It’s a beautiful fall day here in the Mid-Atlantic. The temps are in the sixties, the sun is peeping from between fluffy clouds, and my thoughts turn to the change of the seasons. In fact, this cosmic mechanism is the center pin for the magic system of an urban fantasy series written by a writer friend of mine.

Sharon Bayliss submitted her December People series to my previous publisher roughly the same time I submitted the Dark Choir. We were published nearly back-to-back, and our worlds have a lot in common. Fun Fact: I slipped an oblique reference to her series in The Curse Mandate.

In Sharon’s series, magic and its users are governed by their identity with seasons. But beyond the magic and world-building, her books are about a family. I teach a course of creative writing at Frederick Community College, and I always place the class on character building before my plot lecture. I do this because I’m a firm believer that a reader can forgive weak, swiss-cheese plots if they give a damn about the characters.

Since my departure from my previous publisher, I’d fallen out of contact with Sharon. Which is why I was thrilled to discover that Animus Ferrum Publishing has picked up her December People series!

And as if by fate, the first book in her series, DESTRUCTION, is slated to release back-to-back with The Curse Mandate! If you enjoy urban fantasy aimed at an adult audience, this series is a slam dunk. Keep your eyes peeled… book one releases on Tuesday October 15!

Members of my newsletter got a sneak peak of the new cover for The Curse Mandate last week. Miss out on that? Then sign up right here for the Fistful of Fiction newsletter, and be the first to see new artwork and catch a glimpse at some of my behind-the-scenes antics!

The re-release-a-thon for the Dark Choir series continues for October, with Book 3, THE CURSE MANDATE! This is a real meat-and-potatoes book for Dorian’s sage, brimming with political conspiracy and a cast of memorable characters… including the return of Annarose Rodolfi, the Stregha from the prequel short story, “Bait & Witch”. (Want to read that story? Get a free copy with the newsletter signup! Okay, okay, I’ll stop plugging the newsletter.)

Here’s the new cover for Mandate… once again courtesy of J. Caleb Design:

The action heats up with this book… which ends the “Curse Trilogy”. Coming up in November, we’ll begin the endgame for Dorian in the “Dark Trilogy”, beginning with book 4, THE DARK INTEREST.

Keep your eyes peeled this Tuesday, October 9 for The Curse Mandate, and spread the word!