Dracula: Hearts of Stone--A Tale of Magic, Romance and Fangs by A.J. Gallant

Dracula: Hearts of Stone

A tale of magic, romance and fangs. This adventure is sprinkled with humor.

This MIGHT be a little like Dracula if written by J. K. Rowling. It’s a place where magic and vampires interweave for an exciting adventure.

We start with a shiny new pot of boiling water and add too many evil vampires, and not enough of the good biters. Toss in one suicidal Dracula; add a cup of mayhem and a dash of romance. Oh yes, and a pinch of mirth. Stir lovingly and you have a new novel by A. J. Gallant. If it sounds like the recipe for you then you must read Dracula: Hearts of Stone. Dracula commands it.

Will Dracula male contact with a long lost love?

New York City is under attack.

Dracula is suicidal in a world where evil vampires are in the early stages of taking over. The Master has lived too long and can’t find a reason to face another day. Nasty vampires are feeding on vulnerable mortals and causing chaos. Years ago he trained valiant sheriffs and expects them to defend the humans but they are being overrun. Piers Anthony, the author, is now a vampire. He spends his days attempting to get the Master to snap out of it and to defend the humans, without losing his head.

A 12-year-old girl is a rare hybrid, half human and half vampire; she was conceived the normal way, with her mother a mortal and her father a vampire. Jenny is slowly discovering that she may be a blood wizard. She’s already an accomplished vampire killer and can cast spells, but an underground figure has noticed the girl. Some believe that she might be the one of legend that tips the scale toward good.

Sheriff Alexander and his vampire German shepherd stand and fight for justice.

Will the red sheriffs be overrun? Will Michael finally get the courage to ask out the sheriff?

Here are some of the characters in this book.

Dracula is a bit of a good guy.

Piers Anthony is now a vampire.

Jenny is a 12-year-old hybrid with extraordinary talent.

Lauren is an exceptional sheriff with unsurpassed fighting skills.

A very special Siamese cat searches for Dracula.

Tessy is a vampire German shepherd that hates the evil ones.

Alexander is a handsome sheriff trying to save the world, one vampire at a time.

Amazon

Dracula: Hearts of Fire

Jenny is well on her way to becoming a high level wizard, but the evil vampires are multiplying at an alarming rate. But it's definitely not easy to learn the ways of a wizard.

The red sheriffs have their hands full as Dracula finally decides that he's going to help.

Dracula: Hearts of Glory

Jenny discovers that she's one of the most powerful wizard's in existence, but her lack of experience may just be the death of her.

The battle rages to an exciting conclusion.

Author A.J. Gallant

The writing spark was first initiated by reading the works of Harlan Ellison. A. J. Gallant is now inspired by such authors as Steven King, J. K. Rowling, Dean Koontz and many others. He's the writer of more than a dozen screenplays.

The author resides in New Brunswick and is at work on a new Dracula series, with magic, romance, and the battle to save humanity. The first of the vampire trilogy Dracula: Hearts of Stone is now available.

A. J. Gallant is currently working on the sequel Dracula: Hearts of FIRE and should be available in August, 2012.

http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/a-j-gallant.html

Book Review: Memory's Wake by Selina Fenech

Fairies and Fantasy Pty Ltd (July 3, 2011)

978-0987151117

328 pages

Looking for a young adult urban fantasy with enough adventure, romance, and page-turning excitement to keep even the most easily distracted teen captivated? Then look no further than Memory’s Wake by Selina Fenech.

Imagine being dropped into a strange world with nothing more than the clothes on your back. From the opening pages, this is our heroine’s reality as she finds herself in a land called Avall. Her body is bruised, she is confused about how she got there, and she cannot remember anything about her life, not even her own name. She meets a beautiful yet timid human named Eloryn who has the ability to cast magic spells.

Eloryn’s unauthorized use of magic has her on the run from the wizard hunters who will not rest until she is arrested. Despite her own predicament, Eloryn decides to help this lost girl with pink-streaked hair, piercings, and ripped jeans find her way home. First, Eloryn gives her the name Memory. Memory and Eloryn must learn to trust each other if they’re going to survive as there is no shortage of danger in Avall. The wizard hunters, fae, dragons, and even the King of Avall, all want a piece of Memory.

Roen, the son of a Duke, joins the group after a failed attempt to steal from the girls. Roen fills the role of the handsome prince to Eloryn’s beautiful princess. Playing the part of the mysterious stranger and love interest for Memory is Will. Fenech gives all four characters turns as the POV narrator to paint a clearer picture of who Memory is, and does a remarkable job of giving each character their own perspective and unique voice. 

Fenech keeps us guessing throughout. There is non-stop action and new perils to keep readers hooked. Fenech has a knack for setting up cliffhangers at the end of each chapter to make sure we can’t put down her debut offering. The setting is vibrantly described and the writing flows well; however, it’s the character development that sets Memory’s Wake apart. Memory is a strong yet flawed, believable heroine. Young readers will easily identify with the problems she faces.

If the vivid description in this novel is not enough, the author has included dozens of her own skillful illustrations. The story is wrapped up with an ending that won’t disappoint and readers will desire a sequel. Frequent POV changes may distract some readers in the early chapters, but overall, this is an exceptionally entertaining novel that I would highly recommend to tweens, teens, and adults alike. Reviewed by E.R. Hynd

Available at Amazon.com

The author.

Born in 1981 to Australian and Maltese parents, Selina lives in Australia with her husband, her baby girl, an unnamed cat, and a lorikeet who’s far too clever. During her life Selina has found ancient Roman treasure, survived cancer, had knights joust at her wedding, been mugged for doughnuts, made a living as a visual artist, and shared her imaginary worlds in paintings and now in her novels.

http://www.selinafenech.com

Cold hearted Son of a Witch by MR Mathias

Fantasy Author M. R. Mathias announces the September 15th, 2011 release of the long awaited Dragoneers Saga Book II Cold Hearted Son of a Witch.

The eBook version is now available.

The First Dragoneer, a 43-page novella, available FREE almost everywhere online, begins with just a small part of the grand tale.

The Royal Dragoneers is the first full length novel of the saga. It was deemed a top indie release of 2010 by esteemed Fantasy Book Critic, and it was featured in the first ever Publishers Weekly - "Indie Showcase."

Now, Book II - Cold Hearted Son of a Witch brings The First Dragoneer and The Royal Dragoneers together. Zahrellion and Rikky and their dragons go on a quest to find the special mushrooms Mysterian needs to save Prince Richard from Gravelbone’s poison. Meanwhile, Jenka and his loveable dragon, Jade, escort the King's Rangers back to Kingsmen's Keep. When Jenka and the half-elvish mute, Lemmy, find a map at the Temple of Dou, they follow it and find more trouble than they bargained for. Ultimately, the five Dragoneers come together as they are forced to stand and face a terrible threat that is only just revealing itself. Mathias' fans will find grim and pleasant surprises in this novel-length action fantasy. The best surprise of all is that The Dragoneers Saga Book III - The Confliction will be available for Christmas 2011.

Reviewers respond to The Dragoneers Saga

Mathias is a master at characterization. The dragons are magnificent in the story. The plot is action is fast, furious and never ending. The plot is intricately woven with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. The story has a mythical quality. Fans of fantasy will not want to miss this one.

The author draws you into his fantastical vortex from the first chapter of The First Dragoneer and you are compelled to read on whether you want to or not. The characters are believable and engaging. It's obvious to me he either researches a lot or is very knowledgeable in archery, hunting and just plain survival. I left feeling I learned a thing or two. I highly recommend this pre-cursor to 'The Royal Dragoneers.'

Mathias is an absolute pleasure to read. Unique storyline, fascinating characters and a fast paced novel that practically reads itself. The Royal Dragoneers easily lived up to the promise shown in the prequel. Lovers of fantasy everywhere this is a fresh, new talent with plenty of truly original ideas. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to this book.

M. R. Mathias is the author of the bestselling Wardstone Trilogy, The Dragoneers Saga, and the Crimzon & Clover Short Story Series. He lives in the Big Easy with his tweeting dog, Mr. Stubby Freckle Butt. You can follow M.R.'s tweets @DahgMahn.

A .pdf with the first three Chapters is available here: http://www.mrmathias.com/Dragoneers.html

For ARC copies or interview requests: michael@mrmathias.com

Lor Mandela - Destruction From Twins by L. Carroll

L. Carroll won the Featured Author Contest at IAN in March.

Part I (Destruction From Twins) When a selfish enchantress seeks to steal mystical powers from her twin sister, she sentences the world of Lor Mandela and its inhabitants to death. In an effort to preserve itself, the soul of the planet appoints a Child of Balance named Audril Borloc who must solve a prophetic riddle known as the Advantiere. All hope seems lost, however, when shortly after her fourth birthday, Audril disappears without a trace. Desperate to save their world, Lor Mandelan spies travel to Earth in search of the little girl with black hair and bright blue eyes—traits that on Lor Mandela are exclusive to the ruling family, Borloc. Instead, they find seventeen-year-old Maggie. While the age difference between the girls is obvious, Maggie has the Borloc traits—evidence enough for the eager spies. They devise a plan to get Maggie to Lor Mandela, but will their scheme be successful? And what if they have the wrong girl? Who will save Lor Mandela then?

Part II (And So It Must End) Maggie Baker has always wished for a more eventful life. Unfortunately, she is about to get it. Following an earthquake that no one seems to have felt but her, her mundane existence is thrown into a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns as she suddenly finds herself bouncing back and forth between her hometown of Glenhill, Iowa and the distant world of Lor Mandela. On this strange planet, Maggie must learn who to trust, and who to fear. More importantly, she must find a way to convince the Lor Mandelans that she is not the Child of Balance, and her family and friends in Iowa (and herself for that matter) that she is not going insane.Amid fighting a two-headed creature, being captured by a lawless band of Shadow Dwellers, and falling head-over-heels for the enchanting son of an evil warlord, Maggie sees the lines of the Advantiere unfold around her. It isn’t long before she discovers that her blasé reality could be the real fantasy, and that the fate of an entire world may actually depend on her.

Before pursuing what seemed to be a shelved dream of becoming an author, L. Carroll worked in corporate management and training, first in the field of retail home décor, and then for a small book chain. It took being surrounded by books day in and day out for her to finally realize that her passion for writing had been squelched long enough, and so the world of Lor Mandela was born.

With four young adult children and one pre-teen of her own, she's had a wealth of inspiration for her characters; her writing is strongly influenced by her own parent/child experiences. Currently, she resides in Eagle Mountain, Utah with her husband, Chuck, and their five children.

Lor Mandela “400 Days” is coming this summer. Don’t miss either installment of this captivating adventure fantasy series.

Available at Amazon.com

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