always comes back around.

Alexandra Christian: Even kids want to write and read about Christmas. When I taught 2nd grade, my kids would write and read Christmas stories well into March.

Mandi Lynch: When you're in the spirit, you're in the spirit. Alternatively, when you're buried under 14 feet of snow, the last thing you want to read about is somebody sweltering in the hot July sun.

Selah Janel: I think it has certain themes, tropes, and archetypes in a way that a lot of people relate to. Everyone has some sort of relationship with the holiday, good or bad, included or excluded. At times holiday fiction can be a comfort during a stressful time, at the extreme, some types can be an anesthetic. Because the go-to is cozy holiday stories, it's also ripe for subversion in the dark fiction genres, too, because that inversion can be really jarring.

Sean Taylor: Seasonal fiction taps into the general positive vibe of the holidays. It is able to reinforce those happy thoughts of holidays past and, if done well, cause the reader to reflect on something else to make their season a little more exciting, or spicy, or romantic, or action-packed, or just plain on more filled with warm fuzzies.

Do you find it to be as good as "regular" fiction, or does it tend to be mere marketing and/or sentimentalism?

Sean Taylor: I'm a bit of a snob, so I tend to find a lot of holiday stories to be melodramatic drizzle designed to cater to the easy plots and tired tropes of either love lost and rediscovered just in time for the holidays or to the Christmas Carol model of someone learns the "true meaning" (insert the author's personal definition of that here) and makes a permanent change for the better. I don't, however, find some truly enjoyable -- even to my snobbish tastes -- holidays tales.

Selah Janel: Depends. I've read enough to be able to tell when it's hitting an obvious formula. There are tons of bland or plain not great holiday fiction out there, but that doesn't mean they don't speak to someone. When it's done super well, whether it's because of well-developed characters, use of obscure folklore (because this time of year is FULL of it), or just really taking a chance on an unconventional plot choice (and doing it well), holiday fiction can strike a chord in people and be really exceptional.

Mandi Lynch: Depends. I've found both - but then again, I find good and bad in all genres. Depends on who writes the story.

Lucy Blue: Some genres lend themselves more to holiday stories than others, and their publishers quite obviously know it--the mainstream romance Christmas cowboys start riding onto the shelf at Wal-Mart by mid-October. But my hubs played a Christmas-themed DLC mission for Hitman last weekend, so no genre or format is entirely immune. I think a lot of them ARE callous cash grabs, playing on our sentiment or feeding our contempt. The overarching theme to almost every holiday romance is "You don't have to be alone at Christmas." The overarching theme to almost every holiday horror or pulp story is "You're smart to hate Christmas." The overarching theme to almost every science fiction holiday story is "Christmas is an illusion." As readers, we look to these stories not so much for originality or art but to find confirmation of our own feelings about the holidays. And as writers, we do the exact same thing. I don't think this makes these stories worse than "regular" fiction; they just have a somewhat different purpose. But because of that, they aren't nearly as effective in July. (There are many, many notable exceptions, of course.)


What makes for bad or mediocre holiday fiction?

Mandi M. Lynch: A story that's too worried about the pretty to worry about the storyline. It's fine that you want to describe all 42947 ornaments on the tree, but there needs to be something beyond, too.

Sean Taylor: Tired tropes. More Christmas Carol redunits. Anything that is satisfied with the low-hanging fruit of just warm fuzzies. A lack of surprise for the reader. And most of all, anything so steeped in sentimentalism that it requires more suspension of disbelief than an episode of Gumby.

Selah Janel: For me, if it's supposed to romance or a cozy read, it's bad if I can figure out the plot immediately, if the characters are cardboard audience-inserts, or if it tries so hard to be holiday that it breaks from reality. A lot of anthology Christmas reads are this way for me - maybe ok once but they fall apart on repeat reads. In the case of horror or even romance, if people try to be too out there or too clever-clever without backing up the idea with great plot elements and characters, it's just as lame. Everyone has done evil Santa, so if you make that choice you'd better give me a fantastic reason for it and a gripping plot arc. Every conceivable type of holiday romance has been done so if you go too out there, there'd better be some balance with the Christmas crazytown. The old legends work whether they're medieval or from different countries or what have you because they're short narratives. The moment you build on that with any holiday story, you need to be able to do it with some substance or else it's sugary icing with no Christmas cookie underneath.

I've had mixed reactions to my title Holly and Ivy, but my intent was to show the good AND bad of the season. People struggle that time of year, just like any other. People still hurt, they still die, but there's also family and relationships and hopefully some comfort, as well. There's magic, romance, holiday cozy rituals, and some faeries, but at its heart, it's about the choices the main character has to make and how she tries to grow and do the right thing, just like so many of us do. It's about trying to find the bright spots when things are shadowing the season, and I hope that's something that people can identify with, because it's definitely something I face every year.

What elevates holiday fiction into something that still stands beyond the season?

Ryan Cummins: I'm going to use one of my favorite films here as an example, DIE HARD. People argue it's relevancy in the holiday genre constantly but what I love about this film is that it has a great story that just so happens to take place during the holidays. Would it have worked just as well if it was set during Labor Day? Probably, but the fact that they used the Christmas as a seasoning instead of the main course is what gives the story its charm. That's why no one ever debates whether DIE HARD 4 is a Fourth of July movie or not. As long as what is at the center of the story has an emotional pull for the audience, its place on the calendar should be of little consequence.

Mandi M. Lynch: A story where the main issue could fit without a holiday. Blaire could just as soon bring Enrique home in April, it would still make a story. Luther could still want to keep within his budget. Frohmeyer will still be an overbearing neighbor in summer.

Selah Janel: For me, if it connects with my actual life experience. I love On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts because I know women like those characters. I grew up with similar traditions. I've seen that clash of wills. Likewise, I like the graphic novel Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol because it takes a gimmick but makes it make sense without going completely off the rails and destroying the original story. In both cases, you actually come to empathize with the characters and identify with the familiar holiday rituals.

Sean Taylor: Personally, I think the best holiday fiction uses the holiday itself as setting more than marketing or moral. It should have something to say about the people celebrating the season rather than merely becoming more "true meaning of Christmas" propaganda. The characters need to be fully realized people, not just Colorforms stuck into the same old manger scene rediscovery or "Scrooge learns his lesson" fable. Regardless of the time period in which they are set, they should say something true and honest and meaningful to modern readers. They should get beyond marketing and be good stories... period.

Case in point, I can watch It's a Wonderful Life anytime during the year, as well as Gremlins and Die Hard, and even Scrooged, but not The Bells of Saint Mary's, Christmas in Connecticut, or any of the Hallmark seasonal movies. Why? It's the difference between being steeped in sentimentalism and using the season as a springboard to tell a genuinely human story.

And yes, mentioning Scrooged sounds like I'm disagreeing with my own criteria, but that movie transcends it's typical Christmas Carol plot in so, so many ways.

From my own work, I tend to use the holidays to let my characters reflect, but not in the traditional sense. I've had them have to figure out the true nature of being a hero while dying during the holidays, rediscover the spark that died long ago because of a robbery and a captive's life in danger, and deal with the life choices that led to going from superhero to street bum (and was it worth it?) -- and that's a far cry from your visits with family in the snow-capped mountains or your big-city lawyer discovers the true meaning of Christmas in the idealized, pastoral setting where his car broke down. But, to each his or her own.

Lucy Blue: My own holiday-themed writing usually comes from something silly. For example, the one and only Hallmark-Channel-ready, contemporary holiday romance I've ever written in my life, Jane's Billionaire Christmas, came about as I was watching a Southpark Christmas episode with my digital artist/writer husband. We were discussing how obviously the guys who make Southpark have some female influence in their lives--every once in a while, Stan's girlfriend, Wendy, comes out with a monologue that Justin swears I wrote. ;) And as we were watching, I was thinking, geez, what WOULD it be like to be in a relationship with the brain that came up with Cartman? Laws, can you imagine taking that guy home to meet your parents at Christmas? And out of that came a Christmas story that is very sentimental and romantic and smooshy, but also, I hope, very funny.

Merry Christmas, and God Bless Us, Everyone!

Have Yourself A Very Regency Christmas! New Releases From Virginia Brown and Sharon Sobel!

We Hope You Have A Very Regency Christmas!

The Once Upon A Regency Christmas Duet Books by Virginia Brown and Sharon Sobel are now available!

Don't forget to sign up for updates on your favorite authors!

Mistletoe Magic by Virginia Brown
 
This Christmas will change everything!

Sinfully handsome, wrongfully accused, he is offered money and respectability in exchange for his freedom...

Nicholas Hawkely, second son of a duke, newly resigned Captain of HMS Renown, finds his recent betrothal to the spinster daughter of a wealthy banker most inconvenient. After ten years of fighting Napoléon, he has dreams of traveling the world on new adventures, not marrying a woman chosen by his father.

Jilted spinster, reluctant heiress, she wants only a quiet life with no complications...

Charlotte St. John prefers quiet pleasures such as riding through the park and birdwatching rather than dances, soirées, or an arranged marriage. Horrified that her father has chosen the disgraced son of a duke to be her husband, she escapes the city for a peaceful Christmas at the Sussex country home of a friend.

But in fleeing their fates, they run right into them when, days later, they both find themselves at the same country estate, trapped by a blizzard, celebrating the yuletide season. And they quickly learn not to underestimate the power of mistletoe...and Christmas miracles.

Amazon
B&N

Under a Christmas Sky by Sharon Sobel
 
Crashing through the snow...

Julia, the newly widowed Lady Leighton Kingswood, is hardly in the mood for the holidays. But thanks to the persistence of Julia's sister-in-law, Lady Laurentia Howard, she soon finds herself braving the dreadful weather to venture out to the Howard estate to celebrate Christmas. She's hoping for a peaceful interlude...until the coach crashes and the driver disappears, leaving her for dead.

The horrid weather is making Willem Wakefield wish he were still in the East Indies. But he's on a diplomatic mission to deliver some important documents to Princess Charlotte, who'll be attending the Howard's Yuletide celebration. Except on the way there, he comes across an overturned carriage and finds a beautiful woman on the verge of freezing to death. Once he has her safely in his coach, he realizes his only option is to take her to the Howard estate with him.

But it isn't long before he realizes that he'd like nothing more than to keep his Lady Frost all to himself. And for much longer than just the holidays...

Amazon
B&N

www.bellbridgebooksblog.com/whats-on-sale/

Writing Holiday Fiction

Let's get seasonal, all you writerly girls and boys. This week we're going to look at what goes into writing great holiday stories.

What makes seasonal-themed fiction popular?

Lucy Blue: I think seasonal fiction is popular for the same reason some people start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween. Readers want to cocoon themselves in that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling, and publishers are more than happy to feed that to make a buck. And writers are as susceptible as readers. The first time I see those Hershey's Kisses playing handbells or hear Nat "King" Cole, I want to drop every other project and write a Christmas story. Sadly, that's only about six months to a year too late to effectively publish, but never mind - so far, Christmas always comes back around.

Alexandra Christian: Even kids want to write and read about Christmas. When I taught 2nd grade, my kids would write and read Christmas stories well into March.

Mandi Lynch: When you're in the spirit, you're in the spirit. Alternatively, when you're buried under 14 feet of snow, the last thing you want to read about is somebody sweltering in the hot July sun.

Selah Janel: I think it has certain themes, tropes, and archetypes in a way that a lot of people relate to. Everyone has some sort of relationship with the holiday, good or bad, included or excluded. At times holiday fiction can be a comfort during a stressful time, at the extreme, some types can be an anesthetic. Because the go-to is cozy holiday stories, it's also ripe for subversion in the dark fiction genres, too, because that inversion can be really jarring.

Sean Taylor: Seasonal fiction taps into the general positive vibe of the holidays. It is able to reinforce those happy thoughts of holidays past and, if done well, cause the reader to reflect on something else to make their season a little more exciting, or spicy, or romantic, or action-packed, or just plain on more filled with warm fuzzies.

Do you find it to be as good as "regular" fiction, or does it tend to be mere marketing and/or sentimentalism?

Sean Taylor: I'm a bit of a snob, so I tend to find a lot of holiday stories to be melodramatic drizzle designed to cater to the easy plots and tired tropes of either love lost and rediscovered just in time for the holidays or to the Christmas Carol model of someone learns the "true meaning" (insert the author's personal definition of that here) and makes a permanent change for the better. I don't, however, find some truly enjoyable -- even to my snobbish tastes -- holidays tales.

Selah Janel: Depends. I've read enough to be able to tell when it's hitting an obvious formula. There are tons of bland or plain not great holiday fiction out there, but that doesn't mean they don't speak to someone. When it's done super well, whether it's because of well-developed characters, use of obscure folklore (because this time of year is FULL of it), or just really taking a chance on an unconventional plot choice (and doing it well), holiday fiction can strike a chord in people and be really exceptional.

Mandi Lynch: Depends. I've found both - but then again, I find good and bad in all genres. Depends on who writes the story.

Lucy Blue: Some genres lend themselves more to holiday stories than others, and their publishers quite obviously know it--the mainstream romance Christmas cowboys start riding onto the shelf at Wal-Mart by mid-October. But my hubs played a Christmas-themed DLC mission for Hitman last weekend, so no genre or format is entirely immune. I think a lot of them ARE callous cash grabs, playing on our sentiment or feeding our contempt. The overarching theme to almost every holiday romance is "You don't have to be alone at Christmas." The overarching theme to almost every holiday horror or pulp story is "You're smart to hate Christmas." The overarching theme to almost every science fiction holiday story is "Christmas is an illusion." As readers, we look to these stories not so much for originality or art but to find confirmation of our own feelings about the holidays. And as writers, we do the exact same thing. I don't think this makes these stories worse than "regular" fiction; they just have a somewhat different purpose. But because of that, they aren't nearly as effective in July. (There are many, many notable exceptions, of course.)


What makes for bad or mediocre holiday fiction?

Mandi M. Lynch: A story that's too worried about the pretty to worry about the storyline. It's fine that you want to describe all 42947 ornaments on the tree, but there needs to be something beyond, too.

Sean Taylor: Tired tropes. More Christmas Carol redunits. Anything that is satisfied with the low-hanging fruit of just warm fuzzies. A lack of surprise for the reader. And most of all, anything so steeped in sentimentalism that it requires more suspension of disbelief than an episode of Gumby.

Selah Janel: For me, if it's supposed to romance or a cozy read, it's bad if I can figure out the plot immediately, if the characters are cardboard audience-inserts, or if it tries so hard to be holiday that it breaks from reality. A lot of anthology Christmas reads are this way for me - maybe ok once but they fall apart on repeat reads. In the case of horror or even romance, if people try to be too out there or too clever-clever without backing up the idea with great plot elements and characters, it's just as lame. Everyone has done evil Santa, so if you make that choice you'd better give me a fantastic reason for it and a gripping plot arc. Every conceivable type of holiday romance has been done so if you go too out there, there'd better be some balance with the Christmas crazytown. The old legends work whether they're medieval or from different countries or what have you because they're short narratives. The moment you build on that with any holiday story, you need to be able to do it with some substance or else it's sugary icing with no Christmas cookie underneath.

I've had mixed reactions to my title Holly and Ivy, but my intent was to show the good AND bad of the season. People struggle that time of year, just like any other. People still hurt, they still die, but there's also family and relationships and hopefully some comfort, as well. There's magic, romance, holiday cozy rituals, and some faeries, but at its heart, it's about the choices the main character has to make and how she tries to grow and do the right thing, just like so many of us do. It's about trying to find the bright spots when things are shadowing the season, and I hope that's something that people can identify with, because it's definitely something I face every year.

What elevates holiday fiction into something that still stands beyond the season?

Ryan Cummins: I'm going to use one of my favorite films here as an example, DIE HARD. People argue it's relevancy in the holiday genre constantly but what I love about this film is that it has a great story that just so happens to take place during the holidays. Would it have worked just as well if it was set during Labor Day? Probably, but the fact that they used the Christmas as a seasoning instead of the main course is what gives the story its charm. That's why no one ever debates whether DIE HARD 4 is a Fourth of July movie or not. As long as what is at the center of the story has an emotional pull for the audience, its place on the calendar should be of little consequence.

Mandi M. Lynch: A story where the main issue could fit without a holiday. Blaire could just as soon bring Enrique home in April, it would still make a story. Luther could still want to keep within his budget. Frohmeyer will still be an overbearing neighbor in summer.

Selah Janel: For me, if it connects with my actual life experience. I love On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts because I know women like those characters. I grew up with similar traditions. I've seen that clash of wills. Likewise, I like the graphic novel Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol because it takes a gimmick but makes it make sense without going completely off the rails and destroying the original story. In both cases, you actually come to empathize with the characters and identify with the familiar holiday rituals.

Sean Taylor: Personally, I think the best holiday fiction uses the holiday itself as setting more than marketing or moral. It should have something to say about the people celebrating the season rather than merely becoming more "true meaning of Christmas" propaganda. The characters need to be fully realized people, not just Colorforms stuck into the same old manger scene rediscovery or "Scrooge learns his lesson" fable. Regardless of the time period in which they are set, they should say something true and honest and meaningful to modern readers. They should get beyond marketing and be good stories... period.

Case in point, I can watch It's a Wonderful Life anytime during the year, as well as Gremlins and Die Hard, and even Scrooged, but not The Bells of Saint Mary's, Christmas in Connecticut, or any of the Hallmark seasonal movies. Why? It's the difference between being steeped in sentimentalism and using the season as a springboard to tell a genuinely human story.

And yes, mentioning Scrooged sounds like I'm disagreeing with my own criteria, but that movie transcends it's typical Christmas Carol plot in so, so many ways.

From my own work, I tend to use the holidays to let my characters reflect, but not in the traditional sense. I've had them have to figure out the true nature of being a hero while dying during the holidays, rediscover the spark that died long ago because of a robbery and a captive's life in danger, and deal with the life choices that led to going from superhero to street bum (and was it worth it?) -- and that's a far cry from your visits with family in the snow-capped mountains or your big-city lawyer discovers the true meaning of Christmas in the idealized, pastoral setting where his car broke down. But, to each his or her own.

Lucy Blue: My own holiday-themed writing usually comes from something silly. For example, the one and only Hallmark-Channel-ready, contemporary holiday romance I've ever written in my life, Jane's Billionaire Christmas, came about as I was watching a Southpark Christmas episode with my digital artist/writer husband. We were discussing how obviously the guys who make Southpark have some female influence in their lives--every once in a while, Stan's girlfriend, Wendy, comes out with a monologue that Justin swears I wrote. ;) And as we were watching, I was thinking, geez, what WOULD it be like to be in a relationship with the brain that came up with Cartman? Laws, can you imagine taking that guy home to meet your parents at Christmas? And out of that came a Christmas story that is very sentimental and romantic and smooshy, but also, I hope, very funny.

Holiday Writing Prompts

If you find yourself needing a little push or a little help getting started, try some of these prompts for Season-Themed tales:

https://minds-in-bloom.com/20-christmas-writing-prompts/

http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com/christmas-writing-prompts.html

http://www.litbridge.com/2012/11/29/creative-writing-prompts-about-christmas/

A Holiday Message from Me to You!

No bah. No humbug. X's allowed!

You know, it's okay to tell me happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas, even if you're a fellow member of my faith. I'm not going to get in your face about how you're not "keeping Christ in Christmas."

I don't care if you use Xmas either, because I understand the history of the X (and that it precedes both Malcolm and Stan Lee).

I understand that Constantine and his ilk thoroughly mixed the birth of Christ with pagan celebrations to obtain political ends. And if people still continue that today, they're not "not keeping Christ in Christmas" -- they're just continuing the blending that Constantine started all those years ago.

I get that.

If my understanding of the holiday season is about the work of Christ incarnating into humanity in order to be a perfect substitutionary sacrifice on humanity's behalf, then nothing you say or refuse to say can change one jot or tittle from that. No dollar sign can attach to it. And you can't wrap it or stuff it on a tree.

I can celebrate Christmas as I understand it without offending you or getting in your face, because the season is not some church-ordained mass evangelism event. Nothing about the season changes how I interact with you on behalf of my faith and what I perceive as your need for salvation from original sin -- I still have the same mandate to treat everyone, believer and nonbeliever alike, with the same grace, love, forgiveness and understanding that I do every other day.

Just because the word "Christ" is in "Christmas," it does not, nor should it ever, give me carte blanche to hassle you about becoming like me. (I would love for others to find what I've found, but it's not my job to be God's used car salesman or God's Internet spammer.)

I even enjoy the game of Santa Claus and dig the idea of adding a little drummer boy to our legend version of the nativity (as opposed to the real one that smelled like animal crap and was filled with a crying -- not silent -- baby, and didn't have any -- much less three -- wise men drop by until almost two years later).

All this to say, I hope that you have a wonderful time getting together with your friends and family. I hope you take advantage of this time to share some of your wealth with those less fortunate (trust me, in comparison to the rest of the globe, you ARE bone-idle rich). I hope you experience the love of those around you and share that love with everyone you encounter.

And I hope that, somewhere, in the busy-ness of this season, you find a few moments of peace on earth to contemplate the true and higher peace the angels spoke (not sang) about when they said: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

Merry Christmas! Happy holidays! Peace on earth!

Give the gift of books this holiday season!

Books make the best gifts, and here are a few brand new ones you should consider giving as part of your holiday celebration!

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CHALICE MOON
By Pat Sawtelle

Better the Vampire You Know

A seemingly random attack exposes Kimie and her best friend to a part of the world the girls never knew existed. A world where vampires and shape shifters shifters not only exist, but are people they know. However, when another attack nearly kills Kimie, her friends must find out why some of the magical beings are after her.

Could this simple human girl be the legendary Chalice mentioned in that old tale they found? The story said the Chalice is bound to the delicate balance between the forces of good and evil. While the part of taking from evil and giving to good didn't sound too bad to Kimie, it never said so many people would want to see her dead.

Buy it here!

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MOONLIGHT SONATA
By Elizabeth McDonald

All that can kill you is what you carry with you.

Imagine a haunted church, where the ground has turned sour and something walks in the shadows at night to the mournful hymns.

A silent covered bridge that no one dare cross, and the couple lost on the other side.

Angry spirits crying out beneath the ground of a cemetery that will not lie still.

An ageless man bound in love to a mortal woman, forever moving, forever haunted.

A police officer chasing a suspect into the woods - and suspects they are no longer alone.

A woman preparing to leave her husband, with watchful eyes in the corner of the room.

A voice that can speak only through a radio, a voice from beyond death itself.

A man haunted by an ageless face that brings tragedy to his life whenever it appears.

A girl whose imagination carries her beyond the point of no return in a future where dreams become reality - and so do nightmares.

These are the dark, ethereal songs of Moonlight Sonata, stories bound to disturb your sleep and chill your heart. A new collection from the award-winning author of Setting Suns and Nocturne Infernum, Elizabeth Donald has been called “a storytelling ability to rival that of Stephen King.”

Buy it here!

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SNOW
by Bobby Nash

“Sometimes half an inch is all that stands between life and death.”

BEN Books is pleased to announce that it has acquired the rights to award-winning author Bobby Nash’s crime/adventure series, SNOW. SNOW follows the novella-length adventures of former government agent turned do-gooder, Abraham Snow. The first story, SNOW FALLS will be re-released January, 2017. New adventures begin in 2017 with the eagerly anticipated SNOW STORM in February, followed by even more adventures in ebook and print.

“I am extremely excited to re-launch the SNOW series in 2017,” says Nash of his creation. “This cast of characters in SNOW FALLS has become quite dear to me and readers since the original release. The question I get asked most often is, ‘when’s the next Snow coming out?’ Now, we finally have an answer.”

SNOW FALLS was originally released in March 2014 by Jeffrey Weber’s The Stark Raving Group and featured a beautiful cover is illustrated by Dennis Calero with the title and author treatment handled by Bob Wynne, and edits by Gary Phillips. “I am extremely grateful to Jeff and the crew at Stark Raving for launching Abraham Snow’s adventures and introducing audiences to Snow Falls,” says Nash of the series’ origin. “Snow was created for that market originally. Without them, we might not be making this announcement today. Thank you for getting this Snow Ball rolling.”

Artist Dennis Calero’s cover art for Snow Falls will continue to grace the covers to the series.

Buy it here!


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WINGS OF THE GOLDEN DRAGON
by Barbara Doran

Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to present a brand new fantasy adventure novel that is actually the prequel to Ms Doran’s first book, “Claws of the Golden Dragon.”

“We met Barbara Doran at Pulp Fest a few years ago,” recounts Airship 27 Productions Managing Editor, Ron Fortier.  “She was interested in writing New Pulp and we passed along our Submission Guidelines to her.  A few months later we received the manuscript to ‘Claws of the Golden Dragon,’ a terrific book we were only too happy to publish.”

After the success of that initial book, Doran opted to try something different for her second novel.  “Most of the first book takes place in a fictional city on the West Coast,” Fortier continues. “And is populated by some truly wonderful characters, both real and magical. This time Barbara thought it might be fun to go back in time and explore some of their origins.  Thus the inspiration for her new prequel book.”

1930s Shanghai was a place of excitement and intrigue... and magic. It is an international hotspot where foreign agents from around the world ply their trade. Brought to Shanghai to investigate a powerful new aircraft engine, young Conall McLeod becomes embroiled in a high-stakes game between gangs, spies and immortal beings. Together with his beloved Mudan Chang and hot-shot Chinese pilot, Feng Zhanchi, Conall must navigate the dangerous waters of the city's criminal undercurrents and help free a lost immortal from the clutches of evil.

Writer Barbara Doran spins a fantastic tale of action and mystery filled with some of the most memorable characters ever conceived.  Artist Gary Kato returns to offer up nine interior illustrations and Art Director Rob Davis provides the cover to this fast paced fantasy thriller. Whether deep within the cities maze of dark alleys or high atop an ancient castle of evil, no one will be able to escape from The Wings of the Golden Dragon!

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Buy it here!

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UPSIDE DOWN: INVERTED TROPES IN STORYTELLING
By Various Authors

Apex Publications is happy to announce the release of Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling edited by Jaym Gates and Monica Valentinelli. Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories, poems, and essays that highlights the long-standing tradition of writers who identify tropes in science fiction, fantasy, and horror and twist them into something new and interesting. The anthology was successfully funded through Kickstarter earlier this year.
"Speculative fiction fans tired of clichés will want to grab this expectation-subverting anthology."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories, poetry, and essays edited by Monica Valentinelli and Jaym Gates. Over two dozen authors, ranging from NYT-bestsellers and award winners to debut writers, chose a tired trope or cliche to challenge and surprise readers through their work.

Read stories inspired by tropes such as the Chainmaille Bikini, Love at First Sight, Damsels in Distress, Yellow Peril, The Black Man Dies First, The Villain Had a Crappy Childhood, The Singularity Will Cause the Apocalypse, and many more ... then discover what these tropes mean to each author to find out what inspired them.

Join Maurice Broaddus, Adam Troy-Castro, Delilah S. Dawson, Shanna Germain, Sara M. Harvey, John Hornor Jacobs, Rahul Kanakia, Alethea Kontis, Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Haralambi Markov, Kat Richardson, Nisi Shawl, Ferrett Steinmetz, Anton Strout, Michael Underwood, Alyssa Wong and many other authors as they take well-worn tropes and clichés and flip them upside down.
ISBN: 978-1-937009-44-1
Release date: December 13th, 2016
Cost: $18.95 (trade paperback)
365 pages

Upside Down is editor Jaym Gates’s (War Stories) second anthology with Apex Book Company, and it is the first for editor Monica Valentinelli. The two have put together an anthology with a strong mix of fiction and essays that is sure to both entertain and educate readers on tropes and how they are used by writers.

Buy it here!

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THE STONE COLLECTOR
By M. R. Williamson

War and Horror and Home tangle into a chilling tale from Pro Se Productions in THE STONE COLLECTOR by M. R. Williamson, the author of THE ANGEL OF HOLLOWAY, the first volume in this loosely connected digest novel series.

Billy Joe Willis had spent most of his young life trying to find the normality others seemed to enjoy. Being a Native American raised in a Catholic orphanage did little to help the young Shoshone in that direction. Upon his eighteenth birthday, however, he found a place to fit in- The United States Army. And then came Vietnam.

But this young man never knew ‘normality’ could have so many faces. After a serious wound left him dependent on a painkiller, he turned to Lin Son, the girl he fell in love with at Camp Holloway. With the Son family’s help, the addiction was overcome. But the Viet Kong were a more deadly threat. The raids on Lin’s little fishing village claimed her, her grandfather, and several of the other villagers.

BJ’s wound earned him an honorable discharge enabling him to return to Tipton County, Tennessee and purchase an old country home. Working feverishly, he was finally able to send for Lin’s parents. With them, however, came another--one that could not be seen, An Son.

Being a Shaman, An Son had the power to move between the world of the dead and the one BJ lived in. Saving and helping lost souls to move on was the grandfather’s business now, but he needed help, one who was living. Little did BJ know that he was about to fight again. But this time, the enemy was much more powerful than the Communists.

Featuring a haunting cover and logo design by Percival Constantine and cover design and print formatting by Marzia Marina, THE STONE COLLECTOR is available now at Amazon at and Pro Se’s own store for 10.00.

Buy it here!

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PROJECT ALPHA-PROVING GROUND
By Lee Houston, Jr.

Lee Houston, Jr. showed that sometimes being a super hero isn’t a choice and is most definitely not easy in his first superhero novel PROJECT ALPHA.  Now that hero returns to show that he has what it takes to fight the good fight, even when that means protecting people who don’t trust him.  Lee Houston, Jr.’s PROJECT ALPHA-PROVING GROUND is now available in print and digital formats from Pro Se Productions.

Adrift in space, Alpha eventually awakens to the memory of his emotionally devastating defeat at the hands of Conalaric and the destruction of the planet Shambala. With his genetically enhanced capabilities, the fledgling guardian sworn to protect all who are peaceful and vulnerable in the universe flies off to find himself a new proving ground.

A hospitable planet teeming with life is dominated by a race of humanoids less technologically developed than his adopted home world was, but Alpha decides here he can be of great assistance.

However not all the people of Earth feel the same way about him.

To some Alpha is an angel of hope in a world full of danger and discord. To others he is a potential weapon of mass destruction sent by some unknown entity, and must be stopped at all cost.

Unfortunately his unusual abilities attract the attention of both governmental agencies that seek to capture and control him, and a terrorist group willing to do whatever it takes to advance their own ideals. Can Alpha find some way to fit into this very polarized world, or will he always be an outcast even amongst those he wishes to serve for the better of all? Lee Houston Junior’s PROJECT ALPHA-PROVING GROUND. From Pro Se Productions.

With a fantastic cover by Michael Hegedus and print formatting by Antonino Lo Iacono, PROJECT ALPHA-PROVING GROUND is available now at Amazon and Pro Se’s own store.

Buy it here!

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ORIGINS & ENDINGS VOLUME ONE
By Various Authors

A cutting edge Publisher of Genre Fiction and New Pulp, Pro Se Productions is known for publishing works that take a particular concept and push it to its limits. The latest release from Pro Se is no different, focusing on two of the most popular stories in any character’s canon-the first and the last. ORIGINS AND ENDINGS VOLUME ONE is now available in print and digital formats.

“Everybody loves a good origin story,” says Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions. “Probably equally, we all like a well done finale too, an appropriate ending to a character’s history, even if it’s the first time we see said character. ORIGINS & ENDINGS is an anthology that is a mixed bag of both. We get the birth of several stories and we get the curtain falling on others. The collection itself illustrates an interesting dynamic, showing of course the differences, but also amazingly the similarities in both types of tales. Origins and endings share a lot of thematic ties and the authors in this two volume collection show that extremely well.”

Every Story Has A Start and Finish. And, for every story, those are two different tales. One of Origin, of birth and promise. Of beginning something and the beauty of the path it will follow. And One of Ending, of finality and completion. Of laying to rest all that had been before one last time.

ORIGINS & ENDINGS VOLUME ONE set of such stories as written by some of today’s best Genre Fiction authors, including Joe Hilliard, Raymond F. Masters, James Weakley, Rob Rogers, and John Meszaros. Some tales are the opening of a great salvo, of action and adventure yet to come and others are the last note, the ringing knell of legends and secrets passing away.

Watch heroes and villains discover themselves while adventurers and explorers give their all to be who they are. ORIGINS & ENDINGS VOLUME ONE. From Pro Se Productions.

With an excellent cover by Larry Nadolsky and logo design and print formatting by Antonino Lo Iacono and Marzia Marina, ORIGINS & ENDINGS VOLUME ONE is available now at Amazon and Pro Se’s own store for 10.00.

Buy it here!

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LABOURS OF HERCULES
By I.A. Watson

Greek myth's greatest hero faces his greatest tragedy.

Blessed and cursed by the gods, Hercules faces twelve impossible tasks that will take him past the ends of the world, pit him against monsters from beyond imagination, and force him to defy even the deities of Olympus to save those who loved.

Classical legend meets modern adventure from I.A. WATSON, the author of WOMEN OF MYTH and ST GEORGE AND THE DRAGON Books One and Two.

Award-winning writer I.A. WATSON has delved back into the original classical sources to weave this tale of legend's greatest hero. Hercules, the archetypal monster-fighting warrior, great is passion and in wrath, is portrayed in all his flawed glory in a world where legend is giving way to history and the gods are slowly giving way to the rise of humanity.

Publication Date: Dec 16 2016
ISBN/EAN13: 1518884695 / 9781518884696
Page Count: 220
Language: English
Color: Black and White
Related Categories: Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology

Other publications from I.A. Watson are listed at I.A. Watson's Author Page: http://www.chillwater.org.uk/writing/iawatsonhome.htm

Buy it here!

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FLARE-THE ANTHOLOGY
By Various Authors

Pro Se Productions, through arrangement with Heroic Publishing, brings one of independent comics’ brightest stars to life in prose.  FLARE-THE ANTHOLOGY is now available in print and digital formats.

“Flare is here,” says Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “and Pro Se is definitely pleased to have her.  Not only is this anthology due to the work of author Barry Reese bringing Heroic and Pro Se together and his stellar LIBERTY GIRL novel, but it is also the second book in the Heroic/Pro Se imprint, but in no way the last. FLARE is one of our last books of 2016, but heralds 2017 in as the year where multiple Heroic properties will find new life in prose, and who better to lead the way than three fantastic authors writing about The Shining Goddess of Light!””

From the four color pages of Heroic Publishing, The Shining Goddess of Light flies into all new Pulp Adventures! FLARE features three stories starring the most dazzling and powerful two fisted beauty ever to grace a comic book page. Born as a result of an evil experiment, the electrifying Terri Feran takes to street and sky and beyond as Flare, protecting justice and carrying on a legacy of heroism dating back to World War II. Authors Lou Mougin, Brendan Jones, and M. Hadley take Flare from the comic page and thrust her into New Pulp! Enemies that threaten the entire universe! Secrets and ghosts from her past threatening the future of all! Darkness gathering to quench the light! And only FLARE stands in the way! FLARE, an anthology from Pro Se Productions in conjunction with Heroic Publishing.

Featuring a dazzling cover and  design by Jeffrey Hayes and print formatting by Antonino Lo Iacono and Marzia Marina, FLARE is available now at Amazon and Pro Se’s own store.

Buy it here!

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QUATERMAIN – THE NEW ADVENTURES Vol. 2
Various Authors

Airship 27 Productions announces the release of their latest title featuring a beloved action adventure protagonist. H. Rider Haggard’s classic hero, Alan Quatermain, returns in three brand new adventures all set on the Dark Continent.  Thomas Kent Miller’s novella has the big-game hunter traveling to Ethiopia to search for the fabled Library of Alexandria.  Erik Franlin pits him against an ancient cult of assassins while Alan J. Porter has the skilled tracker stuck in the middle of the Boer War trying to find the source of a diamond smuggling operation.

“This is a fun series for us,” declares Airship 27 Productions’ Managing Editor, Ron Fortier. “The response to volume one was so overwhelmingly positive. It has already been done as an audio book from Radio Archives and demand for more stories hasn’t stopped since we released that first book.”

Artist Graham Hill provides the cover to this second anthology while Clayton Hinkle, who provided interior illustrations for Vol 1 returns to add another dozen great pieces.  All under the supervision of Art Director Rob Davis.  Fortier adds, “We trusts our readers will welcome this new collection. In regards to this series, believe me, we’re just getting warmed up.”

Now it is time to enjoy three fast paced, original tales that capture the mystery and adventure of a wild, untamed land and the man who loved it above all else.  Journey with him and embrace the magic that was and remains Africa.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Buy it here!