The Masquerade Crew

The Guardian of Threshold A Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy Cover links to Amazon.com By A.A. Volts Follow @adrianvolts W hen Mark wants to see his dead mother again... He gets his chance. But, like everything else in life... It comes at a hefty price. While normal sixteen-year-old boys are out chasing girls, Mark is floating outside his own body being chased by a nefarious demon. Death itself can't keep him from trying to see his dead mother again, but when he disturbs Phasma-the Guardian of Threshold, he may have gone too far. Forced into Threshold--the mystical world of the dead--to rescue his clumsy best friend; Mark will not only have to defeat Phasma and his army of Night Dwellers, but his own demons if he's going to save his friend, find his mother and survive the night. How far would you go to see a dead loved one again?

I f you like receiving emails about great books, or at least you like what we post here on The Masquerade Crew, you should join our book club. Membership is growing, so it is becoming an important part of the site. The book club will now start supporting our monthly theme a little better. It's been mentioned in email correspondence before but just in passing to the entire club. Starting in September, members who have signed up for the genre of the month, our monthly theme, will receive a few more emails than the other members. Most of these emails will be in reference to Cover Wars and the Scavenger Hunt. Don't worry. There won't be a ton of new emails—just one or two more per week. And the title of the email will make it clear what it is about.

The Guardian of Threshold A Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy Cover links to Amazon By A.A. Volts Follow @adrianvolts

Cover links to Amazon.com The Tyrant Strategy Revenant Man jonathancg.net Follow @JCGAuthor The following is syndicated from jonathancg.net and is posted here with permission. W riting is a game of long odds made shorter through patience, effort, and hard work. But even the most determined author can find themselves bruised by publishing’s ups and downs. Both of these statements sound like things you’ve heard, because both of these statements are mantras among writers. We carry with us a codex of persistence in the first case, and a salve of determination for our wounds in the second. This business can take you, and all the effort you’ve ever spent honing your prose, and reading and submitting and querying, and wrap it up and toss it away. So you take the good news where you can get it, and you learn to treasure great news like Roc’s teeth. Independent Publishing, in this new environment, with these new capabilities, is providing fantastic news to aut...

Cover links to Amazon.com There Comes A Prophet www.davidlitwack.com Follow @DavidLitwack The following is syndicated from davidlitwack.com and is posted here with permission. S o many of the books on writing focus on one area: dialog, style, character, setting or plot. That’s why I’m so fond of the book, Story , by Robert McKee. It analyzes what makes a good story, well told. One of its most important premises is that plot and character are inseparable from one another. And what makes a story memorable is a memorable character. What does that mean? Likeable, attractive, heroic? Here’s McKee’s view: “The vitality of literary character has less to do with dramatic action, novelistic coherence, and even plain plausibility, let alone likeability, than with a larger philosophical sense, our awareness that a character’s actions are deeply important, that something profound is at stake, with the author brooding over the face of the character like God over the...

The following is syndicated from sararauch.com and is posted with permission. I’m always thinking about texture, in a semi-obsessive way. And how without it the whole world would be one dimensional. Or two dimensional. Or something—something boring and flat and not-very-tactile. And how, without texture, art is pretty awful. I googled  “texture”  and discovered that most uses of the term are related to art: music, visual art and painting, textiles, etc. Let’s add writing to that list, because I’m a writer, and I like texture. But what does texture look like in writing? It’s obviously a different beast than the texture of a painting or a musical composition (seen/felt and heard respectively), but how different?

Buffer Tell everyone a little bit about yourself. I’m a writer who loves fairy tales, food, and just about anything odd and quirky. I’m originally from California, but now live in Sweden with my boyfriend and two beastly cats. Who are some of your favorite authors? Books? My most favorite authors would be Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, and John Irving. My favorite books would probably be Stardust, The Mists of Avalon, The Death Gate Cycle series, Anne of Green Gables series, Irish Folk and Fairy Tales Omnibus, The Woman in White, Jane Eyre, The Time Traveler’s Wife… I’ll stop there.

Cover links to Amazon.com The Happenstance Marshal (The Millie Mysteries) Written by Michael O'Gara

Cover links to Amazon.com The Happenstance Marshal (The Millie Mysteries) Written by Michael O'Gara

Cover links to Amazon.com Double Mayhem (A Seekers Mystery) Written by Sam Berretti

Cover links to Amazon.com Against the Dark (The Associates) Written by Carolyn Crane

Cover links to Amazon.com Dangerous Dreams (A Dreamrunners Society Novel) Written by Aileen Harkwood Follow @AileenHarkwood

Romance Month is just around the corner, and I'm getting hyped up for the new Cover Wars/Scavenger Hunt campaign, because I think the new format, the small changes from August, will be a hit, a chance for romance writers to promote their work, compete with their fellow writers and support them at the same time. If you are a Romance writer and haven't jumped on this yet, what are you waiting for?

Since the scavenger hunt hasn't received as much attention this month as it did last month, I'm changing tactics a little in the eleventh hour.

This promotion offer is no longer used. Use the "Advertise Your Book" link on the menu to access the most recent info.

Buffer   The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by  Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer .  It's a chance to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and  share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. 

Cover links to Amazon.com Unraveled Written by S.X. Bradley

Cover links to Amazon.com Dognapped? (A Dog Show Detective Mystery) Written by Charmaine Clancy Follow @charmaineclancy A lost dog A stolen dog A mysterious will It all equals murder! M eet twelve-year-old Kitty, friendless bookworm and amateur sleuth. All Kitty wants is to gain her mother's attention, spend time with her miniature schnauzer Spade, and avoid Miss Perfect, Jessica Jones. Kitty's world turns upside down when she finds a lost dog, and she needs Jessica's help to find the owner, hunt down a dognapper, and solve a murder. Can you solve the mystery before Kitty? Will you spot the danger that awaits her? Introducing Kitty Walker and her mischievous dog Spade in the first Dog Show Detective Mystery. Girls will love this new cozy murder mystery! Praise for 'Dognapped?' This is a cute, MG mystery book with excellent pacing and mounting suspense. I liked the feisty heroine of this book. Kitty feels like the gen...

Cover links to Amazon.com Sink or Swim Written by Stacy Juba

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Buffer DeeJay spotlights some amazing Indie Authors

The following is syndicated from www.aleshaescobar.com and is posted here with permission.

Buffer   Conversations with authors and writers from the self-publishing world.

Buffer Tell everyone a little bit about yourself. My name is Rebekah Lynn Pierce, and I am a veteran, author, playwright, motivational speaker, editor and former college English teacher. I have three degrees: an Associates, Bachelors and Masters. I’ve been married for 14 years and have two children: 11 and 3 (don’t ask!); we live in Richmond, VA, but I am originally from Stockton, California. I love to read mysteries, the classics and other great works of fiction. Writing is a HUGE part of my life; it’s my greatest gift. I am a storyteller across genres, and I feel so blessed to have been chosen to be such. It’s important to me that no matter what I write, it empowers and inspires the reader in some way to be the best they can be and to live their life on purpose.

There's about a week to go for Mystery Month, which means you have that same amount of time to earn 50+ chances at a gift card in our scavenger hunt.

The following is syndicated from the website of JeanNicole Rivers and is posted here with permission. Sometimes I sit alone in a dark room and I wonder how to commit the perfect murder…not really (in most of my down time I think about cupcakes, shopping lists and how to avoid my personal trainer), but for the sake of this blog, let’s just say that I do contemplate how to commit the perfect murder. Many years ago I would have had to look at old criminal case files, talk to detectives and police officers, use two or three tablets of paper for planning, but no more. Today I can go to my computer, type the phrase into my search bar and up pops a book telling me exactly what I need to know. It’s there; the question is, should it be?

Buffer Disclaimer: Not Stephanie :) Tell everyone a little bit about yourself. I have been married for over 15 years, have four amazing children, and when I am not reading books or spending time with my family, I am a college professor. Who are some of your favorite authors? Books? This is such a hard one to answer because there are SO many. Check out my Goodreads books for my favorites. Just to name a few - Olivia Cunning (Sinners on Tour), Tiffany Reisz (The Original Sinners), Colleen Hoover (Slammed series, Hopeless series), Jessica Sorensen (Ella and Micha, Callie and Kayden), S.C. Stephens (Thoughtless series), Aleatha Romig (Consequences series), Cherise Sinclair (Shadowlands series), Nina Lane, C.J. Roberts, Alice Clayton, M. Leighton.

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Buffer Tell everyone a little bit about yourself. My life revolves around words. Words spoken. Words written. Words felt. I am so lucky to have a wonderful hubby and two great kids who understand my life with words. Who are some of your favorite authors? Books? Kiera Cass “The Selection” Series, Stephenie Meyer “Twilight” Saga, Donna McDonald “Art of Love” Series, Rose Gordon “The Groom’s” Series, Sherri Hayes “Finding Anna” Series, Kendare Blake “Anna Dressed in Blood”, Kelley Armstrong “Darkest Powers” Series.

The following originally appeared on Diantha-Jones.com and is posted here with permission.

Buffer Written All Over Her By Mia Darien Book Four in the Welcome to Adelheid series

Buffer   The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by  Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer .  It's a chance to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and  share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.