New Release Announcement: Murmurs in the Dark is Here!

Okay, so you’re probably thinking, “Hey, Marissa—didn’t you just release a new book a few weeks ago?” Well, yes, I did. Still, here we are: I am delighted to announce the release of Murmurs in the Dark: Thirteen Ghostly Tales from Book View Café, edited by me and my fellow Book View Café author, Shannon Page.

Book View Café is a small publishing cooperative founded in 2008 by a group of science fiction and fantasy authors, including the late Ursula K. LeGuin. BVC’s focus is mainly genre fiction—fantasy, mystery, romance, science fiction—though we’ve also brought out other works, including children’s books and non-fiction. We’ve published several anthologies of our authors’ short pieces in science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, romance, and more…but we had never ventured into horror. It was time we did, and here is the result.

Not that Murmurs in the Dark is particularly horror-ible. Shannon and I asked our members to contribute ghost stories of any persuasion, and what came in covers just about every flavor of that sub-genre. There are spooky stories, indeed…but there are also  humorous stories, melancholy stories, stories told from the ghost’s point of view, historical stories (yes, my contribution would be in that category--how did you guess?)—in short, a marvelous spectrum of tales:

“The Summer House: a Fable” by Chaz Brenchley

“With Stars in her Eyes” by Alma Alexander

“Love in the Company of Ghosts” by Steven Popkes

“House is Where the Heart Is” by Marissa Doyle

 “La Dame Blanche” by Brenda W. Clough

“Given to the Sunrise” by Dave Smeds

“Lideric” by Jennifer Stevenson

“Violence Begets…” by Paul Piper

“The Nature of Things” by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

“Golden Spider Beetles” by Shannon Page

“Borrowed Places” by K.E. Kimbriel

“The Waking of Angantyr” by Marie Brennan

“It All Ends With a Game of Croquet” by Jill Zeller

Murmurs in the Dark is available directly from Book View Cafe in both EPUB and MOBI formats, as well as from Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books) as well as in print from Amazon. I hope you'll give it a try in this spooky season.

Happy Christmas!

The day is fast approaching, my dears, which means Marissa and I will be taking time off the blog to celebrate with family and friends from today through January 3. That also means it’s time for presents! 

You will have seen Marissa’s lovely present a few weeks ago, but if you missed the announcement, go here to see how to read Marissa's free short story, “A Perfect Night for a Trip on the Lake.” 

For my own part, I have made available a short story I wrote for a dear friend of mine, the inspiration for Hannah Alexander in the Lady Emily Capers. “Hurry Santa” is one of the only contemporary romances I ever wrote (don’t hold that against me!). You can find it on a secret page on my website. 

And if you simply cannot wait for the next Fortune’s Brides story, you might want to know that the fourth book, Never Vie for a Viscount, is now available for preorder.

Lydia Villers wants to leave behind her life as a social butterfly and pursue a career in natural philosophy. A shame the only scientist available to assist her is the man she had once hoped to wed. Viscount Worthington has been betrayed once too often, including by the bubbly beauty who now wants to work at his side. How can he believe Lydia’s intentions are true this time? With the help of Miss Thorn and her beloved cat Fortune, an enthusiastic young lady and a wary lord might just discover that only together do they make the perfect chemistry.

You can preorder the e-book at the following online retailers. The print edition is available at Amazon.

Smashwords 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

Kobo 

Apple Books 

May your Christmas be filled with wonder, and your New Year with hope. See you in January.

She’s Here!

Who’s here, you ask? Why, this lovely lady!

Nevertheless, She Persisted, an anthology of short stories by authors from Book View Café and edited by Mindy Klasky, releases today. I’m obviously very excited—it’s my first published short story—but there are eighteen other stories in this compilation worth getting just as excited over. This anthology celebrates women who persist through tales of triumph—in the past, present, future, and other worlds.

From the halls of Ancient Greece to the vast space between stars, each story illustrates tenacity as women overcome challenges—from society, from beloved family and friends, and even from their own fears. These strong heroines explore the humor and tragedy of persistence in stories that range from romance to historical fiction, from fantasy to science fiction.

From tale to tale, every woman stands firm: a light against the darkness.

Table of Contents:

“Daughter of Necessity” by Marie Brennan
“Sisters” by Leah Cutter
“Unmasking the Ancient Light” by Deborah J. Ross
“Alea Iacta Est” by Marissa Doyle
“How Best to Serve” from A Call to Arms by P.G. Nagle
“After Eden” by Gillian Polack
“Reset” by Sara Stamey
“A Very, Wary Christmas” by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
“Making Love” by Brenda Clough
“Den of Iniquity” by Irene Radford
“Digger Lady” by Amy Sterling Casil
“Tumbling Blocks” by Mindy Klasky
“The Purge” by Jennifer Stevenson
“If It Ain’t Broke” by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
“Chataqua” by Nancy Jane Moore
“Bearing Shadows” by Dave Smeds
“In Search of Laria” by Doranna Durgin
“Tax Season” by Judith Tarr
“Little Faces” by Vonda N. McIntyre

It’s available in ebook form (epub and mobi) from the Book View Café website store as well as all the usual retailers—Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple iBooks...and in print too.

And yes, my contribution, “Alea Iacta Est”, should be of interest to NineteenTeen readers, as it’s set in 1817 and features a young lady who chooses not to let the fact that she wears petticoats keep her from her intellectual passion...for RPG-style war games. ☺

I hope you’ll read it...and all the stories in Nevertheless, She Persisted.