Showing posts with label serial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label serial. Show all posts

February 24, 2016

Cover Reveal: The Witch Who Came in from the Cold

 



Through a haze of cigarettes and vodka there lies a version of Prague where spies practice sorcery in their games of intrigue. While the world watches the bitter rivalry between East and West fester along the Iron Curtain, the Consortium of Ice and the Acolytes of Flame continue waging their ancient war of magic. Kept to the shadows, this secret contest crosses the lines of politics and the borders of nations with impunity – the intrigues of spies may know clear sides but the battles of witches spill out over all. Tanya Morozova is a KGB officer and the latest in a long line of Ice witches and sorcerers; Gabe Pritchard is a CIA officer and reluctant Ice recruit. Enemies at one turn, suspicious allies at the next, their relationship is as explosive as the Cold War itself.   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Launching January 27th, 2016 from Serial Box Publishing is a historical espionage fantasy unlike any seen before. Tones of John le Carre’s beloved thrillers mix with Neil Gaiman-style magical realism in this battle between sorcery and spycraft in Cold War Prague.

 
From the creators of some of today’s most ingenuitive fiction comes this online serial in 13 weekly episodes which can be read or listened to on your device of choice. Lead Writer Lindsay Smith (Sekret and Skandal) brings her experience writing on foreign affairs in DC to bear at the head of the writers’ room comprised of Ian Tregillis (the Milkweed Triptych), Cassandra Rose Clarke (Our Lady of the Ice), Max Gladstone (Bookburners and the Craft Sequence), and Michael Swanwick (Stations of the Tide).

While the world watches the bitter rivalry between East and West fester along the Iron Curtain, the Consortium of Ice and the Acolytes of Flame continue waging their ancient war of magic. Kept to the shadows, this secret contest crosses the lines of politics and the borders of nations with impunity – the intrigues of spies may know clear sides but the battles of witches spill out over all. Tanya Morozova is a KGB officer and the latest in a long line of Ice witches and sorcerers; Gabe Pritchard is a CIA officer and reluctant Ice recruit. Enemies at one turn, suspicious allies at the next, their relationship is as explosive as the Cold War itself. 

 
THE WITCH WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD will be released as weekly episodes in text and audio starting January 27th, 2016, via SerialBox.com, the Serial Box Publishing iOS app, and wherever ebooks and audiobooks are sold. Preorder here.

Episode 1: A Long Cold Winter 
When a young Czech student is stalked by an inhuman hunter, KGB agent and Ice operative Tanya Morozova must risk all to protect her, while CIA agent Gabe Pritchard learns that some horrors, once seen, can never be forgotten.  

Episode 2: A Voice on the Radio
Tanya and Nadia continue their pursuit of a young Host – drawing the attention of both Flame and CIA agents. Gabe tries to ignore the stirrings of magic around him, to little success.

Episode 3: Double Blind 
A high-stakes cat-and-mouse game unfolds across the frozen streets of Prague as Tanya and Nadia employ spycraft and witchcraft alike to elude Flame agents - but Gabe is also on their trail. 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Episode 6: "A Week Without Magic"
By Michael Swanwick, releases March 2
 

When an unwanted interloper from Moscow Center intrudes on local KGB operations in Prague, Tanya finds that red tape can strangle as effectively as any garrote. Meanwhile, Gabe must deal with a new arrival from Washington, D.C., sent to command the ANCHISES operation. It seems that bureaucracy is the same on both sides of the Iron Curtain! Where can two enemy spies turn for help...but to each other? 

Art for this serial was provided by Mark Weaver. Each episode of THE WITCH WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD will feature an original piece.

Lindsay Smith is the author of the YA espionage thrillers Sekret, Skandal, and Dreamstrider, all from Macmillan Children's. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and dog, where she writes on international issues in cyber security. LindsaySmith.net. @LindsaySmithDC.


Max Gladstone has been thrown from a horse in Mongolia, drank almond milk with monks
on Wudang Shan, and wrecked a bicycle in Angkor Wat. Max is also the author of the Craft Sequence of books about undead gods and skeletal law wizards—Full Fathom Five, Three Parts Dead, Two Serpents Rise, and Last First Snow. Max fools everyone by actually writing novels in the coffee shops of Davis Square in Somerville, MA. His dreams are much nicer than you’d expect. MaxGladstone.com. @maxgladstone.
 

Cassandra Rose Clarke grew up in south Texas and currently lives in a suburb of Houston, where she writes and teaches composition at a pair of local colleges. She holds an M.A. in creative writing from The University of Texas at Austin, and in 2010 she attended the Clarion West Writer’s Workshop in Seattle. Her work has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award and YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults. Her latest novel is Our Lady of the Ice, out now from Saga Press. CassandraRoseClark.com. @mitochondrial.

Ian Tregillis is the son of a bearded mountebank and a discredited tarot card reader. He is the author of the Milkweed Triptych, Something More than Night, and the Alchemy Wars trilogy. His most current novel is The Rising (Alchemy Wars #2). His short fiction has appeared at numerous venues including Tor.com, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Popular Science. He lives in New Mexico, where he consorts with writers, scientists, and other disreputable types. the author of the Milkweed Triptych, Something More than Night, and the Alchemy Wars trilogy. His most current novel is The Rising (Alchemy Wars #2). His short fiction has appeared at numerous venues including Tor.com, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Popular Science. He lives in New Mexico, where he consorts with writers, scientists, and other disreputable types.  IanTregillis.com. @ITregillis

Michael Swanwick (guest author) has received the Nebula, Theodore Sturgeon, World Fantasy and Hugo Awards. He has written nine novels, 150 short stories, and countless flash fictions. His latest novel, Chasing the Phoenix, is available from Tor Books. FloggingBabel.

Other Info:

The series launched on January 27th and the first episode is free!

Check out the trailer, as well as the Pinterest, Tumblr, and Facebook pages. Use #ColdWitch to join the conversation.

Follow Serial Box on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and find tons of articles and info on our blog!







November 1, 2014

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Swept Away by J. Haymore




Swept Away (Volume #1)
Author: J. Haymore
Genre: New Adult Romantic Suspense
Release Date: October 20, 2014

Description:

He is everywhere. He surrounds me, permeates the air, wends his way under my skin. I can’t escape his strength, his intensity, his presence.

I’m trapped.

There’s nowhere to run.

Nowhere to hide.


But even if I could escape…would I be strong enough to leave?

I needed something—something big—to get myself out of the rut I’d fallen into after the car accident that killed my sister. This sailing trip was meant only to mark a new chapter in my life. Until Ethan Williams stepped on board.

Ethan radiated confidence. His darkly handsome good looks and ocean-blue eyes mesmerized me. But it was the way he looked at me that drew me in. He wasn’t looking at my past or at my scars, but the real me behind all that baggage I was trying so hard to leave behind.

But Ethan had secrets—dark, dangerous secrets. I was trapped in the middle of the ocean in a tangle of lies, sex, and violence. The problem was, I was happy to be trapped forever…if it meant I could have him.

Warning: Swept Away is a 4-part serial. This story is messy and twisted and very, very sexy. It is not for people under 18.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23352588-swept-away-1?ac=1
A shuffling movement comes from the direction of the navigation area. It’s Ethan, of course. Without trying to—without wanting to—I track his every movement whenever he’s near.

The trampoline grows taut beneath me as he steps on it. He sits beside me and stares up at the sky for a moment. Just having him this close washes heat over my skin.

He’s spoken to me over the past few days, of course. It’s unavoidable. He’s put on the mask of the unflinchingly polite gentleman again. It’s no wonder he’s good in business. He can be hard, terse, and commanding, but he can also be gracious and charming.

He turns to me and asks quietly, “Are you okay?”

This is the most personal question he’s asked me in days.

I give him a tight smile. “I’ve been through worse.”

“Yeah.” There’s a gruff edge of emotion in his voice.

He doesn’t know the half of it. I told him about my parents, but not about Em and the accident and the cause of my limp. He doesn’t know that I was almost killed in a convenience-store shooting, and that the only reason I’m lying here right now is because of a Good Samaritan who took a bullet for me.

Ethan lies beside me, stretching his tall form out next to mine. He’s large, and his weight makes the trampoline dip. My muscles tighten so my body doesn’t roll toward him. “Look at the stars,” he murmurs.

“I know.”

“I never thought I’d find it so peaceful out here.”

“What did you think sailing across the ocean would be like?”

“Dangerous,” he answers. “Uncomfortable. Miserable, actually.”

I turn to him, raising a brow. “Really?”

He nods.

“Then why did you come? I know you said it was something you needed to do. But if you thought it would be dangerous, uncomfortable, and miserable, then why?”

He laughs quietly, but he doesn’t answer.

Fine. By now I know how private he is.

I stare at the stars brightening the sky. Below us, the Temptation dips and rolls. All is silent except for the gentle slosh of water against the hull.

“Tara,” he murmurs. His tone draws my gaze. He turns fully onto his side, propping his head up on his hand as he watches me.

“Yes?”

“Have you ever been on a runaway train?”

I give a soft snort.

“That’s what I feel like I’m on right now.”

My lips twitch up, but they don’t quite make it to a smile. “Then put on the brakes, and you’ll stop moving before you crash.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Why not?”

“Because… I’ve tried to stop it since I… Since the first moment I saw you on that ramp and every day since then. But it isn’t going to work. I’ve tried, and... And I can’t.” He swallows hard, but his gaze doesn’t leave mine, not for a second.

My heart starts to pound. Emotions grab at me, excitement and fear and hope, along with a sharp edge of anger. “You’ve been doing a fine job of it for the past few days.”

He reaches out and touches my cheek. It’s just the gentlest touch, but it sends a bolt of electricity through me. “No. I’ve been doing a shit job of it. I’m good at pretending, but if you knew what was going on in my head—” He breaks off abruptly. After a quiet moment, he adds, “I can’t stop it. I can’t ignore it. Trying to is only going to make me crazy. So I’m done trying.”
USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Haymore is the author of sexy historical and contemporary romance.

You can find Jennifer in Southern California trying to talk her husband into yet another trip to England, helping her three children with homework while brainstorming a new five-minute dinner menu, or crouched in a corner of the local bookstore writing her next novel.

Author Links:
Buy Link: Amazon
Blitz Wide Giveaway (Open INTL):  
- A copy of Swept Away #1 (eBook or Print - winner's choice)
- An early copy of Swept Away 1-4 (complete series)
- 20$ Amazon gift card 


 

September 8, 2014

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Indiscretion: Volume 4 by Elisabeth Grace

 
I am so excited to reveal the cover of INDISCRETION: Volume Four by Elisabeth Grace, as well as a first look at the paperback cover for all four volumes!

INDISCRETION is a contemporary erotic romance being released in serial format - the first volume released on August 4th!

Check out the gorgeous covers below and find out a little more about what INDISCRETION is about! You can click on the covers to view the full size!


Indiscretion-VOL4_ebooklg

About INDISCRETION: Volume Four:

The image was seared into my mind. Imprinted. Emblazoned. Etched. 

Did I blame him for what I saw? Or myself, for allowing him the ability to cause the pain coursing through me? 

Betrayal was a weapon that cut to the core—the ‘what ifs’ the infection that festered in the wound. 

I’d thought we’d had roadblocks thrown in front of us before. Damn. Those would have seemed like mere speed bumps if I’d seen what was coming… 

Little did I know that what was headed our way would prove to be the biggest test of all—putting impossible choices in front of us. None of which seemed to lead to a happy ending in which the two of us were together.  

INDISCRETION: Volume Four releases September 15th – add it to your Goodreads list here!

Find out more about INDISCRETION: Volume One
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Find out more about INDISCRETION: Volume Two
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes
 

Find out more about INDISCRETION: Volume Three 
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes


Indescretion_1-4_Final
All four volumes will be available together in one paperback shortly after the release of the fourth volume.

Connect with Elisabeth Grace:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Google+ | Instagram 

If you're US based and you want to receive a text message when Elisabeth has a new book go LIVE, text ROMANCE to 313131!   





 What do you think of the cover? Leave a comment!


 

May 24, 2013

Book Blitz & Giveaway: In Darkness We Must Abide by Rhiannon Frater



In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete First Season
Author: Rhiannon Frater
Genre: New Adult Modern Gothic Horror
Release Date: May 24, 2013

Buy Links:
Amazon - Paperback
Amazon - Kindle
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Autographed Copies at Author Store

Description:

In Darkness We Must Abide is the epic saga of one young woman caught in the dangerous world of the creatures of the night.

Already living in the shadows due to her albinism, Vanora is just a little girl when her older brother inadvertently unleashes a terrible evil from the family crypt that changes their lives forever.

As she grows up in a world where beautiful deadly beings hunt by night, one captures her eye and her heart. Yet, can she trust the mysterious Armando? For there is a powerful entity plotting to claim her when she reaches adulthood in order to fulfill an ancient prophecy, and her enemy has enveloped her in a web of deceit, casting doubt on all she believes to be true. Soon, she will have to fight not only to save those she loves, but also for her very soul.

Rhiannon Frater delivers a chilling adventure once again with this multi-part epic serial with a dynamic cast, old school vampires, bloody action, a smoldering forbidden love, and a terrifying villain set against the backdrop of a modern day vampire war.

This paperback includes all five episodes of the first season of the serial.
  


Excerpt from Episode One

With his presence still sizzling on her skin and his hazel eyes still haunting her thoughts, Vanora pondered the words that Armando had spoken in his silky Spanish accent.
You must go home, he had said.
Hugging herself, she gazed into the darkness surrounding her, wondering if Armando still lingered in the shadows observing her. That he had sought her out both thrilled and terrified her. When she had first seen him standing on the lighted path of her apartment complex, the mere sight of his enigmatic smile had set her heart aflutter. But now that he had slipped back into the darkness, her heart beat with fear.
Could she go back to Houston and face all she had run from? Could she forget the evils she had beheld on her eighteenth birthday? Could she just abandon the life she had meticulously created for herself over the last two years and return to the mansion that was haunted by death and pain?
You must go home.
Armando’s words echoed in her mind.
Vanora lifted a hand to brush away her white-blond hair and turned to face the dark waters of the swimming pool that glimmered in the moonlight.
To go home meant she would at last cast aside her trepidation and face the monsters of her nightmares. Was she strong enough to do so? Was she strong enough to go home and save the ones she loved?
With a surrendering sigh, she admitted to herself that it was time to return to her childhood home. It was difficult to concede, but her reluctance to return was partially because she feared allowing Armando into her life once more. Though the creatures that dwelled in the darkness were terrifying, it was Armando who surely frightened her.
Only he could truly steal away her heart and soul…


Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of over a dozen books, including the As the World Dies zombie trilogy (Tor) , as well as independent works such as The Last Bastion of the Living (declared the #1 Zombie Release of 2012 by Explorations Fantasy Blog and the #1 Zombie Novel of the Decade by B&N Book Blog),and other horror novels. Her next novel for Tor, Dead Spots, will be published in 2014. She was born and raised a Texan and presently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and furry children (a.k.a pets). She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows, playing video games, cooking, dying her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.

You can find her online at:
Website: rhiannonfrater.com & astheworlddies.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/astheworlddies
Twitter: twitter.com/rhiannonfrater
Blog: rhianonfrater.blogspot.com
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rhiannonfrater/
Email: rhiannonfrater at gmail.com 



Message from the author:

"On Friday, 5/24, I'll be doing two video Q & A's via the TinyChat application on Facebook. You'll just have to download the app and follow the link when I post it here. You'll be directed straight into the chat room.

The first chat is scheduled with Europe in mind. 1 PM Central Time will place this chat in the early evening. You'll have to check a time zone converter for the exact time in your country. This also can work for people who work in the evenings in North America.

The second one will be at 8 PM Central Time.

Basically, I'll be on live webcam and you guys and gals get to ask me questions about IN DARKNESS WE MUST ABIDE or anything else you'd like to discuss about my writing career, my books, or the horror genre."

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