Book Promo And Vignettes By Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike

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. A COMMISSION IS EARNED FROM EACH PURCHASE.*Note that I haven’t read most of these books (my reading is eclectic and “craving led”,) and apply the usual cautions to buying. I reserve the right not to run any submission, if cover, blurb or anything else made me decide not to, at my sole discretion.– SAH

FROM PAM UPHOFF: Family Fortune (Chronicles of the Fall Book 17)

Why would Captain Mishka Nix of the Security Bureau be called out for a simple runaway servant? Except . . . there’s something odd going on . . . even before Lord Saveli Solovsky took a fatal fall down a flight of stairs.

Anzor ought to be a rich kid, getting ready for his Presentation. Not that he minds hanging out on a raw Colony World, but the pretenses are piling up and when the police show up to tell him his father is dead, he’d better be wary and word things carefully . . . so they aren’t actual lies . . .

FROM ALMA T. C. BOYKIN: Hunter of Darkness: Familiar Generations Book Nine

Not all ghosts wait for darkness …

Summer passes quickly as Jude Tainuit assists fellow deputies and teaches young magic workers. Then a trap laid on an unquiet grave snaps, triggering a search through the past for names and hints. A surprise at another grave warns that more than angry ghosts walks in Devon County’s summer shadows.

Who troubles graves, graves all connected by blood, or rage, or both? What does the sorcerer hope to gain? And why does the taste of the man’s magic seem almost familiar? Jude struggles to solve the mysteries while raising a family and bemoaning the start of both football and pumpkin pie seasons.

Dark magic moves, power that taxes all the cunning and control of the Hunter of Darkness.

FROM HOLLY CHISM: Soul Inheritance

Fresh out of college, Evelyn Alexander’s first order of business was finding a place to live. One she could afford on her small inheritance before her job started. None of the local rental agencies had anything in her price range, but…she found a small Victorian house for sale, the only one mostly untouched in a decaying neighborhood of subdivided rental houses.

Complete with a ghost. A very attractive ghost. A very attractive ghost with a strong dislike of the idea of anyone changing his house. So, of course, she bought it. A cranky ghost for a roommate was still a better option than the tiny studio with criminal neighbors.

Between working to restore her new house, embezzlement at work and a murder next door, Evelyn has her hands full. As she works to get on her feet as a productive adult (and not fall in love with a ghost she can’t have), the problems start to snowball. And it’s only compounded by learning that her house has far more secrets than just a single, cranky (attractive) ghost…

https://amzn.to/3GFbGXoFROM NATHAN C. BRINDLE: A Huntress on the Rocks (Timelines Universe Book 4)

A young military intelligence agent. Hunting a murderous drug dealer across a floating city on a water world light-years from Earth – with only his name, and a vague description of what he might look like. Will she finally find her quarry and bring him to justice, or will cases of mistaken identity mean she’ll simply end up

A Huntress on the Rocks

(A Delaney Wolff Fox story)

FROM RACONTEUR PRESS, WITH A STORY BY ANDREW MILBOURNE: Vice Noir (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 56)

When we opened the call for Vice Noir, I wrote:
“The protagonist I am looking for in Vice Noir is a little different than the standard noir central character. Your standard noir detective knows the abyss and has armoured himself against it. He fights monsters, because someone has to, and his moral code demands that someone stand in the breach. His moral code is more externally focused: ‘Someone has to do it.’ The Vice Noir protagonist, on the other hand, has looked into the abyss … and the abyss winked. He lives in the bright sunshine, among pretty people — because the night, the alleys, and the adrenaline are way too attractive, too addictive, too comfortable … and he knows it. He is Sonny Crockett, living on a yacht with a gator named Elvis; he is Fiddler, in his beach cottage, with his lime tree, and his koi; both of them trying to build up the antibodies before the abyss whispers, and they leap headlong. Again.”

Of the forty stories I received, I had to pick ten that conveyed the spirit I was looking for; and I’m not going to lie – it was damned difficult doing so.

I hope this selection hits the right notes. If it does, that’s all on the authors. If not, that’s all on me.

Buckle up, gentle readers. Grab your Ray-Bans, fire up your 1980s pop hits, and get ready to smile back when the teeth come out.

I give you: Vice Noir.

https://amzn.to/44Y7WtgFROM JOHN BAILEY: The Phantom Compass: An Odyssey of Mystery and Mastery (Chasing Phantoms Book 2)

The Phantom Compass: An Odyssey of Mystery and Mastery

In the vibrant spring of 1927, the Hawthorne and Caldwell families—Ned, a former codebreaker; Clara, a skilled nurse; Theo, a meticulous geologist; Margaret, a sharp historian; and their children, Jack and Lily—embark on a thrilling global adventure sparked by a cryptic telegram and a mysterious brass compass. Set against the backdrop of a post-Great War world, The Phantom Compass: An Odyssey of Mystery and Mastery weaves a tale of intrigue, unity, and discovery as the family chases spectral illusions orchestrated by a shadowy syndicate.

From the cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C., to the crimson-lit Acropolis of Athens, the golden dunes of Morocco’s Sahara, and the misty peaks of Machu Picchu, the family unravels a series of elaborate deceptions—phantom oases, glowing ridges, and sapphire spires—each tied to stolen treasures and rising powers testing the waters of a fragile peace. Ned’s athletic prowess and cipher-cracking skills, Clara’s calm under pressure, Theo’s analytical precision, and Margaret’s historical insights blend seamlessly with Jack’s vivid sketches and Lily’s sharp ears, turning each challenge into a triumph of wit and teamwork.

As they zigzag across continents—South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains, Australia’s Uluru, Peru’s Andes, and Canada’s Niagara Falls—the family confronts pre-Nazi scouts, smugglers, and local legends, dismantling illusions crafted with surplus technology and cunning. Each adventure yields a keepsake—a carved camel, an opal pendant, a maple syrup bottle—adding to Jack’s sketchbook and Lily’s “phantom notes,” symbols of their growing legacy. Culminating in San Francisco’s bustling waterfront in 1931, the family uncovers the truth behind their compass, a relic of the Order of the Saffron Veil, designed to thwart a wartime smuggling network. With their mission complete, they reflect on a journey that tested their courage and deepened their bond, leaving the door open for future quests.

Perfect for fans of historical adventure and family-driven mysteries, The Phantom Compass blends vivid settings, rich historical detail, and heartwarming unity. This gripping tale of chasing phantoms across a world on the brink of change will captivate readers who love puzzles, exploration, and the enduring strength of family.

FROM M. C. A. HOGARTH: Healer’s Wedding (The Fallowtide Sequence Book 1)

Nearly a year has passed since the conclusion of the Chatcaavan War… which means it’s time for Jahir and Sediryl to marry, and Sediryl to kneel for the coronet of the imperial heir! All their allies are gathering to celebrate, from the expected, like the Queen Ransomed and Lisinthir, to mentors and friends from years past. But life doesn’t pause for momentous events, no matter how joyous or anticipated. There are issues Jahir and Sediryl have yet to resolve, issues that reflect the greater challenges besetting their world and the Alliance. Before they can join hands for the wedding cloth, they’ll have to face at least one of those challenges… and it won’t be the first.

Healer’s Wedding, Book 1 in the Jubilee Summer duology, brings together the characters from Her Instruments, Dreamhealers, and Princes’ Game for a capstone season of politics and pleasure. Return to the homeworld of the Eldritch and the company of friends!

FROM SARAH A. HOYT: Darkship Thieves

Athena Hera Sinistra never wanted to go to space. Never wanted see the eerie glow of the Powerpods. Never wanted to visit Circum Terra. She never had any interest in finding out the truth about the Darkships. You always get what you don’t ask for.
When an intruder in her bedroom forces Athena to flee her father’s luxury cruiser in a tiny lifeboat, her escape leads her straight to the legendary Darkships—mysterious vessels that steal Earth’s power supply. And into the life of the pilot of the Darkship.

Thrust into a hidden asteroid colony and hunted by powerful enemies, Athena discovers shocking truths about her father’s empire and her own identity. As she navigates this dangerous new reality, what began as a fight for survival becomes a battle for freedom that could transform humanity’s future.

Winner of the Prometheus Award—a pulse-pounding space adventure where liberty hangs in the balance and nothing is as it seems.

FROM BLAKE SMITH: Hartington Abroad

Jeriah Hartington is far from home. Born into a wealthy family, he is now reduced to poverty. In desperation, he signs on to a ship headed for the planet XKF-36. Their mission? To search for colonists who’ve been lost nearly as long as Jeriah has been alive.

Jeriah fully anticipates an adventure as they travel into the unknown wilderness. He never expected to find living people, eager to tell the tale of their sufferings. But their hair-raising account could be the downfall of everyone on the planet, even their rescuers. For a villain lurks within the ship’s crew, and no one can say who he might be.

FROM LEIGH KIMMEL: Technoserf

The Madrian Empire rules worlds as numerous as the grains of sand on a beach. When the Madrians conquered Roby’s homeworld, they brought him to this godforsaken lump of a world, to toil at their will.

Now the Gate has failed, leaving them without communications or transport to the rest of the Empire. When Roby identifies the problem, he’s offered a chance to fix it.

Roby now faces a quandry. Even if he can repair the damage, should he? Will he be better off reunited with the masters’ metropole? Or will he only complicate a difficult life?

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: TENDER

BLOG FUNDRAISER 2025

Yes, I know it’s a nuisance. And I’m not going to claim that if I don’t get enough money I’ll shutter the blog because we all know I won’t. It will on the other hand make it harder to do this on weekends and holidays when my husband objects to my sitting up late or getting up early to put up the post. Which is fine. I’ve survived it for near on 20 years. I’m not going to wilt.

I’m just going to say every blogger to the right of Lenin has paid the price in career, in wealth, in prospects. And that keeping us poor and meek is a great way to serve as a warning to others who would speak out. If you want to nullify the “warning,” consider donating.

And thank you to everyone who donated.

For this year, I’ll (merely) give you ways to donate.

The Give Send Go is still active. Lately I’ve gotten more disenchanted with them, though. Not only have they hosted fundraisers for the kid who stabbed the track star through the heart, but there was some appearance of encouraging racialist bs. True or not? Don’t know. Haven’t looked that closely. Still, that and the fact they calculate how much of the raised money you actually get in some weird way makes them less than shiny.

So, what else is there? Well, there is paypal. Yes, I removed the button from the side (though I’ll return it) because they were threatening to fine people for badthink. Whether that was entirely organic or part of the Autopen administration it’s open to debate. They were being very enthusiastic about forcing everything from social media to everything else including debanking. At any rate, I think it is safe to use a paypal link for the next four years. Give or take. (Look none of these services are pure. We use what we can and seems safe at the time.)
So, here’s the paypal link.

While on that, yes, the address in Las Vegas is still available:

Sarah A. Hoyt

Goldport Press

304 S Jones Blvd #6771

Las Vegas, NV  89107

(Note this is a drop box. Please don’t send perishables that will be damaged by heat. If you want to send something out of the ordinary, contact me first. I’ll figure out antoher place to send it where things won’t be damaged and I can retrieve it. And if you want to give me physical stuff, it might be best to catch me at a con. (Younger DIL says I have do do more cons. Sigh.)

And please, please, please do not send either a multitool of any kind of learning center for Indy. The cat with hand-paws and the engineer mind who yes indeed does understand English is already enough trouble as is.

I’m very grateful to all who contributed and all who might contribute to those who buy and push my books, and to those who leave reviews.

ADDENDUM

If you’re a subscriber to substack or patreon, I’ve treated you very badly, largely because of my health this past year. At some point I became too embarrassed to post updates that amount to “Yeah, still sick. I’ll try to post later.” I don’t think they’re entertaining and I feel like hiding under the bed.

On the other hand, no, I didn’t abandon you and I feel tremendously guilty about it.

For the record, I am better, and I do intend to return to posting regularly in both patreon and both substacks. I’m just trying not to rush it and make myself too sick to function again.

Also for the record, no, I don’t know why the health collapse and neither does my doctor. We have appointments booked with — I swear — every kind of specialist who might give me a clue. If/when I figure it out I’ll let you know, but it’s quite possibly “Autoimmune is trying to kill me again.”

Anyway, there will be earcs for No Man’s Land (which will be three volumes for reasons of being a huge book) and those subscribed to the substack for pay (Or those who recently lapsed and whom I’ll reinstate) will get them as a matter of course. For those not subscribed, there will be a way to buy. I haven’t sent it yet, because I also need to upload it for pre-order at the same time and I haven’t got my ducks in a row enough to do it. (I think one of them is a buzzard.)