science fantasy witches

Party Hard: 1993 Edition

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I went to Iowa last week.

It’s my ancestral homeland (dad is from there). It’s filled with lovely people, open spaces, and the occasional blizzard.

Maybe more than just occasional, but still, well worth the trip. I was at the North Iowa Book Bash, and it was simply amazing. People, books, fun. It’s basically heaven (an Iowa thing for fans of Field of Dreams), and it was also the Super Official Release Date for my newest book, A Touch of Frost.

HOWEVER, I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the kicker, which is this: Clear Lake, Iowa has a BENNIGAN’S.

For anyone alive in the 1990s, Bennigan’s was the place to be across much of the country, featuring (but not limited to)

Beer.

Irish-y stuff.

Fried things.

The Monte Cristo Sandwich.

What’s a Monte Cristo? Allow me to describe it to you.

Take ham, cheese, turkey, cheese, and ham, place in bread.

Dunk bread in batter, like a funnel cake.

Fry.

Serve covered in powdered sugar with a side of raspberry jam.

Yes. It’s that good. It’s so blissfully America I felt the urge to sing patriotic songs and quote Top Gun; it’s a fat bomb of grease and flavor and sweetness that is simply sublime.

Since the Bennigan’s is located in the hotel, we were able to walk through on the way to our author event, thus seeing the Calm Before the Storm.

Little did the staff know they would be inundated with rowdy writers and readers in a short time, as well as shouts for MORE MONTE CRISTO from certain unnamed person(s).

Iowa is beautiful in that heartbreaking way, open tinged with a hint of loneliness when you get outside town. I love it.

There was yet another winter storm on the way when I left, but that’s the Midwest– it ain’t summer until the Fourth of July, and even then the nights are cool enough to remind everyone winter isn’t gone, just resting.

I can’t wait to go back. Every time I visit, I understand why my family returned after decades abroad, and as long as there’s a Bennigan’s, to quote General Douglas MacArthur, “I shall return.”

If you haven’t gotten the new book, here it is, just click the cover to grab one. Hope you love Gideon and Sammie. I know I do.

A Touch of Frost

Cheers!

Terry

 

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Baby Squirrel Rescue!

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Today, we had an overload of cuteness courtesy of a baby squirrel.

I found him in the front yard, confused and weak. I snatched him up from a feral cat, who was approaching him with bad intentions, took him inside, and began the process of Baby Squirrel Rescue.

Here are the highlights of the day:

  1. Baby squirrels like cashews.
  2. They can drink pedialyte and water as a mixture.
  3. They SNORE, and it’s insanely adorable. I know this because Noah (my son named him) fell asleep in my hand when his tummy was full, and he snored. It’s the best thing ever.

After he was strong enough, and stabilized, I put him under his tree and stood watch. Unfortunately, it became clear he was an orphan, but we had a wonderful solution. After a series of calls, I drove Noah to Walden’s Puddle, a wildlife sanctuary about an hour away.

It’s like heaven on earth. I met owls, squirrels, turkeys, possums, birds, snakes, and a pair of sassy turtles. Here’s the site– I’ll be supporting them from now on.

https://waldenspuddle.org/

Here’s an action shot of Noah enjoying his second cashew, which led to a nap.

He’s safe, happy, and on the road to recovery. It’s been an excellent Saturday, and Happy St. Patty’s Day to all my friends.

Some other news: We had a photo shoot for the new book, and it was AMAZING. Jade and Quinton were the perfect people, and Dottie Rainwater captured their essence perfectly. I can’t wait to show you the results. A Touch of Frost will be available on April 7th. and I hope you love the characters as much as I do.

Meet Jade (Sammie) and Quinton (Gideon).

Coming soon– trading cards, postcards, and posters. It’s going to be a fantastic release week!

Cheers,

Terry

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2017: The Bells of Wonder

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Let’s talk about our goals.

I have a few. Some are likely, some are certain, and some are an outright challenge to myself. I like those. They assure me of taking my craft seriously, as well as continued growth.

They are, in no particular order:

  1. Write three books.
  2. Write three short stories for anthologies.
  3. Produce three audiobooks.
  4. Drink a lot of coffee.
  5. Whiten my teeth.
  6. Repeat as needed.

Specific characters: what’s next?

The sequel to Heartborn will arrive in March. Livvy is going to learn a lot more about her new world, and more to the point, what happened to her old world. Angels aren’t always agents of good, and their presence walks the line between war and wonder. Sometimes, their world might seem too brutal for someone like Livvy, but I think the angels should worry about how they fit into her plans.

She’s tough, and smart, and her heart is pure. That goes a long way, even in a world filled with war and lies.

What about Carlie?

Excellent question!

Carlie has a big year planned. I started wondering about her next challenges. Are they internal? External?

How about both.

Carlie needs pressure to grow, and I’ve found the perfect way to let her explore her magic, love Wulfric, and grow into the witch who will ultimately cradle Halfway in her protective grasp. Halfway Drowned will arrive in late summer, and the villains are fantastic. One of them even wears gym socks with rings, so you know he’s a terrible person.*

*If you really like gym socks with rings, and do it in a retro way, that’s cool.

Ring. Wally. Risa. It’s time.

I’ve thought long and hard about The Fearless and their path.

And now, I have it. I will be repackaging the entire series to introduce a project I’ve wanted to write for three years– book five of The Fearless is well underway, but the side project is near and dear to my heart.

It’s no secret that I love Delphine, but her backstory hasn’t been explained enough to match the depth of her intellect, will, and sexuality. I’ll fix that in 2017. I’ve got a stack of research and a keyboard, and Delphine will have her own story. Soon.

Yes Terry but pie.

Naturally, I’ll be heavily engaged in the following activities as well:

  1. Eating
  2. Eating pie.
  3. Eating cake, pie, and other bakes things.
  4. Running.
  5. Pushups.
  6. Wondering why my weight stays relatively level.

New Team Members

I’d like to introduce Jessica Herring as my web designer. She’ll be bringing the site up to speed in a clean, friendly format. I hope to interact with a lot more readers this year– my calendar is full, but still growing. Hope to see you at an event!

Najla, Amalia, and my Bookish Circle of Trust (You know who you are!) will continue to produce the cover art I love, with a special shout out to Staci Hart for her brilliant imagery on Heartborn.

More to come. I’d love to hear from you about great books, food, events, or whatever. Let’s chat.

Here’s to your best year ever. Thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Halfway Bitten: Release Day!

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It’s here. Halfway Bitten is available for Kindle, and priced at .99 for the new release. It’s the best novel I’ve written and I think you’ll love Carlie, and Wulfric, and Gran– and all of it.

Here’s a taste of what you can expect:

The circus came to Halfway, and they brought the weird.
When clowns, vampires, and corpses start piling up in town, Carlie has to break away from her boyfriend, Wulfric, to bring her witchy skills to the table- or grill, as the case may be.
When the body of a young woman washes up in the lake, it unleashes a spiral of mystery that will bring Carlie, Gran, and Wulfric into a storm of magical warfare. Spells will fly. Curses will rain. Amidst it all, Carlie will make waffles, protect her town, and find out if a man from the distant past can join her in happy ever after.
With love and honor at stake, Carlie has no peer.
Click here for your copy, or to give to any fan of the paranormal, fantasy, or thrillers:
Be sure to tell me your thoughts about Carlie and her world; I love hearing from readers.

Cheers for now, and happy reading!

Terry

Hiring a Unicorn as a Model. (Halfway News)

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UNICORN!

That’s what my friend Staci said when I mentioned I walked into the grocery store and saw a young woman who looks exactly how I pictured Carlie McEwan (White Witch, Monster Fighter, and Maker of Waffles).

“You found a unicorn,” Staci said.

“I did?” I asked.

“Yes. It’s a one-in-a-million thing. Get it?” Staci responded.

“Oh, Ok,”I confirmed. 

There was an awkward pause in our chat.

“Well, I better go do. . .something else. Don’t scare the girl. Make sure she knows you don’t have a creepy van or anything,” Staci admonished me. I found myself nodding at the laptop where our chat was scrolling. 

“Think I should have my wife ask her to be on the book cover?” I asked. It seemed plausible to me.

“No. That might be even weirder.” Staci’s answer was quick and decisive.

“Ok.” I agreed, but still thought that when shaved, I look relatively harmless.

That about sums up the process. The results, though, are spectacular. Allow me to introduce Alexis, the model who is going to bring Carlie to life. She’s unique, owns Doc Martens, and has that uniquely beautiful quality that Carlie embodies. So, yeah. Unicorn.

This is Alexis:




As you can see, she doesn’t look frightened at all, so I don’t know why Staci told me to “approach calmly, hand her my business card, and take two large steps back.” I think I should be offended, but I’m not, so everything is cool, and we have our Carlie, and take that Staci. 

But I’m not bitter.

So join me in welcoming Alexis, because this Halfway series is just blooming. I love these characters.

Until next time!

Terry










Witches, Waffles, and Wonder: Halfway Dead is here!

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Just a little note to let you know that my paranormal–sorta–romance–adventure is HERE. Get yours today, I’m incredibly proud of Carlie McEwan and her humor, outlook, and courage.

What is Halfway Dead, you ask? Well, all right then:

Carlie McEwan loves many things.
She loves being a witch. She loves her town of Halfway, NY—a tourist destination nestled on the shores of an Adirondack lake. Carlie loves her enormous familiar, Gus, who is twenty-five pounds of judgmental Maine Coon cat, and she positively worships her Grandmother, a witch of incredible power and wisdom. Carlie spends her days cooking at the finest—and only—real diner in town, and her life is a balance between magic and the mundane, just as she likes it.
When a blonde stranger sits at the diner counter and calls her by name, that balance is gone. Major Pickford asks Carlie to lead him into the deepest shadows of the forest to find a mythical circle of chestnut trees, thought lost to forever to mankind. There are ghosts in the forest, and one of them cries out to Carlie across the years.
  Come find me.

Danger, like the shadowed pools of the forest, can run deep. The danger is real, but Carlie’s magic is born of a pure spirit. With the help of Gus, and Gran, and a rugged cop who really does want to save the world, she’ll fight to bring a ghost home, and deliver justice to a murderer who hides in the cool, mysterious green of a forest gone mad with magic.



Special thanks to my amazing friends/team Jennifer Clark Sell (editor) and Staci Hart (artist). You make my best even better, so thanks.

Click here for your copy:Halfway Dead: Get Yours Here!


Happy Tuesday, Y’all, and cheers!

Terry


Outlander. Witches. Pancakes.

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Welcome Back, Outlanders. 

So, the Winter of Our Discontent is nearly ended. Blessed be, or something. 

Tomorrow, millions of fans will re-engage with the second season. Loins will be girded. Chins will be lifted. Visages will be grim. And then, all hell will break loose as the bilious presence of Black Jack Randall invades our collective senses once again.
I couldn’t help but snicker as I watched people (okay, women aged 18-77) line up to see Fifty Shades of Grey. What was essentially a modest BDSM film paled in comparison to the depravity lurking in the mind of Jack Randall. He makes serial killers look like marriage material, but the good news is that before Jamie is tortured and reborn as something new, there’s a lot of beautiful story to enjoy. But first. . . .



Naturally, I’ll be paying attention to all aspects of the show, not just the parts that interest me. This is all in the name of science and stuff, of course.



So! there’s a lot to look forward to, eh? After the episode, I’ll have a breakdown and commentary– I look forward to yours as well.
Also, if you like witches or pancakes, or witches and pancakes, read the blurb about a new paranormal series that hits stores this June. I think you’ll love it– but for now, a little teaser.




Cheers!
Terry