fantasy Archives - Tracey Byrnes

October 21, 2023October 21, 2023

Love books? Want to meet authors?

promo image for RAVE 2023 - Readers & Authors Vegas Event

Then you’ll be stoked to hear about all the fun happening at RAVE—Readers & Authors Vegas Event.

What: Book sale and signing event

Where: Horseshoe Convention Center, Las Vegas

When: November 10, 2023

Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Cost of Entry: FREE!

Three hundred authors across a broad array of genres will be there with books available for purchase and signing. In addition, there will be raffles and giveaways, photo opportunities, live readings in partnership with the uber-talented Soundbooth Theater team, and more fun happenings throughout the day.

For more information, please join the Readers & Authors Vegas Event Facebook group.

Want to know if your favorite author(s) will be there? Check this graphic.

graphic list of attending and signing at RAVE 2023 - Readers & Authors Vegas Event

Hot off the presses, here’s the list of live readings on tap.

graphic list of live readings at RAVE—Readers & Authors Vegas Event in partnership with Soundbooth Theater

Some FAQs about RAVE—Readers & Authors Vegas Event

Which authors are attending?

See the graphic list of attending authors above.

Can I bring my own books to be signed?

Absolutely!

Will personalization be possible, or are all books pre-signed?

Yes, books can be personalized.

Will I be able to buy books at the event?

Yes, the authors will have books for sale too. But of course, they can’t bring an unlimited supply, so if there is a particular book you would like, perhaps contact the author in advance to order it.

Can I take photos/get a selfie with the author?

Mostly yes, but keep in mind it is up to each author to decide what they are comfortable with.

How much will books cost?

Each author sets their own prices and some will have special show prices. Contact your author to see if they will be running specials. All sales will be subject to Nevada sales tax.

Is there parking available nearby?

There is parking at the hotel (the parking garage is between Horseshoe and Paris hotels). Self-parking is free for anyone with a Caesars Rewards card at the Platinum, Diamond, or Seven Stars level. For those of us not a member, self-parking is $15 for three hours or you can expect to pay $18 at the daily rate. Additional information and directions to access the parking garages can be found here https://gamboool.com/ballys-las-vegas-parking-garage…

Will there be food available at the event?

Food is not permitted within Horseshoe’s Convention Center where the event is being held, but the hotel’s food court is at the entrance to the convention center if you’d like to grab a quick bite before or after the book signing event. Horseshoe is centrally located on the Strip and among some of the best restaurants in the world, so good food is close by.

I’m an author—how do I sign up to participate?

All authors attending are also registered attendees of the 20Books Vegas Author Conference (a 20Booksto50k® education and networking event). You can learn more about the event and register for the conference here https://20booksvegas.com/

Note: Per the event organizer, all RAVE table spots are full.

Do I have to wear a mask?

The event will follow all public safety requirements effective in Nevada in November 2023 and in accordance with the Caesars Group policies. At present, this includes no mask mandate, but attendees are encouraged to follow protocols that are safe for them.

October 26, 2018December 16, 2024

Books to check out – 10/26/18

Welcome to the next edition of the semi-regular “Books to check out” posts. Here you’ll find links to some of the many books, in a variety of genres, that have recently crossed my Kindle and/or computer screen. Oh, and in case you’re wondering: no, I don’t get paid (or any other form of compensation) for posting these links and descriptions. Yes, I buy the books (or borrow them through Kindle Unlimited).

Happy reading!

Twisted: A Collection of Dark Tales by Daniel Willcocks. If horror and thriller stories are right up your alley, then here’s an early Halloween treat you won’t want to miss! You may or may not want to leave the lights on when you go to bed…

Desperate for a fresh injection of dark tales designed to make the mind bend, warp, and TWIST?

For the first time ever in one collection, ‘Twisted’ collates 28 of the best dark horror shorts featured on the chart-busting, award-nominated podcast, ‘The Other Stories’ (plus a few cheeky extras stories thrown in).

If you like short bursts of dark fiction designed to make your eyes pop and your sphincter tighten, well… this is a collection for you.

Stories including, but not limited to: Gas-fuelled nightmare chambers, parasitic crustaceans, bloody tribal rituals, serial-killing pensioners, and possessed theme parks.

Strange Is Her Life by Judith Berens, Martha Carr, and Michael Anderle. Book 6 in the School of Necessary Magic series, this urban fantasy tale is part of the Oriceran Universe and follows the adventures of teenager Alison Brownstone and her friends.

Dark magic has infiltrated the School of Necessary Magic.

Spies stalk the halls. Traitors whisper lies to impressionable freshmen.

And devious wizards distract with charming smiles.

If Alison and her friends can’t see past the friendly masks of their fellow students to the dark purpose they hide, it’s not just the school that will be destroyed.

But the forces of evil should have kept one thing in mind before targeting Alison Brownstone.

Hell hath no fury like a Drow princess defending her family.

Shocker by William Graves. Currently sitting at #20 in the Horror Suspense category on Amazon, this book has been getting fantastic reviews from readers for its skillfully written storyline and relatable, everyday characters. As one reviewer described it, “Complex, nerve-wracking, grabs your emotions and won’t let go till the very end.”

What happens when the demons of the past come back to play?

Mary Elizabeth carries a dark secret in her heart, one she keeps even from herself.

Her husband, Charlie, ignorant of the horror she’s buried deep, watches with sadness as indifference and apathy fracture their picture-perfect family.

Will the truth set you free or get you killed?

The body—a girl, barely fourteen, used then butchered—is found on the bluff high above main street.

Mary Elizabeth’s visceral reaction to the news—out of character for the stoic, almost cold woman he’s loved since high school—shakes Charlie out of his passivity.

But when he reaches to reconnect and fight for the life they once had, it only serves to drive her further away and him into the arms of another.

She’s the hero no one sees coming.

Another death, this one closer to home, brings to surface memories Mary Elizabeth has long denied exist.

As a killer—brutal, efficient, unstoppable—continues to terrorize their small town, she alone holds the power to stop him.

Because she knows him.

She survived him.

And he remembers her—in vivid, electrifying detail.

An emotionally gripping psychological thriller that “will make you laugh out loud and then want to lock your front door before you read another page.”

Masters of Fate by A.K. DuBoff. Book 3 in the Dark Stars trilogy is newly-released. New enough, in fact, that it’s sitting on my TBR list screaming “read me!” Lol. However, I expect it to be a fantastic read in the sci-fi/fantasy space opera genre; word on the street from those who’ve already devoured it agrees.

The final fight will change their perception forever.

Everything Elle Hartmut and her friends thought they knew about the alien menace—and the nature of their universe—is wrong.

With mounting evidence that the aliens behind the Darkness reside on a hyperdimensional plane above spacetime, Elle and the Dark Sentinels will need a new approach to win. However, preventing the impending alien invasion will test their team in ways they never imagined.

The ancient artifacts wielded by the Dark Sentinels may hold the key to victory. If they can understand and master their true abilities, they may still be able to save the Hegemony and their loved ones before the invasion’s final stage consumes them all.

The Dark Stars trilogy combines high-tech sci-fi with traditional fantasy magic, perfect for fans of Final Fantasy, Star Ocean, and Xenosaga. Join Elle in her final battle against the Darkness!

Superdreadnought 1 by CH Gideon and Tim Marquitz, Craig Martelle, and Michael Anderle. This military AI space opera is set in the greater Kurtherian Gambit Universe and is both the start of a new series and an exploration of what happens when an AI who’s been waiting in isolation, untasked, heads back out into the universe.

Alone and unafraid. Sometimes you prevent war by hunting down your enemies.

Integrated with a superdreadnought, the artificial intelligence known as Reynolds takes his ship across the universe in search of the elusive Kurtherians. He comes to a revelation. He’s better in the company of living creatures.

He needs a crew. He needs information. And he needs to continue his search and destroy mission.

Needing a crew and getting a crew are two completely different things. Reynolds is out of his element as he tries to reach out and make friends. Through it all, he has his vessel, the superdreadnought, the most powerful warship in the galaxy.

Or so he believes.

October 24, 2018

Sad News for Readers

It seems that everywhere I turn, many of the authors whose works I love, and whom I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with, are dealing with significant health challenges and/or are staring the Grim Reaper in the face and daring to defy the odds for as long as possible. Sadly, Brandon Barr is doing the latter.

I’m not asking you to donate to his GoFundMe campaign. If you do, then thank you from a fan and fellow reader. Sharing the GoFundMe link is appreciated, but again isn’t required.

No, what I’d love for you do is check out the amazing and richly creative stories he’s so lovingly crafted and written. Brandon has limited time left with us on this earth, but his stories are and will remain a lasting part of his legacy—as long as we readers share them with others.

You can find more info about Brandon and his stories on his website and on Amazon.

September 28, 2018

Books to check out – 9/28/18

Welcome to the (hopefully regular) post of some books you might find interesting. Here you’ll find links to some of the many books, in a variety of genres, that have recently crossed my Kindle and/or computer screen. Oh, and in case you’re wondering: no, I don’t get paid (or any other form of compensation) for posting these links and descriptions. Yes, I buy the books (or borrow through Kindle Unlimited).

Without further ado, here are this week’s selections.

Crystalline Space by A.K. DuBoff. The first book in her Dark Stars trilogy, this excellent space fantasy sci-fi adventure introduces us to a world where “do-overs”—resets to past moments in time—are not only possible, thanks to the crystalline network, they happen regularly. Until they don’t.

After a routine reset on her homeworld, Elle Hartmut instead awakens on a spaceship. Her body is different, she has new magical abilities, and she’s told that the fate of known civilization is in her hands.

Crystalline Space offers a fun blend of sci-fi and fantasy adventure with a sleek high-tech skin on traditional magic, perfect for fans of Final Fantasy, Star Ocean, and Xenosaga. The Dark Stars trilogy will transport you to a universe where second chances are real. Start?

NOTE: This novel was previously published in the Galactic Genesis boxset.

First Comes Chaos by Samantha Harmer. The debut novel in The Rexan Discovery series, First Comes Chaos is an interesting sci-fi/fantasy alien invasion/genetic engineering read with plenty of depth to the characters, a well-thought-out plot, and a writing style that’s easy to read.

A new job in the big city is any pup’s dream but Maroo finds himself caught between chasing the dream or remaining at his parents’ farm with the love of his life.

It becomes irrelevant when an alien race threatens their planet. What sacrifices will Maroo be forced to make? Can he save both his love and his world?

Time will tell, but First Comes Chaos.

When Death Became a Woman by River Tatum and Michael Anderle. This often-hilarious paranormal romantic comedy comes with an apt warning: “Just be careful when drinking [wine], the laughs can be dangerous!”

Grim Reapers. Saving lives. Lessons in love.

For some, it’s a fictitious world. But for Debra Stone, it’s everyday life.

After a chance encounter with a man she enjoys throws her down a path she almost can’t believe, she struggles to cope with her newfound purpose.

Saving lives.

Ushering souls into the afterlife. It can’t be real, right? But the men who catch her in the act are real. And their adoration for her is very real.

Myth Protector by Jamie Hawke. This gamelit harem fairy tale adventure is a fun read with plenty of sizzle (seriously; there’s no “fade to black” in this one, folks!). If you’re a fan of Once Upon a Time or Fables/Wolf Among Us but also enjoy harem and the spice of life, this book’s for you.

As they fight a war against good and evil in our world, the Fairy Tales need a protector.

All I wanted to do was take a break from college to check out LegendFest, some good ol’ cosplay, and maybe find a lady to hit it off with. You never know, right?

My life took a new direction, though, when I found out myths like Red Riding Hood are real, and they’re in an ongoing war against evil to save us all. More than that, they are being hunted, mistaken as humanity’s enemy. They need a mortal to serve as their protector, someone to keep them out of harm’s way while leading the battle against the likes of the Big Bad Wolf, Baba Yaga, and other evil legends.

Now, I am that protector.

Art of the Kurtherian Gambit by Andrew Dobell and Michael Anderle.
This newly-released art book is flying into readers’ hands. Within its pages are many of the stunning covers that have graced several different series within the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, along with scenes from several photo shoots and brief anecdotes from Andrew about the creation process. It also includes some previously unpublished art and a foreword by Michael Anderle. Whether you’re a KGU fan or simply a fan of top-notch artwork, this book is a visual feast.

Tales from the Kurtherian Universe: Fans Write for the Fans, Book 3. Kurtherian Gambit readers and fans come together again to create a book by the fans—for the fans.

Nine thrilling adventures and several haiku make up Volume Three of the best-selling Fans Write for the Fans series, which includes an introduction by Michael Anderle.

A Concert To Remember by Samantha Harmer.The Leath War has taken its toll. Three schoolgirls affected by loss attempt to bring solace to those left behind with a celebration to remember. For one night only, Jemma, Eleanor, and Mel present – The Mamas and the Ta-Tas!

Death And New Beginnings by T.L. Gryfen. After Beth’s world ends, can the sudden appearance of a long-discarded dream give her the strength she needs to carry on?

The Valley by Kat N. Snow. In a world turned upside down, some people just kept on living a normal life, without a clue what was going on outside what they knew. Most of them never realizing that there was something different about a neighbor, or an acquaintance.

Tremor by Lucinda Pebre. At only sixteen years old, Adaire is an expert in loss. The Dark Society took her family, and now they want the only person she has left. Adaire is determined to fight for a future. However, to escape her captors and be reunited with her friend Calum, she will need to uncover her dormant magic.

Blood of Patriots and Tyrants Logan Caird. This story is different than my others because the mayor in the story, Doctor Fernand Genillon, was the actual mayor of Fismes when the Germans invaded in 1940. He was among those who worked tirelessly against the invaders and helped people escape before he and thirteen others were arrested by the Germans and shipped to concentration camps.

Anyone For Juice by Dominic Novielli. Armi’ is only seven but has enough gumption to be much older. She and her best friend Conrey happen upon a lucrative business selling juice but there is a problem, it’s addictive and all the Noel-Ni’s on the space station want some every day.

The Medicine Show by Logan Caird. Magnificent Maxwell’s Travelling Medicine Show is coming to town! Del could not be more excited to see the show, but his family is broke. Since they live on the edge of a city ruined after WWDE they can always dig to find something to trade. Climb a ruined skyscraper, get something valuable, go see the show.

Don’t Mess With Mine by Lisa Frett. It was a beautiful fall evening in Vermont. That is until she finds out that her man, er, wolf is missing, and an enemy from her past has returned. Well, that’s just unacceptable. Now Jenny has to sharpen her fangs and do something about it!

Spirit Whisperer by S.E. Weir. Claire has known all her life that magic had no place in New Scots, but though she tried to deny it, magic is in her blood and bone. Orphaned and alone, she uses her forbidden magic to summon the spirit of her father. He sends her to find a friend from his past and a new place in the world, but to complete the journey, she will need help that comes in the form of a surly and mysterious stranger.