Book Review: A Dragon for Christmas by M.D. Neu

Title: A Dragon for Christmas
Author: M.D. Neu
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: December 18, 2017
Heat Level: 0
Pairing: Female/Female
Length: 50 pages (12000 words)
Genre: Fantasy, Holiday, Young Adult, LGBT, Lesbian

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36654437-a-dragon-for-christmas

Synopsis:
Carmen is eleven years old and wants to get her dragon. Since she was seven years old, she understood two things. Once, she was going to be the strongest Dragon Keeper there ever eas. The Second was that she was going to marry her best friend, Mattie.

As Christmas approaches the magical charms Carmen has to use to fight off her curse are taking a toll on her health. But that can't stop her from taking her final test to become a Dragon Keeper. If she passes her test she gets her dragon if not, she has to start all over relying on different magical charms to fight the curse for her. That is something Carmen doesn't want to have to go through. The testing is difficult and charms make her sick. Carmen has decided that if she doesn't get her dragon this Christmas she's not going to go for a third attempt, even if that means she can't marry Mattie when she grows up.

My Review:

M.D. Neu has done it again! You may recall that I read and reviewed his vampire novel, The Calling. Although both The Calling and  A Dragon for Christmas would both fall into my definition of Urban Fantasy, A Dragon for Christmas is unabashedly sweet, with just enough sadness to make it a perfect Christmas Story.

And yes, before you get all "but it's April - why are you reading Christmas stories?", let me just say that a good Christmas story is good at any point of the year.  Like who doesn't want Christmas in July, or October, or even April. So there. Deal. (I'm looking at you right now with a cocked eyebrow. That's a challenge for you to defy me and tell me I'm wrong.  Go ahead, do it...)

I digress.

As I've said many times before, I don't like giving away a story's twists and turns, but I have to spill a little bit of the beans on this one.  Neu has written this story from the perspective of an eleven-year-old girl. It is uncomplicated and straight to the point - just like any other girl would be at this age. The words aren't big, the concepts aren't twisted, and big grown-up problems aren't addressed - but we see them. We see it all through the eyes of Carmen who is honest, optimistic, but sometimes moody. (Just like every eleven-year-old girl I have known!).

You see, Carmen is cursed. We're never really told what that curse is, or how she got it, but that is the reality. The only thing that will help her is by having a dragon of her very own. There are many things that cursed children have to do in order to obtain their dragon, and Carmen is on that journey.

You can't help but make some comparisons to kids with cancer, or other life-threatening diseases, and it pulls at the heartstrings.

In Neu's world, Dragon's carry potent magic, and it is that magic that staves off curses. Hence, Carmen needs her own dragon to be healthy. Dragons, it would seem, are abundant in nature (I wish!). In fact, I was delighted with Neu's portrayal of the flying lizards.  With common names like Blue Bottom, Yellow-Tip, and Canadian Whites, you would think we were talking about various subspecies of finches, not dragons. By the way, I have to say I was pleasantly tickled by the Canadian Whites. Living in the Great White North myself, it currently being April, and with snow still on the ground, I thought Canadian dragons being white, and of course, I would assume ice-liking, was perfect. I can only extrapolate from that concept that Canadian dragons only appear in the winter, and hibernate during the summer, or perhaps migrate to either the Arctic or the Antarctic where they live out their days in glacial snow valleys and polar ice caps.

But again, I digress.

Carmen, our cursed little girl, relies on her best friend Mattie in order to get her through her struggles. Also of note, in Neu's world, same-sex pairings are the norm. It's a matter of fact. No one makes a big deal out of it. And Carmen has made it very clear that she loves Mattie, and one day, the two will marry.

That's all I'm going to tell you. You'll just have to read the rest yourself. But even though there are images that will make you feel sad, the hope and promise of getting a Dragon for Christmas, in order to cure Carmen of her curse will make you zip through this short story with the wild abandon of a Blue Bottom dragon.

Well done, Neu, well done.

Rating:

Purchase Links:

NineStar Press: https//ninestarepress.com/product/a-dragon-for-christmas/

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y6uzd3p4 

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/yac67ojl 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-dragon-for-christmas-1

Meet the Author:

M.D. Neu is an LGBTQA Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing

Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.

When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric his husband of eighteen plus years.

Links:

Website: http://www.mdneu.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Writer_MDNeu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mdneuauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17206592.M_D_Neu

Book Review: Souls for Sale by Asta Idonea

Title:  Souls for Sale

Author: Asta Idonea

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: March 26, 2018

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 51600

Genre: Paranormal, LGBT, humor, demons, angels, nerds-geeks, artists, hell

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39004760-souls-for-sale

Synopsis

When demon Saul persuades comic book artist Tom to sign over his soul in exchange for a night of passion, little does he know what lies in store. Demons can’t fall in love—or so he’s been told—but he finds himself smitten and attempts to destroy the contract, desperate to save Tom from an eternity of torture.

With Saul and Tom forced to run, a showdown between Heaven and Hell ensues as the angels and demons argue over who owns Tom’s soul. But does either party have a stronger claim than Saul?

My Review:

This was a quick, hot, devilish read!

I have to give kudos to Asta Idonea for writing this novel in first person, present tense. As an author, I have attempted this writing style and failed miserably. There's a certain skill required in telling a story from this perspective, a skill I don't possess. 

The story revolves around Saul, a demon from hell, who is a top-notch salesman in obtaining satanic contracts, signed by silly humans willing to give up their souls for an eternity of damnation in exchange for their deepest desire.

A very familiar storyline. And yet, Idonea kept me entertained the entire way through the story by injecting present day realness into the tale. I giggled out loud when Saul exclaims that all demons watch the TV show Supernatural. And in fact, it was required watching. Hilarious - and deeply wonderful, as the TV series antics of demon-hunting brothers Sam and Dean are a regular show at my household. 

I was also pleasantly surprised when Saul, the demon, turns to the reader of the story and actively includes them in the narrative. Here's an excerpt just before Tom and Saul are about to have sex, as an example of what I'm talking about:

"While I'm not always adverse to an audience, I don't really want a bunch of comic book superheroes watching. Oh, don't worry, you can stay. I wouldn't send you packing just as things are getting interesting. Not after you've come so far on this journey with me already you sneaky little voyeur, you."

I'm not entirely certain that our inclusion isn't a 'breaking of the fourth wall', but it was a decidedly odd technique to ensure the reader was wrapped up in the story - as we became part of it! It worked well and I loved it - and thinking back, I don't believe I've ever read another story that utilized such a device to include the audience.

It's no secret that I like my dark and creepy stories, but Idonea's version of hell and demons, although dark, and potentially gruesome never truly 'went there' for me. We were given hints as to what hell would be like, and we met a couple of different types of demons, but the focus was on Saul and his decidedly human physical attributes. Throughout the story, we definitely watch his burgeoning humanity as he falls in love with Tom. And I was tickled with the notion that demons love luxury, so the next time you check into the Four Seasons hotel - make sure you're on the lookout for a sexy demon. They should be around in droves.

All in all, this is a great read, a sexy dark temptation of giving up your soul to love.

Rating:

Available At:

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/souls-for-sale/

Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/v19qd7

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/803834

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/souls-for-sale-asta-idonea/1123356857

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/souls-for-sale-3

Meet the Author

Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.

Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!

As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theater, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel, all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing. She is never found too far from her much-loved library/music room.

Author Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickiJMarkus

Finding Inspiration

Yeah, I know, my blog lately has been nothing but book reviews. So, here we go.  A while back, the great First Round editor for Daimonion, otherwise known as Samantha Cook, asked me to write an article for her blog.

Well, needless to say, I was very flattered, but I didn't have a clue on what to write about. She suggested I write on inspiration, or more specifically, where I find inspiration.

So I did just that. Here's the original article, on Samantha's blog: Click Right Here.

But, if you'd rather, you can read what I had to say right here.

So, here we go. Where do I find inspiration? Well, a variety of sources for sure.

Casting Shadows and Making Monsters

Finding Inspirational in Likely Places

I can definitely say that the blank white of a page staring back at me from the computer screen is a daunting vision. 

What am I supposed to put there?  How do I fill it with words that elegantly describe the visions in my head?  And make no mistake, they are visions.  Everything I write is more or less a description of the internal movie that plays over and over in my mind.  But stringing together the words to describe that vision is far trickier than I had originally thought when I first put words to digital paper.

Authors who have already been down that long winding road of unabashed creativity always spout the same two pieces of advice:

o   Write.  It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, just write.

o   Write what you know.

Okay, I can get past the first one.  Sit down, turn on the computer, under no circumstances launch an internet browser, and then do nothing but type.  Sometimes I write with purpose, other times, it’s a hodge-podge of unrelated thoughts that I’m quite sure would make most therapists jump at the chance of offering assistance.  Considering most of my writing would fall into the realm of Dark Fantasy with a smidge of Horror, my mind is constantly filled with twisted apparitions of leathery wings, saliva dripping fangs, and blood splattered rooms.  Therapists unite - there are more than enough issues for you to dissect!

Filling a blank page with the danse macabre is a challenge, but eventually, with enough thought and time the words seep out like a spreading bloodstain.

But what about the inspiration? Where is that supposed to come from?  That second piece of advice looms eerily over my head like a sharpened axe:  Write what you know.  How would I know about ghoulish fiends and dark scary things? I can’t tell you how many demons I’ve summoned in my basement, just to get a good look at them and observe their behaviour, but I find they are not housebroken, and they hate having their picture taken.  Once those imps break free of my control - and they always do- the resulting damage is devastating.   After all, insurance companies flatly refuse to acknowledge and pay out claims based on “acts of the ungod.”

How do you create eloquently drawn portraits of seething demons and ethereal fairies?  I cheat.  Catholic confessional booth acknowledgment time: I have many sources of the undead and otherworldly to pull from, and I’ll be happy to share with you some of my favorites.

1.)    Tumblr (Visualizations) – there are so many wonderful images here, from artist renderings to wildly photo-shopped photography, that it’s absolutely impossible not to find something that will satiate your imagination for the wicked.  Net surfers beware however, the internet can be an evil place and there are things that once seen, can never be unseen. Should you chance a dare, my Tumblr blog can be found here, but net surfer be warned, this is definitely NSFW.

2.)    Cemeteries (Environment & Mood) – I often find myself wandering through boneyards, where tombstones, grave markers, and mausoleums tell me stories.  Allow your mind to wander and soak up the haunted reasons behind lingering ghosts. I promise their tales will send spine-tingling sensations down your readers’ backs once you harness the stillness of the atmosphere from a burial ground.

3.)    A Smart Phone (Tools) – one of the wickedest inventions of this century, and nothing has done a better job of turning social creatures into walking zombies.  I’m sure that traditionalists among us will always carry that pad of paper jotting down notes and ideas.  I’d like to think that the smartphone can do one better.   The camera function can hold images that you chance upon hostage, allowing you to see your own environment in a completely different way. Any number of various apps gives your classic notepad in digital format.  Voice recorders can capture the creepy sounds of a city at night.  Record videos, search the calendar for dates, use the internet for research, it’s just your notepad but on steroids!

4.)    The Shower (Reflection) – not just a backdrop for Psycho(s).  Although I am regularly berated for the length of time I spend standing motionless while scalding water beats the redness into the back of my neck, I find the shower a soothing enclosure where I can steal quiet time to ponder while the steam rises. Sometimes I draw strange angel script and hex symbols in the mist covered glass shower doors.  Other times, I simply look like a soggy corpse whose brain is fussing over how to avoid becoming possessed.

5.)    TV (Ideas & Mood) – dear Lord, clutch your pearls and gasp.  I know, TV.  If there was one thing that sucked away endless hours of life that I will truly never be able to get back, it is this beastly device.  Damn Reality TV.  However, I have wizened to its life draining, brain-rotting ways.  I rarely watch any show as it actually airs.  This way, an hour of my life is reduced to forty some odd minutes with the commercials removed (Marketing Executives, please look the other way – of course I have watched your advertisements).  I have several personal favorites.  The end result is that the stimulation sullies the inner workings of my mind creating the right moodiness to sit and write something devilishly clever and decidedly evil.

6.)    Music (Mood) – How could I possibly have left music for number six on my list?  It’s a rare sight to see me without headphones.  My playlist is eclectic, with instrumentals and vocals that perchance invite dark gnomes to take up residence in the garden.  Some arias are synthesized and mechanized, others are created using instruments from the medieval ages.  All of them transport me out of my current reality and allow my imagination to create.

7.)    Coffee shops/Malls/Airports (Character Generation) – Any place where people will congregate are great places to go so that I can sit and watch people.  That homeless man that’s talking to himself? That’s actually the demon Legion, and his private conversation is a plan on how he’s going to steal your soul to add to his mob.  See? Works great.

8.)     A Tarot Deck (Plot Ideas) – Do a reading for your character.  Every now and then you get to a spot where you’re just not sure what to do with a particular character.  Stuck?  Pull a card from the deck.  Ah, yes, you’ve chosen the Three of Swords. Well, if you’re not proficient with divination, a quick Google search reveals this card’s occult meanings: heartbreak, betrayal and loneliness.  You should put your main character through every horrific thing you can think of.  Strife adds interest.  The Three of Swords just killed off the significant other of your protagonist.  Maybe the dead will come back?

9.)    Travel (Ideas and Characters) – Getting out of your immediate environment is sure to place you in situations you’ve never experienced before.  Experiences translate into an adventure.  Expose yourself to things you’ve never seen, heard, done, or eaten.  What’s the worst that could happen? You might think twice, however, of putting strange things in your mouth.  Foreign parasites can do horrible things.

10.) Other Books (Technical Structure) – for the love of all that is held dear, read. Tear stories apart until nothing remains but a bloody mess.  Understand how the author used words to bring you into their world, and identify the elements that ruined the story because you found holes in the paradigm.  But beyond that, read to enjoy, read to inspire.  Just read.

I do try to limit the number of hours that each of these activities consumes.  After all, your time is much better spent creating than it is watching someone else’s creations.  Indulging in these pastimes has allowed my mind to enter the dark and forbidding places, where long casted shadows act on their own, and malicious monsters are made out of seemingly nice people.

Now if I could just drown that irritating voice in the back of my head that constantly says, “That’s not good enough, and you’re not seriously going to say that are you?” 

I hate that voice.  But then, dealing with that annoying demon of self-doubt is a tale of exorcism, and some demons I cuddle quite closely.  I’m not entirely sure I want to cast it out…just yet.  He may come in handy.

Book Review: The Moth and Moon by Glenn Quigley

Title:  The Moth and Moon

Author: Glenn Quigley

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: March 19, 2018

Heat Level: 2 - Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 63000

Genre: Alternate Universe, Historical, LGBT, historical, gay, friends to lovers, sailor, baker, pirates, family drama

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38750078-the-moth-and-moon

Synopsis

In the summer of 1780, on the tiny island of Merryapple, burly fisherman Robin Shipp lives a simple, quiet life in a bustling harbour town where most of the residents dislike him due to the actions of his father. With a hurricane approaching, he nonetheless convinces the villagers to take shelter in the one place big enough to hold them all—the ancient, labyrinthine tavern named the Moth & Moon.

While trapped with his neighbours during the raging storm, Robin inadvertently confronts more than the weather, and the results could change everything.

My Review:

I think it would be safe to assume that for most readers, we want to be swept away by a story. We want to be fully immersed in the setting, live in the characters heads and completely escape from our own present reality.

Well then, have I got a book for you. Let me introduce you to Glenn Quigley and his debut novel The Moth and Moon.

I don't think I managed to get to the end of the first page before I found myself already swallowed up by the storytelling. Quigley masterfully snatches the reader and plunks them down into a 1700's fishing village where the world might be devoid of all the technology we have today, but is lush and full of details. I swear I could smell the ocean as I read this - and I live in a land-locked Canadian province. There isn't a huge body of water anywhere near me. And yet, I was walking along the shores of Blashy Cove, passing through the various stores and merchants, and having a strong apple cider in the local village hub - The Moth and Moon.

The entire story revolves around Robin Shipp, a big bear of a man, clumsy, yet endearing, whose family's history colours how the townsfolk interact with him. And yet, despite their repugnant treatment of the man, he continually shows grace and kindness. Note to self - a good lesson for all of us to learn.

Of note - in Blashy Cove, the residents are perfectly able to take up and marry or be involved with any individual they'd prefer, and in fact, the matriarchs of the town often conspire to match-make couples of any gender configuration. What a delight - perhaps we'll get there in our own timeline sometime soon.

The author does a stupendous job of creating stress and tension as the impending storm seeks to bring about destruction - and having lived through two hurricanes myself (when I attended University on the East Coast of the US), I can assure you that Quigley adequately captured the intense feelings that come with the weight of doom that Mother Nature is quite apt in dolling out. The attention to detail is staggering, and yet, it never detracts from the story.

As the storm arrives, the interconnectedness of the citizens of Blashy Cove come to a front, as histories and prejudices are aired and confronted. The characters are real, their situations and reactions are believable, and I found myself rooting for Mr. Shipp on every page, despite the horrendous treatment he receives, and the lies that he discovers.

The book is utterly heart-warming. The connections between the townspeople need to be mentioned as well. In a small town, everyone knows or knows of, everyone else. Stories are shared and told, truths are stretched and sometimes broken altogether. The dynamics were perfect, the scandals are relatable as similar situations continue to occur even today. In other words, despite the time frame, this story has something that everyone can nod and say, "Yup, I know someone that happened to."

That right there is what I call "relatableness" (Yes, I know, that's not really a word, but I'm making it one) and that quality is, as far as I'm concerned, what makes a book stand out from all the others.

This is a definite must-read, and I am eagerly awaiting anything else that Mr. Quigley puts to paper.

Rating:

Available At:

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/the-moth-and-moon/

Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/k8ovud

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/800120

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-moth-and-moon-glenn-quigley/1128116541

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-moth-and-moon

Meet The Author:

Glenn Quigley is a graphic designer originally from Dublin and now living in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He creates bear designs for www.themoodybear.com. He has been interested in writing since he was a child, as essay writing was the one and only thing he was ever any good at in school. When not writing or designing, he enjoys photography and has recently taken up watercolour painting.

Author Links

Website: http://www.glennquigley.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Glennquigley