@XpressoTours, @hotchoc84 (Charlotte), @SHould_13, #Adult, #Urban #Fantasy, 5 out of 5 (exceptional), 4 out of 5 (very good)

 

Two months have passed since Derek Areios—war-scion and heir of Ares—and the band of rogue scions he’s aligned with recovered both the Thunderbolt of Zeus and the Heart of the Devourer and returned them to the Gods. During the battle, Derek discovered he could control not only the element of fire, as all war-scions can, but also the dark element “aether,” making him the only scion alive to wield two types of elemental magic.

Commanded by Zeus to retrieve the Trinity Weapons and the Shards of Cronus, Derek and the rogue scions are thwarted in their goal by a gang of water-scions with a grudge against one of the rogues—Thea, heir of Poseidon. Both groups travel to an uninhabited island to recover one of the Shards––the Eye that belonged to Cronus, King of the Titans. But what they encounter will lead them down a path of brutal betrayals, hard truths, painful memories, and desperate actions.

With angry and impatient gods breathing down his neck, a curse that allows Ares to control him, a prophecy he’s desperate to avoid, a magic spear corrupting his thoughts, and two forms of elemental magic, Derek has a lot of baggage—and a lot of power. Will the price of using that power to satisfy the Gods be too much for him to pay?

Mythological monsters, explosive magic, and devastating truths take center stage in the second novel of the action-packed AREIOS BROTHERS series from Amy Braun.

 

 

Two months ago, they recovered the Thunderbolt of Zeus and the Heart of the Devourer. During the battle Derek made a discovery about himself that makes him the only scion alive to wield two types of elemental magic. Now Derek and the band of rogue scions that he’s aligned with has been commanded to retrieve the Trinity Weapons and the Shards of Cronus. But they have work with a gang of water scions as well and the mission leads them down a path of brutal betrayals, hard truths, painful memories and desperate actions.

 

Smokin’ thunderbolts, this urban fantasy story has some serious energy and gripping emotions that flow from every page of this powerful read. The events of this story has the rogue scions and a gang of water scions reluctantly joining together to achieve Zeus’ command but there is no trust between the two groups and it is obvious that there are some dirty, underhanded tricks up the water scions sleeves. Somehow, during all of this excitement, there is some romance blossoming with the group of rogue scions, so those flirty but unsure emotions are mixing in with all the other potent emotions that flow the pages.

 

Although the story does have a disturbing and OMG cliffhanger ending, there is never a dull moment to be found. This complex and fast paced plot has so many twists and turns that readers have to borrow Hermes’ sandals to keep up as it is full of stunning surprises, frightful prophecies, blood and guts, deadly decisions and exhilarating danger that has readers’ knees bounding up and down in giddy, adrenaline pumping excitement.

 

Things are finally moving forward for this author! The printed proofs are finally on the way for Midnight Sky, now that I know the limitations of Scrivener for print formatting. So note to anyone thinking about buying a paperback for Midnight Sky– you get some bonus content! I'll go more into it when I officially launch my new website next week. It will likely happen Monday (possibly Tuesday, depending on some other tweaks I want to do), and it's come together really well. The newsletter signup isn't quite ready yet (though I can't wait to do that), and the shop isn't ready, but I'm still very excited about its look. The blog will stay up to redirect traffic, but nothing new will be posted.

 

I'm definitely looking forward to the Midnight Sky promotions starting in July. I'm really excited for this novel and have heard some good feedback from early reviews, so hopefully the pre-order sales will go up. *hint hint wink wink nudge nudge look below*

 

 

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices… 

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

 

 

Media Kit

 

Chapter One

Preorder Links

Kindle | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Smashwords | Goodreads

 

 

If you're a book blogger/reviewer interested in reading Crimson Sky and/or Midnight Sky, you can enter the signup sheet below! 

 

 

 

Now, updates on the new projects, since there's quite a bit. First, I'm super excited to announce that I'll be working with the wonderful team at Mocha Memoirs Press again. I was ecstatic when they emailed me with news that the four short stories I have published with them– Call From The Grave, Hotel Hell, Lost Sky, and the upcoming Engineered Deceit– will be put together in a single collection! I've always wanted to do this, and to have it offered is nothing short of awesome. The collection will be called The Shadow Omnibus and is scheduled for an early September release in both ebook and paperback. I can't wait to see the result! That's the most I have to say for now. I'm a little stuck in a scene for The Iron Gargoyle and might want to sneak a few minutes of editing in for Storm of the Gods before I have to go to the Real Job. There will be a couple more posts on the blog before I move to my new website, so stayed tuned for a little while longer!Cheers!Amy

 

Welcome to 8Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly blog hop where indie authors get to share their work in 8-10 sentences. I couldn't really find a snippet appropriate for Father's Day, so instead, I decided to use a snippet featuring a character who acts like a father figure for Constance in Damnation's Door. She seeks Sephiel, a former warrior angel, for counsel and advice about the mass murders in her old hometown, but as expected, doesn't get the answers she wants to hear...

 

“Seph,” I asked the ex-angel, who stood across from me on the other side of the curtain, watching the opposite end of the street. “These killings, the major ones... do you think Lucifer is behind them rather than Mateo?”

 

Sephiel went very still. Talking about Lucifer always made him tense, and I had to remind myself not to push him. He was human now, and his emotions weren’t so tightly reined anymore. A single snap in battle could get him killed.

 

“It is likely they are working in collaboration,” he finally said. “Perhaps Lucifer is feeding Mateo Rocha’s thirst for vengeance, and your former lover is constructing the circumstances for the slaughter. His men are nearly always there, are they not?”

 

***

 

Still got lots going on. Damnation's Door is still on its blog tour, and one particular stop features an author interview, a character interview, and a giveaway. I've never done a character interview before, and it was a lot of fun to get back inside Constance's head and have her answer questions not typically posed for her. I'm still working on formatting Midnight Sky, editing Storm of the Gods, and rebuilding the world/writing The Iron Gargoyle. I would go into more detail, but I'm half-falling asleep at my desk. Not as comfy as a bed. 

 

Be sure to check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors and leave some love and wishes in the comments of their blogs. You have no idea how much that means to us!

 

Speaking of love and wishes, I hope everyone enjoys their father's day! Love you, Dad!

 

 

Amy

I know I missed this last week, but I was out of town for my best friends birthday party, and when we came back into town, all we wanted to do was see X:Men Apocalypse and go out for drinks. That's my excuse, and I think it's a damn good one! But don't assume I wasn't working. Granted, I got almost no new words in, but I managed to get a lot completed in the last couple weeks:

 

• Send out Midnight Skymedia kit and pre-order links for promotions
• Format Midnight Skyfor print and ebook (test out Scrivener) (Just need to do the print versions)
• Series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map) (First novel is plotted)
• Start writing The Iron Gargoyle, the first Iron Gargoyle novel
• Finish the sequel to Storm of the Gods
• Beta read edits for Storm of the Gods(if they come in)
• Open contests for Damnation's Door(released next week!)

 

This week, the key word will be editing. The bane of every writer's existence, but if I want people to take me seriously as an author (meaning agents, publishers, reviewers, and readers), I need to work my ass off. So here's what I need to do this week:

 

• Format Midnight Skyfor print and order author copies
• Plot remaining books for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)
• Continue writing The Iron Gargoyle, the first Iron Gargoyle novel
• Beta read edits for Storm of the Gods
• Formal edits and minor tweaking forStorm of the Gods
• Make list of publishers accepting new authors and sending queries for Storm of the Gods
• Look through Scrivener tutorials and begin working from there

 

Yup. All of this for me. Still, I'm riding high for the release of Damnation's Door, which happened last week and is coming to the end of its two blog tours and release blitzes put together by XPresso Book Tours and En Pointe Author Services, which have contests and promotions open for 24 more hours!

 

 

Demons are free. Angels are fallen. Hope is dying...

Constance Ramirez and her adopted sister, Andromeda, have stopped Lucifer’s plan– They have closed the Heaven Gate and kept the demons out. But their choice came with brutal consequences, and now every angel on earth is trapped in their mortal body.

All that remains is closing the Hell Gate and establishing a balance once and for all. That means returning to the city of Constance’s nightmares, which has become a haven for murderers and monsters. But even more dangerous than their hunt is that Andromeda’s powers and instincts are turning darker, and this time Constance doesn’t know how to protect her.

Constance is ready to fight for her life, but her enemies have plans she can’t begin to imagine, and they’re prepared to make her suffer...

Trust is lost and hearts are broken in the epic conclusion in Amy Braun’s Cursed trilogy...

 

Media Kit

 

Chapter One

 

Buy it here:

 

Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Nook | iBookstore |  Goodreads | Smashwords 

 

 

Giveaways:

 

The Bookish Crypt Damnation's Door and Cursed series giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Sign Ups:

 

Book Blitz for Damnation's Door

Release Blitz and Blog Tour for Damnation's Door

 

With the end of the Cursed series now upon us, all my attention is turning to Dark Sky and the novels and novellas taking up my schedule for the rest of the year, starting with Midnight Sky, the sequel.

 

 

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices… 

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

 

Media Kit

 

Chapter One

Preorder Links

Kindle | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Smashwords | Goodreads

 

 

I cannot get enough of that cover or that artwork. Seriously. I can't keep gushing about it, and for any bloggers/reviewers interested in reviewing the novel, you have your chance here:

 

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

 

Alas, promotion isn't the only thing I'll be working on in the coming weeks. Storm of the Gods has gotten its Beta edits back, and holy smokes, do I have a lot of work to do if I'm going to send it to publishers. I meant, that should be a given, really, but I'd rather it just be accepted and then I don't have to work any more! Why can't anything be easy? Sigh... 

Still, I'm testing out a new editor who is mega-detailed, and I think Storm of the Gods and the Areios Brothers series as a whole will gain a lot from working with her. I've never feared editing, and even if the series isn't accepted for a book deal, I'll be thrilled to publish it myself knowing it will be polished to a pristine finish. 

The Iron Gargoyle is still going strong. I haven't found the time to work on the other plots for the novels, but I'm hoping to do that within the next week or two so I have a better understanding of what I might need to add to the first novel to affect later novels, if that makes sense. That said, I'm loving the way thing are playing out and can't wait to see where it ends!

So, yeah. Every time I think I've caught up on my work, more tumbles down the line. Still, it makes me happy, and the massage I'm getting in a couple hours is destined to do wonders. Worst comes to worst, if my chosen career becomes too much to handle, I have a backup plan...

 

Hey, all the great authors did it, right? Cheers!

Amy