Excerpt from CROWN OF SALT AND BONE by Katherine Quinn   Her heart skipped a beat and excitement pulsed in her veins. Her crew should be here with her, but there wasn’t time to waste, and she suspected they were growing weaker—if the dark circles below their eyes and sallow skin were any indication. Once the portal’s foggy blue mist cleared and she landed on its other side, Margrete scanned the grand foyer of the main floor. There were no lingering guards stationed, which she found peculiar, but Halio had told her that this area was deemed neutral, so armed soldiers would likely go against the agreement. The lone sound arose from the ticking of a clock stationed above the staircase’s first landing, its steady rhythm matching the beating in her chest. On the ground floor, so close to the mysterious hall, Margrete’s skin tingled. She could practically smell Bash’s signature scent of pine and sea, and she yearned to race to the portal and— And what? Fuck. She hadn’t thought it all through, and if this was some fantasy tale she was reading, she’d curse at the heroine and wonder why she hadn’t planned better. Whenever Bash was concerned,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? FOLLOW THE SHADOWS, The Tales of Moerden Book 1 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When teenager Marise Leeson gets her hands on a crystal ball, she believes her Wicca practice is about to expand. The magic, however, goes horribly wrong and the sphere pitches her into Moerden, an alien world of dragons.  Marise befriends Javeer, a young male dragon, and she grows up fast as her focus switches from getting home to saving the dragons, who face slow extinction from a mysterious disease. If Marise and Javeer survive, if their trust and courage are strong, they may succeed. If they do not, the dragons of Moerden will cease to exist. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Marise, my protagonist, comes from a (fictitious) small town in Atlantic Canada near where I live. That part was easy, but only a small part of the action takes place there. Moerden had to be built, and world building, for me, is a step-by-step process. The landscape of Moerden revealed itself to me, as it did to Marise, one vista at a time. It was always an…

1–What is the title of your latest release? My latest release is the second book in the Felserpent Chronicles series entitled, BLOOD DIVIDED. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Kyra and Sebastian have finally remembered their pasts as the former Felserpent King and Queen and now it’s time for them to change the future—by reuniting the realms and bringing peace to Astrals and Daevals. But tensions between those in Aeles and Nocens have never been higher, and it will take help from Cyphers, as well as friends old and new, to defeat their arch enemy and bring those with silver and gold blood together again. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? “Blood Divided” picks up a week or so after “Reign Returned” left off. I wanted to give the characters a chance to start developing a new routine, mostly so I could upend whatever they’d established and throw their lives into chaos. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. I have two protagonists—Kyra and Sebastian—and I’d hang out with either of them. In real life, I’m very much a rule follower, like Kyra, so I think it would…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MEDUSA’S SISTERS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s the Medusa myth as told by the sisters who were cursed by her side, from their birth to Perseus and beyond. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Because I wanted to maintain strong ties to the foundational myth, I was a bit constricted on where I could physically place the characters. However, I did add a sojourn in ancient Thebes that I think readers will enjoy! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! There are two protagonists to this story, Stheno and Euryale. Stheno is the oldest sister, and she most closely resembles how I present myself to the world but Euryale, the problematic middle sister, is who I identify with on the inside. Euryale is the friend you go to bars with; Stheno is who you call when you’re in jail! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Stheno: loyal, selfless, practical. Euryale: emotional, complicated, driven. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? In ancient Greece, brothels would identify themselves with a secret code – a scallop shell….

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Jacqueline Carey!   Writes: Oh, I’ve traveled to many places under the big umbrella of fantasy! CASSIEL’S SERVANT takes us to Terre d’Ange, a land inspired by the south of France, where 10-year-old Joscelin Verreuil will spend the next 10 years training to become a chaste, stoic warrior-priest of the Cassiline Brotherhood…. only to be assigned to guard the most notorious courtesan in the realm. Alternate historical fantasy dripping with intrigue, edgy sensuality and opulence is the hallmark of my Kushiel’s Legacy series. This laconic hero wants none of it.   About: A longtime Michigander, I love being surrounded by the woods and dunes and gorgeous Lake Michigan—but I’m happy to Netflix and chill, too. I’m an unabashed foodie and an above-average home cook. While I’m definitely a Fortress of Solitude writer, in the kitchen, I thrive on camaraderie and fellowship. I love learning new things, especially weird things. Here’s one:  Hiccups are your body’s way of attempting to breathe through your no-longer-existent gills….

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE SUN AND THE VOID 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A Venezuelan epic fantasy about a young woman following the ancient legend of a dark cruel god. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I was compelled to write a fantasy book that showed off the interesting settings and folklore of Venezuela. I’ve always loved secondary fantasy. In devouring such stories, I noticed how they always used Japanese, Roman, British, etc. history, folklore, and mythology as the foundation for their magic systems and secondary worlds. The idea of seeing a magical world that drew inspiration from Venezuelan history and folklore really excited me. So I decided to write it myself, for the nerds like me, who grew up loving worlds like those of Final Fantasy yet had our existence largely ignored by mainstream media. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, but knowing how shy and duty-obsessed she is, she probably wouldn’t bother to hang out with me. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Angsty, loyal, independent 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned that…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THICK AS THIEVES 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Ryia Cautella, a.k.a. the Butcher of Carrowwick, and her motley crew have succeeded in the ultimate heist…with the most dire possible consequences. A terrifyingly powerful tool has fallen into the hands of Callum Clem, the criminal leader of the Saints, who was already one of the most dangerous men alive. With the newfound ability to force magic-wielding Adepts to his will, he is unstoppable. With their group scattered throughout the five kingdoms of Thamorr—and not all on the same side of the fight—things seem hopeless. But can Ryia get the gang back together for one last job? Or will chess-worthy power plays and shifting loyalties change Thamorr as they know it? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I created the world of Thamorr, where Among Thieves and Thick as Thieves take place, for a NaNoWriMo project back in 2015 or 2016. That project ended up going nowhere, but I still was fascinated by the world and the magic system – a world where the magically inclined are subjugated – so I found another story to…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE WEAVER AND THE WITCH QUEEN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Weaver is a fantastical reimagining of the origin story of Gunnhild, Mother of Kings, a Viking Age queen of Norway, and her made-up sworn sisters, Oddny and Signy. While Gunnhild is off learning witchcraft, Oddny’s life is turned upside-down when her farm is raided, and Signy is kidnapped. Gunnhild and Oddny’s goal throughout the book is rescuing her and fighting off their enemies along the way—all while trying to figure out why they even have enemies in the first place (hint: I said after The Witch’s Heart I would never write another book with a prophecy in it again; this was, apparently, a lie). 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? History did that for me – I knew I was going to be doing a lot of research on tenth-century Norway as soon as I decided to write about Gunnhild! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? In the modern day? I feel like Gunnhild would be the kind of person who always knows the hot gossip but is…

Exclusive Excerpt from RESONANCE SURGE by Nalini Singh   Yakov stepped back. “Guess I’m jumping the gate after all.” Theo’s entire body tensed, her gaze jerking to the spikes, then back to him. Her hand lifted on the instinctive urge to grab him, stop him. “Hey.” Eyes kissed by amber meeting Theo’s. “Bears aren’t as clumsy as we look. We only run into things fifty percent of the time.” “Be careful of the spikes.” Theo didn’t realize she’d risen onto her toes until she settled back down. “They aren’t decoration and you are a bear. My source on changelings states that bears constantly overestimate their ability to be graceful.” He didn’t need to know that her source was Wild Woman magazine. A sudden grin from Yakov that made her stomach clench. “Watch this,” he said, then jogged back several meters before running full tilt at the gate. Her mouth fell open as he hauled himself up with a power and speed she’d never have expected from a bear changeling. Close to the top, he all but vaulted over the spikes and came to a firm landing on both feet on the grassy and cracked drive on the other side. Wild…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE FISH 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A found family that includes a gill-man, a twelve-year-old witch, and a pint-sized gunslinger, must survive the worst natural disaster in US History, while evading a pair of greedy scoundrels, and helping the eponymous gill-man get home to the ocean. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I knew from the start that this book would take place during the Great Storm of 1900, a hurricane that leveled the city of Galveston and killed thousands. Galveston is the heart of this story, and one of the main characters. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yeah, sure, although I feel there are a few different protagonists in this one. Let’s go with Charlie Fish, since he’s the strangest, and the book is named after him. I feel like Charlie would be content to sit back on the porch, drink some beer, and smoke a few cigarettes. Maybe play some dominoes or watch a baseball game. Charlie is quiet, so I’d be able to read a book in peace and maybe take…