I feel like running a contest. The prizes will be ebook copies of Blood & Water and Silver & Light.
How many depends on the response I get.

What do you need to do? 
Help me name a baby. Keep reading for more details. 
​
A Word of Caution...
If you've not read Blood & Water and Silver & Light then you are about to venture into SPOILER ALERT territory. 

​You've been warned. 

Back in February, Mr. Castle and I went on a Caribbean cruise. What a blast we had. 

The best memory I have...and there were many...but I went snorkeling for the very first time. What an experience. But it turned out to be more than just a cool excursion, it was a perspective changer. 

You look out across the waters, which were beautiful and so clear, and don't even realize there's a whole world just beneath the surface. It's not until you actually go out into the depths, step off the shore, take that plunge, that you are able to see the amazing wonders of God's world.

I'll admit, me and water have a love/hate relationship. I can swim...well enough to get across a pool. 
Okay, halfway, but whatever. 
I think it's pretty. I love the many blues. I love the expanse. 
So long as I'm on shore. Or on a boat. The bigger the better.

This day, I was going in. Oh boy, I was quaking in my flippers, let me tell you. But there was this little voice, an unreasonable, yet persistent voice, that begged me not to miss the opportunity.

I couldn't ignore the voice. So I went in. Despite my better judgement.

Great News!
I've decided to release The Faerie Trader on Amazon. Right now, it's on pre-order for only .99¢!

This is a limited time offer. Once the book releases on April 23rd, it'll go up to $2.99 sometime that weekend. 

For those who haven't already subscribed to my Castle World Fantasy Newsletter, you can read the first chapter below. Or just click the picture to purchase your pre-order copy. 

What is happening to our world? 
If you're like me, you might be asking this question a lot lately. 

Today, I just got word that my county has put out the "stay in place" order. Anyone else singing, "I'm so lonely, oh so lonely?"

Ha.

Well, I'm not entirely lonely. I actually have more people around than I'm accustomed to now that some of my family have been laid off their jobs until this virus scare is over. 
The news is all bad news and more bad news. (I have strong feelings about the media's involvement in all this, but I'll not spout that here.) Still, it seems like everything bad that can happen is.

But I'm here to tell you that this simply isn't true. 

I'm not going to make light of our serious situation, because it is, very serious. But through all this, I've witnessed some amazing things. So, let's wipe off our dirt-smudged glasses for a little bit and take a closer look at what's really going on. 

Let's face it, even though many of us will never give up or print book, the fact of the matter is that e-books are also a great way to read books, and lots of them. 

This week, I'm going to share some great hacks to get the most out of your e-reader. Though your mileage might vary according to the type of reader you own, most of the tips work across the board. 

As a side note, this article does contain a few affiliate links meaning if you purchase something, I'll get a little bit of pocket change in return. =)

This is what happens in your brain when you feel happy-- 

Endorphins wake up. These are the body's "happy juice" that are released when you experience moments of happiness. They are responsible for fighting those yucky feelings of stress, sadness and pain by blocking those areas of our life. 

This evidently, is ​scientific fact, my friends. 

These wonderful, magical endorphins go zooming through your bodies, like Superman in flight, working to lower blood pressure and leaving us feeling more relaxed.

So, that's what science says.
My question is... where is the big red button that makes these feel-good mighty hormones when you need them? Can I get an amen? 

 The Chronicles of Alburnium. 

In Silver and Light, we find Kardia leaving the safety of her home village for the great unknown. She is determined to find the legendary path that leads to the White City of Aloblase, that she's only seen in her dreams, and read about in King Shaydon's Book Of Letters. 


Kardia doesn't make it far before she must stop for a rest and there she meets a most unexpected traveler...

Kardia nestled deeper under her woolen blanket, breathing in the scent of damp earth and moss. She’d made camp beside a stream after venturing off the road she followed in her search for the King’s Highway. Hopefully, she’d find the road to Aloblase soon. She was running out of the few supplies she’d packed before leaving Goia, her childhood home.
​
Her eyes, heavy from exhaustion, slowly closed. She’d almost drifted off when the sound of wagon wheels rolling over the dirt road caused her to sit up. A chill of fear raced down Kardia’s back. Hopefully, she was far enough off the road to not be spotted. Holding her breath, she waited for the traveler to pass. Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears. She curled her arms tighter around her chest and tried not to move.

The clomping of hooves stopped.

Something made a sniffing sound.

Strange.

Kardia tried to peer through the fern and brush toward the road, but the growing darkness of night made it too difficult to see more than gray shadows.

“Hello in the woods,” a deep voice called out.

Oh no! They knew she was there. But how?

Kardia held perfectly still, not daring to breathe lest she make her position known. Silently willing them to leave, she tensed up, wondering if she’d get very far if she ran for it. Why hadn’t she left her boots on? If only her tired feet hadn’t hurt so badly when she stopped earlier. She’d not wanted to lose her toes like she’d lost her fingers. Despite the pain, she’d wriggled out of them. They were so hard to get on and off with her damaged hands.

“I can smell you. Human, for sure. Are you hurt? I smell the scent of blood hanging about you. I can help…” the man moved off the edge of the road. It wasn’t footfalls she heard, but rather the clomping of…what exactly was she hearing? How did he… smell…her?

Granted, she’d not tried to bathe yet.  She’d hoped to find safe shelter before attempting that. The blood scent most likely came from her blistered feet. 
“I won’t hurt you, little human.” It sniffed again.

Kardia reasoned that if it was calling her human, then it wasn’t.

“Ah, there you are,” the stranger declared, his tone softening.

Her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest.

“If you’re hiding a weapon, you should know I’m a master fighter. I’m also much larger and stronger than you could ever dream of being.” Then he added, “Even if you were a grown human male. But rest assured, I intend no harm, so be a good little human friend and sit up slowly so we can talk.”

She bolted to her tender bare feet. Stepping on the edge of a jagged rocked, she cried out from the sharp pain. Her foot misstepped and she started to tilt toward the stream.

The creature-man darted forward and caught her by the arm. To her shock, he wasn’t dressed! His bare chest glistened in the dim light of the rising moon. His bearded face and wild hair came into focus. He towered over her by nearly two feet. Thick hair covered his lower arms. As she dared to lower her gaze, she found thick hair, or rather dark brown fur, covered the lower half of his body down to his hooves.
Kardia blinked. She’d heard of the half human half goat men before. They were called…what? The part human and part horsemen were centaurs, she was sure.

“Faun!” she exclaimed as the name slammed into her memory. “You’re a faun!”

(From Silver and Light, chapter 1)

January has been a crazy busy month for me. Before it comes to an end, I wanted to share the promotional deals I've been involved in this month one last time. 

There is still time for you to grab some great deals, but don't hesitate. Most are over at the end of January. Dates included below.