Out Now! Secrets at the Door

Out Now! Secrets at the Door

Out Now! Secrets at the Door

 

The first book of the Tales from the Noctuary series is available now from all major online retailers. This series currently has four books written, each taking place in a different historical setting. This one features characters who can be found in the first two books of my Not the Same River series. If you’ve read them, you’ll recognise the Merryweather coven, Adam Castle in his younger days, and his friend Amos Blackmore.

Each book in the Tales from the Noctuary series can be read as a standalone.

The secrets aren’t at the door. They’re already in the house.

Betsy’s reluctance to lead the Merryweather coven puts her entire family in danger, and with an injured vampire showing up on their doorstep and a bloodborn harvest to resurrect, they can’t afford mistakes.

When the coven is targeted on neighbouring Castle land, the only reliable witness is a young girl found hiding in the family mausoleum. But the girl is not what she seems.

Lotus is a secret keeper with a bind on her tongue. When one of the Merryweathers finds her unconscious in the woods, Betsy helps Lotus unravel her tongue, slowly learning the terrible truth about what her coven has been harbouring for years.

~~~

This book features a fat, beekeeping lesbian vampire, a well-demon in need of a haircut, and romantic elements (f/f & m/nonbinary). Although this book is a standalone, it features characters from the Not the Same River series, so reading both will provide a richer experience.

Due to certain graphic elements, this is recommended for readers aged 18+

WIP Snippet #7: A Valentine’s Day Surprise

WIP Snippet #7: A Valentine’s Day Surprise

WIP Snippet #7: A Valentine’s Day Surprise

Of Blood & Oil

 

In honour of St Valentine, comes this snippet from book three of Not the Same River. This is not so much a work in progress as a done deal. Of Blood & Oil is going through its final copy edits, ready for publication on April 28th this year.

For those of you who celebrate, Happy Valentine’s Day!

character art of Raven Albright. Young man with long black hair and makeup.

WIP Progress

Of Blood & Oil: draft complete, 132,460 words

Series: Not the Same River (#3)

Stage: edited, ready for publication

Publishing date: April 28th 2023

Of Blood & Oil is available to preorder now from a number of online retailers. More will be added soon.

On Valentine’s Day, an unexpected box arrives for Seth—unexpected because there’s no way he’d open it at the kitchen island otherwise. He pulls a dark blue scarf from the package and pinches his face into a pouty frown. “I didn’t order this.”

I check the packaging while he runs his fingers over the silky stitches, but there are no clues on the printed label.

I rub the scarf between my fingers. “So soft. And it matches your eyes.”

“Very funny.” Seth stares at the small card in his other hand, his expression blank. “That’s what the note says.”

I laugh. “Somebody has a secret admirer.”

“Shut up.” He pulls the scarf over his head. “I don’t have anyone.”

“Looks perfect,” I say.

“Yeah, it’s all stitched, so I don’t have to knot it myself, but…”

“What?”

“Well, obviously someone’s been watching me,” he says. “This is exactly how I wear my scarf.”

“That thing you wear is not a scarf. It’s a bunch of holes sewn together with stubbornness and nostalgia.”

“Two words,” he says, one eyebrow arched high. “Your. Coat.”

“I’m getting rid of it. Tomorrow.”

He’s still rubbing the soft scarf around his neck. “Don’t you think it’s creepy though? They must know I need a replacement, and I reiterate, because they’ve been watching me.”

“Yeah, and they printed the label, so you wouldn’t recognise their handwriting.”

He frowns. “The note’s handwritten.”

“Let me see.”

He hands it over and says, “I don’t recognise the writing.”

It looks vaguely familiar, but all I can see behind my eyes are the many and varied handwritten pages of [SPOILER], and they never settled on a handwriting style in their whole life. It’s also unlikely they sent Seth a valentine scarf from beyond the grave.

He’s rubbing the thing on his cheek now, but he stops to sniff the air. “Are you baking?”

He says baking like it should be criminalised.

“Just a baguette,” I tell him.

“I shouldn’t wear it,” he says, but his eyes are already in love with his new scarf. “I don’t want to encourage… Oh god, what if it’s a woman?”

“You really don’t know who sent it? Like, no clue at all?”

He shakes his head, then gets a faraway look in his eyes like he’s mulling over possibilities.

Archer comes in while I’m assembling my valentine treat to myself. I try not to think of [SPOILER] or the new batch of tea I found stuffed in the pocket of that ridiculous coat. I didn’t even feel them put it there.

“What the hell are you doing to that baguette?” Archer demands.

“Getting it ready for a romantic night out,” I say.

He leans over my shoulder. “What are you making?”

I nudge him away. “Hash brown baguette.”

“You want fries with that?”

“Shut up, funny boy.”

“No, really. I’m not sure there’s enough carbs in it.”

I laugh. “Just find me some hot sauce.”

“Not even sriracha can save that abomination,” he says, slamming the red bottle onto the worktop. “Where did that come from?”

I turn around to figure out what Archer is talking about, but he’s looking at Seth.

“There’s no label,” Seth says. “Must be handmade.”

“Seth has an admirer,” I say, then sink my teeth into my abomination baguette.

“Probably the postman,” Archer says.

We both turn to stare at him. “What?”

“Yeah, the postman is totally into you.”

Free Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books from the Fantasy University

Free Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books from the Fantasy University

character art of Raven Albright. Young man with long black hair and makeup.

What are you up for reading this month?

A sci-fi Cinderella retelling? A vampire retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo? An urban folklore retelling of Snow White?

If retellings aren’t your thing, we’ve got witches, mages, demons, shifters, aliens, and monsters. There are over one hundred authors here, and more than 250 novels, novellas, short stories, samples, and even box sets for you to enjoy.

But if you’ve ever wanted to find out what Death is looking for in a marketing agent, you can find out in Wanted for Death, a prequel to the witty and wonderful On Behalf of Death series by E.G. Stone.

Happy reading!

WIP Snippet #6

WIP Snippet #6

WIP Snippet #6

Puddles in the Pavement

 

In honour of British Puddings Day, I bring you a snippet about my pudding-scoffing archangel sleuth, Uriel, from Puddles in the Pavement. Here, he’s just hoisted the newspaper and his pudding from the ground to his upstairs window by way of a bucket. This is the first story in which you’ll meet Uriel in the flesh, unless you subscribe to my newsletter and read the bonus story. Uriel will make a detective of you yet. And he’ll stuff you with pudding. Spotted Dick is not what it sounds like.

character art of Raven Albright. Young man with long black hair and makeup.

WIP Progress

Puddles in the Pavement: draft complete, 30,046 words

Series: Tales from the Noctuary (#2)

Stage: edited, ready for publication

Projected publishing date: Summer 2023

“They’ll be lining up from here to Bishopsgate if you keep giving them half a crown for a pudding,” said Bel.

“How do you know it was half a crown?”

“Please! I can tell exactly which coin and exactly how far down the bucket was. I have a knack for these things.”

“Pointless things,” Uriel huffed.

“You’ll be financing her move to Pimlico. Then who will make your puddings?”

“The boy needs new shoes. If he doesn’t have them within the week, you and I are going shopping.”

“You can buy my new boots while you’re at it.”

Uriel threw the newspaper at Bel. “Christ, it’s still warm.”

Bel let out a long sigh. “These rooms are stifling, and the sun’s barely up.”

“Yesterday you complained about the rain.”

“Why must the British weather try to fit in every meteorological phenomenon in a single month? It’s supposed to be spring.”

Uriel did not respond.

“I hate it here,” Bel tried.

Uriel remained silent. There were only so many times he could listen to his brother beg to open the Mayfair house before he gave in. Of all his brothers, Bel was the most persuasive and his favourite, two factors which, when combined, usually had Uriel giving in quickly. Just this once, he was determined to stand his ground.

He settled by the window, his breakfast bowl already waiting on the small mahogany table. He carved himself a portion of the steaming pudding with a giant spoon and doused it in custard.

Bel waited for Uriel’s first moan of delight before giving him the news. “There have been twelve reports of missing persons over the last two days.”

Free Books

Free Books

Free Books!

I’ve teamed up with a host of sci-fi and fantasy authors this month to bring you a free book hoard. With so many subgenres represented, and with novels, novellas and short stories to choose from, you’re bound to find something that fits your mood.

character art of Raven Albright. Young man with long black hair and makeup.

My novella, The Weakest Link, is just one of the books available to download for free this month.

When life gives you blood and ashes, you’d better have a mop handy.

Being the only human in the family sucks.

Amethyst’s family is just like any other. So, her aunt is a pyromaniac, her uncles are into gardening, tea, and biting, and her dad is the leader of a vampire coven. So what?

It’s her sister that’s the problem. Mara is a liability with a price on her head and wolves at her door. Literally.

When a deadly threat invades their home, trust within the coven is at an all-time low.

And Amethyst is the weakest link.

~~~

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