ALL A-QUIVER: WALKING THE STRAIGHT ’N ARROW

(So Many) Indie Author Shout Outs! 

Before I begin my regular post, I’d like to do a quick shout out about some recently published indie author works! Great reads, all of them, and such a diverse bunch, too: adult paranormal romance, YA dystopian, post-apocalyptic, new adult, and even humor.

Come peruse! 

Soul Reflection by Lorraine Sears

The Treemakers by Christina Rozelle 
Wolfen by Alianne Donnelly 
Leon’s Way by Sunniva Dee 
Sex, Lies, and Chocolate Cakes: The Secret Eater’s Diary

by Steven Morris

. . . go check them out—STAT! (Seriously, these are some great reads.)

And this last novel hasn’t been released yet, BUT! Her cover, created by one Mr. John Gibson (aka The Book-Design Guy), is truly fantastic. This indie author's cover is being revealed all over the place and so, of course, I couldn't resist spreading the word!

Blurb? Why, sure! Take a read: 

Oceans apart, a young musician and a “special” soldier embark on a perilous journey for home fueled by the unyielding pursuit of freedom from the Authority. Sixteen-year-old prodigy, Liza Randusky, waits imprisoned, blamed for the undead plague that’s slowly destroying the planet. Banished to an island where she’ll never play her beloved piano again, Liza’s steadfast sense of justice and passion for music may have the power to change her destiny. But will it be enough... To strike back at the new world order, the troubled son of a preacher, Thomas Ripley-Hatter, suffers unspeakable alterations by the Underground to join a secret Army. Tommy knows that all hope lies in human-weapons like himself, and that somehow he must cling to his sanity…while letting loose the monster to win.The battle begins for the last-standing sliver of humanity: Anthem. 

* * * 
Word of the Week: stupefaction - noun - /ˌst(y)o͞opəˈfakSH(ə)n/ - (hear it!) - the act of stupefying; the state of being stupefied. 

Sometimes, life comes at you with a side-swipe to the head. You know, those little unexpected moments that make you go, “Eh? What the *&^%$ was that all about?!” and blink a bazillion times in utter stupefaction.

Right.

So, anyway—many of you are familiar with the stuff usually I write, right? Right. Dark fantasy with a slightly gruesome twist. Semi-melancholic themes. Serious and hopefully gut-wrenching, thought-provoking (if not emotion-prodding) tales set in some far-off world like and yet unlike ours, complete with human-devouring creatures and forces beyond any mortal’s control. Nothing funny. Nothing laughter-spawning (unless you find demons particularly amusing). Nothing to make you split your ever-loving sides in cascading gales of hearty guffaws or in high-pitched “Hahahahahaha’s” or “Wheeheeheeheeheeheehee’s” or to make you cry out, “What the *&^%$ was that all about?!”

Right?

Write.

I mean, right.

Now. Enter . . . Link Maxwell. [cue dramatic music here]

Who the heck is Link Maxwell, you ask?

I’ll tell you.

Wait. No, actually . . . I won’t.

What I will tell you is that he’s my creative and inspiring co-author for my upcoming novel, "It Happened on Tarantula Island."

Who knew a little bologna loaf lying in a hospital bassinet would soon become a mondo-mega-creative-element-spewing machine? I sure as heck didn’t.

And before I had a firm grasp on reality, I’d discovered this little bologna loaf from the hospital had sprouted arms and legs, and had begun to walk, and talk, and think, and do some pretty amazing, albeit odd, things (you know, for a bologna loaf) like eat, and laugh, and run, and scream. Scream! Scream, I tell you! And that’s when I realized . . . HOLY CRAP!—I’d fallen headlong into some bizarre alternative universe where the food comes alive and chases the terrified people, en masse, down the street, wailing, “Love me! Looove meee! Looooooove meeeeeeeee! . . .”

Then, I blinked about a bazillion times in utter stupefaction and noticed that what I’d really brought home from the hospital was my firstborn* (complete with arms and legs, of course), who eventually grew up *just* enough in time to feed me some yummy story elements that I’d managed to mangle into a 50K-word prose-type thing shaped vaguely like a novel.

Or something like that. 

SO! Long story short (too late, I know!): Devon Winterson and Link Maxwell proudly present to you, coming soon:

IT HAPPENED ON TARANTULA ISLAND!

 

One loopy scientist, two enormous tarantulas, five bungling pirates, a suspicious chicken, and a ten year old boy with a fondness for whales come together on a small island within the vast folds of the ocean to discover utter silliness in a colorful adventure. Twisty mind-candy for both kids and good-humored adults still young at heart. 

Come read the first chapter at Goodreads and mark it “to read.”

"It Happened on Tarantula Island": available at Amazon (for 99 cents) and at Createspace (for $5.99) on January 29^th, 2015. 

*And if you’re a shrewd blog post reader, you would have immediately realized the bologna loaf is actually Link Maxwell. ;)