Category: Book Brief

Book Brief: Feast of Fates

Feast of Fates by Christian A BrownFeast of Fates
by Christian A. Brown
Genre: Epic Fantasy
212,000 words

Morigan lives a quiet life as the handmaiden to a fatherly old sorcerer named Thackery. But when she crosses paths with Caenith, a not wholly mortal man, her world changes forever. Their meeting sparks long buried magical powers deep within Morigan. As she attempts to understand her newfound abilities, unbidden visions begin to plague her—visions that show a devastating madness descending on one of the Immortal Kings who rules the land.

With Morigan growing more powerful each day, the leaders of the realm soon realize that this young woman could hold the key to their destruction. Suddenly, Morigan finds herself beset by enemies, and she must master her mysterious gifts if she is to survive.

Feast of Fates is available for Kindle and in print through Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Christian, how did you come up with the title for your book? Does it have any special meaning?
Feast of Fates, as a phrase, actually appears in the book. The moment it popped out of my keyboard, I scrapped the working title of the draft and just knew that FoF the name of my little darling. I’ll spoil the broth if I tell you anything more about the context in which it is used.

Who was your favorite character and why?
My children! I love them all! Even the wicked ones (sometimes, especially them). Morigan and the Wolf are simply epic, and they’d be the easy answer. Mouse, is a fan favorite: tough as nails and full of sass. I choose the mysterious quasi-villain, Elissandra: a woman who wears many masks.

Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
The highbrow answer: Love is what binds us in brotherhood, blinds us from hate, and makes us soar with desire.
The lowdown: Celtic werewolves, Immortal Kings, more magic, adventure, passion, intrigue, and plain old panache that you can shake a wand at (there are no wands in FoF).

What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
Compelling and engrossing characterization and world-building. Also, I delight in converting the: “I don’t read that” crowd. Fantasy can be an amazing window through which to view social and emotional commentary. The book has undertones of death, acceptance and love that I experienced during my mother’s illness (lymphoma) and passing.

Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
“Each character was so well written that I became very emotionally attached to them. I felt all of the emotions, fears and hopes of each of them while reading.”

Where can people learn more about your writing?
http://christianadrianbrown.com/

Book Brief: Nighthawks at the Mission

Nighthawks at the MissionNighthawks at the Mission
by Forbes West
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
115,000 words

In today’s universe, The Oberon is the last place a settler from the USA can find the American dream alive and well. Thousands of settlers have come to live in this mysterious land on another world accessed only by an energy portal in the South Pacific.  Facing a hopeless future and betrayed by her long-time boyfriend, Sarah Orange is one of those who leave the Earth. Quickly she falls in with a group of illegal salvagers that operate at night in the empty ruins. Sarah risks death from both The Oberon’s corporate overseers as well as the indigenous beings who hate the settlers. With her life spinning out of control from drug addiction, Sarah searches for love and money in a world so close to – and yet so different from- our very own. But first, she must survive a terrorist threat that slowly begins to destroy her new homeland.

Nighthawks at the Mission, the science fiction novel by Forbes West, is available at Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Continue reading “Book Brief: Nighthawks at the Mission”

Book Brief: Searching for Hope

Searching For Hope book cover (web)Searching for Hope
by Michael Joseph
Genre: Mystery
58,000 words

On a bitter January night, private detective Sam Carlisle steps out of a nightclub and stumbles across a severely wounded man prostrate on the freezing ground. Despite Sam’s efforts to save him, the stranger dies in his arms, uttering three small words before taking his final breath.

Help. Me. Find.

In the days that follow, the tragic encounter plays increasingly on Sam’s mind. Who was the victim? What was he trying to find? With the police investigation drawing a total blank, Sam searches for the truth himself, determined to carry out the dead man’s cryptic final request. However, following in the footsteps of a murdered man brings plenty of danger of its own.

Searching For Hope is the latest mystery featuring former undercover cop Sam Carlisle as he finds himself drawn into a perilous world of unscrupulous characters, dark secrets and a family torn apart by tragedy and betrayal.

Searching for Hope is available from Amazon.com and Amazon UK. Continue reading “Book Brief: Searching for Hope”

Book Brief | Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills

SHADOW HILLS FRONT COVERSkylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills
by Carrie Cross
Genre: Middle Grade, mystery
60,650 words

Thirteen-year-old sleuth Skylar Robbins plans to become a private detective like her grandfather. Stuck at her bullying cousin Gwendolyn’s Malibu estate for the summer, Skylar brings her detective kit, portable spy tools, and her journal for taking notes in secret code. She had no idea how dangerous the summer would prove to be.

On the first day of summer school an odd classmate named Kat passes a note in backward writing, introducing Skylar to the secret world of witchcraft. Practical Skylar didn’t believe in magic  — until the spells they perform in an abandoned garden actually appear to be working.

When Kat tells her that a mysterious group is doing wicked things up in Shadow Hills at night, she can’t help but investigate. The teen sleuth uses the tools in her detective kit and faces her most embarrassing fear to find the truth.

Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills is available at Amazon.com, iTunes, and Amazon UK. Continue reading “Book Brief | Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills”