Nick Wilford's Corruption Blog Tour!

Nick Wilford is stopping by today to talk about "Corruption," newly released this month!

***

Hi Shannon! Thanks for hosting me today. I'd like to offer your readers a brief insight into the nature of Loretanian cuisine.

*

Today I’m going to talk about some of the delicacies enjoyed in the land of Loretania. These people don’t have a lot and are used to living off the land. Unfortunately, the only thing that seems to grow there is bits of scrubby grass. When it’s wet, the land turns into a muddy bog, and when it’s dry, it’s a parched, arid landscape.

To deal with this, they’ve adopted a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, almost like primitive cave people. With large families and scarce resources, they’ve learned to make a little go a long way. Roasted rat is a particular delicacy and is enough to feed a family of six. In Corruption, we see Ranglebuck, the chief of one of the villages, hunting a wild boar which is then served at a feast for the entire village, including the team of scientists who have just arrived to rid the land of the crippling disease that is holding it captive. In truth, it’s rare that such a beast can be found, and it could have lasted a bit longer if it hadn’t been shared with the newcomers, who have their own freeze-dried rations. One thing we learn, though, is that the Loretanians are completely hospitable, even for a people who have nothing.

They treat everyone equally, and it wouldn’t occur to them to be cold or distant. For them, life really is too short.

Title: Corruption

Author: Nick Wilford

Genre: YA dystopian Series: Black & White Series #: 2 of 3

Release date: 11th February 2019

Publisher: Superstar Peanut Publishing

Blurb:

Wellesbury Noon and Ezmerelda Dontible have found themselves in a position where they can make their native land somewhere that lives up to its name: Harmonia. However, they’re setting their sights further afield for their number one task: eradicating the disease that has plagued the neighbouring country of Loretania for generations and allowed the privileged Harmonians to live in a sterile environment.

After dispatching a team of scientists to Loretania, armed with cratefuls of an antidote and vaccine and headed up by their friend, Dr George Tindleson, Welles, Ez, and Welles’s brother Mal – who grew up in that benighted nation – start to worry when they hear nothing back, despite what they had agreed. Commandeering a fishing boat to follow the science team over the sea, they soon find that, while the disease may be on the way out, a new kind of infection has set in – the corruption they thought they had stamped out in Harmonia.

Can they get to the root of the problem and eliminate it before even more damage is done to an innocent people?

*** Warning – this book contains themes that some sensitive readers may find upsetting. ***

Purchase Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

Add it on Goodreads

Meet the author:

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those early morning times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. Visit him at his blog or connect with him on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, or Amazon.

Thanks for coming by, Nick! 

What do you guys think? Have you ever tried rat? Have you grabbed your copy yet? 

May you find your Muse.

Nick Wilford Cover Reveal!

Today is the cover reveal for Nick Wilford's Corruption, book two of the Black & White trilogy. Note that the first book in the series is free; more information can be found below!

Corruption (Black & White #2)

Release Date: 11th February 2019

Cover design: germancreative

Wellesbury Noon and Ezmerelda Dontible have found themselves in a position where they can make their native land somewhere that lives up to its name: Harmonia. However, they’re setting their sights further afield for their number one task: eradicating the disease that has plagued the neighbouring country of Loretania for generations and allowed the privileged Harmonians to live in a sterile environment.

After dispatching a team of scientists to Loretania, armed with cratefuls of an antidote and vaccine and headed up by their friend, Dr George Tindleson, Welles, Ez, and Welles’s brother Mal – who grew up in that benighted nation – start to worry when they hear nothing back, despite what they had agreed. Commandeering a fishing boat to follow the science team over the sea, they soon find that, while the disease may be on the way out, a new kind of infection has set in – the corruption they thought they had stamped out in Harmonia.

Can they get to the root of the problem and eradicate it before even more damage is done to an innocent people?

*** Warning – this book contains themes that some sensitive readers may find upsetting. ***

Pre-order links: Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / Kobo  

Add it on Goodreads

Black & White (Black & White #1)

Cover design: germancreative

What is the price paid for the creation of a perfect society?

In Whitopolis, a gleamingly white city of the future where illness has been eradicated, shock waves run through the populace when a bedraggled, dirt-stricken boy materialises in the main street. Led by government propaganda, most citizens shun him as a demon, except for Wellesbury Noon – a high school student the same age as the boy.

Upon befriending the boy, Wellesbury feels a connection that he can’t explain – as well as discovering that his new friend comes from a land that is stricken by disease and only has two weeks to live. Why do he and a girl named Ezmerelda Dontible appear to be the only ones who want to help?

As they dig deeper, everything they know is turned on its head – and a race to save one boy becomes a struggle to redeem humanity.

Buy links: Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

Add it on Goodreads

Congratulations on your upcoming release, Nick!

Nick Wilford A Change of Mind Cover Reveal & Christine Rains Of Blood and Sorrow Character Meet & Greet

Today I'm delighted to welcome both Nick Wilford and Christine Rains! First, we'll take a look at Christine's Of Blood and Sorrow, and have a quick meet and greet with one of her characters, Hessa, the villain.

I do love a good villain!

Then...voila...we'll see Nick's cover for A Change of Mind and Other Stories.

OF BLOOD AND SORROW

By Christine Rains

Blurb:

Erin Driscol works the perfect job consoling fellow demons by feeding off their grief at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home.

When fledgling vampire Nicolas Reese comes to Erin for help, she learns the truth behind the legends and hides him from his sire and the vampire hunters who seek him. But when the Putzkammers begin to die one by one, Erin is caught between her act of kindness and the need to save her adopted family. Only by facing her own personal demons can she stop the slaughter and still rescue Nicolas from his dark fate.

Add it to read on Goodreads.

About the author:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She's married to her best friend and fellow geek living in south-central Indiana. They have one son who is too smart for his parents' own good and loves to pretend he's Batman. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has several short stories and novellas published. Of Blood and Sorrow series is her first urban fantasy novel.

Available for purchase in the following places:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Kobo

Please visit her website and blog.

You can also find Christine on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

HESSA

“When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before.” Mae West

Beautiful, clever, and alluring. Hessa Hadad is sophisticated evil.

Several centuries old, she's a vampire of great strength. Many might pass her off as being just a pretty face. But she is not to be underestimated. All that power she has comes with a lack of morals.

Hessa has sired many fledglings over the years, but never has one slipped through her fingers. Why has her new boy toy Nicolas not come back to her welcoming embrace? It couldn't be because of that pathetic demon girl. Demons are lowly creatures. Certainly not the perfection that is the vampire.

Nicolas will come back to Hessa. It's inevitable. She's his sire after all. And that demon girl, she'll suffer for her interference.

Favorite line from Hessa: “Move and I’ll string up your intestines for the world to see.”

Tidbit from the author: I do love a villain who has brains and class. The cherry on the sundae is that Hessa knows she's bad and revels in it. It makes my job as the writer that much more fun!

***

Now for Nick Wilford's A Change of Mind and Other Stories. This is his cover reveal!

Title: A Change of Mind and Other Stories

Author: Nick Wilford

Genre: Contemporary speculative fiction

Cover Design: Rebekah Romani

Release Date: May 25^th 2015

Preorder Links: Amazon US, Amazon UK

A Change of Mind and Other Stories consists of a novella, four short stories and one flash fiction piece. This collection puts the extremes of human behaviour under the microscope with the help of lashings of dark humour, and includes four pieces previously published in Writer’s Muse magazine.

In A Change of Mind, Reuben is an office worker so meek and mild he puts up with daily bullying from his boorish male colleagues as if it’s just a normal part of his day. But when a stranger points him in the direction of a surgeon offering a revolutionary new procedure, he can’t pass up the chance to turn his life around.

But this isn’t your average surgeon. For a start, he operates alone in a small room above a mechanic’s. And he promises to alter his patients’ personality so they can be anything they want to be…

In Marissa, a man who is determined to find evidence of his girlfriend’s infidelity ends up wondering if he should have left well alone.

The Dog God finds a chink in the armour of a man with a megalomaniacal desire to take over the world.

In The Insomniac, a man who leads an obsessively regimented lifestyle on one hour’s sleep a night finds a disruption to his routine doesn’t work for him.

Hole In One sees a dedicated golfer achieving a lifelong ambition.

The Loner ends the collection on a note of hope as two family members try to rebuild their lives after they are torn apart by jealousy.

Add it on Goodreads

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working, he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. You can find him hanging out on his blog or on Goodreads or Twitter.

Thank you to Nick and Christine for stopping by today! I hope you'll check out Of Blood and Sorrow, by Christine Rains, and A Change of Mind and Other Stories, by Nick Wilford. And don't forget to leave a review once you've read them! Though you'll have to wait until May 25 to grab Nick's book.

May you find your Muse.

Nick Wilford's New Business Launch!

Many of you probably know Nick Wilford, a fellow blogger and writer. If you haven't read his blog, there's a good chance you've seen the anthology he put together with stories from those around the blogosphere, Overcoming Adversity, An Anthology For Andrew (his wonderful step-son). Well, now he's launched an editing business, and he's here to tell you a bit about it.

***

With the unstoppable rise of self-publishing, it’s easier than ever to put your words and stories out there in the world. This is a great thing, and I’m all for it. However, it’s not just about the story - although of course, that is the most important part - but the way it’s presented. After spending months or years on a novel, building an incredible world and honing your characters and storylines to perfection, the last thing you want is to be let down by a lack of editing. It’s just as important as an arresting cover image.

Nick Wilford, Freelance Editor is a one-stop shop for affordable editing, proofreading and formatting services. With professional training and ten years of experience as a journalist and editor, the time has come to transfer these skills in order to help out the fellow authors I have come to love.

But it doesn’t stop there. I’m ready to edit anything; from a crucial term paper, to memoirs and other non-fiction books, short stories, articles or job application letters. Let me put that finishing touch on your masterpiece.

Feel free to take a look at my website for further details of my services and prices.

Bio

Nick Wilford is a writer, freelance editor and stay-at-home dad. Fascinated by words from a young age, he trained as a journalist before embracing the calling of fiction. When not writing he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also co-running a campaign to get a dedicated specialist college built in Scotland.

Links

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

LinkedIn

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday - Childhood Cancer Awareness Month & Helpful Links

In lieu of my customary [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday photos, I'm posting one simple photo as a reminder that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  In this house, gold is the color of cancer awareness.

Links:

Fellow blogger, Nick Wilford, is seeking donations for an auction to help get his stepson to a school that will offer the opportunities he needs.  Go here to read more about Andrew and his college hopes.

Open for Submissions-

The Rusty Nail is taking submissions of poetry, prose and artwork.  This is not a paying market, but it is a publication credit.

Short, Fast and Deadly is looking for submissions of poetry and prose.  The September theme is poetry and prose in the form of a floor plan.

One Story is open for submissions as of September 1.  Pays $250, plus 25 contributor's copies.  Literary fiction.

Contests-

The 2012 Science Fiction Poetry Association Poetry Contest is open until September 15.  There is no entry fee.  Cash prizes.  Do not have to be a member of SFPA to enter.

The WOLFoundation is having their 2012 competition.  Writing must be related to environmental issues.  Large cash prizes.  No entry fee.  Deadline September 30.

What's going on in your world?  Any news to share?  Do you know anyone who has been affected by childhood cancer?  Were you aware that this is childhood cancer awareness month?

May you find your Muse.