October Frights Day 6: Past Legends

Welcome to the last day of the October Frights Blog Hop. To end it all, I have a spotlight on my new release, Past Legends. This is the first book in my Camelot Immortals series and is a dark fantasy based on Arthurian myth, full of witches and magic. Enjoy!

Past Legends

An immortal witch of Camelot. A looming magical crisis. A destiny she’s willing to reject.

All Nimue wants is a peaceful life, but her past won’t leave her alone. And when her friend Iseult brings news that her old rival Morgawse has been abducted, an impending catastrophe lands on her doorstep. And worse, the wizard responsible is Nimue’s ex, Nostradamus.

Dragged into another adventure, Nimue confronts her former flame as he wages a desperate quest, only to be thrust deeper into an escalating crisis. As Nimue struggles to unravel what is happening, she discovers dark secrets that threaten the heart of magical energy. Now it’s her fate to rescue magic for every witch and wizard, including her friends. Trouble is, she wants no part of being magic’s saviour.

Will Nimue step up as a champion? Or will she let the magical world die?

Past Legends: The Camelot Immortals Book One, is a contemporary Arthurian fantasy inspired by the tales we all know and love. If you like strong snarky heroines, wizards and witches, and copious amounts of alcohol, then you’ll love the adventures of Nimue and her friends.

Warning: this book contains offensive language.

The book launches on Oct 28th (and will be in Kindle Unlimited)
but is available for pre-order now for 99 cents.

Find it on Amazon

Here's a taste of the book:

ONCE UPON a myth, or legend, or tall tale, or whatever you want to call it, there existed a wondrous place called Camelot. Full of knights and wizards, magic and quests, a beautiful land of enchantment, fair maidens and ruled by a just king.

Not quite.

Camelot was more akin to a Dark Ages lunatic asylum. I should know, I lived there.

Let me introduce myself. I’m Nimue. I’m a witch and I’ve been alive for fifteen hundred years, give or take a few decades. These days I live in Cumbria, England, in the Lake District, but a long time ago, I lived in the aforementioned Camelot, that mysterious land of magic and legend. Also a place with no running water, no modern medicine, and where basic hygiene could be iffy. Warriors in leather jerkins and dented helms roamed its dusty roads, not knights in armour, and usually held a drink in one hand while the other groped a woman’s—well you get the idea.

I never meant to get involved, with either Camelot or magic, but one day a handsome stranger walked into my father’s tavern.

Merlin, the grand wizard of Camelot.

I should have stayed in the tavern.

In addition, I'm offering the Camelot Immortals two story prequel, Eternal Myths, for free to anyone who preorders Past Legends or purchases it during launch week. Just message me at my Facebook author page with a Past Legends proof of purchase for the prequel download link.

And I have some more myths and legends for you with this great giveaway!

C.L. Cannon’s Myths & Legends Reader Giveaway

And don’t forget our group giveaway with 23 great books available. 

Ends October 31st.

The October Frights Giveaway

Well, that's it for this year.

Be sure to check out the rest of the hoppers for their last day offerings.

Night to Dawn Magazine & Books LLC

Hawk's Happenings

Heidi Angell

Curiosities

James McDonald

Always Another Chapter

Spreading the Writer's Word

Yours in Storytelling

Carmilla Voiez

Hello Romance

GirlZombieAuthors

Frighten Me

M'habla's!

Angela Yuriko Smith

Brain Matter

NLCARTERWRITES.COM

Released Today! Legends and Lore: An Anthology of Mythic Proportions

Today's the official release day for Legends and Lore: An Anthology of Mythic Proportions, and the last day of the fabulous blog tour. My story, Grail Days (a modern day tale of Arthurian Legend), is part of this anthology, and I'm proud to be included with this group of fantastic stories and talented authors.

Here's a quick look at the book, and an interview with one of the authors, M. K. Wiseman.  Plus, you can check out the book over on the Xchyler Publishing page (along with any tour stops you might have missed):
http://www.xchylerpublishing.com/site.cfm/Our-Books/Legends-and-Lore.cfm 

And be sure to attend the book launch party over on Facebook starting at 7 PM Eastern. The authors will be there to chat, and there will be games and great prizes.

Legends and Lore: An Anthology of Mythic Proportions

Delve into myth and legend, where the Fates force post-modern man into a world of the unknown—a world long since dismissed as ignorant superstition.


The Brother-Sister Fable by Alyson Grauer: A young boy disappears into a realm where only his sister can follow.

Faelad by Sarah Hunter Hyatt: Claire Whitaker didn’t even know she was Irish, let alone The Morrigan, the goddess of war.

By Skyfall by Emma Michaels: A mer-couple from Atlantis find themselves in the middle of a human murder investigation.

Charon’s Obol by. R. M. Ridley: Jonathan Alvey didn’t believe in gods, until he helps a lost child find her all-powerful parents.

Peradventure by Sarah E. Seeley: A jinni must choose between the woman he loves and destroying the city that persecuted her.

Natural Order by Lance Schonberg: When Carlos Vasquez is kidnapped, he discovers powers within himself to change the world.

Two Spoons by Danielle E. Shipley: A little girl’s soul meets its match in the family diner’s most mysterious patron.

Grail Days by A. F. Stewart: Living forever has its drawbacks, especially when you spend it clearing away the messes of other immortals.

Downward Mobility by M. K. Wiseman: They say love conquers all, but can it save a Valkyrie when she breaks all the rules?

Amazon

Goodreads

Xchyler Publishing

Interview with M. K. Wiseman

How did the idea for this story come to you?

“Downward Mobility” actually grew out of a different story that had been rattling around my hard drive for a little under a year. What I ended up actually writing drew inspiration from my time working in a law firm. I guess I just let my imagination run with the idea of a very tired Valkyrie.

What makes your main character unique?

Honestly, I don't view Amelia as all that unique. While that may not come off as a ringing endorsement, it is nice to have a relatable, down-to-earth character. Even with her supernatural background, Amelia has a human boldness, humor and capacity for love with which we 'mere mortals' can identify. Perhaps a thousand years amongst our kind has given her more humanity than even she expected.

Is this part of a series?

Not at this time. Unless . . .  

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I'm still not sure I am one. :) In all seriousness though, I have always wanted to tell stories. Animation was actually my first love and writing simply grew out of that.

What have you written?

I've published “Downward Mobility” as well as another short story in Xchyler Publishing's Mechanized Masterpieces Steampunk Anthology. In the hopper: I've over a dozen longer works in various stages of completion and I maintain two active continuing story blogs.

What are you working on?

I'm currently trying to put the finishing touches on a rather massive steampunk/fantasy novel while also trying to work out the bugs on three different short stories. 

How do you write? Longhand, typewriter, laptop, tablet?

I write near everything longhand; little yellow legal pads in a leather carry case. (Yes, I now have an entire desk full of filled notepads.) I type everything into the computer later—generally creating more typos than if I'd started digital.

What is your writing zone and how do you get there?

The zone is whenever I write and the results aren't total garbage. The aforementioned yellow legal pads have scores of pages with lines through sections I have deemed 'unworthy' of seeing the light of day. Sometimes the act of writing is just getting pen on paper, while other days the results are pure magic and I know I have found my groove.

What’s the hardest thing about writing?

The time spent. It really does take massive amounts of time. 

What’s the easiest thing about writing?

The ideas. When I started out I had one idea and worried that it was all my brain was ever going to produce. Then I had another idea, and then another one . . . which, of course, leads directly to the hardest thing about writing for me. ;)

What are you currently reading?

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Fantastic book.

Do you prefer reading eBook or paperback?

I have a Nook and have sometimes read on my phone but prefer paperback.

What advice do you have for fellow writers?

Keep at it! Embrace what creative avenues your brain goes down and be true to yourself. Don't write a thing just because it's in style, write it because you'd love to read it, because the world needs that story. (Oh, and the librarian in me says: read a lot!)

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Into the Mists of Arthurian Legend: A Review of The Circle Cast

My Book Review of The Circle Cast: The Lost Years of Morgan le Fay by Alex Epstein:

The Circle Cast: The Lost Years of Morgan le Fay by Alex Epstein is an excellent addition to the genre of Arthurian folklore and legend. The author crafts worlds past with a deft hand, easily pulling a reader into the story.

The book tells the story of the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay. The Circle Cast portrays the early years of this character, first as the child Anna and then as Morgan after she flees Britain to Ireland. It tells the story of her life as a stranger in a strange land, enslaved and surviving hardship to return to Britain and reclaim what she lost.

The plotline is fresh, delving into a piece of Arthurian legend not excessively written about, yet still keeping to the traditional lines of the tale. The author has a nice take on the magical aspects of the story, weaving a mysterious aspect in to the narrative by his effective use of Celtic religion and myth.

The writer also does an exceptional job at creating the main character, making her a full person with fears, doubts and weakness, while still showcasing her strength of purpose. The people surrounding her are nicely sketched as well, interacting and bringing the world around Morgan to life, filling a past age with solid reality.

Being a devotee of the Arthurian legends, I’ve read many books on the subject, both fiction and non-fiction, and this delightfully enchanting novel is a welcome complement to the mythology.



Also available at Amazon.ca:
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1896580637/