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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

COVER REVEAL for THE PLASTIC MAGICIAN

In case you haven't seen it elsewhere already. :)

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You can see the hardcover jacket and the cover beneath on my author Facebook page.


Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London to begin her training in Polymaking—the magical discipline of bespelling plastic. Polymaking is a new form of magic, and Alvie is determined to make as many discoveries—in as short a time frame—as she can. Luckily for her, she’s studying under the world-renowned magician and inventor Marion Praff.
Alvie brings a fresh perspective to her mentor’s work, and together they discover a breakthrough that could forever change Polymaking—and the world. But when an envious rival learns of their work, he hatches a sinister plan to steal their invention for himself.
To thwart the villain scheming against her, Alvie will need to think one step ahead. For in the competitive world of magical discovery, not everyone plays fair…
Preorder The Plastic Magician here, and add it to your Goodreads list here. :D


Thursday, November 9, 2017

Sold! VEINS OF GOLD to Mirror Press!

I'm very happy to announce my "black horse" book, Veins of Gold, will be releasing with Mirror Press, publisher of the Timeless Romance anthologies, next year! Release date TBA.


I started writing Veins of Gold in January of 2016. It's a historical romantic fantasy (there's a genre-cluster-cuss for you) set in my native home state... before it was a state. I drafted it, revised it, revised it again, revised it again . . . and sent it off to a new publisher, where it inevitably sat on a desk for nearly a year before being rejected (yes, bestsellers can be rejected. It sucks. But to be frank, I think everyone needs a reality check [aka humbling moments] every once in a while).

But this niche story was not meant to die. I'm thrilled to be trying my hand at something different with Mirror Press. It will be an adventure, and I very much hope you all will love Veins of Gold as much as I do.

So, what is it about? Let me tell you.

Gentry and her siblings might not survive. Abandoned by their father for the gold rush, they are left alone in the inhospitable west. Desert heat and swarms of locust kill Gentry's meager crops, and strange earthquakes open putrid geysers beneath burning dust.

An accidental enchantment opens Gentry's eyes to the horrifying world of magic that hides in the desert: shapeless shadows and bubbling souls. The mysterious Winn rescues her from the onslaught—a man who not only sees the magic, but controls it by feeding it the very thing her father left to acquire: gold.

Winn shows Gentry wonders she was once blind to and whisks her away on the wings of seagulls. But as the weeks pass and Gentry receives no word nor money from her father, she must consider what will feed her starving family—the whimsy of Winn's spirit, or an offer of marriage from a well-off man she does not love?

But even a new husband won’t settle the earth’s unrest. Greed-driven mining in California is causing unnatural phenomena back home, and even Winn might not have enough magic to stop it.


I have so much to look forward to in 2018! First, the release of The Plastic Magician, which has one of my favorite protagonists EVER. Then Veins of Gold, and the year will end gearing up for These Ethereal Chains (working title), the first book in my *new* trilogy, which I honestly think is the best story I've ever written.

GET PUMPED.


Friday, October 27, 2017

The Japanese Cover of THE PAPER MAGICIAN!

I've mentioned this in a handful of interviews, but the thing that got me into writing wasn't a book--it was an anime called "Tenkou no Escaflowne" (The Vision of Escaflowne). I watched it when I was thirteen years old, and I loved it so hard. I wanted to create a story like that story. I wanted to invent characters like those characters. (I -still- love that anime even today, though it's been a few years since I last rewatched it.)

Needless to say, this started an anime obsession that lasted until part way through my undergrad. And this anime obsession, of course, led to a deep love for Japan. I actually gave presentations to all my ninth-grade geography teacher's classes on Japan not because it was an assignment, but because I WANTED TO. That's how crazy I was. Today, I still kick myself for not studying abroad in Japan during my undergrad. I couldn't afford it and student loans scared me, but I wish I could go back in time and tell younger Charlie, "Chica, just do it!" Visiting Tokyo is still on my bucket list, but I'll have to brush up on my Japanese, first (since I took in for two years in high school and two years in college. Like I said. Obsessed).

Why am I telling you all of this? Because my inner fan girl is FLIPPING HER CRAP right now because while I'm still at home with my little kiddos, part of me is in Japan. This part:



Except now it looks like THIS:



*Insert mad squealing here*


I give you the Japanese cover for The Paper Magician! EEEEE I AM SO EXCITED. (I assume it says "Kami no Majishan", but I never was good at kanji.) I absolutely LOVE this cover. The bright colors, the origami, the just overall Japanese-ness of it all. Now to become famous enough in Japan that they invite me to a convention over there. ;)

So? What do you think??

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Sold! FOUR Books to 47North!

COMMENCE HAPPY DANCING.


Yes. I just signed a contract to sell FOUR books to my publisher; three are in a new ~*trilogy*~, and one is a standalone.

Fake readers: Oh! Tell me more, Charlie!

:D OKAY I WILL.

The trilogy is currently titled the Numina Trilogy--a title that will very likely change before the books are released, as will all the individual titles for the books. The first novel of the trilogy is drafted and with my alpha readers right now. I'm currently working on the second. This is young adult/new adult fantasy.

So, what's it about? In short, it's magic fidget spinners meets Final Fantasy. In long... well, here's the pitch for book 1 (working title, These Ethereal Chains):

Enslaved and living beneath a filthy city in the throes of industrialization, Sandis rarely sees the sun. She’s her master’s favorite vessel—a unique kind of slave who provides a mortal body for powerful, unearthly beings called numina found on the ethereal plane. But Sandis is more unique than her master realizes. Not only can she house strong numina, one has been communicating with her.

Rone prowls the city’s rooftops, where pollution is thinner and crowds nonexistent. He’s a man with a reputation for doing the impossible . . . for the right price. Rone possesses skill in combat and knowledge of the sewers, as well as an ancient artifact called an amarinth—an incredibly rare device that allows him to become immortal for one minute of each day. But when Rone learns his mother has been arrested for a crime that could lead to the executioner’s block, one minute isn’t enough time to save her. The crime she’s been accused of, he committed, and the guilt threatens to eat him alive.

When Sandis’s master, Kazen, begins killing vessels in an attempt to summon a numen far greater than its predecessors, Sandis flees, chasing a hope that a name she discovered in a gold exchange record might lead her to a long-lost family member and sanctuary from life on the streets. She steals Rone’s amarinth. Her price for its return? His aid. But Sandis isn’t the only one in danger. If Kazen succeeds in summoning his monster, the entire country will fall under the summoner’s tyrannical rule.


Also, I think this trilogy is possibly the best story I've ever written, so there's that. :D

The fourth book, The Will and the Wilds, is a romantic fantasy standalone (I'd say new adult). This book is actually finished and polished, but will be releasing after the final book of the Numina trilogy. It's also the first book I've ever written that was based on a dream.

Fake readers: Oooh! Tell us more!

I'll spare you the dream, but here's the pitch. ;)

Enna knows much of the mystings that roam the wildwood near her home. After they killed her mother, her father gifted her a stone that senses their nearness. When one mysting tries to kill her to obtain it, Enna takes a huge risk: fighting back with a mysting of her own.

Maekallus’s help doesn’t come free. His price? A kiss. But even the most naïve mortals know Maekallus’s kind use kisses to steal souls. Drawing upon a power unknown to her, Enna persuades Maekallus to commit to much less. The bargain struck, he goes to destroy Enna’s mysting—but in the ensuing fight, he’s bound to the mortal realm, which begins eating him alive. Compelled to help by the magic enchaining them, Enna gives Maekallus a kiss—the only thing that can save him from immediate destruction. But Maekallus’s temporary salvation is Enna’s lingering doom. Part of her soul now burns bright inside of him, making him feel for the first time. 

Enna shares Maekallus’s suffering, and even the sliver of her soul she sacrificed won’t heal either of them for long. If he and Enna cannot find a way to break the spell binding him to the mortal realm, Maekallus will be consumed completely—and Enna’s soul with him.



Anyone who liked Followed by Frost will like this book. I really like this book. It's the most romantic I've ever written and I wrote it in six weeks, while I was drafting The Plastic Magician. That's how much I liked it. :D I admit I hate having to wait until 2019 at the earliest for it to release, but I think it's worth the wait! I even wrote a theme song for it.* I'll probably post that online closer to the book's release date.

I do not have release dates for any of these novels, but knowing my publisher, I think the first book (These Ethereal Chains) could come out late 2018. Fingers crossed!


~*~


*Once upon a time, Charlie composed music. She almost majored in musical composition, but realized that studying music theory would make her hate music. After she got hitched and started writing fiction more and more, she fell away from composition and hasn't really done anything with it in several years.





Monday, September 18, 2017

What Kind of Magician Are You? Take the Test!


Ever wondered what magical material you'd study, had you been born into the world of The Paper Magician? Now you can find out! I'm happy to announce that a brief quiz had been added to my website that will sort you into one of seven magical disciplines: paper, fire, metal alloys, rubber, plastic, glass, or flesh.

Ready to play? Click here!

Saturday, July 29, 2017

THE FIFTH DOLL Is Now Available in Ebook, Paperback, and Audio Book!

Iiiiiiiiiiiit'sssss here!



The Fifth Doll has released! It's out there! Spreading it's little creepy* wings!


Matrona lives in an isolated village, where her life is centered on pleasing her parents. She’s diligent in her chores and has agreed to marry a man of their choosing. But a visit to Slava, the local tradesman, threatens to upend her entire life.

Entering his empty house, Matrona discovers a strange collection of painted nesting dolls—one for every villager. Fascinated, she can’t resist the urge to open the doll with her father’s face. But when her father begins acting strangely, she realizes Slava’s dolls are much more than they seem.

When he learns what she’s done, Slava seizes the opportunity to give Matrona stewardship over the dolls—whether she wants it or not. Forced to open one of her own dolls every three days, she falls deeper into the grim power of Slava’s creations. But nothing can prepare her for the profound secret hiding inside the fifth doll.

You can buy the book here, or add it to your Goodreads list here. :)


~*~

In other notes, I will hopefully be announcing my eighth novel soon (because #7 is The Plastic Magician!)! Also, for more information and fun treats (like, say the first page of The Plastic Magician that went out a couple days ago), go to my website and sign up for my newsletter. I only send it out once every couple of months, so no spam. :)

You can pre-order The Plastic Magician here or add it to your Goodreads list here. Cover to come!

~*~

*Because Publisher's Weekly called it horror :D

Monday, June 5, 2017

THE FIFTH DOLL Reviewed in Publisher's Weekly!

I've got a smile on my face today because The Fifth Doll just got a review in Publisher's Weekly!

Here are the best bits:

“Holmberg effortlessly shifts from fantasy (the Paper Magician series) to horror with this creepy short novel set in Russia. The plot’s unexpected detours are entertaining."

:D :D :D :D

You can see the full review here, check out the book on Goodreads, or go to its pre-order page.

The Fifth Doll releases July 25th!





Monday, April 17, 2017

Cover Reveal: THE FIFTH DOLL

It's heeeeeeeeeere!

The moment we've all (or possibly me) been waiting for: the cover for The Fifth Doll, which releases July 25th, 2017!

ARE YOU READY?

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After discovering a room full of matryoshka dolls wearing the faces of her village, a woman learns she may be trapped inside one--but unraveling the sorcery carved into each doll unleashes dark consequences that rip her from the only home she remembers.


What do you think?

You can preorder The Fifth Doll here.
And/or add The Fifth Doll to your Goodreads.


See more updates on this book and others on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.


Monday, February 13, 2017

Did I Mention the 4th PAPER MAGICIAN Book?

So, being the bright canary that I am, I realized I announced this everywhere except my actual blog. XD

Ahem.

SOLD TO 47NORTH: POLYMAKER, A FOURTH BOOK AND COMPANION NOVEL TO THE PAPER MAGICIAN SERIES.


Dinky graphic I made for Instagram

The deal is so fancy it even got to be in Publisher's Weekly. :D

I'm about 47,000 words into the first draft of the book, which you can add to your Goodreads list here.

So, what's it about?

Alvie Brechenmacher is eager to start her apprenticeship as a plastics magician, but competition in the new field of magic makes her a target for her mentor's most malicious rival.

And yes, there will be cameos galore. ;) Those who have read the trilogy will already know the love interest when he's (re)introduced.

~*~

In other news, The Fifth Doll's publication date has been moved to July 25, 2017! You can add it to your Goodreads list or preorder it on Amazon. Soon I'll have a cover to show off and information about the release party!

Cheers!


Friday, January 13, 2017

Cover Reveal! THE HUNDREDTH QUEEN by Emily R. King





The Hundredth Queen

Emily R. King

Published by: Skyscape
Publication date: June 1st 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda’s only hope for escape lies in an arcane, forbidden power that’s buried within her.

In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own.




Author Bio:
Emily R. King is a reader of everything and a writer of fantasy. Born in Canada and raised in the USA, she has perfected the use of “eh” and “y’all” and uses both interchangeably. Shark advocate, consumer of gummy bears, and islander at heart, Emily’s greatest interests are her four children. She’s a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and an active participant in her local writers’ community. She lives in Northern Utah with her family and their cantankerous cat.

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