SoulBreather, the first book in the Fantasy Romance SoulMist series is now available in paperback, and in hardcover shortly.
If you fall in love with the shadows, does that mean you are fallen too?
A dying angel. A fractured realm. The SoulBreather who might be able to save them both.
Solanji has a secret. One that is becoming increasingly difficult to keep. She can touch souls and see into a person’s inner thoughts. Soulbreathing is exhilarating and addictive, until the day Solanji caresses the wrong person’s soulmist.
Dragged into a long forgotten angelic mystery, she is forced to venture into Eidolon, the godforsaken last resort for those without souls. In order to save her brother, she must rescue a broken and tortured man. Can she save him from the shadows? Does he even want to be saved? And can she find a way to return to the light before the darkness engulfs them both?
The SoulMist series
If you are looking for the eBook then you’ll find it in the Realm of Darkness anthology along with forty other full length fantasy books, which releases October 4th, 2022 and is available for preorder for 99c from a vendor of your choice!
Realm of Darkness Anthology
If you enjoy fantasybooks then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series and my brand new SoulMist series, paperback now available. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
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I am excited to be joined by one of my co-conspirators from the Realm of Darkness boxet today! I am chatting with YA Fantasy author, Lea Cherry about her contribution to the boxset, Starlight; which releases on October 4th, 2022 and is currently available on preorder.
Helen: Welcome Lea! To start us off, tell us about Starlight.
Lea: My contribution to the ROD set is called Starlight. It’s a fantasy story set in the realm of Elesseand where the Princess of the Kingdom is a Starlight (Someone born of the stars with magical powers) but also a fierce warrior that protects the realm from any dangers with her Legion. I don’t want to give too much away, but there is an assassin, a magi, a shifter, some romance and a lot of dangers to go through.
Helen: Sounds like you packed a lot of elements into your story. I can’t wait to read it. Your cover is gorgeous, down to the font which glistens. What were your thoughts behind the design?
Lea: The cover for Starlight took some creativity. I tried various different things but none of them actually spoke to me, so I decided to create the cover with symbols instead so that later on, I could hopefully create art to accompany the books. The cover shows a beautiful star that represents the Princess Tekana and all the Starlights before her. Even though the star is bright and beautiful, it is sharp and dangerous and should be treated carefully.
Helen: Readers be warned! What made you write a novel for an anthology?
Lea: I love reading fantasy and thought that this was a great opportunity to write one myself. I usually dabble in other genres, YA and horror to be more specific, but thought that if I could write my own fantasy, the possibility of what could happen would be endless, so here I am.
Realm of Darkness Anthology
Helen: I called you a YA Fantasy author but you actually write a range of YA genres, don’t you?
Lea: I usually write Young Adult books in various subgenres as I enjoy the way the young characters discover themselves and evolve into people that are strong, independent and overall great humans. I also enjoy writing horrors because I just love it and want to test myself with writing one that can scare the pants off the readers. I’m kind of wired that way.
Helen: That is mean! I am not a fan of horror, I have too creative an imagination. Tell us about some of your other books.
Lea: My two horrors are Chimera and Devil’s Doorway which were my first trials into the genre. I have also written two YA Urban Fantasy books for a series, currently busy with the third book, that is about a girl that learns she’s a descendant of a very powerful magical race known as the Pure and that she must learn to harness her powers before the Tainted (villains) can claim her soul to resurrect their leader. There is also a poetry journal that I co-wrote with another author as a companion book for her dragon series to give her main dragon character a poetry voice.
Helen: I bet that was a fun project, especially with dragons involved. You are multi-talented for sure. Many writers find inspiration from music, when you are writing do you listen to music?
Lea: I can’t, at all. If I listen to music, I find myself singing along and then I can’t concentrate of what I’m writing. If I listen to something, it is usually instrumental music that sounds like it could have been on the book’s soundtrack. Like Celtic instrumental songs for my fantasy stories. I do however listen to certain songs before I write to get me into the scene, like rock music before I write a fight scene, or something emo and sad for the heart-breaking stuff.
Helen: When I’m editing and solving plot knots it has to be instrumental, as like you I get distracted by the words of the song. But when I’m writing that first draft, anything goes. Do you plot out your novels or are you a pantser?
Lea: You could say I’m a plantser. I plot out the basics of my story, the most important things like characters, settings and the plot of how the story should go, but then I pants a lot of the story to give myself or rather my characters the freedom to sometimes roam free and choose other paths to get to their goal.
Helen: Characters do tend to have a mind of their own and go off on unplanned tangents. Do you have to much research for your books?
Lea: Sometimes way too much. I tend to fall into the rabbit hole with research, but only when I feel that there should be more and especially if the subject I’m researching is very interesting.
Helen: Tell us something random about yourself.
Lea: I’m from South Africa and English is my second language, is that random enough?
Helen: Wow! And you are writing in English which makes your work even more amazing. Thank you so much for chatting with me today. It’s been such fun talking shop. As we reach the end of our time together just to finish, when not writing what do you spend your time on?
Lea: My hobbies include watching movies, reading and painting. I have started teaching both my daughters to draw and they love it so a lot of the time they want to know how to draw something so if I don’t know, then we all learn something new that day. On a different note, just because I enjoy it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m great at it.
Helen: Thank you for joining me tody Lea. I am so excited to be part of this anthology, it has been a great experience, and I can’t believe the launch is only a month or so away. It has come around so quickly! You can preorder the anthology here for the insane price of 99c/79p!
Make sure you can check out some of my other posts as I spotlight the authors as they reveal their covers!
About the Author:
Lea Cherry
Lea Cherry is an international bestselling author residing in South Africa with her husband and two daughters. With a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, she shares the spark of language in Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, and Thriller. When she is not crafting stories, she shares her time with her family watching movies, painting, and reading up a storm when she is not exploring the outdoors on camping trips. Her first book in the Descendant series is set to arrive in 2021 and is filled with magic and adventure that will keep you wanting more.
As an Amazon Associate I may earn commission from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy romance books then you will love my new release SoulBreather, part of the Realm of Darkness Anthology, and my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
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A man searching for his purpose. Another determimed to redeem past failures.
The Sentinal series is a rich and complex story of two men walking the convoluted path set them by Lady Leyandrii, the Goddess of the world of Remargaren.
Jerrol is a King’s Ranger, quiet and tenacious. Birlerion is a Lady’s Sentinal, silent and deadly. Together they will change the history of Remargaren.
This week, the first book in the series, Sentinals Awaken, hit number 13 on the Amazon Top 100 Bestseller list for Classic Fantasy ebooks, having consistently been in the top 30 for the past three months. The second book, Sentinals Rising, hit number 10 on the Amazon Top 100 Bestseller list for Religious and inspirational Fantasy ebooks.
It is so rewarding to know your books are being enjoyed by many readers and garnering the recognition they deserve. Sentinals Rising also recieved a Readers’ Favorite Five Star Review, you can check it out here!
I am excited to share that I am working on the next book in the Sentinal series, the title of which my Patreon and newsletter subscribers are currently voting on. Want to get involved? Then sign up to my newsletter or Patreon at the link via linktr.ee/HelenGarraway.
There is a lot more happening:
Sentinals Rising narration is almost finished and releases on audiobook in September.
The first book of my new SoulMist series, SoulBreather, releases in paperback in September, you can add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads here.
Hardcover of SoulBreather will also release in September.
SoulBreather ebooks releases as part of the Realm of Darkness Boxset on October 4th. Preorder for 99c now!
I am excited about the release of my new SoulMist series, which is a fantasy romance series about Solanji, a young woman with a secret and Mav, a tortured fallen angel.
SoulBreather is the first book I have written to an extenal deadline and in a new world. So that was a bit scary as well as exciting!
Initial ARC review have beeen positive, in fact, I could say they have been downright enthusiastic, along with demands for book two, which is very reassuring. You can find them on Goodreads!
Interested in learning more about SoulBreather?
If you fall in love with the shadows, does that mean you are fallen too?
A dying angel. A fractured realm. The SoulBreather who might be able to save them both.
Solanji has a secret. One that is becoming increasingly difficult to keep. She can touch souls and see into a person’s inner thoughts. Soulbreathing is exhilarating and addictive, until the day Solanji caresses the wrong person’s soulmist.
Dragged into a long forgotten angelic mystery, she is forced to venture into Eidolon, the godforsaken last resort for those without souls. In order to save her brother, she must rescue a broken and tortured man. Can she save him from the shadows? Does he even want to be saved? And can she find a way to return to the light before the darkness engulfs them both?
Follow me on Amazon, Goodreads or Bookbub to get notified when SoulBreather releases. I hope you pick up my new book, and enjoy the new world I’m building. There is plenty more to come.
Thank you for joining me on the journey, hope you stay for the aventure!
If you enjoy fantasybooks then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
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Today I am chatting with Elle Hartford who is celebrating the release of her cozy mystery/fairytale retelling Beauty and the Alchemist which releases today, August 12th, 2022.
Helen: Welcome Elle. Congratulations on the relase of your new book Beauty & the Alchemist. It seems like it’s a mixture of multiple genres, tell us a little about it.
Elle: Hi! I’m really excited for this book. It’s called Beauty and the Alchemist, and it’s a cozy mystery retelling of Beauty and the Beast. My main character is an alchemist named Red, who’s really just trying to live her life making potions in fairy tale Belville. But when a criminal is found murdered in a nearby haunted castle, and Red’s best friend takes the blame, she has to jump in and find the truth. There’s ancient curses, supportive friends, and–of course!–a huge library.
Helen: Oh, and you’re playing with fairytales as well. You are mixing up the bag! How did you come up with idea to mix genres?
Elle: My friends on social media have accused me of making up my own genre, and I guess they’re right! But that’s not what I set out to do. I’ve been a long time reader of cozy mysteries (mysteries where the focus is on the puzzle and the community, not so much on grim crimes or police procedure). A lot of cozies have a witchy or “paranormal” theme, so to me, it seemed natural to extend that just a little bit, to include fairy tales and magic creatures. So, often I’ll describe my subgenre as “fairy tale-inspired cozy” or even cozy fantasy. I just love it, because it takes the warm feelings and brain teasers of cozy mystery and adds magic–what could be better?
Helen: Sounds like an excellent new genre to me! I always think covers are the most difficult to create, how about you? How did you decide what the cover should be?
Elle: I really wanted my cover to have a classic cozy mystery look–a picturesque scene with a hint of danger, and the cozy companion front and center, naturally. So William, the black dog, is sitting on the path watching as Red’s cloak disappears into the woods below the ghostly castle. Normally, William would refuse to sit still while Red runs toward the unknown, but I liked how this scene combines both the lost castle of Beauty and the Beast with the dark forest of Little Red Riding Hood (Red’s namesake).
Helen: I think it’s so interesting that you’re mashing up fairytales as well. Tell us about your protagonist, Red.
Elle: My protagonist is the alchemist, Red, who recently gave up a life of being a traveling potion-maker to settle down in rural Belville. She’s smart, resourceful, and a little bit mysterious. She also cares a lot about her friends, even if she won’t always admit it outright–often, she feels like an outsider, even though many people in Belville welcome her immediately. I myself can relate to Red’s shyness when it comes to trusting relationships, so that’s probably part of why I wrote her. But also, more practically, who better to solve mysteries than a natural scientist with botanical knowledge, an alchemical lab, and an arsenal of special tools?
Helen: If Red could answer this question, why would she say we should read your book?
Elle: Red would say that we should read the book for Luca, her best friend in Belville, or for Gloria, her irascible neighbor. Both Gloria and Luca have their own personal struggles that they have to overcome in the course of the book. Red helps them both, in her way, but she would definitely give them most of the credit.
Helen: Who is your favourite character in your book?
Elle: What a tough question! I love so many of my characters, each for a different reason. But one of the characters who made me smile the most while I was writing is Trent, a young witch who gets roped into the investigation. He reminds me very much of my little brother (though both Trent and my brother are too big now to really be thought of as “little”!).
Helen: When writing cozy fantasy novels, with a touch of fairytale magic, do you still find yourself doing research?
Elle: Tons. If you could see my office, you might think I was an alchemist fresh from the twelfth century–or a scholar of some kind! This series has been a very good excuse to collect books. 🙂 The alchemy that Red practices is based on historical science and mysticism–think things like the Elixir of Life and proto-chemistry. And then, of course, I also research a lot of folklore for each story too, since many of them are based on fairy tales or legends. I love breathing new life into old things!
Helen: Thank you so much for joining me today Elle, and congratulations on the release of your cozy fantasy novel. A final question for you. What advice would give aspiring writers?
Elle: My opinion on this has changed a lot during my journey to publication. I think my advice would be twofold: first, find a critique partner or editor or writing group whose opinion you trust, and who you feel safe sharing your work with. Having someone with a completely different perspective from me point out the highs and lows of my manuscripts has been invaluable–it may feel hard to accept feedback in the moment, but it makes you so much more confident in the end, because you know you’ve covered your bases. So that’s part one: value an outside perspective. But part two is definitely to believe in yourself. If you can do that, truly–and it is very hard!–then you’re golden. A lot of my books boil down to just that.
And catching murderers, of course. 😉
Thank you so, so much for having me on, and giving me a chance to ramble about things I love!
About the Author:
Elle Hartford
Elle adores cozy mysteries, fairy tales, and above all, learning new things. As a historian and educator, she believes in the value of stories as a mirror for complicated realities. She currently lives in New Jersey with a grumpy tortoise and a three-legged cat.
Find more stories of Red and her friends at ellehartford.com. And while you’re there, sign up for Elle’s newsletter to get bonus material, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and terrible jokes!
As an Amazon Associate I may earn commission from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and keep up with progress on my next books are published.
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Reviewed: July 23rd 2022 Released: March 15th, 2022 Genre: Fantasy Romance
As a princess in the impoverished kingdom of Delantria, it’s Aldari’s job to look pretty, speak little, and marry a prince.
Studying mathematics and writing papers on economic theory in an effort to fix her people’s financial woes? Her father has forbidden it. With war on the horizon, they must focus on the immediate threat.
Reluctantly, Aldari agrees to marry a prince in a neighboring kingdom to secure an alliance her people desperately need. All is going to plan until the handsome elven mercenary captain hired to guard her marriage caravan turns into her kidnapper. His people are in trouble, and he believes she has the knowledge to help.
But with an invasion force approaching Delantria, Aldari’s own people need her. She must do everything in her power to escape the elves and make it to her wedding in time.
Never mind that her kidnapper is witty, clever, and offers her a challenge that intrigues her mind even as his easy smile intrigues her heart…
Aldari can’t let herself develop feelings for him. To fall in love and walk away from her wedding would mean the end of her kingdom and everyone she cares about. Read my Thoughts…
But something destroyed an entire skyscraper in a never-before-seen implosion. Can one skeptical security guard stand between monsters and magic that threaten the world?
Disillusioned with her military career, Red Hernandez crawled back to civilian life as a second tier security lead for an engineering marvel meant to cram more people into the tiny island of Manhattan. She expected her biggest struggles to be integrating back into a society where social media and closet space reigned supreme. But when mysterious forces destroy a building similar to the one she’s chartered to protect, in an implosive blast never before seen, all notions of a cushy retirement job go up in smoke.
With lives on the line, but big money pushing to continue construction, Red finds the steely determination that she’d lost in the desert of her past. Monsters lurk in the shadows, forcing her to re-evaluate everything she believed to be true… and all that she imagined.
Can one woman save the world, or will disbelief be her undoing? Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: June 16th, 2022 Released: May 21st, 2020 Genre: Gaming Fantasy/Humour
Two heads are better than one. Three can be a real pain in the arse.
We are Og-Grim-Dog! We have been loved and reviled! We have been the Hero of the Hour, the Darkest Villain, and everything in between! We have saved this world and travelled to worlds beyond it! You think you can distil the life of Og-Grim-Dog into some words on a page? When a stranger visits their inn, the regulars are in for a surprise. Did their Landlord really come here from Gal’azu—the dangerous, edgier province to the east? Could it be that his stories, so fanciful and fantastical, were episodes from his previous life? When their Landlord is persuaded to have his life story recorded for posterity, the surprises come thick and fast. Just like his regulars, you too can learn how a three-headed ogre came to be a hero. Unlike them, you don’t stand to be killed if it all goes wrong…
Reviewed: June 15th, 2022 Released: December 19th, 2020
Aram Raythe has the power to challenge the gods. He just doesn’t know it yet. Aram thinks he’s nothing but a misfit from a small fishing village in a dark corner of the world. As far as Aram knows, he has nothing, with hardly a possession to his name other than a desire to make friends and be accepted by those around him, which is something he’s never known. But Aram is more. Much, much more.
Unknown to him, Aram bears within him a gift so old and rare that many people would kill him for it, and there are others who would twist him to use for their own sinister purposes. These magics are so potent that Aram earns a place at an academy for warrior mages training to earn for themselves the greatest place of honor among the armies of men: dragon riders.
Aram will have to fight for respect by becoming not just a dragon rider, but a Champion, the caliber of mage that hasn’t existed in the world for hundreds of years. And the land needs a Champion. Because when a dark god out of ancient myth arises to threaten the world of magic, it is Aram the world will turn to in its hour of need. Read My Thoughts…
When darkness falls, beware of the creatures that come out to play…
There are only THREE months remaining to preorder your copy of the limited edition Realm of Darkness boxset. The authors of Realm of Darkness have come together to offer this three amazing bookish boxes. In these boxes, you’ll receive $120-worth of books and bookish swag. Details & entry options below.
What you’ll get for your 99¢ in Realm of Darkness
All these fantasy, romantic fantasy, fantasy romance, or paranormal romance novels…
And more… more than 40 full-length novels in total. The authors in this set are hosting a giveaway with focus on Apple and B&N sales. Freebie options for entry too when you help the team spread the word.
If you love fantasy then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and find out when my next books are published.
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It’s finally here! A free- yes FREE fantasy anthology with 12 novellas/short stories. Available for a limited time!!
If you loved Sentinals Awaken, or haven’t read it yet but would like to try a sample! then Sentinals Discovery is the first few chapters of Sentinals Awaken from the Sentinal, Birlerion’s, POV, when he is woken after three thousand years, and you get 11 other fantasy stories as well for free!
“Within this short story Helen paves the way for the beautiful epic Fantasy…that will transport you to another time, another world, where you will re-live everything that takes place and I cannot praise these books enough.”
5* Amazon review for Sentinals Discovery.
Creatures of Magic and Myth
A tantalizing taste of this summers most anticipated fantasy collection. This carefully curated collection of novels, novellas and short stories has everything you could want:
Magic and wonder
Drama and intrigue
Fantastic creatures
Myths and legends …and so much more!
Featuring stories from USA Today, International and award winning bestselling authors. Creatures of Magic and Myth will entrap your senses in a magical realm of impossibilities. From Dragon Realm press this Limited edition anthology will amaze!
If you loved Sentinals Discovery then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and find out when my next books are published.
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Helen Garraway 