"Best in the Elf-ing World (Tales of the Gothic Warrior)" by Billy Wong

Best in the Elf-ing World

(Tales of the Gothic Warrior)

by Billy Wong

Description

Lighthearted (but violent) fantasy action featuring one butt-kicking heroine.

When the world's greatest mixed martial arts fighter challenges goth singer and ultimate brawler Freya to a match, she eagerly accepts the chance to battle a legend. To her surprise, she soon receives an offer of training from an otherworldly visitor. What she doesn't know is that her elvish benefactor has plans for her beyond just a celebrity cage fight.

A short story. Fourth chronologically in the Gothic Warrior series, but the stories do not have to be read in order.

Excerpt

Freya sat in the corner of her band's studio, nostalgically watching the fantasy movie they had made based on her.  While not completely true to life, the over the top action reminded her of treasured memories.  After the evil billionaire Frederick Gamer was imprisoned for murder, she had come to almost regret turning him in.  Sure, he deserved it for running an illegal fighting tournament with the goal of having fighters torn apart by his pet.  But she secretly dreamed of receiving an invite to participate in such a tournament again.

She was still in her early twenties, yet felt somewhat old and jaded knowing there might be few worthy challenges left in the world for her iron fists, which had spelled the lizard-ape's doom.  She hugged her sword Empty Blue close to her.  An oversized prop used in music videos, the great blunt blade hid a live one that had killed a demon before.

"Oh Empty Blue," she whispered, woozy with drugs and drink, "sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I lived in a world of dragons and elves like the ones that inspired you."

"Freya, what's wrong?" her psychic bandmate Annabeth asked, seeing her glum look.  "You look sad."

"I'm fine.  I just haven't had a good fight in a while.  Life gets boring when you're not being challenged."

"Then I might have good news.  I had a dream you're about to have a great battle."

She sat up.  "You mean like a vision-dream or a something-on-your-mind-dream?"

"A vision I think."  Annabeth frowned.  "But I wish you'd grow up and stop wanting to fight.  You're always getting hurt so bad."

She'd taken four assault rifle bullets from Frederick Gamer's men.  But she had still kicked the asses of the lizard-ape and a dozen guards.  "It's not that bad for me.  I'm the Gothic warrior you know."  She stumbled up out of her seat.  "And since the Gothic warrior's about to get a decent test again, I say we girls go out and celebrate."

"Are you sure you should do that?  You're already all drunk and drugged up."

"So you can watch over me and keep me safe, Annabeth."

The smaller goth girl sighed, knowing she couldn't be denied.  They got in Freya's car, Annabeth driving, and headed out.

#

Later that night, Freya sat feeling sluggish at her favorite bar.  She threw back another shot of absinthe and wondered if Annabeth was enjoying her dance with that fanboy who had bothered her.  She heard footsteps approaching from behind.  "Annabeth you sound heavy.  Are you drunk?  Better not be."

"I'm not Annabeth," a cool voice said.

Freya glanced back.  A big blonde woman stood behind her, maybe five ten, five eleven.  She wore ample clothes, but seemed pretty sturdy underneath that jacket and sweatshirt.  She was in her late twenties, or maybe early thirties, and her face looked to have been on the receiving end of quite a few brutal beatings.  "And who's you?"

The woman didn't favor her with an answer.  Instead she asked, "Do you think that you're the strongest girl in the world?"

"I don't know.  Haven't had the pleasure of meeting every other girl.  But I'm probably the strongest who's somewhat well known."  Not a lot of females could snap the back of a gorilla sized lizard-ape over her knee or take dozens of punches and knees from giant men, after all.

"How quickly people forget."  The woman sat beside her.  She did look kind of familiar, now that Freya thought about it...  "Bartender, remote."

Review

There are no reviews as yet. Be the first to review this recent release after reading your copy.

About the Author

Billy Wong is an avid fan of heroic fantasy, with a special love for strong female warriors. He draws inspiration from the epic legends of old, and is on a quest to bring over the top deeds and larger than life heroes back to prominence in today's literary world.

Billy lives in Coney Island, Brooklyn. He has written numerous fantasy books, including the Iron Flower series and the Gothic Warrior series. The Iron Flower series consists of Iron Bloom, Iron Flower, and Iron Bonds. The Gothic Warrior series consists of Gothic Warrior and the Dark Man, Seeds of Despair, Gothic Gladiator, and Best in the Elf-ing World.

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"Malena's Kiss" by Paul DiPersio

REVIEW

Malena's Kiss

by Paul DiPersio

I came across Malena's Kiss as a member of the Paranormal and Horror Lovers group on Goodreads. You can read my review below.

Description

James Francis just inherited a house from his crazy Aunt Margaret; a towering, dilapidated, 18th century New England Colonial … in some creepy backwoods town called Cutler Hollow.

Deep in the belly of an old backyard leach pit he uncovers a rusty iron chest, sealed with a lock, bound in chains, and inscribed with bizarre Celtic symbols.

He raises the chest with dreams of gold coins, precious jewels, and sterling silverware.

And unleashes Cutler Hollow's darkest secret ... Malena.

Excerpt

I thought I heard her bare feet pat across the floor, thought I caught her sweet scent in the darkness.

I thought it was just a pleasant dream.

And then she climbed right on top of me, straddled me naked, and bent down to taste my lips. I couldn’t see her face in the darkness. Her hot breath caressed my cheek. Her nipples brushed my chest. She ran her tongue over my chin, sucked on it lightly.

Her fingernails dug into my shoulders. Her warm thighs gripped my hips. I inhaled her sweet scent, tried to reach up and touch her, but she stopped me, pinned my hand to the couch. She settled onto my lap, her fingertips lightly crawling up my neck.

I looked up and saw her violet eyes glowing in the darkness. Hovering above me, boiling hot, changing color. They smoldered to richer shades of violet, becoming deeper and darker until the irises went black.

Then she hunched forward, took my face in her hands, and pressed her lips to my mouth.

She breathed into me - one, deep, scorching, breath ... and then slowly sucked all the air from my lungs.

My chest tightened. My fingers and toes tingled. I felt the warmth leaving my body, felt the cold spreading through my veins.

Her warm saliva was thick, syrupy, honey-sweet.

I tried to sit up, and her hands pushed me back into the cushions. Locking her lips tightly over mine, she dug her nails into my chest, held me down, and scorched my throat with another deep breath.

And sucked the air from my lungs, much deeper this time; so deep, so long, I felt it pull on my belly, tug on my crotch.

I couldn’t feel my arms or my legs. I was floating up off the couch, drifting away, weightless.

Just when my vision tunneled, when my hearing started to fade, when I felt myself drifting off into oblivion, she released my mouth.

I gasped for breath.

Her smoldering violet eyes searched my face. They moved close, the tip of her nose touching mine. She blinked once, her eyes cooled to a shade of blue, then slowly faded into the darkness.

I felt her fingers caress my cheek. Her thumb traced my eyebrow. Her lips placed a burning kiss on my forehead.

And she was gone.

I thought I heard her bare feet patter up the stairway.

Was it a dream?

I tried to sit up. I couldn’t lift my head. I was frozen. Paralyzed. As helpless as a shell-shocked rabbit.

I tried to speak. It came out a strained whisper, “What the fu...?”

Review

By Lynda Dickson

Jim Francis inherits an old house from his aunt. He later discovers this house has a checkered history and has been built on an old Indian burial ground. During renovations designed to prepare the house for sale, Jim finds a ancient chest in the septic tank. Upon opening it, Jim discovers a mysterious young woman with violet eyes, and a Celtic cross bearing the inscription, "To my Malena, with love." But what happens when this beautiful woman kisses you?

The author has a great writing style which flows easily and keeps you reading. This story is spooky, atmospheric, and humorous. However, at times I wasn't sure if it was meant to be funny, and some of the scenes are quite absurd, drawing on references from West Side Story. In addition, I didn't find the conclusion to be very satisfying.

There were numerous editing errors, mainly involving the incorrect use of words, apostrophes, capital letters, commas, and italics.

Warnings: Coarse language, sexual references, drug references, violence.

About the Author

Paul DiPersio is a Registered Nurse, and a freelance writer with a degree in Political Science from Villanova University. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, stepdaughter, and a cat named Monkey. Many of his stories take place in the mysterious fictional towns of Cutler Hollow and its seaside neighbor Fairfield Heights.

Paul is the author of My Brother Pete and Malena's Kiss.

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"Marketing Your Book on a Budget" by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

REVIEW

Marketing Your Book on a Budget

by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

Marketing Your Book on a Budget is written by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones, editor-in-chief at Idea Creations Press. You can read my 5-BD review below.

Description

How does an author best get book reviews? What of interviews, blogs and social media? How can a new author expect to be seen while crowding the lane with other authors of his/her genre?

Marketing Your Book on a Budget is tiny for a reason; any author can afford it. But be prepared for the endless information enclosed. You'll never wonder again about the best ways to speak up about your book, get free advertising, or learn why postcards can help you get the word out faster and easier than any other way.

It’s easy to say you’re going to market your book, far more difficult to actually do it, but this handy guide will help you every step of the way, even while your heart is pumping wildly the first time you have to speak about your book to someone else.

Excerpt

Reviewers. Who are they and how do they help in selling your book?

Who are they?

Book reviewers are a little like editors and a little like book readers. They tell the public what they like and don’t like about your book, may spell out some grammar problems, but usually take the approach of giving you as positive a review as possible—even if they don’t particularly like your book.

You will, however, come up against reviewers who take the negative approach, so expect to get reviews not to your liking. Read the review and then move on. Don't contact the reviewer and ask a bunch of questions about why he/she wrote such a negative review.  Don’t write something scathing back, or feel that you must somehow get their review taken off of Amazon. Keep moving forward. There have been a few times when I've wondered if the reviewer actually read the book I'd written, and I decided to look to the reviewers who liked my book and to my heart for the truth.

Where do you look?

When looking for a book reviewer, (though reviewers span the newspaper and magazine worlds), where you’re really going to gain interest is through blog reviewers. Though the first two sources will get the word out, more and more readers are turning to the Internet for answers to the question, “What is the next book I should read?”

Why not be where the readers are?

For my first book, there were few blog reviewers out there, but things have changed. When I began searching online for reviewers for my book, “Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones,” I was pleasantly surprised at the growth of book bloggers.

Not only were there multiple sites available but sites that gave me a list of reviewers, the types of books reviewed, where the reviews were posted, how long the reviewer had been blogging and what form of book they accepted (PDF, paperback only; I’ll discuss this more in detail later). Time was saved in searching the Internet for individual reviewers who may or may not have been interested in my book.

Here are four ideas to get you started:

1. www.Stepbystepselfpublishing.net/reviewer-list.html. The reviewer list is easily accessible on the site by clicking on the link on the main page, "Reviewer list."
2.  Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is a book brought to you by the site above, but portions of the listing come to you FREE through email. If you join the mailing list at: www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net you'll get a monthly list of new reviewers sent directly to your email.
3. The Indie View (www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/) offers an updated monthly list of new book reviewers.
4. Wise Words-Book Blogger (www.louisewise.com/p/authors-directory.html) gives you an authors' directory, in addition, get a list of places to market your book, book publishing services, cover designers and more.

Book Trailer

Review

By Lynda Dickson

Marketing Your Book on a Budget covers such topics as reviews, interviews, blogging, social media, word of mouth, presentations, book signings, contests, and postcards. Whilst especially pertinent to newly-published independent authors, it is also a handy reference for all authors. At the end of the book, the author also includes some handy information about her publishing services company, Idea Creations Press.

This is a little gem of a book. The author provides practical advice on how to market your paperback or ebook at hardly any cost. These are tips learned though her own personal experiences in marketing her first and subsequent books.

As the author states, "It's been said that writing a book is difficult, but marketing is the hard part that comes after that." Let Kathryn ease your way.

From the Author

When I was young I thought I had to sound like a great writer to be one. It was all so overwhelming; now I know I only need to sound like myself. My ideas come from two primary sources. My work might spark from the enlightening words of a friend, teacher or writing prompt. At other times, I am sitting in a very still space and the words I should write come to me like a powerful and glowing wind.

My favorite tool is the pen. Though computer keys get the words down quicker and easier, I like to put pen to paper, smell the ink, see the words as they are developed and renewed by new phrases or thoughts.

I enjoy traveling to wherever the character takes me. This often means even I am surprised and warmed at the outcome. In the end, when my writing is done, I like to watch the eyes of the reader whenever I can. Their reflective expression gives me the greatest glimpse into what my writing has become.

Before I was one, I loved to read books-or at least, pretend to. I couldn't walk yet but I would crawl to the bottom shelf for what I wanted. My Grandma says my books were placed near the floor for that very reason, and my mother speaks of me pulling my favorite book from the shelf and crawling back to the couch with the book safely in tow.

I would sit on the couch and pretend to read, speaking the language of some foreign diplomat-or perhaps, the tongue of angels, my mother wasn't quite sure which, and when I was done, I would crawl back to the shelf for another story.

When I am not writing I'm reading. I am an avid reader of the scriptures and books of spiritual merit. I have been married 32 years and enjoy teaching and working with youth and children-including my own three girls, three grand-daughters and grandson.

A published writer since 1987, I have published books, newspaper and magazine articles for teens and adults.

Links

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This Week on Books Direct - 18 August 2013

This Week on Books Direct - 18 August 2013

Here's a list of the articles you may have missed this week:

"Gluten- and Grain-Free" - Brought to you by Bundle of the Week.

After numerous requests to bring back their gluten- and grain-free bundle from earlier this year, Bundle of the Week is offering a brand new set featuring five new gluten- and grain-free ebooks for your collection. With this bundle, you'll discover even more tips for a gluten-free kitchen as well as almost 200 recipes for every meal of the day. Whether you're just getting started or you've been gluten-free for years, this bundle is sure to provide inspiration and delicious meals for your family! Get all five of these ebooks for almost 90% off this week only.

"46 Top Websites to Promote Your Book for FREE" - Article by Savvy Writers & Ebooks Online.

Since being first published in March 2012, this list of websites has grown to almost 100. Don't forget, you can also promote your books right here on the Books Direct blog. Check out the "List Your Book" page for further information.

"Top Free & Paid Services to Promote Your Kindle Books" - Article by Eric of FreeeBooksDaily.net for 30 Day Books.

Promoting your book before and after you publish it is a critical step to making your book a success. Eric shares his favorite places to promote books, both free and paid.

"Amazon Kindle e-Book Return Policy: Stop allowing refunds on e-Books after e-Books have been read." - Petition on Change.org.

Please sign the petition to have your say. Books you purchase from the Kindle Store are eligible for return and refund if they receive your request within seven days of the date of purchase. This is unfair to authors and publishers because this is how many of them earn their living.

"List Building Basics for Authors" - Article by Sharon for Fiction Blueprints.

The real issue is not about getting readers to your blog. The question should be how do you keep them coming back to read your posts?

"Reading Books to Your kids Can Help Them Deal with Social Struggles" - Article by DNA India.

A new study looks at parents using books as interventions for children who experience social struggles, which may arise from disabilities like autism or Down Syndrome. The new research explores the positive effects of reading as part of a parental intervention strategy for children struggling with social issues.

"So You Want To Write?" - Article by Julie Elizabeth Powell.

A list of what Elizabeth has has found useful, from someone who's writing in between paid work.

"Ten Rules for Writing Fiction" - Article by The Guardian.

Inspired by Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing, The Guardian asked authors for their personal dos and don'ts.

You can also read Part 2 here.

"25 Steps To Being A Traditionally Published Author: Lazy Bastard Edition" - Article by Delilah S. Dawson on TerribleMinds.

Read Delilah's "quickest, dirtiest, most simple route to writing a novel and getting it published by a traditional publisher."

"How to 'Make' a Bestseller" - Article by Carmen DeSousa.

What's the secret to having a bestseller?

"The Last Words of Literary Greats" - Article by Indie Books Reviewed.

What would you like your last words to be?

"How Posterity Might See Us" - Article by Rosanne Dingli.

How will you be seen years down the track? Would you rewrite your own history?

"When History Gets in the Way of a Good Story" - Article by Michael Reynolds for English Historical Fiction Authors.

A fiction writer's primary role is as a storyteller. So it becomes critical to develop some tricks of the trade in order to keep one's novels page-turning and on plot.

"What it Really Means to Edit" - Article by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones for Idea Creations Press.

Editing is probably one of those things you hate to do but feel as if you have to do anyway to put out the best book possible. And you'd be right. But there is also that other side of editing, the side called choice, when it's really is up to you to decide how you want your story to go.