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Chapter 3

 

Cryptorium, Upsilon Sector

 

The Technomancers were pleased as they loaded copies of themselves into the support ship. The ship had been thoroughly tested and was ready for her mission.

They were displeased with the mission, as they had been supplying the Xenos with freshly cloned organics the Xenos had claimed most of the territory in the region. They were isolated. They would have to travel outside the Xeno claimed area to set up a new base.

As soon as the ship was away the makers began to make a second ship.

<<(O)>>

Barataria Bay, Upsilon Sector

 

Hazel VI was surprised by the new IFF on the telemetry feed for the sector. The Necrons had deployed a new ship to the sector; no, it had been built by the Crypt? She frowned and then nodded slowly. That explained why they had been preoccupied. It amused her; they were going to have to travel far to get beyond her border. By the time they got there, they might find that Chester had taken the area and they’d have to go even further afield.

They also would lack an ansible to communicate and coordinate their ships. Additional ships were in the bridge she noted, so they were taking a higher interest in the sector. Very well.

<<(O)>>

Admiral Chester IV noted the new ship as well. He was annoyed but then amused. The ship was headed south but had a ways to go to get to space he had yet to conquer.

There were three main prizes left in the sector, all pirate bases. He had forces dispatched to two of them. He’d had to divert some cruisers to block the path to Tau; there was a report that several pirate ships had managed to escape in that direction.

That was vexing to him. The odds were low that they survived the trip, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t like anything that might get him in trouble with the queen.

<<(O)>>

In Hyperspace

 

Admiral Chester grimaced as he noted that there was another time discrepency. His ships had something going on that the techs didn't understand. He didn't understand it. What he did understand was that the Necron ships had been lost briefly and were now taking far longer than they should to get to their target destination.

But, they were finally on course. That was the important thing.

<<(O)>>

TauG13-95, Tau Sector

 

Senior Captain Cynthia Troll  nodded as she read the latest report from the prize ship. So far so good, the prize crew were settling in and making inroads to repairs and upgrades. By rights she should be grateful for another hull … except this one was so dang old.

Old, battered, and decrepit with a bad history. Worse, it pulled crew away from the ships in her tiny task force. Each of the five ships had donated a draft of personnel. They were also working on an AI to help support the ship and crew.

The good news was that her Prometheus was a tender. Her engineering department was oversized and designed for making repairs to another ship … or building infrastructure. They were going to spend the next few weeks getting the ship sorted out and then on her way. She would be trailing behind them for some time until she caught up.

The realization that the Xeno threat in Upsilon was real had crystalized her decision process on their ultimate destination. They didn't need or want to be on the direct path of a potential invasion force from the neighboring sector. That left TauG5-98 Firework Blossom. The state people in that yacht were going to have to talk fast and work their magic to seal the deal.

That left the thorny problem of getting news of their catch and the danger that they were facing to the Federation.

She had a support force coming up behind her. There was also an ansible transport and her escort. She had endured a debate between the captains on who should return to the Federation. She had ended it by stating flatly that they would leave a message for the ansible transport to stop and set up an ansible and report in ASAP.

That still left the little matter of the crew of the suspected pirate ship. Well, they weren't going anywhere and well, her ship was a factory tender … they would stick them on ice once they built some stasis pods … after they were interviewed and processed of course.

<<(O)>>

Lieutenant Iwa casually monitored the interviews with the alleged pirates from Upsilon. What they were saying was deeply troubling. Very troubling indeed.

The four cruisers and single tender were on their way to the north to set up a naval base there with an eye to protecting the sector from possible threats in Upsilon. Along the way, they had recently captured an alleged pirate ship, the Sweet Boni Blackheart, a Cleveland class cruiser. She was a decrepit thing. The crew had been doing a bit of blackmail with the natives and had surrendered readily when the Federation ships had arrived in the star system.

The captain and bridge crew of the heavy cruiser Koa were very concerned about the threat of Xenos to their north that the pirates were reporting. It was confirmation that they dreaded. The tactical teams were eager to sort out the material that they had been given from the ship's databases.

There was enough in the databases to prove piracy … to some degree. The lawyers would have to sort that out later, however.

The AI noted a newcomer headed to the improvised interview room. According to the records, this one was one of several who had reportedly escaped from a pirate prison.

This might be interesting, the AI thought as it noted the physical fitness of the human. He might be trouble, the AI thought as the Marine looked warily at the muscle-bound human.

<<(O)>>

“Sorry about the wait, we had a bit of a line,” a harried lieutenant said as he came into the room. Jack stood at attention as the Neochimp marine undid his cuffs and then stood to one side. The door closed with the second Marine guard on the outside.

The lieutenant was busy looking at a tablet. Jack went to parade rest and waited.

“So, Jack Dufresne is it?” the lieutenant asked, finally looking up. He mangled the last name Jack noted. It was to be expected.

“Dew-frane,” Jack sounded it out.

The lieutenant blinked and then sat back. “Apologies.”

“No harm no foul,” Jack replied.

“So, this is something of an informal interview. You’ll forgive me if I am not interested in eating breakfast. I’m a bit full,” the lieutenant replied.

Jack grunted slightly. He preferred to work out before eating. He hadn’t had any breakfast and was hungry. But, he would go with the flow. The whole breakfast thing was a psychological gambit to put him at ease. That was interesting, but what was more interesting was that the lieutenant was practically admitting it.

The lieutenant studied him. “You are… an odd case, I have to admit.”

“Are you my JAG lawyer?” Jack asked as he kept his eyes 6 centimeters above the lieutenant’s head. He remained standing since he had not been invited to sit.

“No. Do you want one?” the lieutenant asked tiredly. He looked a bit peeved. “A few of your shipmates have asked for one.”

Jack nodded. He had heard that from the reports of some who had returned. They’d clammed up. They’d told the others to do the same so the interviews had apparently run faster.

“That should not be necessary. You read my file?” he glanced at the tablet. He had determined to take the plunge; there was no other path forward. There was also no point in maintaining the status quo. It just… bothered him. He’d lived with Dufresne for so long it was like an old worn jacket.

“Such as it is. Most of which we’ve assembled from the interviews. You are… a security risk I’m afraid. Leading an escape from a prison station?” the lieutenant asked. He glanced at the Marine.

Jack looked a little smug briefly. “Not my first time but yes,” he said indifferently. He was amused at the mind games that the lieutenant was playing.

There was a long silence.

“I see,” the lieutenant said, seemingly amused at the admission. He made a note on the tablet. After a moment he looked up. “You are a good candidate for stasis then. Just how old are you?”

Jack cocked his head. “In or out of stasis?” Jack asked as he finally looked directly at the lieutenant.

The lieutenant blinked and pursed his lips. “I see. So, you are a sleeper?”

“Yes.”

The lieutenant straightened up a bit. His eyes narrowed. After a moment he nodded. “You have identity implants. But they are basic civilian grade.”

Jack cocked his head and quirked an eyebrow upwards. “You just scanned me?”

“You were scanned several times by medical.”

“I see.” Jack didn’t mention that if he had ID implants he had to be a sleeper. Either the lieutenant was playing coy or he had seen so many people he was getting his facts jumbled up.

“Look, I’ve had a long day. I’m a bit tired from these interviews. So, do you have anything to contribute to your story?”

“A lot actually,” Jack replied mildly. He glanced at the Neochimp marine and then back to the human lieutenant.

The lieutenant tensed a little but then relaxed.

“New at this?” Jack asked.

“No, I’ve been around the block,” the lieutenant replied. He seemed a little defensive.

Jack cocked his head. “I see. Maybe I need to talk to a spook,” he said as he cautiously tested the waters. “Someone from ONI.”

The lieutenant blinked and then his eyes narrowed. “Maybe I should have introduced myself. My name is Lieutenant Albert Fogerty the IV. I am the resident intelligence officer. I am from Bek if that means anything to you.”

“A butter bar LT is the spook? What, no one else in this little task force? And you are what, ten years out of the academy?”

“Six,” the lieutenant said clearly nettled.

“A whole six years and you made LT?” Jack snorted. “What, did you graduate as a second lieutenant? I take it you didn’t process my IFF signal I sent the sergeant?”

“I… no…?” the lieutenant glanced at the Neochimp.

Jack decided to just go for it. It was now or never. “Ah. So, is that why I was left for last? I thought you were maintaining my cover,” Jack said as he decided to take the plunge.

“Cover?” the lieutenant asked and then snorted. “Don’t tell me you are one of Monty’s long lost agents,” he said.

“Who’s Monty?” Jack asked in a puzzled tone of voice.

The lieutenant blinked and then shrugged. “Ah… never mind.”

Jack thought about it and then sighed. He held out his hand.

“What? You want to shake?”

“No, I want you to jack in to my implants so I can provide my ID lieutenant,” Jack said evenly. “I can’t transmit the full ID by wifi. They are hidden,” he stated evenly.

The lieutenant blinked again but didn’t take the extended hand.

“Color of the day is Purple. Code phrase one is The Tax Man cometh. Second is Buzz Lightyear and Woody,” Jack said as if reading off a script.

The lieutenant frowned and then shook his head. “Is that supposed to mean anything?” he asked as he glanced at the hand and then Jack.

Who was this guy who didn’t know what the color of the day meant? Jack thought in annoyance. Really? A spook who didn’t know that?

“Is your ship AI monitoring this conversation?” Jack asked. He looked around the room until he spotted the camera focused on him. He stared at the unblinking lens and amber light.

“Yes,” An AI voice said. A hologram of an AI avatar appeared on the desk. Jack’s gaze was naturally attracted to it. The AI was in uniform naturally. It was a human female and had a slight Polynesian look to her.

“I am Lieutenant Iwa.”

“Please inform the Captain I’m on board,” Jack stated formally. “I think we need to have a chat in private,” he said as he glanced at the Marine and then to the LT. “Classified Ultra Blue.”

That made the Marine and lieutenant sit up straight.

“Who the hell are you?” the lieutenant asked in a quiet voice. “You don’t just throw words like that around.” He shook himself after a moment. “Where did you hear that? Some movie?”

“I am someone you forgot apparently,” Jack replied with a grimace. “That much is now obvious. Now, do I jack in to you, the AI, or wait for the captain?” He waved his hand slightly.

“Wait for the captain,” the AI stated flatly. “The lieutenant and I do not have clearance for your implants and quite frankly I don’t trust you not to have a virus or a wraith. Captain Jackson is on his way.”

“Good,” Jack said as he went back to parade rest.

<<(O)>>

 

LitStack Spots – Titles by Will Dean Here are some titles by Will Dean that…

The post Spotlight on “Adrift” by Will Dean appeared first on LitStack.

The cats on the vortex go ’round and ’round…

“Wheels” on the “bus,” dammit!

Ball in the track, if you please!

Why do I never understand what’s going on around here?

We didn’t want to tell you, but…well, you were dropped on your head as a kitten. Repeatedly.

You take that back!

 

Blue Beard, Red Hood (Beloved Villains #6)Rebecca F. Kenney
What is it about:A spicy, adult romantasy retelling of "Bluebeard" and "Little Red Riding Hood," two of Charles Perrault's most famous stories.
Sybil Fallon has a habit of summoning demons unintentionally and at the most inconvenient times. When she, her mother, and her sister are invited to an upcoming dinner at the estate of the mysterious Theron Beresford, Sybil is desperate to ensure that her ability won't manifest and ruin the evening. But when she seeks help from her reclusive former mentor, Grandmother Riquet, she discovers that the old woman has changed in dangerous and disturbing ways... and so has the forest in which she lives.
As Sybil struggles to control an ability she doesn't understand, she becomes strongly attracted to Beresford, the brawny, handsome estate owner. His distinctive blue beard isn't his only unusual trait. In addition to socially acceptable dinner parties, he also likes to host secret gatherings in the refurbished barn on his property. Sybil's first invitation to one of his naughty midnight parties opens her mind to a world of new pleasures. But with local disappearances inciting the suspicion of the neighbors, and Beresford's secretive nature raising questions in her own mind, Sybil must navigate an increasingly treacherous path through the forest of her circumstances in pursuit of the future she wants.
What did Voodoo Bride think of it:Yes, I totally went on a Rebecca F. Kenney Binge.This one I got as an ARC, but I bought the ebook as well, because I didn't get to reading/reviewing before the release.
I've always thought Bluebeard would be a great fairy tale to reimagine into something more sensual. And here it is!
I really enjoyed this mashup of Bluebeard and Little Red Riding Hood. I liked Sybil, and was as intrigued by Beresford as she was. There lots of deliciousness, some creepy things, and lots of suspense. There's elements of both fairy tales, but once again Kenney weaves them into a wonderful reimagining all her own. I had a great time with this and it won't be the last book by Kenney I will read.
Why should you read it:It's a sensual, suspenseful fairy tale mashup.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 13, 2026
ASIN: B0F4Q7YQXK
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in Wild Magic series
Source: ebook from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Like her sisters, Sage and Teal, Sky Flores has a touch of magic, and it’s caused nothing but heartache. Not only did she disappear into the woods years ago and reappear with no rational explanation, she’s also more comfortable talking to animals than to people. Different and misunderstood, Sky is shunned in the small town of Cranberry.

Sky’s neighbor, Adam Noemi, has his own problems. After being laid off from a prestigious newspaper, Adam, ever the ambitious reporter, needs a big headline to redeem his career. Enter Sky, a girl with a story that news outlets have been chasing for years. Sky agrees to grant Adam an exclusive interview on one condition: that he befriend Sky, in a very public way, to prove to everyone in Cranberry that she’s not an outcast.

As Sky shares her experiences with Adam, something much bigger than a simple agreement begins to grow between them. But for love to take root, Adam will have to take a leap towards a life that defies expectations, and Sky must open her heart – full of flora and fauna and mystical energies – to his curious mind.”

Series Info/Source: This is third book in the Wild Magic series. I got a copy of this to review on ebook from NetGalley.

Thoughts: This was a well done continuation of this series. I enjoyed reading about Sky’s story. My favorite book in this series remains the first book, but I enjoyed this one as well. You really feel for Sky and all that she’s been through; I thought her autism was well represented too.

Sky has a touch of magic; she can talk to animals. Unfortunately, with her long absence, she is more comfortable talking to animals than people, and the people of Cranberry town have not been kind to her. She feels like a burden on those around her. Sage and Teal have both moved on with their lives but still feel like they have to baby Sky. Sky is doing okay though; she has her job at the library and a couple of friends. She wants more and is trying to put herself out there. After some horrible experiences in an online dating app she finally clicks with someone online. Simultaneously, she keeps running into Adam. He was horrible to her in high school and is now the big time famous reporter (who seems to be down on his luck). Him and Sky have one thing in common, his father who is struggling with onset dementia. As Adam and Sky end up spending more time together via Adam’s father, they start to find out that they have more in common than they previously knew.

This was a cute story and I enjoyed it. I was excited to finally get Sky’s story, and she is by far the most timid of the sisters. I really felt for her and her feelings of loneliness, not fitting in, and of being a burden on those around her. I enjoyed watching her grow and find her footing throughout the story.

Sky has autism and this is represented throughout the story; she is sensitive to certain sensation and fabrics, has trouble with natural conversation and reading cues but she is trying to own it. I thought Gilliland did a great job representing this throughout the story. Sky is a high functioning individual who just needs to interact with people and things a bit differently. Adam comes off as a bit of a jerk initially, but I grew to enjoy his character more as the story progressed. The two end up having excellent chemistry together.

This story felt a bit slower than the previous two books. Sky had a mystery of a secret coven that she was trying to unravel but that was very much in the background and kept being forgotten throughout the story. There just didn’t seem to be as much to drive this story forward as there were in the first two books. I also love the Flores family, but they seem very scattered in this book. They do come together at times, but Sky felt very much on her own because she was very much on her own for a lot of the book. All the other members of the Flores family had valid but different priorities (new baby, new business, etc).

This was easy to read and cute and funny. I enjoyed it and think it was a decent close to this series about these magical sisters.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I liked this and thought it was a quick, cute, and fun read. It was a bit slower than the previous two books and I didn’t click with Sky as a character quite as well. However, I did like learning more about Sky and watching her grow and get her happiness. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy paranormal magic with a cozy feel; all of these books have an emphasis on family and finding happiness. I will definitely keep an eye out for Gilliland’s future books.

 Sitrep: The book is off to Goodlifeguide, we may see the book early, we'll see how it goes. No promises!

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Chapter 2

 

TauR14G6-15 Blue Waters and Gentle Mist

 

Admiral Rick Hunter was feeling pleased with himself over the entire conquest. The Taurens were moving in to take over. His Marines were working with his sensor techs to localize the holdouts on the ground. His AI let him know that he had an incoming ansible call.

“Admiral Logan?” he asked as her holographic image appeared.

“The one and the same. Well, two but I’m the female one,” Shelby quipped.

“Cute, ma’am. What’s up?” he asked. He felt a little trepidation over her call. Since they were back in contact, he was aware of the danger to the north.

“We have a problem.”

“We have plenty of them to go around, ma’am.”

“Cute.”

“Well, you did start it,” he replied.

She gave a short nod. “I’m talking about Sedu and the hostages.”

“Ma’am?”

“Our local grunt and jarhead commanders pointed out that the stasis pods have a short battery life. So, we have a ticking clock—about a year from the time that they were unplugged.” She paused and then nodded. “Right, Boni is saying a year.”

“Oh, lovely.” He frowned. “Wait … pods usually have longer battery life spans.”

“These are mass-produced jobs not the life pods that we use in the navy. They are supposed to be hooked up to a power network. The batteries are for them to be moved and in case of a momentary disruption in the power grid.”

Rick caught on and then grimaced. “Damn.”

“I know. I found it hard to believe until they mentioned the Pele refugees.”

Rick winced. His people had confirmed that out of the fifty thousand or so refugees, only a hundred had survived their “accident.”

“Damn,” he muttered. “Well, that does put a new spin on the situation.”

“It does indeed. Which means we need you to find Sedu. I know it is a big hay stack …”

“Actually, we have him localized to a single mountain range.”

“Oh?” she asked hopefully.

“That’s the good news. The bad news is that he split the hostages between the two planets. We don’t have the other localized.”

“Oh, damn,” Shelby said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay, so, what is the plan?”

“This is a Marine thing, ma’am. I’ve got a company of marines but no gunships or anything like that. They have two squads of powered armor. They aren’t set up for a planetary invasion. Boarding actions are short and sweet. This is going to get nasty. Sedu will see them coming and will be ready for them.”

Shelby nodded. “And with the hostages in play, you can’t give orbital support other than intel and communications.”

“I know, ma’am.”

“Okay, don’t go off half-cocked.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, ma’am. My people are busy for the next few weeks locking down the Tauren ships and space stations at the moment. But I think I will authorize the jarheads to get to the ground and start poking around. Set up a perimeter and start closing the noose as soon as possible.”

“Okay. We have troops en route but they are months out. You know the drill there.”

“I do indeed. We’ll figure it out, ma’am.”

“Hopefully,” Shelby replied doubtfully.

<<(O)>>

Captain Doris Hierl felt fatigue but fought the urge to sit away firmly. She tapped her implants and a spurt of adreniline cleared the cobwebs for the moment.

It didn't beat sleep. The natural boost wasn't good for her long term, sleep was the best remidee, but for the moment, it was all she had. She needed to remain alert until things cooled off.

So far so good, the boarding actions were over. They had no opposition on the ships or stations. Her people were split between guarding the improvised brig station, the captured capital ships, the stations, and finding General Sedu and his forces.

The last thing was proving tricky. They were on it though. But the newest crinkle had her nervous. The brass had determined that there was a shelf life on the stasis pods. Given what had happened to the Pele refugees, she understood it.

Digging them out was going to be … tricky. For the moment, she had one platoon on each planet trying to localize the general and colonel and lock down a perimeter. Once that was done …

Hell, she wasn't certain what she'd do. She'd figure it out she thought as she ran a frustrated hand through her short hair.

<<(O)>>

Blue Waters

 

General Sedu nodded as the report came in that the orbital works were in the control of the Federation. That was to be expected.

He had halted all flights in the region. There was no point telling the enemy where they were. Communications and active sensors were on lockdown as well. His vehicles were all inside. A majority of the remaining work was on foot.

He had work crews outside running fiber optic line between distant outposts. The lines were covered in a brown sheeth that didn't quite match the ground so his people had to cover it with a bit of dirt or gravel to disguise it. That was fine.

The great thing about the fiber optic line was that there were no betraying electrical traces for anyone to pick up. Just light following a channel from point A to point B.

He smiled ever so slightly. What those light pulses controlled … well, the Fed Marines would find out in good time.

<<(O)>>

The post Colm Tóibín’s “Nora Webster” | Recovering Her Lost Self appeared first on LitStack.

In reply to Bill.

The ways of Amazon are inscrutable.

My neighbor across the street wants flowers blooming in her front yard from spring until the end of summer. To do so, she’s planted dozens of tulips, daffodil, California poppies, wildflowers, and other random bloomers.

Her yard is bright and colorful for months.

Autumn is creeping in, though—just the breath of it cooling the breeze and tempering the sunshiny days. Her flowers have done their job spectacularly, but now their colors have faded.

I love autumn, I do. But seeing her yard go fallow made me realize summer went by far too quickly. I stood at my gate wondering if I had enjoyed the sun enough. Had I drank lemonade, dipped my feet into lakes, rivers, oceans? Had I taken time to run through a sprinkler, sleep outside beneath a wide starry sky, told the people I love just how much I love them as we laughed and sang old songs?

Had I savored it enough, the sweet summer-ness of summer?

I’m happy to say YES! I did all those things! Summer was wonderful. I mean, Life has still been Life, with happy days and really sad days, hard things and joys. But time moves us all forward, and the seasons are turning once again.

I think this autumn I’ll take a hint from my neighbor. I have buckets of daffodil, iris, and tulip bulbs down in the shed. Maybe it’s time to plant them, a small hope—a promise—of more sweet summers to come.

Worldcon was a very fun experience for me this year! Here I am on day 1, waiting in the registration line. Even though I arrived just after noon on Wednesday, it took an hour for me to make it to the front of the line and there were even more people arriving behind me.

I headed straight to the dealers’ room, and was happily shopping all the tables (So Many books and authors present!) when I heard a familiar voice. Who should I see but…

the fabulous, amazing author (and terrific friend!) Nina Kiriki Hoffman!! We strolled more of the dealers room together and eventually went out for a bowl of chowder at Pike Place Chowder.

I’d just had a bowl of Mo’s Chowder a few days before, and sorry, Mo’s, Pike Place Chowder was the superior bowl.

I can’t quite remember the order of things but eventually Nina and I ended up going to Martha Wells Q&A session:

I thought it was a wonderful Q&A, and that Martha had thoughtful, interesting comments about her writing process, what she’s writing next, and even a bit of what she would take away from the Murderbot show and possibly use in her upcoming work (it’s the costuming, and how the people from Preservation leave obvious patches on their clothing to acknowledge both injuries and recovery.)

I finally caught up with my fabulous roommate (and writer friend) Diana Pharaoh Francis by the evening and if I remember right, we talked for hours and called it a day.

These were the signed books I gave away to folk on my Patreon last year:

We also have an active discord.

For higher tier Patrons I do consults and chapter critiques.

Also social media follows, early signed copies of upcoming books, and tuckerisation into new novels.

In addition, I have a collection of unpublished work including 7 books and numerous short stories that tier 3+ patrons can access.

So ... check it out!

Patreon is a great way to support authors and get involved in their work at a deeper level.

 Join my Patreon.Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list.







.

Back in late 2023 I started writing something, and in early 2024 that something was a complete book, called The Bookshop Book. 

In this post in late 2024 I was offering folk on my Patreon access to it.

The book centres on a bookshop called ... Books.

The name is explained not as a lack of imagination on the owner's part but by the fact that the proprietor's surname is Books, and Books's Books felt rather too much for him.

All good so far.

Today a Facebook advert alerted me to a new TV series called Bookish about to drop 2 days from now. Here's a still from the trailer:

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the bookshop (around which this series is set) is called Book's.

Moreover, it turns out that it bears this name because the proprietor (the star of the show) is a Mr Book...

So - I now expect that when The Bookshop Book hits the shelves in 2026, if Bookish turns out to be a popular show, I will be accused of copying from it.

And the point of this blogpost is simply to flag the coincidence at work here. 

Ironically, The Bookshop Book is tangentially related to The Library Trilogy, and in both works I talk about how the Library uses the currents of coincidence to bring interested parties together and manipulate the world. Coincidence?

 Join my Patreon.Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list.

It’s been a minute since I’ve been here. I’ll be blogging more often to keep folks updated, so here we go!

First bit of news: HOUSE IMMORTAL (ebook) is now re-released with a new cover! Book two and three (INFINITY BELL and CRUCIBLE ZERO) also have new covers and are up for preorder!

Good news! I’m writing a new series set in the town of Ordinary, Oregon. It’s funny, cozy fantasy with a dash of mystery. It features new characters, and of course, many of the favorites from the Ordinary Magic series. If things go to plan, you’ll see the first three of those books out this year!

Am I knitting? Yes, of course! I made this cute little car hat for a kiddo who loves cars:

and I also tried my hand at crochet, and made the same kiddo a race track rug:

That’s it for now, friends. More new soon, so stay tuned, and happy reading!!

It’s here! It’s out! Wayward Devils, Book 4 in the Souls of the Road series is available in ebook and print!

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Cursed to follow Route 66 for nearly a hundred years, Brogan and Lula Gauge have made a deal with Cupid to find the spellbook of the Gods—a book powerful enough to destroy the world.

But they aren’t the only ones looking for it.

The evil goddess, Atë, has already tried to kill them once to get the book, and now Brogan and Lula must race to find it before Atë finds them and finishes the job.

Luckily, a coven of honkey tonk witches in Shamrock, Texas claims to know where the book is hidden. But their information comes at a great price. Brogan and Lula must help the witches kill an ancient monster. To do so, they will have to form an alliance with an old enemy who wants the Gauges dead.  

Brogan and Lula’s luck is turning, but whether it’s good or bad teeters on a knife’s edge: trust the devils they know, or go all in with the wayward devils they’ve just met.

This book was a lot of fun to write, especially when a few favorite characters from Ordinary, Oregon showed up, as did a certain Crossroads I rather like. I’m SO EXCITED to share it with you all!

Happy reading!!!

(more book and writing news soon…stay tuned!)

 

HELL OF A WITCH
coming out Oct 1, 2024!The hotly anticipated sequel to HELL FOR HIRE...

One month ago, Bex, the demon queen, and Adrian, witch of the Blackwood, pulled off the upset victory of the century. Now, they find themselves facing the question all unexpected champions must answer: what next? They declared war on Heaven, but how do you actually bring down a divinely powerful tyrant when your army’s still in the single digits and your magical fortress is an illegally modified Winnebago?

It seems like a hopeless situation. As always, though, Adrian Blackwood has a plan, and this time, he’s going big. He’s got an idea to take down the Seattle Anchor, the giant magical fortress that houses the Anchor Market and every other bit of critical infrastructure that connects Heaven to Earth.

How the Anchors work is a closely guarded secret, and getting to the good stuff will require going deep into the heart of Gilgamesh’s power. There’s a reason even the Queen of Wrath has never attacked one directly, but now that Adrian’s on her team, Bex thinks they can do it. She’s finally got the power she needs to actually move the needle on this war, and she’s going to hit that Anchor with all the fire she’s got.

But the enemies of Heaven aren’t the only ones making plans. After the fiery return of his most persistent annoyance, Gilgamesh has ordered his princes to take care of the demon queen problem personally. It’s time to roll out the big guns and show these rebels what divine wrath really means, starting with the Hell of a Witch who made it all possible.

Coming out October 1 in ebook, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, hardback, and an absolutely incredible audio edition!Preorder Now!Boston, what are you doing? Get out from in front of the title!

*Attempts to push familiar away with broom. Broom and cat team up. The author is forced to retreat.*

Ahem... It's sequel time! Y'all made HELL FOR HIRE one of my best new launches ever, and now the second book is almost here. HELL OF A WITCH has more of everything you love, and it's coming out all formats on October 1! Hooray!

Thank you all so much for making this series such a success. I'm so grateful you're enjoying the story, because I love these misfits to death. So much that I've already written book 3, which will be coming out in early 2025! So many books! It's the best of times.

I really hope you'll give HELL OF A WITCH a try, and if you haven't cracked into my Tear Down Heaven series yet, what are you waiting for? It's awesome! The audio book in particular is *chef's kiss*. One of the best things we've ever done. Highly recommended. 

Again, thank you all so so much for being my readers and listeners. I hope you love this book as much as I do. It's just so much fun and I can't wait for you to get into it. This series is going to be a truly epic ride.

Thanks again for making my dreams come true! Yours always and forever,

Rachel AaronWitch Career Counselor Assistant to the Familiars
HELL OF A WITCH is the second book in the Tear Down Heaven series. If you're new, start from the beginning with HELL FOR HIRE. I promise you won't be sorry!

 

From the BLURB: 
Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met.
They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers. 
What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. 
Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become far more famous than any of these five women. 
Now, in this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight, and gives these women back their stories. 
⦾
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold, read on audiobook by Louise Brealey. 
“Poor women were expendable …”
I listened to the audiobook of this, via my library's BorrowBox app - even though I've also owned the B-format paperback since about 2020, I could just never bring myself (or my heart) to pick it  up and read it of my own volition, but on audiobook I tore through it. And under the talent of Brealey's narration, who could bring out various regional accents to really help things along - it was superb. 
This was such a tough listen but I’m really really glad that I finished this book and I found it to be an extraordinary non-fiction work and by far one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read in a long time. 
I was completely upended, however to discover that this book has pissed off so many people and specifically “Ripperologists” to the point that Hallie Rubenhold has been horribly abused and harassed because she did to research into the canonical five victims of Jack the Ripper - and put fourth credible evidence that not all of them were prostitutes as the sick lore of this madman murdering spree dictated for so long. 
Her book is a gracious and human examination of what it meant to be a woman in the 1880s and the impossible position that they were put in to either be Madonna or whore. She digs into the Victorian mindset of the time that insisted that their murders had to somehow be prescriptive to the wider public and so they were painted as Scarlet women. Their stories absolutely broke my heart and patterns did emerge in all of them — domestic violence, alcoholism (if only to have some alleviation from the drudgery of being a woman at the time) …  the way people were kept impoverished and women in particular who had to bear the burden of childbirth and child rearing. Lack of education being the lightning rod overarching issue for so many people of this time. Just an incredible historical examination of everything never said about these women that I found to be so touching and crucial.
As I was reading, I was repeatedly struck by the realisation of how true it is now - just as it was in 1888 - that all it takes is a bad bout of luck, illness or injury for any one of us to experience houselessness and our fate to be completely undone. I thought that about each of these women at so many points in their life as Hallie unpicked them for us ... and my god, did my heart go out to them - across space and time. 
The very final chapter in the book is the Author listing all of the items found on four of the victims upon their death; in one of their pockets was one red mitten — and that visual is just touching and heartbreaking, as was the entire book.
5/5

 

From the BLURB: 

A BOY MEETS A GIRL. THE PAST MEETS THE FUTURE. A FINGER MEETS A TRIGGER. THE BEGINNING MEETS THE END. ENGLAND IS FOREVER. ENGLAND MUST FALL. 

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test the limits of time-travel. 

Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' - Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. With an appetite for discovery and a seven-a-day cigarette habit, he soon adjusts; and during a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine friendship, to something more. 

But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the structures and histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy history when history is living in your house?

'The Ministry of Time' is the debut novel from British-Cambodian writer and editor based in London, Kaliane Bradley. 

So, this may well be my favourite book of 2024. WOW-ee. What an enjoyable read, especially for a low-science fiction girly whose particular proclivity is time-travel tales (those are always my fave 'Doctor Who' episodes, the back-in-time ones). So, some random observations; 

⦿ I am very fond of 2005 YA novel 'The White Darkness' by Geraldine McCaughrean, which is about a teenage girl who is genuinely in love with (the long-dead) Captain Lawrence 'Titus' Oates from the doomed Terra Nova Expedition. So when I read the blurb for 'The Ministry of Time' about Britain having harnessed time-travel and successfully bought six travellers from various eras to the modern-day, including Commander Graham Gore from the doomed Franklin expedition - I was all in. *Especially* when the blurb hinted that Gore's present-day "bridge" - the protagonist of the novel who is tasked with helping him acclimatise and who maybe starts to develop feelings - I was *ALL IN*. 

⦿ Time-travel has always been my bag. Modern-day women falling for out-of-time men is my particular favourite sub-genre ... I know exactly when this started; 'Playing Beatie Bow' by Ruth Park, and the time-travelling Abigail falling for Judah in the 1800's. This was particularly cemented when I read 'Outlander' by Diana Gabaldon as an 18-year-old; WWII army-nurse Claire passing through the stones to Jamie Fraser in the 18th century. No doubt there's some Marty McFly 'Back to the Future' Michael J. Fox appreciation thrown in there too. But this sub-genre of sci-fi and time-travel is my jamboree. And 'The Ministry of Time' gave it to me in HEAPINGS of timey-wimey goodness. The romance is slow-burn but makes up for it because our protagonist (whose name we don't know, but we get an intimate first-person account from) crushes HARD on Gore and that amps up the burn. But I was also very sucked into the mechanics and politics of the time-travel itself, so it wasn't like I was ever cooling my heels and checking my watch for the low sci-fi to get good ... it was ALL good. 

⦿ The politics of time-travel in this book reminded me of the Norwegian sci-fi series 'Beforeigners', about people from different time-periods suddenly randomly appearing in Oslo, becoming refugees of time that the Norwegian government has to deal with. It's also a little bit like the (brilliant) Aussie TV series 'Glitch' set in a small outback town where; 'Seven people from different time-periods return from the dead with no memory and attempt to unveil what brought them to the grave in the first place.' I like this connection in particular because there's a shady organisation linked to the raising of the dead, a big-pharma laboratory called "Noregard" (best in-universe name for a corporation, ever.) It's also a wee bit like the 2001 rom-com starring Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan, 'Kate & Leopold' about an English Duke from 1876 falling for a modern-day New Yorker when he's unceremoniously dragged into the future. If any/all of those recs are your picnic; this book is for you. 

⦿ He filled the room like a horizon ... the writing was sumptuous, and gorgeous at times. Sometimes Bradley had a turn-of-phrase of description that made me go "ohhhhh." When something changes you constitutionally, you say: ‘the earth moved,’ but the earth stays the same. It’s your relationship with the ground that shifts. 

⦿ I actually first heard about this book, in a Guardian round-up of British debuts to look out for, and the description of Kaliane Bradley's idea made my spine sizzle and then I Googled her even more and found that she partly wrote the idea for 'The Ministry of Time' during Covid and lockdowns and because she kinda fell in love with the only photograph of Graham Gore. No, really. 'Kaliane Bradley Fell in Love With a Dead Man. The Result Is The Ministry of Time' ... if that's not an *amazing* sales-pitch I don't know what is. 

⦿ I just loved this. It's extremely cinematic and I wouldn't be surprised to find it is being developed into a movie or limited-TV series. It both feels appropriately head-nodding to plenty of other fabulous low-sci-fi time-travel that will make aficionados happy, but also sparkly-unique enough to keep adding to the conversation about the space-time continuum. Even if I guessed the small twist that comes, I did so because I know this sub-genre so well and expected certain markers along the way and Bradley did not disappoint. I loved this so much, I was only one-chapter in when I knew it'd give me the best bookish hangover and be hard book to follow-up, probably throwing me into a reading-rut.

5/5

 

"Featuring a motley crew of loveable demons, a chaotic male forest witch with a sassy talking cat familiar, snarky sentient weapons, wicked warlocks, and plenty of magical mayhem, Hell for Hire is a bewitching and diabolically fun urban fantasy that is as thrilling as it is wholesome." - Before We Go Book Blog

"Rachel Aaron has never ever failed to deliver an effortlessly engaging story filled with lovable characters, and an amazing, yet accessible, worldbuilding that is uniquely hers. It came as no surprise that Hell For Hire has all her usual winning trademarks and is possibly her best first book in a series so far." - Novel Notions

"Hell for Hire is an urban fantasy tale that follows a ragtag group of demons and the outcast witch they're hired to protect. Boasting loveable characters, unique lore, and a whole lot of heart, this urban fantasy romp is an absolute delight." - Simple Reads

"Hell For Hire is an absolute blast to read as it combines action, comedy, and lots of magic for a unique story. Rachel Aaron with her eighth (or ninth) series opener showcases exactly why she has no peers in the urban fantasy genre. If you want to have lots of fun, thrills and action, look no further. Hell For Hire is available to fulfill all your needs and more." - Fantasy Book Critic

"Aaron has done it again, giving us a whole new world in which to enjoy her outstanding craft. While many of the themes will be familiar, Aaron has created something fun and wonderful that delighted me. I blazed through this book, sacrificing sleep and productivity. Loved the world building and as usual with Aaron, loved her characters and the obstacles they face, overcome, and the new crises that arise from the ashes to challenge the protagonists anew. Can’t wait for the next book! This is already a must-read." - J Graham (audiobook review)Get your copy now in ebook, print, audio, or KU!The time has finally come! I finally get to share the book that's consumed my last year with you, and I can't wait for you to read/listen to HELL FOR HIRE, which is available right now in ebook, print, audio, and Kindle Unlimited!

I know it's not the DFZ and there aren't any dragons (yet), but I still hope you'll give it a try, because this book was an absolute blast to write! I've never had so many great critic reviews right off the bat. And if you're worried about starting a new book 1, I've got you, because book 2 is already written and going through proofreads, which means it will be available later this year. This series, she is rolling!

And speaking of rolling, you should give the audio edition a try on this one, because our new narrator, Nicholas Cain, narrated the hell out of it, pun entirely intended. ;) The audiobook is also available in stores other than Audible this time! Here's a list of all places you can find it, I hope you'll give the story a listen :D

If print is more your thing, we have hardbacks, and they are sexy! I mean, just look at this.



Ah, the sight fills my book-hording heart with joy <3 

I think that's enough promo for one morning. Thank you all so, so much for coming along with me on this crazy journey! I couldn't do any of this without your support, and I hope from the bottom of my heart that you love HELL FOR HIRE as much as I do. Thanks again, and I'll see you for the next book!

Yours sincerely,
Rachel AaronProfessional Familiar Consultant, talk to me about talking cats!
HELL FOR HIRE is the first book in the new Tear Down Heaven series, which will be five books in total. The second book will be out in Fall of 2024. I hope to see you then!

 

From the BLURB: 

Nova Weetman’s unforgettable memoir reflects on experiences of love and loss from throughout her life, including: losing her beloved partner, playwright Aidan Fennessy, during the 2020 Covid lockdown; the death of her mother ten years earlier; her daughter turning eighteen and finishing school; and her own physical ageing. Using these events as a lens, Nova considers how various kinds of losses – and the complicated love they represent – change us and can become the catalysts for letting go.

This is a moving, honest account of farewelling a partner of twenty-five years, parenting teenagers through grief, buying property for the first time at the age of fifty, watching Aidan live on through his plays, and learning to appreciate spending hours alone with only the household cat for company. Warm and wise – and often joyful – Love, Death & Other Scenes ultimately focuses on the living we do after losses and what we learn from them.

At one point while reading Nova Weetman's memoir, I said out loud to the empty room; "Geez, you're good Nova."

Such was the power and force of certain sentences, ideas, inflections and offerings throughout. "As writers, we are stealers of other peoples memories, bowerbirds of story," she writes at one point - and then puts that ability to collect on full display throughout as she recounts the life she built with her partner, playwright Aidan Fennessy, who battled and then died from prostate cancer in 2020 during Melbourne's numerous lockdowns and waves of Covid.

I know Nova as a colleague, a fellow middle-grade author and someone I greatly admire, and whose books I truly - hand on heart - believe helped me in tapping into my own voice for this age group. I think it's a little odd that I feel like I know-her, *know* her now after reading 'Love, Death & Other Scenes,' though. And especially because I have a tangential understanding of the loss she and her two children experienced in 2020. My uncle died after his third bout of cancer - having beat the other two, it was pancreatic in the end, third time unlucky - and unlike Nova's partner who had the option but didn't use it; my uncle chose Voluntary Assisted Dying and went out on his own terms, at home, December 2020. We were all there. I'm both surprised and not at all by how much reading Nova's perspective of a death like that during Covid - which I watched my aunt and cousin go through, one of the helpers minding children and looking for ways to ease their pain - I needed to reexamine and feel.

But I'm also surprised at how beautifully romantic this book was too, as Nova writes about how she and Aidan first met - how she fell first, and pursued ... how so much of their relationship felt like it needed balancing, especially in their creative exchange; ‘He introduced me to albums I’d never heard, to singers dead before my time, and the way that songs stain your memories giving them meaning they don’t have in silence.'

In this too, I feel weirdly intimate to the story because Nova writes about Aidan's final play he ever wrote - 'The Heartbreak Choir' - finally being staged, but only after his death. His final work he never got to see fully-realised. It's because I know Nova and am a fan of hers, that I was aware through social media what she was going through - and when tickets became available for 'The Heartbreak Choir' debut performance in Melbourne, I snapped them up for both myself, my mum, and my aunt - also knowing that she in particular may find some comfort in both the story, and its background. And she did - we all did. I saw 'The Heartbreak Choir' in May 2022 and loved it! A play my Aunt still talks about, has triggered her love of theatre to the point that she and my mum will now spontaneously ask me to check out what's on and what's coming up, book something for us all.

'Love, Death & Other Scenes' feels like another chapter to that play, in a way. How apt, that Nova muses towards the end of her memoir; ‘And it is in words that I can find him,' and it's in both her words and his that I feel something being unlocked, and another story I want to share with my family. That I want to press this book into their hands and say; 'It's us, a little bit.' We're not so alone, I think.

5/5

 

Introducing...HELL FOR HIRE coming out June 4!The Crew
A hulked-out wrath demon who eats gamer rage and loves cats, a shapeshifting lust demon who enjoys their food a bit too much, and a void demon who doesn’t see the point of any of this. They’re not the sort of mercenaries you hire on purpose, but Bex wouldn’t trust her life to anyone else.
 
Ever since the ancient Mesopotamian king Gilgamesh decided death wasn’t for him, killed the gods, and conquered the afterlife, times have been rough for a free demon. But the denizens of the Nine Hells aren’t the quitting sort, and Bex and her team have been choking a living out of the Eternal King’s lackeys for years. It’s not honest work, but when Heaven itself declares you a non-person, you smash-and-grab what you can get.
 
This next gig looks like more of the same…until Bex meets the client.
 
The Job 
Adrian Blackwood is a witch with a problem. His family has skirted the edges of King Gilgamesh’s ire for centuries, but thanks to a decision he made as a child, Adrian is personally responsible for putting his entire coven in Heaven’s crosshairs.
 
Determined to set things right, Adrian drags his broom, caldron, and talking cat thousands of miles across the country to Seattle where he can fight the Eternal King’s warlocks without bringing the rest of his family into the fray. But witchcraft--like all crafts--takes time, and if the warlocks catch him before his spells are ready, he’s dead. So Adrian does what any professional witch would do and hires a team of mercenaries to keep the warlocks off his back. He didn’t expect to get demons, but when you’re already on the killing-edge of Heaven’s bad side, what’s a bit more fuel on the fire?
 
Sometimes you get more than you paid for.
Neither Adrian nor Bex knew what to expect when they signed their contract, but witch-plus-demon turns out to be a match made in the Hells. With this much chaos at their fingertips, even impossible dreams start to come back into reach, because Bex wasn’t always a mercenary. She used to be the Eternal King of Heaven’s biggest nightmare, and now that she’s got a witch in her corner, it’s time to put the old magics back on the field and show Adrian Blackwood just how much Hell he’s hired.
 Preorder Now!Big day in book-land! 

First up, BY A SILVER THREAD is on sale this week for $0.99, so if you haven't given my new DFZ Changeling series a try, now's a great time to pick it up for cheap!

Second (and way more excitingly), I've got a brand-new book for you to dive into! Introducing HELL FOR HIRE, the first in the Tear Down Heaven series and a return to the classic Rachel-Aaron-style of big ensemble casts full of funny characters, crazy magic, world-ending stakes, and epic swordfights. If you liked my Eli Monpress fantasy books or the original Heartstrikers series, this is going to be right up your alley. There's a new magical system, demons with weird immortality issues, witch-family drama, and terrifying heavenly princes who will murder you while looking gorgeous. It's just a ton of fun and I can't wait for you to read it!!

HELL FOR HIRE comes out June 4, 2024 in all formats, including ebook, print, KU, and audio. If any of that changes, I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks for being my readers/listeners! I couldn't do any of this without you. 

Yours always,

Rachel AaronDivine Orchestrator Professional Demon Herder

Want to see all of my books in order, read samples, and know which series are finished? Visit www.rachelaaron.net!