On Disaster Watch
Sep 06, 2025 5:01 pm
September has arrived, bringing back to school, and pumpkin spice, and hopefully rain. August was a very dry month in my province of Nova Scotia and, unfortunately, those conditions fuelled wildfires. There is a large wildfire burning in the next county over, which thankfully hasn't claimed any lives, but has everyone on disaster watch. Needless to say, it's been stressful, but I did get some work done.
Writing Updates
- The beta readers are done with Tales of the Norse Gods, and it is in the final stages before it goes off to the professional editor in preparation for its November release.
- My nemesis from the book, the evil chicken, has become a favourite and now has his own line of merch.
- I should have the merch completed and uploaded to my stores this month, and there will be variations for the chicken image with text, and some Team Loki/Team Evil Chicken logos.
- The cover reveal for Tales of the Norse Gods will happen later in September, so keep watch for that debuting on my website.
- Also, my sadistic muse has decided I needed yet another WIP, so I am now writing a steampunk air pirates casino heist book. It's a continuation of the characters from my story in the Cogs, Crowns, and Carriages anthology.
Book Tidbit
Two of the characters in Tales of the Norse Gods have names inspired by cartoon characters, and their personalities are somewhat loosely based on those cartoons. If you want to know who, I will be spilling all the inside tidbits in some blog posts closer to the release date.
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The Shadows and Ink Podcast
July's podcast episode is an awesome interview with best-selling author J.D. Barker, who stopped by to chat about the ins and outs of co-authoring (plus he talks about what it's like to work with James Patterson). Check it out at the link below.
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Giveaways and Books To Browse
Again, in this month's offerings we have a mystery group giveaway, as I'm trying to get Murder, Magic, and Maple Fudge in front of readers. I hope you'll click on the promotion and give these authors some support.
CL Cannon's Fantasy & Sci-fi Book Fair
Looking for some bookish deals? This Fantasy & Sci-fi book fair has over 100 free & discounted books, plus KU finds! There's also a HUGE giveaway!
Murder, Magic, and Maple Fudge is part of this Book Fair and is now on sale for 0.99 cents.
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The Darker Side of Speculative Fiction
Ends October 4th!
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Scenic Mysteries: An All-Genre Book Fair for Mysteries with Strong Settings
Ends October 1st!
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FANTASY
The Witch at the Edge of the Wood by Liz Delton
Velina has escaped the workhouse on the hunt for one thing: the witch who can grant her wish to live a normal life. Born with silver hair and noticeably pointy ears, she's passed from workhouse to workhouse since she can remember—shunned for her mysterious heritage.
But the witch’s cottage she finds at the edge of the wood is abandoned, and as soon as she starts making herself at home, someone else comes calling: a noble with a wish of his own. With the promise of his coin, she agrees to help him, when she starts noticing something strange about the cottage.
Velina must find a way to help the noble, and others who come calling—but can she help herself?
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/WitchattheEdgeoftheWood
HORROR
Letter from the End of the World: An Apocalyptic Villain Origin Story by K.A. Wiggins
Her secret was supposed to save the world. But when the tide turns against her, there's only one way to keep from going under: Sacrifice.
Brilliant academic, driven young professional, cynical wife and reluctant mother, Maryam Ajera's ambition knows no bounds.
She'll do whatever it takes to rise to the top.
But when her secret mission to stop the end of the world is hijacked by tragedy, the monstrous intelligence possessing her dying city forces her to choose between surrendering her life or signing on for an eternity of sacrifice.
In a city overrun by monsters, she's not the only one who'll pay the cost.
This unexpected villain origin (short) story of the unearthly Mayor of the Towers of Refuge covers events leading up to Blind the Eyes (Threads of Dreams, 1) and can also be enjoyed as a standalone.
Mandate THIRTEEN by Joseph Dowling
Welcome to a gritty, dystopian future with plummeting birth rates and a fractured United Kingdom. In response, the corrupt government has mandated that all young women must submit to fertility checks at the age of thirteen. For those found able to conceive, a cruel and servile existence inside the government’s birthing schools beckons. An even worse fate awaits if the rich and powerful get them first.
When the clandestine Baby Farmers, and their brutal leader Miko, are sent to snatch his daughter, Michael must make a split-second choice: risk his own freedom to protect Hope… or lose her forever. Mandate: THIRTEEN is a gripping and fast-paced dystopian thriller perfect for fans of Children of Men and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Madness of the Dance by Grant Kelly
Madness of the Dance explores one of history’s strangest and most mysterious events, a bizarre outbreak in Strasbourg where hundreds of people danced uncontrollably for weeks, leading to exhaustion, illness, and death. Was it mass hysteria, ergot poisoning, religious mania, or something more sinister? This thrilling and informative eBook dives into the chilling facts and strange theories surrounding the “Dancing Plague,” unravelling the historical context and exploring the unanswered questions that have baffled experts for centuries. Perfect for mystery lovers and history enthusiasts, this is a captivating journey into an enduring unsolved mystery.
This short tale blends fact, folklore, and speculation to unravel one of history’s most bizarre phenomena.
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My Merch Stores:
Vintage and artsy designs on a variety of products
Scifi, fantasy, and horror designs on a variety of products
My shop on Redbubble featuring a variety of products.
(with new Canadian designs)
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Find me on:
Website | Facebook Group | YouTube | BookBub
Instagram | BlueSky | TikTok| My Amazon page
Lemon Squeezy Store | My Books on StoryOrigin
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That's it for this edition. And I'll return next month with more updates.
