Introducing fantasy author Shannon Pemrick and her book Experimental Heart: Pieces:

"...Do you know what it's like to kill without regret?"

Eira only knew one thing in life. To kill. Designed to be an emotionless killing machine of war she had no desire to be a puppet of another's master plan. Escape was the only option. A normal, free life was the only goal. Labeled as a failure, she took the opportunity to run and was hunted.

"...Do you know what it's like to kill without being able to feel?"

Now given a second chance at life thanks to a mysterious dragon, Eira is forced to make a crucial decision. Accept his help to gain her desired freedom or keep running with an eye over her shoulder.

"...Do you know what it's like to live in hell?"

But, can she really trust him?

"...Didn't think so..."

Interview with Eira Rysrin, the main character in Experimental Heart: PIeces:

1. What is your full name? Is there anything significant about your name?
My Name is Eira Rysrin. My surname has no meaning as it's rare for we Nu Humans to have them anymore. My main name means peace, and while many believe it's fitting, someone with my past, doesn't deserve such a name.

2. How old are you?
I'm eighty-five but due to the extended lives we have as Nu Humans, when we reach adulthood our bodies stop aging as quickly as a regualar human's, so I only appear to be about twenty-seven.

3. Tell us about your family. What do you like and not like about them?
Being a Nu Human of creation and not birth, most of us don't have family to speak of. I'm one of the few exceptions. I have a mother, aunt, uncle, and son. We are all created artificially, though my uncle and son are now the only ones alive. I cared deeply for my family and I don't dislike much about them. I can only say I wish they were harder on me during certain situations and I wish my son was better at listening. He'd get into trouble less often and it'd keep him farther away from the possibility of being terminated.

4. Who was your first kiss, and what did you think of it?
...W-we won't talk about that...

5. What is your occupation?
I was created for the purpose of war and was trained as an assassin. When I escaped, I stumbled upon a shaman village and was trained in their ways since I was already a fire elementalist and had connections with the spiritual plane. Now I'm back in the city where I was created and I'm a battle leader for a team of rebels. Our goal is to liberate not only the city but all of Lumaraeon from his tyrannical rule.

6. What are your best and worst qualities?
I'm fiercely loyal to my friends and comrades and would willingly give my life to save them. But...I don't value my life as much as others wish I did due to my past and my current...problems...

7. What quality do you value most in a romantic partner?
I don't believe in such things. But if I did...loyalty would be what I'm looking for...And maybe some passion... To you those qualities may be something that seems like a no brainer, but in the world I live in...the life I've had...it's not.

8. What is your favorite thing to do?
When I was out of the city I liked to head out into the wilderness and spend my time listening and watching. It was peaceful. Now that I'm back in the city I like to spend my time at the park or alone somewhere so I can relax and be away from people.

9. What is your greatest fear?
I don't fear anything. Such a weak emotion wasn't designed into my brain. But I'd hate to see Zarda win this war and take over Lumaraeon. I'd also greatly hate to see someone turn on me since I don't open myself to trust very often.

10. What is your most treasured possession?
A hair clip I wear almost always. It may seem silly to some but it was given to me by my mother. It's also made of emerald.

Experimental Heart: Pieces is available at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Colors of Passion and Love, by Stan Morris

(I won a free copy of this book in the Library of Erana Valentine's Day giveaway, and I would like to thank Library of Erana and the author for the book.)

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I won a copy of it. The cover on the edition I received looked like it might be a children's book (in spite of the title), but I was delighted to discover that it's a very charming romantic fantasy (and it's definitely for adults and older teens, with some mildly to moderately explicit love scenes).

Elly, the Princess of Quail, has the gift of the women in her family to see the colors of men's auras and emotions. So when she sees Magesty, the bastard son of an enemy king, for the first time, she knows they were destined to be together. Fortunately, Magesty is open to the idea, if a little wary. As the two of them are feeling their way around their budding relationship, a treacherous attack on the royal palace of Quail forces them, along with Elly's brother Jode and her best friend Daina, to flee for their lives, to take refuge in Magesty's realm and then to defend against more treachery.

I enjoyed Elly's character as she's in that awkward stage of being both a sheltered teenage girl and discovering love and danger for the first time in her life. She's brave and smart, and although she makes a few mistakes along the way, she avoids the trap so many spunky teenage fantasy heroines fall into of doing stupid things just to show that they're strong and independent. Magesty is also admirable; he's older and more experienced, but when he finds himself faced with a young girl - the daughter of his country's enemy, no less - claiming that they were destined to be together, he handles it well. He becomes an ideal friend, protector, and lover, and takes care to do the right and honorable thing for her.

After an intriguing and exciting beginning, where Elly and Magesty begin their relationship and the palace is attacked, parts of the middle of the book were slow. We get a tour of the lands that Elly, Magesty, Jode, and Daina pass through to get to Magesty's personal realm of Arete. They're being pursued by enemies, but there isn't as much sense of danger and tension as I would have liked, and some political intrigue also slows things down a bit. But the land is beautiful and Elly and Magesty's developing relationship is sweet enough to make that part enjoyable. Then the last part picks up again as their enemies corner them in their refuge.

Written in a clear, pleasant style, with lots of colorful detail (color is very important in this book), this is an enjoyable book and I would like to read more about these characters and this world.

An exciting bit of news today- The Lost Book of Anggird is being featured in a Book Brief on Indies Unlimited! Go check it out to learn a little more about the book, like where the title came from and who my favorite character is. And then, while you're there, check out the rest of Indies Unlimited for more great books by independent authors and, if you're an indie author, helpful articles and features.

In the meantime, I'm still plowing ahead with this edit of Sarya's Song. Lots of work to do, but I want to make this book as good as I can. Sarya's Song has been a difficult book to write and it's been through more different versions than any of my other books, but I think I've just about got it!

Here's another sneak peek inside The Lost Book of Anggird: Perarre and Professor Rossony have had a serious disagreement over a book he found that he isn't supposed to have, and Perarre has to make a difficult decision about their relationship:

The Lost Book of Anggird is available at:
Amazon | Apple | Diesel | Smashwords | CreateSpace | All Romance eBooks

For more Sunday Sneak Peeks, check out the Sneak Peek Sunday blog.

So when I'm not writing, feeding cats, or trapped in the Internet, I'm reading. Sometimes I post full reviews of books I've read, but when I've been going through a lot of books in a short period of time it's probably easier to just post a quick roundup. I want to support authors whose work I enjoy, so if any of these books sound interesting, I hope you'll go check them out! (note: Amazon links are my affiliate links.)

The Heldan, Deborah T. Bickmore.

Deborah Talmadge-Bickmore's The Apprentice is one of my favorite fantasy novels; it comes closest to the mix of fantasy and romance that I like to write. For a long time I looked for more books by Ms. Bickmore and couldn't find any, so I was delighted to stumble across The Heldan on Goodreads. Senea is summoned to train as a Held warrior, and finds herself developing an intense and dangerous relationship with her mentor, Vayhawk, as their people are threatened by the dangerous magic of their enemies, the Ja'sid. I didn't find The Heldan quite as satisfying as The Apprentice, but it's still a treat for lovers of romantic fantasy.

Amazon | Goodreads

Strength, by Carrie Butler

New Adult paranormal romance, not my usual reading, but somehow I came across this one and decided to give it a try, and it was lots of fun. Rena is terrified of Wallace, who is rumored to be the Big Psycho on Campus, but as their paths cross more and she gets to know him, she learns the rumors (which she helped start) aren't true, and there's a lot more to him than meets the eye - and she also learns that there's a lot more to her than she ever dreamed of. Wallace is a genuinely nice guy, which I guess is kind of rare for heroes in the genre, so that was a big plus for me.

Amazon | Goodreads

Lord Trowbridge's Angel, by G.G. Vandagriff

Sweet Regency romance. The falling in love doesn't take long, but the ensuing complications almost ruin everything. A little more cheerful and light than the things I usually read, but also fun and enjoyable, with another hero who's a genuinely nice guy.

Amazon | Goodreads

The Wolves of Paris, by Michael Wallace

As if life in Paris in 1450 isn't hard enough, what with wars and the Black Death and the general medievalness of it all, now there's a pack of werewolves on the loose. Dark, creepy, scary, and exciting. Historical paranormal also isn't my usual thing to read, but I liked this one a lot.

Amazon | Goodreads

Ghost in the Storm, by Jonathan Moeller

Book 4 of the Ghosts series, that I've really been enjoying. Caina is a damaged young woman trained as an elite Nightfighter warrior for the Ghosts, the Emperor's network of spies. She hates sorcerers and slavers and dedicates her life to wiping out evil magic and protecting the innocent. I think Ghost in the Storm is my favorite book so far; it takes place within a short period of time as Caina and her allies (which come to include one of her enemies) try to stop an invasion by a slaving empire and a sorceress with terrifying ambitions.

Amazon | Goodreads
If you haven't tried this excellent series yet, you can find book 1 here: Amazon | Goodreads

I think five books is enough to start with; watch for more coming soon!

Today I'm happy to introduce you to author Lyn C. Johanson and her book Till Death and Beyond.


Till Death and Beyond is a sizzling tale of two souls bound by destiny in a cruel plot to separate them forever… 

A COLD BEAUTY WHO KNOWS DEATH INTIMATELY...

Amira is the strongest witch on the face of the earth, with psychic abilities no others possess. And yet, she is but a slave to the whims of the gods. Forced to be born anew every time she fails in fulfilling an ancient prophecy, Amira is desperate to break the vicious cycle.

A TORMENTED WARRIOR WHO HAS LOST EVERYTHING...

Plagued by the memories and guilt over his family’s demise, Raven lives for the sole reason of restoring his younger brother. And kidnapping a witch is only the beginning—for he intends to right the wrongs of his past by any means necessary.

A DESTINY TO CHANGE THE WORLD...

While the gods might have planned for her to be captured, surrender is not something that comes easy to Amira. Yet one glance into her captor’s eyes, and she is swept away by emotions long ago denied to her. She decides to play along. For a while.

Despite the hatred Raven harbors for their kind, he is intrigued by the witch. One taste of her lips, and she becomes his obsession. Soon, he discovers that fighting against the passion they ignite in one another is futile. But as they strip each other’s secrets, a powerful force threatens to destroy them both.

For in this game of gods nothing is simple—the whole universe seems to conspire against them. And no matter how fiercely they fight, or what they are willing to endure to save each other ... the path they travel is paved with loss.

Will they survive the ultimate test, if even their determination—to fight till death—might not be enough?

Till Death and Beyond is available at:
Amazon US | Amazon UK  

Connect with the author at:
Facebook | Goodreads

Read on for an excerpt from Till Death and Beyond and a couple interview with Amira and Raven!