Miscellaneous News

Fantasy Sub-Genres

/ Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

For you folks who write any kind of fantasy at all, Nicholas Rossis has posted a great list to help you determine which fantasy genre is applicable to your work. Check it out! You may be able to use several of these sub-categories to get more eyes on your books. Thanks, Nicholas!

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

Fantasy magic book | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books Image: Pixabay

When I finished my first book in the Pearseus universe, I was faced with an unexpected problem: everyone kept saying that identifying your genre was important. But my book crossed many genres. It was, essentially, a fantasy tale taking place in the future, with technology and a tiny bit of crystal magic. So, how the heck do you find a genre to shoehorn this kind of book into?

After several unsuccessful attempts to do so, I now describe it as science fiction fantasy (aka science fantasy) but wish I had come across this handy guide from Thoughts on Fantasy before I spent so many hours researching fantasy subgenres!

From Tolkienesque High Fantasy to Paranormal Romance, this is the ultimate guide for all things fantasy. Just click on a link below for a brief description of that subgenre, examples of books written in it, and typical elements that characterize…

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It’s Release Day! End of Day by Mae Clair #SupernaturalSuspense #Mystery #Thriller

/ Marcia Meara / 10 Comments

The lovely and talented Mae Clair’s latest book is now available! I pre-ordered this one, so my copy is already on my Kindle, ready when I am. Let’s help Mae get this one off to a great start by sharing far and wide. And don’t forget to grab a copy for yourself (along with Book 1 of the series, if you haven’t already read it.) Congratulations, Mae!

Mae Clair's avatarFrom the Pen of Mae Clair

Today is the book birthday for End of Day, book 2 of my Hode’s Hill trilogy.  If you enjoyed book 1, Cusp of Night, you’ll find this one in the same vein. Once again, I’m visiting the small Pennsylvania town of Hode’s Hill, but with a plot whose tentacles reach back to the town’s founding. As in Cusp of Night, I’ve spun two mysteries—one in the the past (taking place in the year 1799) and one in the present. You get two separate mysteries that tie together at the end.

Book cover for End of Day, mystery/suspense novel by Mae Clair shows old dilapidated church with bell tower and a cemetery in the background overgrown with weedsThe past is never truly buried…  

Generations of Jillian Cley’s family have been tasked with a strange duty—tending the burial plot of Gabriel Vane, whose body was the first to be interred in the Hode’s Hill cemetery. Jillian faithfully continues the long-standing tradition—until one October night, Vane’s body is stolen from its resting place. Is…

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Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – Who is referring others to your blog? Guests, music and laughter

/ Marcia Meara / 6 Comments

And here’s Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord Weekly RoundUp, too! SO many good things, here. (Happy to see a review of The Emissary 2: To Love Sombody included, too.) 🙂 Take a look. You’re sure to find something you’ll be glad you didn’t miss out on! And as always, don’t forget to share! 🙂 Thanks!

Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

/ Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

Staci Troilo’s “Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links” is a great way to help us catch up on things we may have missed. Hope you’ll check it out, and help spread the word. Thanks!

Staci Troilo's avatarStaci Troilo

Ciao, amici! My holiday break officially ended last week, and for the past five days, I’ve been busy working and collecting links for you. I’ve also been spending every last second I could with my daughter, who leaves this morning to return to school. I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand, I miss her terribly when she isn’t here. On the other, she needs to be free to pursue her hopes and dreams. She’s an amazing person― smart, talented, hard-working, funny, and (not that it matters) beautiful. I know she’s going to accomplish great things, and I can’t wait to see what they are. So I have to let her go.

I’m blessed that I have two extraordinary children (my son is every bit as exceptional as my daughter). Doubly blessed that my son goes to college locally, so I don’t have to say goodbye to…

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Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update #Reviews – Don Massenzio, Marcia Meara and Teri Polen

/ Marcia Meara / 9 Comments

So happy to start the New Year as part of Sally Cronin’s Author Update & Reviews series. I was tickled to find DGKaye’s review of my second Emissary novella, To Love Somebody, featured alongside the work (and reviews) of Don Massenzio and Teri Polen. Hope you’ll check this post out! (And I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t hurt any of our feelings if you shared it far and wide, too.) Thanks! 😀 ❤

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Sunday Interview – Getting to Know You 2019

/ Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

Sally Cronin is running her popular Getting to Know You series of interviews. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to new readers and have a lot of fun at the same time. Check out this post to learn more! 🙂

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Buy a Book for Christmas – The last author to be (self-promoted) and Free Giveaway – Sally Cronin!

/ Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

You MUST drop by Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord blog today and check out her Cafe & Bookstore post this morning. Sally is wrapping up her Buy a Book for Christmas series with a great giveaway of several books by–Sally Cronin! 😀 See what she’s offering, and pass the word along, as well. You’ll be glad you stopped by! Thanks to Sally for such a great deal, and for all she does to promote writers everywhere! 🙂 Merry Christmas! ❤

Author Inspiration and Last Week’s Writing Links

/ Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

Check out this week’s Author Inspiration and Writing Links on Staci Troilo’s blog. Some good stuff here, as always. (Don’t forget to share!) Thanks!

Staci Troilo's avatarStaci Troilo

Ciao, amici!It’s week three of Advent. This week’s theme is joy. When it comes to writing, I run a gamut of emotions. Frustration, uncertainty, fear. But above all, I feel joy. Knowing that I can take an idea in my head, translate it into words on the page, and ultimately touch a reader in some manner? I take great pleasure in that. I also find it incredible fulfilling when I create an especially clever twist or write a beautiful description. Those surprises are… well, joyful. Which is why this week’s quote, by H. L. Mencken, is so appropriate.

There is in writing the constant joy
of sudden discovery, of happy accident.

Readers, I hope you find joy in the stories you read. And writers, I hope you find joy in this wonderful vocation.

And now, last week’s writing links:

Posts by me, about my work, or at sites I…

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From the small dog…

/ Marcia Meara / 8 Comments

Small Dog is visiting with Sue Vincent today on Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo. I love when Ani decides to chat with Sue. Check it out. I can pretty much guarantee a smile. The picture alone is worth stopping by, but do yourself a favor, and read the poem, too, then pass it along. Thanks for this morning’s smile, Sue! 🙂 ❤