Download your pick of our freebie — or take all 3. We hope you enjoy every one.
Historical Mystery from M.A. Lee
Jack Portman had never forgotten Filly Malvaise. Then she walked into his local pub and into the clutches of a loan shark. Can he rescue her before she falls victim to evil?
The Lion’s Den is connected by a single thread to the Into Death series, which features the artist Isabella Newcombe. Jack and Filly first appeared in the mystery Christmas with Death.
“The Poisoner and the Faerie Huntsman” ~ Never reveal weakness to a Faerie.
Escaping a false accusation of poisoning, Melly and her hound seek refuge in Sherwood Forest ~ yet the Nottingham guard who accused her is on her trail.
That night, she encounters the black hounds of the Wild Hunt. Then the Huntsman arrives.
Has she fallen into greater trouble?
Read this short story with this link from Book Funnel, no requirements.
This is one of M’s favorite Wild Sherwood stories [Edie has a different story that she loves, but she’s in love with the image of the guy =) . ]
Fantasy from Remi Black, a novella, first in the Spells of Earth trilogy.
bk 1 in the Spells of Earth trilogy of fantasy novellas
Elemental Earth is a life-potential power. Can it be wielded to kill?
Wizardry burnt out and memory gone, Desora re-built her life in an isolated corner of the Northern Reaches. She only wields the life-growing power of elemental Earth.
She has nothing of Fire, Air, or Water. No fiery bolts, no whirlwinds, no drowning spheres: nothing for defense or attack.
Shape-shifting wolfen threaten her, able to transform out of Moon-turn.
And strangely gory deaths in the High Meadow mean a mysterious monster prowls, looking for life to consume.
With death menacing, Desora has no protection except her wards.
Wolfen and the eldritch monster kill the defenseless. Can Desora discover new ways to wield Earth before she becomes prey?
Dragon – still imprisoned in the Wastes where they were banished after they lost the war against the Fae and Wizard and Mundane alliance following Dragon Dark. Rumors that they were once controlled by the Kyrgy. Massive wings, snake-like body, and a spiked tail. Only queens are fire-breathing; all others are only venomous, with large fangs to deliver poison. Long-lived but not very fertile. (Only queens nest.) Greatest dragon is Werthyrmir.
Fae – wielders of all the elements and exceptionally long-lived. They inhabit Faeron. In the past decade they have renewed alliance with the Wizard Enclave in order to defeat the threat of
Gobber – a stunted creature with round eyes, pointed teeth, and stubby claws. Always in a pack, rarely wear clothes over their thin fur.
Huldra – a mysterious creature, usually female, that lurks only and creates traps for the unwary. Rarely seen and only the Hinterlands of the Wilding and the Wastes. Traps and magical attacks are based upon the elemental power that the Huldra wields. A water Huldra uses ice; an air Huldra uses a sandstorm.
Kyrgy – Dark Fae who rule the Wilding. Krygy means “choosers of the Slain”. Marble-white skin, silver hair, slanted highbrows and sharply angled facial structure. Teeth are sharp points. Eyes are a full-black, with no white sclera. Long and slender limbs. Wielders of all four elemental powers. Supported by their riders, knights and dames who chose to serve them and have their lives extended.
Lindworm – a type of dragon, smaller than both the dragon and the wyvern. Vestigial wings near the head, snake-like in appearance. Only the females are fire-breathing; the males are poisonous with large fangs.
Ogre – Giant-sized and therefore larger than a troll, an ogre is solitary by nature although it will run with others in a pack. Bad-tempered, it usually prefers clubs and maces to other weapons. It dislikes arrows and hates spears. Most ogres have a hunched back and long arms. The skin is a mottled rock color.
Rhoghieri ~ wielders of elemental power. The wyre are their Rhos’ natural enemies. Rho can wield one of the pure elements: Earth, Air, Water, or Fire. They cannot wield the magic of wizardry or sorcery. Once allied to the wizards of the Enclave, they escaped the alliance—burdensome to them—about three generations ago.
Sprite – tiny winged creatures, with a spindly humanoid body and dragon-fly wings. Flashes brightly in various colors. Has a stinger; often called “jewel on a wing with a sting”. The apiary of sprites is ruled by a queen, her consorts, drones and workers.
Troll – a huge, lumbering creature, with mossy and warty growths, usually a shape of grey. Primarily cave-dwelling. Usually in a small group (three to five) or in a pack (10 or more) called a Trouble.
Wolfen / Wyre ~ shapeshifters, taking wolf-form. Ruled by a Prime, who can change and partial-change without limits. All others can shift only at a Moon-Turn (the 3 Lady Moons or the 3 Dragon Moons). Stronger shifters can partial shift. In order to shift out of Moon-Turn, sorcery must be employed. Wizardry does not affect the wyre, who usually ally with sorcerers. Elemental power can affect the wyre. Wyre hunt in packs and stay in lairs. The Prime is supported by a Second / Secondus, Tierce, Quartos, Quintos, Sextos, Septos, Octavos, Nunes, Decem. A full pack has 13 males and 13 females. When assigned to a sorcerer, a pack is usually 10 males with three females.
Wraith / Wight – a vaporous creature from Neotheora (the realm of the Dead Souls). When fed blood or other body substances, the wraith takes on a corporeal form. To say the name of a recent dead person is to give the Wraith a shape to mimic.
Wyvern – a type of winged dragon, smaller than a dragon. Venomous. Not able to breath fire. Four limbs plus the wings.
. ~ . ~ . ~ .
cover design for To Wield the Wind, bk 1 of Spells of Air, by Deranged Doctor Design
Characters in Spells of Air
Orielle – a wizard who has not passed her trials. She volunteered for the mission to enlist the Rhoghieri of Iscleft Haven for a new alliance against the sorcerers and wyre of Frost Clime. Named Aiwaz Solsken by the Kyrgy Knight Sir Sangrior. Assisted in her journey by Grim, a Rhoghieri mercenary from Iscleft Citadel, also on a journey to Iscleft Haven.
Brok – a sentry of Iscleft Haven, who has recently lost his wife Zairantze. Wielder of Earth. A childhood friend of Grim.
Fortis – a mentor of Iscleft Haven and childhood friend of Grim. Wielder of Fire.
Grim – a Rhoghieri of Iscleft Haven, wielder of Air, who has been a mercenary at Iscleft Citadel for the past few years.
Hackett – a mundane who came with Tobit to the Haven from Iscleft Citadel
Kristofen – a knight of Lady Bone’s
Lady Bone – the Kyrgy lady whose brother rules the Wilding
Lillias – a mentor of Iscleft Haven, wielder of Air
Lord Skull – the Krygy lord who rules the Wilding, brother to Lady Bone
Saircuista – a dame who rides with Lady Bone
Sangrior – a consort knight of Lady Bone
Skuld (see Lady Bone)
Surrect – a healer and mentor of Iscleft Haven, wielder of Water
Tobit – elder of Iscleft Haven, wielder of Earth
Trebetha – a wielder of Earth, voted in to replace Tobit.
Volk a consort knight of Lady Bone
Waren, married to Malva – a sentry of Iscleft Haven, friend to Brok and Grim
Zairantze – Brok’s late wife, a mundane missing from Iscleft Haven
Cover design for The Wyrded Forest, bk 1 in Spells of Earth, by Deranged Doctor Design
Characters in Spells of Earth
Desora / Adalse de Sora – a woman who has lost her wizardry following the backlash of a spell at Iscleft Citadel six years before. She wields Earth. Formerly of the Enclave Clan D’Aulnois.
Braxton – a captain who is seeking Desora. On leave from Iscleft Citadel, recently allied with Harte Regnant de Thettis, the Fae ruler of Bermarck, a sept of Faeron.
Granny Riding – wise woman in the village of Mulgrum
Griss – woodcutter’s helper
Guards from the Citadel – Klemt, Mannon and Challach.
Harte Regnant de Thettis – Maorn of the Bermarck sept of Faeron.
Lord Horst – ruler of the Wilding’s Northern Reaches. His riders include Morcain, Ehren, and others.
Merketh – a forester of Mulgrum turned into a wyre
Rangers detached from Maorn Harte – Alwin, Blaise, Dunstan, Ferrac, Gregoir, Imri, Ivhort, and Seire. Rangers are usually detachments of 10 in number; this detachment has lost Dunstan’s brother Waleran and Ivhort’s brother Vidorst.
Serron – Prime of the Wyre pack in the Wilding. Other wyre are Herlig ……
Skellig – elder of Mulgrum
Tammas – a friend of Teyja’s, son of the potters Estild and Ogrim.
The General Data Protection Regulation GDPR is a European Union-wide regulation. It affects the personal data collection and dissemination. Writers Ink Books will collect the email address and personal name for the purposes of a newsletter from those persons who express an interest in a newsletter through email request.
and the Since Writers Ink Books does not engage in the sale of personal information, such as email address and personal name information, we do not meet any of the three standards for the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act).
Should any person wish to disjoin the newsletter from Writers Ink Books, an email request may be sent. Such request will be acted upon immediately through the removal of the person’s name and email from our newsletter list. Any other communication with Writers Ink Books will not lead to the collection of information.
Writers Ink Books includes M.A. Lee, Remi Black, Edie Roones, and Emily Dunn.
Shakespeare may have claimed that “a rose by any other word would smell as sweet”. And we know that’s true for skunks … and cooked cabbage.
Yet Shakespeare proved that claim incorrect. His character Tybalt did care that a Montague had attended the Capulet banquet. He was furious that a Montague danced with his cousin Juliet. For that very reason, he challenged Romeo to a duel … and the tragedy rolled from there.
For writers ~
Names are The Most Important Writing Tool.
The Write Focus has three episodes discussing the importance of selecting names.
Episode One, aired on Nov. 11, offers brainstorming techniques and considerations when creatives select names.
** I have attempted several times to offer the episodes on YouTube … and I will continue to do so BUT, while the Podbean cast contains no problems, the YouTube file uploads with lots of glitches. Don’t understand why. Still exploring that reason. Podbean has no problems, and the app is a free download.
