Uncaged Book Reviews by Cyrene

ISSUE 50 | SEPTEMBER 2020

*Made by request for eligible ads

n o te fr o m the e d it o r S

eptember already. Wow, summer flew by fast. We are coming into my favorite season, Autumn. Horse owners know the distinct pleasure of cooler days and less bugs.

Last month, I admit I was underwhelmed with my reading. The books just didn’t knock my socks off for the August issue. But this month, I read some really kick ass books, and I don’t remember a month where I read so many 4.5-5 star books. Unfortunately, we are still in the throes of this pandemic. I’ve kept us “safe at home” as much as possible, protecting our family as much as possible. I want to personally thank all the authors that have given away books or put them on sale, donated to charities and made masks for front line workers, neighbors and friends. Getting through this pandemic is going to take everyone’s cooperation. Hoping everyone stays safe and healthy. Social distance, wear masks in public, avoid crowds, and wash your hands frequently. Let’s kick this virus to the curb so we can get on with life! The Raven Awards LIVE Event was fun had by all! We had a lot of winners and even some readers won some great books and found a few new authors to follow. Find out on the summary and winners list on page 18. Uncaged Book Reviews readership is still up dramatically. New readers are finding the magazine and discovering new authors. Uncaged will continue to bring the best possible content as usual.

mind. You don’t just see a commercial on TV one time and remember it, right? So we will continue to try and provide the best bang for your buck and get the most eyes we can on your work. Uncaged is supported through advertisements, but the prices will not increase in 2020. You may now fill out a form on the Requested Reviews Page on the website for your book to be on list for a review. I cannot guarantee a review date for the book, but it will remain on the lists. The tables on the Review page will be revamped in the coming weeks. The rest of 2020 is full for Feature Authors but you can also fill out a form on the Reviews/Feature Info Page to request a Feature in 2021. Put in your top 3 choices and this is normally first come/first serve, but I do move around months to keep a good selection of genres in each issue. Soon I will also put up forms for Catch Up Features - these are for past feature authors that have a new book releasing, and we can do a shorter feature, and also a Short Story Submission form. Any author submitting an approved short story receives a full page ad in the same issue. Enjoy the September 2020 issue of Uncaged Book Reviews and stay safe and healthy!

We will be continuing with the “Buy 2, Get 1” promotion we’ve been running. It really does help from a marketing standpoint, to have an advertisment run three months in a row - to repeat in the readers

X cyrene 4| uncagedbooks.com

contents featureauthors Liz Butcher 12 horror/occult 20

Issue 50 | September 2020

FangFreakinTastic Angie Martin 88 vampire thriller

Winners of the 2020

Hank Phillippi Ryan

Raven Awards

psychological thriller

Donna Del Oro

Susan B. James

Elizabeth Johns

Muriel Ellis Pritchett

Anna Mocikat

romantic suspense

second chance romance|time travel

sneakpeek

historical romance

young adult paranormal

The Live Facebook Event for the 2020 Awards was a great success, lots of prizes, fun and of course the awards! Check out all the winners !

Paula Quinn Tempest Heart

authors and their pets

Uncagedâ€™s Feature Authors introduce you to their devoted writing buddies, and the devotion goes both ways.

scifi/cyberpunk

Edward Willett

Marc Watson

epic fantasy

scifi/fantasy

4 7 94 100 104

Note from the Editor Contributors|Partnerships Uncaged Reviews FangFreakinTastic Reviews Amyâ€™s Bookshelf Reviews

Uncaged on Instagram

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

Contributors | Partnerships

Follow Uncaged on Facebook

Paranormal loverâ€™s rejoice. Uncaged review contributors.

A blog for horror fans. Uncaged review contributors.

A little bit of everything. Uncaged review contributors.

If youâ€™d like your banner here, please email me at UncagedBooks@gmail.com Issue 50 | September 2020 |

upcomingconventions Many events are cancelled, modified or are going to be virtual because of the ongoing pandemic. Uncaged will monitor the scheduled conventions and remove/add as the information becomes available. At the time of this publication, the conventions listed are still scheduled or marked cancelled, but be sure to check their websites as the time gets closer to the event.

Romancing Williamsburg September 1–3, 2020 Colonial Williamsburg, VA https://romancingwilliamsburg.com/ (Rescheduled from March) Coastal Magic Convention - VIRTUAL February 18-21, 2021 https://coastalmagicconvention.com/

Penned Con - NOW VIRTUAL September 17–19, 2020 St. Louis, MO https://pennedcon.com/

Book Lovers Con April 8-11, 2021 Orlando, FL https://www.bookloverscon.com/

Indie Romance Convention October 7–11, 2020; Lebanon, TN http://www.indieromanceconvention.com/

Interracial Romance Author’s Expo April 22 -24, 2021 Daytona Beach, FL https://www.irauthorsexpo.com/

8| uncagedbooks.com |

feature authors

horror | thriller | romantic suspense

Liz Butcher

Hank Phillippi Ryan

Donna Del Oro

Uncaged welcomes Liz Butcher Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, LeRoux Manor releases on September 1st. What can you tell readers about this book? It’s about a teenage girl, Camille, who’s forced to leave her home in Melbourne, Australia and move to a small town called Woodville in the U.K after her father inherits the family estate from his estranged uncle.

iz Butcher resides in Australia, with her husband, daughter, and their two cats. She’s a selfconfessed nerd with a BA in psychology and an insatiable fascination for learning. Liz has published a number of short stories in anthologies and has released her own collection, After Dark, in 2018. Her debut novel, Fates’ Fury released September 2019, soon followed with LeRoux Manor in September 2020.

Stay Connected

As soon as they arrive, strange things begin to happen around Camille, and she’s convinced someone’s watching her. After discovering some old photo albums in the attic, Camille finds an article on the murder of her ancestor who built the manor and of his young daughter who vanished the same day and was never seen again. Camille is determined to uncover the truth, but the cost is higher than she could have imagined. Uncaged: You have been a part of several anthology sets. How do those come about and are there more to look forward to in the future? I was fortunate that a writing friend shared an open call with me, and that was the first anthology my work was published in. It was a great way to get exposure while also improving my writing skills and connecting with other writers. Though I focus more on my novels these days. Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about?

lizbutcherauthor.wixsite.com/lizbutcher

li z butcher 12 | UncagedBooks.com

I’m wrapping up on the edits for my next book, Never, Never, which is a modern retelling of Peter Pan as a supernatural crime story, and I’ve started a novella series around a character named Luna Zimmer as she embarks on her new venture as a paranormal investigator with a haunted past of her own. Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? Initially it did, as we all went into lockdown. The office building I worked in shut down and we all worked from

home. Then I started a six month career break to focus on my writing, so change was coming for me anyway! My state is functioning as close to normal as can be expected—the only real difference are the measures in place for social distancing. We’ve been incredibly lucky.

one that can sit and do nothing—I don’t find that relaxing at all! So knitting is my go-to. To get out of the house, I love going to the beach or somewhere there’s lots of trees. There’s nothing more rejuvenating then getting out in nature.

Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why? What horror writer wouldn’t want to sit down with Stephen King? I think he’d be a hoot and I’d love to pick his brain. I’d also love to sit down with Anne Rice. Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? More than once! That’s one of the great things about writing, sometimes your characters run away with you. Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working? I love to knit! My mum taught me when I was a little girl and I’ve always found it relaxing. I’m not someIssue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you? Pride in your work. Growth in your skills and the ability to push and challenge yourself. Ideally, making enough money to live off is every writer’s goal! For me, it really makes my day when I receive a message from someone telling me how much they enjoyed one of my books. To know I’ve captured the imagination of a reader is a success to me. Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? I do prefer physical books, but have a kindle now so mostly read ebooks. Though I’m in between books at the moment! I just finished a biography on Catherine the Great. Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? “Thanks so much for your support!”

Enjoy an excerpt from LeRoux Manor LeRoux Manor Liz Butcher Horror Camille’s father just inherited the family manor from his estranged uncle, forcing her to leave her friends and city life just before her senior year of high school for the small town of Woodville, England. After seeing a strange old woman lurking on the estate grounds, she embarks on a mission to uncover the history of her new home. What she finds is wilder than she could have imagined—the murder of her ancestor, Caleb 14 | UncagedBooks.com

LeRoux, on the same day his six-year-old daughter vanished without a trace. And an unforeseen connection to Camille herself, as the only female LeRoux born to the family in over two hundred years. With the help of her new school friends, Camille delves into the secrets of the manor, uncovering an all-encompassing truth that will change the entire course of her life—past, present, and future. Excerpt PROLOGUE MENA SAT ON the soft green grass, shaded by the old oak tree against which she rested. The long skirt of her sky-blue, satin party dress—now ruined— billowed out around her. A smile danced across her face as she stroked the cat in her lap, listening to the sounds of her parents’ party drifting with the breeze. The melodic tunes of the string quartet mingled with the steady flow of conversation. Friends and family had travelled far and wide to see the grandest house in the province. Completed at last—an architectural marvel, her father called it. Many of the guests were residents from local towns, and most of them Mena had never seen or heard of before. Raising her hand, she pressed her thumb to her finger, marvelling at the stickiness of the blood. She found it fascinating how it changed from warm and fluid to thick and cool in such little time. “Here you are,” her father said. “We’ve been looking all over for you. Everyone’s asking after you. That nanny of yours…” He stopped when he realised what she was doing. Mena grinned up at him. “Hello, Papa. Kitty and I are having our own party. The grown-ups were boring.” She wiped a stray piece of her ebony hair off her forehead with the back of a hand, leaving a streak of blood in its wake. “No. Not again…” Her father’s voice trembled with anger. Mena could see the weight of the sadness in his

| LIZ BUTCHER | eyes, but she felt nothing for it. He stepped forward and grabbed his daughter by the wrist, yanking her to her feet. Mena gasped when the dead cat tumbled from her lap. “Kitty!” she cried. Her father stormed off, pulling her along behind him. “Wait, Papa. I want my kitty!” she wailed, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. In her distress, it took her a while to realise they weren’t headed back to the house. Instead, her father led her toward the woods behind their estate. “Papa? Where are we going?” “Somewhere I should have taken you sooner.” Confused by the unsuspected turn, Mena soon forgot her tears—and her Kitty—and hurried along after him. Her tiny feet scurried across the grass as she struggled to keep up. They slowed when they entered the woods so her father could better navigate his way through the trees. He paused here and there, as though unsure of his bearings. Mena took the time to marvel at her surroundings. Her parents had always forbidden her to enter the woods, but now, she knew it was the perfect place to play with her animals.

tugged on his hand did he give a small nod. “I do love you, Mena.” His voice trembled, and he released her hand. She ignored his sentiment and dashed toward the cave. Without hesitation, she got down on her knees and poked her head into the darkness. When her father gave no further protest, she took it as permission to explore and scurried into the cave. The darkness enveloped her. Mena wondered what kind of animals she would find inside. Then something shoved her from behind, her hand slipped forward, and she lost her balance. Before she could call out, she was falling. Falling… Falling…

DON’T MISS THIS TITLE:

Her father came to an abrupt stop, causing Mena to run into the back of his legs. When he didn’t move, she peeked around him to find a wall of rock before them. She blinked at it with wide eyes; it rose quite high— at least twice as high as her Papa—before curving at the top. It made her think of a giant, sleeping monster hibernating in the woods. Moss and plants spread out across the stone in patches of damp greenery, and a small stream trickled down the front. She wondered where the water came from; it hadn’t rained in weeks. As she followed the water downwards, she noticed a narrow opening in the rocks. “Papa, is it a cave?” she exclaimed, looking up at him. He stared straight ahead, unmoving for so long, Mena was unsure if he’d heard her. Only when she Issue 50 | September 2020 |

Winners of the 2020 Uncaged Book Reviews presents the

Raven Awards Good times were had by all as Uncaged announced the winners of the 2020 Raven Awards in our Facebook LIVE Event. Readers won some great prizes and found some new authors to stalk, and Uncaged gave out awards and extra drawings. All the authors are winners - and it was fun to see the camaraderie and support of all the authors to each other.

Horror|Thriller

Authors: Keep writing, and we will keep reading. You are the heroes of the year, giving us all breaks from a dark reality. We will all get through this together and you just make it easier.

Historical Regency

On to the winners! Young Adult - All Sub-Genres Winner: Ravenwood Academy: Wolf Moon by Lena Mae Hill Runner-up: Born to Run by Ann Hunter SciFi|Time Travel|Dystopian Winner: Midnight Winges by Ariele Sieling Runner-up: Claimed Evangeline Anderson

Winner: Never Let Me Fall by Abbie Roads Runner-up: Beyond the Veil by Jeannie Wycherley

Winner: Earl of Scarborough by Collette Cameron Runner-up: To Hell and Back by Annabelle Anders Historical - Non-Regency Winner: Highland Spirit by Elizabeth Rose Runner-up: The Dark One: Dark Knight by Kathryn Le Veque Novella - All Genres Winner: Christmas at Rubyâ€™s Ranch by Rhonda Frankhouser Runner-up: Highland Mists by Hildie McQueen

18 | UncagedBooks.com

Fantasy Romance

Favorite Cover

Winner: Fire Maidens: Paris by Anna Lowe

Winner: Earl of Scarborough by Collette Cameron

Runner-up: Air Born by Rayanne Haines

Runner-up: Winter by Reina Torres

Paranormal Romance Winner: Winter by Reina Torres Runner-up: Vermilion Lies by L.D. Rose Urban Fantasy Winner: Witchâ€™s Reign - Shannon Mayer

All winners won a custom badge and either a 2-Page Showcase or a 2-Page Splash Ad in an upcoming edition of Uncaged Book Reviews. Runner-ups won a custom badge and either a Sneak Peek or Full Page Ad in an upcoming issue of Uncaged Book Reviews. In addition to the Raven Awards, Uncaged had three extra drawings for authors in attendance at the awards. Winners of an Inside Cover Ad:

Runner-up: Fallen Academy: Year Four by Leia Stone

Caroline Warfield Hope Malory Donna Rickey Peggy Jaeger

Contemporary

Winners of a Sneak Peek Ad:

Winner: Ponytails and Promises by Annette Bower

Karen Simpson Nancy Thorne Krystal Dawn Harris Nancy Gray Carpenter

Runner-up: Wildfire and Roses by Hope Malory Mystery/Suspense Winner: The Hitmanâ€™s Mistake Sally Brandle Runner-up: The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio by Belle Ami

Winners of a Full Page Ad: Kayla Krantz Beth Carter Linda Rae Sande Ginger Ring

Congratulations to everyone, and we will see you all in 2021! Issue 50 | September 2020 |

H an k P hillippi ryan

ANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the onair investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, winning 36 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. A nationally bestselling author of 11 thrillers, Ryan’s also an award-winner in her second profession—with five Agathas, three Anthonys, the Daphne, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. Critics call her “a master of suspense.” Her highly-acclaimed TRUST ME was chosen for numerous prestigious Best of 2018 lists and was an Agatha nominee. Hank’s newest book is THE MURDER LIST, now an Agatha and Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee. The Library Journal starred review says “Masterly plotted—with a twisted ending—a riveting, character-driven story.”

Stay Connected

HankPhillippiRyan.com Uncaged welcomes Hank Phillippi Ryan Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! Your new book was published on August 4th, a domestic thriller called The First to Lie. Can you tell readers more about the book? That’s the problem with writing a twisty, fast-paced gaslighty thriller, isn’t it? It is very difficult to talk about! But if you ask me what are the top for things about THE FIRST TO LIE I would say: betrayal, motherhood, obsession, revenge. And the top five phrases? A devastating childhood betrayal. An 20 | UncagedBooks.com

undercover reporter in too deep. A beautiful sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay. A rich and powerful family. And an ice pick that is not used for ice. Bottom line, it’s two smart women facing off in a high stakes psychological cat and mouse game to get revenge for a terrible childhood betrayal. But which woman is the cat and which one is the mouse? Uncaged: What inspired you to write in the suspense/thriller genre? Do you have favorite writers in the category? I’m not sure it worked that way, oddly enough. I have always loved suspense and thriller novels, from the wonderful Sherlock Holmes short stories to me Cold War thrillers of the 60s, FailSafe and Alas, Babylon and Seven Days in May, to Frederick Forsyth’s Day of the Jackal and Nelson DeMille‘s The Charm School. So when I got my idea for a novel, there was no question it would be suspense! It wasn’t as if I decided to do that, somehow, it was simply the book that was wanting to be written. Do I have favorite authors? How long do you have? I love Nelson DeMille and Ken Follet and Frederick Forsyth, and their descendants Alex Berenson and Daniel Silva. I love Ruth Ware, and Rachel Howzell Hall, and Robert Pobi, and Andrew Wilson. Shari Lapena, Jennifer Hillier, Samantha Bailey and Samantha Downing and Hannah Mary MacKinnon, and the iconic Lisa Gardner. Christina McDonald. Louise Candlish. This is such a rich time for suspense, and doesn’t it seem like more wonderful new books come out every Tuesday? Uncaged: What are you working on now that you can tell us about? Well, I just burst out laughing. My book is due in three weeks, and that is going to be quite the journey. But if my book TRUST ME is about truth, and THE MURDER LIST about justice, and THE FIRST TO LIE about family loyalty, then I think my new book is about celebrity. But, at this point, that’s about all I know. Cross your fingers for me. Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? Just as with everyone else on the planet, it has pulled the rug out from under my life. Right now, if things were “normal “I would be flying around the country on book tour for THE FIRST TO LIE, in a new airport every day and a new hotel every day and the new bookstore or library every day. Instead I am sitting in front my computer doing zooms. I love them, and I’m thrilled to do them, and I think they are quite successful, but it’s just so different. I miss people, and I miss talking to readers and bookstore folks and librarians, and I miss signing books. My writing has suffered a bit, no question about that, since there is a thin veneer of terror over everything. I keep saying to myself: it is always safe inside a book. And it is always safe at my writing desk, too, but these days it is very easy to get distracted. And let me just say, I have cooked 162 dinners in a row. Uncaged: Do you write full-time or part-time? Do your family/colleagues read your books? I have been a television reporter for 43 years, and I am still on the air as an investigative reporter, having won 37 Emmys for my reporting. I am now working as a reporter part time, and writing part time. Do my family or colleagues read my books? No. My husband is a criminal defense attorney, and he’s definitely my legal advisor, but I write my books by myself. Alone, alone, alone. After a first draft and several revisions, I send them to a terrific professional editor, revise and edit again, then sent to my brilliant editor at the publishing company in New York. And then we work together to get the final product.. Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why? Shakespeare. Tom Wolfe. Hunter S Thompson. (Although I have done that several times in the past! 22 | UncagedBooks.com

We really miss him.) Edith Wharton. Stephen King. Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? Every in every book, absolutely. I rely on that. Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working? I am not sure there is a time like that. Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you?

That is a perfect and fascinating question. I am now a USA Today bestselling author with an astonishing number of wonderful and incredibly gratifying industry awards. My new book, THE FIRST TO LIE (my twelfth) was an instant Barnes & Noble bestseller, and got a starred review from Publishers Weekly. I had always hoped for each of those things! So I am trying to celebrate that! But, like all of us, I am always looking ahead. I keep raising the bar on myself every time. Yes, I know it’s silly, and I should not forget to be happy. But each success makes me work even harder. Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? I have to say I prefer physical books. I always forget that I am reading an e-book, or lose my place. And with Audiobooks, although I absolutely adore them, I have to say I never know where to look. Each of those platforms is a wonderful creation, though, and I am so pleased to use all of them. Yes, I am reading like mad. The new Shari Lapena, Sharon Doering, Lisa Unger, Andrew Wilson. So many terrific books! Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? I am swooning with gratitude. Every time someone leaves a terrific review of my books, or emails me that they finished THE FIRST TO LIE and, as one

| HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN | said “started at the beginning again to see how you did it,” or sends me a congratulatory message on Facebook at HankPhillippiRyanAuthor or follows my page on Instagram at @HankPRyan, I am so incredibly grateful. I hope readers know how much they matter--I am only here because they are here, and I am thrilled about that every day. Come to my website hankphillippiRyan.com and click on contact--that email comes directly to me! I love when readers stay in touch.

Enjoy an excerpt from The First to Lie The First to Lie Hank Phillippi Ryan Psychological Thriller We all have our reasons for being who we are―but what if being someone else could get you what you want? After a devastating betrayal, a young woman sets off on an obsessive path to justice, no matter what dark family secrets are revealed. What she doesn’t know―she isn’t the only one plotting revenge. An affluent daughter of privilege. A glamorous manipulative wannabe. A determined reporter, in too deep. A grieving widow who has to choose her new reality. Who will be the first to lie? And when the stakes are life and death, do a few lies really matter? Bestselling and award-winning author and investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan delivers another twisty, thrilling cat and mouse novel of suspense that will have you guessing, and secondguessing, and then gasping with surprise. Excerpt Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | From Chapter 11 “I’m coming to get you right now.” Nora took a chance, swerving into the right lane, then back to the center, feeling her tires shift and slide. Her car seemed as unreliable as her emotions. “Pull over. Stop. Just wait for me.” “Nora. Nora? I am so—I can’t even see straight. I—I told him, that McGinty, that liar, right to his face, that I’m calling the news, I’m calling every reporter I can think of, and telling them this doesn’t work! It not only doesn’t work, it—ah. I swear to God, Nora, he never—” “I’m with you, I am, but it’s hard to listen properly and drive at the same time.” Kaitlyn had threatened McGinty? She wanted to spill to a journalist? Nora’s stomach twisted. That could change everything. They needed to talk. And now. “Seriously, Kaitlyn, could you do me a favor and get off the road? Is there a gas station, someplace we could meet?” “And James! I just called my husband, James, and he’s a mess, and now he’s coming home and I have to decide how to talk to him about it in person, which will be awful, and he’ll be so angry! Like it’s my fault, again, and it’s not!” “What kind of a car do you have, Kaitlyn?” Nora interrupted, tried to keep her voice calm and soothing . GPS showed the cinema less than half a mile away on the highway. “So I can find you?” “It’s a white hatchback,” she said. “A Civic.” A Civic. Hatchback. Nora pictured that. Okay. A small white— “And now,” Kaitlyn interrupted her thought, “I have to decide which reporter to—damn it!” “Kaitlyn? Kaitlyn?” “Hey! Watch it!” Kaitlyn’s voice had changed, high-pitched, annoyed. 24 | UncagedBooks.com

Then frantic. “Watch it!” “Kaitlyn? You okay?” Brake lights appeared ahead of Nora, blinking on in unison as if they were synchronized, red and red and red, glowing though the blustery snow. She slowed, craning her neck around the chain of cars lining up in front of her, blocking her way. “Kaitlyn?” She heard sounds through the speakers, wrong sounds, sounds like metal and yelling and horns. “Hey!” she yelled, and “Kaitlyn!” But no answer. A flash of white noise. Then silence. She yanked the wheel to the right, rumbling through the narrow pot- holed breakdown lane, needing to get there, hoping she wouldn’t see what she had heard, what she’d imagined, hoping there was another explana- tion, her teeth clenched and fingers grasping the steering wheel. Horns, and more horns now, and other cars moved in her way, with their own needs and their own goals and blocking her way to whatever had happened. She honked too. She had to get those people to move, clear a path, give her room. She heard the blare of sirens, and saw more red lights, their intense colored beams sweeping across the snow. A tiny graphic pinged onto her GPS, and then blocky words: CRASH AHEAD. Seek alternate route. ©Hank Phillippi Ryan Published by Macmillan Publishing Exclusive excerpt printed with permission to Uncaged Book Reviews only.

Stay Connected

donnadeloro.com

d o nna d el o r o Uncaged Welcomes Donna Del Oro Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! You will be releasing your next book in The Delphi Bloodline series called Athenaâ€™s Dilemma. Can you tell readers more about this book and the series?

onna Del Oroâ€™s dream since childhood (when she used to create her own comic books and share them with her friends) has been to write fiction. Escaping the humdrum of ordinary life always seemed to her an ideal form of self-entertainment. Better than TV and even better than some books! As soon as she retired from high school teaching (which was a suspenseful adventure in itself), Donna turned to fiction writing. Becoming a member of the RWA and Sisters in Crime has helped her to learn the craft and focus on what she needed to do to get published.

26 | UncagedBooks.com

This series evolved from my love of crime dramas and suspense novels of all kinds. And also my hobby, the study of parapsychology or ESP. I took a workshop once several years ago, given by a Czech physicist who used to be a researcher for the Moscow Institute for Psychic Research. What I learned there is that the human mind is a vast reservoir of untapped power and that various degrees of clairvoyance does exist. Just like musical or other artistic abilities, this ability varies in individuals but the potential is there in the human mind. So I wanted to create a major character with this extraordinary ability and thus Athena Butler was born. The modern-day descendant of ancient Greece priestesses, she, her mother and grandmother and a distantly related Greek-Italian-American woman have this clairvoyant power. For them, it is both a blessing and a curse.

Book One, ATHENA’S SECRETS, introduces the important characters and puts Athena at risk as she tries to stop terrorists from destroying the British Embassy (where her father works) in Washington, D.C. She meets the love of her life but breaks off with him as circumstances overwhelm them both.

in person, so we have had Zoom Video meetings. A couple of chorus mates and I meet weekly to swim and sing.

Book Two, ATHENA’S FEARS, Athena finds herself in greater danger as she is stalked by a mysterious stranger while pursuing her career as a painter. After she breaks off her romance with a fellow painter, Athena is lured to San Francisco by the very man who’d once broken her heart.

I’d love to meet with a few of my favorite suspense/ crime drama authors and pick their brains!

Book Three, ATHENA’S DILEMMA, Athena is living in the Skoros Group’s Stargazer Tower in San Francisco, working in the Stargazer art gallery and enjoying her relationship with Kas Skoros. However, the city by the Golden Gate is awash in dichotomies and has been swamped with homeless, drug-riddled encampments. As the murders of homeless people mount, a San Francisco homicide inspector recruits her help in providing him leads and in doing so, Athena again faces danger but this time in a most unexpected and disturbing place. During a pre-Christmas weekend in the Sierra foothills, Kas’s nephew is nearly kidnapped, drawing in both Kas and Athena as they stop at nothing until the evil child trafficker is found and punished.

Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why?

Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? Of course, characters become flesh-and-blood people with a life of their own. They often take off and do something unexpected or unplanned. That’s what makes writing fiction SO MUCH FUN! Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?

Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about? The next book in The Delphi Bloodline series will take place in London and will involve Athena’s father, the Consul General in Milan, and a dangerous cell of assassins. Of course, she will have a momentous decision to make, whether or not to return to Kas Skoros in California. Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? Since sheltering in place, I’ve been reading a lot of various suspense authors and their books, doing research as always, and encouraging my grandsons to read, read, read. The chorus I sing with has not been able to meet Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | I sing melody or Lead with the Sacramento Valley Chorus under the direction of Dede Nibler. It’s great fun and my chorus mates are wonderful ladies! We’ll be singing at a Harmony Festival in London and Oxford next summer. Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you? I feel successful when a book turns out the way you want it to, and you feel pride when it comes out in print. I’ve won two awards from two Latino Literacy groups and that gratifies me, but I don’t need to make a million bucks to feel successful. Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? I vacillate back and forth between ebooks and print books. I like both, depending on my mood. I’m reading now a historical suspense novel about England and the crown. Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? I’m on FB (Donna Del Oro), and have a web site, www.donnadeloro.com. I don’t do blogs or podcasts. I’m just too busy with other interests and hobbies.

Enjoy an excerpt from Athena’s Dilemna Athena’s Dilemma Donna Del Oro Romantic Suspense A clairvoyant artist, Athena Butler, is torn between her quiet life as a successful painter and lending her strange mental powers as a homicide detective’s consultant. A descendant of an ancient line of psychics, she is able to read another person’s thoughts and learns as a child that people lie and deceive and that some people can be dangerous. Warned to keep her powers a secret, she follows that wisdom until she meets a man whose mother was born into the same bloodline. Kas Skoros understands how isolated Athena feels. Only with him and a few others she trusts does she reveal herself. However, when a trusted homicide detective requests her help in exposing a serial killer, only then does Athena feel an obligation to use her clairvoyance to combat evil. Her passion for art exceeds only her need for a normal life. But along with that need comes terror and danger. For that is who she is. Will Athena ever know a “normal” life? Will she ever know peace and security? Or is this what she was born to do? Excerpt Bloody hell. Athena closed her eyes momentarily against the bright sunlight glittering off the San Francisco Bay waters. She inhaled a whiff of briny scent spiced with a hint of pine from nearby trees. With a little more effort, she made another attempt to shut off the mental channel through which her strangely gifted mind often surged. The ebb and flow of too many people and their thoughts

28 | UncagedBooks.com

|DONNA DEL ORO | caused her head to ache like the bloody devil. Like turning off a spigot and thank god her mother had taught her how to do this. Only this morning, walking amid the crowds along the Embarcadero, she was having difficulty. One middle-aged man, pulling two rolling suitcases towards a yellow cab, whipped around. Anger creased his face as the woman by his side opened the cab’s passenger door and climbed in. So much for this damned cruise! Nothing can save this rotten marriage. Dead as a doornail! Good riddance to it! The man disappeared inside the cab but not before Athena had glimpsed a private look into their doomed marriage. With a slight, sad shake of her head, she tried to shut off the Flow channel again. The noisy crowds disembarking from the cruise ship terminal at Pier twenty-nine jostled her as she stepped around rolling suitcases and the slow-moving elderly. She continued walking briskly along the Embarcadero southward. Too much human noise. Hurrying up, she retraced her steps on this morning constitutional, as her British father called it. This morning walk had become a habit, first initiated by her father years ago, and she’d looked forward to accompanying him on these walks as a schoolgirl in London and wherever else the Foreign Service had taken them. Her thoughts traveled to her parents in Milan, where her staunchly patriotic father served as British Consul General and where her clairvoyant, Italian-born mother served the local carabinieri and polizia di stato as an investigatory consultant. Her mother had taught her the importance of helping law enforcement in any way she could. Athena still questioned the wisdom of using their gift in that way. In her experience, that kind of association always backfired.

At any rate, she would make plans to visit them at Christmas time. How she missed them! That is, if Kas didn’t need her at the gallery. Christmas was a little more than six weeks away and she hadn’t yet booked her flight. She’d moved to San Francisco only two months ago, and as agreed, had taken over management of the Stargazer Tower’s art gallery, situated at street level on the southwest corner of the forty-floor building. Kas—Keriakos Alexander Skoros--had begged her to join him at the Stargazer and well, didn’t love take precedence over all other concerns? Lately, it seemed to. Falling in love again, rather never falling out of it, seemed to have a physical effect she had no control over. Call it a flood of endorphins in the brain, but she was its helpless captive. Je m’en fou. Sono pazzo. Being able to say, I’m crazy, in two foreign languages didn’t change her situation one tad. She opened her eyes and glanced to the right. After two months in the city by the bay, she had already developed a kind of mental map of the area. Lombard Street, that famously crooked street, emptied into the bay at this point, just before Green Street. The local TV stations transmitted from the red brick building across the boulevard that ran parallel to the Embarcadero and the piers. The Exploratorium was on her left, a delightful techie museum that she’d already explored with Kas. Broadway came up next, she reminded herself, part of her city-map self-quiz. San Francisco was a small city compared to London, barely one million inhabitants eclipsed by her hometown’s eight-point-eight million in central London and twenty-six million in greater Metro London. Still, San Francisco was new to her and she was doing her best to sort it all out. Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | The Waterfront restaurant next to the Pier five building, where Kas had taken her to dine numerous times, was open even now, eight o’clock in the morning, but her favorite breakfast place was the Marketplace at the Ferry Building. Inside were restaurants, food booths, boutiques, all housed in a hundred-year-old building that had miraculously survived the 1906 earthquake. Fifty yards away, she caught the wafting of aromas from inside the Marketplace. Ah, her favorite stop! Then, like the darkness from a grisly underworld, she looked across the bustling boulevard at Washington Park. A water sculpture that looked like carved, gray granite blocks arose from the green grass. It was a place she avoided since her first walk through the park, as the mad and drug-induced ramblings of the homeless scattered about in sleeping bags and under makeshift cardboard covers and ratty tents bombarded her mind and caused her excruciating mental pain. Help me, Mommy! They’re crawling all over me, help me. I’m gonna kill that bitch…next time she comes to suck my dick…ain’t givin’ her no ten bucks! Gotta kill her before she kills me… Athena quickened her step as a man in rags left his tent, stood up and screamed at her from across the street. He raised his fist in a threatening gesture. Hey, bitch! Whatcha lookin’ at? A woman of indeterminate age emerged from her cardboard hovel, orange hair all askew, her dirty pants and flannel shirt hanging off her gaunt frame like a discarded garment on a clothes hanger. She wept into her raised arm, spotted Athena and turned away, her sobs now audible. 30 | UncagedBooks.com

What could Athena do in the face of this open human misery? Nothing. And the lingering guilt she felt added to her fear and pain.

DON’T MISS THESE TITLES:

feature authors

contemporary | historical | young adult

Susan B. James

Elizabeth Johns

Muriel Ellis Pritchett

susan b . j a m es my dream of doing a Broadway musical in 1976 The Robber Bridegroom. A matchless experience. Sometimes our dreams can change. . .I never thought I wanted children until I had one. James Barry Corbin, born May 26, 1979 changed my life. Six weeks after James was born Barry got Urban Cowboy and his career took off. I decided I didn’t want to pay someone to raise my son while I pursued acting so I put my career on hold. I did a couple of movies and an episode of M*A*S*H where I ran into Alan again. In 1982 Christopher Clayton Corbin was born on Barry’s second day of filming War Games.

was born in Buffalo, New York in 1943. My brother and I started school in Paris. My mother moved us there after her divorce because she wanted to go to Cordon Bleu. I moved to New York City in 1967 after attempting to begin an acting career in London. (I didn’t know about work permits.) I ended up working for the fabled Theatre Guild and got cast in their film The Slaves in 1968 which gave me my SAG card. In 1970 I met Barry Corbin at a theatre in Mobile, Alabama. We played opposite each other all summer and fell in love. Our first kiss was a disaster. We were sitting in a hallway cuing lines. He leaned forward to kiss me and I spilled hot coffee on him. After living together for six years we married in 1976 in my brother’s backyard. We both continued to work in theatre. I realized

34 | UncagedBooks.com

Now I write second chance romances with a touch of magic as Susan B. James and children’s books as Susan J. Berger. I write older heroines because I am chronologically gifted and enjoy creating characters who remember that change is only on the outside. Inside our older shells is a much younger psyche. I continue to write picture books because I never grew up. And my acting career is moving along quite well. I am no longer married to Barry but we are still good friends. We share three grandchildren and a lot

S t ay C onnec t ed

susanbjames.com

Welcome to Susan B. James Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! Let’s talk about Maybe This Time, a book you’ve had out since 2017, but a very important scene occurs during 9/11. Can you tell readers more about the book? When I started Maybe This Time I had no idea Jen would have to travel to New York on the day before 9/11. That was the last place I wanted to revisit. Sometimes my characters take me on unexpected journeys and the plot turns. This is a book where I didn’t know what was going to happen until my brain and fingers hooked up and put words on the page.

Uncaged: Your latest book, Irish Magic has a bit of a magic touch. This book is actually on my Kindle right now – can you tell readers more about this book? It’s a romantic comedy with a touch of magic. A good friend of mine told me there was a yearly matchmaking festival in a small town in Ireland. It sparked my imagination. I traveled to Ireland with my brother and sister in law to visit it. Ireland was amazing but the matchmaking festival wasn’t what I expected. I decided it needed a touch of magic. So I changed the name of the town and gave it a hereditary matchmaker both to humans and the Fae.

All I knew when I started the first draft was I wanted to write Jennifer’s story. Jennifer is Jeremy’s sister who first appeared in Time and Forever. At the end of the book there is a mention of her having been married three times and “third time lucky.” I didn’t know Jennifer’s first husband Lance would turn out to be her third husband and her forever love.

Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about?

The 9/11 scenes start on the day before it happened. When Jen and Lance see the planes hit they are in Greenwich Village –about three miles from the Trade Center.

Lord George Gordon Byron was a leading poet, politician and scandalous rake. If you’ve read Regency novels, you’ve probably met Lord Byron. His wife Annabella left him shortly after Ada was born. She saw that her daughter was given an excellent education in science and mathematics, hoping to avoid the strain of madness Lord Byron exhibited.

Maybe This Time won 2019 Raven for best contemporary romance, the 2019 Readers Favorite Gold medal for Best Time Travel and was Runner up for the 2019 RONE in Audiobook General. Blurb: TIME TRAVEL? Worst birthday present ever! London stage star Jennifer Knight’s life goes haywire when her genius niece sends her tumbling back in time from London in 2001 to 1988, bringing her face to face with her worst nightmare—her first husband. Now the only hope of righting the universe is to go forward in time and alter their future. Maybe this time Jen and Lance will get it right. https://www.amazon.com/Maybe-This-Second-ChanceRomance-ebook/dp/B073DJ2RK4

Right now I am working on a novel that starts in Victorian England and jumps to 1940 wartime England. The heroine is a real person from history. Ada Augusta Lovelace - Lord Byron’s Daughter.

Ada grew up to be a brilliant mathematician. She invented the first computer language in way back in 1843 for a machine that was a mere an idea Charles Babbage’s Analytical Machine. Her story has fascinated me since I learned of her in my first computer history class. I wanted to time travel her to 1940 when Alan Turing, hero of the movie, The Imitation Game first made his machine to break German codes. I knew he had used Ada’s work. Thus my novel. Uncaged: You are also an actress with quite a few acting gigs in your portfolio. Is there anything Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | coming soon that you can tell us to watch for? Why, yes. (Huge happy smile and a quick dance step.) A movie I did in 2018, Looks That Kill came out in June. Due to COVID, it released to Amazon Prime and other streaming services. Another movie I am in, Kazillionare, releases in September. Where? I don’t know. But I’ve seen the preview and it’s delightful. In mid August I wrapped on Joel Coen’s film Macbeth which will hopefully hit actual theatres in 2021. The Tragedy of Macbeth stars Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth and Denzel Washington as Macbeth. Working on it was a magical experience. I loved everyone on the cast and crew and I am so glad that we were able to finish the film with COVID precautions. I can’t show costumes, But here’s my wig before dressing (Note shaved forehead.) Wig dressed and what I look like one the way home with spirit gummed hair and my KN95 mask. Everyone was masked when not performing. It’s weird seeing marvelously dressed and wigged performers all wearing kN95 masks in a medieval banquet hall. I wish I had a picture of that. Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? I am an actor, a writer and a grandparent and every aspect of my life changed. 36 | UncagedBooks.com

On March 13th they closed Warner Brothers and all filming on everything everywhere. They had already closed all live theatre. My profession is more than 98% unemployed at the moment and that includes all the many people it takes to make a film and a live stage production. I was enormously grateful when we were able to start back and finish Macbeth. BUT we were one of two shows filming on a lot that normally employs thousands. It was like a masked ghost town. My older son Jim has an eight-year-old non-verbal daughter on the spectrum. He is a single parent working from home. I flew to Michigan to help out for two months until they reopened the Kalamazoo Autism center part time. I can’t say I got any writing done. Part of that was depression. I hate change. And all of our lives changed big-time. I re-read my favorite books rather than start anything new. I think I needed to know what was going to happen in one aspect of my life. I also gained ten pounds. Fortunately when we went back to work I still fit in my costume. I am no longer feeling depressed and I am ready to go forward in my life whatever shape it may take. Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why? Present - Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jayne Anne Krentz, Beverly Jenkins, Tamora Pierce, Alyssa Cole and Jude Deveraux. Past - Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Peters, Georgette

| MIA PRIDE |

Heyer and Robert Heinlein. These are the authors I’ve been rereading. They are consummate storytellers and I am safe, entertained and happy in their worlds. Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? Oh boy! All the time. I write my first drafts with NanNoWriMo and I never know what is going to happen till it happens. My first drafts are unreadable. When I was writing Time and Forever one of the heroes did something I really didn’t expect. It changed the ending and made perfect sense. When I read reviews remarking on how well plotted the book was, I blushed. Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?

I adore doing jigsaw puzzles. I sit outside on the patio and sing to myself as I do them. I love journeying to a beach and walking. When friends come to call, I love board games – my favorites are Rummycube, SkipBO and Scategories. And I am a bookaholic. I can’t end a day without reading. Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you? That’s a wonderful question. I love reviews, but they don’t equal success. I think when my royalties exceed my outgo I will feel successful. Then I would know lots of people were reading my books. (I don’t pay to publish my e and print books. But I do pay a narrator to do my audiobooks.) Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | I don’t need to be a NYT best seller. But I would like to know I had a following. Uncaged: Do you prefer eBooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? I love physical books. But I am happy to read books on my Kindle app on my iPad. I can set the print to a size that pleases my eyes. I rarely read audiobooks. All three of my adult books are available in audio, and I love my narrator. I produced Time and Forever and Maybe This Time through ACX for Audible and my contract means they aren’t available in libraries. I produced Irish Magic through Findaway books. I could set my own price and it’s available in Libraries. Financially I’ve done better through Findaway. I have no idea what I will be reading when this article comes out. I have an Alyssa Cole, a Jude Deveraux and a Belle Ami on pre-order. Right now I am rereading a paperback of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Lady Be Good. Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? Thank you. Thank you for reading me and for the lovely reviews. Please know I cherish each and every one of them. You guys rock my world. Please consider signing up for my newsletter at https://susanbjames.com Where can you follow me? I have three websites. An embarrassment of riches. Susan B James https://susanbjames.com is my romance website. (I didn’t want my children to have to acknowledge that their mother knew anything about sex.) I write children’s books under my own name Susan J Berger. I have two more picture books coming out this year. https://www.susanjberger.org/ My actor website is https://www.susanbergeractor. com/

38 | UncagedBooks.com

Enjoy an excerpt from Maybe This Time Maybe This Time Susan B. James Contemporary Romance/ Time Travel TIME TRAVEL? Worst birthday present ever! London stage star Jennifer Knight’s life goes haywire when her genius niece sends her tumbling back in time from London in 2001 to 1988, bringing her face to face with her worst nightmare—her first husband. Now the only hope of righting the universe is to go forward in time and alter their future. Maybe this time Jen and Lance will get it right. Excerpt Chapter 1 London. March 30, 2001 Birthdays ought to be banned after forty. She didn’t need a ruddy birthday marker to remind her how old she was. Jennifer Knight’s stilettos clicked an irritated staccato down the hallway to the Royal Court Theatre’s dressing rooms. She dearly loved her Private Lives family, but if one more person wished her Happy Birthday . . . “Happy Birthday, Miss Knight.” Gerri Stokes emerged from the wings, clipboard in hand. Jen took a deep breath. She couldn’t strangle the stage manager. What would they do without him? “Thank you, Gerri.” She forced a delighted smile and continued down the narrow, dimly lit hall. Gerri beat her to her dressing room and gallantly opened the door. Jen sneezed. Every available surface held floral ar-

| SUSAN B. JAMES | rangements. Roses. Lilies. Delphiniums. Dianthus. Flowers whose names escaped her. It looked like a funeral. The only thing missing was a horseshoe arrangement saying Rest in Peace. Jen sneezed again. Gerri’s face wrinkled up like a pug, mournful and loveable at the same time. “What’s wrong?” “I’m allergic to at least one of these bouquets. Could you be a dear and get them all out of here?” The stage manager grabbed an armful of vases. “Sorry. I forgot about your allergy. I should have thought to check. The roses are all right, aren’t they?” Jen shuddered. Roses were her second husband’s flower of choice. Everything to do with Peter Bromley made her feel ill. “Better take them all to be safe. Share them out.” “Right. I’ll bring you back the cards.” One of the blessings of a small cast was there was always an empty dressing room. Jen retrieved her yoga mat from its corner resting place. “I’ll pop upstairs while you finish.” Her pre-performance stretching and meditation routine restored her equilibrium. She returned to her dressing room, now blessedly flower free. Someone had wedged a telegram into the large mirror over her dressing table. Happy Forty-Ninth. One year to go. Wish I could be there. Love Sylvie. Jen snorted. When she and Sylvie met as starry-eyed ingénues, they both thought turning fifty would be the end of the world. Jen surveyed her reflection. Figure still slender. Hair still flame red, courtesy of Cedric’s of London. Eyes still green. Chin line still firm. She sat and scrutinized her face in the magnifying mirror she used for applying makeup. Had more lines appeared overnight in wild birthday abandon? She couldn’t tell. She didn’t feel old. “Old is as old does,” she told her reflection. “You’re still playing leads, so stop worrying.” Off with her electric blue Stella McCartney, and into her peach satin dressing gown. Time to start her favorite part of the day. Turning herself into Amanda. The joy of acting was living in someone else’s skin and Amanda was one of her favorite roles. Noel Coward’s repartee between the 1930’s socialite who encounters her ex-husband Elyot by chance on the bal-

cony of a hotel, dripped with glorious put downs. How she would have loved to use them on her ex-husband, Peter, the Bounder. Or better still on . . . No! Her mind shied away from her first husband—He Who Must Not Be Named. She pinned her chin-length hair into flat curls, covering the result with a net wig cap. Eyebrows first. She erased her winged brows with a glue stick and smoothed on crème foundation. She outlined Amanda’s thin, arched brows with a brown grease pencil, added blush and eyeshadow; filled in ruby red lips. Her co-star, John Luterman, stuck his head around the door. “Happy birthday, darling. Thanks for the flowers. We’ve got tomorrow off. Want to pop round to the minister and do the deed?” Jen concentrated on attaching a strip of false eyelashes. “Darling, I’m too old for you. Your birds get younger every year.” John clapped a hand to his chest and pantomimed pulling a dagger out. “You wound me, lady. Wound me to the core. For one look from your fair eyes, I would slay a dragon. Only plight your troth with mine, and we will go hence to a parson.” “Wrong period. Wrong woman. Try again with someone else.” She loved John. They’d acted together in repertory and the West End on and off since the late sixties. But there’d never been a spark of sexual attraction. “But we’d be so wonderful together.” “Onstage, we are bloody marvelous. Off stage?” Jen smiled at John’s reflection in the mirror. The slicked back hair and pencil thin mustache looked good on him. John was born to play Elyot. “I watched you race through three marriages and listened to your tale of woe at the end of each of them. I think you’d better give up on love.” “Well, if you won’t marry me, how about coming out for a drink afterward? I’ll buy you a ginger beer.” “No, thanks.” John came up behind her, watching her face in the mirror. “You’re seeing someone, aren’t you? Tell Mother all.” Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | Jen shuddered at the memory of last night’s candidate from the high-priced dating service Sylvie had talked her into employing. No way was she confessing that one. “Yes. I’ve got another date. He’s tall, dark and mysterious, and if I told you his name his security guards would have to kill me.” John lifted the platinum wig from the Styrofoam head on the dressing table and fitted it over her wig cap, stretching the wig down to cover the cap’s edges. “It’s a book. You’re going home and reading a book. Jen, you’re too young to give up on romance. There is someone out there for you. I know it.” John always had to have an unreachable star. If he lived to be ninety, he’d still be looking. As far as she was concerned the search was over. After last night’s candidate, she called the dating service and canceled the contract. “I’m done looking for the right person. I think I’m better off with a good book.” “Forget the book. Come out for a ginger beer. I’ll even stand you a sausage roll or two for old time’s sake. The cast wants to celebrate.” Of course, they did. When had her mates ever let a birthday go unpunished? “All right, but not too late. Kat says she has a surprise for me tomorrow. I’m meeting her at noon.” “Ah, the enchanting Kathryn. If she wasn’t your niece, I could fall very hard for her.” Jen whirled around. “If you ever flirt with Kat, you are going to be minus some very important equipment.” John backed up, raising his hands in the air. “Sorry. Bad joke. I would never come on to a teenager. Especially one who calls me Uncle John.” “It didn’t stop Peter.” She’d never seen John’s eyes turn so cold. “Don’t ever confuse me with the lowlife you married.” Two quick taps on the door. “Five minutes, please.” “Thank you, Gerri.” She turned to John. “Out.” John leered at her. “Can’t I watch?” “No.” Jen pushed him out the door. The last bit of transformation she liked to do alone. She slipped 40 | UncagedBooks.com

her satin dressing wrap onto a hanger and stepped into Amanda’s Vionnet silk evening frock. Clipping on diamond eardrops, she took a last survey in the mirror. Amanda gazed back at her. A beautiful, sophisticated woman in her thirties who knew everything. Or thought she did. Oops. Rings. She slid the fake diamonds onto her left hand and admired the play of light on the stones. Life was so much simpler on the stage. She turned to the framed picture of her family taken before her brother Rob was killed. Mum, Dad, Rob, Jeremy, her baby sister Courtney, and her seventeenyear-old-self posed in front of the castle, all of them laughing and carefree. She touched her finger to her lips and blew them a kiss for luck. Ritual completed, Jen swept out of her dressing room, shoulders back, head erect. She struck an Amanda pose in the dressing room door. “I’m ready, darling.” John pushed off from the wall he’d been propping up. “Jen! You forgot your shoes.” Jen lifted the hem of her dress. Furry slippers peeped out at her. She kicked them off. Was this the beginning of Alzheimer’s? Pulse racing, she buckled on Amanda’s strappy heels. What if she forgot her lines? She stood, knees wobbly. Picked up the jeweled cigarette holder with its prop cigarette, and took a long drag. The act of inhaling as though it were a real cigarette steadied her. “Come on, John. Let’s knock them dead.” John kissed his finger and touched it to her throat. “We always do darling. We always do.”

LIZ BUTCHER & Pandora & Zeus

I have two cats, a seventeen-year-old named Pandora and a ten-year-old named Zeus. Both were rescue kittens and their personalities are completely different. Pandora is very much the princess and doesn’t like to get her paws dirty, preferring to sleep and lounge all day and night. Zeus, on the other hand, is more like a dog than a cat. He’ll wait at the door for you to come home, and rolls around on his back so you’ll scratch his tummy—he’s very energetic! Neither cats have any interest in my writing unless I’m providing a lap for them to sit on. Even then, they’ll happily ditch me the minute their Dad gets home! It’s nice to feel loved…

42 | UncagedBooks.com

ELIZABETH JOHNS & Ruby

Ruby is truly my baby. She is always to be found right next to me, so my deployment was very hard on her. She is a three-year-old goldendoodle, and the sweetest dog I have ever met!

MURIEL ELLIS PRITCHETT & Obi My grand-dog, Tusus King Oberon I of Molley, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was born September 24, 2015. He was three months old when he made his first visit to our house. As he snuggled in my lap, I knew he would be my “love sponge.” I nicknamed him ObiWan, later shortened to Obi. Obi stays very busy. Not only is he a much loved therapy dog at the local hospital, he has titles in Dog Agility, Therapy Dog, Trick Dog and Barnhunt. Plus, he is a certified Canine Good Citizen and is taking classes in Nosework and Tracking.

A U T H O RS A N D T H E I R P E TS Pets and companions come in many shapes and sizes. From furry to feathered to hairy and scaley - there is a place for all of them. Authors have a special relationship with their pets - whether they remind them to get up and take a break or they inspire their writing. Meet the critters that share their love and devotion to Uncaged Feature Authors.

ANNA MOCIKAT & Eury

The youngest of the three is Eury, a Catahoula Leopard mix who I got from the local Humane Society last December. She just turned one and is the most adorable and challenging dog imaginable. She’s extremely intelligent and agile. She learned how to switch off my Xbox when she wants attention or end my calls if I place my phone next to me and use my headset by using her nose. And she loves destroying expensive stuff. But it’s my own fault! I named her Eurydice – Eury for short- after a character from my Tales of the City series. Readers will know why this might have been a bad idea lol. Eury lives up perfectly to her fictional counterpart!

I have three dogs who I have rescued from shelters over the years, and I love them very much. They assist me when I’m writing and force me to walk them for at least an hour per day, which is a perfect way for me to relax and let my thoughts flow. Otherwise, I probably would work too much. Issue 50 | September 2020 |

EDWARD WILLETT & Shadowpaw

MARC WATSON & Koa

A few years ago, after almost 15 years of dedication and love, we lost our loyal and faithful golden retriever Sapha. Busy lives meant we couldn’t have another dog right away, and the memory of my dog-bud never faded. This is Shadowpaw, the namesake of my publishing company, Shadowpaw Press. He’s a purebred Siberian, and he has a publishing background: his uncle Roscoe belongs to Betsy Wollheim, publisher of DAW Books along with Sheila E. Gilbert (who’s my editor). My wife is allergic to cats, and Betsy, who is also allergic, told us there is anecdotal evidence of people who are allergic being able to live with Siberians. It so happened that she was going down to see Roscoe’s breeder in West Virginia and promised to send us pictures of the latest litter of kittens. She did, we picked Shadowpaw (who distinguished himself by asking for belly rubs whenever a person was near), and then I flew to New Jersey and stayed with Sheila while Betsy and her copyeditor drove down to Baltimore to pick up Shadowpaw from the breeder, who had driven up from West Virginia. They drove Shadowpaw up to New Jersey (in a snowstorm), and after I’d spent some time in New York with them, I flew home. And, indeed, my wife had no significant allergic reaction to Shadowpaw. So, in other words, my New York publisher found me a kitten! Not many authors can say that. 44 | UncagedBooks.com

Now, our kids are older and we can find more of the time we were losing, and we were all thankful to welcome Sapha’s great great nephew Koa to our family. Named after a traditional Hawaiian tree, Koa is the polar opposite in temperament from his uncle, but no less loving, and he’s now bringing new adventures to our family. We’re lucky to have had two different-yet-fantastic goldens in our lives.

eli z abeth j o hns

lizabeth was first captured as a reader, as many are, by Jane Austen. Austen’s clever wit and unique turn of phrase hooked her when “forced” to read Pride and Prejudice as an assignment. Elizabeth leads a busy life with careers as a mother and in the medical field, but squeezes reading in whenever possible. She began writing when she ran out of her favorite author’s books and tried her hand. During their last summer together, Elizabeth would sit on the porch swing and read her stories to her mother, a retired English teacher, who encouraged her to continue writing. 46 | UncagedBooks.com

Elizabeth makes no pretensions to Austen’s wit, but hopes you will perhaps laugh and find some enjoyment in her writing.

S t ay C onnec t ed

Elizabethjohnsauthor.com

Uncaged welcomes Elizabeth Johns Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! You are releasing your newest book, Knight and Day on September 17. Can you tell readers more about this book and series? My new series for Dragonblade is about the Knight family, headed by the Duke of Knighton. Knight and Day is about the third sibling, Edmund, who is a man of the cloth who rescues prostitutes. The story is about one of his rescues and how they fall in love. Uncaged: Does your family or colleagues read your books? They do! My dad is always the first to read them, and one of my nieces. My husband prefers to wait for the audiobooks to help his commute go by. I have also been surprised by friends and colleagues who will randomly ask questions about characters and take me completely off guard! Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about? I have a Christmas novella for one of the side characters in Knight and Day, and I have started on the fourth book in the series about another brother who is a spy for the British Army. That will be a new twist for me. Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? Quite a bit! My other career is medicine in the National Guard, and I was deployed for the last few months helping to test for the virus. Normal life was set aside, and at times it felt as though I was in the twilight zone. Everyone else was at home, streets were mostly empty, but we were out every day swabbing people. It was surreal, and I missed my family, but I was pleased for the opportunity to try to help combat this crazy virus. Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why?

Past—definitely Jane Austen. She was my first love affair with reading, and it would be delightful to verbally spar with her! I imagine smiling and laughing constantly at her wit. Having visited her home and seen her tiny writing desk, gives me a great deal more respect for her work. She wrote what we would term contemporary, but she had no computer to erase her mistakes and do research on, and no phone to dictate on! I cannot imagine handwriting a 400 page novel. What she accomplished is pure brilliance, and really helped forge the path for female writers. Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? That pretty much describes every single book, ha ha. I am not a plotter, so all of them take on a life of their own! Even when I try to plot, I almost never follow it. Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working? Hmm. I am trying to imagine that…I do enjoy nature. I love both sitting near water and listening to the sounds, as well as hiking in the mountains with my family. Most days, a bath and a walk with my dog do the trick. Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you? Happy readers who enjoy my stories and are able to escape into them! It is lovely to make a living doing this, but mostly I do it for the challenge of the journey the characters go on and making it believable. I would also love to branch out into other genres, such as mysteries one day. Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? I definitely prefer ebooks. I always have a phone with me and that allows me to read more than I would otherwise. I like to read the older historicals, Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | and I tend to migrate towards Georgette Heyer and, of course, Austen. Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? Thank you for taking a chance on me, and for believing in me. Truly, the kind words and messages keep me going! I am easiest to find on facebook or instagram.

Enjoy an excerpt from Knight and Day Knight and Day Elizabeth Johns Historical Victorian Releases Sept. 17 Lord Edmund Knight has dedicated his life to rescuing unfortunates and prostitutes which he refers to as his doves. One of his rescues comes with more baggage than he bargained for, and he is forced to hide her at his brother’s estate in far away Devonshire. Lady Isabella Hartmere was ruthlessly placed up for auction by her father to settle gaming debts, but is miraculously rescued by a vicar in the nick of time. As her father becomes desperate to find her, the situation becomes more dangerous by the minute. Both are drawn into the web of an old blood feud, but will keeping Isabella safe lead to an unlikely romance? Excerpt Edmund closed the door to the church after evensong,

48 | UncagedBooks.com

but did not lock it. He never locked it. He was proud of the reputation Saint Michael’s had as a place of refuge, even if it was exhausting at times. He had not even walked five feet from the entrance when there was a vicious pounding on the door. Edmund opened it to reveal a small urchin, who stood there panting. “Are you Victor Knight?” Edmund tried hard not to smile. “I am.” “Good, cause I ’ave a message fer ye from yer brother.” Edmund frowned. Only one brother was likely to deliver a message in such a fashion. “Very well. Come in and have some food, and tell me all about it.” The little waif followed him inside, looking around as though something would jump out of the shadows and grab him. He clung close to Edmund as they walked through the now dark, Gothic nave to the vicarage. Mrs. Lowe was in the kitchen and gave Edmund her usual look of dismay whenever he brought in a child or one of his “doves”. “What is your name, child?” Edmund asked as he indicated for him to take a seat at the table in the kitchen. “Johnny.” Edmund nodded and took the seat next to him while Mrs. Lowe placed bowls of stew and slices of fresh bread in front of both of them. “Can I tell ye my message now? I’m afraid I’ll forget.” The boy looked worried. He must be between eight and ten years old, Edmund thought. Street children were often malnourished and older than they looked. “Of course.” The boy furrowed his dirty brow and thought for a moment, as though he had to recall every word perfectly. “’E said as there is a virgin auction at Madame Celeste’s. ’E thought ye would want to know there is a lady there against ’er will.” Who wasn’t there against their will? Edmund wanted to shout the words as he worked to control his temper. He had made it his life’s work to help rescue women who were forced into prostitution unwillingly. But a lady? “You are sure he said a lady?” The boy nodded as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Eat quickly and then you can take me to this place. Do you have a home, Johnny?” The boy gave a little shrug as if he were embarrassed to answer. Edmund did not press any further. After he had spent some time with the boy, he would bring the topic up again and discover if Johnny needed help. While he ate, Edmund

| ELIZABETH JOHNS | went to shed his vestments for more suitable clothing and Mrs. Lowe packed a little sack of food for Johnny to take with him. A few minutes later, they headed out into the damp, cold night. Edmund hailed a hackney and they both climbed in. “Did you walk all the way here, Johnny?” He shook his head. “The toff put me in a hack like this. Said ye would feed me if I gave ye the message.” Heath knew him well. “You did well, lad.” He tossed him a coin. “If you ever need help, you can always find it at Saint Michael’s.” The boy was gone in a flash. Edmund stood before the nondescript three-story wooden house that looked much like the others on the street. He had been here before, and a feeling of evil washed over him. Saying a quick prayer for strength and protection, Edmund climbed the steps and knocked on the door. Two large ruffians were guarding the entrance. He handed one of them his card—the one which proclaimed him Lord Edmund Knight. They looked him over and, clearly seeing just a well-dressed, arrogant young lord, nodded their approval. They stood aside for him to pass, and he followed the noise to the main drawing room. The room was overheated and smelled of sweat, smoke, and spirits. It was dark except for the chandelier above a center dais, where a beautiful young woman stood. She was garbed like a harem girl, in nothing more than a tiny bandeau covering her chest and a nearly transparent skirt with slits up either side revealing long legs. Wavy russet locks flowed down her back, drawing attention to her shape. The girl wore a mask, but it did nothing to hide her beauty—or her fear. Edmund’s blood boiled with anger. Was this the lady? The auction was already in progress, as shouts of otherworldly amounts of money sailed through the room. “Five thousand guineas!” someone shouted across the crowd. “Eight!” another countered. Was he too late? Edmund’s heart sank. Spying his brother, Heath, across the crowded room, Edmund began pushing his way through the engrossed men. “It took you long enough,” Heath said into Edmund’s ear when he reached his brother’s side. Edmund did not bother to reply to that. “Is this the one?” Heath nodded. “There have been others, but she is the main attraction.” Edmund wanted to retch. “It appears we are too late, then.” “Ten thousand guineas.” The bidding war was still going. “I will distract the winner,” Heath said. “They will take her to a room at the back of the house, where there is a door to the alley. If you can get to her before they do…”

Edmund nodded as he looked around the room. Lord Emerson was near Madame Celeste, smiling greedily as the amounts reached exorbitant proportions. Someone was going to be very, very angry if Edmund was successful. Who was this girl? Lord Wethersby shouted, “Twenty-five thousand guineas!” and the room fell to silence. No one else spoke as Wethersby walked forward and ran his hand down the girl’s arm. Edmund wanted to retch again when he saw her flinch. Wethersby cackled with laughter. “Going once, going twice? Sold to Wethersby for twenty-five thousand guineas!” Madame Celeste shouted. The men patted Wethersby on the back with congratulations as the madam led the girl away. Edmund looked at Heath and nodded. Crossing the likes of Emerson and Wethersby was as good as a death sentence. “If you are going, do it now,” Heath warned. Edmund slipped out with a group of men who were leaving since the auction was over. They were heavily intoxicated, so it was not difficult for him to sneak, unobserved, behind the house to the alley. What Edmund was not fully prepared for was the guard standing at the back door. Falsehoods had never been easy for Edmund, but this was for a good cause. He put on his most bored face and hoped the guard was unaware of the identity of the man who had won the final auction. He strolled up to the guard with as much hauteur as he could muster. “I am here to fetch my winnings,” he drawled. “Where is your carriage?” the guard asked, narrowing his eyes. “My driver is bringing it around. I wanted to get my hands on my prize as soon as possible,” Edmund said with a knowing wink to the guard. He pulled out a few gold coins. The guard grunted appreciatively and then turned to unlock the door. Edmund hoped his luck would continue when he saw the frightened girl sitting in the corner, shaking. She watched him warily as he quickly removed his coat. “Who are you?” He held his finger to his mouth. “I am here to rescue you. Hurry,” he whispered with urgency.

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

Paula Quinn

Tempest Heart Tempest Heart

Paula Quinn Historical Romance Tristan MacPherson is a killer for hire. He is elemental, primal, savage, and determined to uphold his reputation that if he agrees to kill a man, the man will surely die. He has seen so much death both on the field and off that he has grown detached to its effects. Until he finds a lass on the brink of death, about to be set aflame as one infected with the terrible sickness, and his heart begins to beat again.

Excerpt “Lass, ye’re dreamin’. Wake up.” He gave her a little shake. She opened her eyes and sat up. Her arms were free from the Highland plaid and she stopped slapping at her legs and turned to cling to him just before dawn began to break. Her heart raced. Would she ever breathe normally again? She never thought she would be as afraid as she had been when she was eight. But yesterday, or the day before that—she wasn’t sure how many days had passed, she was. This time, she was older and she knew what to expect. She hadn’t had enough strength to move to save herself. She had never felt so hopeless. Oh, but then his voice rang out. Cease! He’d saved her life, her sanity. He’d tossed her over his shoulder, snatching her from the jaws of torture and death. He wasn’t afraid of the Black Death. He was mad in his gloriously handsome head. “Yer fever has broken, lass. ‘Tis good news.” His voice was like heavy silk across the back of her head. Her hood had come down when she sat up. He spoke into her hair. “Does that mean I’m not going to die?” 50 | UncagedBooks.com

sneakpeek “Aye, I believe so.” She looked up at him but she couldn’t see too much in the dim light. No matter, his face was emblazoned on her soul. His eyes most especially, not because of their vivid green color, but mostly because of the shadows the flare of his dark brows cast over them. His hair was black with thick, glossy curls he tried to keep out of his eyes by raking his fingers through it. When he’d held the apple slices to her mouth, she’d found her gaze constantly on his lips. They were full and pouty and surrounded by a dark shadow of facial hair. He was a scowler. Emma told her about scowlers. They enjoyed being angry. Usually, they weren’t pleasant to be around. But he was. She realized he hadn’t told her his name before. Was it because he killed men for coin? She didn’t care what he did for coin. She owed him her life. “What are you called?” “Ye look better,” he said as soft as the breeze. “You cannot see me,” she teased with a smile. “I’m lookin’ straight at ye,” he insisted and as if to prove it, brushed away the lock of hair that had fallen over her eye. As he did, the sun began to make its lazy ascent. It cast him in soft, golden light and made her smile. It was nice to see first thing in the morning. “I’m Rose.” She felt his breath in her hair but then he moved away. “Rose, I’m not sure ‘tis wise to—” “Because you kill men?” “It sounds worse when ye say it.” Though the sound of his voice was extraordinarily pleasant, she disagreed. “No, it sounds worse when you say it. You are the one doing it.” He looked about to defend himself but then stopped and quirked his decadent mouth at her. “Ye are clever.” “Does that displease you?” “Nae. Not at all.” He rose and headed for the nearest tree. “’Tis a good trait to possess.”

pa0854.wixsite.com/paulaquinn

After returning to UGA for a master’s in journalism, Muriel went to work at the daily newspaper and, years later, in the university’s public relations office. The years passed. Their two daughters graduated from high school and college, and found jobs that came with good health insurance. Then Muriel and her husband retired, and her doctor told her to get a hobby. She joined a writers’ group, attended writers’ conferences, and received lots of rejections. But she never gave up, she worked hard to add lots of potatoes to her meat, and one day a book contract showed up in her email box. At long last, she was a real author.

Stay Connected

orn and raised in Atlanta, Muriel Ellis Pritchett always knew she wanted to be a writer. She wrote for her elementary school, high school and university newpapers, and majored in journalism at UGA, where her fiction writing professor predicted one day she would write a bestseller. She’s still waiting on that to happen. Following graduation from the university, she followed her Navy husband to Japan, where they lived in a tiny Japanese house with straw floors, pulled their shoes off at the door, slept on futons, and learned survival Japanese. They loved living in Japan and experiencing the Japanese culture, food, and the warmth and acceptance of their Japanese neighbors. After three years in Japan, they moved to Germany, where Muriel began freelancing for specialized magazines, and later to Virginia, their last active duty station. Immediately after moving back to Georgia, Muriel wrote her first novel on an old Royal typewriter in six weeks. She snail-mailed her creation to an agent, who returned it three weeks later with a note that read, “This is a great page-turner, but it contains too much meat and not enough potatoes.” This temporarily ended her novel writing. 52 | UncagedBooks.com

murielpritchett.com

m uriel ellis pritchett Uncaged welcomes Muriel Ellis Pritchett Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, Not Myself Today, will release on September 24. Can you tell readers more about the book? Not Myself Today is about high school soccer star Lindsey Anderson whose life is all planned out. Graduating at the top of her class, Lindsey has a fullride soccer scholarship to Stanford in the fall and has

been accepted into the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program. Can her life get any better than this? Yes, it can if East Lake High can only win the state soccer championship. But after kicking the winning goal for her team, Lindsey drops dead on the soccer field and wakes up in the hospital in the body of Annabeth, a sex trafficking victim. No one believes who Lindsey really is, not even her own dad. A serious mistake has been made. Lindsey searches the hospital for her body. She believes Annabeth will want to keep Lindsey’s body and great life. Then suddenly her life becomes more complicated. Lindsey finds herself chased by a drug-dealing pimp who wants back the money Annabeth stole from him. In addition, a group of “ghostbuster” parapsychologists want to examine her. Too bad Lindsey’s dad had her body cremated. Uncaged: This book is bit of a departure from your other books, what inspired you to write in this genre? Normally, I write fun books about feisty, older women who have been wronged and must pull themselves up out of the muck. Maybe even getting a little revenge in the process. I did a genre switch to YA paranormal because my daughters asked me to write something they would like to read – meaning fantasy or paranormal. I didn’t want to write about zombies or vampires or werewolves or witches. However, I had always liked Mary Rodgers’ body-switching book, Freaky Friday. But I wanted my story to be unique. Not light-hearted and funny, but on the dark side. I wanted Freaky Friday meets Stephen King. And I didn’t want my protagonist to get her body back. Uncaged: When your husband was in the Navy, you lived and traveled to other countries. Did your travels inspire any of your writing? Most definitely! Living and traveling all over the world was exciting and full of adventure. Even when my husband retired after 28 years of military service, we kept traveling. The more we saw and experienced, the more we wanted. Guess you could say we became

travel addicts. Readers of my books can see how traveling inspired and affected my writing. In my first women’s fiction book, Making Lemonade, my protagonist goes to Florence, Italy, to study art and heal from a nasty divorce. I picked Florence because it is my favorite Italian city to visit. It is full of culture, history, romance, great wine, awesome food, and important works of art. In my second book, Like Peaches and Pickles, my broken-hearted protagonist goes to Venice, Italy, to de-stress and make life-changing decisions. My husband and I usually take at least one cruise a year. We love trans-Atlantic cruises because they are less expensive. I use the leisure time at sea to relax, eat food that I didn’t cook, and work on my next book. A retired art professor in my last book, Rotten Bananas and the Emerald Dream, takes a week-long Caribbean cruise for excitement and adventure. Instead, she meets a stowaway, stumbles onto a smuggling ring, gets kidnapped, and meets a “hunky spy.” Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? The biggest thing the pandemic has changed about my lifestyle is traveling. Or the lack of. My husband and I usually make at least six trips a year. Most of these are road trips to visit family in California, Maryland, Florida, and the Georgia coast, but we usually take one long cruise, enjoy an annual visit to Disney World (yes, we are Disney-holics), and attend writers’ conferences and author events. In early March, before everything closed down, I attended a conference and bookfair in San Antonio to sign copies of my books in my publisher’s booth. It was a good thing I enjoyed the event because it was my last trip in 2020. Our grandson was devastated when Disney cancelled the family cruise to Alaska. Then my writers’ conference, a trip to Maryland, our Disney World trip, and Christmas in California were all cancelled, too. Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | Being locked down at home for five months and only seeing and talking to people through ZOOM meetings is not as fun as in-person. But thankfully, my husband and I are well, and we have plenty of food. And--if you can call this a positive--the pandemic has freed up plenty of writing time. Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why? If Dorothy Gilman were alive, she would be my first choice for lunch. I would tell Ms. Gilman that I love her Mrs. Pollifax series so much, I’ve read all the books three times. I would also want her to know that her funny series--about a bored, retired woman seeking employment with the CIA--was the inspiration for my last book, Rotten Bananas and the Emerald Dream.

54 | UncagedBooks.com

I would also love to sit and have lunch with Janet Evanovitch, who writes the Stephanie Plum series. I would like to see if she is as funny in person as she writes. Here are a few questions I would ask her: What is it like to keep writing book after book about the same characters? How are you able to maintain consistency from book to book? And will Stephanie Plum ever get married? Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? Up to this point, all of my books have been carefully plotted and outlined. I always knew how the story would start and how it would end. But with the women’s fiction book I am currently writing, Sour Grapes and Balmy Knight, I do not have any outline. I do not know how it will end. I have become a “pantser”

or someone who “flies by the seat of their pants.” My protagonist is quite indifferent about this good-looking, rich British gentleman with a new Mercedes, a thick head of snow-white hair, and a deep-bass, sexy voice. Instead, Balmy is crazy about this homeless man who lives in a cardboard box in the park. I keep telling myself that it will all come together in the end. Happily, I hope. Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working? I love art. I like to go to art museums and stroll through art galleries. On vacation, especially in a new city, I look for art museums. I have seen most of the big art museums in the world, including the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art, London’s National Gallery, Le Louvre and Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Prado in Madrid, and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. I love to draw, watercolor, sculpt with clay, fold origami, and—don’t laugh—make Japanese paper dolls, which I learned to make while living in Japan. I send my paper dolls to friends who need a lift. I take studio art classes at the University of Georgia to give myself a break two days a week. I enjoy talking to the students in my class and learning about their hopes and dreams for the future. I am blown away by their talent and creations. One semester, I signed up for the art school’s 10week Study Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy. It was physically and mentally challenging living in a walled medieval town on the side of a mountain. I felt like a mountain goat going up and down the steep paths every day to get to my classes in watercolor, ceramics, and art history; Tony’s restaurant where we ate a four-course Italian dinner every evening; Molesini’s supermarket, where in my awkward Italian I ordered my daily panini sandwich for lunch; and the old monastery, where I dropped into bed each evening, utterly exhausted. Not only did I leave Cortona in great physical shape, but my experience was inspiration for my first book, Making Lemonade, in which the protagonist goes to Italy to

study art and recover from a nasty divorce. Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you? Not too many authors make enough money to quit their day job. The same thing can be said about artists, dancers, actors, and musicians. Whenever I complain about this, my husband reminds me that if I wanted to make money, I should have studied computer programming or learned accounting. But trust me when I say I would not have been successful or happy in either of those careers. Before I became an author, I majored in drama and wrote plays. Dozens of my plays were produced by local performing groups. My most successful play, “I Never Met a Man I Didn’t Like,” was put on by the 9th Hole Dinner-Theatre. I was paid off in dinners for six people. Each night the play was performed, five of my friends and I ate ham and Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | green beans. Yeah, it did get old, but it was okay, because every night I heard the audience laugh—in all the right places. My heart soared to know that my play had entertained them. I was happy that they left the theatre with smiles on their faces. For me, if a reader laughs out loud at my humorous stories, then I feel like a successful author. In March, at a bookfair in San Antonio, a woman bought all three of my books and picked up my business card. By the time I flew home the next day, I had an email from her saying that she read my first book on the plane and was almost finished with the second one. She said she loved my writing and she wanted to read more. That to me is success. Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? I still love the feel of turning the pages of a physical book and inserting a bookmark to hold my place. However, when I start packing for a two or threeweek vacation, it is easier to load three or four ebooks onto my iPad than lug that many printed books along in my carryon. As much as I enjoy reading, I am a slow reader, but I have read more books during this pandemic than I normally do. So . . . what have I read this summer? The Big Fat Zombie Goldfish series, How Not to Start Third Grade, Trapped in a Video Game, and How to Eat Fried Worms. I know what you’re thinking. In addition to being a slow reader, I must read on a third-grade level? Actually, I read those books because I’m helping my 8-year-old grandson improve his reading skills over the summer. For my own entertainment, I am currently reading The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne. I recently finished reading Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump, Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovitch, and Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge. As you can see, I read different genres—mystery and crime, memoir, romance comedy, and paranormal. Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and 56 | UncagedBooks.com

where can they follow you? If you would like to read more about my writing and my life, and see photos of my book launches, book signings, book clubs, book festivals, and other author events, please check out my website: www. murielpritchett.com and send me a message. My author’s page on Facebook is called Muriel’s Fiction for Women (@murielellispritchett). I try hard to post at least once a week, but many weeks I am too involved with work on my next book to do this. You can also reach me through Twitter (@PritchettMuriel) and Instagram (murielellispritchett). One final thing, I want to remind everyone how important it is to authors for readers to leave reviews. I personally read every review I can find about my books, whether it’s on Amazon, GoodReads or NetGalley. How else can writers know what their readers like and don’t like. For example, when my character Eula Mae Davis appeared in my second book, Like Peaches and Pickles, readers wrote that they loved her and wanted to read more about her. So, I gave Eula Mae a bigger “role” in my third book, Rotten Bananas and the Emerald Dream, and she is returning in Sour Grapes and Balmy Knight. Please know that authors do read your reviews—as do other readers, librarians, publishers, editors, book sellers, and book lovers.

Enjoy an excerpt from Not Myself Today Not Myself Today Muriel Ellis Pritchett Young Adult/Paranormal Releases Sept. 24 High school soccer star Lindsey Anderson was at the top of her game with graduation approaching and a full-ride soccer scholarship offer in her hand. Then she dropped dead on the soccer field, only to wake up in the body of a teenage sex-traf-

| MURIEL ELLIS PRITCHETT | ficking victim. No one believes who she really is. Not even her dad. Chased by her new body’s drug-dealing pimp and rabid parapsychologists out to dissect her, Lindsey searches to get her body and her life back before graduation day. Can her BFF and the high school nerdy boy she detests help save her life? Excerpt Chapter One Beginning of the End At first there was just darkness and nothingness. Then awareness began to creep in. Vague noises in the distance. Needle prickliness in my arms and legs. Explosive pain in my head. Waves of nausea. I moaned and squirmed in protest. Through swollen eyes, I squinted at blurry shapes. Trying to make some sense of what I was seeing and feeling, I reached out with my right hand and grabbed something solid. Cold, hardplastic. A bed rail? As my eyes slowly focused, I flinched at the sight of my trembling hand and gulped. This hand wasn’t mine! A cold sweat broke out across my upper lip. A chill ran down my back. My heart began to race. I looked at the white-knuckled hand, again. Holy crap! The fingernails were chewed down to the quick. My hand would have had a French manicure. Hadn’t I given up my daily fix of Cherry Cokes to pay for it? Pulling my left arm out from beneath the sheet, I saw it was encased in a black elastic wrist splint. I shuddered at the sight of a floral tattoo encircling the base of the middle finger. No way! Dad would kill me if I ever got a tattoo. Only bikers, bad girls, and boozers had tattoos. A taste of acid burned in the back of my throat. This hand wasn’t mine either! Something was seriously wrong. Seriously. This was the scariest, most real nightmare I’d ever had. But what if it wasn’t a nightmare or a dream? What if all of this was real? I looked around the room and took a deep breath. It definitely looked and smelled like a hospital room. But if I really was in a hospital, why was I here? What had happened to me?

A strangled sound involuntarily escaped from my throat. As I closed my eyes tightly and gritted my teeth, fragments of memory flashed through my brain. My head pounded. I remembered running and kicking the ball down the soccer field with Rachel racing alongside. I kicked the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net. I heard the crowd roaring in my ears and felt the ground vibrating beneath my feet. I saw my teammates running and jumping and screaming, carrying me on their shoulders in victory, and then—nothing. Absolutely nothing. I, Lindsey Anderson, had kicked the winning goal for the state soccer championship, and now I couldn’t remember anything else. I opened my eyes, breathing hard, my heart racing. Holy crap! Something must have happened on the soccer field. Something so awfully bad that it landed me in the hospital. Yes! That had to be it! I must be unconscious or in a coma. Even now, in the real world—not this alternate reality—Dad would be sitting by my side, squeezing my hand, whispering in my ear how much he loved me. And Rachel? She would have to be in the corner bawling, worried sick that her BFF was going to die. I let out the breath I had been holding. Yes, it all made perfect sense now. This room was a holding station—halfway between life and death. I closed my eyes, willing myself to wake up. Nothing. I gritted my teeth tighter and clinched my jaw, listening for sounds from the other side. Sounds from the real world. “Wake up, Lindsey!” I pleaded out loud, surprised by the sound of my hoarse voice, which sounded higher in pitch—a soprano voice like Rachel’s. Not the alto voice I sang in choir. But no matter how hard I tried, no matter how hard I strained to hear my daddy’s voice or feel his hand on mine, nothing happened. No bright light at the end of a tunnel either. No angels singing in the heavens. No hands of dead relatives reaching out for me. Nada. Zip. Zero. Absolutely nothing. So now what? Scared and trying to focus, I glanced around Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | my “holding station” cubicle and noticed a small nightstand with an old beige phone, one of those bed-tray thingies on wheels, and a small sink with mirror. Mirror? I tried to sit up, but another wave of nausea swept over me. Why did my entire body hurt so much? I felt the panic rising in me, like a tsunami after an earthquake. Stay calm, Lindsey. You can figure this out. Woozy, but determined, I slung my legs over the edge of the mattress and sat up. The faded blue gown I was wearing separated in the back, allowing a draft of cold air to ride up my spine. I shivered. Could a head injury cause weird hallucinations? Suddenly my teeth began to chatter uncontrollably, and I was having trouble getting my breath. I whimpered like a scared, little kid. When I tried to stand up, a pain ripped through my side. I lifted up my gown and saw a wide bandage taped tightly across my ribs. Did I injure myself during the game? Was I waking up from a 10-year coma? That would explain why I didn’t recognize my own hands. But if I wasn’t dead, if this really was a hospital room and not an alternate reality or purgatory, where was everyone? Why wasn’t Dad here holding my hand? Why wasn’t Rachel sitting nearby weeping for her BFF? Didn’t anyone care about me? A lump formed in my throat. I wanted my dad. Fighting for control, I struggled to my feet. Hunched over like an old woman, inch by painful inch, I dragged myself and the IV tree over to the sink and mirror. I gripped the counter edge and stared into the mirror at red-rimmed hazel eyes that gazed back at me from a bruised, swollen, gaunt face. A small bandage covered part of my forehead. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. A cry escaped from my throat. Holy crap! That girl in the mirror wasn’t me! Hands that didn’t look like mine grabbed a fistful of straight, dirty-blonde hair, caked with dried blood. What I considered my most attractive fea58 | UncagedBooks.com

ture—my short auburn curly hair—was gone. Also missing, the blue eyes I had inherited from my dad. I wailed aloud. That hideous, gray-faced girl in the mirror looked halfdead. Had she been in an accident? Had someone beat her up? She was NOT me. She was NOT Lindsey Anderson, Senior Female Athlete of the Year. I gagged and dry-heaved into the sink before the room went black.

DON’T MISS THESE TITLES:

feature authors

Anna Mocikat

Edward Willett

scifi | fantasy

Marc Watson

anna m o ci k at Uncaged welcomes Anna Mocikat Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, Dark City, will release on September 17 and is the 2nd book in a series. Can you tell readers more about this book and series? Thank you for inviting me to this interview. I’m excited!

nna Mocikat is the award-nominated, internationally published author of “Behind Blue Eyes”, the “Tales of the Shadow City” series and the “MUC” series. Before becoming a novelist, she graduated from Film School and worked as a screenwriter and game writer for over a decade. Anna Mocikat lives in Greenville, South Carolina.

Stay Co n n e c te d

annamocikat.com

62 | UncagedBooks.com

Dark City is the second book in the Tales of the Shadow City series, a Sci-Fi/Dark-Fantasy adventure. It’s set in post-apocalyptic LA where the survivors of a horrific catastrophe must face creatures from another dimension who threaten to exterminate all human life. The second book starts three weeks after the events in Shadow City, book one of the series. With the help of his human and non-human allies, Colton, a young man with no memory but extraordinary abilities, has managed to stop the offensive of the so-called Dark Ones. But now the evil creatures from another world are back, stronger, and more vicious than ever. Another victory will not be possible without sacrifices… Uncaged: How many books are you planning for this series? The main plot is set for a trilogy with the dramatic finale rolling out in book 3. But there are more tales to tell from the City of Shadows, so I’m certain, fans will see their beloved characters again. At least the ones who will survive… Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about? I’m currently working on the second book of my other series, Behind Blue Eyes. Book 1 came out in May, and it’s a Cyberpunk story in the tradition of Blade Runner

and Ghost in the Shell. Once I finish this one, I will start writing Tales of the Shadow City 3. Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? Fortunately, not too much. I spend most of my time alone stuck in the worlds in my head, writing my books, creating book trailers, and marketing. But I do love meeting my friends and go out to bars and restaurants, so I missed that a lot when everything was closed. I’m fortunate to live in a state which has reopened now and where life has almost gone back to normal. Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why? Definitely George Orwell. He is my greatest idol and 1984 my favorite book. We would have plenty to talk about. I also would have loved to meet Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick.

relax when you aren’t writing or working? Reading, of course, what surprise :) I particularly enjoy reading indie authors lately. I discovered that often they are more creative and unleashed in their writing than the traditionally published ones who need to follow many restrictions nowadays. When not reading or writing, I enjoy playing video games. Can’t wait for the game Cyberpunk 2077 to come out this year! Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you? Of course, like every other author, I want to sell as many books as possible. But that’s not all of it.

Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? I’m a plotter, which means when I start writing a book, I usually know exactly how it will end. But, as every author knows too well, the more time you spend with your characters and their story, the more alive they become in your head. Often I get inspired by that to change minor things, but never the whole story. Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to Issue 50 | September 2020 |

64 | UncagedBooks.com

What makes me most happy is when readers contact me and tell me how much fun they had with my books. Then I know that all the hard work I put into them is worth it. Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? I love to smell and touch physical books, but when I moved to a new apartment the last time and spent what felt an eternity on packing and unpacking them, I decided to switch to ebooks. I have to say that I have come to love my Kindle and almost enjoy reading ebooks more than physical books now. I like that I can buy a book and start reading it one minute later. That’s fantastic! Right now, I’m reading The Moon Hunters by Anya Pavelle. It’s a YA dystopia set on a tropical island, and I can highly recommend this book. It’s a lot of fun! Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? I want to thank my fans and readers with all my heart. Your enthusiasm and feedback are what keeps me going every day! If new readers want to follow me, I would suggest following my profile on Amazon. This way, Amazon will inform them whenever there’s a new book by me available. Who wants to connect with me can do that on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads where I have accounts and am active every day. I would love to connect with new readers there!

| ANNA MOCIKAT |

Enjoy an excerpt from Shadow City Shadow City Anna Mocikat SciFi/Cyberpunk Los Angeles is an apocalyptic wasteland. Without orientation, Colton stumbles through the vast, deserted city. He doesn’t remember who he is and where he came from. Scavengers save his life from mutants and bring him to the only remaining inhabited area and safe Zone in former Hollywood. There he learns that after a devastating catastrophe called The Glitch, reality shifted, allowing nightmarish creatures from another dimension to enter our world. These co-called Dark Ones feed on suffering and violence, wanting nothing less than the complete annihilation of humanity. Colton discovers that he has extraordinary abilities and joins a league of unusual defenders: excop Eric, female cyborg Bombshell and Vincent, a mighty entity from another world, disguised as a human soldier. But the Dark Ones are evil beyond imagination and with their ice-cold enforcer, the traitor Eurydice, they are a threat nearly impossible to overcome. Cunning and ruthless, Eurydice sets a ploy in action, which leads to the destruction of the Zone’s defenses weakening the tiny community from within. It’s up to Colton and his friends to take a desperate stand against the superior enemy and save what is left of humanity from extinction. Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | Excerpt Chapter One Dust whirled over the concrete. Small, grey specs twirling in the air. Nearby, a tornado tore through the empty streets, sweeping up everything in its path: debris, a car tire, a dead palm tree. A young man with dark blue eyes watched the storm as it approached. The strong wind ruffled his short, brown hair. Despite the all-consuming twister beginning to yank and drag him, the young man remained motionless. Mesmerized, his eyes took in the black vortex; the accompanying sound turning into a deafening thunder. Just as the pull and noise became almost unbearable, the tornado changed course, continuing its destruction. A rusty children’s swing, a stop sign, a corroded garbage can - all swept away. The young man stood still, his eyes following the force of nature, which now raced down the street between heavily damaged family homes. Then he slowly turned, his naked feet leaving footprints in the dust on the cracked pavement. His eyes looked up from the trunk of a dead palm tree to the sky. It was gray and overcast, which made it impossible to tell the time of the day. Everything was covered by faded, greyish-purple light. His gaze moved to the once impressive skyline. Its skyscrapers were dark, their glass fronts destroyed. Some had collapsed, one was completely gone, and all that remained from others were steel frames. The tornado changed direction again, setting course for the abandoned freeway to Downtown, disappearing between the high-rises. The young man turned to study the landscape in front of him, which once used to be a park. Now the grass was brown and dead, dusty leaves dangled from palm trees. Dried laurel tree branches stretched like bony fingers against the slightly purple sky. At the horizon, just a few miles away, 66 | UncagedBooks.com

a sign was visible standing on the dried-up hill. Huge letters, once bright white, were now dirty and gray. Although some of the oversized letters were missing, the following word could still be read: HO LYWO D. *** “That’s a massive one,” Louis said, staring at the horizon, where the tornado raged through the city. “Look, I think it swept up a car wreck!” “It seems to be that season again,” Jean muttered as she rummaged through the items scattered all around the small room. She found nothing useful. They were most likely not the first “explorers” visiting this house. “Is it ever not that season?” the cynicism was unmistakable in Louis’ adolescent voice. Jean kicked a pile of shredded cloths aside, then glanced at her brother standing at the smashed window. A touch of childlike fascination flitted over his face as he watched the tornado. Louis felt her gaze and turned away from the twister to face her. “Do you ever wish such storms would devour people you don’t like?” he asked. Jean laughed. “You’re an idiot!” Louis grinned. “So what? Nothing wrong with dreams.” “We should move on, there’s nothing worthwhile here. Let’s try the other side of the park before it gets dark.” They exited the house, crossed the street, and entered what was left of Echo Park. The dull light around them turned darker. A corroded swing squeaked softly in the wind. Otherwise, it was eerie silence. “You know,” Louis began as they walked through the ruined playground and reached the parched grass areas, “Dad will kill us if he finds out we’ve been this

| ANNA MOCIKAT | far to the east.” “And you know,” Jean hissed, “you should keep your voice down out here.” She stopped and glanced around. For a moment, she glimpsed a movement behind a charred palm. It was most likely just her imagination. “I’m talking normal,” an offended Louis whispered. “You don’t need to jump on me like that!” Jean walked on. “Dad would prefer we didn’t leave the house at all, but that won’t work. And if you keep your mouth shut, he’ll never find out about our trips to Echo Park.” They continued to walk across the park in silence. It was hard to imagine it was once a green area since not a speck of green was left. Except for rats and cockroaches, nothing lived here anymore. The lake of the city park had dried-up a long time ago, and the brown earth was cracked, resembling old wrinkly skin. The middle of the lake still featured the rusted remains of the fountain’s nozzle from which water ounce sprang into the air, much to the delight of the children. Now there were no more children in Echo Park or joggers accompanied by their dogs. Only death and decay remained. A row of high palm trees with brown leaves circled the lake. Behind it, loomed the ruins of the downtown skyscrapers. Their broken windows seemed like dead eyes staring at the siblings. The unsettling atmosphere gave Jean the creeps. She felt somehow defenseless and an easy target, crossing the dry lake. She glanced at the gloomy high-rises and forced herself to walk on. We are far enough away, she told herself. We are safe. Jean and Louis had almost crossed Echo Park when the boy stopped and pointed to the adjacent street. “Just look at that freak!” Jean frowned as she looked at whom her brother referred to and saw the naked man stumbling along the road aimlessly. Then her eyes froze as she noticed something else. “I’d say that’s a dead freak.” *** The young man did not notice the growing cold

creeping over the city as dusk slowly fell upon the park. But he did notice that he was being watched. He clearly felt eyes resting on him, which put him on alert. His muscles flexed, and his senses heightened. From the corner of his eye, he saw a slight movement and heard a faint hiss. Instinctively, he ducked and rolled away, instantly ready to fight. A dark, hairy figure with leathery skin jumped from the roof of a family home and landed on the spot where he had been standing just a second ago. Razor-sharp claws scratched the asphalt as the creature turned towards him. It vaguely resembled a human, but its legs were crooked, and its arms reminded more of mantis pincers than hands. Besides, it had several, tentacle-like, additional extremities, which featured deadly claws. The monstrosity straightened to its full length and let out a menacing growl. The young man’s eyes scanned his surroundings for something he could use as a weapon. He leaped aside, as the creature charged at him with astonishing speed. He reached for the first object closest to him - a rusty metal bar. But before he could grab it, his opponent spun around and went for him again. Despite being more than seven feet, it was as nimble as a cat. He dodged the charge and tried to ram the bar with all his strength into his attacker’s belly. Not fast enough. The beast scraped the side of his naked upper body with one of its tentacle claws, spilling his blood on the dusty street. The wound was big and painful, but not lethal, no internal organ had been hit. He just knew that somehow. The black, inhuman eyes of the monster focused on the blood dripping to the ground, then it threw back its head and let out a bloodcurdling howl. The man took the opportunity to go on the offensive. Despite his injury, he progressed with cold precision, as if he had done so his whole life. With his improvised weapon, he struck at the monster. A hard kick in the belly, which caused Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | the creature to bend over, followed by two blows to the head. He evaded the razor-sharp tentacles and kicked the crooked legs of his attacker. It lost its balance, fell, and again let out a terrifying howl, neither human nor animal. All of a sudden, the tables turned, and now it was the man standing over the beast. His eyes focused coldly on his enemy while his mind calculated the optimal angle for striking the monster’s skull. Its black, dull eyes looking up at him. He charged, but then stopped his movement, turning aside just in time to dodge a huge claw. Behind him stood another monstrosity, showing its oversized fangs and snarling. It was bigger and even nastier than the first one. The young man took a deep breath and prepared himself to fend off an attack from his second enemy, his battered weapon outstretched, his muscles tense. He sensed the first beast behind him getting on its feet again, ready to jump his back. The wound on his side was bleeding heavily. With a sharp move, he pulled back and hit the creature on its head, then he aimed at the drooling opponent in front of him. But his arm was stopped as a tentacle grabbed him at the elbow. The monster charged at him full force, making him lose his balance and fall. He rolled aside, and a claw scratched the asphalt, where his head had been only a second ago. Suddenly he heard a sharp swoosh as something shot past him. The beast in front of him shrieked briefly, then collapsed. A thick steel bolt had hit it in the eye and smashed its skull. The young man turned to his other opponent, and again, there was a swooshing sound. The head of the monster burst open as another bolt pierced it. One of its eyes popped out, and it sank to the ground, where it kept twitching for a while. Breathing heavily and bleeding, the naked man rose from the dust and looked where the shots had come from, his improvised weapon still in his hand. 68 | UncagedBooks.com

Two young men approached him, the taller one carrying a crossbow. Both wore coats with hoods over their heads, cargo pants, and heavy boots. The face of the taller one was hidden behind a pair of large, black glasses, somewhere between those of a welder and an aviator. Just before they reached him, the man took off the glasses and the fighter saw that in reality, it was a young woman. Her dark brown, almond-shaped eyes flashed, while her companion, scarcely older than fifteen, pointed a drawn bow at the wounded man. “Relax,” Jean said. “We’re not going to hurt you.” “Providing you are not going to do something stupid!” Louis added, trying to make his pubertal voice sound masculine. The stranger lowered his weapon. “Thank you.” Jean smiled and walked over to the two mutants she had taken down. She kicked the corpses to check if they were really dead, then pulled the bolts from their heads. It made a mushy noise. Louis bent down, grabbed some clothes from his backpack, and threw them at the man. “Put these on. There are ladies present!” Jean grinned as she pulled with all her strength at the bolt lodged in the head of the second monster, to get it out. “Besides, it’s a bit too cold this time of the year to walk around without clothes.” Louis walked up to the man and handed him a few rags. “For your wound. Unfortunately, we have nothing better with us.” Jean had freed the arrow and wiped it with an old cloth. She studied the stranger with undisguised curiosity while he put on the pants and shirt and pressed the rags against the bleeding on his side. “I’m Jean. This is my brother Louis,” she paused to give the man the opportunity to introduce himself as well. When nothing came, she continued, “What are you doing out here all alone? And where are your clothes?” Once he was dressed, he looked at her. She met his gaze and felt a tingling. Something about him touched her. “I don’t know,” he said. His voice sounded husky

| ANNA MOCIKAT | as if he had not spoken for a long time. Jean frowned and glanced at her brother, who shrugged his shoulders, making a circling motion with his index finger at the side of his head. His gesture and expression plainly stated, “Told you so, a freak.”

“Are you insane? This man needs our help! He’s coming with us, of course.”

She ignored him and stepped closer to the stranger to take a look at his injury.

“That’s true,” said the stranger quietly. “I don’t know what’s going on here. But one thing I know: you saved my life. Whatever happens, you have nothing to fear from me.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Louis asked suspiciously. “Can’t remember or what?” Jean reached out for the wound. “Let me see.” “I... I don’t know,” the man said, letting Jean examine him. “I don’t know how I got here. I don’t know what I’m doing here... I don’t even know who I am.” Jean carefully lifted the rag and inspected the injury on the stranger’s side. The wound was jagged and swollen, but clean. Sometimes the claws of the mutants left pieces behind. Once such wounds got inflamed, they almost always resulted in death. Apparently, the stranger had been lucky. It also seemed the bleeding was slowing. If she had not seen for herself that he just got injured, she could have sworn the wound was at least a few hours old. She raised her head and looked into his eyes. The adrenaline of the struggle, which had shown in his face, vanished; all she saw now were confusion and gratitude.

Her brother stared at her with open mouth. “But... Jean, we don’t know who he is - we don’t know what he is!”

Jean smiled at him, then nodded to her brother, her tone leaving no room for objections. “That’s settled then.” Louis grumbled in disapproval but otherwise kept quiet. Her voice became soft and friendly again, addressing the stranger. “Now the only thing missing is your name.” She glanced at him, standing in front of a faded street sign. The writing was still readable: Colton Street. “As long as you can’t remember your real name, we’ll call you Colton. Now let’s get out of here!”

DON’T MISS THIS TITLE RELEASES SEPT. 17

“Sounds like bullshit to me,” Louis said far less sympathetically, making his sister roll her eyes. “I think the wound looks worse than it is,” she said. “Can you walk?” He nodded. “Good. We better get going before more of those beasts show up. And it’s getting dark...” She looked around and shouldered her crossbow. It was quiet except for the howling of the wind, but silence could be deceptive as she knew. “Okay, man,” Louis said, turning around to go. “Good luck. And there’s nothing...” Issue 50 | September 2020 |

ous plays, musicals, and operas, and sung in several auditioned choirs, including the Canadian Chamber Choir. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his wife, Margaret Anne Hodges, P. Eng., a past president of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan. They have one daughter, Alice, and a black Siberian cat, Shadowpaw.

Stay Connected

edwardwillett.com

orn in Silver City, New Mexico, Ed moved to Saskatchewan from Texas at the age of eight, and grew up in Weyburn, where his father taught at Western Christian College. He earned a BA in journalism from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, and returned to Weyburn to begin his career at the weekly Weyburn Review, first as a reporter/photographer/columnist/cartoonist, and eventually as news editor. He moved to Regina in 1988 as communications officer for the thenfledgling Saskatchewan Science Centre. He began writing full-time in 1993. For most of two decades, Ed wrote a weekly science column that appeared in the Regina LeaderPost and other newspapers, and talked about science weekly on CBC Saskatchewan’s Afternoon Edition radio program. In addition to being a writer, Ed is a professional actor and singer who has performed in numer70 | UncagedBooks.com

e d war d willett Uncaged welcomes Edward Willett Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! Your newest book, The Moonlit World will release on September 15 and is part of the Worldshapers series. Can you tell us more about this series and the book? I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of authors living inside the stories they create. The Worldshapers series, published by DAW Books, is my take on that notion. In this case, the authors are “Shapers,” people from our world (the First World), with the ability to Shape their own worlds within an interdimensional Labyrinth they are given access to by the mysterious Ygrair, who identified potential Shapers in our world and trained them in a special school before giving them worlds to Shape

upon graduation. In Book 1, Worldshaper, my main character, Shawna Keys, is living a quiet, ordinary life, when something terrible happens: her best friend is killed in front of her by someone who touches her forehead and then points a gun at her, intending to kill her, too. She can’t believe it’s happening. She rejects the very possibility that it could happen. And just like, it never happened. No one else remembers the attack. But no one else remembers her best friend, either: it’s like she never existed. A mysterious stranger, Karl Yatsar, shows up and explains to Shawna that she’s not living in the real world, she’s living in a world she Shaped. He has no idea why she can’t remember being a Shaper—she should be able to—but he tells her that she’s a very powerful one. In fact, he thinks she’s powerful enough to save all of the worlds in the Labyrinth from the depredations of the Adversary, who followed Karl into her world and carried out the attack that killed her friend. When he touched Shawna, even though she reset time, he stole her knowledge of the Shaping of her world. He can now turn it against her. Karl tells Shawna she must flee her world to the other worlds of the Labyrinth, gather the knowledge of their Shaping, and take that knowledge to Ygrair. Otherwise, the Adversary will take over more and more worlds, subjecting them to tyranny, and eventually will make his way to Ygrair’s hiding place, kill her, and destroy all the worlds. And thereby hangs a series. In Book 1, Shawna and Karl are pursued across her world by the Adversary. In Book 2, Master of the World, whose mass-market paperback edition just came out in August, she finds herself in a world Shaped by someone inspired by Jules Verne, full of submarines and mysterious airships and weird weapons. Then, in Book 3, The Moonlit World, Shawna and Karl face…well, let’s just say my working title for The Moonlit World for a long time was “Werewolves and Vampires and Peasants, Oh My!” It’s that kind of world. Uncaged: You also have a 5 book series out called The Shards of Excalibur. Can you tell readers more about this series?

The Shards of Excalibur is a modern-day YA fantasy with Arthurian elements. Ariane Forsythe, a teenage girl from Regina, Saskatchewan (my hometown), discovers she’s heir to the power of the Lady of the Lake from the legends of King Arthur. The Lady tells Ariane that she and a boy she’s just met, Wally Knight, have to find the scattered shards of Arthur’s legendary sword Excalibur before the evil Merlin can. Merlin, in the modern world, has taken on the guise of a Bill Gates-like computer magnate called Rex Major. If he gets the shards of Excalibur before Ariane and Wally can retrieve them for the Lady of the Lake, he’ll reforge the sword and use its power to seize control of our world and use our worlds armed forces to invade the realm of Faerie, from which he has been exiled for centuries. Ariane and Wally’s quest takes them all over the world, although they always come back to Saskatchewan—I always like to put a little Saskatchewan in my work when I can! Fortunately, once Ariane accepts the Lady’s power, she’s able to travel magically through water, which enables her and Wally to go all over the world. Book 1, Song of the Sword, takes place largely in Saskatchewan, but ends up in the Northwest Territories; Book 2, Twist of the Blade, takes the kids to the south of France; Book 3, Lake in the Clouds, leads them to New Zealand; Book 4, Cave Beneath the Sea, puts them on a Caribbean island, and Book 5, Door Into Faerie, has a big section in Scotland before they return to Saskatchewan. The books were originally published by Coteau Books here in Saskatchewan. Song of the Sword was longlisted for the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, while Twist of the Blade and Door into Faerie were finalists for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel. Coteau Books is gone now, so the rights have reverted to me. I’ve just put out new ebook versions of The Shards of Excalibur through my own Shadowpaw Press, and new print editions will be coming before long. These were great fun to write—they’re some of my Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | favorites of all my many books. Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about? What inspires you to write in the fantasy genre? I’ve just signed a contract to write a new space opera for DAW Books called The Tangled Stars. It’s after the collapse of an interstellar wormhole network. Suddenly the network opens up again, and everybody’s trying to make a fortune from it…but when they get out there, they find out its scrambled, so you never know where you’re going to end up when you try to jump to another system. (Hence the title!) My main character operates on the shady side of the law, and one of the first things he has to do is assemble a team to steal a mothballed starship, so it

72 | UncagedBooks.com

starts off as a kind of heist novel…and things get even wilder after that. I’ve barely started, but I already know it’s going to be a blast to write. The other project that’s just about at fruition is Shapers of Worlds, an anthology of short stories by authors who were guests during the first year of my Aurora Award-winning podcast, The Worldshapers (www. theworldshapers.com). (Yes, the podcast started concurrently with the book series!) It features original stories from Tanya Huff, Seanan McGuire, David Weber, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., John C. Wright, D.J. Butler, Christopher Ruocchio, Shelley Adina, and me, and reprints from John Scalzi, David Brin, Julie Czerneda, Fonda Lee, Joe Haldeman, Dr. Charles E. Gannon, Derek Künsken, and Thoraiya Dyer. I Kickstarted it earlier this year (my first Kickstarter!), and it will come out in ebook format

September 22, with commercial print edition following in mid-November, from Shadowpaw Press. Why do I write science fiction and fantasy? Because within those genres, you can tell any story you can think of, without being limited in either time or space. I always wonder why anyone doesn’t write science fiction and fantasy! Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? Not much, really, except for not being able to go to writing events and have book signings. I was writerin-residence at the Saskatoon Public Library from September to May, which meant the last two and a half months I worked virtually, talking to writers by phone or Skype, instead of meeting them in my office, but that worked fine. I usually like to write in coffee shops or sometimes pubs, which I haven’t been doing, but I can type anywhere, so that’s only a small change. As a full-time writer, I’ve been working from home for a long time! Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why? William Shakespeare, although I probably would have a hard time with his accent. I’d love to know if he had any idea what kind of legacy he was leaving. Also, I’d like to know if he really made up all the words we attribute to him or if they were in general use, and he was just the first one to write them down. After that, it would probably be J.R.R. Tolkien. I think he’d be fascinating, and I wrote a children’s biography of him for an educational publisher. I’d love to know what he thought of it. The fact is, although I’m not having lunch with them, I have the good fortune to be able to chat with all kinds of wonderful authors all the time, because of my aforementioned podcast. I’ve talked to some of the most

| EDWARD WILLETT | distinguished authors in the genres and have had a great time doing it. Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? Yes, although it’s hard to remember details. I start with a synopsis, around ten single-spaced pages, maybe, where I sketch out what I think is going to happen in the story, but once I start writing, I seldom look at it again (unless something goes horribly wrong). Then, sometimes, when I look, I discover things that happened that I didn’t expect—but while I’m writing, I don’t have that reaction. Things happen because that’s the way the story evolves. So, I’m never surprised by a character’s action in the moment of writing—only when I compare it to what I originally thought would happen. Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working? Read. Watch TV. The usual things. My one more unusual activity is acting and singing. I’ve performed with various choirs (including the nationally auditioned Canadian Chamber Choir) and in numerous plays, musicals, and operas over the years, both just for fun and professionally (I’m a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity). My wife and I actually met doing community theatre! Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you? Ultimately, I define success as being read. I’d always like more readers, but I know I have some, and I know they enjoy my books. Writing is all about communicating, crafting a story and characters that resonate in the minds of readers. So, the more readers, the merrier. (The fact that more readers means more money is nice, too.) Awards and award nominations and good reviews in places like Publishers Weekly (I’ve had a couple of starred ones) are great, but ultimately, if no one is reading your books, what’s the point of writing them? Issue 50 | September 2020 |

â€œWhy do I write science fiction and fantasy? Because within those genres, you can tell any story you can think of, without being limited in either time or space.â€? Edward Willett

74 | UncagedBooks.com

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? These days, I default to ebooks because they don’t take up much space and they’re easier for me to read with my aging eyes. But I prefer physical books. I’ve never really gotten into audiobooks, although I’ve narrated some of mine and have had several of my books produced as audiobooks (including the first two books of Worldshapers and the aforementioned Shards of Excalibur series). Fiction-wise, I end up reading as much as I can of the books written by the authors I’m interviewing for The Worldshapers podcast. I also read out loud to my wife while she’s preparing supper (our kitchen isn’t conducive to two people cooking at once). We mix fiction and non-fiction for that. The most recent novel I read out loud was Storm Front, the first Harry Dresden book by Jim Butcher (I just finished the most recent one, Peace Talks, myself). The most recent non-fiction book I read out loud was Matt Ridley’s How Innovation Works: And Why it Flourishes in Freedom. Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? I’m grateful to anyone who reads my books. I hope they enjoy them. I write to entertain. I enjoy my own stories and my own characters—I hope readers do, too. You can find me on Twitter @ewillett, on Facebook @edward.willett, and on Instagram @edwardwillettauthor. My main website is edwardwillett.com. My podcast is at theworldshapers.com. I have an online store at edwardwillettshop.com. The Shards of Excalibur has its own website at theshardsofexcalibur. com. And my publishing company is shadowpawpress.com.

76 | UncagedBooks.com

Enjoy an excerpt from The Moonlit World The Moonlit World Edward Willett Epic Fantasy Releases Sept. 15 Fresh from their adventures in a world inspired by Jules Verne, Shawna Keys and Karl Yatsar find themselves in a world that mirrors much darker tales. Beneath a full moon that hangs motionless in the sky, they’re forced to flee terrifying creatures that can only be vampires… only to run straight into a pack of werewolves. As the lycanthropes and undead battle, Karl is spirited away to the castle of the vampire queen. Meanwhile, Shawna finds short-lived refuge in a fortified village, where she learns that something has gone horribly wrong with the world in which she finds herself. Once, werewolves, vampires, and humans lived there harmoniously. Now every group is set against every other, and entire villages are being mysteriously emptied of people. Somehow, Karl and Shawna must reunite, discover the mysteries of the Shaping of this strange world, and escape it for the next, without being sucked dry, devoured, or—worst of all—turned into creatures of the night themselves. Excerpt I closed my eyes and tried to make myself comfortable on the dirt floor. My bedroll provided little padding, and my backpack made a lumpy pillow, but the effects of a long day of hiking after a short night and an early start did the trick, and I dozed off... ...only to awaken, yet again, to Karl shaking me, which was another thing I was getting tired of. “Our

| EDWARD WILLETT | friends are back,” he whispered. “By the farmhouse.” I sat up abruptly. “What do we do?” I whispered back. “Flee. Out that hole in the back wall.” I scrambled up and bent toward my bedroll and pack, but he grabbed my arm. “No time!” I followed him, on hands and knees, through the aforementioned hole, glad now it had been there, despite my earlier worry about nocturnal bears. We scrambled up-slope in the dark. I didn’t look back until I had to take a break to catch my breath. Then, I saw in the moonlight, down at the abandoned farm, four naked people, three men (one dark-skinned) and a woman—if not the same as those who had pursued us the evening before, indistinguishable from them at this distance. Two went into the barn...where, I knew, my pack and bedroll remained, proof we weren’t far away. Hell, my blankets are probably still warm. Bloodwarm. Considering what I suspected those things were, that thought gave me the impetus I needed to catch up to Karl, who had never stopped climbing. I suddenly realized he wasn’t wearing his pack, either. In just two nights, we’d managed to lose all the supplies from the previous world I’d felt so smug about having…including the pistol. We weren’t literally naked like the things chasing us, but we certainly were metaphorically: naked and defenseless. We clawed our way up a near-vertical rock face, and at the top of it, paused and looked back. I could just make out the naked quartet, congregated behind the barn, clearly discussing matters. In a moment they’d be winging their way up to us… And then the howls we’d heard earlier repeated, but they were no longer distant. Instead, they came from directly below us, ululating, bone-chilling, and bloodthirsty, as four giant wolves with glowing red eyes, like the one I’d seen the first time I’d looked into this world, burst out of the trees and leaped at our pursuers. Karl grabbed my arm. “Run!” he shouted. Turning from the melee that had erupted below, we scrambled up the slope. Vampires and werewolves and Shapers, oh my, a corner of my brain insisted on chanting.

You’re not helping, I told it, and then concentrated on escaping with my life. Snarls and howls and bloodcurdling shrieks pursued us up the steep, rock-strewn slope, which I guess was better than being pursued by the things making the snarls and howls and bloodcurdling shrieks...although I was pretty sure they would be pursuing in short order. My breath came in short gasps as I struggled uphill in Karl’s wake. The trees were sparse and the flat black rocks—shale, I guess—shifted beneath us, sliding downhill with an almighty racket that ensured the creatures below knew we were above them. The sounds of battle dwindled to nothing. Silence reigned behind us. It wasn’t as comforting as you might think. At least there’s moonlight, I thought, glancing up. Here, there’s always moonlight. The stars around the moon looked normal, the constellations the ones I knew from my world, presumably the same as those in the First World...though from what Karl had said, these stars weren’t really stars at all, just a very-large-scale stage backdrop to give this pocket universe, this cosmological cul-de-sac, the illusion of infinity. My thoughts returned abruptly to Earth…this version of it, anyway…as a rather large boulder dislodged by Karl came bounding toward me. “My apologies,” he said over his shoulder. “No worries,” I said, with a soupçon…perhaps even a dash…of sarcasm. The rock leaped and crashed down the slope behind us for a good fifteen seconds. And then, suddenly, the slope eased. Ahead of me, Karl straightened, walked a few paces, and stopped. I scrambled up onto the level ground where he stood. Together, we looked at what lay beyond the ridge. “Wow,” I said at last. “Succinctly put.” We stood just a few feet from a sharp drop-off. Spread out before us was more of the valley—a lot more of the valley. It stretched as far as I could see, which was pretty far in the omnipresent moonIssue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR | light. Fields, forest, rivers, ponds, and hills tumbled away into the indistinct distance. Directly below us lay a lake, smooth as glass, reflecting the brightest stars and the moon back at us as though it were a mirror. Fields surrounded it and, unlike most of those we’d passed through, appeared cultivated. We could only see half of the lake from our vantage point—we’d have to get closer to the edge to see the rest. Karl reached for my hand, which surprised me; and I took it, which surprised me even more. “For safety,” he said. “I’m all for safety.” Together, we edged forward until we stood at the lip of a cliff that might not have been perfectly sheer but was within spitting distance of it: said spit would fall a long, gut-clenching distance before it hit anything. Directly below us, on the near shore of the lake, stood a village, a cluster of buildings surrounded by a wall of pale stone that shone in the moonlight. A few yellow lights burned here and there. Other than the castle, it was the first inhabited place we’d seen since entering this world, and considering what had come out of the castle, I thought it reasonable to worry about what might live in the village. But a howl sounded behind us, and was answered by one of those weird, blood-chilling screams. The werewolves and maybe-vampires were still abroad, and they had to know we’d climbed the ridge. The village had a wall around it. Behind a wall sounded exactly like where I wanted to be. So... “There is a path,” Karl said. I glanced at him. He wasn’t looking at the village, and following his gaze, I saw what he had seen: two wooden posts, with a gap between them and, sure enough, what looked like the beginning of a trail. He released my hand and walked carefully over to the posts. I followed. He held on to one post, and I held on to the other, and together, we peered over the edge. The path descended a couple of hundred feet, switched back, descended another hundred or so, 78 | UncagedBooks.com

and continued in that fashion on down the rock face. Trees rose between the switchbacks. It looked steep, but not too terrifying... Another howl. At least, no more terrifying than whatever was coming up the slope behind us. “I think we should take our chances with the village below,” Karl said. “Do you agree?” “Fervently.” We started down. You might think, if you have never been pursued through the mountains by monsters, that going down a hill is easier than going up one. You would be almost right. It’s less wear and tear on the heart and lungs and more wear and tear on the legs, which start to ache in short order, and keep on aching. It turns out holding your body back to keep from tumbling headlong is hard work. But that’s what we had to do, because the slope of the path we followed definitely did not adhere to building-code requirements for a wheelchair ramp. After ten minutes, I would have welcomed a mountainside to climb. After fifteen, I would have welcomed a sharp blow to the head to put me out of my misery. But the path went on and on...and on. Every once in a while a howl or a shriek rent the air, but far enough in the distance they were only mildly alarming, as opposed to breathtakingly terrifying. Not long after we began the descent, I realized it wasn’t as dark as it had been, that the sky had begun to lighten and the stars to dim. On the one hand, that was a relief, because as day began, based on the previous night’s experience, the maybe-vampires would disappear. If the howling things were werewolves, presumably they’d run off as well. Of course, if they weren’t werewolves, but just regular (if somewhat oversized and glowing-eyed) wolves, they might actually prefer the light, in which case, we were about to be exposed to everyone...or everything...in the valley. Including whomever was in the walled village. Smoke now rose from buildings inside the walls, one of which had the unmistakable cruciform shape...not to mention tall bell-tower...of a church. Which was interesting. Did this world have Christian churches?

| EDWARD WILLETT | I hope so, I thought. In the last world, Robur, the Shaper, had set up a religion that worshiped the Shaper...which was all kinds of ick, for my taste. However, Robur as not only merely dead but really most sincerely dead, so it wasn’t like pretending to be a god had translated into actual godhood. In my world, I’d copied over all the religions of the First World. I myself had grown up going to Sunday School. If this world had some version of Christianity, I’d feel right at home. Also, a village with a church seemed unlikely to be friendly to either undead bloodsuckers or flesh-eating lycanthropes, so there was that. We paused to rest our aching...or at least, my aching...legs. I looked back the way I’d come. Nothing. I looked down at the village. “They’re stirring down there,” I said. Traditionally, people seen from a height are said to look like ants, but we weren’t quite that high, so I thought they looked more like cockroaches as they moved the streets and the village square. There was no sign they had seen us. Karl looked up at the brightening sky. “Between the devil and the deep blue sea,” he said, almost to himself. “Rock and a hard place,” I put in. “Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Torn between two lovers...” Karl gave me a look I was becoming accustomed to, equal parts annoyance and...well, annoyance. A touch of amusement would have been a nice change, but I suppose the last of my examples, though it pre-dated my birth, had post-dated him by decades. “Since we’re pretty sure the things chasing us are on the side of the devil,” I hurried on, “I suggest we opt for the deep blue sea. Or at least the smooth black lake.” I pointed down. A bloodcurdling shriek came from behind us...and above us. I twisted my head around. Two of the winged things burst into sight, black cutouts of giant bats against the pale sky. “Run!” Karl shouted, leaping to his feet. Below us, I heard faint shouts: the cockroaches... villagers...had obviously spotted the vampires, too, if that’s what they were. Karl and I charged down the trail, or charged as fast as we could without tumbling head over heels and either breaking our necks

or plunging to our deaths...which, unfortunately, wasn’t very fast at all. Certainly not fast enough. Another shriek, almost on top of us. Karl glanced up. His eyes widened. Then he twisted, grabbed me...and pushed me off the ledge. For a horrifying instant I thought he had murdered me. I screamed as I plunged to... ...a relatively soft landing on my back in the thick, leafy branches of a tree that thrust out from the slope, maybe eight feet below. Staring up wide-eyed, heart pounding, I saw the flying things swoop down on Karl, grab his arms...they had arms themselves, as well as wings, and legs, too, and didn’t that make them six-limbed?...and pull him into the sky. I saw his pale face staring down at me as, without a word, he dwindled away and vanished along with his captors over the top of the cliff, in the direction of the castle.

DON’T MISS THESE TITLES:

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

m arc wats o n

ello, I’m Marc Watson, and I write stuff. I’m an author of genre fiction (primarily Fantasy and Science Fiction of all lengths). I began writing at the age of 15 with a pen and paper, and I’ve never really stopped, even though until recently it was more of a background to me than my defining trait. I have been published on flash fiction site www.101words.org, as well as comedy site www.thecorrectness.com. I’ve been a student of the excellent writing classes at Athabasca University for a number of years. I live in Calgary, Alberta, and was spawned out of the depths of Southern Ontario. I’m a husband, proud father of two, and can be sometimes found at an actual job. I’m an avid outdoorsman, martial artist of some high repute, baseball player of very little repute, and lover of all Mexican foods. One day ‘World Famous Poutine Aficionado’ will be on my business cards. For public appearances and interviews, I am proudly represented by Creative Edge Publicity.

Stay Connected

marcwatson.ca

80 | UncagedBooks.com

Uncaged welcomes Marc Watson Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! You will be releasing your newest book, Between Conversations, in September, which is a book of short stories. Can you tell readers more about the book? I would love to! ‘Between Conversations’ is nine short stories that take place in the Ryuujin World, the science-fantasy setting of my already-released ‘Catching Hell’ duology (which is in no way required reading to enjoy this collection). The stories are chronological, taking place from around 1600ad, to thousands of years in the future. They are each unique, following characters and places that help fill in the gaps in the fictional timeline. They range from historical fantasy, to YA, to horror, and ever to something I call Tarentino-esque. Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about? I’d really like to finish the paranormal thriller I’ve been working on for forever, but could never seem to finish. I think I lost the rhythm for it but I seem to be getting it back. It’s my first attempt to write something that my wife could enoy, since most of my work isn’t her cup of tea. I’ll also be re-releasing my duology after its previous publisher went out of business. Thankfully the publisher of my first book ‘Death Dresses Poorly’, swept in and picked it up. We’ll give it a fresh coat of paint and send it back into the world in early 2021. Issue 50 | September 2020 |

Uncaged: How has the coronavirus pandemic changed your lifestyle? I sheepishly admit that very little has changed for me. My work was deemed essential so I never left my office, and my wife already worked from home so she just kept on keeping on. Our kids had to leave school of course, and that was a challenge (mostly for my amazing wife), and all extracurricular things were also canceled, but they’ve mostly returned to normal now. I know most people haven’t escaped unscathed and I’m thankful for the fact that our family has dodged most of those bullets. Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why? My first pick would always be Southern Ontario YA author Gordon Korman, who to this day remains my inspiration for everything I do in the writing world, and instead of picking his brain I’d just spend the whole meal saying thank you and being annoying. For a second choice, I don’t know… maybe F. Scott Fitzgerald? That way I can order something spicy and throw it at him over and over for forcing ‘The Great Gatsby’ on all of us in high school. God I hate that book. Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began? For sure, and that thing was to stop existing. 82 | UncagedBooks.com

I originally had three protagonists in Catching Hell, however after finishing it and re-reading it over and over again, I realized that one of them gave nothing to the story, so I deleted them completely. I always thought it would be good with three, and cutting a whole main character wasn’t easy, but it needed to be done and I think the story became a lot more engaging and tighter because of it. Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working? I’m a busy guy, so I’m usually working in my

| MARC WATSON |

goal was to earn enough money to take my family out to dinner and thank them for putting up with me. When I got my fist check for Death Dresses Poorly, we went out for a great Mexican meal, including drinks and dessert. I’m already successful because I fed my family with my brain-words. Everything after that is icing on the cake. Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now? eBooks and physical are equal for me. I never sit anywhere long enough to get into an audiobook, so I don’t have time for those.

garden, camping, coaching sports, running my kids to who knows where, or playing video games. I also really enjoy cooking for my family and finding new and interesting things to eat and make. It’s either that, or baseball. Watching. Thinking. Dreaming. Whatever it is, if it’s baseball related I’m probably involved. Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you? A simple question, because I already achieved it. Years ago when I decided I wanted to be an actual writer, and not just in name only, my

Right now I’m getting into Terry Brooks ‘The Fall of Shannara’ series, since the finale is coming this fall. I’ve made it this far, so I may as well finish those things off. I’m amazed at his ability to tell the same story over and over again, while also keep it engaging. And I mean that as a compliment! Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you? I am always thankful for anyone who has taken the time to allow my words into your brain, however that may have happened. It’s humbling and exciting to know that there are people out there who don’t owe me a favor that have done that and I will forever be in your debt because of it.

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR |

“I am always thankful for anyone who has taken the time to allow my words into your brain, however that may have happened.” Marc Watson

84 | UncagedBooks.com

Enjoy an excerpt from Between Conversations Between Conversations Marc Watson SciFi/Fantasy Shorts Releases Sept. 25 In the world of Ryuujin, heroes rise and fall, but there are always stories that slip through the cracks. The tales of the people who shape the years to come. Heroism and betrayal. Conversations between friends and enemies that will change the course of the world. These are nine stories from a world that is historic, modern, and terrifyingly futuristic. A world where science and magic intertwine, and give birth to the unknown souls who become heroes, and the legends who fade away into history. From the author of the renowned dark comedy Death Dresses Poorly, and from the world of his hit science-fantasy duology Catching Hell comes a collection of adventure, drama, joy, and terror as we look into the lives of the powerful, the meek, and the people who make the world turn over the course of centuries. Excerpt A Conversation: Alive Again Avalon 1600

| MARC WATSON |

The sun had not emerged from behind the clouds in any of the days he had been alive. There was just mist, wind, and the biting chill of the damp air. For a being made of fire, it was perfect. His skin was hot and his long, red hair steamed in the chilly weather. At first glance his slender build was not well suited to standing naked in the rain on an island off the windswept Scottish Highlands, but he knew he was safe here. There was nothing in the world for him to fear. There was only impatience, as he knew that he was waiting, but had no idea what he was waiting for or how long it would take. His strong young body rested comfortably on the large rocking stone he had awoken on top of three days prior. Beside him, leaning much like he did against the large stone, was an almost impossibly large sword. Broad and straight, with runic symbols adorning each side. Despite its size, when he had found it once he had taken this form when he appeared out of the ether and attempted to pick it up, it moved through the air effortlessly in his hand, and when he looked at it in profile he could hear the powerful words that it spoke into his mind. He knew that it was formidable, and he knew that it was his. Nearby another cairn stood, smooth and polished, as if it had been carved only moments before. Atop it sat a similar weapon. Smaller, but just as indomitable, with a story that whispered even greater feats and history than his own. The same weapon, but separate. Cut from the same cloth. Issue 50 | September 2020 |

| FEATURE AUTHOR |

As he gazed out over the turbulent sea he was suddenly accosted with a feeling of invasion and violation. Someone had entered his home, and they were not a minor soul. They were a powerful entity. Through the mist of the late morning stepped the shadow of a man. A specter in the constant haze. He walked bolt-upright and exuded confidence with every stride, with a satchel swaying at one side as he moved, and a sheathed saber adorning the other. It was the gait of a person who was as prepared as he was disciplined. He raised his hand in greeting. “Ho there, friend and son of God. We are well met this day.” His words were a mix of Old Gaelic and a heavily accented Middle English, and were tinged with an age and wisdom his middle-age appearance didn’t match. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long in this foul weather?”

86 | UncagedBooks.com

fang-FREAKIN-tastic reviews

feature author

Angie Martin

A ngie Martin Enjoy an excerpt from: The Chronicler and Mr. Smith The Chronicler and Mr. Smith Angie Martin Vampire Thriller

ulti-award-winning, best-selling author Angie Martin relies on her Kansas upbringing to add a certain Midwest, small-town creepiness to her work. She has released several novels and short stories in suspense/thriller and horror genres, some with a unique paranormal or supernatural edge. She currently resides in the Tennessee, where she is working hard and losing sleep over her latest novel.

Stay Co n n e c te d

angiemartinbooks.com 88 | UncagedBooks.com

survival.

When the mysterious Mr. Smith enters romance author Madison Shaw’s life, she is thrust into danger she thought only belonged in books. Though they clash at first sight, she places her fate in his hands when unknown forces threaten her

Paranormal events push Madison to leave behind a world where monsters don’t exist – not even in fiction. With Mr. Smith as her guide, she discovers the truth about her destiny and the things that go bump in the night. Can she survive her new reality, or will she fall prey to the creatures lurking in the shadows? Excerpt Chapter Four The new hotel Liz found for us was more to my liking than the modern work of art we stayed in the night before. Bricks comprised the historic building that housed the Westchester Hotel. Far less ostentatious décor – clean, sleek, minimal – filled the lobby. I preferred simplicity to luxurious surroundings, even though the cost of our stay remained the same. We stopped for dinner on the way to the new hotel, giving the concierge of the old one plenty of time to have our luggage delivered. I tipped him twice as much for the helpful and fast service and retired to my

| ANGIE MARTIN | room. Our last-minute reservation forced Liz to stay in the only other available room on the second floor. She opted for that room versus my suite on the top floor. Something about the chi of that room being more favorable for her. I didn’t argue. In my room, I unpacked my suitcase and readied myself for bed. I desperately wanted a bath to relax after my exasperating day, but with a deadline from my publisher looming, I opted instead to work on my next book. I long-ago learned that a book tour was the best time to squeeze in some precious writing time. As soon as I reached for my laptop, my cell phone rang. The ringtone belonged to my parents, and I cringed inside. With everything that happened during the interview with Mr. Smith, I had forgotten to call them. With my fingers crossed that Mom wouldn’t ream me too much, I answered the phone. “Madison,” she said. “I was starting to worry that something happened to you. You were supposed to call me right after your event ended.” “I’m fine, Mom. I just got caught up in my schedule today.” “You can’t do that to us, you know. That city is such a dangerous place to be. I just hate it when you go there. We don’t know if something’s happened to you, or…” We went through the same routine every time I stayed in New York. No other city I visited concerned her as much. Even Los Angeles was a breeze compared to the perils of the Big Apple. “Honey!” my mom said on her end of the phone. “Madison’s on the phone!” I plopped down into the living area recliner and sighed. Depending on the day, it could take anywhere up to five minutes to get my dad on the phone. “Did you hear me, Roger?” my mom called out. Then, into the phone, she said, “Holly’s getting bigger, you know. From the way she’s carrying low, I just know it’s a boy.” Holly had married my older brother, Miller, six years earlier. She was a doll of a girl, petite, barely over five feet tall, and six months pregnant with their third child. “Are you going to be back from your trip by the time the baby comes?” my mom asked. I wanted to tell her for the umpteenth time that I wasn’t on a trip; it was a book tour – my job. Instead, I said, “I wouldn’t miss it.” I rose from the chair, wandered into the kitchenette, and pulled out a paring knife from the drawer. When we had arrived at the hotel, I had snatched a couple lemons from the bartender downstairs for my water. Cutting them up would provide a nice distraction from

my mom’s rants and lectures. “Well, I hope you’re right.” Her tone of voice vocalized her doubts, justifiably so due to my many flakes on plans to visit home. “Sometimes your trips last so long—” A click on the phone indicated my dad had picked up the other line. “Magpie! How is your tour going?” “It’s good, Dad,” I said, setting my phone down on the counter and pushing the speaker button. The knife sliced through a lemon. “We leave New York in two days and start heading down the coast.” “I saw you on that morning show yesterday,” he said. “You did good. Really handled those questions well.” I smiled at my always supportive dad. “Thanks.” “I thought she looked tired.” My mom never resisted chiming in with her opinion. “I was just telling her about Holly and the baby. Madison, when are you going to settle down? Maybe it’s all these trips you take. You’re never going to find a good man who will put up with all that traveling.” I rolled my eyes and worked away on the lemon, cutting it into smaller pieces than needed. “It shouldn’t be hard to find a husband,” she continued. “You’ve got perfect birthing hips, and men look for things like that. You only need three things in life: birthing hips, good breasts, and strong shoulders. But, you have two out of three, so you should be fine.” The paring knife cut into my index finger. I yanked my finger up and stuck it in my mouth, stifling a yelp. The metallic tang of blood coated my tongue as I surveyed the red all over my perfectly good lemon and contemplated my mom’s assessment of her only daughter. Larger hips and smaller breasts. My apparent legacy, according to Mom. At least she thought I had adequate shoulders. “LeAnn,” my dad said, addressing my mom. “I think the cookies are burning.” “Oh, my!” she said. “Love you, Madison. Call me tomorrow.” She hung up her receiver before I could respond. “Thank you for saving me yet again,” I said to Dad. He chuckled, and I could envision him shaking his head. “Your mom means well, Magpie.” “I know, but it doesn’t make her any less overbearing.” “She just wants you to be happy. Of course, her idea of ‘happy’ is much different than ours.” Dad knew me too well. We were always close, while Issue 50 | September 2020 |

Mom and Miller were joined at the hip. Miller was always the one to please her, too. The perfect son: a medic in the Army, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon as a civilian, married to a beautiful woman who used her tiny birthing hips the right way. Mom still wasn’t sure if being a romance author was a real career. Not that I didn’t love my mom – and Miller and I were as close as siblings could be, so I wasn’t jealous of his standing with her. I just wished she was a bit less demanding of my “womanly duties,” as she called it. I wrapped a strip of paper towel around the stillgushing wound on my index finger. “I’ll settle down eventually,” I said, “but I’m only twentyeight. My career is more important to me right now. In a few years, I’ll be established enough that I can be pickier with how many book tours I go on.” “You have eight books out already,” Dad said. “I think you’re pretty well established. And, your fans love you. Don’t be so hard on yourself, but you also have to balance your life. Now, I’m not saying rush out and find someone to marry, but if you need a little time off for yourself, take it.” He was right. He always was. The past six years had taken its toll on me, jetting around the country – and sometimes out of it – to meet with readers, partake in interviews, and trying to keep myself relevant as an author. I needed to sit still long enough to find me, as cliché as it sounded. “I’m not saying this to guilt you into anything,” he said, “but we haven’t seen you in over a year. I know you were sick with that flu bug over Christmas, and that’s not your fault, but we miss you. We never know what might happen tomorrow, and, well, it would be wonderful to see you more often.” Though he said he wasn’t trying to guilt me, regret for not seeing them more filled my soul. “Maybe after this tour is done, I’ll come out there for a few weeks.” “That’d be nice to have you home for a bit.” There were a thousand things I wanted to say in that moment, each one of them on the tip of my tongue, but the only thing that came out was, “I love you, Dad.” “I love you, too, Magpie. Give us a call tomorrow.” I disconnected the call, but lingered for a moment in the kitchenette, still holding the phone. I hadn’t realized a year had passed since I’d last visited my 90 | UncagedBooks.com

family. Life had taken hold of me and made me think there were far more important things than my loved ones. Standing there, I made a promise to myself to rectify that and to never go more than a few months without visiting home, no matter where my career took me. My cut finger throbbed under the paper towel bandage, so I removed it to assess the damage. The wound had stopped bleeding. I tossed the bloody towel in the trash along with the tainted lemon and wandered back to the bedroom to do some writing. The itching at the back of my head nagged at me once more, followed by a new sensation: burning. Though slight at first, it soon bored deep inside, as if a laser sliced through my skull. I stopped next to my bed and dropped my hand away from my burning skin. Mr. Smith had said it would burn, and that I should call him when it started. I grabbed my purse off the dresser and rifled through it until I found his unusual business card. As I picked up my cell phone off the bed to call him, I realized the ridiculousness of it all. There was no possible way he could have known it would burn. He saw me itching at the book signing and again at the café, and he used that to get to me. I probably experienced the burning as a psychosomatic response to his suggestion. My subconscious always worked overtime, my overactive writer imagination filling in blanks where it could. I didn’t know what his angle was. Why would he be deceitful and pseudo-threatening? No matter his intentions, I didn’t want to indulge his potentially dangerous delusions. I threw his card in the trash can next to the bedside table and climbed into bed, where I could dive into my imaginary world and leave Mr. Smith far behind, despite my burning scalp.

DON’T MISS THESE TITLES:

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

R E V I E W S

R E V I E W S 94

uNCAGED BOOKS uNCAGEDBOOKS.COM

100

FANG FREAKIN TASTIC fangfreakintasticreviews.com

104

AMYâ€™S BOOKSHELF

writeramyshannon.wixsite.com/bookshelfreviewS

Uncaged Reviews Hollywood Heartbreaker Alexa Aston Romantic Comedy

Being late to an interview lands her the biggest job opportunity of her life. He may be rich and successful-but he’s just this side of miserable. Can a wannabe be The One for the biggest star in Hollywood? Cassie Carroll came to Hollywood with big dreams that never materialized. Acting isn’t even on the back burner anymore--it’s completely off the stove. Working for a third-rate agent, Cassie hopes to land a new job that will give her credibility, as well as help pay the rent. Late to her interview, she swerves to avoid hitting a dog--and totals the car of Hollywood’s leading action superstar. Surprisingly, she walks away from their encounter with a job--as the sexiest man alive’s personal assistant.

Uncaged Review: I love a good romantic comedy, it’s the one contemporary sub-genre that I can really get into. I read this book in one day. It was impossible to put down. I knew this author as a historical romance author, but she really hit it out of the part with this Cinderella story. I laughed, cried and cheered the main characters on throughout this story and I’m glad I read this during the day as this would have kept me up way too late. She gives us Hollywood stars that are down to Earth and likeable. There is some action, some grief, some maddening moments, some laughter and romance. It’s a great formula and the author makes you feel a part of the story. This is the first book I’ve read from this author, but I’m definitely on board with the author and this series. Great read. Reviewed by Cyrene

94 | UncagedBooks.com

Lost and Found Maggie Clare Romantic Suspense

Dr. Lissa Morgan has had a crush on her best friend’s older brother since they were kids, but handsome, brooding Cam Taylor has never given her a second glance. When Cam unexpectedly shows up on Lissa’s doorstep bleeding and bruised, his personal life in shambles, things between them take a steamy turn.

Uncaged Review: This is the third book in a series, and I hadn’t read the first two, but I really didn’t need to. These work well as a standalone, although I did notice characters that were featured in the first two books that make an appearance here, and I will definitely go back and pick up the other two. I’m not a huge suspense reader, but this book hit all the sweet spots. Lissa lost her parents at a young age and was taken in by Dani and Cam’s family. Cam was older, and already off to college when Lissa moved in, and although they knew each other, they didn’t hang out together much, but Dani was Lissa’s sister in every way except blood. When this book throws the two of them back together, Cam will see Lissa as an accomplished adult, a doctor in an ER that works brutal hours. This book is packed with action, danger, violence, suspense with a few twists I didn’t see coming, romance and love and loyalty from Cam’s amazing team. Romantic suspense lovers will enjoy this one. Reviewed by Cyrene

Death at Peony House Krista Walsh Paranormal Suspense

Sexy Scot Mecca & Johnstone Time Travel/Historical

For 150 years… …the case remains unsolved.

A modern man, a medieval woman. Fate brought them together, but will history tear them apart?

Will Daphne’s special powers help solve it? Daphne loves being a journalist. Digging up the next big story drives her. Sometimes, the leads take her down a different path. When she finds the body at Peony House, the city’s abandoned hospital, she is onto more than just a big headline. Writing isn’t her only talent.

When his older brother disappears before his eyes, Greyson McCaim is determined to find him—even if he has to travel back in time. Because it turns out their “crazy” father was right: their mother didn’t leave them willingly.

Uncaged Review: This is the first in a series and in the wide arc, it’s about 6 people of different magical abilities, that pooled together and escaped a magical sealed room alive. This first book starts us out with sorceress Daphne, and we learn of her descent into a dark world, and clawing her way out to change her life to the better. As a journalist, she discovers a murder of a young man, a runaway that lives on the streets trying to find a place to rest in the old Peony House, a house that was a hospital and is now abandoned – or so people think. When Daphne realizes the place is swarming with ghosts in anguish, she tries to find a way to help them – without managing to go into the dark side again and to try not to get in the way of the police, especially Hunter Avery, her former flame.

Uncaged Review: We start out in modern times, with 3 brothers trying to find out if their older brother Rhys, and their mother actually time traveled to ancient Scotland. As they try to figure out the chant and the wording, Greyson suddenly chants it exactly as his brother Rhys did and poof – he’s gone. Which leaves the other 2 brothers scampering to find out what happened. Then our story stays in Scotland.

This book has just about everything I like in a book. The suspense, the twists and turns, the action, and even a smidgeon of romance, this book hits all the marks for me. The odd cast of characters are spot on and well developed and the originality is on cue. This book borders on paranormal, occult and horror – but not severely in any direction – and it’s a great page turner. Reviewed by Cyrene

I won’t give any clues, but the characters are well developed and it’s funny to hear Grey try to talk in an old brogue way, and fail miserably. What I really like about this, is that the writing team is so cohesive, I have no idea where one ended and the other begins. There is drama, some action, romance and a nicely developed plot and world. I’m planning on going back and reading the first book to learn the story of Rhys. Reviewed by Cyrene

This is a fun time travel book, and I didn’t read the first one in the series, but this stands well on its own and catches you up easily. Fate would have it that he would land right in the path of his Uncle Ross. And when his uncle agrees to help him find his brother and his mother who disappeared 5 years ago, they happen upon a group attacked by reivers – or ancient time bandits. And Grey meets Marian…

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

Uncaged Reviews Magnolia Mystic Lisa Kessler Fantasy Skye Olson is a psychic like her mother, and her grandmother before her, but a bad break up with the man she thought was her soulmate has left her confidence in her abilities shaken. While she’s in crisis, a real estate tycoon from Atlanta swoops in with his eyes on her shop. Uncaged Review: This novella is such a fun book. I have a soft spot for anything with pirates, and this one takes it on a little different than most, and it was a nice read. I don’t know why this is sitting in the sub-genre of Occult/ Horror – it’s a big misrepresentation of the book, and may be deterring readers. But this is a good introduction and starter to a series. Colton is part of the immortal crew of pirates that drank from the Holy Grail cup. Now faced with immortality until recently when an old tale from a witch came true and Colton met Skye, the lady with the violet eyes. Now it seems the immortality is wearing off and someone has stolen the cup. The characters are well thought out, even in this shorter book. This book focuses on Colton and Skye as the beginning, and I’m sure we will learn more about the rest of the group as this series progresses, although each book is marketed as a standalone. I’m ready to run up the rat lines myself. Reviewed by Cyrene

96 | UncagedBooks.com

Undercover Magic Linsey Hall Urban Fantasy I’ve got two choices. Join the Undercover Protectorate. Or die. In a world of controlled magic, I’m an Unknown. Deadly power, little control. I’m only alive because I pay a Blood Sorcerer to keep me hidden. But when he comes to collect on the debt I can’t pay, one of his goons slams me with a deadly curse. Suddenly, I’m out of options and out of time. Uncaged Review: This author is a prolific author, and follows a formula for most of her books, and it works. Again, we are seeing a spin-off series from The Dragon’s Gift World and Magic Bend is back here also, although it’s not the primary focus here. This series follows two sisters, Bree and Ana whose magic is considered “Unknown,” but I have an inkling what it may be – I’ll see if I’m right as we go. Bree’s love interest here is Cade, a very powerful earth walking god. The slices of mythology is woven into this book and the character development is off to a good beginning. As with most of this author’s works, each book you will peel back layers of the characters and learn more and more. I saw the growth in the sisters as the book went on and am looking forward to more. This book is full of action, strong characters with a bit of sass and some fun magic that kept me up reading a bit too late. Reviewed by Cyrene

Second Chance Marquess Jessica Jefferson Historical Regency

When Wilhelmina Turner’s younger sister runs off with a young Lothario, she has no choice but to turn to the notorious rake who broke his promise and her heart, for assistance. George Bartlett, the Marquess of Chesterton, hasn’t forgotten the woman who hurt him so many years ago, but can’t deny her request, knowing that his brother’s reputation and fortune is at risk. A series of misfortunes leave the straight-laced widow and committed bachelor stranded, sharing both close quarters and old secrets. But when morning comes, will this unlikely pair find a second chance at love?

Uncaged Review: This is a nice second chance at love story that was nicely entertaining. Research could have been better – for instance, when they are going to have to ride one of the horses back to an inn after a carriage accident, Willie remarks on how large the horse is – thinking it had to be at least 14 hands – a very LARGE beast. Well, 14 hands is a pony. Horse’s height begin at 14.2 and would definitely not warrant 2 people riding it back to an inn. But I let that go. I did like the characters, when they go after their siblings who are running off together, Willie and George both are doing the same thing that happened to them years ago, so I would have thought they would have recognized the same controlling nature in themselves, but it took a long time for them to awaken to that issue.

The Summoning Linda Nightingale Fantasy Romance

Heather Morique is a witch-problem is she doesn’t know it. Her husband Jahill was a refugee from an obscure branch of the Arawak Indians. After his death, mysterious whispers lure her to his home in Jamaica. Soon, she finds herself in a web of secrets, lies and illusions. Jahill’s people worship Eyrael, the God of Wind and Sea, and his brother Sofiel, the God of Fire and Earth. The new Shaman has pitted brother against brother, and these two powerful spirits are at war to become the tribe’s ruling deity.

Uncaged Review: Heather is distraught from losing her son and her husband in an accident. Also having learned that her husband was not the man she thought he was – she goes to the ocean, trying to find a way to end the whispers in her mind and the constant pain of grief. In her agony, she summons a god, Eyrael – who then saves her from drowning. The scenes in this book are epic, the author takes you right to Jamaica, and the characters are well developed. This is a shorter book, about novella length, and the author does a great job in the space. There is so much more to this story and I can’t give it away, but if you like books with witches, gods, demons and shifters with a soul mate destined romance, then you will enjoy this book. Reviewed by Cyrene

All in all, it’s a nice regency with a touch of humor, but it seemed like it wrapped up pretty rushed at the end, but all in all, it was a fun interlude. Reviewed by Cyrene

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

Uncaged Reviews Caught in the Glow Eva Chase Paranormal Romance She’ll risk her heart to save his soul... When she was a child, Avery Harmen watched her father die at the hands of a Glower— a breed of demon that feeds on dreams of fame and glory. Now she secretly protects the rising stars of Los Angeles from the demons that prey on them, determined to make sure her clients never suffer the same fate. Uncaged Review: Rocker romance. Check. Kick butt heroine. Check. A touch of Paranormal. Check. All the makings of an interesting contemporary romance with a kick. This one sets up a bit different, the paranormal part is actually more of a minor player in this book, and it consists of demons who prey on creative people’s dreams and talents, feeding on their energies, and getting the person addicted to them until the demon finally drains the person dry leaving them dead. Avery saw it happen to her famous father, and has joined the Society to keep people safe. When she gets rocker Colin Ryder as a client, it will be hard to keep herself to business as usual. This book had a couple good twists, a hot romance, and a different spin on the paranormal. I would have liked to seen a bit more tension or conflict to build up to the romance, but it’s a decent read that kept me entertained. I enjoyed both characters, and was happy to see that Avery was not a pushover and a talent in her own right. The ending was OK, but I would have rather seen it more set in stone, it was more of a happy for now instead of a happily ever after. Reviewed by Cyrene

98 | UncagedBooks.com

Scandalous Duke Scarlett Scott Historical Victorian Felix Markham, Duke of Winchelsea, has devoted his life to being the perfect statesman and raising his daughter after his beloved wife’s death. But when devastating bombings on the railway leave London in an uproar, he is determined to bring the mastermind of the attacks to justice. He will lure the fox from his den by any means. Uncaged Review: The fifth book of this series brings us Felix and Johanna’s story. This author is in my group of top authors to read, and this book keeps her solidly in that group. Intrigue, suspense, danger, laughter and love are mainstays of this author’s works, and this story has it all. Felix’s work for the Home Office of Security – has him tracking a criminal that has been leaving ruin in his path with bombings. Thinking that the famed actress, Rose Beaumont is the criminal’s mistress, he targets her to use as bait. But there are a lot of secrets he doesn’t know, and he doesn’t count on his heart getting involved. This is an intriguing historical romance with the right recipe for success. It does have some very hot sex scenes, which you may need to turn that fan on full blast during. Watching these two navigate their feelings for each other and the danger that is present, keeps this book as a great page turner. Looking forward to the next one. Reviewed by Cyrene

The Vampire with a Blanket of Stars Susan Hanniford Crowley Paranormal Romance

Night fell with the snow. Vampire Prince Răzvan stood at a crossroads in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. On that cold wintry night in 1938, something unseen spoke to his heart, and he led his companions into the forest. A flash of silver in the dark! A whisper to his heart so soft it ached! Then he saw the gypsy encampment in the deep woods and knew they would take refuge there for the rest of the night.

Uncaged Review: I fell in love with this series back for the first book, Vampire King of New York came out a few years ago. This book takes us all the way from before the World War 2, and brings us up to the present. Razvan, is the son of Vampire King, Max – and finds his true lifemate in a gypsy camp in Romania. When Saraina’s father refuses Razvan because he is strigoi, he moves the camp away. When the war begins, Razvan starts getting as many people into his underground castle in the mountains to keep them safe from the German invasion. During this time, he loses all contact with Saraina. He keeps trying to meld with her in dreams, with his blanket of stars that was given to him and made by her hand. I’m not going to give anything away, but the cast of characters have returned from the previous two books, and there is plenty of action, romance and danger. It was easy for me to fall back into this world and the author does a nice job bringing her characters to life. My only suggestion is the book could have used a bit more polishing, but the storyline is original and the characters are easy to like. Reviewed by Cyrene

Marin’s Promise Madeline Martin

Medieval Historical A LADY WHO WILL DEFEND HER FAMILY AND HER CASTLE... Lady Marin Barrington, eldest of the Earl of Werrick’s five daughters, is a born protector. Not only has she taken on the role of mistress of the castle and caregiver to her sisters upon their mother’s death, she also acts in her father’s stead while he is serving the king abroad. Dedicated and resolute, failure is never an option for her. So, when a reiver forces his way into the castle, Marin won’t surrender easily and takes it upon herself to kill the usurper. Except plans go awry when passions are awoken and matters get complicated.

Uncaged Review: This first book in a series comes in very strong, with strong characters and an intricate storyline. Lady Marin as the oldest of five daughters has the authority of the castle as her father, The Earl of Werrick is away. When reivers force their way into the castle to take it over, Marin decides to do what she must to protect her sisters and her people. But Bran is no ordinary reiver, and the solid storyline will surprise the reader and Lady Marin. Great action, well flushed out characters and a strong story gives this new series a great lift off. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but will definitely not be the last. Reviewed by Cyrene

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

Fang-Freakin-Tastic Reviews Cabin Fever Anthology/Various Horror People aren’t meant to be alone and when we are, we can go a bit stir crazy. The silence of your own mind can be worse than anything you can imagine. With stories from some of your favs to some debut authors, these twenty-two stories will definitely make you think, hide, or wish you you weren’t alone. Have fun surviving Cabin Fever

Fang-Freakin-Tastic Review: Once again, we have another great Thrill of the Hunt Anthology. This is one anthology I love and can rely on to be full of great stories that I can’t put down. Cabin Fever offers a variety of stories by very different authors who all touch on something different in the Horror realm involving cabins and cabin fever. In our pandemic world, many of these stories are a bit easier to relate to than they may have been previously. There are a few stories I didn’t love as much as others, but I enjoyed the majority of them. The very first story was great and left me wanting to know more, and I’m really hoping the author of that particular story uses that story as a jumping point. One of the things I love about this book is there were quite a few new to me authors that I have now discovered and can look into further after enjoying their stories. If you are looking for something good to read that will keep you guessing, The Thrill of the Hunt

100 | UncagedBooks.com

Anthology: Cabin Fever may be just what you need.

Whack a Zombie Bonnie Gill Dystopian/Horror One pandemic, two hitwomen, and a buttload of zombies. When sisters Mary Moretti and Gina De Luca hit the road to rescue their adult sons from the zombie apocalypse, they’re going to need all the skills they acquired in their past careers as Mafia hitwomen. Mary excels in hand weapons, and Gina may get carried away a bit too often with explosives, but Italian traditions are important, and that means protecting family. Their U.S. Army trained sons may not need saving, but like it or not, they’re going to have their mothers there to help them survive. If only they didn’t keep getting sidetracked by folks too weak or inept to protect themselves from not only the zombies, but the remaining scumbag humans preying on other victims. It’s a constant game of whack a zombie, but along with a pair of ferocious Siamese cats, Mary and Gina are going from outlaws to heroes and having the time of their lives.

as a team, even though they are sisters. There’s no way on earth I could work as well with either of my sisters. We would kill each other before the zombies could get us. One of the things I liked about this story is the two main characters aren’t fresh faced, nubile young ladies. In many of the books I’ve come across, the lead female characters are stereotypically attractive and inexperienced in the ways of the world. They all seem to follow a preset formula of what a female lead character should look like. I think Whack a Zombie has some fun twists that keeps the reader on their toes as well as laughing, which makes the book fly by. The only thing I disliked about this book was how quickly I read it. I wanted the story to keep going, and I really want to hear about more of their adventures. It was a really fun read and I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble these two women get into next.

Fang-Freakin-Tastic Review: Whack a Zombie is a funny short story about two retired hitwomen during the zombie apocalypse. The women in this story are on their way to “rescue” their sons from the evils that exist in the world during the apocalypse. I love that the idea either son could possibly fend for themselves, despite being grown men and ex-military, never crosses their minds. The personalities of Mary and Gina are hilarious. The banter between the two in conjunction with their senses of humor had me laughing out loud in more places than I usually find in zombie books. They work well

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

101

Fang-Freakin-Tastic Reviews Sinfully Spellbound Cassandra Lawson Paranormal Romance Pursued by a relentless lover. Stalked by a killer. How could my simple plan to feed my succubus side have gone so terribly wrong? One night with no strings attached, that’s all I needed to satisfy my long-neglected succubus desires. Dylan seems like the perfect warlock, until I realize he wants much more than one night. He claims I’m his witch, the one whose magic is compatible with his. It can’t be. With each sinful kiss, he makes me crave him more. I must resist. With every caress, his magic calls out to mine. Could it be? Dylan isn’t the only one relentlessly pursuing me. I’ve also caught the attention of a killer determined to make me his next victim. Love or death? Will I get to choose, or will the Fates decide for me? Sexy, sassy, and suspenseful: The Spells That Bind series is sure to satisfy your paranormal romance cravings.

Fang-Freakin-Tastic Review: I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. I expected to like it well enough, but I didn’t expect to want to keep reading this book for every waking moment over the next couple days and then the subsequent books after.

Allie and Dylan’s relationship was some kind of magic. They were steamy but fun at the same time. I was impressed with how well the author was able to have a solid story even if you were to ignore the more intimate aspects of the story.

102 | UncagedBooks.com

I liked the way the different species of paranormal characters interact in the way they do. It’s nice to see a variety in a book like this, so it was appreciated. The different ways the paranormal society itself was set up was pretty cool too. It gave the story a little bit of something different, and I really liked that. If you’re looking for a new world to get absorbed in and forget the craziness of our current world, check out The Spells That Bind series. It’s worth the time for sure.

Conduit Angie Martin Psychic Thriller How do you hide from a killer when he’s in your mind? Emily Monroe conceals her psychic gift from the world, but her abilities are much too strong to keep hidden from an equally gifted killer. A savvy private investigator, she discreetly uses her psychic prowess to solve cases. When the police ask her to assist on a new case, she soon learns the killer they seek is not only psychic, but is targeting her.

Another thing I liked was the length. I read fairly quickly, so I can tear through a decent sized book in a day. So it was nice to be able to make it last over a few days. It wasn’t too long that it got boring, but it was long enough to make it worth the time and money. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. The good characters were easy to like and you want things to go right for them, and you want the worst for the bad characters.

The killer wants more than to invade her mind; he wants her. Believing they are destined for each other, he uses his victims as conduits to communicate with her, and she hears their screams while they are tortured. She opens her mind to help the victims, but it gives him a portal that he uses to lure her to him. With the killer taking over her mind, she must somehow stop him before she becomes his next victim.

Fang-Freakin-Tastic Review: I came for the serial killer, but I stayed for the psychic. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started reading Conduit. Books like this could really go either way. I’ve read some serial killer books that started great and strong and halfway through just lost me to complete boredom. This was not one of those books. It ended as strong as it started. I feel bad for Emily in a lot of ways. She seems like a really nice person but is still trying to find her way. There were so many times where I thought I knew what direction things were headed only to find out later I was completely off base. I can really appreciate when that happens because it can get boring when you figure out a book halfway through.

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

103

Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews Soul in the Storm Nancy Wagaman Non-fiction/ Biophysics

Screamcatcher 2 Dream Chaser Christy J. Breedlove YA/Horror/Paranormal

Transform the way you relate to stress. Inner peace is closer than you think. You are a soul. Soul is the purest form of you, beyond the reach of everyday anxiety and stressors. When you learn to shift your awareness into soul, it becomes the perfect haven from any storm. And when you strengthen your haven through inner transformation, soul becomes your superpower in the midst of stress.

Seventeen year-old Jory Pike knows a thing or two about Indian lore from her half-blood Chippewa ancestry. She can trap, hunt and fish with the best of them. She has a team of three other teens friends called The Badlands Paranormal Society. Instead of bagging groceries or playing on I-pods, they think they can excel at banishing evil spirits. They hope to cleanse houses and earn fat paychecks for their services.

Amy’s Review: A piece of Peace Wagaman pens a motivational and mindful title in Soul in the Storm: Stress Management through Mindfulness and Inner Transformation. This book is best to be read by anyone who wants to find that little bit of peace. I got it on my reading list at just the right time. The title definitely fits this book, and it’s not just about managing stress, but finding something inside yourself. Wagaman writes, ““Soul” may not be the real or best name for soul. I call it “soul” here, but you can call it anything that resonates with you: essence, Divine self, the “I” of “I am,” “the higher me,” or something else...” So whatever you call it, its within this book, and yourself. I really liked this book, and could resonate with the perspective of the author. Since the world is in a pandemic chaotic stage, a new “normal” so to speak, this is a read to help gain some type of peace, even a little bit of faith.

Amy’s Review: Chilling and very thrilling! Breedlove pens a terrifying story in Screamcatcher 2 Dream Chaser. I have read work from this author before, and I really enjoyed it, so I was not surprised that I liked this one, too. This is the second one in the series, and may be more scary than the first one. It can be read as a stand alone, but I always recommend reading series from book one and on. The characters were intense. The story brings in the believable, even if almost impossible. It is always a joy to read this author’s stories. The thrills, chills, and intrigue is written clearly and the characterizations are engrossing. Makes me look differently at my own “dream catcher” and wonder what nightmares it holds. It’s a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next.

104 | UncagedBooks.com

To The Boys Who Wear Pink Revan Badingham III LGBT Romance High school reunions were always a bitch. Especially if you’re one of the boys invited to Ryan’s party. Do you live it up with King and the Trouble Twins? Are you still cool enough to chug beer with basketball jocks Si and Badger? Or do you cower in the corner with mildmannered Reyes and Angelo, the social outcast? Amy’s Review: Wonderful Story Badingham pens a remarkable story in To The Boys Who Wear Pink. First, I loved the references (track list) to the music artist P!nk. And second, I loved all of the characters. Ryan and Percy along with their friends were amazing, and non-stereotypical. I just loved this story. There is a great chemistry between the characters, and a depth that makes them realistic and flawed. This isn’t a story that is for the faint of heart, as there are curse words and other situations in this book. This is a story that needs to be read. This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more). Magnificent story, kept this reader turning the pages. A definite attention grabber. The author makes this reader want to learn more about the characters and follow their journey of life. Yes, it’s an LGBT story, and this one definitely needs to be read. This story is realistic, the characters have triumphs and tragedy, and are all connected in a way that makes sense. I have fast become a big fan of (this author).

The Sebastian Chronicles TL Travis Paranormal Erotica The Sebastian Chronicles is a series of five erotic Paranormal novelettes that take you through each century since Sebastian Benoit’s Vampiric inception in 1692. Throughout these chronicles, we live vicariously through our beloved Sebastian’s memories. Via his trials and tribulations, lost loves, and heartache. Amy’s Review: Remarkable Vampiric stories Travis pens great stories in The Sebastian Chronicles, as they are a series of novelettes. I always enjoy a story by this author, and I do think (at least right now) that this is my favorite. I find Sebastian interesting and very intriguing. Travis always tells a good story, and this is definitely a remarkable conception of inception. The story brings in the believable, even if almost impossible. Sebastian’s memories are filled with ups and downs, heart breaks, aches and fulfillment. It is always a joy to read this author’s stories. This author is not just a writer but a great storyteller. I am a fan of Travis’s work, as the plot that contains eroticism, is written well, and not every author can pull that off. This is a mix of vampiric paranormal and erotic, and grand story telling. Fate can be an interesting anomaly.

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

105

Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews The Realm of Lost Souls RM Gauthier Fantasy Life is hard, especially in death. When two angels from opposing sides arrive to collect Aaron’s soul, the bickering begins. With their focus on each other, the soul in question gets up and walks away, leading them on a chase that lands them in a lost realm, one in which no angel has dared to tread. Amy’s Review: Magnificent Read! Gauthier pens a good story in The Realm of Lost Souls, which follows (book 0) The Great Escape. The reader now can see where Aaron is, after his life (or soul) altering decision. It’s a new realm, and not only filled with angels, heaven and hell, but also an intriguing read. It’s one of those fantasy books that keeps the reader turning the pages, and also a great entertaining story filled with both humor and drama. The story brings in the believable, even if almost impossible. This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more). A very well-written story, and I enjoyed it. I like the author’s take on what is beyond realism, and the creative realms and view of heaven and hell. It’s a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. This author’s characters develop and interacts well with the other characters. I have fast become a big fan of Gauthier.

106 | UncagedBooks.com

Pressure Point Ted Tayler Noir Crime In their most recent case, DS Neil Davis’s father, Terry, came under the microscope. Was the former detective responsible for sending an innocent man to prison? Or did he follow orders from a superior officer? DS Alex Hardy continues his recovery from his motorcycle accident and awaits news on whether he can take a more active role in the job he loves. Amy’s Review: Exciting and Thrilling Tayler pens a thrilling story in Pressure Point, the third book in his Freeman File series. I am a big fan of Tayler’s work, and I’ve come to really enjoy Gus and his Crime Review Team. Each character with differences, and great chemistry that helps them use their knowledge to solve the latest crime file on their desk. It is also not just about the crime, but the victim and how they find their answers. The search is the journey that brings the story to life. This author is not just a writer but a great storyteller. This story was intriguing and kept the reader guessing. This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more).

Break In Judy Snider Crime Thriller SHE SHOULD HAVE CLOSED THE BLINDS Emma moved to Virginia Beach after the sudden death of a loved one. She thought it was a good place to live and easily found a job and a few close friends. She rented a house, had a dog and cat, and her parents were only a few hours away in Northern Virginia. Life seemed to be going well for her, until break-ins began to happen nearby. Amy’s Review: Thrilling! The book intrigued me when the author was nominated for a showcase of Indie Author Appreciation Month in September of 2019 on my author blog, and the author was nice enough to share the story with me for a review. Snider pens a chilling story in Break In. This author brings the stories to life. There is a great chemistry between the characters, and a depth that makes them realistic and flawed. This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more). A very well-written story, and I enjoyed it. Magnificent story, kept this reader turning the pages. A definite attention grabber. The thrills and intrigue is written clearly and the characterizations are engrossing. Loved this story. If you love a good psychological thriller, this book should be next on your list. This story was intriguing and kept the reader guessing. I liked how she brought in characters from Too Late to Run, which I’ve read as well.

A Footnote for Tomorrow James F. Miller II Poetry This collection of poetry takes you down the path of addiction. Follow the author through his darkest days traveling the country. The reader will experience the ins and outs of his troubled mind as he goes through the raw emotions of drug dependence. Crawling out from under the rock of his struggle, the poet shares his take on society and his exit from such. Amy’s Review: Raw emotions This collection of poetry by Miller, A Footnote for Tomorrow is a remarkable work of words. The words expressed show the dark emotions and journey of the poet. I enjoyed reading this collection, and entering the mind of this prolific poet. Poetry is just a great way to express feelings, even the ones buried deep inside. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows or brooding poets, this one is filled with the experiences of the dark journey, and rebuilding of life. Such a wonderful read. My favorite was “the nightmare stains” which starts with “how can we be alive, when memory encages an artificial high as the ante raises.

Issue 50 | September 2020 |

107

Do you have a short story that you’d like published in Uncaged? Uncaged is now accepting short stories - in return, Uncaged will provide ONE FULL PAGE to promote up to 3 books from the author, OR a free Sneak Peek promotion!

Guidelines: • Must be PG/PG-13 rated per Issuu’s Terms of Use • Must be approved • Free promotion will be scheduled for the same month as the short story • Submit the story or any questions to UncagedBooks@gmail.com

Submit your story today!