Find the 'Oakley Falls' Audiobook on Apple Books Now

The steamy Sapphic vampire fantasy Oakley Falls in not only available in print once again, but also in audiobook format.

Find it on Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/oakley-falls/id1837713875

This 43-minute book is only $1.99.

New Audiobook Releases: The Deep Space Scrolls, Guide to Fortune-Telling By Dreams

 New in audiobook:

What does it mean for your future if you dream of cats, beans, knives, or an earthquake? This anonymous author knew back in 1894 and now all of their dramatic A to Z secrets can be revealed. Learn the meanings of dozens of dream-objects and how they can foretell the future, at least according to this old-timey "science."

Find it from these retailers:

NOOK Audiobooks: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guide-to-fortune-telling-by-dreams-anonymous/1148152682?ean=2940203505866

Everand (Scribd): https://www.everand.com/audiobook/909357316/Guide-to-Fortune-Telling-by-Dreams

Kobo, Walmart: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/guide-to-fortune-telling-by-dreams?sId=0b847828-3c59-4a1f-8464-1732293b7eff&ssId=c-St_smNKF9hhofApQ3UH&cPos=1

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2hDTgKfwCHjBULUsUsGUwZ

Hear a short sample of the introduction on YouTube: 

The other new book I published in audio format is The Deep Space Scrolls:

Robert Franklin Young (1915-1986) was a science fiction short story writer and novelist from New York State whose career spanned 50 years. In The Deep Space Scrolls, he imagined the voyage of the starship Camaraderie 17 as it encountered the mysterious Spaceship X. The circumstances of that mysterious craft cause pilot Colonel Greaves and the senator committee who interview him to question the nature of human history. It provides proof of the most unlikely story in the most unexpected place possible.

You can find it at these retailers:

NOOK Audiobooks: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-deep-space-scrolls-robert-f-young/1137360723?ean=2940203726186

Kobo, Walmart: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/deep-space-scrolls-the?sId=d631ebe0-8111-42d9-827b-39eb2df35d2b&ssId=sOxVsinVmkZuHUrvel1Cv&cPos=1

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GDgVIrk7K9vKSc5WWFwE3

Don't forget, you can always check aeess.com for the latest audiobook releases. You can download the mp3 file, yours to own, directly from me. I get to keep all the royalties except the cut that the payment processor takes. 

Back in Print (eBook): Oakley Falls, a Sapphic Vampire Fantasy

Back as a stand-alone ebook: Oakley is a lesbian, a vampire, and a stripper. She and her mortal lover Hollie have their issues, but Oakley's unlife is going well...so why does she find herself waking up chained to a chair in the basement of The Third Eye Gentleman's Club? Could it have something to do with her favorite pro basketball player, flamboyant, New Orleans-bred Johnny Lee Bayliss?

(Yes, I named a character after Timothy James Bayliss from Homicide: Life on the Street.)

"Oakley Falls" was originally published in the Vamps anthology from Torquere Press. Get the ebook for 99 cents now from these retailers:

Apple Books
Barnes and Noble
Kobo/Rakuten/Walmart
Smashwords
Tolino
Vivlio

Oliver's Famous Clam Chowder

Herbert: A Romantasy

Amazon Audible Audiobook Deals Expiring on July 1, 2023

While your humble blogger here is in between day jobs, I've signed up to try my hand as an Amazon affiliate. As you know, I'm a big reader and a big podcast listener, so it seems like a natural fit for me to recommend some audiobooks. These books are on sale through July 1, 2023 at midnight. These are affiliate links, so if you click through and purchase something, I may earn a small commission on your purchase. Hopefully you have some Audible credits!

First up is Confident Women: Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion, nonfiction/true crime by Tori Telfer. I haven't read this one, but I read Telfer's previous book Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History, and that was fascinating.

Next is a classic: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. This classic science fiction novel is 53% off during the sale period. 

H.G. Wells by Alvin Langdon Coburn, November 2, 1905, photogravure, from the National Portrait Gallery which has explicitly released this digital image under the CC0 license. (https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.87.288.F)

If you're into science fiction, you may also be interested to know that Robert Heinlein's Have Space Suit, Will Travel is also on sale.

This paranormal romance title, Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire, is a book I've read, in print form, and I really enjoyed it. You can read my review here on the blog.

Scott Lewis's Mythology: Mega Collection is only available from Audible. This omnibus edition contains volumes 1-8 of Lewis's Classical Mythology Series. It includes stories from Celtic, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Japanese, Mesopotamian, and Norse mythology.

Finally, if you like mythology and folklore and you also like classics, you may be interested in The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm for 41% off. 

Favorite Books by Black Authors

I stole this idea from godzilla-reads. Support Black authors and Black-owned independent bookstores. I'm originally from South Bend, Indiana, so I'm biased in favor of Brain Lair Books, owned and operated by an African-American woman.

These are non-affiliate links to pages within this blog. Each page contains a review and further details about the book:

Around the Way Girl by Taraji P. Henson  - nonfiction - memoir/autobiography

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston - nonfiction - American history/African-American folklore

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - YA fiction

Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. - nonfiction

Hustling 101: Selling Your Talent Without Selling Your Soul by Rebecca Scott - nonfiction

I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan - contemporary adult fiction

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison - children's nonfiction - biography, picture books

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - fiction

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis


In the comments, please feel free to leave suggestions for other books by Black authors and your favorite Black-owned independent book store.

American author Zora Neale Hurston circa 1930. Public domain.

'Children of Blood and Bone' Is a True Must-Read

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that's so good, I have a hard time articulating why I loved it as much as I loved it. The story is compelling, the relationships between the siblings and the various other characters are compelling, the world-building is incredibly detailed, and the writing is full-grown. The ending blew my mind. I doubt I've read anything better in the last 12 months (and keep in mind I really, REALLY liked Philip Pullman's latest.)

"Must-read" is bandied about so much in book marketing that it loses all meaning, but in the truest sense, readers who appreciate good YA fiction must read this book. Tomi Adeyemi has the gift.

I borrowed this e-book from my library using the Libby app. I had to keep returning it and checking it out again because it's really popular and I kept stretching it out because I literally did not want this story to end.

'All the Castles Burned:' SERIOUS LITERARY FICTION, But Do We Care?

All the Castles Burned by Michael Nye

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I suppose this is meant to be Literary and Serious, but in all honesty, it doesn't have much of a plot. It's more of a character study of Owen Webb, and he's essentially the same person at 28 that he is at 16. Granted, he's a likable person, and as someone who was also 16 in the 1990s, I can relate to many of his thoughts and actions. But he has very little agency in his own life. Things happen to him and happen around him, but seldom happen because of him.

Perhaps because of this, we read the Climactic Scene secondhand through Owen's mother, and that makes it less than climactic. The ending feels very tacked-on.

The explicitly-stated moral of this character study is that one should always have a mother, because it's the motherless boy who turns out Bad. Even a half-assed mother is better than none, according to Nye's narration. Owen, of course, has no control over the fact that his mother is present and largely functional, despite dabbling in alcoholism. But we're told that this is what allows him to grow up to be, presumably, a pretty decent person.

I like Owen, but I'd rather read about what happens to him in the boxing ring as a grown-up man with grown-up thoughts than secondhand witness what he passively witnesses as a fairly typical adolescent. Owen's teenage problems are very much First World Problems. At no time in the novel is he in any immediate danger, which makes the stakes of his entire story feel quite low.

Michael Nye, please raise the stakes next time.

I won an uncorrected proof of this book from the publisher in a random drawing and was not obligated in any way to review it. 

'90s Cologne-Inspired Candles 

The above is an affiliate link.

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 17

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 16

'Toys For Boys' by K.D. Grace - Release Blitz! @KD_Grace

Out Now! - Toys for Boys by K D Grace (@kd_grace)

When I wrote Toys for Boys, I had already been playing around with placing myself in the story as writer, as scribe. Because I’d walked the Wainwright Coast to Coast, and because I remembered those days when all I wanted at the end of the day was to be warm and dry and asleep in my bed, I already had common ground with Doc and Will and their trials. Writers are always voyeurs to some extent. Certainly we’re always people watchers. And quite often we feel like we’re doing little more than reporting our characters’ stories as they whisper them in our ear. When that happens, it’s always amazing, the unexpected directions a story can take. 

I wanted to bring that experience of the characters telling their story to the forefront of Toys for Boys and make it a literal part of the story – sort of share with the reader what we writers experience with our characters on a daily basis. I was very lucky because Will and Doc were more than happy to share. 

High tech meets low tech in a wilderness adventure that sizzles.

Toys for Boys Blurb:

Alpha nerd Will Charles teams up with Caridoc ‘Doc’ Jones in a coast to coast walk across England reviewing outdoor gift suggestions for the Christmas edition of Toys for Boys—an online magazine dedicated to the latest gadgets to tickle a man’s fancy. Will is recording their adventures with the latest smart phone technology. Doc is reviewing the latest outdoor gear. The two quickly discover the great outdoors provides even better toys for boys, toys best shared al fresco, toys that, in spite of Will’s great camera work, will never be reviewed in Toys for Boys.

Note: Toys for Boys has been previously published as part of the Brit Boys: With Toys boxed set.

Buy Toys for Boys Here:

Universal Amazon link: http://mybook.to/toysforboys

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2jPjrN2 

iBooks: http://apple.co/2jpYvxK 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2kbYbQa 

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2kmFbRg 

 Toys for Boys – Hard Going -- Excerpt:

After the traditional dipping of their boots in the Irish Sea and choosing a stone to toss into the North Sea at walk’s end—all of which Will fucking Charles insisted on videoing, all of which Doc would have skipped in favour of a quick start, they were finally on their way. Doc was more than pleasantly surprised at Will’s pace, long, sure strides in well-used walking boots convinced him that Will should take the lead. It didn’t take him long to doubt the wisdom of that choice. The mist had closed in enough to limit the view over the red cliffs out to sea, but the view of Will’s arse in the well-worn walking shorts only scant steps in front of Doc on a steep incline more than made up for it. 

For an instant Doc fought an overwhelming urge to reach out and grab a handful. His cock twitched, his foot slipped, and suddenly the groping fantasy became a reality as his outstretched hand landed on a tightly contracted buttock in his flailing efforts to balance himself. A glancing touch became more of a grope just as Will lost his footing and slid back against him. 

“Whoa, mate! You all right?” In a lightning-fast move, Will turned and grabbed Doc by the arm to keep him from going down. “Mud’s a bitch,” he said, then turned and walked on, leaving Doc breathless and on the verge of a stiffy, struggling not to contemplate the movement of muscle beneath thin shorts and the certainty that there was nothing beneath those but... well, muscle. Yup, no matter what the weather, this was going to be a very hard walk. 

In spite of the late start they’d set a good pace, but as the day wore on, the rain worsened and an icy breeze blew in from the north. When Doc suggested they not stop for lunch, but press on to Ennerdale Bridge, Will had offered a nod and a smile. Then he reached into his jacket, pulled out two energy bars, handed one to Doc, and they slogged on. Two energy bars and an eternity later, the weather had worsened to the point that standing up was becoming a problem, let alone walking, and still they pressed on. 

About K D Grace/Grace Marshall

Voted ETO Best Erotic Author of 2014, and a proud member of The Brit Babes, K D Grace believes Freud was right. In the end, it really IS all about sex, well sex and love. And nobody’s happier about that than she is, otherwise, what would she write about? 

When she’s not writing, K D is veg gardening. When she’s not gardening, she’s walking. She walks her stories, and she’s serious about it. She and her husband have walked Coast to Coast across England, along with several other long-distance routes. For her, inspiration is directly proportionate to how quickly she wears out a pair of walking boots. She loves mythology. She enjoys spending time in the gym – right now she’s having a mad affair with a pair of kettle bells. She loves to read, watch birds and do anything that gets her outdoors.

KD has erotica published with Totally Bound, SourceBooks, Xcite Books, Harper Collins Mischief Books, Mammoth, Cleis Press, Black Lace, Sweetmeats Press, and others.

K D’s critically acclaimed erotic romance novels include, The Initiation of Ms Holly, Fulfilling the Contract, To Rome with Lust, and The Pet Shop. Her paranormal erotic novel, Body Temperature and Rising, the first book of her Lakeland Witches trilogy, was listed as honorable mention on Violet Blue’s Top 12 Sex Books for 2011. Books two and three, Riding the Ether, and Elemental Fire, are now also available. 

K D Grace also writes hot romance as Grace Marshall. An Executive Decision, Identity Crisis, The Exhibition, Interviewing Wade are all available. 

Find K D Here:

Websites: http://kdgrace.co.uk/

        http://www.thebritbabes.co.uk

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KDGraceAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KD_Grace

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kdgraceauthor/

Release blitz hosted by Writer Marketing Services.

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 15

"...God and the Devil were married." Athena spins her wildly unorthodox theology to the Pastor as he prepares for the next Sunday's sermon. But something is terribly wrong with Barbara Jean. Then, Travis and Monica struggle in the aftermath of their tragedy. 

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 14

As Chapter 20 ends, Diana has to have a serious talk with Brigid. Chapter 21 brings us up to Thanksgiving 1999. Travis and Monica want to spend a restful holiday with her parents, but their baby may not be able to wait.

#Thriller Review: 'The Chemist' by Stephenie Meyer

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the best book Stephenie Meyer has written so far. I really enjoyed the Twilight series, and I liked most of The Host (although I thought it was quite a bit longer than it needed to be). I know her writing isn't perfect (no one's is), but she is still getting better.

For me, the best thing about Stephenie Meyer's writing is the way she understands those deep moments of connection between two human beings. In the Twilight books, she made me recall the experience of being in love for the first time as a teenager. In The Host, she drew a beautiful portrait of a connection that crossed worlds and species in the romance between Ian and Wanderer.

In this book, the character we generally know as Alex (not her real name) doesn't have any close attachments to anyone in her life. She learns to, through a difficult and painful process. Daniel starts out as the war criminal she's chosen - through an unlikely set of circumstances - to torture for information.

Oh yes, Alex is a difficult women. Meyer doesn't let us go easy on her or warm up to her quickly, but that's okay. This is a suspense novel taking place in the world of elite and highly-trained agents. Elite agents aren't people-people, and Alex is no exception. Getting us to invest emotionally in these characters is difficult, because they are difficult and complex characters.

Meyer pulls it off. Near the end, the unthinkable happens, and it's a heart-wrenching moment.

In the meantime, this is an absolute page-turner. Compared to the slow build of The Host, this book reads lightning-quick. Alex's life is in constant danger, and as a reader I constantly had to know what she was going to do next.

What Meyer can still improve upon is the way she writes relationships between women. This improves a bit toward the end of the novel, when she part-way humanizes a character who had previously been portrayed as Alex's rival. Still, there's the rivalry and the implication that the woman's beauty and sexuality are somehow negatives. Alex also has a few judgmental moments directed at random strangers. But the overall quality of Meyer's writing is moving in the right direction.

Even if you're not necessarily a fan of Meyer based on her previous books, if you're a devourer of suspense and willing to suspend some disbelief at the more unlikely aspects of thriller novels, you should find this enjoyable.

FYI, this may be a tough read if you love dogs. There are dogs, and those dogs are in peril.

I purchased this hardcover book at my local Barnes and Noble. I was not obligated in any way to review it.

The Host book review

The Host movie review

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 13

** Adults Only. ** In this episode, Diana wants Tim to spend the night with her, but Brigid interrupts their tryst with a crisis of her own making.

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 12

Brigid and Fred share a romantic moment when Fred attempts to climb in through Brigid's bedroom window. A new challenge comes between them, though. Diana and Tim go on their third date. 

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 11

In Episode 11, the Halloween bonfire comes to a close. Tim and Diana's date is interrupted when he runs into his former partner, and she learns some surprising new stories about him. 

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 10

Episode 10 brings us to the story of Tim's police-involved shooting. I wrote this episode, and even I find it upsetting.

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 9

Episode 9 presents a historical flashback in the tale of Brigid and Diana's ancestor, An. Born in a small Chinese farming village around 1880, An was tricked into leaving her home as a teenager, and ended her life in the notorious role of pirate. 

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 8

Barbara Jean confronts Edward about the rumors she's heard about him as the congregation prepares to protest the annual Halloween bonfire.

Story Time with Erin O'Riordan: CUT Episode 7

Episode 7 opens with an intimate encounter between Fred and Brigid. Darius prepares to work security at the Halloween bonfire, and Barbara Jean reconsiders her future with Edward.