2024 COVERS

2024 covers

Welcome to the Dark Side!

We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Monday 27 November 2017

DarkSider News for November: Part 4


Welcome to the latest DarkSider News!

Grab some pom poms and raise a cheer as we bring you our latest news.



NEW DARKSIDER(s)

M.J. Scott has been a DarkSider for a while now, but her alter egos haven't been. Say hello to Emma and Melanie.

Welcome Emma Douglas to the DSDU!

Emma Douglas has read like a wild thing since she was small. She discovered romance novels at an age that way probably way too young but she survived unscathed. When she realized you could make up stories as well as read them, she started taking notes about what the characters wandering through her head were telling her and then, eventually, books happened.

Before the books happened she did the usual things (was a band geek (and a geek generally), had crushes on rock stars and fictional characters, spent chunks of her summers on an island beach, got a degree in something sensible that doesn’t involve writing about kissing, became a black belt in internet procrastination, fell down the rabbit-hole of craft, traveled a bit, indulged her love of baked goods, got bossed around by cats, began a quest for the perfect margarita, and napped to recover from all of the above.

She still does most of that plus the writing thing from a tiny house which her feline overlords have kindly agreed to share with her.





Welcome Melanie Scott to the DSDU!

Melanie Scott is an unrepentant bookworm. Luckily she grew up in a family that fed her a properly varied diet of books and these days is surrounded by people who are understanding of her story addiction. When not wrestling one of her own stories to the ground, she can generally be found reading someone else’s. Her other distractions include yarn, cat butlering, dark chocolate and fabric. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.




NEW RELEASES


Come Back To Me by Annie Seaton is Book 1 in the Love Across Time series. It was published on 9th November 2017.


A beautifully written time travel love story. A romance that mixes the suspense and implications of time travel. 

Megan Miller has come to a crossroads in her career. Accusations of a breach of ethics in her university teaching have rocked her world. As she travels halfway across the world to the Glastonbury rock festival to research and complete her doctoral thesis, she hopes that the mess she leaves behind in Australia will be sorted while she is in England.

Davy Morgan, reclusive rock singer, tries to keep his music world and his private life separate; his very existence depends on it. But when the beautiful fey woman turns up at the cottage next door, he must do all he can to keep his dark secret. Because everything is not as it seems in Davy's world.
When the truth comes out, can their love cross the decades, or will it be lost in time?


Buy links are available from Book2Read.





Maid of Ice by Shona Husk is Book 3 in the Blood and Wine series. It was published by Lyrical Press on 21st November.


Stalkers and death threats . . . 
For Finlay Ryder, danger means playing a racecar driver on a daytime soap. That is, until he’s forced to reckon with his true identity as an Albah, a magical ancient race, by one of his own kind. Someone wants him dead. And worse, an ancient vampire is on the prowl, drawing blood left and right. Now, Finlay has no choice but to hunt enemies with unspeakable powers—or risk being hunted himself . . .

. . . and that’s just the first date 
Ice skater Alina Nyx is using her broken wrist as an excuse for a career change. And when she falls for handsome Finlay, Albah drama feels like her new full-time job. Learning about magic and vampires is exciting, until her life is threatened. Now, as she begins to uncover her own mysterious powers, she must combine forces with Finlay to eradicate their foes for good, or all Albah will suffer . . . 




Buy links are available from the Blood and Silver page on Shona's website.

The first two books in the series were published earlier this year, see below for details.







Wheelchair Mermaid
 by Carlie Simonsen is book 4 of the Wheelchair Adventures series. It was published by C.M. Simpson Publishing on 18th November. 


All Stacey wants is a morning on the beach—okay, and maybe to surf again. Like that’s ever going to happen, but a morning on the beach, on her own, as close to the waves as she’ll ever get, again, will do. It’s just that when something swims under the jetty, and a speedboat full of dangerous-looking men arrives on the beach shortly after, she has to do something. Right? Wheelchair or not, right? And that’s when life really starts to get interesting…


Wheelchair Mermaid is the fourth book in the Wheelchair Adventures series, which is based around young people getting their wheels underneath them, after they find themselves in wheelchairs.






Non-paranormal titles

Her Outback Surprise by Annie Seaton is Book 2 in The Pickle Creek series. It was released by Entangled Publishing's Bliss line on the 9th October 2017.


Angie Edmonds is content with life in her small town. Being alone doesn’t bother her. Really. Until Liam Smythe, the man who broke her heart, shows up at her vet clinic with an injured puppy. Unfortunately, he's just as irresistible as she remembers. In an attempt to prove to him that she’s moved on, somehow a little white lie begins…

When Liam returns to help run the family farm, his enjoyment of the slow life in Spring Downs surprises him. After all, he’s used to the thrill of chasing the next big story. Running into the girl he's never been able to forget is unexpected, and he’s shocked to learn she’s getting married--to someone who's not him. She’s off-limits, but Liam can’t stop thinking about the gorgeous vet and what could have been. But convincing her he’s changed will be harder than finding a needle in a haystack.



Buy links are available from Books2Read.


See below for details of Book 1 in the series, also published in 2017. 




PRE-ORDERS



The Trading Game: Zach by Ellie Moonwater is Book 2 in The Mentraden Training Centre series. It is expected to be released by C.M. Publishing on the 15th December.


Zach has been searching for a Dom to partner for a very long time, a partner he can give control to, knowing they can be trusted to be in charge. Agathia looks like she can more than fill the role, right up until Zach discovers she’s not alone, and he has two partners to deal with, instead of one…and then the shape-shifting shen take the ship, and things get complicated.

The Trading Game is an erotic science fiction adventure story, containing elements of romance, light bondage, slave-capture fantasy, multiple partners, mfm partnering, bondage, and explicit, kinky and consensual sex, as well as gun fights, fist fights, and underhanded dealings.


Pre-order at Smashwords.









Serpents' Souls & Dragon Hearts by C.M. Simpson is a science fiction short story. It is expected to be released by C.M. Publishing on the 1st December.


Mankind has legends of intelligent serpents, dragons and vampires in almost every culture, and now mankind is out amongst the stars. When an emergent psi of lizardine-human descent dreams of a many-legged threat and serpents walking the skies, mankind might just have a chance to discover those legends made real.



Pre-order at Smashwords | Amazon US | Amazon Aus



















Non paranormal title

No Place Like You by Emma Douglas is Book 3 in the Cloud Bay series. It's expected to be published on 5th December by St Martin's Press.


Home--in the island village of Cloud Bay--is where the heart is. . .

Leah Santelli always knew that Zach Harper, son of a rock legend and her best friend's brother, was painfully out of reach. Then, on the night of her eighteenth birthday, Leah shocked herself by asking for--and receiving--the gift she wanted: one night of passion with Zach before he left town to pursue his rock star dreams. Now, years later, Zach is back in Cloud Bay to record his first solo album. His return could also be Leah's big chance to step up her own music career. But getting the producing credit she needs means spending long hours with Zach in the recording studio...and falling back into the habit of longing for him, for better or worse.

Zach used to believe that a man must put his past behind him. But coming back home for Cloud Bay's famed music festival has allowed him to finally make amends with his family and, much to his surprise, reunite with Leah. He might have left her once but now it seems he can't stay away. Trouble is, even though the heat between them burns hotter than ever, Leah has old wounds in need of healing before she can give Zach a real chance. Can he find a way to convince her that they can make more than just great music together--and that she's the one that he wants for all time?


Pre-order links are available on Emma's website. 

The first two books in the series were published earlier this year, see below for details. 






PREVIOUS 2017 RELEASES


Lady of Silver by Shona Husk is Book 1 in the Blood and Wine series. It was published by Lyrical Press on 21st February.


A man on a mission
A brutal crime is haunting detective Dale Morgan. A young woman has been murdered on the city’s outskirts, and her blood drained. Dale suspects the leader of a depraved cult may be to blame. Yet with barely a shred of evidence at the crime scene, Dale will have to turn to the one person despises almost as much as the killers he puts behind bars. 

A woman with secrets
To humans, Saba Venn is a psychic, but she’s Albah, a race long forgotten by humans but who live amongst them, her powers fueled by blood and silver. She agrees to help Detective Morgan, if it means stopping the vampire cult she believes is behind the killing. But the attraction she feels with Dale is immediate, and as their relationship intensifies she begins to doubt she can keep her secret from him.







Warrior of Fire by Shona Husk is Book 2 in the Blood and Wine series. It was published by Lyrical Press on 20th June.


Is theirs a love match?
For Leira Venn, her future is a given foretold by the oracle of the Albah, the ancient people she was born to. Which is why she knows from the moment she meets Dr. Julian Ryder that he is fated to be hers. But nothing else about the prophecy feels right. For the handsome doctor is shrouded by darkness, and intimately involved with a woman who seems intent on killing Leira . . .

Or a death wish?
Sorrow has shadowed Julian Ryder for as long as he can remember. But from the moment he meets lovely Leira, his heart is filled with hope for the future—a future that is as combustible as the powerful attraction between them. For Leira is marked for death by the very forces who killed his mother. The very darkness that stole everything he held most dear. Only this time, Julian is stronger, more in control of his powers than ever. But will it be enough to save Leira from those who would destroy her?







Buy links for both books are available from the Blood and Silver page on Shona's website.




White Pinnacle by C.M. Simpson is a fantasy short story. It was released by C.M. Publishing on the 3rd February.





I grew up with the White Pinnacle always on my horizon. It was the first thing I saw in the morning and the last thing I saw at night. Was it connected to me not being allowed to go to sea like the rest of my siblings, and why my father refused to tell me why? The night my sister’s ship capsized, was a night of revelations, but the price… my sister… Was it something I was strong enough to bear?


Available from: Amazon USAmazon AusSmashwords | Drive Thru Fiction











The Starman's Arrival by C.M. Simpson is a science fiction short story. It was released by C.M. Publishing on the 8th September.


Knocking over those crates of beer was a death sentence. I did it on purpose, in front of everyone, and then I did the only thing I could—I ran. I think I saved the starman. Now, the only way I’ll know, is if the supply ship comes in time to drive the raiders away—and I get back out of Blacklegs’ Forest alive. Wish me luck, okay? I’m gonna need it.




Non-paranormal titles

Need You Now by Emma Douglas is Book 1 in the Cloud Bay series. It was published on 29 August October by St Martin's Press.


Welcome to the small island town of Cloud Bay, where it's never the wrong time to find a love that's oh-so-right. . .

Caleb White knows what he wants out of life--and being a star tennis player is not it. After speaking to the press about his plans to retire, Caleb decides that a trip to quaint, beautiful Cloud Bay for its legendary music festival is exactly what he needs. There will be time to figure out what to do with his life without a racket in his hand soon enough. Until then, Caleb is content to be stuck on an island with CloudFest's gorgeous director Faith Harper. . .

The daughter of a famous rock star, Faith knows all about fame, fortune, and hot flings that aren't meant to last longer than a few good songs. Gorgeous, built Caleb is a temptation she can't resist, but she's not prepared for the way he makes her feel. . .and the dreams that they both share. What begins as a carefree distraction deepens into something real. But is Caleb ready to put his celebrity behind him and give life in the slow lane with Faith a chance?




A Season of You by Emma Douglas is Book 2 in the Cloud Bay series. It was published on 3rd October by St Martin's Press.


It's Christmastime in the quaint island town of Cloud Bay, where love is always in season... Will Fraser has believed in love at first sight since the day he first laid eyes on Mina Harper five years ago. There was only one problem: She was happily married. Then, when Mina's husband was killed by a drunk driver, Will figured she'd want nothing to do with a guy who owns a whiskey distillery. So he's kept his feelings locked away, knowing that not even a Christmas miracle would be enough to melt Mina's heart. . . Mina believes her days of true love are behind her.

Since losing her husband she's kept to herself, content to do her own painting and stay out of the limelight that comes with her famous family. But when, after a freak accident, Will comes to her rescue, Mina can't quite get him out of her mind. As curiosity turns into a fling during Cloud Bay's first Christmas Festival, she finds it harder to convince herself that her feelings for Will are just mistletoe-inspired. Could Mina be ready to lay the past to rest and finally admit that what she really wants for Christmas--and forever--is Will?


Buy links for both books are available on Emma's website. 




Her Outback Cowboy by Annie Seaton is Book 1 in The Prickle Creeky series. It was released by Entangled Publishing's Bliss line on the 19th June 2017.



The last thing advertising art director Lucy Bellamy wants is to go home to the Outback, but duty to family calls. At least there’s one bonus—her first love, sexy cowboy neighbour, Garth Mackenzie, is there and the attraction between them is still explosive. But Lucy has no intention of getting stuck in this two-bit town and she counts down the days until she can go back to her real life.

After an engineering degree and working in the mines of Western Australia, Garth has returned to the Outback and is home to stay. His goal is to settle down, start a family, and work his beloved land with the girl he’s always loved. But if it comes to Lucy choosing between the glamour of the city or making a home with him in the Outback—he’d lose, hands down



Buy links available from Books2Read.









WEBSITE UPDATES

Updated pages since the last DarkSider News: Melanie Scott, Emma Douglas, Annie Seaton, Shona Husk, and Cassandra L. Shaw.






Congratulations to all our DarkSiders!


Thanks for joining in our news. We'll see you next time...

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