Hallowe’en is over, and so is August Li’s Foxtober on the Fox-Hat and Friends blog. But there’s still plenty of time to read this short story and poem, both fox-themed! So if you love foxes — especially shifter foxes — this post is for you. For your reading pleasure, here are “Home”, a short story by Edie Montreux, and my poem, “Lost Fox Woods”! Both were based on the picture in this post.🦊🦊
Happy Samhain, Halloween, or whatever name you give to the changing of the seasons. Today is the last day of our Foxtober celebration, and we’re sending it off properly. Two wonderful authors have donated their time and talent for your enjoyment in a story and a poem based on this prompt:
Please enjoy, and surely the authors would love a quick note to thank them for their work.
Home
By Edie Montreux
Once upon a time, fox shifters had magic. They were known as kitsune, powerful spirit masters with nine tails.
No longer. Bijou was a fox shifter. He had one tail, and no magic. Hell, after all the bullying at school, he had very little spirit left.
Only his best friend Remmy, who was a cat shifter, understood why he smelled scents his human classmates, neighbors, and now coworkers could not. Remmy also understood why he avoided the men…
Borrowed Magic Shari Lambert
Publication date: February 1st 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
After a three-year siege, Lord Kern, the dark mage, is dead. Magic has left Tredare, and life is almost back to normal.
For everyone except Maren, that is.
Before the siege, an attack by Lord Kern left Maren near death and with a sliver of magic buried deep inside her. Now, for reasons Maren doesn’t understand, that magic has been triggered, giving her the ability to “see” the truth: that her world is nothing more than a magical façade; and that the kingdom’s hero may not be a hero at all.
But this gift of sight comes at a high cost. Maren is in constant pain, and fears her own death is imminent. Plus, no one believes her suspicions that another Dark Mage has risen, and that Tredare may be in just as much danger as it was when Kern was alive.
With the country’s future in the hands of a man who’s vowed revenge on its king, Maren must convince someone else of the truth. Unfortunately, the only person powerful enough to help is also the one man she can’t trust; the man she almost married; the man who abandoned her and disappeared for three years: Kern’s son.
As Tredare crumbles around them, Maren must persuade him to help – before the king is murdered by the very hero he reveres; and before the same magic that gives Maren the gift of sight also takes her life.
The prequel, Siege, will be available for FREE starting January 18th!
Author Bio:
Shari has always loved to read. “Bookworm” may even be an understatement. But when she discovered Georgette Heyer in high school, her love of reading exploded. Ms. Heyer’s books were not only entertaining, witty, and smart, but they saved Shari from the awkward, unromantic teenage years. To this day, Shari’s favorite books all have romance in them.
Although Shari spent a good deal of her time at Brigham Young University on the ballroom dance team, she did manage to get a BA in History and English before going on to get a Juris Doctorate. After graduation, she decided her first priority was to be a mom — a career she’s stuck with and loved.
In between cleaning, laundry, and homework, Shari writes. Just like with reading, she wants to get lost in a world, whether imaginary or historical.
She lives just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and four children.
If you enjoy fantasy fiction, this event’s for you!
Hosted by Flavour of Fantasy (an online group and collective), the First Annual Virtual FantasyCon will be taking place November 1-8, 2015, on Facebook.
Each day will focus on a different genre/subgenre, including urban fantasy, sci fi, Steampunk, paranormal, epic fantasy, and fairytales. Authors, artists, and bloggers will have their own virtual booths for readers and fans to attend and see works, teasers, and more. Guests can chat with the attendees. There will also be giveaways!
I’m thrilled to announce that I will be one of the authors at the event on November 8th, the day for YA and Children’s Fantasy.
Yep. Editing can really suck the brain away from all those other things. Kind of like the last major round of edits I did: I kept calling cordon bleu”grilled cheese”… Ah, the fun. We’ll chalk it up to a necessary work hazard. 😉
Having said that: thanks to all the spouses and loved ones who put up with it! It’s not always easy, I know.
When I edit lots
My brain gets fried
And I forget things
Like (a) whether or not I had a coffee;
(b) What my name is;
(c) What the time is;
(d) Whether I stopped for that red light or not;
(e) What the name of this student in front of me is,
And (f) why I’m an author.
When I write,
My memory improves.
I remember point (f).
Do sit back and relax for a spell. Three tales from Spirit I have to tell. Moving ahead from lives felt wrong. Finally found—a place to belong.
Words Needed by Regine Allison Claire
Tess: teenager, studious, voracious reader, and in her high school, she couldn’t be more of a misfit. It’s not just a social label; it’s frustrating and isolating. Is she too “weird” to belong anywhere?
When her love of fantasy literature and history collide in an assignment, she gets more answers than she could have ever expected.
With a single word, she will find acceptance.
Power Walking by TJ Burns
When Leda’s recent heartbreak leaves her sleepless and depressed, she begins a new ritual of taking late-night walks. One evening her midnight wanderings reveal a sight that both frightens and intrigues her.
Is the shrouded circle of women a figment of Leda’s exhausted mind, or are they the gatekeepers on her path to empowerment?
Home by Jamie White
Julie has always been curious about her family’s spiritual path, but she’s never been allowed to take part in their traditions because of her age. Now that she’s reached adulthood, she must decide whether to dedicate herself to their path, or forge her own.
Available as an eBook from the following retailers:
Experience three chilling tales of darkness and hidden secrets.
Burden by Regine Allison Claire
Fifteen-year-old Keldie has a terrible secret—her cousin is locked up in her parents’ house.
She’s never seen him but she hears him, frightening her almost as much as the visions of the yellow-eyed bear that haunt her.
After another boy is rescued from a similar situation nearby, Keldie is at the crossroads of truth. Is she a monster for hiding her parents’ secret? Will confession set her guilty heart free?
Everyone Knows My Name by Andrew P Weston
Tony Roberts was a man who, for years, had been forced to suffer the ignominy of ridicule and ostracism because of his outlandish scientific theories.
Shunned by his contemporaries, he sought to justify his methods by any means possible, just so his name would end up on everyone’s lips, where he felt it belonged.
One day, he got his wish. Little did he realize it would be for all the wrong reasons.
An Act of Faith by Ed “CC” Emerson
Imagine the fear.
Fear of being discovered. Fear of being caught. Fear that any one of your neighbors might turn you in. Fear that, at any time, the Secret Police might break down your door and drag you off into the night—never to be seen again.
All simply because of An Act of Faith.
Available as an eBook from the following retailers:
The cover for the second novella of the Stains series is here! Check out the cover, made by Angie Mroczka, and some info about the series below…
The trilogy continues February 27, 2015 via Pagan Writers Press.
Stains on the Soul (first novella) follows Fiona Stevens, a young girl whose nightmares lead her to explore her past lives. Will she finally break free of the cycle she’s been caught in for centuries, or will she once again meet an early grave?
About the Author
Jamie White is a paranormal junkie, writer, blogger, and moonlights as a pet servant. Keep up with the latest on the Stains series at JamieLWhite.com.
Safe contents rattle
tattling our crime
as if trying to alert police.
Funny how
money cannot talk
when trapped
in a getaway car.
I wrote this poem in December 2014, inspired by Heart Soup Poem‘s prompt #280, “Safe”. The word inspired me to write 3 poems, all very different, but only this one took it into the physical realm of referring to a metal safe. This cheeky little poem was published originally on Twitter.
Pagan Writers Press is currently seeking flash fiction stories of 1,000 – 2,500 words for inclusion in promotional eBooks for the press. Authors will receive a share of the royalties.
This call includes these two themed collections:
Paranormal Romance: “These stories focus on relationships, but have a supernatural twist. Characters can be shifters, witches, ghosts, vampires, or a host of other creatures (or be the humans that interact with them). They can be on the darker side, but the focus must be on the relationships.”
Halloween / Samhain: “Celebrate the magic and mystique of this solemn (and fun) holiday with stories that occur on this day or the days leading up to it. All non-erotic genres welcome.”
From the submission guidelines:
“One submission per author per collection is allowed (i.e. you can submit two different stories to two of the anthologies, but not more than one story for each).
Please review our standard guidelines before submitting your work. Failure to follow them will result in the rejection of your work.
All settings/eras/time periods welcome unless designated in the comments above.
All manner of relationships (straight, GBLT, or polyamorous) are welcome. Graphic lovemaking should be restricted to the Erotic submissions only. Submissions featuring pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, rape as titillation, etc. will be rejected.
Royalties from the sale of the individual anthologies will be split between the company and contributors, paid out on a quarterly basis. Each contributor will also receive an author’s copy of the complete anthology, which will exist in electronic format only.
Submit your work for the anthologies through this submission system.
All work submitted must be your own, and you shall retain copyright. We allow reprints, but the work must not have been published within 90 days of submission.
Please direct any questions you may have to angie@paganwriterspress.com.
Deadline for Submissions – March 1, 2015”
It’s an awesome opportunity for anyone who likes to write the itty, bitty stories. So submit today and join the likes of my flash fiction stories, Shift and The Flying Dead.
Regine Allison Claire: Author of YA Fiction 