Druid’s Moon Available Now!

Out today – a beautiful and innocently sexy Beauty and the Beast retelling –

Druid’s Moon
By Deniz Bevan

Beauty to his Beast…

Lyne Vanlith, an archaeologist who seeks a logical explanation to any mystery, discovers an ancient Druidic curse on her first dig. When the signs foretold by the curse descend on her, Lyne can’t find a reasonable interpretation.

And that’s even before a Beast rescues her from a monstrous sea-creature. She drops a grateful kiss on the snout of the Beast, who transforms into a man, Frederick Cunnick, Baron of Lansladron. Lyne is meant to be Beauty to his Beast—and break the curse forever.

Now both spellkeeper and monster are targeting Lyne. She must take up her legendary role, to defeat the curse and save Frederick—and herself. Instead of logic, for the first time, Lyne must trust her heart.

“…the entire sequence of events that leads to the finale was a thrilling joyride.” – Rain ‘n’ Books reviews

“A re-telling of Beauty And The Beast with werewolves, witches & a sea monster with a slow-brewing romance. The quieter moments were my favourites.” - Jorie Loves a Story reviews

“Ms. Bevan weaves a rich tale of mystery, passion, and true evil whirling through the depths of a quaint seaside village.” - Michael Di Gesu, author

Fantasy – Romance / Paranormal / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
Print ISBN 9781939844866 $14.95
eBook ISBN 9781939844873 $4.99

A firm believer in burning the candle at both ends, Deniz Bevan is generally writing a new novel while editing another and blogging about her reading and research adventures. Other days, she tries to stay off the web altogether, as she delves into the history, mystery, and romance of her characters’ lives.

Find Druid’s Moon here: Dancing Lemur Press / iTunes / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Scribed / Amazon UK / Goodreads

Virtual tour dates:
Sept. 19 - Jemi Fraser
Sept. 19 - Alex J. Cavanaugh
Sept. 20 - Archaeolibrarian
Sept. 21 - Christine Rains
Sept. 23 - Sandra Cox
Sept. 26 - Susan Gourley
Sept. 29 - C. Lee McKenzie

Ready for a little beastly romance?

I wish I knew then what I know now!

By Sandra Cox

*This was originally written for the SmorgasBord Blog Magazine.

I began writing in pre-historic times, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and writers pecked on typewriters. I had no idea computers, software, hardware, printers and emails were waiting in the future.

One morning I woke to birds chirping and mammoths trumpeting and decided I wanted to be a writer. Except for a few well-received essays in high school and a handful of English courses in college, I had absolutely no background in writing. I didn’t even know what a thesaurus was. I just knew I enjoyed creating stories.

The one thing I did have in my empty toolbox was a knowledge of books. I loved reading. I was a voracious reader. And while voracious may not work anymore to describe my reading, I still plow through several books a month. How can anyone not read? But I’m getting off topic. So armed with my ideas I began to write. This was challenging on a couple of levels. Creating a story and getting it on paper.

Today creativity is my major challenge. Then, getting words on paper.

Each typed page needed to be proofed before it left the typewriter and, unless you were a perfect typist which I wasn’t, involved a lot of white paint—correction fluid—from a little bottle called Wite.Out. Wite.Out was a secretary’s and writer’s best friend. Yes, back in the dark ages people were called secretaries instead of admin assists.

After typing out the manuscript, which usually involved several hundred pages, came the rewrites. Say you did a serious change on page ten that involved adding a scene or scenes that ran into extra pages. If you were lucky, you only had to retype that chapter then go back and use your trusty White Out to change the following page numbers of the rest of your manuscript. Yup, the good ole days.

Next step was finding a home for your story. Again, there was no computer to do a quick search of who wanted what. The Writer’s Market Guide was, and probably still is for those who don’t publish Indie, an invaluable tool. I spent hours combing through pages looking for the appropriate home for my genre.

After I drew up a list, I began to send out my stories. Remember this was still the ice age, and typewriters and carbon paper still roamed the earth. There were no emails, no attaching three chapters and hitting the send button. Instead, it was purchasing legal size envelopes, stuffing your letter and chapters inside and heading for the post office. Then waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more, for a response that sometimes never came. In that respect, things haven’t changed, have they? Often times when you did get a response, it was a form rejection letter—something else that I imagine hasn’t changed—and you started back at square one. Other times, the publishing company or agent wanted to see the entire manuscript. Then it was off to the supply store to buy a box to mail your manuscript in and have copies made. It was a fairly pricey and time-consuming process.

Researching was also more challenging than it is now. The information was there, but not at your finger -tips. Instead of tapping a few keys and doing a search, you had to track down physical books, which usually meant hitting the library or a bookstore.

And there was no self-publishing unless you went vanity and paid for it.

Since those days I have added to my toolbox and am always on the lookout for new tools. I have a few that I’d like to share, which you may already know of and use.
For synonyms, I use Power Thesaurus.
For covers: pixelstudio. I love this group. They are so helpful and their prices are unbelievably reasonable.
For those of you who make your own covers, trailers and or memes: Book Brush.
AND
For general information and support for most aspects of writing and publishing, IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group).

So, back to the beginning: If I’d known then what I know now, I would have probably waited a few years to start writing.😉

Sandra
Visit her blog.
Find Geller’s Find on Amazon

Geller’s Find
It’s summer break and Dr. Luke Geller, history prof and part-time archeologist is in Nevada looking for potsherds. What he discovers is an antique rifle and a portal in time.
When Geller touches an ancient piece of chiastolite crystal, the earth rumbles, the skies darken and the ground opens. He’s hurled straight to the core of the earth then shot back up and spewed out.
When he stumbles to his feet, he finds himself where he began. Same yet different. There are no winding roads. No parking lots. No cars. No town with bright lights in the distance. Only Lily Winter Tremaine, an angry young woman pointing a gun at him, demanding he hand over her rifle.
All thoughts of primitive pottery disappear as Luke finds himself fighting alongside three young women trying to hold onto their ranch against a dangerous scoundrel who intends to have the ranch by whatever means possible. Then there’s the little matter of Luke being mightily attracted to the young woman he’s working for. A woman old enough to be his great-great granny. And Miss Lily Winter Tremaine does not figure into any of tenured professor Luke Geller’s lesson plans.

And today I and the First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts authors are visiting Elizabeth S. Craig with an article about working on an anthology.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, First Love Available, and In Darkness: The Vampire

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Today’s question – What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?

I’m skipping the question as we have a book release today!

First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

The sweetness of first love…

Could a fiercely independent cop’s heart be stolen by the guy who makes her favorite doughnuts? Will a maid who used deceit to snare a mail-order husband get a dose of her own medicine? Can her handsome neighbor rescue a modern-day “princess” from a tenacious ex-boyfriend? Can two strangers in a rideshare be honest enough to fall in love for real? Can you remember your first love? How about your second? Third? Fourth?

Featuring the talents of Linda Budzinski, Melissa Maygrove, Michael Di Gesu, Sylvia Ney, Katie Klein, Kim Elliott, Templeton Moss, S.E. White, Denise Covey, and Sammi Spizziri. Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will touch your heart and rekindle lost feelings. Prepare to return to that first love…

Print ISBN – 9781939844880, $14.95
eBook ISBN – 9781939844897, $4.99
Romance - Clean & Wholesome / Contemporary / Historical
186 pages, Freedom Fox Press, an imprint of Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database; articles; monthly blog posting; Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram groups; #IWSGPit, and a newsletter.

Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Kobo / Scribed / Goodreads /

“…a refreshing read! This is a gem of a book that I highly recommend.” - Rebecca Boerner M Ed., reviewer

“…this collection nailed the little bites of cute romance… recommend to anyone looking for an uplifting collection of sweet romance to fill an evening.” - Hayley Reese Chow, author

“This was a sweet, warm collection of love stories.” – Angie Titus, author

Visit the IWSG Anthologies site for a full list of tour dates.

* * *

In addition, we have cover art and review copies for my next book!

In Darkness: The Vampire
By L. Diane Wolfe

Souls shrouded in darkness…

Stuck working as a barmaid for her demanding father, Anna dreams of adventure. When mysterious strangers enter the bar, she overhears they seek Zancrela, an ancient fortress filled with treasure and a magical library. Taking her chance, she offers to guide them. The conditions: deliver Zancrela or die.

As they journey through the wilderness, she discovers their secret: they are vampires. And most view her as food. One takes interest in her and her heart dares to hope, but it might not be enough to change her fate. Will Anna find Zancrela or become a vampire morsel?

Release date: February 7, 2023
eBook ISBN – 9781939844903, $3.99
Romance-Paranormal-Vampires / Fantasy-Paranormal /Fantasy-Romance


This will be a novella series – The Shark will be next.

It’s available for pre-orders and for reviewers! So, if you are interested, please let me know.

Is everyone ready for some romance?

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Writing, and Cons

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Today’s question - When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?

I’m going to opt out of the question and just make some announcements.

First, I now have three stories written for my “In Darkness” novelette series.
The Vampire has been through our editor and is polished and ready for review copies.
The Werewolf goes to the editor in a few weeks.
The Shark is edited and with a critique partner.
And I am working on The Alien.
There is a possibility of The Ghost, but I have a great beginning, a great ending, and not much of a middle, so we’ll see.

In other news – Dancing Lemur Press has two cons coming up!

The first is August 13 – Greenville Comic Con in Greenville, NC.

The second is August 20 – Wake Forest Comic Con in Wake Forest, NC.

If you are anywhere in the area, please stop by our booth! We have all the books, original art prints, anime and Baby Yoda stickers, and Baby Yoda figurines. (And those go fast!)


Are you more original or give readers what they want when writing?