Finalists in the P&E Readers' Poll!

Congratulations T.W. Fendley and Brad R. Cook! 

Our novels were finalists in the 2014 P&E Readers Poll!

The Labyrinth of Time by T.W. Fendley placed Second in the Best Young Adult Book!

 

Iron Horsemen by Brad R Cook tied for Fourth in the Best Steampunk Novel!

Thank you to everyone who voted.

You can see the full results for Best Young Adult Book – Click Here

Find the full results for Best Steampunk Novel – Click Here

The Labyrinth of Time 

by T.W. Fendley

Spending spring break in Peru with her grandmother isn't sixteen-year-old Jade's idea of fun. She'd much rather be with her friends at Lake of the Ozarks. Then she meets Felix, a museum director's son. Jade discovers only she and Felix can telepathically access messages left on engraved stones in the age of dinosaurs.  

Following the ancient stones' guidance, they enter the Labyrinth of Time and--with a shapeshifting dog's help--seek a red crystal called the Firestone. But time is running out before the First Men return on the night of the second blue moon. 

Can Jade restore the Firestone's powers before the First Men return to judge humanity? 

                                    

http://www.amazon.com/The-Labyrinth-Time-T-W-Fendley-ebook/dp/B00N823HOI

Iron Horsemen 

by Brad R Cook

Alexander Armitage doesn't fit in at Eton College. Not only is he an American, his father, a new teacher at the college, is obsessed with ancient languages and the dusty old books he makes Alexander spend his time studying instead of trying to make friends. When his father is kidnapped, Alexander gladly leaves school behind and finds himself partnered with a baron's daughter, her little bronze dragon, and an eclectic crew of Sky Raiders in a quest to find him. When their search leads them to Malta, they discover a secret society intent on unleashing the ancient Iron Horsemen and usurping the reins of power in London.  

In a steam-powered Victorian world where pirates prowl the sky and secret societies determine the future like a game of chess, Alexander must confront the harsh legacy of the divided country he left behind, a new aristocratic world that rejects him, and the overwhelming pressure of being offered to become a Horseman himself.

http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Horsemen-The-Chronicles/dp/0989207951

Thank you to everyone for all the support! 

Steampunk, samurai and a mystical Peruvian dog!

Click to enlarge image.

Meet young adult fantasy writers Brad R. Cook, T.W. Fendley, and Cole Gibsen at 6:30 p.m., Dec. 3, at STL Books at 100 W. Jefferson Ave in Kirkwood, Mo.

“Come learn about steampunk, samurai and a mystical Peruvian dog!” said Cook, debut author of IRON HORSEMEN. He is also a publisher, and serves as president of St. Louis Writers Guild. In a steam-powered Victorian world where pirates prowl the sky and secret societies determine the future like a game of chess, an American, sixteen-year-old Alexander, must save London from the four Iron Horsemen. www.bradrcook.com 

Fendley, a science fiction and fantasy author, will sign her debut young adult release, THE LABYRINTH OF TIME. When 16-year-old Jade Davis discovers only she and the son of a Peruvian museum director can telepathically access messages left on engraved stones by an ancient race, she embarks on a quest to save humanity from fiery destruction. www.twfendley.com

Gibsen—young adult and new adult author—wrote BREATHLESS and the bestselling KATANA samurai series. In the trilogy, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she’s always been and embracing the warrior inside her: skater girl or supernatural samurai? www.colegibsen.com

The Labyrinth of Time: coming Nov. 7!

I'm happy to announce The Labyrinth of Time, my young adult contemporary fantasy set in Peru, is coming Nov. 7 from Silent Partner Publishing and is NOW available for presale at:

• Amazon and 

• Smashwords!

If you'd like a review copy, please contact me at twfendley@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!

Can Jade restore the Firestone's powers before the First Men return to judge humanity? 

Spending spring break in Peru with her grandmother isn't sixteen-year-old Jade's idea of fun. She'd much rather be with her friends at Lake of the Ozarks. Then she meets Felix, a museum director's son. Jade discovers only she and Felix can telepathically access messages left on engraved stones in the age of dinosaurs. 

Following the ancient stones' guidance, they enter the Labyrinth of Time and--with a shapeshifting dog's help--seek a red crystal called the Firestone. But time is running out before the First Men return on the night of the second blue moon.

***

Prophecy from the Peruvian Elders

Beware the second blue moon’s rising. Stones will speak to men, and the song of Pachamama and Inti will fill your hearts. Tremble at the dark moon, which heralds the Light’s return. Only those who tread the Path of Knowledge may rise among the First Men and quench the flames of doom.

***

My thanks to author/illustrator Jennifer Stolzer for her cover illustration, which gives readers their first glimpse into the Labyrinth!

T.W. Fendley is an award-winning author of historical fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults. She began writing fiction full-time in 2007 after working twenty-five years in journalism and corporate communications. 

She fell in love with ancient American cultures while researching story ideas at the 1997 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop. Since then, she’s trekked to archeological sites in the Yucatan, Peru and American Southwest. 

When she’s not writing, T.W. explores the boundaries of consciousness through remote viewing and shamanism. She currently lives in the Greater St. Louis area with her husband and his pet fish. 

Learn more about T.W. at www.twfendley.com.


Pre-order your copy today!

George Sirois: More "fact" than you'd think in his YA sci-fi novel, EXCELSIOR

Welcome to George Sirois! He self-published his first novel From Parts Unknown in November 2002, which he is re-working as a five-part eBook serial and paperback release. When he self-published his Young Adult/Science-Fiction novel Excelsior in July of 2010, it was named “Top Pick” by Night Owl Reviews and a quarter-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Working with Rocking Horse Press in 2013 gave the story a much-needed new lease on life. George’s writing has also been seen on 411Mania.com and Booktrib.com as a featured columnist. After living in New York City for most of his life, George and his wife and their two dogs now happily call St. Louis, Mo., their home. In his spare time, George is an avid cinephile, a collector of film scores, a lifelong fan of the New York Giants, and enjoys West Coast Swing dancing. 

The Writers’ Lens is about "Bringing fiction into focus." What brings your writing into focus-- the characters, the stories, the love of words? I would have to say, more than anything, the stories. I love taking a character or group of characters or a city or even a whole world and filling them with their own mythology. After watching the outstanding documentary on DC Comics super-villains called "Necessary Evil," I would add that a really fun part of my writing is creating the right villain to put my protagonists to the ultimate test.

How much fact is in your fiction? More than you would think. When I was in high school, I filled steno notebooks with stories when they should have been filled with homework assignments or notes in class. (I prided myself on being quite the underachiever.) And during my senior year, I shared some of those stories with my English teacher and she loved them. She encouraged me to keep going, and at the end of the year, she took those stories into account when she calculated my final grade. I was two points short from having an 85 and she added those two points, calling it "Excelsior Extra Credit." I never forgot that and made sure to add that moment into my novel.

Would you share a bit about your next project? I have two projects I'm working on now. One is the first of two Excelsior sequels. I don't want to go into a lot of detail on this, except to say that it'll be longer than the first, it'll be darker than the first and it will go into a lot of my main character's backstory.

     The other is a complete rewrite of my novel From Parts Unknown into a five-part serial. It's a more adult-oriented science-fiction story, something more along the lines of the sci-fi films of the 1970s like Rollerball and Soylent Green.

     I asked myself in 1995, "What if wrestling was real?" and a few years later, I wrote a concept to a video game, then a treatment, then over 10 drafts to a screenplay, and then - finally - the novel. I self-published it in 2002 through iUniverse, but when I re-read it in 2011, I realized that it wasn't very good anymore. So I got the rights back and started giving it a full overhaul.
     I have some bits and pieces to add to Parts 1-4 and the outline to Part 5 is almost finished.

What's your favorite way to interact with fans/readers? Love going on Facebook and Twitter to meet new readers and introduce them to my work through my author page - http://www.facebook.com/excelsiorbooks - but that's no replacement for meeting them in person and answering any questions they may have. The launch party for Excelsior was really special since I got to speak to a lot of kids that were really looking forward to reading the story.

What tune/music could be the theme song for your book? I've always been a lover of film scores and one of the first things I did after completing the first draft of Excelsior was put together my own soundtrack for it. While a major scene used Hans Zimmer's score from King Arthur, I think the "theme" music would be from Trevor Jones' Thirteen Days. The first track "Lessons of History" and the last one "The Will of Good Men" would be the perfect music to open and close the movie. (I'm always holding out hope that Excelsior will find its way to the big screen in my lifetime!)

EXCELSIOR -- Created by high school senior Matthew Peters, Excelsior – savior of faraway planet Denab IV – is becoming an Internet sensation as the main character of a popular online comic strip. But before Matthew can enjoy his burgeoning success, a beautiful older woman arrives at his school and tells him that not only is she from the planet Denab IV, but that Excelsior's lifeforce lives within him. Now, with Excelsior's old enemies regaining strength, Matthew realizes he is the key to Earth's survival and Denab IV's salvation, and he has an opportunity that he never thought possible, to become his greatest creation.

Paperback: http://www.rockinghorsepublishing.com/excelsior.html

Kindle eBook: http://www.amazon.com/Excelsior-George-Sirois-ebook/dp/B00GNI41FI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387154252&sr=8-1&keywords=excelsior+sirois

Nook eBook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/excelsior-george-h-sirois/1100074453?ean=2940148861881&itm=1&usri=excelsior+sirois

Agents: From Hello to Goodbye

Cole Gibsen

Paula Stokes

If you’re around writers for any length of time, the topic always comes up: Why do you need an agent when you can publish a book yourself? 

While the number of self-published titles has almost tripled since 2006, according to an October 2012 report from Bowker Books, the traditional publishing route still has its proponents.

Two agented local authors--Paula Stokes (AKA Fiona Paul) and Cole Gibsen—will address the pros and cons July 13 in their talk on “Agents: From Hello to Goodbye.” Sponsored by the St. Louis Writers Guild, the workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road in Kirkwood. Free to Guild members, $5 for nonmembers.

The Young Adult novelists will cover the querying process, dealing with rejection, finding the “right” agent, and determining when to part ways with an agent.

Paula is the author of VENOM, BELLADONNA, and the forthcoming STARLING and THE ART OF LAINEY. When she's not writing (rare), she's kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. She's petted tigers, snuggled snakes, snorkeled with stingrays, and once enjoyed the suction-cuppy feel of a baby elephant's trunk as it ate peanuts from her palm. Paula is a graduate of Hazelwood West, Washington University, and the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College. She currently makes her home in the Central West End.

When Cole isn't writing books for young adults, she can be found rocking out with her band, sewing crazy costumes for the fun of it, picking off her nail polish, or drinking milk straight from the jug -- provided no one is looking. She is the author of the young adult KATANA series. To learn more about Cole and her books you can visit www.ColeGibsen.com or follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/colegibsen