Brrr, aargh — NaNoWriMo and more

Hi friends!

It’s November, which is simultaneously National Novel Writing Month and the month I most want to be curled up with a good book and a hot toddy.

I’m participating in NaNoWriMo this year (the goal is to write a 50k novel in a month), and I’m thoroughly behind. But despite falling way short of the 50k word goal this month, I’m still making steady progress on the next Durga System book, which heavily features Starla!

Stay tuned….

I have a couple of book recommendations for you below, but first, some announcements.

Come meet me at Holiday Cheer!

For those of you in Portland, OR and its hinterlands, come on down to the Oregon Historical Society for Holiday Cheer. It’s a free book fair, open to the public. There will be dozens of local authors there to sell and sign books, including yours truly.

Holiday Cheer
Sunday, December 3, 2017
12PM – 4PM

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

Win your office White Elephant or Secret Santa

Listen up. Do you want to be the person who brings yet another scented candle to the office White Elephant party, or gives your secret Santa some boring mug?

No?

Win your office holiday gift exchange this year with my newest short story collection, Business as Usual.

It’s a stocking-sized book packed with laughs — and the perfect gift for your favorite coworker or boss.

Get it in paperback here.

For your To-Be-Read list

My book recommendations this month are both by people I know and adore.

Fonda Lee’s Jade City is the first in what will hopefully be a long series of Godfather-esque novels set in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. I’m loving the world-building and characters!

Oliver Altair’s Silver and Bone takes one of my favorite genres (western), and gives it a decidedly weird twist. The characters are enjoyable, the setting is rich, and Oliver’s writing is simply fantastic.

Jade City

by Fonda Lee

FAMILY IS DUTY. MAGIC IS POWER. HONOR IS EVERYTHING.

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for — and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon’s bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone — even foreigners — wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones — from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets — and of Kekon itself.

Find it:

Silver & Bone

by Oliver Altair

MAGIC, COWBOYS, AND ZOMBIES. WELCOME TO SOULS WELL, COLORADO.

After an avalanche decimates the population, it’s up to sheriff Tiberius Tibbetts to keep his remote, mining town from falling apart. But it won’t be easy. An infamous outlaw is terrorizing the streets. A snake oil salesman is bamboozling the townsfolk, aided by his seductive assistant. On top of all that, the dead are disappearing from their graves.

When murder comes to town and a mystical power awakens beneath the rumbling mountains, Tiberius will have to race against time to save Souls Well from a terrible cataclysm. His only chance is to open his mind to the ancient art of alchemy: an arcane magic that can lead him to his victory… Or his doom.

Oliver Altair’s Silver & Bone is the first installment in American Alchemy: Wild West. The series offers a new twist on the American epic. From a graveyard under the moonlight, through the forests of the San Juan mountains, to the tunnels of an abandoned mine, Silver & Bone will take you on a ride you’ll never forget.

If you’re a fan of dark, historical fantasy and enjoy Weird Westerns like Stephen King’s The Dark Tower , HBO’s Westworld or DC Comics’ Jonah Hex, you’ll love Silver & Bone.

Get on Amazon.

*Cover photo by David Everett Strickler on Unsplash