It’s time for a bit of a catch-up sesh at Grace Manor, so grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, and get comfy. There’s gossip, news, free reads and giveaways in October’s Hopeful Romantic newsletter. Mr. Grace and I are just back from a fabulous mini holiday in Rome, tacked on to a conference in which he was involved.
Our first task upon returning home was to put our bed back together so we would have a place to sleep. Yes, that’s right, Grace Manor is getting a long overdue makeover, and while the paint job in the bedroom was done, the bed was not.
A week and a half later, the new flooring is down and painting is done in the kitchen, lounge, master bedroom, stairway and entryway. Now the actual redecorating can begin, a task I don’t mind saying I find more than a little intimidating.
Any advice you can offer me would be greatly appreciated. Please be patient with me for the next few months. My goal is to have the lion share of the work done by my birthday in January. We shall see.
November and a Demonic NaNoWriMo
If you’re wondering why there have been no new postings of my interview with the Guardian on my blog, let me solve the mystery. The interview has become far more complex than I had expected and, after some serious consultation, the Guardian and I decided that I should remove myself from the interview for my own protection and sanity. He did, however, concede, that as far as the latter was concerned, we might already be too late. JSeriously, he needs to work on his sense of humor.
Don’t worry, however, the Guardian’s story will be told in its entirety. As luck would have it November is coming up, and that means National Novel Writing Month! NaNoWriMo is one of my favorite ways to write a novel, when I actually can schedule it in. Turns out, this year, I can! A Demon’s Taleis now on the schedule to be written during November – or at least as much of it as I can manage. The premise of NaNoWriMo is to write a fifty-thousand-word novel in a month. While my novels are always at least twice that long, NaNoWriMo is the perfect way to focus my efforts and get a rip-roaring start to a longer story.
The chapter by chapter synopsis for A Demon’s Taleis finished, and I can tell you right now, the story the Guardian has shared is a doozy. I’m very excited to be the scribe who will be writing it. Here is the blurb.
A Demon’s Tale Blurb:
PI, Elise North, resurrects her career as an investigative journalist when she is asked to interview a demon. Imprisoned within the body of a vampire, this demon has a confession to make, one he hopes to manage without the knowledge of his jailor, whose friendship and hard-earned trust he doesn’t want to lose. In addition to his confession, he seeks to connect with an elusive witch called Glinda, who may be able to free his vampire/jailor from the nightmares that haunt her and threaten to become a reality. He knows that Elise is the only one who can keep their meetings secret from the vampire, who is his prison.
In book four of the Medusa Consortium Series, the Guardian, the demon imprisoned inside vampire and Scribe, Susan Innes, tells his own dark tale to a woman with an ulterior motive and a startling gift of her own.
Free Reads and Giveaways
Halloween Spooktacular EBook Giveaway
Forget the tricks! You’ll find only treats in this Halloween extravaganza. Get ready to fill your ereader with ghostly delights. To celebrate Halloween, check out Bookfunnel’s thrilling collection of speculative fiction sure to give you goose bumps and keep you reading way into the new year. From vampires to ghosts to monsters howling in the night, you’ll be sure to satisfy your Halloween fix with our FREE READS! Follow the link and feast on these reading treats.https://books.bookfunnel.com/halloweengiveaway/5qcgozv0s1
Kindle Fire Giveaway at theShadows and Spellcraft Urban Fantasy Book Fair
Best Selling author, Laura Greenwoodis hosting the fabulousShadows and Spellcraft Urban Fantasy Book Fair, a regular treasure trove for Urban Fantasy/PNR lovers. This is the perfect place to discover your next great read.
Be sure to check out the Shadows and Spellcraft Kindle Fire Giveawayat the bottom of the page! Just follow the link above and click on the covers or banners to find out more about each book!
Free Reads on my Blog
There are always plenty of free reads on a Hopeful Romantic, some finished, some not, but plenty to enjoy at your leisure. Here’s a listing of just a few for your reading pleasure.
Interview with a Demon
While there will be no more interviews with the Guardian on my blog, the interview as it stands will remain for your reading enjoyment with the whole story coming out in the fictionalized A Demon’s Tale which I will begin writing on in November. So if you’ve not read the interview yet, it’s still there for you to enjoy.
Concerto
A remote location, a ruined Scottish manor and a mysterious pianist, these are the story ingredients that have inspired Concerto. Below you’ll find the link to the latest episode, which will contain the links to all the earlier episodes, if you’ve not read them yet.
Other Free On-line Reads from the Medusa’s Consortium Series:
In Pursuit of Mr. Sands
In Pursuit of Mr. Sands Part 1
In Pursuit of Mr. Sands Part 2
An Unexpected Encounter with a Vampire
Part 1 An Unexpected Encounter with Alonso Darlington
Part 2 An Unexpected Encounter with Alonso Darlington.
Part 3 An Unexpected Encounter with Alonso Darlington
What are You Reading?
I’ve just begun the Wild Card Series, edited by George R. R. Martin, with stories, novellas and novels by some of the best SciFi/fantasy writers in the business, including the man himself. These books are soon to become a television series, and 
come highly recommended by Mr Grace. So far, I’d say the man has good taste. Here’s part of the blurb from The Epic Beginning.
There is a secret history of the world – a history in which an alien virus struck the
Earth in the aftermath of World War II, endowing a handful of survivors with extraordinary powers. Some were called Aces – those with superhuman mental and physical abilities. Others became Jokers – cursed with bizarre mental or physical disabilities. Some turned their talents to the service of humanity. Others used their powers for evil. Wild Cards is their story.
And what are you reading? Whatever it is, enjoy!