How much wizard power is too much?

A thrilling Arthurian-style adventure

by Mike Shelton

Today, I am featuring a fantastic Arthurian teen and young adult book by Mike Shelton.

The Golden Dragon

It is a brand new release and priced at only $3.99. It’s too good to miss!

How much wizard power is too much?

Some people are born with magical powers.

Others are not.

It’s that simple.

Roland Tyre, High Wizard of the Citadel, has always wanted to be the most powerful wizard in the land and adored by all. But there is already someone else that vies for that title – Bakari, the Dragon King; one of his best friends.

While Bakari and the dragon riders race off to find the lost dragon artifacts and the mythical golden dragon, Roland discovers his own magical artifact that gives him the opportunity to increase his own powers and influence in the land.

Can friendships survive greed for power? And who will emerge as the most powerful wizard in the land?

A grand adventure awaits with powerful wizards, kidnappings, traitors, kingdoms changing hands, and of course dragons and other magical creatures.

Is the Golden Dragon real and if so, who will find him first?

This is a follow-on series to The Alaris Chronicles, but can be read as a stand-alone series also.

Grab your copy here today!

mybook.to/TheGoldenDragon

Mike Shelton is the author of the YA/Teen fantasy series The Cremelino Prophecy, The Alaris Chronicles, and The TruthSeer Archives. Follow Mike’s work here:

mikesheltonbooks@gmail.com
www.MichaelSheltonBooks.com
www.amazon.com/author/mikeshelton

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MikeSheltonAuthor/ (facebook group)

https://www.facebook.com/mikesheltonbooks/ (facebook page)

http://www.Twitter.com/msheltonbooks

http://www.Instagram.com/mikesheltonbooks

https://www.pinterest.com/mikesheltonbooks/

Will you help me hit my target? There are prizes in it for you…

Preorder Genesis of Light today and you could WIN!

I’ve set the ambitious target of 50 preorder sales for Genesis of Light but I need YOUR help (and you can win some goodies too!)

The newest instalment in The Light and Shadow Chronicles will be released on July 31st. Genesis of Light is a prequel novella which reveals the truth behind the origin of the Children of Light. Another novella entitled Orign of Shadow is coming later this year which does the same for the Brotherhood of Shadow. Here’s the blurb to give some more insight:

In order for the book launch to be successful I want to get as many pre-orders as possible. I’m currently at 21 but am ambitiously heading for 50.

So, will you help?

Here is the link:

mybook.to/GenesisOfLight

As an incentive, everybody who shows me proof of their preorder (a screenshot or order ID) will be entered into a draw to win a $20/£20 Amazon voucher!

Exciting times for D.M. Cain!

Well, summer 2016 has been a busy one. As a primary school teacher I have six weeks summer vacation in which to catch up with all the writing and editing I can’t do in the school term.

So, what have I been up to in these six weeks?

Aside from looking after my hyperactive, cheeky little 5 year old son, I’ve been away on two holidays – Snowdonia in Wales, and a cruise to the Norwegian fjords. Both had beautiful, mountain scenery – just what I need to get my writer’s inspiration flowing.

These two breaks, as well as a significant amount of time at home have allowed me to achieve the following:

Camp NaNoWriMo

My editor (and awesome friend) Pam Elise Harris asked me this July to take part in Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) I was terrified of the concept of only having one month to complete a writing project, but I decided to go for it. As it was my first challenge, I set myself a manageable target of 20,000 words and started a brand new novella entitled ‘Origin of Shadow’.

I am delighted to announce that I managed to completed my target! I now have a shiny Camp NaNo winner’s certificate to be proud of!

This story was written to complement Genesis of Light – a similar sized novella. Each of these novellas tells the story of the origin of one of the armies in my Light and Shadow Chronicles series. Origin of Shadow lets readers in on the secrets of how the Brotherhood of Shadow were formed.The two novellas will need to go through editing but I hoping to release them sometime next year (My cover designer, Irina French, is due to start work on the covers shortly!)

Author talk at Newbold Verdon library

On Wednesday 10th August I gave my first ever author talk at my local library. I did this 2.5 hour presentation/interactive Q&A with a fellow author named Stewart Bint (we live 500 yards from each other!). It was so much fun and the engagement from our audience was wonderful! I am pleased to say I even managed to sell a few copies! I can’t wait to do more events like this in the future.

#Writestorm marathon day

July 31st was our first #writestorm marathon. Facebook group ‘The #Awethors’ (of which I am co-creator) joined in with a 24 hour writing marathon. People were not required to write all day (that would have been crazy!) but they were asked to select certain hour long periods entirely dedicated to adding words to their current Work-In-Progress. The #writestorm methodology is a concept developed by talented author Andy Mengel, which involves short, intense periods of writing which are timed and structured. This method allows authors the chance to blast out a high word count without distractions, and helps to feed motivation in the next writing session.

The event was a huge success! Between us we managed to write 41,000 words! No small feat of accomplishment for 24 hours. We’ll be sure to run more events like this in the future.

For more about the #writestorm process – check out the official handbook:

GRAB YOUR COPY HERE!

I’ve finally finished the first rounds of edits for The Shield of Soren!

The next novel in my Light and Shadow Chronicles series is ‘The Shield of Soren’. The books in this epic fantasy series are not chronological so this new installment could be read before or after the first release ‘A Chronicle of Chaos’ (available to buy here – just saying…) There are some characters who will appear in The Shield of Soren whom you might know from A Chronicle of Chaos: Raven, Deacon, Callista, Vincent, the mysterious tattooed man in black…

Now I’ve finished first round of edits, the book will be heading back to my editor for round 2 and I am hoping to be finished editing by the end of 2016, with a view to release in 2017.

What writing advancements has this summer brought for you?

Aug 22, 2016Aug 20, 2016 by dmcain84

Scars and Souvenirs by Rocky Rochford

Rocky Rochford is a close friend of mine and a very talented multi-genre author. His highly anticipated newest release ‘Scars and Souvenirs’ is a collection of 10 short stories.

Releasing August 26th

Author: Rocky Rochford

Title: Scars & Souvenirs

Series: None

Genre: Emotional Thriller

Book Content Rating: Adult!!! Contains swearing, scenes of death, depression and suicide.

Tag-line: “Darkness has many forms and Mares is its playground.”

Blurb:

Every scar tells a story, a tale of loss, or a tale of regret. The scars on my arms an echo of when times were hard. The scars on my eyes of the dreaded horrors I can never unsee. The scars on my soul a lasting memory of the sins that tore my soul apart. The scars on my heart from a love forever lost. The scars on my wrists, the end result of a failed attempt to end a life of brokenness. Each scar is a story. A story begging to be told.

The following is an extract from the Devil Came to Drag Me to Hell

“You will bleed. You will cry. You will love and you will say goodbye to all those you hold dear. Life is repulsed by shadow and you reek of it. I look forwards to watching the show.”

His words made perfect sense.

Of course they would—they were my own.

Words I would tell myself when I was all alone.

The Devil knows all.

Especially the one that sits on your shoulder.

In the depths of your soul.

“Your wound isn’t deep and the knife didn’t hit anything vital. You will go on to live, knowing this is what you do to people. The poison that flows through your veins always finds a way to push those you hold dear away, no matter how hard you try to cling to them. You are the villain, John, and the villain is destined to fail.”

He reached out and grabbed me. His hands on my throat squeezed and then he began to drag me. The world I had left returned.

As did the sound of my heart beating.

And the air in my lungs.

My eyes opened.

I gasped.

The Devil had come to drag me to Hell, but like he said for the likes of me. There is only one kind of Hell, the life of an endless nightmare I live on a daily basis.

He dragged me back to my old life.

A life of scars.

****Here concludes today’s extract, for more check out the full collection when it releases next month. ****

Rocky Rochford Biography

Rocky Rochford is your standard guy, if your standard guy scuba dives, partakes in underwater photographer and is a wake-boarding, adventure seeking, sword collecting, marine conservation supporter. After living life on the road and the places between, he finally settled down but not without benefiting from all the lessons life had to teach him.

Self-professed “Student of Everything, and Master of Nothing,” Rochford does not choose what he writes, but writes what chooses him, be it fantasy, crime, poetry, philosophy or even adventure. Life is a journey we all get to experience, just like a good book.

Every read into another of his typed works is another trip into the imagination of his mixed up, crazed and deranged mind and this year along those works include the likes of full novels and novellas such as:

London Calling – a Deep Water Novel (Spy Thriller)

Don’t Even Blink – Part of the Don’t Turn Around Trilogy (Horror)

Wait and Bleed – The Don’t Turn Around Collection (Horror collection of the entire Don’t Trilogy)

And now The Eye of Mares – Book 2 of the Rise of the Elohim Chronicles (Illustrated YA fantasy adventure)

Other works released by him, are a number of short stories pertaining to horror, paranormal and romance, as well as other works released as part of an anthology:

The Devil You Know (Paranormal short)

Salt in the Wound – Part of the Entwined Saga (Paranormal short)

The Food of Love (featuring Him & Her) – An Anthology by Solstice Publishing (Romance filled Anthology)

Him & Her (Romance Standalone release)

Don’t Say A Word (Horror)

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Volume II (featuring The Devil Before) – An Anthology by the Solstice Shadows (Paranormal themed Anthology)

Awethology Dark (featuring Ghosts) – An Anthology by the #Awethors (Adult stories pertaining to a darker theme)

The December Awethology Dark Volume (featuring Seven Years Bad Luck) – An Anthology by the #Awethors (Adult stories pertaining to a darker theme, set around December)

Welcome to the World of Rochford

Social Media Links:

Rocky Rochford’s website: rockyrochford.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamRockyRochford/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockyRochford

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7310280.Rocky_Rochford

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Rocky-Rochford/e/B00O3AA3KU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1449272442&sr=8-1

Rochford writes a little something for everyone, so if Scars & Souvenirs isn’t your cup of tea, you can guarantee one of his many other works will be!

Aug 20, 2016 by dmcain84

The Phoenix Project is back on sale!

Thanks to my amazing new publisher, Creativia, The Phoenix Project is now back on sale! Grab a copy here:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GKU3T92/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GKU3T92/

Jun 18, 2016Jun 18, 2016 by dmcain84

Cover reveal – Summer Soiree by S.L. Stacker

I’m handing my blog over to the talented S.L. Stacker today so that she can reveal her absolutely stunning new book cover for ‘Summer Soiree’.

When I began writing Summer Soiree, I knew I wanted a masquerade type mask on the cover in some fashion. I searched stock photos for hours and found several pics, however, none of them were quite what I was looking for. I was tired of looking at the same photos over and over, and I finally decided to use a different stock site, and I found the pic I wanted. Within a matter of minutes, I had purchased the photo, and within an hour, I had a new cover!

Summer Soiree Full Cover.jpg

Summer Soiree Synopsis

Junior year has come to a close, and Taylor Brighton is excited about being a Senior. She decides to keep a diary in order to document the events of her upcoming Senior year.

On the first day of summer break, when she writes her first entry, she has no way of knowing the events that would unfold…events that she may not want to remember.

An annual end-of-the-year party, true friends, and a blast from her past will leave this soon-to-be-senior with a summer to remember.

S.L. Stacker’s biography:

S.L. Stacker is an author with Booktrope publishing. She has written and published three Romantic Suspense books in the Macyn McIntyre series. Her current projects include several fiction novels, but her focus is the Sisters of Summit Bay series—to be published in 2016/2017.

When she isn’t throwing her readers for a loop and leaving them wanting more, she can be found relaxing and hanging with her husband, children, and dogs. You can visit her at http://www.slstacker.com

Apr 25, 2016Apr 24, 2016 by dmcain84

The Light and Shadow Chronicles symbol no. 8 – Valhalla Elite

The cover for my newest novel A Chronicle of Chaos features a shield with eight symbols carved upon it. Each of the symbols represents a different army, faction or group of people within the series. Over the next eight days, to complement the release countdown, I will be posting about each of the symbols to give some background on the armies you can expect to learn about in Chaos and the upcoming novels in the series.

The LAST symbol I will be talking about can be seen on the bottom left of the shield:

This is the sigil of Valhalla Elite, a small band of elite soldiers within the Brotherhood of Shadow. This battalion of soldiers was set up by one of Vincent Wilder’s sons by the name of Silas.

After suffering greatly at the hands of Raven Lennox and Avalanche, Silas set up a Brotherhood equivalent of the elite faction, naming it Valhalla Elite. Most of the soldiers in this unit are other children of Vincent Wilder and his many concubines.

Characters from this army that you can expect to see in A Chronicle of Chaos include:

Silas Wilder – Silas takes few things in life seriously and instead chooses to indulge in all manner of pleasures. Underneath his complacency, he is intelligent and cunning but his mind is starting to falter, giving way to visions and delusions. After a chance meeting with the Brotherhood’s shadowy adviser, the Bavelize, Silas decides to do everything in his power to exact his revenge upon Raven Lennox, before his waning sanity gives out completely.

A Chronicle of Chaos is now available from Amazon!

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4YAD96/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D4YAD96/

Cover art and symbols designed by Irina French: facebook.com/irinafrenchdigitalart/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DMCainauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DMCain84

Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/XevZH

Website: www.dmcain84.com

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DMCain/posts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7888430.D_M_Cain

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzt_E8st1pyfkoTiA4E5jNg

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/D.M.-Cain/e/B00LTTX3PA/

Mar 29, 2016Mar 31, 2016 by dmcain84

The Light and Shadow Chronicles symbol no. 7 – D.U.S.K.

The SEVENTH symbol I will be talking about can be seen on the left of the shield:

This is the sigil of D.U.S.K – the Democratic Union of Separatist Knights.

D.U.S.K. is an independent nation set up by a mixture of deserters from both the Children of Light and the Brotherhood of Shadow. Disagreeing strongly with the politics of the eternal war, these people left Alcherys and Meraxor to set up a nation where everybody would be treated equal, regardless of their background, race or family history.

There are no characters from this faction in A Chronicle of Chaos, but stay tuned because they will be featured in an upcoming novel in the series!

A Chronicle of Chaos is now available from Amazon!

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4YAD96/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D4YAD96/

Cover art and symbols designed by Irina French: facebook.com/irinafrenchdigitalart/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DMCainauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DMCain84

Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/XevZH

Website: www.dmcain84.com

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DMCain/posts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7888430.D_M_Cain

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzt_E8st1pyfkoTiA4E5jNg

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/D.M.-Cain/e/B00LTTX3PA/

Mar 27, 2016Mar 28, 2016 by dmcain84

Great success at the Chaos release party!

On Thursday March 24th I held the online release party for A Chronicle of Chaos and it was a roaring success!

I sold lots of copies, mainly to complete strangers (and not just friends trying to humour me!)

HUGE thanks to everybody who took part. You were all awesome!

If you still haven’t picked up a copy, you can get them here:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4YAD96/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D4YAD96/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-chronicle-of-chaos-d-m-cain/1120801657?ean=2940157776268

Mar 26, 2016 by dmcain84

The Light and Shadow Chronicles symbol no. 6 -Brotherhood of Shadow

The SIXTH symbol I will be talking about can be seen on the left of the shield:

This is the sigil of The Brotherhood of Shadow. The largest army on the planet belongs to the Brotherhood of Shadow, a dark cult ruled by the Bavelize – a mysterious smoky creature of unknown origin.

Residing in the huge forested country of Meraxor, the Brotherhood of Shadow are ruled by Vincent Wilder, an immortal warlord locked in eternal battle with Callista Nienna – the leader of opposing army the Children of Light.

In A Chronicle of Chaos, the Brotherhood have summoned four demons to fight for them in a hope to shift the balance of power in their favour.

Characters from this army that you can expect to see in A Chronicle of Chaos include:

Vincent Wilder – Cold and merciless, Vincent has ruled the Brotherhood of Shadow for over 130 years.

The Bavelize – Very little is known about the Brotherhood’s shadowy deity, aside from the fact that it only appears to select few, and even then after completing a specific ritual. It appears to know many things outside of a human’s understanding and has the power to travel between realms with ease.

A Chronicle of Chaos is now available from Amazon!

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4YAD96/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D4YAD96/

Cover art and symbols designed by Irina French: facebook.com/irinafrenchdigitalart/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DMCainauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DMCain84

Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/XevZH

Website: www.dmcain84.com

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DMCain/posts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7888430.D_M_Cain

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzt_E8st1pyfkoTiA4E5jNg

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/D.M.-Cain/e/B00LTTX3PA/

Mar 26, 2016Mar 26, 2016 by dmcain84

A thrilling Arthurian-style adventure

by Mike Shelton

Today, I am featuring a fantastic Arthurian teen and young adult book by Mike Shelton.

It is a brand new release and priced at only $3.99. It’s too good to miss!

How much wizard power is too much?

Some people are born with magical powers.

Others are not.

It’s that simple.

Grab your copy here today!

RELATED LINKS:

Preorder Genesis of Light today and you could WIN!

So, will you help?

RELATED LINKS:

Camp NaNoWriMo

Author talk at Newbold Verdon library

#Writestorm marathon day

I’ve finally finished the first rounds of edits for The Shield of Soren!

What writing advancements has this summer brought for you?

Releasing August 26th

****Welcome to the World of Rochford****

Rochford writes a little something for everyone, so if Scars & Souvenirs isn’t your cup of tea, you can guarantee one of his many other works will be!

Thanks to my amazing new publisher, Creativia, The Phoenix Project is now back on sale! Grab a copy here:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GKU3T92/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GKU3T92/

Summer Soiree Synopsis

The LAST symbol I will be talking about can be seen on the bottom left of the shield:

Characters from this army that you can expect to see in A Chronicle of Chaos include:

A Chronicle of Chaos is now available from Amazon!

Previous posts:

Cover art and symbols designed by Irina French: facebook.com/irinafrenchdigitalart/

The SEVENTH symbol I will be talking about can be seen on the left of the shield:

There are no characters from this faction in A Chronicle of Chaos, but stay tuned because they will be featured in an upcoming novel in the series!

A Chronicle of Chaos is now available from Amazon!

Previous posts:

Cover art and symbols designed by Irina French: facebook.com/irinafrenchdigitalart/

If you still haven’t picked up a copy, you can get them here:

The SIXTH symbol I will be talking about can be seen on the left of the shield:

Characters from this army that you can expect to see in A Chronicle of Chaos include:

A Chronicle of Chaos is now available from Amazon!

Previous posts:

Cover art and symbols designed by Irina French: facebook.com/irinafrenchdigitalart/

Welcome to the World of Rochford