Posts Tagged ‘AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE’
Dennis the Dark Elf does #WickedWednesday at Brenda Whiteside’s blog…
I know that’s a long title. But hey…sometimes you just need long titles.
Author Brenda Whiteside offered me a guest shot during her Wicked Wednesday promotion, and I chose to talk about Dennis the Dark Elf as he’s wicked enough for any three others. Here’s a bit from that:
Sometimes, we all like to be wicked.
Really. We do.
The thing is, we don’t necessarily like to admit to it. Not when we’re out paying bills, or being responsible, or making sure the kids in our lives get their teeth brushed.
When my late husband and I worked on the Elfy duology together (at that time one book; now, it’s AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE and A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE), we knew that everyone loved a villain. But we weren’t sure at first what to do in order to get that villain across.
Enter Dennis the Dark Elf Priest. (Soon shortened to Dennis, the Dark Elf, as writing “Dark Elf Priest” all the time became too much for us to bear.) Dennis was a nasty cuss who hated anyone who wasn’t a Dark Elf, but was masquerading as a human priest in order to stir up as much trouble as he could. (If you’re thinking, “That Dennis really is a menace,” you’re right. I even said so at one point in the book!) He planned on sacrificing at least one Elfy (a race of short magicians, none above four feet two inches tall) at Beltaine, otherwise known as May Day, because he wanted power. And he didn’t care about any repercussions – for example, the fact that most humans know nothing about magic, and would be upset to find out about it, after he’d killed someone in cold blood in front of them at a major church festival, didn’t even enter his mind.
Of course, if you’ve been at my blog before, you know that Bruno the Elfy is my hero, he’s the equivalent of a teenager, and the love of his life, Sarah, is in danger because of Dennis and his perfidious ways.
(I’ve always wanted to use the word perfidious. I guess today’s the day. Moving on…)
I also picked an excerpt showing Dennis at his worst, and Sarah at his mercy, with Bruno trying to figure out how to get her the Hells out of there. (As the Elfys believe there must be more than one Hell, it is “Hells” with an -s in their worldview.)
I do hope you’ll stop by Brenda’s blog and check out my offering. I was glad to do the guest shot, glad to talk about Dennis, and I definitely was glad to talk about something other than being sick for a change. (I am beyond tired of that. But still working on it, alas.)
And do give Brenda’s blog a look-see every so often, OK? She features many writers. (I hope to have her over here myself one of these days.) She is a generous person with her time, and I truly appreciated her letting me share her space today.
More Books at the Fall Book Fair…
Folks, as promised, I’m here to let you know about some more books at Viviana MacKade’s Fall Book Fair online event…all of them are e-books priced at ninety-nine cents, and all are interesting reads. (I’ve read all the promos and have read a few of the books, and may be picking up a whole bunch of others. They just look that good.)
Along with my own AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE (which was featured today), my friend Kayelle Allen’s THE LAST VHALGENN was also featured. While I’ve often edited for Kayelle, this story predates me knowing her, much less editing for her — so I can tell you without any prejudice whatsoever that it’s a cracking good story.
See, Kayelle’s character Raik is a type of supremely loyal woman we rarely see in any stories these days. She’s not perfect, no, but she’s sexy as Hell, smart, funny in her way, loyal to a fault, and because she is a Vhalgenn — a type of super-courtesan for the highest nobles in the land, and completely unable to have children (so no bastards can be sired upon her, meaning most noble wives would probably not mind her as much as they’d mind other mistresses), she has a unique role to play.
And when she’s placed in an impossible position, what will she choose to do? (Because I want you to go to Viviana’s page, I am going to stop right there with my plot summary.)
When I read THE LAST VHALGENN a few years ago, I sat up and went, “Wow. That’s my type of woman!”
And it’s one reason why, when I had the opportunity to talk about one of my friend Jason Cordova’s books earlier this year, I also talked about one of Kayelle’s — because there’s something there that I’ve seen from both of them that I don’t get in a lot of other places. The military detailing is exceptional, and the characterization is so good, the characters almost jump off the page. They are both Navy veterans, too, and I think that makes a big difference when it comes to authenticity. (The rest of us, who aren’t, have to work that much harder…but I digress.)
That’s why my hope was that folks who like Jason’s work but had never heard of Kayelle would go take a look at her books, most especially the two novels about Pietas (a man who you shouldn’t like, considering his violent and extremely difficult and sometimes distasteful attributes, but you can’t help but like anyway — and ultimately, come to admire). I saw a lot about BRINGER OF CHAOS: The Origin of Pietas that I thought Jason’s readers, especially those who adored the three Wraithkin books, would appreciate…maybe down the line more folks will make those cross-connections, but at least I have it out there that if you like one of these writers and their military-themed work (and yes, THE LAST VHALGENN has a military element, too, as she’s not just a courtesan; she’s also a fully trained fighter and tactician and military strategist), you will probably like the other.
In addition to Kayelle’s excellent work, my own AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE is also featured today. It is a funny fantasy that Jason (in a quote given to me for promotional purposes) said was “quick and witty” and “straddles the line between absurdity and suspense.” (When he gave me that quote, I said, “Thank you!”) And Viviana MacKade saw that, made up a nifty little graphic with that quote, and credits Jason for it (as she should).
How did she know about this? Probably because she read the quotes I had for AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE either at my blog or at my Amazon page, and liked Jason’s the best…and as Jason’s own profile has risen in the last few years, it probably can’t hurt me any that she picked his quote. (I hope it helps. I’d like people to actually read what I’m writing, now and again. Gives me hope that they might want to see some sequels or prequels down the line, as I had a whole lot of ’em plotted out at one time.)
So, if you haven’t read AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE yet, please go take a look at it.
And of course keep an eye on Viviana MacKade’s book fair, as there’s still a few more days to go…lots of great e-books, all priced at just ninety-nine cents! (How can you go wrong?)
Want to Read my Novel “An Elfy on the Loose” for Free?
Hey, everyone.
As I continue to recover, I realized it’s about that time again — time to “read a free e-book!”
And what could be better than offering my first novel, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, for free?
So, do you want to read it? For free?
Go here, to the TTB Free eBooks site, and download a copy. (You’ll have to scroll down the page a bit, but trust me — it’s there, though it’ll only be free for a few, short days.) There are versions in PDF, Kindle/mobi, and e-pub, so you can find a version to fit your e-reader just fine.
And once you’re done with that, the second half of the Elfy duology, A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for just $2.99 — lower than the price of a Big Mac meal at McDonald’s.
Anyway, do be sure to keep an eye on the Twilight Times Books Free eBooks page all week long, as there will be many great books put up for absolutely nothing, in the hopes that you’ll discover a brand new author — or two — or ten.
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Also, before I go, I wanted to point out the wonderful “cover love” post author Kayelle Allen put up for CHANGING FACES over at her blog, Romance Lives Forever. Thank you so much, Kayelle! (I continue to have trouble with Google and cookies, though I hope to get that resolved soon. It makes it hard to thank Kayelle directly, though — maybe a few of you can go over there and thank her for me?)
Buy Some Easy, Last-Minute Xmas Gifts Today Via Joan Reeves’ #SlingWords Blog…
Hey, everyone.
Just ’cause I don’t have much in the way of holiday spirit this year, that doesn’t mean the rest of you don’t. (I hope someone does, somewhere…otherwise the world is a very cold and cruel place. But I digress.) And part of your holiday spirit, if you’re in much of the Western World, is to find the perfect gift for someone.
It may be December 23rd, but you still have time to buy an e-book. That is the point of author Joan Reeves’ blog post today entitled “Easy, Last-Minute Gifts.” My two books of the Elfy duology, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE and A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, are part of this promotion, as you see:
#31 An Elfy on the Loose by Barb Caffrey
When young Bruno the Elfy meets Sarah the human girl, they find romance and must save Bruno’s mentor from the clutches of a Dark Elf.
An Elfy on the Loose is 99cents.
Visit Barb Caffrey at Barb Caffrey’s Elfyverse.
#32 A Little Elfy in Big Trouble by Barb Caffrey
Bruno and Sarah fall further in love and gather allies to save Northern California from a Dark Elf.
A Little Elfy in Big Trouble is $2.99.
However, don’t despair if you already have them but are in need of a good, quick e-book purchase from a fun author who tells a good story. There are plenty of other great choices to choose from at Joan’s blog today, and I’m sure you can find one of ’em, or more, to whet your interest.
So, please, do take a look at Joan’s blog today. Then buy a book, or two, or three…and I would appreciate it greatly if you’d at least consider buying my two if you don’t already have them. (OK?)
It’s Christmas…in July?
Folks, I needed to make sure to let you all know that I’m taking part in the forthcoming Christmas in July event, held on Monday, July 25, 2016, on Facebook. (Go to this page and sign up, if you’d like, though I will be reminding people of this Sunday night as well if at all possible.)
Here’s the full list of the invitees to the Xmas in July Party:
10am -11am – Author Barbara Ehrentreu
11am – 12pm – Author Uvi Poznansky
12pm – 1pm – Author Barb Caffrey
1pm – 2pm – Author Dellani Oakes
2pm – 3pm – Author Rebecca Vickers
3pm – 4pm – Author Viv Drewa
4pm – 5pm – Author K.L. Nappier
5pm – 6pm – Author Christine Amsden
6pm – 7pm – Author Cris Pasqueralle
7pm – 8pm – Author Maria DeVivo
Now, if you are a fan of Twilight Times Books, you are probably aware that both Maria DeVivo and Christine Amsden are TTB authors. Maria’s most recent book is THE RISE OF STURD, a fantasy with both dark and comedic elements set in her Coal Elf series; Christine’s most recent book is KAITLIN’S TALE. They’re both fine authors and I’m proud to say that I’ve helped to edit their books in the past — Maria with THE COAL ELF, and Christine with KAITLIN’S TALE.
I’ve “met” authors Uvi Poznansky and Dellani Oakes to a degree online; they’re both very warm-hearted people with some interesting books and stories. Everyone else, I’ll be meeting for the first time along with you…but we all intend to give you a fun-filled day filled with contests, prizes, and much more.
Now, as to what I, personally, will do? You need to show up to the online party to figure that out, but I will give you a couple of hints…the year 2002 may factor into the discussion. (Just sayin’.) Perhaps my favorite authors will be discussed…and, finally, I may discuss the environs of Northern California just a tad, if I feel the need.
(Or not. This is a work in progress!)
In case you want to get into the Xmas in July spirit and buy one of my books now, here are the links to both of my novels at Amazon; each are e-books.
AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE is here. (Still just ninety-nine cents in United States dollars…how can you beat that?)
…and A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE is here.
That’s both halves of the Elfy duology, right there, available for less than what you’d pay for a meal at McDonald’s…lots of great reading for a teensy price, and you’ll get to meet the funniest young adult couple in fantasy in the bargain. (So how could you go wrong?)
Oh, you want to try before you buy? I guess I can understand that…here’s the link to TTB’s sample chapters for AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, and here is the link to the sample chapters for A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE.
Now, let’s get ready to rumble…er, read!
Anniversary Thoughts — and Book Recs (from me)
Folks, it’s my fourteenth wedding anniversary today, as I write this. (Actually, it’s nearly over, as it’s after eleven p.m. as I type this out.) And while I’m happy to remember my late husband Michael, and the happiest day of my life — our wedding day — spending my anniversary alone, again, is not the world’s most pleasant thing.
Grief is a very strange thing, you see. It’s a personal journey of sorts; how well can you cope with the pain? How well can you go on with your life, and all its vicissitudes, and yet do your best to honor your loved ones…honor your memories?
Every person’s grief-journey is different. Mine has been long, protracted, and difficult, but along the way I’ve met many wonderful people and reaffirmed long-standing friendships. I talk about Michael with my friends, and about how much I miss him, and about how much he did to help me as a writer and editor…and also about how much he enjoyed listening to me play my instruments (usually I played my clarinet, sometimes the alto sax), or discussing the music I was writing, or really anything at all.
Michael enjoyed so many things, you see. He was a strong, vibrant presence, even though he, of course, did not see himself that way.
I’m glad to have met him, married him, and been together with him until he passed — way too soon — in 2004. I will honor our wedding day every day of my life, but most especially on our anniversary.
That said, I also wanted to talk a little about writing today. Michael was a writer, and he loved to write. He also loved reading my stories, and talking with me about works in progress; I like to think that he’d be ecstatic that ELFY is out in two parts, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE and A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, because Michael thought Bruno’s journey from discarded orphan to worthy hero was well worth reading. (Plus, it’s funny, and Michael, like me, was always partial to that.)
My publisher has priced AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE at ninety-nine cents, so it’s quite affordable. And if you enjoy that, you can go grab A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE for only $2.99 — the two together are less than the price of most fast-food hamburger meals, and are far more satisfying (with far fewer empty calories, too).
That being said, I also wanted to point out that several other stories are available right now, including several that Michael had a great deal of input in (actually writing two of them). All are ninety-nine cents to buy, but are free to read with Kindle Unlimited. (I still plan to get up versions for other sites, but that hasn’t happened yet.)
TO SURVIVE THE MAELSTROM is a novella featuring Peter Welmsley, one of the few survivors of the Battle of Hunin. How can he continue to live while his best friend, much less his fiancée as well, are dead? And what does an empathic were-mouse have to do with Peter, anyway?
Note that the Marketing for Romance Writers Group on Goodreads featured TO SURVIVE THE MAELSTROM as its book of the week for June 21, 2016…thank you so much for that!
Also, considering I’m talking about my husband this evening, the main impetus for me to write this story was a 2,000 word story fragment Michael left behind. I wanted to figure out the rest of the story…so I did. (And I do hope you will enjoy it.)
Next is Michael’s fantasy-romance novella COLUMBA AND THE CAT. This story features Princess Columba of Illnowa; she does not want to be a princess, as she’s suited to be a musician-sorceress instead. She’s been looking around for a familiar animal — someone to help her with her mage-studies — and happens across a small cat with unusual markings while out riding. She rescues the cat, and then magical things start to happen…including dreams of a near-perfect suitor (not young, not overly handsome, but smart and funny and interesting). But the cat is a shapeshifter…when, oh when, will Columba figure that out?
And, finally, there are the two stories of spaceman and adventurer Joey Maverick, written by Michael (with the second story being finished and expanded by me), A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT and ON WESTMOUNT STATION.
I hope you will give these books and stories a try, as it’s the only present I want for this, my fourteenth anniversary. (And thank you.)
Take Advantage of the TTB #99cents sale…
Folks, right now, Twilight Times Books has a ninety-nine cents sale going on. Books included in this sale are my own AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, Jason Cordova’s CORRUPTOR, Chris Nuttall’s SCHOOLED IN MAGIC, Loren Jones’ STORIES OF THE CONFEDERATED STAR SYSTEMS, and much, much more.
If you ever want to see what’s going on with Twilight Times Books, here’s a link to the Amazon page: http://amzn.to/eYYy6s Once you get to this page, click the box that says, “Price low to high,” and you’ll see all sorts of great books available for only ninety-nine cents.
Because this is my page, though, I’m going to tell you a little more about my own offering that’s on sale right now, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE. This is the first half of the Elfy duology (the second half being A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, available right now for $2.99). Bruno the Elfy is taken out of his own culture and place, the Elfy Realm, and is brought to our Earth. He doesn’t entirely know why he’s here. He doesn’t know why a strange family from Northern California has kidnapped him. But he does know that the young daughter of that family, Sarah, intrigues him. Both are treated horribly, and both decide they’re going to leave…contacting Bruno’s mentor, Roberto the Wise, they attempt to get out of there, with Roberto ending up trapped in Bruno’s place instead. As Bruno and Sarah attempt to gather allies, they find out more about each other than they’d ever believed possible…and that much of what they thought they knew about themselves was flat wrong.
I’m proud of writing AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, and I hope you will enjoy reading it. As it’s on sale right now, there’s no better time to dip your toe into the water of the Elfyverse than right now…and since the second half of the Elfy duology, A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, is only $2.99, you can have a great, multi-day reading experience for less than the price of a tall latte at Starbucks.
What more could you possibly want?
(Oh, yes…and there’s a lot of humor here. Which might help divert you, and can’t we all use a diversion right now?)
Friday Free-For-All (AKA News, Round-up, Etc.)
Folks, I have a bit of news for you.
First, as you know, I wrote about “the story behind A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE” and it was posted yesterday over at the Opinionated Man’s blog. I tried to discuss, for readers new to me, a little bit about why I do what I do — and why I’ve fought so hard to keep the Elfyverse alive.
But then, I thought a little more. And realized that readers who have been with me every step of the way deserved a better answer. So, after much struggling, here it is.
The main reason I kept trying, with the Elfyverse, was because the stories interested me. In that, I’m no different from any other writer.
But the secondary reason was because it made me laugh, even in the darkest hours…and I figured if it could make me laugh, it could make anyone laugh.
Look, folks. We all have days where we wonder why we’re still here. (I can’t be the only one who’s ever wondered this.) Work doesn’t go well, the traffic on the Interstate is bad, family members get sick, you ran out of money before you ran out of month…the list of things that go wrong is seemingly endless, and there’s almost no relief in sight.
But there are books that make you laugh, or make you think, or maybe take you out of yourself.
This, in a nutshell, is why I started writing in the first place. And it’s why I fought so hard for my Elfy duology, because I hope AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE and A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE might be able to do that for you — if it can’t, it’s not for lack of trying.
Anyway, I did say “round-up,” didn’t I?
Last week, I pointed out that REALMS OF DARKOVER will be out in May, and is available for pre-order. Editor Deborah J. Ross has interviewed all the writers, with Shariann Lewitt being the first up last week. But this week, it’s Rosemary Edghill’s turn…and she has some very interesting things to say about Darkover, about writing, and about why she enjoys doing both.
Do go take a look at her interview, will you? (Rosemary Edghill is a fantastic writer. You could learn a lot from her.)
Happy Friday, folks!
Want to Read a Free Copy of AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE on 3/6/16? Here’s How
Folks, in honor of Read an E-Book Week, my publisher, Twilight Times Books, is giving away free e-books from March 6, 2016 to March 12, 2016 — one full week — at their website only. Every day, two e-books will be given away for free, including copies of SCHOOLED IN MAGIC by Chris Nuttall and THE CASE OF THE DISPLACED DETECTIVE: THE ARRIVAL by Stephanie Osborn later in the week.
“But Barb,” you say. “What’s this about a free copy of AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE? I want details!”
OK. For those detail-minded among you, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE will be given away, free of charge, at the Twilight Times Books website starting at midnight 3/6/2016 and ending at midnight 3/7/2016. (Go to this page, and you will find the links when they become active.)
So if you love free e-books — and really, who doesn’t? — this is your chance to get the book that Rosemary Edghill called “is a fresh and unexpected take on the urban fantasy genre with a charming and original protagonist.” She further said, “You’ll want to read this one.”
Author Stephanie Osborn is also in AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE’s corner, saying, “(It’s) filled with fascinating characters both good and evil, characters that, because of their strengths…and weaknesses…seem to come to life for the reader, and a riveting conundrum of a mystery with many facets…The further into An Elfy on the Loose I read, the deeper it drew me into the story. And I went eagerly!”
Others who’ve loved AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE include authors Jason Cordova, Katharine Kimbriel, and N.N. Light…so, really, what are you waiting for?
Go grab your free copy as soon as it becomes available…then, if my story about Bruno the Elfy and Sarah, his mostly-human teenage girlfriend has intrigued you, go read the second half of the Elfy duology, A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and OmniLit/All Romance for just $2.99 USD.
Then come back and let me know what you think. (I won’t bite. Promise.)
Barb Caffrey's Blog 