Book Promo And Vignettes by Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike
*Yes, somehow WordPress embedded this in last week’s post. HOW? I don’t know. I think mostly fixed, yes? – SAH*
Book Promo
If you wish to send us books for next week’s promo, please email to bookpimping at outlook dot com. If you feel a need to re-promo the same book do so no more than once every six months (unless you’re me or my relative. Deal.) One book per author per week. Amazon links only. Oh, yeah, by clicking through and buying (anything, actually) through one of the links below, you will at no cost to you be giving a portion of your purchase to support ATH through our associates number. I ALSO WISH TO REMIND OUR READERS THAT IF THEY WANT TO TIP THE BLOGGER WITHOUT SPENDING EXTRA MONEY, CLICKING TO AMAZON THROUGH ONE OF THE BOOK LINKS ON THE RIGHT, WILL GIVE US SOME AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR PURCHASES MADE IN THE NEXT 24HOURS, OR UNTIL YOU CLICK ANOTHER ASSOCIATE’S LINK. PLEASE CONSIDER CLICKING THROUGH ONE OF THOSE LINKS BEFORE SEARCHING FOR THAT SHED, BIG SCREEN TV, GAMING COMPUTER OR CONSERVATORY YOU WISH TO BUY. That helps defray my time cost of about 2 hours a day on the blog, time probably better spent on fiction. ;)*
FROM CEDAR SANDERSON AND LAW DOG: Taskforce CHIWEENIE and the Poultry Liberation Front: An Adult Coloring Book
Two extraordinary heroes.
Sure, they may look like adorable chiweenies, but the reality is that only they stand between the world, and…
The Poultry Liberation Front
Follow the adventures of Chuy and Mochi through their slightly exasperated flag officer’s voice as he delivers pithy situation reports while the battlefield unfolds on his front yard.
FROM DOROTHY GRANT: A Perfect Day, With Explosions.
Jenna Brooks is a welder, and a fashionista whenever she can afford it. AJ is a former Special Forces spacer, who finds himself completely outside his comfort zone with her. However, terrorist bombs can overcome almost any divide – the hard way.
When Jenna stumbles over a corpse wearing an important clue, she’s roped into a high-stakes counterterrorism operation to uncover a counterfeit fashion ring that’s funding the terrorists.
As the trail of blood money and knock-off shoes starts leading closer to home, Jenna’s going to need all the help she can get to stay alive. AJ’s just the man to do that – but he’s after a lot more than merely her safety. It may cost her everything she’s worked for… and also her heart.
FROM BEN MASON: Gravitas: A Supervillain Story.
The world’s greatest villain has unretired for one last mission. Saving the world.
After a serious injury, Christoph “Gravitas” Holtz has retired from supervillainy. Heading into his silver years all he wants is to reminisce, garden, and teach his next-door neighbor’s daughter the finer points of proper villainy.
But when a classless young supervillain threatens Holtz and those he cares about, he turns to an old ally for help with one final mission.
When the mission goes wrong, Christoph will have to struggle against a dangerous enemy he helped unleash, his feelings for his superhero ex, and his own sense of what it means to be a hero or villain.
FROM FREDERIC KEY: Dwindle, Peak and Pine
Rick Drail and his widowed father, Craig, own a small cabin camp in the town of Hunker Lake. Things are normally very quiet for them after Halloween … but then, people aren’t normally murdered in Hunker Lake, and never in one of their cabins. Sue Milkins is the most beautiful woman Rick has ever seen in person, the kind of woman that can set a small town like Hunker Lake on fire. Where has she come from? What has brought her to this small town, past the end of the season? And why would anyone want to kill her? When Sue is found murdered one morning, Rick’s life spirals into chaos. The police suspect everyone of the crime, even Rick’s father. Rick suddenly sees everyone around him, including their other paying guests, even his closest friends, as potential murderers. As police tighten their focus on Craig, Rick tries to find information to save him–but maybe his father does have some secrets of his own.
FROM ALMA T. C. BOYKIN: Learnedly Familiar
Where do you file a Missing Meister Report?
Something is moving. Arthur Saldovado, Lelia, and André defeated ancient evil, but mysteries remain. And worse – Arthur’s name-sake is learning how to drive! Who needs abyssal creatures when you have teenagers, school-yard spats, and retail woes to worry about? Certainly not Lelia Chan Lestrang.
When André’s mentor disappears, Lelia braces for the worst. Trouble’s coming, as bad perhaps as the evil that drew her and André together. But she has a few surprises of her own now, including allies in very strange places. With very strange senses of humor.
Return to a Familiar world, full of adventure, bad puns, dark music, magic, shedding lemurs, and domestic chaos.
FROM BLAKE SMITH: A Kingdom of Glass: A Novel of The Garia Cycle
Zara hasn’t seen her family in eleven years, but she doesn’t mind. They sent her to live in a neighboring kingdom when she was small, and she’s adopted her foster parents in their place. She lives the life of an aristocratic Garian girl- riding her horse, shooting her bow, exploring the castle with her friends- and she has nothing to wish for.
Until she’s summoned home, to a prospective marriage she doesn’t want, family she doesn’t remember, and a poisonous royal court that threatens everything she’s ever known. The East Morlans are nothing like Garia, and Zara struggles to find her place among the scheming Morlander aristocrats. Along the way, she makes new friends, meets enemies, and falls in love. But secrets abound in the glittering palace, and Zara must discover who she can trust as she fights for her life and freedom in a fragile, beautiful, kingdom of glass.
FROM J. L. CURTIS: Calexit- The Anthology
When California declares independence, their dreams of socialist diversity become nightmares for many from the high Sierras to the Central Valley. Follow the lives of those who must decide whether to stand their ground, or flee!
In San Diego, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Group One finds his hands tied by red tape, even as protesters storm the base and attack dependents.
In Los Angeles, an airline mechanic must beg, borrow, or bribe to get his family on the plane out before the last flight out.
Elsewhere, a couple seeks out the new underground railroad after being forced to confess to crimes they didn’t commit.
In the new state of Jefferson, farmers must defend themselves against carpetbaggers and border raiders.
And in the high Sierras, a woman must make the decision to walk out alone…Featuring all-new stories set after Calexit from JL Curtis, Bob Poole, Cedar Sanderson, Tom Rogneby, Alma Boykin, B Opperman, L B Johnson, Eaton Rapids Joe, Lawdog, and Kimball O’Hara.
FROM T. L. KNIGHTON: Hostile Territory.
Tommy Reilly and the misfit crew of the cargo ship Sabercat just managed to make it off of the planet Ararat with their load, but that was the easy part.
Now they have to land on a planet completely controlled by a church many consider more of a cult than a religion, all so they can get their hands on some information, information that could free all the colonies from the control of the Earth Defense Command.
Unfortunately, a master criminal got his hands on it first, which means the crew of Sabercat have to get it back, then escape from a planetary government known to shoot first and ask questions later.
Yep. It seems Tommy has landed his ship and his new family deep inside hostile territory.
FROM M. C. A. HOGHARTH: Flight of the Godkin Griffin.
On the eve of her retirement from the army, Mistress Commander Angharad Godkin finds herself re-activated and directed to replace the governor of the newly conquered territory of Shraeven. With its multitude of diverse societies and religions, the province will not be easy to tame; but Angharad has thirty-four years of experience and is determined to succeed–even with the additional challenge of an ex-lover as her second-in-command.
However, what starts out as a seemingly predictable military challenge takes multiple unexpected turns at the hands of Shraeven’s rebellious people, their unorthodox beliefs, and their capricious, demanding, and very tangible gods. Angharad quickly finds herself the central piece in a game being fought on too many levels, all of them very foreign to her nature and background.
But if she’s being forced to play, she’s going to play to win; and Shraeven may come to regret having gotten her into the game.
Vignettes by Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike.
So what’s a vignette? You might know them as flash fiction, or even just sketches. We will provide a prompt each Sunday that you can use directly (including it in your work) or just as an inspiration. You, in turn, will write about 50 words (yes, we are going for short shorts! Not even a Drabble 100 words, just half that!). Then post it! For an additional challenge, you can aim to make it exactly 50 words, if you like.
We recommend that if you have an original vignette, you post that as a new reply. If you are commenting on someone’s vignette, then post that as a reply to the vignette. Comments — this is writing practice, so comments should be aimed at helping someone be a better writer, not at crushing them. And since these are likely to be drafts, don’t jump up and down too hard on typos and grammar.
If you have questions, feel free to ask.
Your writing prompt this week is: GUTTURAL
According To Hoyt 
*lobs the coffee upwards*
:would make a drabble-ette, but the coffee is not working; gutteral noises will have to do:
Mine is not working either. WHY is coffee broken?
We should reboot and try again tomorrow.
Yes, I heard. Ghastly, nein? But the fool asked for it. He should have said “Wangen”; turning *that* palatal into a guttural wouldn’t have cost him his intestines.
Oh, naturally. But, foreigner or no, you don’t tell the Kaiserin that her face features two rosy-pink wild sows. You just *don’t*.
Karen gave a guttural growl when I refused to wear a mask, changing to a whined “I’m gonna call daddy, and you’ll be in trouble”. “Oh, ——- off, how old were you when daddy left home?”
“What’s that?” asked Leonie. She turned and looked up the street. The vanguard of a crowd of long-armed, purple-skinned Spicans appeared around a corner, its leaders carrying torches. There was chanting, punctuated with shrill yells, but she couldn’t make out the words. “Is it a parade?”
Ralph followed her gaze. “No. It’s a mob.”
Close by was a narrow alley. Leonie drew her flame pistol and ducked into it. “Come on,” she hissed.
“Put that away and come back out,” said Ralph sternly. “We’re outsiders here. Give them any excuse and they’ll tear us to pieces. Just stay beside me and try to look like a curious bystander.”
The head of the mob drew nearer. The chanting began to resolve itself into words. “KILL them, SPILL them, KILL them, SPILL them…” Those with torches waved them rhythmically in time to the chant.
The leaders drew level with them and passed on down the street. Some of those following also waved torches. Others carried pieces of metal and banged them with sticks. Leonie craned her neck and saw more Spicans pouring around the corner.
And still more. Then something else, above them, either on a cart or carried on their shoulders. As it drew near, Leonie saw it was a large platform supported by a dense formation of Spicans moving in step. On it, held in place by fine netting, were what appeared to be three translucent sacks filled with water.
“Rigellyfish,” said Ralph. “Captured five days ago in a vengeance raid. The Rigellians had been rustling and absorbing the Spicans’ livestock. From what I’ve heard they absorbed a few Spicans as well. Looks like some rough justice is being done.”
“You mean it’s a lynch mob?”
Some of the mob took up a new chant, sung antiphonally to the other. “Kill them, spill them.” “Pour them in the gutter.” “Kill them, spill them.” “Pour them in the gutter.”
The mob went by for what seemed like hours before the ragged tail disappeared down the street. The rear of the mob had its own chant: “Gutter them all. Gutter them all. Gutter all. Gutter all…”
“What will they do?” asked Leonie.
“Hang them up, poke holes in them, and watch them drain.”
“That’s horrible.”
“That’s life on the frontier.”
Ya know, that’s a heck of a shaggy dog tale for that pun. *rests paw on red button* ICBC launch in three . . . two . . . one . . . *pushes button with paw*
Woof.
Nice, giving me the chance to play with some villains this time…
—
“You rang, Master Drechsler?” a guttural voice rumbled from the doorway, causing the man at the desk to look up in annoyance.
“Enough of your theatrics, Antanas.” Johann Drechsler responded, his voice conveying only minor annoyance at the man in the doorway.
“You have to allow me a bit of humor now and then, sir,” Antanas Jirair replied, closing the door behind him. “Eternal damnation is exactly as fun as it sounds, you know.”
“Which is why even monsters like you are happy to do our bidding, of course.” Johann stated, motioning for the man to take a seat.
“Is it time to deal with your brother already?” Antanas asked, taking care to keep his sword handy as he sat down. “You’re moving a bit too quickly here, don’t you think?”
“Martin forced my hand!” Johann hissed, slamming his fist against his desk. “That conniving verräter got on an airship for Agkelos this morning!”
“Not good…on paper at least,” Antanas shrugged, an amused smirk slowly crossing his face. “Take it from me, Master Drechsler, the Order of St. Azriel’s true Overlord these days is money. Give them a few sizeable donations and they’ll laugh Martin all the way to Azuma!”
“But what if they don’t?!” Johann exclaimed, his brown eyes darting around wildly. “And how much money do you think I have to bribe them with, anyway?! Do you know how much debt I’m in, Antanas?!”
“Last I checked you summoned me as a bodyguard and a…problem solver, not as an accountant.” Antanas replied, showing a flash of demonic fangs as he grinned.
“Then solve this problem for me now!” Johann screamed, pounding the desk with his fist again, wincing at the impact, then quickly pulling his hand back to nurse it.
“As you command, Master Drechsler,” the demon replied, shifting his voice into the same guttural tone from earlier as he bowed with a flourish and teleported away.
“Tell me and tell me true oh brave handsome young space ranger and gardener of the galaxy, why, oh why does your ever so beautiful and, to say the least, most magnificent space ship make that grating guttural sound?”
“Because it comes from the throat of the rocket, dumb axe.”
“We should not expect to know such things,” said Julian. “After all, we have not begun more than the most cursory studies of the most elementary matters. We will need to study much before we would know.”
Ava did not move. Julian did not need glutteral growls to convey displeasure.
Simon froze for a moment, then threw himself back through the doorway. He had left Martha in a safe place, or so he thought.. He had come in with a light, cheery “Hello! I’m back”, and expected a reply in her warm alto. He did not expect the guttural tones of a hellhound. Something was very seriously wrong. Several things, in fact.
One robber gave a glutteral snarl, and she froze. No new, unlearned knowledge flooded her, but her heart was hammering with the awareness that the man might kill for being thwarted.
She was out of her seat before she realized it. And then the robbers were noticing her having moved.
Mike had never believed that a woman’s voice could sound both sexy and guttural at the same time. Until he had to stay away from the hungry snakes of the injured Gorgon that just had to come in at 2AM to his improvised clinic for monsters. “Don’t like humans touching me,” she growled and the snakes were beginning to snap at him. “How does a human help out here?”
“He’s good at this,” Aiki sighed, and pulled on her gloves. “And, he’s willing to listen, always.”
In a glutteral tone, the rotund man demanded to know what she did there, where she went, and who she thought she was.
At least, she thought he did. She fled too quickly to hear, even if her hammering heart did not drown out the noise.
Why was she here?
Even after all these years, it only takes a little to bring the old memories back: the buzz of the dry, dusty air in the nostrils, the smell of strange spices wafting from the narrow windows of the houses in the Old Town, the rapid, guttural speech of our local guides talking among themselves when they thought the far-worlders couldn’t hear them.
Galenka held her baby close to her breast in the darkness of the root-cellar. The farm belonged to her family’s long-term neighbors and they had given her and her child refuge when nobody else would. The guttural voices of the searching soldiers faded, then stopped. They would live another day.
Good promos! Thanks for boosting the signal for all of us!
I gargle in my gutters all the time.
Sarah, missed your update on GoFundMe way back on 11/5. Paypal stuff goes to my DDW’s email, and I don’t check it as often as I used to. Imagine my delight when I got to see your actual shocked face. 🙂
Lol