Risingshadow: October 2017 Edition

Justyna Plichta-Jendzio's Mistress of Crystals was published in June 2017. Information about Justyna Plichta-Jendzio: Justyna Plichta-Jendzio was born in Koszalin (Poland) in 1974, and still resides near there. Married for sixteen years, she is the mother of one son and the happy owner of two spoiled cats. Justyna was lucky to live at the crossroads of two ages, communism and capitalism. When she was fifteen, communism fell in Poland. That time allowed her to see different reality, ... [read more]

Ren Warom's Virology was published by Titan Books in June 2017. Information about Ren Warom: Ren Warom lives in the West Midlands with her three children, innumerable cats, a very friendly corn snake, and far, far too many books. She haunts Twitter as @RenWarom, and can be found on her YouTube channel talking about mental health issues and, of course, books. Information about Virology: It’s been four weeks since Shock Pao broke open the virtual world of the Slip. With the stolen ... [read more]

Michael W. Garza's A Veil of Shadows will be published by NeverHaven Press in September 2017. Information about Michael W. Garza: Michael W. Garza often finds himself wondering where his inspiration will come from next and in what form his imagination will bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise him and it's always his ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow him and take in those results. He hopes that everyone will find something that frightens, surprises, or simply ... [read more]

Rebecca Halls' Instrument of War was published by Elsewhen Press in a digital edition in June 2017 and a paperback edition was published in September 2017. Information about Rebecca Hall: Rebecca started writing when she was supposed to be studying for her exams at Otago University but somehow passed anyway, eventually graduating with a decorative piece of paper. She moved to the UK to pursue a career in publishing and after a couple of mishaps ended up in Edinburgh and sold Instrument of ... [read more]

Risingshadow has the honour of publishing a guest post by Lisanne Valente. Lisanne was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland but loves to travel.  Her travels have taken her to many parts of the US, one of her favourite places is Alaska. She has also travelled extensively in Europe.  Her genetic recipe is quite diverse and includes a teaspoon of  Italian, a tablespoon of German, a tablespoon of Irish and 2 ladles of Scots! Lisanne has always enjoyed writing and her fertile imagination ... [read more]

Vaughn Entwistle's The Winter Ghosts Are Calling: Tales of Speculative Fiction was published in August 2017. Information about Vaughn Entwistle: Vaughn Entwistle grew up in Northern England, but spent many years living in the United States, first in Michigan, (where he earned a Master’s Degree in English at Oakland University), and then in Seattle (where he worked as an editor/writer and also ran a successful gargoyle sculpting business for ten years. Yes, really!). He currently lives in ... [read more]

T. L. Branson's Soul Siphon will be published in September 2017. Information about T. L. Branson: T. L. Branson is the author of the upcoming Soul Stones series. Branson started writing when he was eighteen and has contributed articles to several blogs and websites over the years. Soul Render is his debut novel in a planned trilogy. He finds his inspiration from the king’s (and queen) of story, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George Lucas, and J.K. Rowling. Born in Pennsylvania, he currently ... [read more]

Andrew Hook's Human Maps was published by Eibonvale Press in November/December 2016. Information about Andrew Hook: Andrew Hook has been widely published in the independent press in a variety of genres. "Human Maps" is his fifth short story collection. Click here to visit his official website. Information about Human Maps: Through dreamscape wonderment, fetishism, guilt, loss and love, these twenty-one stories map both physical and internal environments. Hook's familiar themes of ... [read more]

Risingshadow has had the honour of interviewing Deborah Sheldon. About the author Deborah Sheldon is a professional writer from Melbourne, Australia. Her short fiction has appeared in many well-respected magazines, journals and anthologies. Her latest releases include the horror novel, Devil Dragon, the crime-noir novellas, Dark Waters and Ronnie and Rita, and the horror collection, Perfect Little Stitches and other stories, all of which are with traditional publishers. The title story of ... [read more]

(The Wizards of Once #1)

A new fantasy series full of humor and adventure from international publishing sensation Cressida Cowell, author of the How to Train Your Dragon series! In the first book of a new series by the internationally bestselling author of How to Train Your Dragon, the warring worlds of Wizards and Warriors collide in a thrilling and enchanting adventure. Once there were Wizards, who were Magic, and Warriors, who were not... except for two. Xar, son of the King of Wizards, can't cast a single spell. ... [read more]

FantasyYoung Adult

(King's Dark Tidings #3)

Rezkin is an elite warrior who aims to restore order in Ashai after Caydean’s attack on the King’s Tournament transformed former allies and trading partners into enemies. With no army and only a ragtag group of refugees, Rezkin must wrest control of the kingdom from the mad and powerful usurper, who seems bent on destruction, and this may not be the biggest challenge. If he fails, the kingdom will be ripped apart, and Rezkin will have violated Rule 1 — to protect and honor his friends — leaving him without country, purpose, or honor. [read more]

FantasyEpic FantasyHigh Fantasy

(The Fae Chronicles #5)

I knew Destiny wasn’t done with me. I knew that she was just getting warmed up, but I had no clue just how hard my world was going to come crashing down on me. I had thought that I was going to get my fairytale wedding and marry the man of my dreams. I was wrong. Now, faced with having my world torn asunder and Faery exposed, I have to make choices I never thought I’d have to make. I’m divided between two worlds, and I have to decide just how far I will go to get back what was ... [read more]

FantasyRomanceParanormal RomanceFairies

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts — even as she falls in love with a faerie prince — in this gorgeous debut novel. Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron — ... [read more]

FantasyYoung Adult

(The Corporation Wars #3)

The enemy is out in the open. The Reaction has seized control of a resource-rich moon. Now it's enslaving conscious robots - and luring the Corporations into lucrative deals. Taransay is out in the jungle. Her friends are inside a smart boulder on the slope of an active volcano. The planet is super-habitable - for its own life, not hers. But soon, the alien infestation growing on her robot body is the least of her problems. Carlos is out of patience. With the Reaction arming for conquest, ... [read more]

Science FictionSpace Opera

(The Last Kids on Earth #3)

A very funny post-apocalyptic graphic novel, companion to The New York Times bestselling The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade! "Terrifyingly fun! Delivers big thrills and even bigger laughs." - Jeff Kinney, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Diary of a Wimpy Kid Life after the zombie apocalypse is pretty good for 13-year-old Jack Sullivan: he lives in a mind-clobberingly cool tree fort with his best friends, speeds through town playing Real-Life Mario Kart, has a crew of ... [read more]

Science FictionYoung AdultHorror

(The Burning #1)

Game of Thrones meets Black Panther in this debut epic fantasy about a world caught in an eternal war, and the young man who will become his people's only hope for survival. One in twenty-five hundred Omehi women are Gifted, capable of controlling the world's most destructive weapon - dragons. One in a hundred of their men are strong enough for the Gifted to infuse with magic, turning these warriors into near unstoppable colossi. The rest are bred to fight, ferocious soldiers fated to die in ... [read more]

FantasyEpic FantasyHigh Fantasy

(The Beginning After the End #5)

King Grey has unrivaled strength, wealth, and prestige in a world governed by martial ability. However, solitude lingers closely behind those with great power. Beneath the glamorous exterior of a powerful king lurks the shell of a man, devoid of purpose and will. Reincarnated into a new world filled with magic and monsters, the king has a second chance to relive his life. Correcting the mistakes of his past will not be his only challenge, however. Underneath the peace and prosperity of the new ... [read more]

Fantasy

(Michael Vey #7)

The Electroclan is facing a devastating loss: Michael is missing. What’s next? The battle on the island of Hades ended with a devastating explosion that left the island a smoking ruin and much of Hatch’s army dead. Hatch survived, however, and while his plans have certainly suffered a setback, he’s more determined than ever to bring the world’s governments under his control. But first, he wants to wipe out the resistance and capture the remaining members of the Electroclan. As ... [read more]

Science FictionYoung Adult

(Major Bhaajan #2)

TOUGH FEMALE P.I. EXPLORING THE UNDERWORLD OF A VAST STAR EMPIRE. Book two in a new series set in the world of Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire series. Major Bhaajan achieved the impossible. Born to the Undercity, the slums below the City of Cries on the planet Raylicon, she broke free from crushing poverty and crime to become a military officer with Imperial Space Command. Now retired from military duty, she walks the mean streets of Undercity as a private investigator. And she is about to ... [read more]

Science FictionSpace Opera

A new collection of stories, including some that have never before been seen, from the New York Times best-selling author of the Silo trilogy Hugh Howey is known for crafting riveting and immersive page-turners of boundless imagination, spawning millions of fans worldwide, first with his best-selling novel Wool, and then with other enthralling works such as Sand and Beacon 23. Now comes Machine Learning, an impressive collection of Howey’s science fiction and fantasy short fiction, ... [read more]

Science FictionShort Stories

From the author of NPR's Best Book of 2016 — a sweeping romantic fantasy set during the Belle Epoque, as a love triangle consumes two telekinetics and the woman striving to keep them apart. Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle among high society in hopes of landing a suitable husband. But Antonina is telekinetic, and strange events in her past have made her the subject of malicious gossip and hardly a ... [read more]

FantasyHistorical Fantasy

(Everybody Loves Large Chests #1)

Large chests are said to encompass all manner of hopes and dreams. Men covet them. Women envy them. But one fact holds true - everyone wants to get their hands on some big ones. The same holds true for one intrepid adventurer - a strapping young lad by the name of Himmel. Armed with his grandfather’s trusty longsword and the dream of being the strongest, he sets out on the journey of a lifetime! It is sure to be a long and dangerous road, fraught with danger! And it all starts with a simple ... [read more]

FantasyLitRPGHumor

(Shieldrunner Pirates #1)

Two engineers hijack a spaceship to join some space pirates — only to discover the pirates are hiding from a malevolent AI. Now they have to outwit the AI if they want to join the pirate crew — and survive long enough to enjoy it. Adda and Iridian are newly minted engineers, but aren’t able to find any work in a solar system ruined by economic collapse after an interplanetary war. Desperate for employment, they hijack a colony ship and plan to join a famed pirate crew living in luxury at ... [read more]

Science FictionSpace Opera

What if the pandemic you thought would kill you made you more intelligent instead? In the Amazon jungle, a disease is spreading. To those who survive, it grants enhanced communication, memory, and pattern recognition. But the miracle may be the sinister survival mechanism of a fungal organism, manipulating the infected into serving it. Paul Johns, a mycologist, is convinced the fungal host is the next stage of human evolution, while his brother Neil, an analyst at the NSA, is committed to its ... [read more]

Science Fiction

(Iskari #1)

Kristen Ciccarelli’s debut fantasy explores an intricately woven world of deception, inner darkness, and dragons that fantasy fans won’t be able to resist. In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness — and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer. These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of ... [read more]

FantasyYoung AdultEpic FantasyHigh Fantasy

(The Water Dragon's Bride #3)

Unable to return home, Asahi grows into a lovely young woman. As a priestess, she must spend time with the water dragon god for a ritual every year, but because of her connection to the water dragon god’s power, someone kidnaps her! Will Asahi be able to escape unscathed? [read more]

FantasyRomanceYoung AdultParanormal RomanceHistorical Fiction

(Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years #2)

The action-filled second installment of the Ranger’s Apprentice prequel series featuring young Halt, from international bestseller John Flanagan! This origin story features one of Araluen’s favorite Rangers, Halt, and brings readers to a time before Will was a Ranger’s apprentice, laying the groundwork for the epic battles that have already captivated fans of the Ranger’s Apprentice series. [read more]

FantasyYoung Adult

(Tea Dragon #1)

From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons. After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own. [read more]

FantasyDragonsMiddle GradeGraphic NovelsCozy Fantasy

(A Viking Wolf Romance #1)

How to Ruin Your Wedding Day: 101 1. Wake up in stranger’s bed.2. Learn he’s an assassin hired to kill you.3. Fall in love with said assassin.4. Kill rat-bastard fiancé. Reagan Compton trusts two things in life: her pack and her blade. Love never once registered on her radar. Until she meets the shadow wolf—a Viking assassin hired by her so-called fiancé to kill her. Luckily, he’s more interested in claiming her for himself. Falling for her hired assassin wasn’t a part of her life plans, but he’s changing her mind fast. Love isn’t easy, but it sure beats the hell out of death. [read more]

FantasyRomanceParanormal RomanceUrban FantasyAdult