Travel in a time of crisis // Free fiction for you
Jul 31, 2021 3:18 pm
Hello from Normandy,
We're taken the risk of a holiday in France, which is terra-non-grata from the point of view of the British authorities. According to the government's current guidelines, I shall have to self-isolate for at least five days upon my return because I have set foot upon what they consider to be tainted land.
This is rubbish, of course, because the "beta" variant they are so terribly afraid of is present in the French territory of Martinique, which is halfway across the world from here. It is apparently too much to ask of our great and fearless leaders that they absorb simple geography beyond their own borders (and that of the former empire). Either that or they're playing politics with a pandemic. What an embarrassment.
The weather here is sunny and pleasant, which is not conducive to writing. I'm also still undergoing massive career and life changes that get in the way of regular writing. Progress is slow, but there is still progress.
My free fiction of the month
You have presumably read Past Mistakes, and have hopefully also read at least one of my other two short stories from the Emily Voss universe. They are:
- A First Time for Everything. The story of Emily's first ever exorcism, which happens a long time before the events in Past Mistakes.
- Two to Tango. The first meeting between Emily and Raymond, predictably in the presence of something evil.
If you like all of the above, you can purchase the first three stories of the Emily Voss universe on Amazon for $0.99. The first of these three stories is, of course, Past Mistakes, which you already have.
Should you want something from another world entirely, I propose a short story I wrote some time ago, which you can download for free. It's called Shadows. I'm very fond of this story, so if you choose to read it, please send me your thoughts once you've finished. You can do that by hitting "reply".
Author Spotlight
Here are the authors I want to introduce you to this week.
River Murphy is on his second human partner - Rena Matthews. Director Hunter believes this pairing will be a better fit. Hesitant at first, River finds Rena alone in a conference room. She's ready to hunt down Remus Frieze - the latest threat to the supernatural community. Rena's robot reflexes leave River feeling on edge, until she reveals how she came to work with Nexus and be placed with Team Chimera.
Will Rena's connection to Frieze compromise the mission, or will it be just what they need to take him down for good?
A missed magic school invitation leads to a hard-knock upbringing, but the chance to start again in magic college may risk more than her life.
Let’s face it, Vix wasn’t exactly feeling like a champ when she stuffed her bra with corn nuts in that department store, but she didn’t expect to be forced to make a choice: jail time, or clean up her act at some weirdo night school.
But when this no-nonsense magic college for adults offers to reform her bad attitude and behavior, and train her to use her abilities for good for freaking once in her life, she is so not down with it. Not only that, but nothing feels quite right about Pentagram College, and she wonders what is really going on.
Worse yet, when things go horribly wrong, can Vix resist reverting back to the dysfunctional skills and potty mouth which worked in the past, but are totally not great when dealing with authority figures?
Return to Sender is the humorous first installment in the Creatures of the Night School series where life’s rejects become magic’s newest students. If you’re into The Magicians, The Craft, and Buffy, then this fast-paced series with snark, cursing, and strong characters is for you..
Billionaire inventor, Jefferson Caton, will stop at nothing when pushing the boundaries of science. His questionable experiments could unlock the code to eternity but at the same time unearth unimaginable evil.
Former professor of microbiology, Daniel Mackenzie Powers (known as Mac) abandoned his field of study in cellular ageing and the cellular resilience of many cancers, for a career as a pop-science media personality after failing to save his wife Jessica who succumbed to cancer.
Mac now investigates and debunks scientific quacks and pedlars of dodgy medicines and technologies in a series of high-profile media interviews. Caton knows Mac’s past research on telomeric regeneration may be the missing key and invites Mac over to 'cover' the LiveForever Programme.
Strangely, Caton’s own deputy, the beautiful Dr Chloe Stevens shows up giving Mac dire warnings about the project, while Mac’s old university suddenly wants him back in order to secure massive research funding from a shadowy source. But when his life was threatened and then saved by an anonymous unit of possible government agents who have their own dubious aims and motives, Mac finds himself the only person who can fully understand and balance the titanic dangers and opportunities which the LiveForever programme could unleash on the human race.
From those intent on uncovering the key to eternal life, those intent on thwarting it, and those whose humanity has already been destroyed in the quest, no one can be trusted!
Note: Adult themes
Gunner Banaburer, a sword for hire and a tired veteran of The Great War has a debt of honor to repay. A mythical badass with a greatsword, he has his own inner demons and a dark secret.
While three beautiful young daughters of the famed dwarven general, “Groodmaer” are to be smuggled back to a dwarven stronghold under The Belshar Mountains to be married for a dowry of a king's ransom...
But these dwarven females are no angels! All three with secrets and scandals.
Little do they know very powerful forces seek their ruin. Adraile a powerful elvish lord with vengeance in his heart for the seed of Groodmaer. Grimgar the defiler, the champion of the Orcians, is sent to end Groodmaer and his daughters. And Malek the half orc and his men plan to cash in on the dwarven booty.
Not to mention the beautiful, young, elf Aerin who is perplexed with her unconsummated new marriage to Lord Adraile and her strange tale.
Gunner is tasked with repaying the kindness of a friend who saved his life while everyone is out to get him and the maidens
Meet Ashira. She can heal with a touch and command the dead. And she would like her kingdom back.
After all, she is the reincarnation of the legendary pharaoh Nephtet-Ka. It’s hers by rights. The prophecy said so after all.
But she will find that an empire won’t just hand over power, even if she unleashes an army of reanimated corpses on those who stand in her way.
Fleeing an empire that wants her dead, she will have to cross the desert and seek out new allies and counsel from the ancient priest who started the prophecy. Her only ally is Mwarthes, a sly assassin who speaks with serpents and lets his curiosity get the better of him. Will he help her reclaim her crown from the Alvari empire?
Or will she end up another corpse in the desert?
That's it for your fortnightly update. As always, stay in touch, send feedback, tell me the brand of your favourite coffee...
All the best,
Nick.
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