May 2023, Issue 15
May and warm weather is finally here! Word on the Street (WOTS) literary festival is coming up in Toronto and I've been busy preparing for it. Mostly I'm trying to lower expectations, selling one or two books would be great! Main goal is to do book raffle draws all afternoon and to give away bookmarks. The lady at the printer shop told me to stop selling books and to sell fanart instead because more money will be made! If you are in Toronto May 27-28, 2023, drop by and say hi at the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop or Canadian Authors Association booth (taking care of both tables).
Best,
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It was a pleasure to interview Paula Sheridan, an award winning writer who also runs the Page Turner awards. Based in the UK, writers who enter this award get the chance for literary agents to look at their work and of course, try to get a book deal (upcoming deadline is June 5, 2023). Paula reads from her award winning novel, The Grotto's Secret.
Kara H.L. Chen is one of the sunniest authors I've ever met, perhaps because she lives in the sunshine state of California! It was a pleasure to talk to her about her writing journey and how she pitched on Twitter to get her book published! Kara reads from her YA novel, Love & Resistance.
Event updates - Word on the Street
On May 27-28, 2023 I will be at Word on the Street as mentioned earlier and will be giving away books along with a $50 Amazon gift card!
Check out the free event here: https://toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca/
Design - Mommy Entertainment System
During pre-natal class the instructor told us that parents will be the "toys" for their children which inspired this antique design.
Click here to see all the designs for sale on Threadless, all proceeds go towards Dark Helix Press to make more books!
Artsy Fun - DIY Giant Shower Curtain Art
Recently I saw something really neat in Architectural Digest which led to a website called "Never Skip Brunch." The idea is taking a shower curtain and make a painting out it!
They claim it costs less than $20, but it depends on the shower curtain and canvas chosen I think. The result looks really neat and no one would be able to guess it's made out of a shower curtain!
Picture is from the "Never Skip Brunch" website and instructions are here:
https://www.neverskipbrunch.com/large-wall-art-diy-shower-curtain-canvas-art-for-cheap/
Free Book Giveaways and Promos
(click book title to access free eBook download link or book preview)
The Prometheus Prophecy by D. F. Wink (click to download eBook). THE PROMETHEUS PROPHECY by D. F. Wink is a near future techno thriller – book one in an exhilarating dystopian trilogy. It depicts a dystopian society with a cast of unique characters, epic settings, historical battles and a mixture of science and mythology.
His Black Tongue by Mitchell Luthi (click for review copy). His Black Tongue is a tale of medieval horror, plunging the reader into the plague-torn land of 14th century France, when pestilence and death walked hand-in-hand, and life was little more than a sputtering candle, waiting to be put out. But there are worse things than death, than sickness and decay… and it comes upon leathery black wings.
Fredrika by Tanya Lisle (click for preview). It would be a lot easier to break into the assassination game if her targets stayed dead. Before Fredrika can collect her pay, her estranged superhero sister, Gigi, comes back into her life desperate for help. She’s been seeing ghosts and, when she brings Fredrika’s first target back to life, Fredrika’s not sure if helping Gigi is worth the trouble she brings with her.
VISITOR by Wayne Meyers (click for preview copy). Professor Douglas Keller meets extraterrestrial Aldrea, a beautiful Quenterian scientist stranded on Earth, while hiking in the Adirondack Mountains. Hunted by the FBI and a warring faction of Aldrea’s people called the Radicals, she turns to Doug for help. Doug is no hero, but after Aldrea used her telepathic abilities to heal him from a lethal wound, a psychic bond formed between them that opened their minds to each other in ways Doug cannot understand and Aldrea cannot explain.
The Last Run Kindle by J. Scott Coatsworth (click for preview). Sera is the last runner from Earth, bringing badly needed supplies to the Tharassas Colony across a twenty-five year gulf between the planets. Jas works on a hencha farm to make ends meet, harvesting berries from the semi-sentient plants.Neither one that knows their lives—and worlds—are about to change forever.
The Rose Thief: A Humorous Fantasy Novel by Claire Buss (click for preview). The Rose Thief is the first quirky magical mystery adventure set in the Roshaven series of humorous fantasy novels. If you like the wit and humour of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, then you’ll love The Rose Thief.
A Storm of Wrath & Ruin by Kristin Ward (click for preview). The drums of war are beating, their echoes filling Dorcha Wood as Fiadh, and those who stand with her, ready themselves for what is coming. Beyond the forest’s borders, Aos Sí armies march, exacting a terrible vengeance on mankind as they fulfill the dark wishes of Rygeil—a ruler who has forsaken the Great Mother, Danu. But, vanquishing the children of men will take more than the magic flowing through Aos Sí veins. Rygeil covets Fiadh, believing she is the key to unlocking a power so vast none could stand against him.
Stinger by Tom Dell'Aringa (click to download eBook). As his warship comes under attack by a devastating alien horror, a drug-addicted recruit stumbles upon a secret super soldier compound. In his hand is the one hope to save the ship. But to do it, he’ll have to face his crippling fear of the alien on the other side of the hatch.
Species Traitor: A Science Fiction Dystopian Novel by Kate L. Mary (click for preview). My name is Ava Mendoza, and I am a species traitor. They came hoping to find a new home after their own planet was destroyed, but Earth was dying as well, and most humans saw their arrival as an invasion. Now, two decades later, the Veilorians have been banished to the District, a fenced-in area on the outskirts of the last known livable land on Earth. Most people do their best to pretend they don’t exist, but not everyone. There are humans, like my cousin, who see them for what they are. They want to make my cousin’s marriage illegal and punish any human who goes into the District, but I refuse to back down from this fight. No matter the cost.
Hanging House: An Emmie Rose Haunted Mystery by Dean Rasmussen (click for preview). An unsolved murder. A reluctant psychic. Hanging House never sleeps, and neither will you. Emmie just wants to get as far away from her psychic past as possible. Who can blame her? Seeing dead children isn’t a “gift." It's heartbreaking terror.
Daphne Mayne and the Goblin Quest by Kent Silverhill (click to download). Go with Daphne on an adventure filled with goblins, dwarves, danger and magic. Driven by a desperate need to save her dying brother, Daphne ventures into a forbidden forest to retrieve rare berries that were said to hold a cure. Little did she know her mission of mercy would lead her down a path fraught with danger and filled with unexpected twists and turns.
Group book promos
Free horror books, promo ends May 16, 2023. Click here for access
Over a dozen free fantasy and science fiction eBooks, promo ends June 1, 2023. Click here for access
Over a dozen YA science fiction and fantasy eBooks, promo ends June 2, 2023. Click here for access
EBooks featuring Asian characters, promo ends May 31, 2023. Click here for access
Over a dozen magic themed eBooks, promo ends May 31, 2023. Click here for access
EBooks featuring strong female leads, promo ends June 19, 2023. Click here for access
Kindle unlimited science fiction titles, promo ends June 3, 2023. Click here for access
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