Mornings With Marie: October 2023
New Short Story, New Anthology, Free Books, The Phoenix King, and Linda Ling
Hello, friends! Is everyone awake now?
🫣🙊 I’m sorry. (Okay, I’m not sorry. 🤣)
I’ve got lots to update and share, so let’s get the ball rolling!
First off, Mist Gallows, the final book of The Prophecies of Ragnarok trilogy, is releasing as planned on the 13th, so watch out for a special edition newsletter on release day! Or if you can’t wait, just check my Instagram or Facebook for updates 🥳 (I’m on Twitter I refuse to call it X and BlueSky and Threads and TikTok too, but the first two are my go-to platforms these days.)
Coming Soon: Flights of Fantasy Anthology
Around this time last year Iron Faerie Publishing released Mirror Mirror, an anthology of altered fairytales that included my Snow White and Cinderella crossover. This year my stories are appearing in Flights of Fantasy, a huge collection of almost a year’s worth of short stories! You might’ve already read some of them — Firestarter, Rendezvous, The Vigil, Identity Crisis — but I also have new stories exclusively available in that anthology:
Refraction features a girl who has an ever-changing reflection on the mirror.
The Last Light of the Sun is based on Filipino folklore and mythology and serves as an introduction to the world of Haliya, a young warrior who lives in darkness after the monstrous Bakunawa devoured the sun.
Flights of Fantasy will be out soon, so stay tuned!
New Free Short Story: Danse Macabre, a supernatural reimagining of Romeo and Juliet
Because what would October be without a spooky story? 👻
[ NOTE: The files have been deleted on the web version, but you should have them in your email. Otherwise, please comment or reach out to me on my socials so I can send them over! ]
More Free Books
If you’re looking for new reads or just to grow your TBR pile, why not check out these places this month for free (and discounted) books? 🥳
October 6 - Fantasy Free-For-All (newsletter signup required, but you can always unsubscribe after)
October 22-26 - IASFA’s Fantasy Promotion (that link should be live by those dates, but just subscribe to their newsletter so you don’t miss it!)
October 26 - Cozy Mystery Book Blast (also requires subscription, but again, you can unsubscribe at any time)
October 31 - Spook Your Kindle
Book of the Month: The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma
In a kingdom where flames hold magic and the desert hides secrets, an ancient prophecy comes for an assassin, a princess, and a king. But none are ready to face destiny—and the choices they make could burn the world.
“If we carry the burdens of our fathers, we’ll never know what it means to be free.”
September brought me new favorites, including this new Indian-inspired epic science fantasy! I don't know why, but it really reminded me of the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels which I devoured growing up. Maybe it's the ease by which the more "science" elements were embedded into the fantasy, plus all the political intrigue and religious themes.
Anyway, check it out:
For Elena Aadya Ravence, fire is yearning. She longs to feel worthy of her Phoenix god, of her ancestors who transformed the barren dunes of Sayon into a thriving kingdom. But though she knows the ways and wiles of the desert better than she knows her own skin, the secrets of the Eternal Flame elude her. And without them, she’ll never be accepted as queen.
For Leo Malhari Ravence, fire is control. He is not ready to give up his crown—there’s still too much work to be done to ensure his legacy remains untarnished, his family protected. But power comes with a price, and he’ll wage war with the heavens themselves to keep from paying it.
For Yassen Knight, fire is redemption. He dreams of shedding his past as one of Sayon’s most deadly assassins, of laying to rest the ghosts of those he has lost. If joining the court of flame and serving the royal Ravence family—the very people he once swore to eliminate—will earn him that, he’ll do it no matter what they ask of him.
But the Phoenix watches over all and the fire has a will of its own. It will come for all three, will come for Sayon itself….and they must either find a way to withstand the blaze or burn to ash.
You can read my full review here and grab a copy of the book from Amazon.
Author of the Month: Linda Ling
This month I’d like to introduce you to fantasy and children’s author Linda Ling. Linda lives in Asia, and her secret identity is a doctor—but don’t tell her patients!
Her book All That Glitters Is Not Gold is a standalone prequel novel in her Land of the Sun fantasy series.
Can you tell us something about your book?
Linda: It features a Fae princess, an ominous prophecy, and a human servant with a dark secret. This book sets up events that lead into the world of Sundered, the first book in the trilogy.
What are your plans for the future?
Linda: After I finished the trilogy and the draft of the prequel, I thought I was done. But the world I’d built wasn’t done with me. Before I even published this book, I’d already churned out drafts of several sequels and guess what? I’m working on them now! In addition, I have a vampire series I’m aiming to start publishing, a romance novel in the querying trenches now, and a couple other ideas on my WIP list. It just doesn’t end!
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Linda: My ARC readers and I can agree that our favorite character is the male MC. Don’t get me wrong, I love my female MC, Janella. The book is largely from her POV. But without the MMC being who he is, this would be a very different book with a different vibe.
Who inspired you to write and why did you choose Fantasy / SF?
Linda: My early sources of inspiration were Anne Rice, Christopher Pike and Michael Crichton. These days, it’s folks like Sarah J Maas and Jay Kristoff. But let’s not forget my fellow indies, who are great sources of inspiration as well. It’s amazing the community I’ve found and connected with. And why fantasy? Because I can WORLD BUILD. What other genre (besides sci-fi) gives you such massive creative power? It’s an awesome feeling.
Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
Linda: I’m on Instagram and Threads @lindalingwrites, and on TikTok @lindashuoshu, and I have an author page on Goodreads as well.
That’s it for now! Thanks for reading and please feel free to write me back, I would love to hear from you 😘 I will 100% take memes, pet pics, and book recs!
Marie xx