The short of it:

Thank you for visiting our website and supporting our authors. Pendragonvariety.com will be on indefinite hiatus. In the mean time, you can visit our authors page to find their author websites – our authors are always up to something!

The long of it:

We have enjoyed highlighting our authors new releases, book reviews, and related news on this blog for the past two years. During those two years we dealt with many technical issues in our attempts to optimize our social media reach with automated tweets and posts to facebook — some of these automated features now refuse to work, and unfortunately, we have a small staff for curating things like that by hand. During that time we’ve also seen many of our authors adjust their social media usage, such as by moving to Patreon, and we feel it is time that we, too, took stock and adjusted. If you’ve been with us from the beginning, you may recall that we started as a podcast which ended when several of our podcasters experienced life changes simultaneously. So much has changed since then in the internet and writing worlds, and yet many things have not changed–such as our authors still producing wonderful stories. This blog served as a rebirth and re-branding of the podcast that we hoped would aid our favorite authors in reaching readers, and give readers a place to discover and follow several female authors hand-picked by our staff. We already know of several exciting projects by our authors for the upcoming year, but we are not sure the best way to share them.

At our core we have always been about writing and reading genre fiction. We would love to revitalize this website. We’re open to ideas on the best way to go about that. If you have ideas or are interested in helping, we’d love to hear from you.

Here’s to a wonderful year!

Michelle Ristuccia brings us her enthusiastic review of Angle of Truth, the second book in The Sky Full of Stars. Hop on over to the Waking Dreams Blog to read the review more: Review: Angle of Truth by @GoblinWriter Join Lindsay Buroker’s email list to keep up-to-date on her releases, and get free content. Buroker is a prolific writer with a variety of series to whet your appetite. Pick up The Rogue Prince and Angle of Truth now on Amazon.

Princess-author Alethea Kontis continues to entertain with her free patreon posts, Weekly Smilemail and Fairytale Friday, which recently featured her rant on Rumplestiltskin.

Althea asked her fans what awesome authors they follow on Patreon. Check out Althea’s list of Awesome Patreon Authors! Alethea invites you to comment with any authors you don’t see on the list. What a great way to discover authors and help others discover your favorites!

 

 

 

Michelle Ristuccia reviews “Unleash” by Lauren Harris  as “a welcome break from the lighter urban fantasy” with “heart-stopping action scenes.” Read more on her blog: Review: Unleash by @LaurenScribe Other reviews cite a “unique magic system” and call Unleash “fun and engaging.”

Pick up Unleash by Lauren Harris on Amazon.

Add it to your Goodreads list and give it some love there and on Amazon. Every review counts!

Join Lauren’s mailing list for an exclusive prequel!  You can also find her on Patreon where followers get exclusive content.

 

 

Jenny Melzer brings us her no-nonsense review of Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

 

Oh, how fun! Read Kendra Fortmeyer’s interview with FLAPPERHOUSE here, and preorder The Hole in the Middle here.

 

View Kendra Fortmeyer for more:
How writing a novel is like trying to carry an armload of spaghetti up the stairs: an interview with FLAPPERHOUSE

Jennifer Melzer brings us her review of Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien de Castell, as well as the previous three books in the series:

Traitor’s Blade

Knight’s Shadow

Saint’s Blood

 

Jennifer Melzer brings us her review of the Lightbringer series by Brenk Weeks:

 

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks

The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks

Hooray for spring releases! Snatch them up for fun summer reading: Pick up an intense urban fantasy, Unleash by Lauren B Harris and follow her on Patreon ( https://www.patreon.com/laurenbharris). Join Harris’ mailing list for a free prequel short story to Unleash, featuring Helena’s kidnapping. Add Wicked Deeds to your cart for a heart-wrenching tale about losing oneself to dark magic and vengeance, “Shiv” by Jennifer Melzer. And don’t forget Wild at Heart a flipped fairy tale by Starla Huchton. You can also catch her EVOLUTION series in audio for  FREE as a week-by-week podcast. Meanwhile, Alethea Kontis posted her amazing Wonder Woman photoshoot for her patreons, and she added a new patreon goal that has us all buzzing: if she can reach her monthly patreon goal, she will drop everything else to finish the Woodcutter Sisters series!!! You can find the first one, Enchanted, here. Alethea Kontis also posts weekly smile mail for her patreons. Enjoy! Meanwhile, Abigail Hilton’s patreon is sooooo close to earning another adult coloring book for her fans. She is currently posting Jager Thunder and The Guild of the Cowry Catchers in audio. Now, for a better look at our new releases:   A deadly price for freedom. A power she can’t control.   Helena Martin doesn’t know who she hates more, the sorcerers who fired the magic-laced bullet or the gang-lord master who used her mother as a shield. Both hunt the remnants of her pack and the only way Helena can protect them is using her newly-unleashed magic to lead the two factions away. With a coveted book of spells as bait, she flees Miami and heads for her mother’s Minnesota hometown. There, salvation comes in the form of a dog rescue willing to take in a different kind of stray. The illusion of a peaceful life is seductive but with sorcerers and bounty hunters sniffing around every corner, Helena fights to keep her past, her pursuers, and her unstable power a secret. Then she discovers it’s not the spell book her enemies are after, but Helena herself, and the strange power she can barely control. When her master’s bounty hunters threaten her new home, Helena realizes that protecting the people she’s grudgingly come to love leaves her with one option: join the sorcerers who killed her mother.

Order Now (Amazon)!

(Kobo)

Sometimes wicked people do wicked things simply because they can…

The twelve stories in Wicked Deeds tell tales of witches and warlocks with ill intent, devilish demons bent on destruction, and other doers of evil who make the world a terrifying place. What is a mother to do when her daughter is gifted but lives under the thumb of her fanatical preacher husband who will brook no talk of the supernatural? What of a demon so desperate to free himself of a trap that he will force another to repeat his atrocities and condemn a young boy to his demonic fate? Or maybe the story of a crotchety old witch with a score to settle against the town she lives in is more to your liking – what evil will the seemingly harmless town-crazy call upon when faced with an ultimatum?

If you’re looking for wicked people with supernatural abilities doing wicked things, this is the collection for you!

Order Wicked Deeds now on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

Once upon a time, I wandered between worlds. Part of both, but all of none, my heart longed to find its place, and I turned my back on those I loved.

Once upon a time, I spoke my greatest wish aloud. I found the peace I longed for, but the cost was too high, the price no less than everything I was.

Once upon a time, I chased down myths and legends. In a land as wild as I was, a lesson in love and friendship called to me, asking a single question: what did it truly mean to be human?

 

Order Wild at Heart now!

Michelle reviews The Rogue Prince as “a fast-paced space adventure by Lindsay Buroker.”

The Rogue Prince is part of The Fallen Empire universe, in a timeline which begins with Star Nomad in The Fallen Empire Collection.

View Waking Dreams Blog for Michelle’s review of The Rogue Prince and Star Nomad:
Review: The Rogue Prince by Lindsay Buroker

Lauren Harris shares with us the upcoming release by Doc Coleman, The Perils of Prague (The Adventures of Crackle and Bang Book 1), a Steampunk Adventure/Comedy up for pre-order. Check out that bangin’ cover. Hey, is that a quote from Jody Lynn Nye?! Cool! Snag the book while it’s still on preorder! (Releases the 25th)

 

BLURB

Victoria, the Eternal Empress, has sat the throne of the British Empire for over 150 years. Her policies have brought peace to the world by suppressing the development of “dangerous technologies”, and where that has failed, her Imperial Troops, with their lightning rifles, have swiftly brought order. But there are still those who chafe at the yoke of peace.

When an evening’s entertainment in the British Protectorate of Bohemia unexpectedly leads to the destruction of the State Opera House of Prague, the eccentricity brilliant Professor Harmonious Crackle and his beautiful colleague Miss Titania Bang must team up with the Duke of Prague’s nephew and hunt down the evil genius responsible. Can they find him and stop him before he unleashes his new technology to terrorize the city and threaten the stability of the British Empire, and the Eternal Empress herself?

In a race against an unknown menace, this intrepid trio must search high and low and discover The Perils of Prague!

An excerpt from the book

“You’re serious!” Miss Bang’s brow was creased in ire. The hint of fire blazed behind her eyes.

He blinked at her. “Of course, I’m serious. Such a joke would be in very bad taste!”

“I don’t believe anyone ever accused my great-grandfather of having good taste,” I commented ruefully.

The professor turned to me. “Your great-grandfather was actually quite a thoughtful fellow in his youth. He did throw the most excellent parties. I never did find out what made him such a misanthrope as he got older. I’d often wondered… Wait! Wait, I was going to tell you something. Something I’d just discovered.” He looked down at the wing in his hand. “Yes! That was it! You remember the birds, the clockwork birds?”

I nodded. “Yes, Professor. It was just earlier this morning.” I wondered if it was still morning.

Professor Crackle nodded vigorously. “Yes, they’re a perfect recreation of the living creature. Or at least as best as I can tell, given the damage the sample sustained. If only I could examine an intact specimen.”

Miss Bang spoke up. “You’re drifting again, Harmonious.”

“No, no, no, no! This is important. Did you get a good look at the singers? The male and female leads?”

“At the opera?” I asked. I wasn’t quite sure where he was leading.

“Yes! Did you get a good look at them?” He seemed very agitated as he leaned toward me for my answer.

“Well, Professor, I am afraid I wasn’t really concentrating on them for most of the performance. And when things livened up at the end, my attention was, well… on other things.”

“And you, Titania?” He whirled to face Miss Bang.

“Other than the final song, they seemed quite capable, although somewhat uninspired performers.” She paused in thought for a moment, touching one finger to her lips. “I’m not sure how to describe the final performance.”

“Drat. I hoped one of you got a better look. Now we shall have to find what is left of them.” The professor moved back to his workbench and put down the wing and his loupe.

“You want to go find their bodies, Professor? Isn’t that a task better left to the police?” I did not fancy the idea of sifting through the rubble for pieces of the dead performers.

He turned to me. “Their remains, yes. But their bodies, I think not.” He lifted the wing again and shook it to illustrate his point. “I think they were clockwork.”

“A clockwork man? How is that possible?” I looked to Miss Bang, but she seemed fascinated by the idea.

“But such intricate detail, Harmonious… and such a complex series of actions to perform upon the stage. They were actually singing. It wasn’t a phonograph recording. Even with the latest equipment, one can tell the difference. I’ve never heard of an automaton that could truly sing.”

“Yes!” The professor looked like a child who had been promised a new pony. “Exactly! Such perfect duplication of the living form! When I went down on the stage and examined the woman, she looked otherwise normal except for the side of her face. The flesh sagged under a weight. I think a piece detached from the underlying support structure and dragged it out of shape. I believe the same person who made these birds constructed the opera singers as well. But I need more evidence. We need to find what is left of those performers.”

“So, we’re going back to the opera house?” Miss Bang asked.

“Yes! Well, no! We’re already there. I’m sorry about the little detour, my boy, but I’m certain your uncle is going to want to see whatever evidence we can find.”

“Surely he will be worried about my disappearance? Perhaps it would be best to just drop me off first and I can explain your theory to Uncle Randolph?” Much as I would like to avoid his wrath, putting off seeing my uncle could only make things worse.

“After losing a major landmark?” Professor Crackle asked. “Don’t be ridiculous! He may be worried, but he will have hardly a moment to think on it. No, trust me, even if you went back now you wouldn’t be able to get in to see him. But if we can find something to prove it wasn’t an accident, we’ll be able to get right in to see the duke.”

“And the police, Professor?” I asked, wondering what Inspector Janecek would think about the professor’s clockwork people theory.

“Yes, we must get there before they do! The last thing we need is for them to tromp all over everything and destroy the evidence we need.” He grabbed a pair of goggles off of a bench and strode through the door. “Come along!”

“But, but that’s not what I meant!” I sputtered and hurried to catch up to Miss Bang as she swept out of the room in the professor’s wake.

ABOUT DOC

Doc Coleman  began his writing career in 2010 with the Nifty Tech Blog, a tech review blog that demystifies technology by highlighting some of the best consumer products available. Doc soon moved on to writing fiction, with the short story “The Gift”, and stories for the online magazine Flagship and for The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences’ podcast Tales from the Archives. His latest work is the first book of his steampunk series The Adventures of Crackle and Bang, The Perils of Prague.

Doc is a computer geek, a motorcyclist, a homebrewer, a podcaster, a writer, and voice actor. Sometimes, he even finds some time to relax, too.

View Gates of Rizellen for more:
Cover Reveal – The Perils of Prague