The Qwillery

Happy Monday!

There are 3 debuts this week:

The Afterlives by Thomas Pierce;

Happiness for Humans by P.Z. Reizin;

and

Sinless by (Eye of the Beholder 1) by Sarah Tarkoff.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin;

The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library 4) by Genevieve Cogman

Stranger Magics by Ash Fitzsimmons is out in Mass Market Paperback;

Storm Crossed (Grim 4) by Dani Harper;

Steadfast (Birth of Saints 3) by Michelle Hauck is out in Mass Market Paperback;

Points of Impact (Frontlines 6) by Marko Kloos;

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan is out in Trade Paperback;

The Chronicles of the Exile: (When the Heavens Fall, Dragon Hunters, Red Tide) by Marc Turner is out in a digital bundle;

and

The Questionable Behavior of Dahlia Moss (A Dahlia Moss Mystery 3) by Max Wirestone.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

January 7, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Psience Fiction: The Paranormal in Science Fiction Literature	Damien Broderick	HC
A Green and Pagan Land: Myth, Magic and Landscape in British Film and Television	David Huckvale	HC

January 8, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Revolution (e)	Alicia Michaels	SF/GenEng/Dys - Bionics Novels 3

January 9, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Infinity Engine	Neal Asher	SF/SO - Transformation 3
The Immortalists	Chloe Benjamin	LF
The Lost Plot	Genevieve Cogman	SF/TT - The Invisible Library  4
Sheltered	Jen Colly	PNR - The Cities Below
The Hostess With the Ghostess	E. J. Copperman	PCM - A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery
Stranger Magics	Ash Fitzsimmons	UF
Dark Screams: Volume Nine	Brian James Freeman (Ed) Richard Chizmar (Ed)	H - Anthology
Shroud of Eternity: Sister of Darkness	Terry Goodkind	F - The Nicci Chronicles 2
A Sword of Truth Set: The Chainfire Trilogy (Chainfire, Phantom, Confessor) (e)	Terry Goodkind	F - Sword of Truth Series
Gnomon	Nick Harkaway	Dys
Storm Crossed	Dani Harper	GothicR - Grim 4
Steadfast	Michelle Hauck	HistF - Birth of Saints 3
Through a Dark Glass	Barb Hendee	F/P
Imprinted (Ke)	Jim C. Hines	P - Magic ex Libris
The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places	William Hope Hodgson	F - Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson 2
Farsight: Crisis of Faith	Phil Kelly	SF - Farsight 1
The Eyes of the Dragon (ri)	Stephen King	F
Points of Impact	Marko Kloos	SF - Frontlines 6
Beneath the Sugar Sky	Seanan McGuire	CF - Wayward Children 3
Only the Devil is Here	Stephen Michell	H
Robots vs. Fairies	Dominik Parisien (Ed) Navah Wolfe (Ed)	SF/F - Anthology
Prophecy's Daughter	Richard Phillips	F - The Endarian Prophecy 2
The Afterlives (D)	Thomas Pierce	FL/GH/LF
Happiness for Humans (D)	P.Z. Reizin	CW/HU/SF
Fulgrim: The Palatine Phoenix	Josh Reynolds	SF - The Horus Heresy: Primarchs 6
A Meddle of Wizards	Alexandra Rushe	F
Mistborn: The Wax and Wayne Series: (Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, The Bands of Mourning) (e)	Brandon Sanderson	F - Mistborn Series
Vampire Wars	Steven Savile	F - Warhammer Chronicles 3
If You Are There (h2tp)	Susan Sherman	LF
Dark State: A Novel of the Merchant Princes Multiverse	Charles Stross	SF/TT - Empire Games 2
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore (h2tp)	Matthew Sullivan	Psy
Sinless (D)	Sarah Tarkoff	Dys - Eye of the Beholder 1
The Chronicles of the Exile: (When the Heavens Fall, Dragon Hunters, Red Tide) (e)	Marc Turner	F - Chronicles of the Exile
Blood Fury	J.R. Ward	PNR - Black Dagger Legacy 3
The Infernal Battalion	Django Wexler	F - The Shadow Campaigns 5
The Poisoner's Enemy (Ke)	Jeff Wheeler	F - Kingfountain Prequel
The Job of the Wasp	Colin Winnette	LF/M/Gothic
The Questionable Behavior of Dahlia Moss	Max Wirestone	M - A Dahlia Moss Mystery 3

January 10, 2018

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Bones of Sanctuary (e)	Amy Rose Capetta	SFTh - ReMade Season 2 #8
A City's Favor (e)	Racheline Maltese Ian Derfner Tessa Gratton Karen Lord	HistF - Tremontaine Season 3 #13

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
Tr - Translator



AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CW - Contemporary Women
CyP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FiaryT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FL - Family Life
FolkT - Folk Tales
GB - Genre Bender
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GH - Ghost(s)
Gothic - Gothic
GothicR - Gothic Romance
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistM - Historical Mystery
HU - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
LM -  Legend and Mythology
M - Mystery
Meta - Metaphysical
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Myth - Mythology
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PopCul - Popular Culture
Psy - Psychological
PsyTh - Psychological Thriller
Ref - Reference
SH -Superheroes
SF - Science Fiction
SFTh - Science Fiction Thriller
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SO - Space Opera
SocSci - Social Science
SP - SteamPunk
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
UFR - Urban Fantasy Romance

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

TQ:  Welcome back to The Qwillery. Your new novel, Steadfast (Birth of Saints 3), was published on December 5th. How does it feel to see the end of the trilogy published?

Michelle:  I admit at first it was a giant relief. That was back in June when the deadline was days away and I was still polishing. It was the closest I ever came to not being done by a deadline. There was a lot of pressure then. Now that another milestone has come and gone with the release date, I’m feeling rather nostalgic. If you spend three years working on anything, day after day, there’s bound to be some regret when it ends. I’m going through a grieving period before I can really connect to another story. I think every writer faces that to some degree, even if it’s just putting your head into a different world and different characters.



TQ:  Has your writing process changed (or not) from when you wrote Grudging (Birth of Saints 1) to Steadfast?

Michelle:  There’s more confidence now. A little less editing and revising. I have more trust that what I produce is worthwhile. But my process is pretty much the same. Write in the morning before work. Do a short read through to edit before I add new words. Never plan more than three chapters ahead. I’m not big on outlining or making plans. I’d rather wing the writing process. I didn’t have the ending thought out for Steadfast until more than halfway through writing the draft. I’m still a fly by the seat of my pants writer. Which is kind of interesting because if I don’t know the ending, the characters can’t broadcast it either.



TQ:  What do you wish that you knew about book publishing when Grudging came out that you know now?

Michelle:  I have to go with how much harder marketing and promotion is than the actual writing. I mean you hear that all the time from published writers, but it doesn’t really resonate until you’re in that situation. It’s painful to have to ask for reviews or to ask for people to buy your book. I think most of us have been trained since childhood not to be that way, not to ask for help for ourselves or to push our own agenda. Maybe that’s a female thing, or maybe it’s just me.



TQ:  Which character in the Birth of Saints trilogy surprised you the most? Who has been the hardest character to write and why?

Michelle:  Some of the minor characters really surprised me. As I said earlier I’m a pantser and I don’t really outline or plan. Sometimes I throw in what feels like a minor character, and all of a sudden, they end up with their own point of view. Father Telo was such a character. He was supposed to be in a few scenes to counsel a major character, Alcalde Julian, and I just couldn’t shake him. Father Telo grew to have his own agenda and his own mission to assassinate the Northern leader and he just took on a life of his own, becoming a major thread in Faithful and Steadfast.

The fact that he was a priest made him perhaps my hardest character to write. He was just outside of my experience and the whole write-what-you-know ideal. Father Telo is just so different from me. He had no romance interest. He’s more religious. He’s a male. I had to do a lot more research to write him than any other of my six point-of-view characters.



TQ:  Tell us something about Steadfast that is not found in the book description.

Michelle:  There’s very much an element of women in a male society coming into their own. A subplot of the series is about the male leader of the city—Julian—being forced out due to some mistakes, and the women coming forward to vote in record numbers and installing his wife—Beatriz—as the new elected official—and not just for one city-state, but for two. And then there’s the whole character arc of the husband and wife learning to deal with the power shift in their relationship. I’m afraid there’s a fire in my heart over the whole “She Persisted” situation in the real world and that carried over to my writing.



TQ:  Why have you chosen to include or not chosen to include social issues in the Birth of Saints trilogy?

Michelle:  As I mentioned in the last question there’s the whole women as a segment of society coming into their own. But there’s also a theme of kindness. Let’s not be like the people oppressing us. Let’s choose kindness. Let’s choose tolerance. Let’s care for the suffering of the people being suppressed and see the value in everyone. There’s been too much hate in national policy lately. And I’m really feeling that need to respect all people these days. You see this even more in Steadfast where we finally see the Northern side of this clash of cultures.



TQ:  Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery quotes from Steadfast.

Michelle:  This is a quote from a speech by Beatriz to her people: “The Northerners are a people of violence and bloodshed. They took our city—my child—our children. I would not have us be like them. I would have us show them the meaning of kindness.”

And here is Claire trying to convince the Women of the Song to help her against the Northern god. You can guess from her speech that it doesn’t go too well: “The god’s power wiped a squad of soldiers out in the blink of an eye. This is not a joke. We need to be marching out of our swamp to help stop more killing. Even a ‘snit of a girl’ can see that. But unfortunately, that girl is talking to a bunch of old hens, clucking around instead of acting! Stupid and worthless! If we all die, it will be your fault!”



TQ:  What's next?

Michelle:  So far what’s next is being lazy. I’ve taken a few months off from writing to just allow myself the free time to splurge on binge watching Netflix. Or to read. My writing heart is still connected to the characters from Birth of Saints and so I’m waiting for a little distance to turn my brain to new characters. Mostly. As I’m going through my writing vacation, I’m also slowly completing chapters for an almost finished rewrite of an epic fantasy I envisioned years ago. Old familiar characters given a new life, but not something completely new. When that’s done then I’ll look toward something totally original.



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Michelle:  Thank you so much for inviting me. It’s been great fun!

Steadfast
Birth of Saints 3
Harper Voyager Impulse, December 5, 2017
     eBook, 560 pages
Harper Voyager Impulse, January 9, 2018
     Mass Market Paperback, 560 pages

The final novel in Michelle Hauck's Birth of Saints trilogy, Steadfast follows Grudging and Faithful in telling the fateful story of Claire and Ramiro and their battle against a god that hungers for blood.

When the Northerners invaded, the ciudades-estado knew they faced a powerful army. But what they didn’t expect was the deadly magic that was also brought to the desert: the white-robed priests with their lethal Diviners, and the evil god, Dal. Cities have burned, armies have been decimated, and entire populaces have been sacrificed in the Sun God’s name, and it looks as if nothing can prevent the devastation.

But there are still those with hope.

Claire, a Woman of the Song, has already brought considerable magic of her own to fight the Children of Dal, and Ramiro, a soldier who has forsaken his vows to Colina Hermosa’s cavalry in order to stand by her side, has killed and bled for their cause. Separated after the last battle, they move forward with the hope that the saints will hear their prayers, their families will be saved, and that they’ll see each other once more.

A stirring conclusion to the Birth of Saints series, Ramiro and Claire’s journey finds completion in a battle between evil and love.

Grudging
Birth of Saints 1
Harper Voyager Impulse, November 17, 2015
     eBook, 432 pages
Harper Voyager Impulse, December 22, 2015
     Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo of Michelle Hauck's the Book of Saints trilogy that combines the grace of Ellen Kushner's Swordpoint with the esprit de corps of Django Wexler's Shadow Campaign series.

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…

and the invaders who would destroy everything

The north has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.
The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.

Faithful
Birth of Saints 2
Harper Voyager Impulse, November 15, 2016
     eBook, 384 pages
Harper Voyager Impulse, December 27, 2016
     Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Following Grudging--and with a mix of Terry Goodkind and Bernard Cornwall--religion, witchcraft, and chivalry war in Faithful, the exciting next chapter in Michelle Hauck's Birth of Saints series!

A world of Fear and death…and those trying to save it.

Colina Hermosa has burned to the ground. The Northern invaders continue their assault on the ciudades-estados. Terror has taken hold, and those that should be allies betray each other in hopes of their own survival. As the realities of this devastating and unprovoked war settles in, what can they do to fight back?

On a mission of hope, an unlikely group sets out to find a teacher for Claire, and a new weapon to use against the Northerners and their swelling army.

What they find instead is an old woman.

But she’s not a random crone—she’s Claire’s grandmother. She’s also a Woman of the Song, and her music is both strong and horrible. And while Claire has already seen the power of her own Song, she is scared of her inability to control it, having seen how her magic has brought evil to the world, killing without reason or remorse. To preserve a life of honor and light, Ramiro and Claire will need to convince the old woman to teach them a way so that the power of the Song can be used for good. Otherwise, they’ll just be destroyers themselves, no better than the Northerners and their false god, Dal. With the annihilation their enemy has planned, though, they may not have a choice.

A tale of fear and tragedy, hope and redemption, Faithful is the harrowing second entry in the Birth of Saints trilogy.

About Michelle

Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Two papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. She is the author of the YA epic fantasy Kindar's Cure, as well as the short story “Frost and Fog,” which is included in the anthology Summer's Double Edge.

Website  ~  Twitter @Michelle4Laughs  ~  Facebook

Happy first Monday in December!

There is one debut this week:

Glass Town by Steven Savile.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy 2) by Katherine Arden;

Defiant (Lightship Chronicles 3) by Dave Bara is out in Mass Market Paperback;

Danger's Race (Holly Danger 3) by Amanda Carlson;

The Chaos of Luck (A Felicia Sevigny Novel 2) by Catherine Cerveny is out in Trade Paperback;

The Forever Ship (The Fire Sermon 3) by Francesca Haig;

and

Steadfast (e) (Birth of Saints 3) by Michelle Hauck.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

December 4, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Danger's Race (e)	Amanda Carlson	SF/PA/Dys - Holly Danger 3
Chosen One (e)	Scarlett Dawn	FR - Forever Evermore 6

December 5, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Canto Bight	Saladin Ahmed Rae Carson Mira Grant John Jackson Miller	SF - Journey to Star War: The Last Jedi
The Girl in the Tower	Katherine Arden	F - Winternight Trilogy 2
The Black Tide (e)	Keri Arthur	SF/GenEng/PA - Outcast Novel 3
Defiant (h2mm)	Dave Bara	SF - Lightship Chronicles 3
The Wicked Vampire	Kate Baxter	PNR - Last True Vampire 6
Immortal Life: A Soon To Be True Story	Stanley Bing	LF/TechnoTh/SF
Alive in Shape and Color: 17 Paintings by Great Artists and the Stories They Inspired	Lawrence Block (Ed)	LF - Anthology
The Art of Star Trek: The Kelvin Timeline	Jeff Bond	Art/SF - Star Trek
The Chaos of Luck	Catherine Cerveny	SFR - A Felicia Sevigny Novel 2
Persepolis Rising	James S. A. Corey	SF/SO -The Expanse 7
The Outcast Chronicles	Rowena Cory Daniells	F - Outcast Chronicles Omnibus
1636: The Vatican Sanction	Eric Flint Charles E. Gannon	SF - Ring of Fire 24
Death's Mistress: Sister of Darkness (h2mm)	Terry Goodkind	F - The Nicci Chronicles 1
The Rising (h2mm)	Heather Graham Jon Land	Th/Sus
The Macedonian	Nicholas Guild	HistTh
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters	Ursula K. Le Guin	Essays
The Forever Ship	Francesca Haig	SF/AP/PA - The Fire Sermon 3
Steadfast (e)	Michelle Hauck	HistF - Birth of Saints 3
The Dosadi Experiment and The Eyes of Heisenberg (ri)	Frank Herbert	SF/SO
The Sword of Midras: A Shroud of the Avatar Novel (h2tp)	Tracy Hickman Richard Garriott	F - Blade of the Avatar 1
Flame in the Dark	Faith Hunter	UF - A Soulwood Novel 3
The Order War (ri)	L. E. Modesitt Jr.	F - Saga of Recluce 4
The Wrong Dead Guy (h2tp)	Richard Kadrey	F/HU - Another Coop Heist 2
Record of a Night Too Brief	Hiromi Kawakami	Psy - Japanese Novellas
The Moon and the Other (h2tp)	John Kessel	SF
Legends of the Dragonrealm: Cut from the Same Shadow and Other Tales	Richard A. Knaak	F - Dragonrealm Novellas
The Dreamer's Song	Lynn Kurland	FR - A Novel of the Nine Kingdoms 11
Pathways	Mercedes Lackey (Ed)	F - Valdemar Anthology 11
The Witch's Thirst	Deborah LeBlanc	PNR
The White Serpent	Tanith Lee	F - Wars of Vis 3
A War in Crimson Embers	Alex Marshall	F - The Crimson Empire 3
Mississippi Roll	George R. R. Martin Wild Cards Trust	SH - Wild Cards 15
Duel: Terror Stories by Richard Matheson	Richard Matheson	H - Collection
Fleet Insurgent	Susan R. Matthews	SF - Under Jurisdiction 8
The Crimson King	Graham McNeill	SF - The Horus Heresy 44
One of Us Will Be Dead by Morning	David Moody	Dys - Hater 4
The Last Sacrifice (tp2mm)	James A. Moore	F - Tides of War 1
Heart Sight	Robin Owens	PNR - A Celta Novel 14
Plague Garden	Josh Reynolds	F - Hallowed Knights 1
Year One	Nora Roberts	F/P - Chronicles of the One 1
The Demon Crown	James Rollins	Th - Sigma Force 13
Glass Town (D)	Steven Savile	CF
Hymn	Ken Scholes	SF - The Psalms of Isaak 5
Princess Holy Aura	Ryk E. Spoor	CF
Winterglass	Benjanun Sriduangkaew	ScF
Empire Games: A Tale of the Merchant Princes Universe (h2tp)	Charles Stross	SF - Empire Games 1
God's Last Breath	Sam Sykes	F - Bring Down Heaven 3
Rosewater (e)	Tade Thompson	SF

December 6, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Sword and Spirit (e)	Karen Lord	HistF - Tremontaine Season 3 9
Save Point (e)	E. C. Myers	SF/Th - ReMade Season 2 4

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistTh - Historical Thriller
HU - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Psy - Psychological
ScF - Science Fantasy
SH -Superheroes
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SO - Space Opera
SP - SteamPunk
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
Sup - Supernatural
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
UF - Urban Fantasy

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

December 1, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Fallen (e)	Michele Hauf	PNR - Of Angels and Demons 3
Heartland	Lucy Hounsom	F - The Worldmaker Trilogy 2
A Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms Volume 3: The Sleeping Beauty\Beauty and the Werewolf (e)	Mercedes Lackey	F - A Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms
The Witch's Thirst (e)	Deborah LeBlanc	PNR
Third Flatiron Best of 2017	Juliana Rew (Ed)	SpecFic - Anthology
The Unyielding	Gary J. Shipley	H
Spy Glass (e)(ri)	Maria V. Snyder	FR - Chronicles of Ixia

December 4, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Danger's Race (e)	Amanda Carlson	SF/PA/Dys - Holly Danger 3
Chosen One (e)	Scarlett Dawn	FR - Forever Evermore 6

December 5, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Canto Bight	Saladin Ahmed Rae Carson Mira Grant John Jackson Miller	SF - Star Wars
The Girl in the Tower	Katherine Arden	F - Winternight Trilogy 2
The Black Tide (e)	Keri Arthur	SF/GenEng/PA - Outcast Novel 3
Defiant	Dave Bara	SF - Lightship Chronicles 3
The Wicked Vampire	Kate Baxter	PNR - Last True Vampire 6
Immortal Life: A Soon To Be True Story	Stanley Bing	LF/TechnoTh/SF
Alive in Shape and Color: 17 Paintings by Great Artists and the Stories They Inspired	Lawrence Block (Ed)	LF - Anthology
The Art of Star Trek: The Kelvin Timeline	Jeff Bond	Art/SF - Star Trek
The Chaos of Luck	Catherine Cerveny	SFR - A Felicia Sevigny Novel 2
Persepolis Rising	James S. A. Corey	SF/SO -The Expanse 7
The Outcast Chronicles	Rowena Cory Daniells	F - Outcast Chronicles Omnibus
1636: The Vatican Sanction	Eric Flint Charles E. Gannon	SF - Ring of Fire 24
Death's Mistress: Sister of Darkness (h2mm)	Terry Goodkind	F - The Nicci Chronicles 1
The Rising (h2mm)	Heather Graham Jon Land	Th/Sus
The Macedonian	Nicholas Guild	HistTh
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters	Ursula K. Le Guin	Essays
The Forever Ship	Francesca Haig	SF/AP/PA - The Fire Sermon 3
Steadfast (e)	Michelle Hauck	HistF - Birth of Saints 3
The Dosadi Experiment and The Eyes of Heisenberg (ri)	Frank Herbert	SF/SO
The Sword of Midras: A Shroud of the Avatar Novel	Tracy Hickman Richard Garriott	F - Blade of the Avatar 1
Flame in the Dark	Faith Hunter	UF - A Soulwood Novel 3
The Order War (ri)	L. E. Modesitt Jr.	F - Saga of Recluce 4
The Wrong Dead Guy (h2tp)	Richard Kadrey	F/HU - Another Coop Heist 2
Record of a Night Too Brief	Hiromi Kawakami	Psy - Japanese Novellas
The Moon and the Other	John Kessel	SF
Legends of the Dragonrealm: Cut from the Same Shadow and Other Tales	Richard A. Knaak	F - Dragonrealm Novellas
The Dreamer's Song	Lynn Kurland	FR - A Novel of the Nine Kingdoms 11
Pathways	Mercedes Lackey (Ed)	F - Valdemar Anthology 11
The Witch's Thirst	Deborah LeBlanc	PNR
The White Serpent	Tanith Lee	F - Wars of Vis 3
A War in Crimson Embers	Alex Marshall	F - The Crimson Empire 3
Mississippi Roll	George R. R. Martin Wild Cards Trust	SH - Wild Cards 15
Duel: Terror Stories by Richard Matheson	Richard Matheson	H - Collection
Fleet Insurgent	Susan R. Matthews	SF - Under Jurisdiction 8
The Crimson King	Graham McNeill	SF - The Horus Heresy 44
One of Us Will Be Dead by Morning	David Moody	Dys - Hater 4
The Last Sacrifice	James A. Moore	F - Tides of War 1
Heart Sight	Robin Owens	PNR - A Celta Novel 14
Plague Garden	Josh Reynolds	F - Hallowed Knights 1
Year One	Nora Roberts	F/P - Chronicles of the One 1
The Demon Crown	James Rollins	Th - Sigma Force 13
Glass Town (D)	Steven Savile	CF
Hymn	Ken Scholes	SF - The Psalms of Isaak 5
Princess Holy Aura	Ryk E. Spoor	CF
Winterglass	Benjanun Sriduangkaew	ScF
Empire Games: A Tale of the Merchant Princes Universe	Charles Stross	SF - Empire Games 1
God's Last Breath	Sam Sykes	F - Bring Down Heaven 3
Rosewater (e)	Tade Thompson	SF

December 6, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Sword and Spirt (e)	Karen Lord Joel Derfner	HistF - Tremontaine Season 3 9
Save Point (e)	E. C. Myers Amy Rose Capetta	SF/Th - ReMade Season 2 4

December 11, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Emerald Princess: and Other Decadent Fantasies	Félicien Champsaur Brian Stableford (Tr)	F/H
Windhome	Kristen Landon	SF

December 12, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Warmaster	Dan Abnett	SF - Gaunt's Ghosts 14
The Founding	Dan Abnett	SF - Gaunt's Ghosts Omnibus
The Art of Ferdinand	Titan Books	Art
The Art of Destiny, Volume 2	Bungie	SF
The Mannequin Makers (D-US)	Craig Cliff	LF
Odysseus Awakening	Evan Currie	SF/SP - Odyssey One 6
Mad Hatters and March Hares: All-New Stories from the World of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland	Ellen Datlow (Ed)	F - Anthology
A Sword of Truth Set: Richard and Kahlan (The Omen Machine, The Third Kingdom, Severed Souls, Warheart) (e)	Terry Goodkind	F - Richard and Kahlan
Seven Deadly Ghosts	C.L. Hernandez	F/DF - The Complicated Life of Deegie Tibbs 3
The Corean Chronicles, Volume Two: Alector's Choice, Cadmian's Choice, Soarer's Choice, The Lord-Protector's Daughter, Lady-Protector (e)	L. E. Modesitt Jr.	F - Corean Chronicles
Pretty Vicious (e)	K.S. Merbeth	SF/AP/PA - Wastelanders
The White City	Simon Morden	SF
The Two of Swords: Volume Three	K. J. Parker	F - The Two of Swords 3
Primogenitor	Josh Reynolds	SF - Fabius Bile 1
Fyre	Sean Schubert	SF/AP/PA
The Complete Dragonships of Vindras Series (Bones of the Dragon, Secret of the Dragon, Rage of the Dragon, Doom of the Dragon) (e)	Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman	F - Dragonships of Vindras

December 13, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Man's Best Friend (e)	Amy Rose Capetta Gwenda Bond	SF/Th - ReMade Season 2 5
A Blur of Bright Water (e)	Tessa Gratton Karen Lord	HistF - Tremontaine Season 3 10
Festival of Fear	Graham Masterton	H - Collection

December 14, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Halloween Children	Brian James Freeman Norman Prentiss	H
Firestorm (e)	Lucy Hounsom	F - The Worldmaker Trilogy 3

December 19, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Martian Job	Jaine Fenn	SF - NewCon Press Novellas Set 3 Book 1
The Simi's ABCs: Adventures with Dark-Hunters	Sherrilyn Kenyon Alethea Kontis	F
Roadwork (ri)	Stephen King	Th/Sus/H
When The Skies Fall	Adam Korenman	SF - The Gray Wars 2
Scorched Shadows	Steve McHugh	CF - The Hellequin Chronicles 7
The Will to Battle	Ada Palmer	SF - Terra Ignota 3
S	Koji Suzuki	Occ/Sup - Ring 5
The More Known World	Tiffany Tsao	CF - The Oddfits 2

December 20, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Daredevil (e)	Gwenda Bond Matthew Cody	SFTh - ReMade Season 2 6
Dragon Rampant (e)	Karen Lord Joel Derfner	HistF - Tremontaine Season 3 11

December 26, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Survival	Ben Bova	SF - Star Quest Trilogy 3
Kill All Angels	Robert Brockway	H - The Vicious Circuit 3
1636: Mission to the Mughals (h2mm)	Eric Flint Griffin Barber	AH - Ring of Fire 23
The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume Five	Michael Jan Friedman	SF/MTI
Assassin's Fate (h2mm)	Robin Hobb	F - Fitz and the Fool 3
Arachnosaur (D)	Richard Jeffries	H
Nemo Rising	C. Courtney Joyner	SF/SP
Better Dead (D)	Pamela Kopfler	PCM - A B&B Spirits Mystery 1
The Night Parade (tp2mm)	Ronald Malfi	H
The Man From the Diogenes Club	Kim Newman	F - Collection
Silver Silence (h2mm)	Nalini Singh	PNR - Psy-Changeling Trinity 1
Kill Before Dying (h2mm)	Travis S. Taylor	SF - Tau Ceti Agenda 5
Angels of Caliban (tp2mm)	Gav Thorpe	SF - The Horus Heresy 38
World's End	Joan D. Vinge	SF - Snow Queen 2
Count to Infinity	John C. Wright	SF - The Eschaton Sequence 6

December 30, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
We're All in This Together	Owen King	H - Collection

December 31, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Reading Stephen King	Brian James Freeman (Ed)	Essays
Shining in the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library!	Hans-Ake Lilja	H - Anthology
The Ignored	Bentley Little	H
Dominion	Bentley Little	H
The Walking	Bentley Little	H
Station Eleven	Emily St. John Mandel	SF/PA
The Weight of Words	Dave McKean	F - Anthology
Don't Live For Your Obituary	John Scalzi	Essays
Ironclads (e)	Adrian Tchaikovsky	SF

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator



AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistTh - Historical Thriller
HU - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Psy - Psychological
ScF - Science Fantasy
SH -Superheroes
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SO - Space Opera
SP - SteamPunk
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
Sup - Supernatural
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
UF - Urban Fantasy

Happy last Monday in 2016. This has been quite the year in so many ways. As usual I have not read as many books as I'd like to read. I suppose I could give up work and sleeping to read more, but that's just not practical or possible. I have my favorite reads of course but without reading hundreds of books I'm not going to make a best of list. I may tell you about my 2016 favorite reads early next year... which is only 5 days away. Tell me about your favorite reads in the comments if you'd like.

There are no debuts this week (or during December for that matter), but there are books from formerly featured DAC Authors:

The Face of the Unknown (Star Trek: The Original Series) by Christopher L. Bennett;

Faithful (Birth of Saints 2) by Michelle Hauck is out in Mass Market Paperback;

Bell, Book & Candlemas (A Wiccan Wheel Mystery 2) by Jennifer David Hesse;

The City of Ice (Gates of the World 2) by K. M. McKinley;

The Bone Cave (Bone Magic 3) by Sarah Remy is our in Mass Market Paperback;

and

Dreams of the Eaten (Children of the Drought 3) by Arianne 'Tex' Thompson.

December 25, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Soulmates	Mike Resnick Lezli Robyn	SF - Collection

December 27, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Tales from the Vatican Vaults: 28 extraordinary stories by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Garry Kilworth, Mary Gentle, KJ Parker, Storm Constantine and many more	David V. Barrett (Ed)	F - Anthology
The Face of the Unknown	Christopher L. Bennett	SF - Star Trek: The Original Series
Nine of Stars	Laura Bickle	CF - Wildlands Novel 1
Avenge the Forgotten	Kristina Circelli	H - The Five Flames 5
If This Goes Wrong . . .	Hank Davis (Ed)	SF - Anthology
Faithful	Michelle Hauck	HistF - Birth of Saints 2
The Dark Lord	Jack Heckel	FairyT/FolkT/HU/LM
Bell, Book & Candlemas	Jennifer David Hesse	CM - A Wiccan Wheel Mystery 2
A Ghostly Reunion	Tonya Kappes	PCM - Ghostly Southern Mysteries 5
The Edge of the Blade	Jeffe Kennedy	FR - The Uncharted Realms 2
The Drawing of the Three (ri)	Stephen King	F - The Dark Tower 2
Wizard and Glass (ri)	Stephen King	F - The Dark Tower 4
The Waste Lands (ri)	Stephen King	F - The Dark Tower 3
Bad Moon Rising (ri)	Jonathan Maberry	H - A Pine Deep Novel 3
The City of Ice	K.M. McKinley	F - Gates of the World 2
Crash and Burn	Fern Michaels	PNR - Sisterhood 27
CHOP Line	Henry V. O'Neil	SF - Sim War 4
The Bone Cave	Sarah Remy	F - Bone Magic 3
Mission: Tomorrow (tp2mm)	Bryan Thomas Schmidt (Ed)	SF - Anthology
Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard (h2tp)	Lawrence M. Schoen	SF
The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume Three	Sandy Schofield Stephani Danelle Perry	SF - Aliens
Allegiance of Honor (h2mm)	Nalini Singh	PNR - Psy-Changeling 15
Dreams of the Eaten	Arianne 'Tex' Thompson	F - Children of the Drought 3
Pathological	Jinkang Wang	MedTh

December 31, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Vacation (ri)	Matthew Costello	H
Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi	John Scalzi	SF - Anthology

e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
Ke - Kindle eBook only
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback


AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CM - Cozy Mystery
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GO - Gothic
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LC - Literary Criticism
LM - Legends and Mythology
M - Mystery
MedTh - Medical Thriller
MR - Magical Realism
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PerfArt - Performing Arts
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PopCul - Pop Culture
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SH - Superheroes
SP - Steampunk
SpecFic - Speculative Fiction
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

It's Monday. Yay?

There are no debuts this week. From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Faithful (Birth of Saints 2) by Michelle Hauck;

The Gates of Hell (The Shards of Heaven 2) by Michael Livingston;

and

Culdesac (War with No Name 2) by Robert Repino





Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors are highlighted in green.

November 15, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The First Law Trilogy	Joe Abercrombie	F - The First Law Trilogy
The Man Who Could Make Things Vanish	Jack Cady	SupTh
Dark Horizons: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction	Charles P. Zaglanis (Ed)	SF - Anthology
An Empire Asunder	Evan Currie	SF - The Scourwind Legacy 2
The Usurper (ri)	Rowena Cory Daniells	F - King Rolen's Kin 3
Mosaic	Sarah Fine	UF - Reliquary Series 3
Assassin's Creed: Heresy	Christie Golden	SF - Assassin's Creed
The Selected Short Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin: The Found and the Lost; The Unreal and the Real	Ursula K. Le Guin	Fict - Short Stories
Faithful (e)	Michelle Hauck	HistF - Birth of Saints 2
Demons of the Flame Sea (e)	Jean Johnson	F - Flame Sea 2
The Gates of Hell	Michael Livingston	F - The Shards of Heaven 2
New Worlds, Old Ways: Speculative Tales from the Caribbean	Karen Lord (Ed)	SpecFic - Anthology
The Cthulhu Casebooks - Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows	James Lovegrove	F/P/M
Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel	James Luceno	SF - Star Wars
For the Bear's Eyes Only	Kathy Lyons	PNR - Grizzlies Gone Wild 3
Priceless	Shannon Mayer	UF - Rylee Adamson 1
Immune	Shannon Mayer	UF - Rylee Adamson 2
The Oxford Inheritance (h2tp)	Ann A. McDonald	Sus/Magic
Wraith Knight	C.T. Phipps	F - Three Worlds 1
Culdesac	Robert Repino	F/Dys/SF/AP/PA - War with No Name 2
The Time-Travels of the Man Who Sold Pickles and Sweets	Khairy Shalaby Michael Cooperson (Translator)	SF
Treasure and Treason	Lisa Shearin	F - Raine Benares 8
Pirate Utopia	Bruce Sterling	SF/HistF/Th
Rosewater	Tade Thompson	SF
Star Trek Beyond - The Collector's Edition	Titan	SF (Movie Tie-In)
Extreme Makeover	Dan Wells	Sus
Penguin Galaxy Series 6-Book Deluxe Boxed Set	T.H. White Robert Heinlein Frank Herbert Arthur C. Clarke Ursula K. Le Guin William Gibson	F/SF
Jeffrey's Latest Thirteen: More Alabama Ghosts, Commemorative Edition	Kathryn Tucker Windham	Sup/GH - Collection
Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets	Charles Wohlforth Amanda R. Hendrix, Ph.D.	NF - Astrophysics / Physics / Astronomy / Space Science

November 16, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Sign of the Labrys	Margaret St. Clair	SF /AP/PA - Dover Doomsday Classics

November 18, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Inside the Magic: The Making of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	Ian Nathan	F/Movie Tie-In
The Art of the Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	Dermot Power	F/Movie Tie-In
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay	J.K. Rowling	F/Movie Tie-In
The Case of Beasts: Explore the Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	Mark Salisbury	F/Movie Tie-In

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
mm - Mass Market Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback


AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CM - Cozy Mystery
CoA - Coming of Age
CW - Contemporary Women
CyberP - CyberPunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F _ Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
Fict - Fiction
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GN - Graphic Novel
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
Meta - Metaphysical
NF - Non-Fiction
Occ - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PsySus - Psychological Suspense
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy


Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Michelle Hauck (2015)

Faithful
Birth of Saints 2
Harper Voyager Impulse, November 15, 2016
eBook, 384 pages

Following Grudging--and with a mix of Terry Goodkind and Bernard Cornwall--religion, witchcraft, and chivalry war in Faithful, the exciting next chapter in Michelle Hauck's Birth of Saints series!

A world of Fear and death…and those trying to save it.

Colina Hermosa has burned to the ground. The Northern invaders continue their assault on the ciudades-estados. Terror has taken hold, and those that should be allies betray each other in hopes of their own survival. As the realities of this devastating and unprovoked war settles in, what can they do to fight back?

On a mission of hope, an unlikely group sets out to find a teacher for Claire, and a new weapon to use against the Northerners and their swelling army.

What they find instead is an old woman.

But she’s not a random crone—she’s Claire’s grandmother. She’s also a Woman of the Song, and her music is both strong and horrible. And while Claire has already seen the power of her own Song, she is scared of her inability to control it, having seen how her magic has brought evil to the world, killing without reason or remorse. To preserve a life of honor and light, Ramiro and Claire will need to convince the old woman to teach them a way so that the power of the Song can be used for good. Otherwise, they’ll just be destroyers themselves, no better than the Northerners and their false god, Dal. With the annihilation their enemy has planned, though, they may not have a choice.

A tale of fear and tragedy, hope and redemption, Faithful is the harrowing second entry in the Birth of Saints trilogy.

Kevin Hearne (2011)

The Purloined Poodle
Oberon's Meaty Mysteries 1
Subterranean Press, September 30, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 112 pages

Thanks to his relationship with the ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, Oberon the Irish wolfhound knows trouble when he smells it—and furthermore, he knows he can handle it.

When he discovers that a prizewinning poodle has been abducted in Eugene, Oregon, he learns that it’s part of a rash of hound abductions all over the Pacific Northwest. Since the police aren’t too worried about dogs they assume have run away, Oberon knows it’s up to him to track down those hounds and reunite them with their humans. For justice! And gravy!

Engaging the services of his faithful Druid, Oberon must travel throughout Oregon and Washington to question a man with a huge salami, thwart the plans of diabolical squirrels, and avoid, at all costs, a fight with a great big bear.

But if he’s going to solve the case of the Purloined Poodle, Oberon will have to recruit the help of a Boston terrier named Starbuck, survive the vegetables in a hipster pot pie, and firmly refuse to be distracted by fire hydrants and rabbits hiding in the rose bushes.

At the end of the day, will it be a sad bowl of dry kibble for the world’s finest hound detective, or will everything be coming up sirloins?

The Purloined Poodle is another exciting novella entry in Kevin Hearne’s New York Times best-selling Iron Druid series.

Staked
The Iron Druid Chronicles 8
Del Rey, November 1, 2016
Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages
Hardcover and eBook, January 26, 2016

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Iron Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, hero of Kevin Hearne’s epic urban fantasy series, has a point to make—and then drive into a vampire’s heart.

When a Druid has lived for two thousand years like Atticus, he’s bound to run afoul of a few vampires. Make that legions of them. Even his former friend and legal counsel turned out to be a bloodsucking backstabber. Now the toothy troublemakers—led by power-mad pain-in-the-neck Theophilus—have become a huge problem requiring a solution. It’s time to make a stand.

As always, Atticus wouldn’t mind a little backup. But his allies have problems of their own. Ornery archdruid Owen Kennedy is having a wee bit of troll trouble: Turns out when you stiff a troll, it’s not water under the bridge. Meanwhile, Granuaile is desperate to free herself of the Norse god Loki’s mark and elude his powers of divination—a quest that will bring her face-to-face with several Slavic nightmares.

As Atticus globetrots to stop his nemesis Theophilus, the journey leads to Rome. What better place to end an immortal than the Eternal City? But poetic justice won’t come without a price: In order to defeat Theophilus, Atticus may have to lose an old friend.

Rhiannon Held (2012)

Hound and Key
Rhiannon Held, August 19, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 378 pages

Key has lived her entire life in captivity, forced to use her magic to kill the enemies of Ariadne, an ageless woman with powerful magic of her own. Key knows she and Ariadne are both members of the Hand of the Gods, five souls reborn through the ages, but Key remembers none of her past lives. She chafes against Ariadne's control, and longs to escape to lead a life of her own.

Eric has worked for Ariadne for years in ignorance of her secrets, but now coincidences and bad luck are piling up. When he talks his way into the compound that houses Key and the other members of the Hand, he learns the truth about Ariadne's magic—and the murders she's committed with it. Together, Eric and Key escape and set out to find Lantern, the one member of the Hand Ariadne has never managed to capture—and who may know how to stop her for good.

Jason Heller (2012)

Cyber World – Tales of Humanity’s Tomorrow
Jason Heller and Joshua Viola, Editors
Hex Publishers, November 8, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages

Cybernetics. Neuroscience. Nanotechnology. Genetic engineering. Hacktivism. Transhumanism. The world of tomorrow is already here, and the technological changes we all face have inspired a new wave of stories to address our fears, hopes, dreams, and desires as Homo sapiens evolve—or not—into their next incarnation. Cyber World presents diverse tales of humanity’s tomorrow, as told by some of today’s most gripping science fiction visionaries.

Edited by Hugo Award winner Jason Heller and Joshua Viola.

Patrick Hemstreet (2016)

The God Wave
Harper Voyager, January 3, 2017
Trade Paperback, 400 pages
Hardcover and eBook, May 17, 2016

A team of neuroscientists uncover amazing new capabilities in the brain that may steer human evolution toward miraculous and deadly frontiers in this spectacular debut work of speculative science fiction—Limitless meets James Rollins—that combines spirituality and science in an inventive, mind-blowing fashion.

For decades, scientists have speculated about the untapped potential of the human brain. Now, neuroscientist Chuck Brenton has made an astonishing breakthrough. He has discovered the key—the crucial combination of practice and conditioning—to access the incredible power dormant in ninety percent of our brains. Applying his methods to test subjects, he has stimulated abilities that elevate brain function to seemingly “godlike” levels.

These extraordinary abilities can transform the world, replacing fear and suffering with tranquility and stability. But in an age of increasing militarization, corporate exploitation, and explosive technological discovery, a group of influential power brokers are determined to control Brenton’s new superbeings for their own manipulative ends—and their motives may be far from peaceful.

TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery. When and why did you start writing?

Michelle:  Hi! Thanks for having me on The Qwillery! I started writing about five years ago after a semi-serious illness. Once that health problem healed, it’s like my life and imagination came flooding back that had been missing for years. All of a sudden I had all these ideas. My husband said why not write them down (not that he imagined it would ever get this far), and I spent the next years learning how to do that. I think for writers you are always learning more.



TQ:  Are you a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid?

Michelle:  If you’re talking never write anything down beforehand and never making any outline, then I’m a complete pantser. I do, however, have very basic plot structures in my head, sort of like a midway point direction I’m aiming to reach with the story. I almost never have any ending in mind and rarely much besides a basic concept. The rest all evolves as I go along. I’m often surprised by characters who were supposed to be tiny instead taking on a life of their own and getting their own perspective. It’s also neat when a small detail you included on a whim can become a plot point down the road.



TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Michelle:  I write very slowly. I often hear of writers churning out a book in a few months and feel some envy. I wish I could be speedy and finish a book faster. It takes the better part of a year, probably because I conceptualize as I go. Though, I have to say what I end up with is usually very close to the finished draft. Taking so long does mean that it’s not a rough draft, but a fairly polished one, which saves a lot on time in the editing process.



TQ:  You've written YA Epic Fantasy. What are the differences for you in writing adult versus YA Epic Fantasy?

Michelle:  Tone and voice are a big part of the difference. Also, the audience you have in mind as you write. Adult characters have a lot less to do with the story in a YA. That was my goal with Grudging. Unfortunately, pantser. The adult characters in Grudging took on a life of their own and my YA ending up selling to an adult publisher in Harper Voyager. So there’s a lot for both age categories in Grudging. You have the main characters being teens, but several perspectives from adult characters with adult voices.



TQ:  Describe Grudging in 140 characters or less.

Michelle:  I’m a big fan of twitter. Lemme see?

Enormous army. Desperate city. Father sends his sons for help from traditional enemy. Will the witches' voice magic save or destroy? #honor



TQ:  Tell us something about Grudging that is not found in the book description.

Michelle:  There’s so much about this book that isn’t in the description. Despite the dark tone and themes, the characters have a real playful side. They kept breaking out into jokes and banter, and I couldn’t seem to stop them. I guess that’s how you know you’re really feeling the characters—when they do as they please.

In many ways the story is about a family and honor. Julian, the father, is the mayor. He sends his sons, Salvador and Ramiro, to find a witch to save the city. Most of the scenes involve at least one member of this family.

In this society I created, becoming a “man” is important and it takes the form of earning your beard. So the way they wear their beards is a way to express personality, much like today with tattoos. Watch for that and it will tell you more about the characters.

And there is a whole side plot about loyalty involving some pretty special horses.



TQ:  What inspired you to write Grudging? What appeals to you about writing Fantasy?

Michelle:  The truth is I had finished a project and needed a new idea and found it in a song: “Come Along” by Vicci Martinez and Cee-Lo Green. Most of the main plot ideas come from lines in that song. Friends, foes, God only knows, led to the title, Grudging, and the main theme of uncertainty between traditional enemies. Trespassing, this is their land is the arrival of the Northern army. Truthfully, that’s the first time I ever used a song for inspiration.

Fantasy has always been my obsession. It’s the only thing I will ever write, I think. I love the freedom to explore so much because any situation you can dream up, you can do in fantasy. This genre just gives you so much room to explore and create and build not only characters, but whole worlds and societies. And you don’t have to have just one. Grudging has multiple societies and explores the way that those clash.



TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Grudging?

Michelle:  The main society in Grudging is based on Spain. I did a lot of online research on medieval Spain: what they ate, what their houses might look like, the sort of names they might use. I also studied much more about early saints in the Catholic Church and based most of the details on real saints. I looked at pictures of armor.

But I also visited the desert in Tucson to get the setting and see the real plants and animals that live in that environment. There’s nothing like feeling the weather firsthand. ☺ I went to a Mission-built cathedral in Arizona and used that for my description of the church in Grudging. So some parts of the world in Grudging is built on reality, but most of it came from my imagination. It’s great you can do that in a fantasy world.



TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

Michelle:  They were all easy at times and incredibly stubborn at others. I think it depended on the day. But my easiest and hardest characters to write turned out to be secondary characters. There’s a priest called Father Telo who started as a detail and grew to an important role and his own point of view—totally unplanned. He could be hard to write because I had to research his words more as he was a priest. How would a priest react to this? What sort of platitudes would he say? That’s pretty far out of my comfort zone.

Ramiro’s mother Beatriz was very fun to write and probably the easiest, because she just said things. She blurted out truths. They say there’s a little of the author in every character and that’s so true. Beatriz is a little flaky, yet so full of heart. I think readers will be drawn to her perhaps most.



TQ:  Which question about Grudging do you wish someone would ask? Ask it and answer it!

Michelle:  You mean besides where can I buy it and how soon will it be a major motion picture? Hmm. Tough one.

Part of the story takes place in the desert and the other part in a swamp. A character has a close encounter with quicksand. Did you ever experience quicksand for yourself?

Why no. I can’t say as I did that research first hand. That came from watching the process on tv and staying well away.



TQ:  Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery lines from Grudging.

Michelle:  How about two quotes from the mothers of the main characters.

Beatriz the hero’s mother says this: “But what does one pack to venture into a swamp and meet with a witch?” I think that’s a question we all should ask when we get up in the morning.

On the other side of the equation, we should hear from the mother of a witch. “Everything in nature is given for a purpose. The wolf doesn’t kill for sport. The blackbird doesn’t fly for show. We don’t use magic except to defend.” Keep that in mind when you suddenly find you have the ability to use magic.



TQ:  What's next?

Michelle:  What’s next for a few years will be writing the rest of the Birth of Saints trilogy. The second is tentatively titled Faithful. Of course things get considerably worse for the characters. The description of what makes an enemy will get skewed and a little fuzzy. There might be some romance. Out of the chaos, a saint will be born to save them all. Or perhaps destroy, because pantser. ☺



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Michelle:  Thank you for inviting me! That was a lot of fun answering questions and being able to ramble on about my favorite subject—myself writing.

Grudging
Birth of Saints 1
Harper Voyager Impulse, November 17, 2015
eBook, 432 pages
Mass Market Paperback, December 22, 2015

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power.  And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.

About Michelle

Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack.

She is a co-host of the yearly the writer contests Query Kombat, Nightmare on Query Street, New Agent, PitchSlam, and Sun versus Snow. Her Birth of Saints Series from Harper Voyager starts with GRUDGING on November 17, 2015. Her epic fantasy, KINDAR’S CURE, was published by Divertir Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, was published by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge. Elephant’s Bookshelf Press also published another of her short stories, The Unfinished Task, in their winter anthology, Winter’s Regret. She’s represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.

Twitter: @Michelle4Laughs
Blog: Michelle4Laughs: It’s in the Details
Facebook: Michelle Hauck, Author
Goodreads: Grudging
Goodreads: Kindar’s Cure
Tumblr: Michelle4Laughs

Happy Monday! There are 2 debuts this week:

Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter is out in Hardcover after the eBook release on November 8th;

and

Grudging (Birth of Saints 1) by Michelle Hauck (Mass Market Paperback to be published on December 22nd).


From formerly featured Debut Author Challenge authors:

Veiled Magic by Deborah Blake;

Ice Moon (Moon 5) by Lisa Kessler;

The Exiled Earthborn (Earthborn Trilogy 2) by Paul Tassi;

and

The Shootout Solution (Genrenauts Episode 1) by Michael R. Underwood.

November 16, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Bohemian Gospel (D) (eBook - November 8th)	Dana Chamblee Carpenter	HistF
Ice Moon (e)	Lisa Kessler	PNR - Moon 5
Sinful Magic (e)(ri)	Jennifer Lyon	PNR - Wing Slayer Hunter 4
The Queen's Flight (e)	Jamie K. Schmidt	PNR - Emerging Queens 1

November 17, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Beatlebone	Kevin Barry	LF/Psy/AH
Doctor Who: Heart of Stone	Trevor Baxendale	SF - Doctor Who
Veiled Magic (e)	Deborah Blake	UF
Death Wave	Ben Bova	SF - Star Quest Trilogy 1
War of the Worlds: The Anglo-Martian War of 1895	Mike Brunton	SF - Dark 4
Angel of Storms	Trudi Canavan	F - Millennium's Rule 2
Skyborn	David Dalglish	F - Seraphim 1
It Only Comes Out At Night and Other Stories	Dennis Etchison	H - Collection
Warheart	Terry Goodkind	F - Richard and Kahlan 4
Dark Alpha's Claim (e)	Donna Grant	PNR - Reaper 1
Grudging (D) (e) (MMP - December 22nd)	Michelle Hauck	HistF - Birth of Saints 1
Deathfire	Nick Kyme	SF - The Horus Heresy 32
Last Plane to Heaven: The Final Collection (h2tp)	Jay Lake	SF - Collection
Resist	Tracey Martin	SF - RedZone 2
Blood of the Lost	Shannon Mayer	UF - Rylee Adamson 10
Sword and Runestaff: The Sword of the Dawn and The Runestaff	Michael Moorcock	F - Hawkmoon
Doctor Who: Death Riders	Justin Richards	SF - Doctor Who
The Slow Regard of Silent Things (h2tp)	Patrick Rothfuss	F - Kingkiller Chronicles Novella
The Winter Laird	Nancy Scanlon	TTR - Mists of Fate 1
The Beast of Barcroft (e)	Bill Schweigart	H/UF
Doctor Who: System Wipe	Oli Smith	SF - Doctor Who
Towers Fall	Karina Sumner-Smith	F/P - Towers Trilogy 3
The Exiled Earthborn	Paul Tassi	SF/AC - Earthborn Trilogy 2
The Shootout Solution	Michael R. Underwood	SF/AA - Genrenauts Episode 1

November 19, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Girl on the Liar's Throne (e)	Den Patrick	F

D - Debut
e - eBook
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint

AA - Action Adventure
AH - Alternate History
F - Fantasy
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
LF - Literary Fiction
P - Paranormal
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Psy - Psychological
SF - Science Fiction
TTR - Time Travel Romance
UF - Urban Fantasy