Friday, October 10, 2014

Interview & Giveaway: Words That Bind by Ash Krafton

UFI welcomes Author Ash Krafton. Thanks for Joining us!!


What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview? 

I’ve recently learned that my office may quite possibly have the worst Feng Shui on the planet. Maybe that’s why I’ve been writing anywhere but.

Of course, it could be that my desk needs a good cleaning but we won’t talk of that now. It’s got to be the Feng Shui.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Prowling through time. (Okay, maybe a little too dramatic.) My family enjoys visiting historical districts and attractions so we spend a lot of time in places like Gettysburg and Philadelphia and Baltimore. Museums are another favorite place to visit the past.

And I watch a lot of Doctor Who. It’s the whole timey-wimey thing.

What is your Favorite part of writing? 

Knowing that every book, every chapter, every page is a fresh opportunity to make something out of nothing. I can put a series of words together and make something new come to life. It’s a tremendous feeling.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write? 

I only have one, and it’s more of a quirk, really—I can’t have anyone look over my shoulder when I write. I can’t even bear to have my husband standing behind me. Just the thought of someone watching each word as it gets pecked out—GAH.

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?

LOVE LOVE LOVE Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Tanya Huff, and Laurell K. Hamilton. Also a big fan of Tricia Schneider and Sharon Saracino.

How would you pitch WORDS THAT BIND to someone who has not heard of it before? 

It’s a love story about a genie and his therapist. Never fall for a client—especially when the client is an immortal djinn and you are the talisman to which he is bound.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that WORDS THAT BIND is set in?

It’s based on modern-day Philadelphia, PA. The other-wordly scenes come along whenever the hero, Burns, is around. He is a portal to another word altogether.

Do you have a favorite scene in WORDS THAT BIND?

My favorite scene is one in which Burns apologizes to Tam. I loved showing his tender side (as well as his choice of beach wear.)

Which one character out of all your books was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about? 

My favorite to write would be Sophie Galen, the empathic star of my Demimonde series. She’s written in first person so I get to experience her world first-hand, through her eyes, no filter, no distance, no dimming of the bright and sharp experiences of her headlong rush through life. In contrast, writing Tam, the heroine of WORDS THAT BIND, was a challenge because she begins the story unable to experience any emotion at all. Writing her, however, gave me the opportunity to study non-verbal communication in order to process the story through her. The challenge has really helped me to see people in a new light and to hear what they are not saying.

What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you? 

Currently, I am finishing THE HEARTBEAT THIEF, which is a paranormal tale about the flip side of immortality. It’s a cross between Jane Austen and Edgar Allen Poe and I love writing every gothic inch of it. Since it will be pitched as YA/NA and therefore a different audience, it will be released under the pen name AJ Krafton. While the book is not yet in its final stages, the cover design is complete and can be seen on www.ashkrafton.com I’m hoping for a release by spring 2015.
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Ash Krafton is a speculative fiction author from northeastern Pennsylvania. Krafton’s first novel, Bleeding Hearts was published in 2012 as part of a three-book urban fantasy series The Books of the Demimonde (Pink Narcissus Press).

An urban fantasy novella, Strangers at the Hell Gate, was published by Wild Rose Press in 2013. Her latest project, Words That Bind, won first place in the HeRA RWA “Show Me the Spark” 2013 competition; it is also available through Wild Rose Press as an October 2014 release.

Krafton also writes New Adult speculative fiction novels under the pen name AJ Krafton. Upcoming titles include The Heartbeat Thief, Face of the Enemy, and the award-winning Takin’ It Back. She is part of a YA/NA collective known as the Infinite Ink Authors.

In addition to novel-length fiction, Krafton enjoys writing poetry and short prose, some of which earned distinctions in various writing competitions. One of her poems was also nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She’s a proud member of Pennwriters, Romance Writers of America, and Pikes Peak Writers. Krafton is also a staff blogger for the Query Tracker Blog.

Find Ash and her books
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Words That Bind
Amazon / Wild Rose Publishing
 Social worker Tam Kerish can’t keep her cool professionalism when steamy client Mr. Burns kindles a desire for more than a client-therapist relationship—so she drops him. However, they discover she’s the talisman to which Burns, an immortal djinn, has been bound since the days of King Solomon…and that makes it difficult to stay away from him.

Ethical guidelines are unequivocal when it comes to personal relationships with clients. However, the djinn has a thawing effect on the usually non-emotive Tam, who begins to feel true emotion whenever he is near. Tam has to make a difficult choice: to stay on the outside, forever looking in…or to turn her back on her entire world, just for the chance to finally experience what it means to fall in love.
 
Excerpt:
 
“So. You’ve destroyed a stereotype for me. A genie who lives in a library. Different.” 

“When in Rome, no?” He stirred his cup before setting down the spoon with a light clink against the saucer. “Or, I suppose it is more accurate to say when in human form. When I am Burns, I prefer here.” 

“Human form.” It didn’t sound right. Who said things like that, and meant it? “Can you change into anything you want? Any shape at all?” 

He stretched out his legs and cocked his head, sliding his gaze up and away. “I suppose I could. I’m getting old and set in my ways. There’s this…” He swept his hands down the line of his body. 

Her eyes were unable to keep from following, not even when he lingered over his midsection. Even lounging, his shirt was tightly tucked into his beltline. No belly fat there.

He tilted his head and gave her an upper-teeth smile, nibbling gently at his lower lip. “And apparently this form is pleasing to the eye, so I wear it often. But there are others. Tiger, a favorite. Savage and regal and the colors of flames in the night. Fearsome to behold, but very useful when dealing with physical conditions in which a human form may be outmatched. Plus, I can lash my tail.” 

His voice took a teasing, conspirator’s tone. “I love my tail. You’d love it too, if you saw it.” 

She trained her eyes firmly upon his. No way would she give him the pleasure of checking out his tail.
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Thursday, October 9, 2014

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Black Spring by Christina Henry

UFI welcomes Christina Henry Author of the Black Wing Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

The Top Ten Worst Monsters I’ve Faced - and How I Got Rid of Them
By Madeline Black 

I don’t consider myself a professional monster hunter. However, since I discovered I wasn’t just an Agent of Death but the daughter of a fallen angel and the many-greats granddaughter of Lucifer it does seem like monsters keep crossing my path with depressing regularity. While all of them haunt me, some seem to give me nightmares than others. Here are the ones that just won’t leave me alone even though they’ve met their bitter end – or if they haven’t yet, I’m working on it.

10) Ariell – OK, so you may not think a lunatic rogue angel is very scary, but she bore a kid from a nephilim on purpose and then used that kid to loose said nephilim on the world. I find that extremely scary. I didn’t actually kill her. I weakened her with lightning bolts and then the aforementioned nephilim tore her in half and ate her. So this is only partly on me.

9) Giant Spiders – I do not like spiders. Let me repeat – I. Do. Not. Like. Spiders. Sometimes I’ve used a sword and sometimes I’ve used fire, but if you are an oversized arachnid you’d better get out of my way because all those wriggling legs are creepy.

8) The giant squishy tentacly thing in Amarantha’s forest. It probably has a name but I didn’t learn it before I set it on fire.

7) The reptile-mammalian thing in the cave on the edge of Amarantha’s kingdom. She had a whole lot of nameless yuck in that place. This thing wanted to cocoon and eat us, so I stabbed it in the eye, which seemed like a good idea at the time.

6) Titania and Amarantha – Both Queens of Faerie. Both way more trouble than they were worth. I really didn’t want to kill either of them, but they decided to take offense at everything I did and forced me to, uh, end their respective reigns.

5) Lucifer – Hmm, let’s see? He made me his Hound of the Hunt so that I’m always at his beck and call. He’s twisted every traumatizing event in my life to his advantage, and he’s after my unborn child. Definitely a monster, even if he is my grandfather. I haven’t managed to get rid of him yet, although not for lack of trying.

4) Puck – He doesn’t present as a monster, but anybody who would manipulate his own niece into a) destroying a whole species and b) killing his worst enemy for his own selfish purpose qualifies as a monster in my book. Again, still hanging around even though he’s not wanted. It’s apparently very difficult to dispose of these ancient beings without blowing up the entire universe.

3) Azazel – He spent the majority of my life as my deadbeat dad, and then he created
a serum that let vampires walk in the sun and loosed them on the city where I live. He also did something so unforgiveable I can hardly speak of it. Not much of a father, really, so I reversed the spell he was trying to use to crush my heart and crushed his instead. I’m starting to realize this list sounds a little bloodthirsty – and that it’s full of people who are related to me.

2) Ramuell – He ate my mother’s soul. Enough said, right? I exposed him to the light of the sun and he kind of…melted.

1) The Maze – There is nothing worse than an invisible entity that knows all your worse nightmares. I didn’t actually kill it, unfortunately. I just didn’t succumb to it in the battle of wills that it called a game. I survived, though. That’s a win in my book.
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CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the BLACK WINGS series (Ace/Roc) featuring Madeline Black, an Agent of Death, and her popcorn-loving gargoyle sidekick Beezle: BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and BLACK SPRING. She is also the author of the forthcoming dark fantasy ALICE (summer 2015).

Christina was born in New York and now lives on the North Side of Chicago with her husband and son. She sees no conflict in rooting for both the Yankees and the Cubs.

She also enjoys running long distances, eating large quantities of cinnamon rolls, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with zombies, samurai and/or subtitles.

Find Christina and her books
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Black Spring
Black Wings #7
A former Agent of death, Madeline Black now has everything to live for, most importantly, her unborn child. But Chicago has become ground zero in a struggle between ancient creatures, and only Maddy can stop the carnage…

The mayor of Chicago has announced a plan to round up the city’s supernatural beings and put them in camps. With her due date looming, Maddy’s best move would be to lay low for a while. But not everyone is willing to respect her privacy. Hounded by tentacled monsters, a rogue shapeshifter, and a tenacious blogger, Maddy turns to her most powerful ally, her uncle Daharan, only to find him missing.

Just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, Maddy gets an invitation in the mail—to Lucifer’s wedding. Turns out everyone has been invited, friends and enemies alike. And with that kind of guest list, it’s highly unlikely there will be a happily ever after.
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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Interview: Touch of a Ghost by L.M. Brown

UFI welcomes L.M. Brown Author of Touch of a Ghost. Thanks for Joining us!!

This or That
Charcter: Benji Richards

Angels or Demons : As a ghost I’m not sure I believe in either of them, but since I don’t really want to end up in Hell I will have to go with angels.
Vampires or Shifters : Again, I don’t believe in either of these. That might sound strange coming from a ghost, which most people don’t believe in either, but I think if they did exist I’d have run across one by now. If they do exist I would pick shifters. The ability to turn into an animal sounds a lot of fun.
Left or Right : Right. If I’d run in that direction instead of to the left I may have lived a bit longer.
Up or Down : Up. Down tends to remind me that I’m technically six feet under already.
Pizza or Pasta : Unfortunately for me neither of these were particularly common back when I was alive, at least not for my family. Ghosts can’t eat, except on Halloween, but it’s rare I actually bother.  It just reminds me what I’m missing the rest of the year.
Coffee or Tea : Tea. I am a typical Brit, not that I can drink anything these days.
Coke or Pepsi  : Coke. Though I can barely remember what either of them tastes like it has been so long since I was able to eat or drink.
YA or Adult : Adult. I may be in the body of a teenager but I’ve been around for decades. I’m an adult in mind if not in body.
Knives or Guns : I don’t like either of them, but if I had to choose one it would be knives. When I had to make the choice about whether to join the army it wasn’t a difficult one to make. My father was shot and killed during the war. I swore I would never carry a gun and thankfully I never had to.
Reading or Writing : Reading. Though Drew tells me I should write my story, I don’t want to since it’s not over yet.
Facebook or Twitter : I’ve never used either. We didn’t have computers back in the 50s and I’ve only a vague concept of what these are. Drew is on Facebook and I sometimes see him using it. I don’t really have any friends to connect with though.  Most of them are dead and the few that aren’t know I am. It would probably give them a heart attack to receive a friend request from beyond the grave.
Trick or Treat: Definitely treat. Though if I ever run across Drew’s ex on Halloween I would probably want to prank him. But mostly I prefer the treat and on Halloween night I hope to get one of the best treats ever.
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L.M. Brown lives in England, in a quaint little village time doesn't seem to have touched. No, wait a minute—that's the retirement biography. Right now, she is in England in a medium sized town no one has ever heard of, so she won't bore you with the details. Keeping her company are numerous sexy men. She just wishes they weren't all inside her head.
L.M. believes there is nothing hotter or sweeter than two men in love with each other… unless it is three.
L.M. Brown loves hearing from readers so don't be shy.
Find L.M. and her books
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Touch of a Ghost
Buy Link
What if you could only touch your lover one night of the year? Halloween night is all you have when in a relationship with a ghost.

Drew Jessop wants a life without ghosts. He doesn't want to see, hear, or talk to them. Ignoring them should be relatively simple. But Drew soon finds that Benji Richards, an eternally gorgeous ghost from the fifties, is not so easy to ignore.

Halloween night is approaching and both Drew and Benji know what it could mean for them. From sunset to sunrise, it is the one night of the year when a mortal can feel the touch of a ghost.
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Excerpt 

Drew leaned forward and put his empty bottle on the table. The match had finished and the commentators were recapping the highlights, so Drew reached for the remote control.

"Well, thank you for having us." Flora stood up and stretched, as though her joints were still giving her grief as they had apparently done in life.

Drew turned off the television and picked up the crisp packet together with the nearly empty bowl. He tossed the last few crisps into his mouth as he stood up and walked into the kitchen. He left the beer bottles on the table as he contemplated whether to have another. Remembering he had an early start in the morning, he decided against drinking too much. He had a feeling Flora might have an opinion on alcohol intake too. However, when he turned back toward the living area, Flora had vanished.

Benji, on the other hand, still lingered. He remained on the sofa, his arm stretched along the back and his chin resting on it as he stared at Drew directly.

"You're very rude, you know?" Benji commented idly. "Not saying a single word to us all evening like that. You could at least have said hello."

Drew ignored him as he turned off the lights.
 
"I know you can see us. Your eyes give you away."

Drew suspected Benji might be guessing, but if he said a single word in response that guess would be confirmed. He had to keep quiet. That way he could still maintain a normal life.

"Not going to admit it, huh?" Benji said. "Well, I'll stop by again tomorrow. Maybe you'll be more talkative then. If you are, I might just tell you how I know you're gay, if you ask nicely." With that comment, Benji flashed Drew one final killer smile and vanished from the room.

Drew reacted to Benji the same way he would any other handsome man. His mind may tell him Benji was off limits, but his body thought otherwise. Drew wondered whether he could keep up the pretense of not seeing and hearing the ghosts who were as real to him as the rest of the human race. If this evening was anything to go by, it might not be as easy as he thought.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Review: Broken Soul by Faith Hunter

Broken Soul
Author:Faith Hunter
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Publisher: ROC
ISBN:   0451465954
ISBN13: 9780451465955
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher
Jane Yellowrock is a vampire killer for hire—but other creatures of the night still need to watch their backs....

When the Master of the city of New Orleans asks Jane to improve security for a future visit from a delegation of European vampires, she names an exorbitant price—and Leo is willing to pay. That’s because the European vamps want Leo’s territory, and he knows that he needs Jane to prevent a total bloodbath. Leo, however, doesn’t mention how this new job will change Jane’s life or the danger it will bring her and her team.

Jane has more to worry about than some greedy vampires. There’s a vicious creature stalking the streets of New Orleans, and its agenda seems to be ripping Leo and her to pieces. Now Jane just has to figure out how to kill something she can’t even see….

Jane is BACK and someone's after her. Nothing new, right? Well, they got to Reach so it might be more serious than she thought. Jane will do just about anything to keep those she considers her friends and family safe. Even if that means putting herself in more danger. BROKEN SOUL brings us more from all the characters we love, the action that keeps us on the edge of our seat and the world that we just can't get enough of.

On the romance side of things. Jane still has a bit of contact with Rick. Thankfully she is FINALLY moving past him, I was really proud of her. Jane and Bruiser. WOW. That's all 'm going to say about that. You will want to experience it for yourself. I will say that it's really nice to see Jane share herself with others. Not only in a romantic relationship, but in general. She has come a long way from the person she was in book one and it has been great witnessing it.

We got some interesting surprises in book 8. An ally turned out to be something way more than anyone could have thought. Jane and Beast learn a lot of new tricks and we find out that Beast is much stronger (in an "I might be able to take control of Jane whenever I want" stronger) than we thought. I can't quite see where things will be going with that whole storyline, but I am excited to read more.

I'm really looking forward to book 9. There's a lot of lead up to the European Counsel visit, but we don't get there in BROKEN SOUL. All hell is about to break loose and I just know the ride is going to be fantastic.

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

New Release: 10/5-10/11


Tue. Oct. 7th

 Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick
 Emergent (Annex #2) by Rachel Cohn
 The Invisible (Brokenhearted #2) by Amelia Kahaney  
 Poison Fruit (Agent of Hel #3) by Jacqueline Carey
 Silverblind (Ironskin #3) by Tina Connolly
 Stray (Four Sisters #1) by Elissa Sussman
 Unraveled (Crewel World #3) by Gennifer Albin 

Happy Reading!!

Monday, October 6, 2014

Guest Blog & Giveaway: The Kasadya Series by Karen Swart

UFI welcomes Karen Swart Author of The Kasadya Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

My Top Ten Fictional Villain Characters by Karen Swart
In no specific order

• Loki - Movie -Yeah, I just love this guy. I mean his twisted, but really entertaining. 

• Dimitri the strigoi - Vampire Academy - For some unexplained reason I actually enjoyed Dimitir
when he went all bad vampire. He kept Roza busy for a while .lol 

• Lothaire - Immortals After Dark - Ooh sexy as hell and a bad boy. I think he was just
misunderstood through the most part of IAD. 

• Xcor - BDB- Okay yes the dude have some issues, but just look how he just melts around Layla. 

• Ryodan - Fever Series - Now this guys have issues. In some way I like him but in many ways I
wish Dany just wacked some manners into him. Can’t wait for Burned, I really hope she dishes
out some payback. 

• Christian Mackeltar -Fever Series - Again, I just think the guy is misunderstood, but I am really
hoping he crushes Ryodan. And now an Unseelie prince, he is really creepy. 

• V'lane - Fever Series - Did not see this one coming, was a huge surprise in the end. 

• Adam Black - Highlander Series - For the most part in the Highlander series this guy just totally
messed with everyone, and then he got some payback. 

• Ballen - Kasadya Hellhound Series - Yeah my own character, but for the first two books I really
didn’t enjoy writing about him and then in the end he just kind of persuaded me to give him
another chance.
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I am a complete book addict, and really proud of it. My entire world is made of books. From reading to writing to blogging to helping other authors. A day without my world of books would be impossible. I am a mother of three, two boys and a little princess. Happily married for 8 years with my high school sweetheart. I live in South Africa, just on the rims of the Kalahari Desert in a small town with one shop and friendly faces.


Find Karen and her books
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Hellhound Awakened
Kasadya #1
Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords
In a constant battle between good and evil, evil is dominating the battle field and leading mankind to its destruction. With our Creator's intervention a creature destined to conquer and destroy is created. He gives mankind hellhounds to fight back and reclaim freedom.

Join seventeen year old Kasadya Levourne as she fights against evil to protect us. With each step she faces destruction, and yet she has the talent to give it back tenfold. Stubborn and hardheaded she makes her mark in the fallen world and starts a battle none can escape. Not even her trainer, the very attractive Chax de Luca, was prepared for her presence.

Will evil prevail? Or will Kas and her fallen friends succeed in protecting us against it?

Hold on to your seats, this is going to be one hell of a ride.

Hellhound Twisted
Kasadya #2
Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords / Barnes and Noble
She fought against all odds and became the warrior she was meant to be … or so she thought. In a world where the rules have changed, can she embrace her destiny and become the hellhound she was meant to be?

Kasadya is back in Exsilium and finds her world a little different. Her half-breed fallen friends join her, and they are ordered to complete their apprentice training in order to obtain the right to be guardians. She must learn that her own fate cannot be denied and that others are set to follow. But most of all, she must learn that to trust is the greatest battle of all.

The tables are turned and Kasadya is put to the test. Will she be able to prevent her own death, or that of a friend? Or will her actions call forth the destruction of Earth and Exsilium?

For a Phoenix to rise, it must first die. —Chax De Luca

Hellhound Born
Kasadya #3
Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords / Barnes and Noble
In a world filled with evil, the Fallen prepare for the ultimate battle against the demon world!

Kasadya is ordered to unleash her crazed born transformation to complete her divinity. But there is a chance that her born will be uncontrollable, and she will be destroyed. There is just one person that can save her; her charm, her destined mate. Left without a choice, she must surrender, and place her life in his hands.

In a race against time, the Fallen must stand together and fight the evil threatening to invade earth. If her divinity was in reach, victory would be theirs. That is until she starts having visions of the final battle, and her true destiny is revealed. She just found her love and place in the Fallen world; will she be able, and willing, to sacrifice it all?

Hellhound Defined
Kasadya #4
Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords / Barnes and Noble
For centuries his only reason for existence was to destroy evil. But when he finally found his mate, that all changed for the deadly Chax De Luca. When the hellhound Kasadya captured his heart, he surrended it to her, thinking he’d finally found what he’d been looking for. Little did he know that his mate would sacrifice herself to save them all.

His fury is legend. His wrath, merciless. His love for his mate, undeniable. He’s going to hell to retrieve his heart, and if that means that he must destroy hell itself, then so be it.

Kasadya awakes to a world in peril, her mate forever changed, and a war filled with evil creatures intending to enter Earth’s realm and destroy all that she holds dear. Can she complete her divinity in time to save her loved ones and mankind? Will she have to choose? Or will all be lost in the final battle?

The final battle is here, and with it, secrets are revealed and worlds are changed forever.

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Sunday, October 5, 2014

Week in Review: 9/28-10/4


Books I've Bought/received

- Trace of Magic by Diana Pharaoh Francis- eCopy- NetGalley

- Wickedly Wonderful- Deborah Blake- eARC- Publisher

- Protecting His Witch by Zoe Forward- eARC- Author

Books I've Read

Protecting His Witch by Zoe Forward
Meridian Six by Jaye Wells
Trace of Magic by Diana Pharaoh Francis
Armageddon by Christina Bauer
Firebug by Lish McBride
Poison Fruit by Jacqueline Carey
Reckoning by S.J. Harper

Reviews Posted

Burning Desire by Donna Grant
Predator & Prey by James D. Horton
Chained by Night by Larissa Ione

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* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?

* Wednesday- Guest Blog for Divinity by Michelle L. Johnson

* Thursday- Interview for Bad Dreams: A Blood and Fire Short by Brantwijn Serrah

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* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

You can also add me (as in Stacy) to your friends on these sites if you're on them.
 
 * I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.