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Nell’s Gossip and Book Hunt 1/27/19
Welcome to my Sunday book hunt and author gossip. Keep coming back for updates on book releases and news from favorite authors.
Back with new releases again… they keep writin’ them, we keep readin’ them.
- I know the Christmas season has passed, but I failed to mention that favorite author, Terry Maggert, released a short story in the Halfway Witchy world. It’s 30 pages of a fun, good feeling glimpse into the residents of Halfway.
Title: Halfway Holiday
Author: Terry Maggert
Series: Halfway Witchy
Release date: December 7, 2019
Description: When Wulfric needs the season’s hottest toy, he turns to the only person who can help: Tammy’s new boyfriend, who might not be human. Between pizza dinners, helpful Fae, and stacks of waffles, join the crew of Halfway as they solve a Christmas mystery and find out that sometimes, what you can’t see can really hurt you.
This humorous paranormal short is for fans of witches, waffles, and Christmas. Read with a cup of tea.
- This next book makes me a little sad. It’s the end of the story – end of the series. I discovered this series back when it was a pup – 2012 to be exact. I never expected to get so attached to the characters. My favorite has to be Cookie. The transition book was probably around book 9 or 10, and that made me nervous. Why? I don’t know. They are fictional characters, for goodness sake! But I was quite attached. I could feel the end of the series coming and I started getting separation anxiety, I guess. If you’ve not started the series, please make time for it. Charley’s quirkiness and sass is so much fun.
Title: Summoned to the Thirteenth Grave
Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson #13
Release date: January 15, 2019
Description: Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the final installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series!
Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper extraordinaire, is pissed. She’s been kicked off the earthly plain for eternity – which is the appropriate amount of time to make a person starkraving mad. But someone’s looking out for her, and she’s allowed to return after a mere hundred years in exile. Is it too much to hope for that not much has changed? Apparently it is. Bummer.
She’s missed Reyes and her daughter, Beep, but now that she’s back on earth, it’s time to put to rest burning questions that need answers. What happened to her mother? How did she really die? Who killed her? And are cupcakes or coffee the best medicine? It all comes to a head in an epic showdown between good and evil in this final smart and hilarious novel.
- Here’s a book suggestion that I received in my email. From where I’m standing, it looks pretty darn good. I just ordered it and I’m ready to dive in.
Title: Rune Awakening
Author: Genevra Black
Series: The Necromancer’s Daughter #1
Release date: December 26, 2018
Description: Edie’s family secret won’t stay buried … and neither will anything else.
Edie Holloway longs for an exciting life. Instead, she’s lost her job, her band is going nowhere, and her hamster just kicked the bucket. Or did he? Because he’s breathing again.
When a mysterious man with magical powers saves her from an otherworldly attack, Edie gets more excitement than she bargained for. Turns out, she and Marius are on opposite sides of an apocalyptic battle between the forces of good and evil—and he wants her dead.
To make matters worse, a gun-toting zombie shows up in Edie’s living room—an undead servant inherited from her father. And he’s not all she inherited. Edie can raise the dead, a power that places her squarely on the side of evil. The only way to change that destiny is to assemble a team of supernatural warriors, revive an ancient faction, and stop the oncoming war.
If Edie screws up, it could literally mean the end of not just the world, but everyone she loves. And this time, everything will stay dead.
- One more big find for today. Fave author Gary Jonas just released a new book co-written with Barb Hendee. If you know Barb’s work then you know exactly what she writes. If you don’t, here are the series that she’s got out so far: Dark Glass, the Mist-Torn Witches, and the Vampire Memories series. If you’ve spent any coffee time around here, you know that Gary Jonas writes the Jonathan Shade series, the Half-Assed Wizard series and the Kelly Chan series.
Title: Word Magic
Author: Gary Jonas with Barb Hendee
Released: January 21, 2019
Description: Believe in the magic of words
Greg Jenkins is a lonely bookstore owner, with only a cat for company. He longs for love, but no longer believes it’s possible.
Enter romance author Susannah Hayworth, who agrees to write a story in the bookstore before a live audience. As a writer, she works magic with words, creating characters who seem more real than your next-door neighbor. And now the audience wants her to create the perfect woman for Greg…
If you enjoy stories of hope, and believe in the power of words, you’ll love this new short story by Gary Jonas and Barb Hendee.
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Nell’s Gossip and book hunt 10/13/18
Welcome to my Sunday book hunt and author gossip. Keep coming back for updates on book releases and news from 
favorite authors.
Ruby Lee and I went to Sioux Falls, SD this weekend to see the authors participating in the Fall Into Books Event hosted by On The Run Book Reviews.
Ruby and I didn’t know what to expect since this is the first ever of a hopefully every other year event. We got to Sioux Falls in time to hear through the grapevine that there was going to be an informal meet and greet that evening. After settling in we ventured out. Lo and behold, as we were walking out of our room, here was author Terry Maggert battling the ice machine like it was some ancient demon. You know, writers are pretty tough cookies…
Around 6 pm, we went to see if we could crash the meet and greet event. Ruby sat next to Jane Ashley Converse who wrote Backroads that released July 19, 2018. It’s now in my TBR pile.
Title: Backroads
Author: Jane Ashley Converse
Published: July 19, 2018
Description: A detour is what she needed.
Holly:
I was living the life I always thought I wanted. Good job, rich fiancé, and a glamorous social life. But in a blink of an eye it was all taken away. With nowhere else to go, my aunt offers me a job on her ranch. I didn’t know I’d be forced to work alongside her gorgeous ranch hand Chase. Instead of getting my old life back, I’m finding he’s a distraction I didn’t see coming.
Chase
I’ve spent years running from my past. Don’t stay in one place too long, don’t make long-lasting friendships, and most definitely don’t fall in love. The day I met Holly, I was done running—I just didn’t know it yet. Those heels, that skirt—all wrong for the country, but perfect for her. Her past is keeping her from trusting me. But I’m going to show her she’s more than worth the wait.
For a bit (because she fluttered around from person to person like a super hostess) I got to sit and visit with Annaliese Murine. She flies through this world like a bullet on crack. Her On The Run Book Reviews is perfectly named. Annie knew that I was super stoked to meet Kris Michaels – the author that, as she walked into the room, the sky opened and angels sang. Okay, that’s maybe a bit dramatic, but I was very excited to meet her. Kris writes The Kings of Guardian series, The Guardian Security Shadowland 
series and she’s also taking part in the Silver SEALs series.
Annie sat me next to Kris Michaels who was super nice and very modest. “I’m no celebrity” she says. Uh huh. Right. In my book, she definitely is a celebrity. While we sat visiting, her husband sent her a picture of the sunset overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, where Kris lives. It was an warm and inviting photo not only because it was picturesque, but because it had snowed in Sioux Falls that day.
I got to ask questions of all the authors that were there but the thing I had always wondered was how Kris got so in depth with her characters and well, it’s a complicated process. In my opinion, she is a great writer because of all the research and effort she puts into creating her books. If you haven’t read them, stop over to your local ebook store and check them out.
On my other side was Mira Lyn Kelly. She was another author that had a lot of insight as to how the book world worked as she should because of all the books she has published. She’s also now on my TBR pile.
ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT – Saturday. Ruby and I stood in line so we could be one of the first 50 to get swag bags. After we were admitted, there was so much to see that I didn’t know where to start. That turned into a no brainer since Kris Michaels was practically inside the door. We kind of felt like Norm on the tv show Cheers. It made us both feel all warm and fuzzy inside to be recognized. I went from table to table looking at book covers trying to decide if they were my genre or not. Either way you look at it, my TBR pile multiplied. There are a lot of great authors out there, we just don’t know them yet!
Ruby’s holy grail meeting was E.J. Whitmer who wrote Iowish Roots. According to Ruby it was amazing, so I think that endorsement alone should warrant a wander over to your ebook store and check it out.
Title: Iowish Roots
Author: E.J. Whitmer
Published: December 15, 2017
Description: After suffering a devastating loss, Violet Monroe needs a fresh start. Billybog, Ireland is the ideal place to open a coffee shop and finally live the life of her dreams. With her Instagram-famous dog in tow, she says goodbye to Iowa and runs toward her next adventure.
Pub owner Aidan Donovan is the epitome of a wounded soul. Jaded by his last relationship, he’s dedicated his life to never giving his heart to anyone again… then, he meets “Lettie”, Billybog’s newest resident. She’s beautiful, funny, and an American, and that makes her too much of a risk. While he does everything he can think of to keep her at a safe distance, her quirky American sensibilities and irresistible nature prove to be more difficult to resist than he imagined.
Will Lettie find her new home in the arms of a brooding Irishman, or will his tortured soul keep them from the happily-ever-after they both deserve?
Here comes the picture of the haul that Ruby made. I was thrilled with the books and swag I got too. I just want to say, if you ever come across a book signing of authors that are not known – take a risk and check them out. They are worth it. 
Now, let me talk quick about the logo below. Stitches Embroidery had these very cool screen prints available on just about anything. I ordered the reading team in a sweatshirt, hoarding books in a tshirt and I got the audio nerd in a coozie. I am positive that if anyone out there wants to order something, the proprietor would be more than happy to accommodate. Contact her through her website or she also has 
a page on Facebook. As a reader, I love to promote my habit.
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Nell’s Gossip and Book Hunt 10/7/18
Welcome to my Sunday book hunt and author gossip. Keep coming back for updates on book releases and news from favorite authors.
New release! Yay!! Bought this a couple of days ago and I’m waiting to crack the spine on my kindle to start reading! (The release date kind of slipped past me, so sorry about that.)
Title: Shades of Fire and Ash
Author: Ken Lange
Series: The Vigiles Urbani Chronicles #3
Release Date: September 25, 2018
Description: After surviving an unholy horde in New Mexico, Gavin Randall didn’t think things could get much worse, but the world he walked into eleven months ago grows more dangerous with each passing day.
A new threat has surfaced in the form of fanatics hellbent on destroying him, his friends, and the Archive itself. It’s his job to make sure that doesn’t happen, but these guys don’t play fair and have found a way to stack the odds in their favor.
With the primordial fires of Muspelheim lapping at his heels, can he survive long enough to fulfill his destiny, or will the world be burned to ash?
Also, if you haven’t started the series, you can slip on over to Amazon and get Accession of the Stone Born, Book #1 of the Vigiles Urbani Chronicles for 99 pennies.
My reviews of the others of the series:
- Accession of the Stone Born
- Accession of the Stone Born – audio book review
- Dust Walkers
Now this is not a book find but rather an event find. Next weekend in Sioux Falls, SD, On The Run Book Reviews will be sponsoring an amazing event called Fall Into Books.
The Sioux Falls FALL INTO BOOKS Event (FIBE) is a multi-genre book signing that is hosted by the local book blog, On The Run Book Reviews.
FIBE will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at the Museum of Visual Materials in downtown Sioux Falls, SD.
This event is for ALL book lovers, readers, and writers alike. A place for readers to meet their favorite authors and visa versa. Have you ever wanted to meet the person behind the pages? This event is for you!
With nearly 40 authors attending there will be something for everyone. Ranging from children’s to fantasy to romance, FIBE will have a little of everything.
These authors are some of the best in the Indie world right now. Here’s a peek at the line up.
I have reviewed two of the authors that will be attending:
The Fearless series The Kings of Guardian series
Halfway Witchy series Guardian Security Shadow World
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Halfway Bitten by Terry Maggert
Outstanding sequel. ‘Nough said.
Title: Halfway Bitten
Author: Terry Maggert
Series: Halfway Witchy 02
Publish Date: February 9, 2016
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Author provided ARC for honest review
Publisher’s Description: Take a bite out of evil.
The circus came to Halfway, and they brought the weird.
When clowns, vampires, and corpses start piling up in town, Carlie has to break away from her boyfriend, Wulfric, to bring her witchy skills to the table- or grill, as the case may be.
When the body of a young woman washes up in the lake, it unleashes a spiral of mystery that will bring Carlie, Gran, and Wulfric into a storm of magical warfare.
Spells will fly. Curses will rain. Amidst it all, Carlie will make waffles, protect her town, and find out if a man from the distant past can join her in happy ever after.
With love and honor at stake, Carlie has no peer.
Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel (in other words, SPOILERS!)
Nervous Nellie says…
This is an incredible story. I feel like Carlie and crew were really focused in this book. Though I was disappointed there was no appearance by the faeries, there were other players that brought their own specialties to the table.
Carlie is forced to take the law into her own hands to protect her family lands and the great citizens of Halfway from evil vampiric clowns. Clowns, in this context, is not a label, it’s an occupation. Can you imagine clowns that are vampires? Scares me, for sure.
You might say “pfft, Carlie can handle it…” but there were a few times that I really thought she got over her head. That made it exciting and also developed Carlie more for me. She is young – very young. She should know that she doesn’t know everything, but I’m sure that’s how I was at that age. Gran is center stage with Carlie this episode and they have to put a stop to murders in Halfway. It’s a mystery of WHO that is somewhat easy to figure out, but WHY is the reason the pages keep getting turned. The characters that are brought in to help point Carlie and her Gran in the right direction didn’t need much introduction. They were quick characters that added depth to the story. Anna introduced her brother Alex, who in my opinion is MUCH nicer. Carlie enlists help from the friendly neighborhood librarian who is one of the few residents of Halfway that are clued into the world around them. Wulfric makes an attractive appearance, of course, but it’s the ending that really gets the ball rolling for the next book. It’s not EXACTLY a cliffhanger as the book arc is finished, but the series arc is just getting it’s groove on.
I have to admit that the author upped his game with this book. I enjoyed it a lot and will be waiting in line for the next release.
Invested Ivana says…
Halfway Bitten is another beautiful book by Terry Maggert. As in the first installment, Halfway Dead, the writing is lyrical and the characters are wonderful.
Maggert must believe, like many other folks, that the circus is as creepy as it is fascinating. Plus, there are clowns. In this novel, the circus is a front for a group of traveling vampires who are terrorizing all other vampires in Eastern North America and Canada. The right to survive becomes a competition; and Carley, Gran, and Wulfric get caught up in it.
I absolutely love the introduction of ghosts in this novel. Ghosts of the town’s previous witches live on in “spirit.” They are able to assist, teach, mentor, or just socialize with living witches as long as their spirits are intact.
Once again, the audiobook version is superb. Erin Spencer perfectly captures Carly’s and Gran’s beautiful natures and the author’s lyrical writing.
Our reviews in this series…
- Halfway Dead, Book 01
- Halfway Bitten, Book 02
- Halfway Hunted, Book 03
If you like this book, try…
- The Fearless Series by Terry Maggert
- Mindspace Investigations by Alex Hughes
- The Forest of Forever by Rob Blackwell
Halfway Dead by Terry Maggert
New series alert by old author!! I mean… not old… like age-wise… I mean old like he’s been featured on this blog before. Oh, geez. I’m in trouble now, aren’t I? Anyway, moving on… You like waffles? You like witches? You like white hat witches? You like nasty scary monsters dripping with gross goo from a filmy, oily pond where souls may or may not spend eternity? Have I got a book for you!
Title: Halfway Dead
Author: Terry Maggert
Series: Halfway Witchy 01
Publish Date: June 30, 2015
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Publisher’s Description: Come for the waffles. Stay for the magic.
Carlie McEwan loves many things.
She loves being a witch. She loves her town of Halfway, NY—a tourist destination nestled on the shores of an Adirondack lake. Carlie loves her enormous familiar, Gus, who is twenty-five pounds of judgmental Maine Coon cat, and she positively worships her Grandmother, a witch of incredible power and wisdom. Carlie spends her days cooking at the finest—and only—real diner in town, and her life is a balance between magic and the mundane, just as she likes it.
When a blonde stranger sits at the diner counter and calls her by name, that balance is gone. Major Pickford asks Carlie to lead him into the deepest shadows of the forest to find a mythical circle of chestnut trees, thought lost to forever to mankind. There are ghosts in the forest, and one of them cries out to Carlie across the years–Come find me.
Like the forest shadows, danger can run deep. The threat is real, but Carlie’s magic is born of a pure spirit. With the help of Gus, and Gran, and a rugged cop who really does want to save the world, she’ll fight to bring a ghost home, and deliver justice to a murderer who hides in the cool, mysterious green of a forest gone mad with magic.
Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel (in other words, SPOILERS!)
Nervous Nellie says…
Terry does it again. This new series is somewhat similar to The Fearless Series, only by killing evil, yucky monsters. The character is a very likable young witch with incredible power. She does good as often as she can and even goes as far as granting wishes.
Some idiot glory hound exposes, albeit unknowingly, rare trees that create all sort of a fuss. One thing leads to another and she finds out that an ancestor, a young boy, is trapped – well, his spirit is trapped and she takes it upon herself to save him. She meets characters along the way, exposes creatures that should not be left roaming wild and ends up saving the day, with a little help from her friends. Okay, a lot of help from her friends.
That is an incredibly succinct description of the story lacking in a lot of details of the twists and turns that her journey must take.
Invested Ivana says…
What drew me to this book: I’ve been wanting to start this series by Terry Maggert for a while now. Nell beat me to finding it, and now I have to catch up. The cover and the description sound interesting!
Why I kept reading: I listened to this book in audio, and the narrator, Erin Spencer, really impressed me. She gives the main character, Carlie, a positive and content feel, which I believe is how she is meant to be portrayed. Carlie is happy in her little town, happy with her job, and happy with her life.
The combination of the narrator and the writing make the storytelling feel very lyrical, even in the midst of fighting nasty monsters. Carlie notices and comments on very small details—the moonlight shining through the window and onto her floor, for example—but these details make the world she inhabits vivid and beautiful while giving us a sense of her inner peace.
The book does fall prey to some of my pet peeves that often plague the first books in series. For example, I think the final battle ends too fast and too easily considering all the build-up to it. Also, the “big bad” is somewhat two-dimensional; the reader doesn’t know much about him other than he’s petty and evil. There is a surprise reveal at the end that, upon reflection, I don’t think was foreshadowed at all. That is a little disappointing. However, I have only listened to this book; I haven’t read it yet, and I find I pick up different aspects of a story depending on how I “consume” it. Perhaps those details are there, and I just missed them.
In any case, these pet peeves didn’t interfere much with my enjoyment of this book. I have a feeling that as the story gets deeper and the conflict gets more personal to Carlie, they won’t be an issue anymore. Plus, the author manages to set up a situation in which he can use the Viking word “jarl.” Correctly. God, I love it when history teachers write. 😉
Why I recommend it: Halfway Dead is a positive story about a gal who loves her life and tries to do good, positive things whenever she can. The “voice” of the story is lovely and a pleasure to hear in audio. If you want a break from the gritty urban fantasies about reluctant heroes with too many vices and would prefer a positive story where the people are good and only the monsters are evil, you can’t do much better than Halfway Dead.
Our reviews in this series…
- Halfway Dead, Book 01
- Halfway Bitten, Book 02
- Halfway Hunted, Book 03
If you like this book, try…
- The Fearless Series by Terry Maggert
- Mindspace Investigations by Alex Hughes
- The Forest of Forever by Rob Blackwell
One Book Two 