• About
  • My Books
    • The Locksmith Duology
    • The Bitter Sea Trilogy
    • Failsafe
    • Insurrection
    • A Ransom Of Flames
    • Free Short Story
  • Newsletter
  • Blog
    • Reviews

Author of speculative fiction

Author of speculative fiction

Tag Archives: Book Swag

Sneak Peek! Read Chapter One of IN THE JADED GROVE

27 Saturday Mar 2021

Posted by amidtheimaginary in Blog, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book Swag, Fantasy, Giveaway, Portal Fantasy

Simith of Drifthorn is tired of war. After years of conflict between the Thistle court and the troll kingdom, even a pixie knight known for his bloodlust longs for peace. Hoping to secure a ceasefire, Simith arranges a meeting with the troll king—and is ambushed instead. Escape lies in the Jaded Grove, but the trees of the ancient Fae woodland aren’t what they seem, and in place of sanctuary, Simith tumbles through a doorway to another world.

Cutting through her neighbor’s sunflower farm in Skylark, Michigan, Jessa runs into a battle between creatures straight out of a fantasy novel. Only the blood is very real. When a lone fighter falls to his attackers, Jessa intervenes. She’s known too much death to stand idly by, but an act of kindness leads to consequences even a poet like her couldn’t imagine.

With their fates bound by magic, Simith and Jessa must keep the strife of his world from spilling into hers—except the war isn’t what it appears and neither are their enemies. Countless lives depend on whether they can face the truths of their pasts and untangle the web of lies around them. But grief casts long shadows, and even their deepening bond may not be enough to save them from its reach.

***

CHAPTER ONE

Simith washed the blood from his sword while dusk scoured the light from the sky.

It was quiet here on the muddy bank and the stream made no sound when he sank his blade point into its depths. He palmed chilly water over the smeared length, watching it tunnel down the crystal blade to cloud the stream a murky violet. Troll blood was oddly beautiful. If the sky was a bit darker, he could imagine iris petals coated his sword instead of death.

Beyond the gnarled hedgerow that grew at his back, camp celebrations continued. Knights and Helms alike rejoiced the latest victory, as yet unaware of the silence he’d left behind in the prisoners’ tent. Traces of song wove its way to him through the thorns, half-heard and dreamlike while he bathed his blade with stained hands.

Pixies had no ballads for war, victorious or otherwise, but the fairies had plenty to share. A century of conflict with the trolls had supplied ample inspiration for the long-lived creatures. His own kind had joined the fighting a mere ten years past, but given enough time, perhaps pixies too would put to verse the rending of flesh and hope that took place on the battlefield.

Simith’s hand stilled beneath the water. The cold stream numbed his fingers, a chill that traveled from his arm all the way to the gauzy wings hanging down his back. No, it wouldn’t come to that. He’d made a promise and he would see it through.

Footsteps squished in the mud, a determined clip alerting him to the approach of a Helm. Sooner than expected. He’d hoped to have a bit more time to settle back into his skin before once more playing the ruthless knight for his fairy commanders. Not that there was much difference between the pretense and the reality aside from personal scorn. More’s the pity.

The footsteps halted behind him. “Cleaning your own weaponry is beneath your rank, Knight Simith.”

Helm Firo. Of course. The commander of the vanguard seemed to watch him with an unsettling amount of focus lately, as though he could smell the change in him.

“I don’t mind the task,” Simith answered.

“Meaning you still haven’t found a squire willing to serve you.”

He didn’t reply. The other pixies of the fairy legion admired Simith’s battle prowess. They heeded his direction on the battlefield, but none sought his friendship.

He bore them no grudge. Simith knew their reasons. He knew what he was.

Firo moved to stand alongside him where he crouched by the stream. Simith watched him out of the corner of his eye. Much depended on how well he directed this conversation. He’d kept himself filthy, his light-brown hair stiff with dried sweat, his face dirty. He still wore his mud-spattered boots and blood-speckled leathers. He hadn’t even removed the bandolier of knives from his shoulders. This was his only chance. Presenting the appearance of an unraveling knight was vital for his purposes. He’d need to act the part as well.

After what he’d done, precious little of that would be feigned.

Firo himself had changed out of his gear. He’d dressed in the typical dove-colored tunics fairy kind favored, his pale hair washed and tidy. His conduit hung on a gold chain against his chest, a polished sapphire the size of a robin’s egg nesting in a bright, silver setting. Simith bit his lip to keep it from curling. Fairies adored displaying the pretty stones through which they funneled their magic, lest anyone forget their greater power. No other creature in the Realm paraded their conduits with as much vanity, a conceit they’d undoubtedly learned from their cousin race, the Fae. If Simith hadn’t once seen a troll’s arm burst into ash when trying to tear the conduit off a fairy, he’d have been tempted to snap that chain and throw Firo’s shiny gem into the mud.

“Shall we discuss what you’ve done, or do you wish to begin with denial?” Firo gazed at the sky. “I warn you not to annoy me. You’ve interrupted my supper with this nonsense.”

Simith let a smile cut across his mouth. “Are you here to scold me?”

“Those prisoners were meant for interrogation.”

“They were meant for the dawn,” he snorted. “Decorative new stonework for the Triad’s gardens.”

Firo looked at him. That remark held too much honest disdain for the Thistle Court’s three ruling fairy houses. Simith needed to be cleverer than this or tonight’s horrors would serve no greater good. And they must.

“I’ve warned you not to annoy me,” Firo said softly.

Simith dipped his head. “Your pardon, my Helm. I am not myself just now.”

“That must be so for you to blithely destroy information critical to advancing our campaign against the troll king. The Triad has always enjoyed your enthusiasm, but in recent months I’ve noticed your hunger for victory waning.” He crouched beside Simith, far too close. “Until tonight, apparently. I must say, even I hadn’t thought you so vicious as to butcher trolls while they’re bound and helpless. Strange behavior, indeed.”

Simith kept his eyes downcast. Fairy commanders knew the true names of all pixies in the legion. Firo could compel the truth from him, though it would be a risk to his authority if others discovered it. Simith’s only sin, as far as the camp would hear, was an overabundance of savagery against the enemy. Nothing new. Firo must only suspect something was amiss with his infamous knight, or he’d have already forced a confession out of him.

He had to offer a different truth. He had to offer some other piece of his soul to throw the Helm off his trail.

Simith took a cloth from his pocket and drew it across the beads of water pearled down the flat of his blade.

“Rimthea of Hazelglen was killed this time last year,” he said.

One year and six days tonight.

“Has it been that long already? Time does slip past.” Firo regarded him, no hint at the thoughts behind the flat grey of his eyes. “The pair of you were a mighty force. She was your mate?”

“My sister.” His almost-sister. Cirrus had died before they could take their vows. “I only intended to question them, but in the midst of things, they gave me insult and I…forgot myself.”

A shame he would never forget the way their glowing gazes had followed him, steady and clear as he split them open.

Firo cocked his head, incredulous. “You’re telling me you butchered our prisoners because you’re overwrought?”

He was in fact. He had been since they’d brought Rim back to camp with her mouth broken and her throat cut. But that wasn’t why the prisoners were dead.

“I lost control,” he said.

“A week ago, you requested a few days furlough. Is this the reason? This emotional fragility?”

“My request was denied.”

“That isn’t what I asked.”

Simith set the temptation of his sword on a patch of weeds next to him. “Yes. This is the reason.”

“Death follows us all, Simith, and none more so than you. We’re too close to our victory to have the pixies’ most prominent warrior behave like this. They look to you for direction, however much they eschew your company in camp.”

Firo examined him closely, twisting the sapphire on its chain in his long, fairy fingers. The gemstone held a blue so dark it looked filled with blood. “We’ve received new orders from the Triad. Our spies report the troll army weakened enough to attempt a full invasion, and our leaders agree. Three days hence, we begin an aggressive push into their territory. There are those among your ranks who may object to what’s ahead, given the peaceful history of your kind. You must be there to rally the vanguard.”

And by rally, he meant lead the killing. Lead by merciless example. For indeed, this would be a field without succor. The vanguard would swim in blood.

He’d known this was coming. Strange, that such plans could shock him when he’d thought himself beyond horror.

“I will be there,” Simith said.

Firo considered him a moment longer, then rose. “I grant you furlough this night and tomorrow. Go and sit among branches, or chase the winds with some kettle of hawks—whatever it is that soothes the fluttering mind of a pixie. When you return, I expect you and your blades to be ready for the task before us. Is that understood?”

“It is, and I am grateful.” He bowed his head to hide his staggering relief. Firo departed without further comment and Simith remained as he was until he could no longer hear the Helm’s steps.

His breath shuddered out of him and he sat back on his heels. He’d been braced for failure. It left him momentarily unmoored to realize he hadn’t found it. Or mayhap he simply reeled at the price he’d paid for this chance.

He’d caught only a glimpse of the two prisoners when they’d been brought to camp, but enough to see the pair wore a swatch of red cloth around their upper arms—his signal that the troll king had sent an answer to his request. Simith had fought his own impatience, biding his time until he was certain no Helm lingered nearby the tent in which they were held.

The pixie knights on guard hadn’t argued when he’d dismissed them. Whatever expression he’d worn must’ve been extreme, for they’d practically scrambled out of his way.

When he’d entered, he’d found them crouched together at the center of the tent with their heads bowed as though exchanging whispers. Possibly they had been, though he’d had nothing to fear. Their conduits—a length of interlinked chains with a rough, metal pendant—had been removed, depriving them of their magic. Although they’d stunk of iron, their armor, hatchets, and piercings had been taken as well. Nevertheless, Simith had tasted the ghost of that iron on his tongue. It’d made his head throb.

“You have a message for me,” he’d said.

Loathing had filled the trolls’ faces when they’d looked at him, lips curling over fanged mouths, clawed fingers flexing above silver chains wrapped flush against dark, green skin. Both sets of torchlight eyes had recognized him. Despite the purpose he’d assigned himself and the promise he’d made, Simith had relished their hatred.

One had shifted away from his comrade, chains clinking. “Our king has agreed to hear you out.”

“Did he agree to my terms?”

“He did.”

Bless the winds. He’d feared the king would reject meeting in the Jaded Grove. Trolls had no love of trees, particularly the ancient forests of the Fae, and the green world mirrored their animosity. King Drokeh must’ve truly wished to discuss Simith’s proposal.

“When can he meet me there?” Simith had asked.

“Tonight.”

He’d started. “That’s too short notice.”

“Did you hope he’d allow you the chance to gather an ambush? The timing of our capture was precise. He will meet you at middle night, on this eventide only.”

“The Helms may discover my absence. It’s too risky.”

“Find a way. All peace is risk,” the troll’s voice had been a low snarl, “especially when he who offers it wears the skin of a monster.”

Simith had smiled, a hard tilt of his mouth. “No monster lives but for the evil others have done before him.”

“Convenient, that logic. May it serve you well for what must be done now.”

“Done?”

“The fairies are efficient interrogators. We know too much to be left behind.”

“I can’t free you without compromising everything.”

They’d said nothing. Then he’d understood. They hadn’t expected rescue. Their king had spent their lives to send him this message. Their blood just hadn’t yet been spilled.

He’d gripped the hilt of his sword, as if to fend off the expectation. “No.”

“Consider it a tithe. Each shall pay the levy for hope; we our futures, and you, the dregs of your honor.”

Simith shook himself loose from thoughts of what happened after that. He plunged his hands into the icy stream and scrubbed them hard.

Rimthea would have refused, he was sure of it. She’d have found a way to free them and still meet the troll king. But she was gone; her sharp mind gone with her, leaving him with only the awful memory of their last words, and the promise he’d sworn with her lifeless hand in his. His own hands went still beneath the water.

In the stream’s darkening reflection, the cloak of souls winked with the first starlight of evening. Simith didn’t turn his face to the sky. He had no wish to meet the eyes of the beloved dead gazing down at him. Their glimmering light felt like a reprimand.

“I’m doing my best, Rim,” he told the stars’ reflection. “Miserable as that is.”

We should be doing this together. How could you get yourself killed?

He made the mistake of meeting his own gaze in the water. Nightfall had blackened his brown eyes and woven shadows through his tawny hair. His pale face stared back at him, as empty as a vacant mask. He didn’t look like himself—not the legion’s version of him, nor the one he hoped survived somewhere deep within. This person was someone else entirely. A stranger.

Simith stood. He sheathed his sword and headed toward camp to ready himself to depart. The stream had left his fingers stiff with cold. He coiled them into his fists, though he doubted there was enough warmth left in him to chase the chill away.

***

Want more?

Add In the Jaded Grove to Goodreads

Order In the Jaded Grove and get a free swag pack of goodies!

Details HERE

WE DID IT!! And another chance at swag :)

16 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by amidtheimaginary in Blog, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Book Swag, Fantasy, New Releases, Portal Fantasy, Self Published Book

The literary campaign I launched TWO DAYS AGO for the in-class library project of an eighth grade middle school in Michigan has been fully funded!!

I’M ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC *happy dances*

Thank you to everyone who boosted and contributed, I’m so happy about this ♥♥♥ The screenshots sent my to google form show most people donated more than $5 – honestly, book folks are amazing.

Another Chance at the Swag Pack

The quick success of the campaign also means that I have some leftover swag packs. I’m giving them away to anyone who either:

  • Orders a copy of “In the Jaded Grove”: amzn.to/3s65JWI – OR – Suggests it as a purchase to their library
  • Then fill out the updated Google Form
  • And that’s it 🙂

This is still open internationally!

I’ll be giving these away until I either run out or until the end of April, whichever comes first.

Thank you again, kind friends! I’m so thrilled we did this together!

Reminder: The Swag Pack includes:

  • A 5×7 “In the Jaded Grove” Art Print (Exclusive design by Dreamy&Co)
  • 2 Bookish Stickers
  • 1 Double-Sided Bookmark
  • 1 Signed Author Bookplate

And the book!

Simith of Drifthorn is tired of war. After years of conflict between the Thistle court and the troll kingdom, even a pixie knight known for his bloodlust longs for peace. Hoping to secure a ceasefire, Simith arranges a meeting with the troll king—and is ambushed instead. Escape lies in the Jaded Grove, but the trees of the ancient Fae woodland aren’t what they seem, and in place of sanctuary, Simith tumbles through a doorway to another world.

Cutting through her neighbor’s sunflower farm in Skylark, Michigan, Jessa runs into a battle between creatures straight out of a fantasy novel. Only the blood is very real. When a lone fighter falls to his attackers, Jessa intervenes. She’s known too much death to stand idly by, but an act of kindness leads to consequences even a poet like her couldn’t imagine.

With their fates bound by magic, Simith and Jessa must keep the strife of his world from spilling into hers—except the war isn’t what it appears and neither are their enemies. Countless lives depend on whether they can face the truths of their pasts and untangle the web of lies around them. But grief casts long shadows, and even their deepening bond may not be enough to save them from its reach.

Note: All stories in the Kindred Realms series are written as standalone books and can be read in any order.

Grab your copy on Amazon & add it on Goodreads

New Book Release & Exclusive Goodies!

14 Sunday Mar 2021

Posted by amidtheimaginary in Blog, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Book Swag, Fantasy, Fantasy Art, Fantasy Romance, New Releases, Portal Fantasy

*******UPDATE! Interested in the preorder giveaway for IN THE JADED GROVE? Details HERE Open Internationally!********

Early 2020, I was a part of an anthology which featured a standalone portal fantasy novel I wrote. I got the rights back for it in December (yay!). The organizers had a word count maximum I had to abide by at the time, which limited some of my worldbuilding. I’m happy to report, now that it’s back in my hands, I’ve expanded the book, gave it another round of revisions, a new title, and a gorgeous new cover!

Cover illustration by the amazing Jenny Zemanek!

The book is available for preorder right now!

Release April 15th!

You can grab your copy here on Amazon


About the book:

Simith of Drifthorn is tired of war. After years of conflict between the Thistle court and the troll kingdom, even a pixie knight known for his bloodlust longs for peace. Hoping to secure a ceasefire, Simith arranges a meeting with the troll king—and is ambushed instead. Escape lies in the Jaded Grove, but the trees of the ancient Fae woodland aren’t what they seem, and in place of sanctuary, Simith tumbles through a doorway to another world.

Cutting through her neighbor’s sunflower farm in Skylark, Michigan, Jessa runs into a battle between creatures straight out of a fantasy novel. Only the blood is very real. When a lone fighter falls to his attackers, Jessa intervenes. She’s known too much death to stand idly by, but an act of kindness leads to consequences even a poet like her couldn’t imagine.

With their fates bound by magic, Simith and Jessa must keep the strife of his world from spilling into hers—except the war isn’t what it appears and neither are their enemies. Countless lives depend on whether they can face the truths of their pasts and untangle the web of lies around them. But grief casts long shadows, and even their deepening bond may not be enough to save them from its reach.

Note: All stories in the Kindred Realms series are written as standalone books and can be read in any order.

Amazon & Goodreads

A Classroom Library Campaign

*******UPDATE! The project has been fully funded (woo hoooo!) but you still have a chance to get one of the swag packs. Details HERE********

In celebration of the release, I’ve set up exclusive gifts for you! But I’m doing something different this time because the world has been awful, so let’s accomplish some good together ♥

This is open internationally!

First, the goodies:

  • A 5×7 “In the Jaded Grove” Art Print (Exclusive design by Dreamy&Co)
  • 2 Bookish Stickers
  • 1 Double-Sided Bookmark
  • 1 Signed Author Bookplate

How can you get a swag pack?

You are not required to buy the book

(though obviously that’s allowed lol)

I’m asking you to help me fund the 8th grade classroom library for a Michigan public school teacher.

You all know how important reading is. This English teacher uses her classroom to inspire the kids to read for fun and has set up a campaign via Donors Choose (a secure site and not-for-profit corp) to buy new books for the in-class library.

What to do:

  • Donate $5.00 (five dollars) to this project via Donors Choose HERE
  • Fill out THIS GOOGLE FORM
  • And that’s it! Easy peasy!
Mrs. Medendorp’s 8th Grade Classroom

From the Donors Choose website:
“Homework That Will Change Your Life – Reading for Fun!

“Help me give my students high-interest books to motivate them to do their only homework, reading a chosen novel!

“My Project

From the first day of school, my students know that their only homework in my class is to read a chosen novel for at least twenty minutes each night. With pandemic stress, family obligations, social lives, and homework in their other courses, students honestly have a hard time setting aside reading time; therefore, it is imperative that I create that time for them.”

Read more at Donors Choose: https://bit.ly/3aGBka5

She only needs $346 to fund her project.

Together, I know we can do this!

If you’re in a place to contribute, I hope you will. It’s been a dark year, especially for kids. Let’s add a little light where we can – and reward yourself with some bookish goodies at the same time!

Upcoming Appearance – Galaxy Con

05 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by amidtheimaginary in Messages

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book signing, Book Swag, Fantasy, Galaxy Con, Science-Fiction

GalaxyCon-Minneapolis-2019

If you’ll be in Minnesota between this Friday November 8th and November 11th, come and visit me over at Galaxy Con! It’s going to be an awesome event in Minneapolis with huge celebrities coming including William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Dave Batista, and many others. I’m half hyperventilating at the very idea that I’ll be in the same building as these people.

fangirl

If you’re there, you can find me in Artists Alley, spot H4 – they’ve listed me under my imprint: Fine Fables Press. I’ll be signing books and doing a few big swag giveaways over the weekend, and I’d love to see you! (Plus, apparently they’ve sold 25,000+ tickets to this thing and, yeah *blows foghorn* it’s an introvert emergency, someone come hug me PLEASE)

Seriously though, it’s going to be a really great time with loads of fun stuff for both kids and adults, so if you’re in the area, check it out.

Hope to see you there ♥

Cover Reveal & Giveaway Contest!!

25 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by amidtheimaginary in Blog, Messages

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Book Covers, Book Swag, Cover Reveal, Giveaway, Indie Author, Urban Fantasy

The cover reveal for my new urban fantasy novel, NIGHT LATCH is here!!!!!!

Check out the spectacular cover art Seedlings Design Studio created for the book, including an original illustration of the novel’s main character. I am out of my mind ecstatic about it!!

What’s the story between this gorgeous cover about? I’m glad you asked:

Sam Alvarez doesn’t just open locks. He’s the key.

Living in Bellemer, Iowa, Sam leads a typical small-town life. When he’s not looking after his Nana or dealing with his mother’s expectations, he runs a one-man locksmith company. Unlike regular locksmiths, he can open anything with a touch and a wish, but Sam keeps that secret to himself. No reason to alarm the neighbors, after all. And if he sometimes feels an indefinable pull to do more with his life, well, that’s probably just indigestion.

Then one day, an unsettlingly beautiful out-of-towner asks for Sam’s help to open a door. Only one problem: The job’s in a graveyard. And the client? Turns out she’s Death.

Maybe that’s two problems.

When Sam unlocks more than he intended and demons come out to play, he discovers he’s far more than a locksmith with a hidden quirk. Now, he needs to figure out who he is and what he’s been called to do before darker forces close the door on him for good. 

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 1st

***

Yes, you saw that release date correctly. NIGHT LATCH will be out in the world in no time at all and to celebrate I’ve set up an awesome giveaway contest. This is open internationally!

Preorder/order the book by October 8th for a chance to win…

– Fingerless Reading/Writing Gloves showcasing Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” (From Storiarts)

– An adorable keychain with the words “Once Upon A Time…”

– A gorgeous writing journal from Barnes & Noble

– A postcard from the imagined city: Bellemer, Iowa – Sam’s hometown

P L U S

** A $25 Amazon Gift Card **

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Pre-order/Order the book on Amazon by October 8th (Tuesday)

2. Fill out the Google Form with your details*

And that’s it!!

*Hold on to your proof-of-purchase! The winner drawn will need to email a copy of their receipt to receive the prize (Can be a photo/scan/screenshot).

There’s no limit to how many times you can enter. If you buy three copies, make a note of that in the form and you’ll be entered three times. AND, I’ll send you big hugs for buying so many ♥♥♥

NOTE: I will accept entries until 11:59pm CST on October 8th, 2019. Again, this is open internationally.

Notification will be sent to the winner on Oct. 9, the day after the giveaway ends.

Amid the Imaginary

I'm a Hapa Haole Hawaiian girl living in chilly Minnesota, reading, writing and working full-time while raising my family.

Available Now!

Follow Author of speculative fiction on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 277 other subscribers

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Archives

Indulge in your Imagination

amidtheimaginary@gmail.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Author of speculative fiction
    • Join 277 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Author of speculative fiction
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...