IWSG and the Polar Murders series

Hello, friends!! Today is the February meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, or to sign up and join the group, visit the IWSG page here.

I'm excited today as I have a new book coming out later this spring! Polar Curse, the sequel to Polar Night and Polar Day, is tentatively scheduled to be released in May. I'm so happy about it as I had reached the point where I thought this book would never be completed let alone make it out in the world.

My publisher is going to re-release Polar Night and Polar Day with new covers, so I'm also thrilled about that. I can't share the covers yet but I love them and love the ideas the artist came up with. After those two are re-launched Polar Curse will be published. The three will be marketed together as the Polar Murders series.

I can't wait to be able to share the new covers and more information about the new book, but for now I am just busy doing a happy dance with Kermit. It took me so long to write this story that I can't believe it's actually coming together now.

Happy February!

Polar Day Release & Wonderful Personal News

Today is release day for Polar Day and of course I'm super excited about that, but I actually have better news that I am so happy to be able to share. As many of you know my mom has been battling cancer since last summer. She had her last round of chemo in January and this week had a PET scan to assess her condition. Yesterday we learned that she is in remission! Her oncologist's office called to share the wonderful news and we couldn't be happier. I honestly did not believe she would be able to beat this at her age (she turned 87 this week) and if someone had told me back in August we would be celebrating now I would not have believed it. I was so relieved when I got the call that I almost felt like I could faint! Yesterday was such an amazing day for my family and one we will always cherish.

I know lots of people have prayed for her and sent good wishes our way and I want to send my heartfelt thanks to all of you. I will never forget the amazing support I've received from the wonderful people in this community. Thank you!

And now to the book! Polar Day is officially out now and while I am still waiting on the Kindle link and some others, you can find the paperback now here. The Kindle should be at that same link soon. The book is also on Goodreads here.

I'm doing a tour with Goddess Fish starting next week so I haven't set up a regular blog tour, but my dear friend Cathrina Constantine is sharing an excerpt from the book here. This was a fun excerpt to share as it features my favorite characters, the Polar Night duo Danny and Aleksei. :)

Other friends are sharing the blurb and book info for a mini book blast so you will see me popping up a bit the next few days.

You can read the first chapter of the book at my website here. And the Goodreads giveaway continues until February 10 if you'd like to enter to win a signed copy. Just go here to enter!

Thank you again to everyone for your support!

Polar Day Excerpt, #SpecFic Chat, and Thunderclap

My new book Polar Day will be out on February 5 and I thought I'd share a little taste of the book here today. This excerpt features Aleksei Nechayev, the antagonist of both Polar Night and The Turnagain Arm. Aleksei is a supporting player this time around, but he's still up to no good. :)

The inquisitive Fairbanks detective Danny Fitzpatrick had ruined the peaceful home Aleksei had maintained in the Arctic town of Coldfoot for decades. He enjoyed checking in on the detective and, while he couldn’t help but feel a strange fondness for the man he had chosen to let live, he always hoped to find him struggling with some new problem. He was tickled to see that this time he got his wish.
Aleksei grinned from ear to ear as he read about the mysterious fires that were plaguing Fairbanks while the city suffered through its worst heat wave in history. How fascinating! And by all accounts, the police, including the dear detective, had no idea who was starting the fires or even how they were doing it. 
Fire was one of the few things Aleksei feared and hated as much as humans did. He still remembered the time he had been nearly burned to death by a male witch not long after he’d arrived in Alaska. He couldn’t help but wonder if a supernatural force was responsible for these fires as well. Was there a witch on the loose in Fairbanks?
Since he was safe and sound on the other side of the world, Aleksei desperately hoped so. How would his favorite detective deal with a situation like that? And what of the fire starter? What was his, or her, motivation? What was the game? 
His lousy winter here in Australia had suddenly taken a surprisingly lovely turn. Clearly, the summer in Fairbanks was turning out to be more horrific than anyone there could have imagined. He couldn’t wait to see how it all unfolded. It was going to be such fun.

If you'd like another peek, you can also read the first chapter here at my website. And to enter to win a signed copy of the book, check out my Goodreads giveaway. 

Also, my writing group Untethered Realms has started a new monthly chat on Twitter: #SpecFicChat. We're talking about all things Speculative Fiction. M.Pax kicked things off on Friday with the topic "Punking it up. What’s the attraction of Steampunk?" The chat is ongoing and you can join in any time - just use the #SpecFicChat tag. River Fairchild will be hosting the next chat on Friday, February 20. If you're interested in Speculative Fiction please jump in and join us!

Finally, thank you to everyone who has supported my Polar Day Thunderclap campaign! At the time of this writing I'm at 80 supporters and only need 20 more to get my message sent out. If you haven't already and are willing to support me please do so here!

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and has a good week ahead! :)

Meet The Character Blog Hop

I was tagged in the Meet Your Character Blog Hop by my good friend Cathrina Constantine, who is an absolutely fantastic writer. If you haven't read her books yet I highly recommend checking them out!

Cathrina is the author of Wickedly They Come (and the upcoming sequel Wickedly They Dream) and Tallas. Find Cathrina at her blog, Twitter, and on Amazon.

Thank you for tagging me, Cathy!

What is the name of your character? Is s/he fictional/historical?

My character is Vasyl Dzubenko. He is totally fictional.

When and where is the story set?

The story is set in 1917 in a railroad camp in Alaska. Vasyl and his wife Lara run a saloon called The Turnagain Arm in the camp. The saloon is named for a nearby waterway, which is a real part of Alaska.

What should we know about your character?

Vasyl is a middle-aged man who moved to Alaska after moving across Russia while working on the building of the Trans-Siberian Railway. He is originally from Ukraine which was part of the Russian Empire at that time. Vasyl is devoted to his wife but he has a very big secret that even she doesn’t know. Vasyl is a witch, but he hasn’t practiced his craft since leaving Ukraine. The last time he practiced things went very bad very quickly.

What is your character's goal?

He simply wants to run his saloon in peace with his wife at his side. He is happy in his adopted home of Alaska and is thrilled that Lara is pregnant. He can't wait for his child to be born.

What is screwing up  your character's life (main conflict in writerly speak?)

Unfortunately for Vasyl, a Russian vampire named Aleksei Nechayev turned up at his saloon. The peaceful camp has never been the same since Aleksei arrived.

What is the title?

The book is called The Turnagain Arm and it is available on Amazon Kindle. It is a novella and a prequel to my novel Polar Night.

I am really bad about tagging for a hop because I can never decide who to tag. So anyone reading this who would like to participate, consider yourself tagged!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. :)

The Turnagain Arm Giveaway Winners & Excerpt

The Turnagain Arm on Amazon Kindle

The Turnagain Arm on Goodreads

Hello and Happy Monday to all! I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'm still recovering from the premiere of The Walking Dead last night! So happy the show is back. I needed something fun to watch after the Bengals proved yet again that they are the Bengals by missing what would have been a game winning field goal at the end of overtime. Years go by and players come and go but the one sure thing is that the Bengals will always be the Bungles.

Thanks to everyone who participated in my giveaway last week to celebrate the release of my novella The Turnagain Arm. The two winners are Michael Di Gesu and Annalisa Crawford! Congratulations to Michael and Annalisa and thanks again to everyone who joined in and helped me spread the word.

Gwen Gardner, the author of the fantastic Indigo Eady series, is sharing an excerpt from the novella on her blog today. Visit her here to read it!

Since I sent Gwen an excerpt to post I thought I would share an excerpt here as well. This excerpt features Aleksei Nechayev, who is not only one of the main characters in The Turnagain Arm but also the antagonist in Polar Night. 

Aleksei watched from the trees as the two security guards patrolled the area outside of the Turnagain Arm saloon. He had bid them a friendly goodnight just a few minutes earlier when he’d closed down for the night, but there was nothing friendly about his plans now. Aleksei was hungry and wanted nothing more than to drain both of the guards and satiate his hunger while also letting them know how useless their pretend soldiering was. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head as he watched them strutting about like peacocks. But while that course of action would feed him for the night, it would ultimately be short-sighted. And much less fun than what he had planned.

He had barely kept his composure while listening to Dzubenko blame the recent disappearances on bear attacks. It had been so difficult not to burst out laughing in his employer’s face. But he knew that the grizzly bear explanation had brought some semblance of comfort to the workers. It was much easier for them to come to terms with an angry wild bear than a murderer on the loose.

Imagining how they could come to terms with the murder of their guards by someone who was clearly not a bear made Aleksei smile from ear to ear. As much as he wanted to bite the guards and drain them, bite marks of any kind would spoil his fun. They would also spoil his plans for Vasyl Dzubenko. Aleksei knew he had made a rare mistake when speaking with Dzubenko earlier, and it had not gone unnoticed by his employer. The man was one of the few intelligent people in this camp, he’d give him that much. And he also felt sure that Dzubenko was different in ways beyond just his intellect. Aleksei could sense it. So if he had to deal with Dzubenko, he might as well lay the groundwork for that now. Truth be told, the idea of that merely added to his amusement.

Aleksei fingered the butcher knife he had stolen from the Turnagain Arm kitchen and stepped out of the trees.

One of the guards immediately snapped to attention and pointed his rifle at the sound of footsteps coming towards him.

“Who’s there? State your business.”

Aleksei walked into the light of the lanterns the guards held in front of them with his hands palms out in front of him.

“Don’t shoot,” he said. “It’s just me.”

The guards both relaxed and let their weapons hang loose at their sides.

“Aleksei? What are you doing back? Did you forget something in the saloon?”

“No, no, I just wanted to show you men something. I’m afraid it looks suspicious.” He gestured towards the woods next to the camp. “Over here in the trees.”

The men walked towards him, reminding Aleksei of the livestock that walked calmly to their deaths on his grandparents’ farm back home. 

Lambs to the slaughter…

Want to read more? 

Buy The Turnagain Arm for just 99 cents on Kindle

The Turnagain Arm Launch & Giveaway!

I'm really excited to announce the release of my first self-published work, The Turnagain Arm. It's a novella that is a prequel to Polar Night and to its sequel Polar Day, which will be published by my publisher Ink Smith in January, 2015.

To celebrate the release I'm hosting a giveaway all this week. Two winners will receive a $15 Amazon.com gift card and an ebook copy of The Turnagain Arm. If you'd like to enter just leave a comment on the blog or tweet about the book/giveaway. I wanted to make the Rafflecopter very simple! :)

I didn't set up a blog tour or launch party for this release but I want to say a huge thank you to a few friends who are helping me spread the word this week and next. And also to the wonderful Michael Di Gesu who designed the cover for me and is posting about the book today as well.

Now on to the book! :)

Polar Night's Aleksei Nechayev leaves war-torn Russia in 1917 and makes his way to Alaska. Settling in at a railroad camp, Aleksei comes up against an adversary who seems to know the truth about the newly-turned vampire's identity. An adversary who soon gives Aleksei much more than he bargained for at The Turnagain Arm.

Cover design by Michael Di Gesu

Only 99 cents on Amazon Kindle

Book Blurb: 

Locomotive wheels screech to a halt. Potters Creek, Alaska is nothing more than a small camp set up alongside the tracks. A weathered sign dominates the scene.

The Turnagain Arm Saloon 

Est.1917

Only one passenger remains and exits.

The early afternoon full moon peaks through a shimmering snow fall as a shadow casts over each split rail. The wind howls, sweeping the cloak of a hooded figure. He follows   the tracks toward the distant saloon. A hulking man crunches through the snow, attracting his attention.

Calling out to him in a foreign accent, the townsman stops in mid step. The stranger catches up and engages him.

Until…

The man disappears under the stranger’s cloak.

Blood drips from his lips, and he wipes the remaining trickles from his mouth. After disposing of the body, the mysterious figure continues on his journey. He glides through the snow as if on a sleigh, leaving no footprints behind.

*          *          *          *          *

Within a short period, he convinces Vasyl, the owner of the saloon, to hire him. Aleksei charms everyone he meets. But soon mistrust enters every tense line on Vasyl’s face as others disappear, and his wife falls under Aleksei’s spell.

The classic game of cat and mouse continues, but who will win?

Is a mere mortal any match for Aleksei?

A spark ignites within Alexei after yet another of Vasyl’s attempts to disgrace him.

This man knows of me. He must be a witch. Aleksei laughs. You are no match for me or my plan.


Buy The Turnagain Arm for 99 cents on Amazon Kindle

Enter to win one of two prize bundles featuring a $15 Amazon.com gift card and an ebook copy of The Turnagain Arm. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finished!

I'm doing the happy dance to end this week because I FINALLY finished my Polar Night sequel! I had reached a point earlier this month where I was very close to giving up on the whole story because I was so frustrated with it. But the idea of giving up on it gave me the kick in the pants I needed and I finally got a burst of energy to get busy and finish the story once and for all.

I have tons of revising to do, to put it mildly, but I know I will be able to do that now that I finally have the whole story in place. And I am actually excited about the revising and anxious to jump into it. Now I guess I will be hiding in my revising cave. :D

The plan at the moment is for the sequel to be published in January. It's called Polar Day and it is fitting that I finished it during the week of the summer solstice as this story takes place in the summer as opposed to the dark winter setting of Polar Night.

For the sequel, I wanted to utilize the "midnight sun" phenomenon of the Alaskan summers, and Polar Day revolves around the sun, magic, and fire.

Midnight on the Summer Solstice in Bethel, AK

I also plan to release a prequel novella which takes place during the building of the Alaskan Railroad during the late 1910s and includes the same kind of magic featured in Polar Day. I'm going to publish that myself on Kindle in the fall, assuming all goes as planned between now and then!

I'm just really excited now to dig into my revisions and also to get back into blogging and social media. I forced myself to stay off just about everything until I finished this story so now I'm looking forward to catching up. I've missed the blogosphere!

Happy Friday and weekend to all. :)

Danny and Aleksei, Comic Style

I've been a fan of Heather Holden's work ever since I discovered Echo Effect, her webcomic based on Greek mythology. So when I was catching up on the comic a few weeks ago I got the idea to commission Heather to create pictures of my Polar Night characters Danny and Aleksei.

It was a lot of fun to work with Heather and see my guys brought to life in her style. So let me introduce you to the main character and protagonist of Polar Night, Detective Danny Fitzpatrick.

He's a mess, isn't he?  Danny is overwhelmed by grief and depression when we meet him and he's run as far away from his old life as he could get by moving to Fairbanks, Alaska. He's working a dead-end job in cold cases and his primary coping mechanism for getting through the day is alcohol.

Danny doesn't seem like a good candidate to challenge Aleksei Nechayev, the book's antagonist. Arrogant, cold, and ruthless, Aleksei views people as little more than playthings for his own amusement.

 

Aleksei sees Danny as a minor nuisance and doesn't think the drunken detective is a real threat to his plans. He may be surprised.

Thanks again to Heather for working on this fun project with me! If you don't already follow the Echo Effect, check it out here.