With a title like The Skin Map and a hellish-red cover with shadowy images of pyramids and glowing arcane symbols, I expected this novel by Stephen R. Lawhead to be dark, and even biblically apocalyptic in tone. Boy was I wrong! The Skin Map turned out to be one of the most whimsical novels by…
Last October, while participating in “Fright Fest” at Heroines of Fantasy, I published a work of flash fiction titled The Devil’s Bridge. It’s based on a Welsh legend about an old woman and her deal with the devil – on the eve of Samhain (Halloween). So, in honor of Saturday’s holiday, I’m republishing the story…
After a very long wait, the premier of Season 3 of Da Vinci’s Demons airs tomorrow. To me, it will be bittersweet because Starz has ended the series, making Season 3 the final season of one of my favorite shows. Even worse, the studio made the decision after filming wrapped, so it’s unlikely we’ll see…
Tomorrow, the Kindle edition of Enoch’s Device will be featured as a daily deal on BookSends. But I decided to start the sale a day early on Amazon and run it for the rest of the week. (It’s on Amazon UK too.) If you’ve already read and liked the book, now is a great time to tell a friend. Here’s…
The Einstein Prophecy by Robert Masello begins with an ominous epigraph. It’s a quote from Albert Einstein, which reads: “I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth—rocks.” From there, I was hooked, and the rest of the book never…
With no time to blog this week, I’m digging into the archives. This one’s from January 2012.In one of my earliest blog posts, I talked about the fine line between the genres of historical fiction and historical fantasy. Earlier this month, two of my favorite authors, George R.R. Martin and Bernard Cornwell, touched on this issue in a joint…
For those suffering from Black Sails withdrawal – after a wonderful season finale, I might add – Starz is finally giving us the second half of Outlander, season one, beginning this Saturday. It’s been a long hiatus, but I can’t wait to return to the eighteenth century Highlands! One of the best shows on television!*…
In honor of one of my favorite holidays, the Kindle version of Enoch’s Device will be on sale at Amazon for the next 7 days! (And on Amazon UK too!) After all, the book’s heroes, Brother Ciarán and Brother Dónall, are Irish monks who undoubtedly enjoyed a pint or three on St. Patty’s Day! Irish monks emptied the kegs on St. Patrick’s…
I began the New Year by finishing The Scourge: Emaculum, the third and final volume in Roberto Calas’ historical fantasy series about a zombie apocalypse set in fourteenth century England. In short, I loved this book and believe it’s the perfect ending to this trilogy. You can read my review of The Scourge here, and…
Last week, io9 ran an article titled “No, Bram Stoker Did Not Model Dracula On Vlad The Impaler,” which debunks the belief that Stoker’s legendary vampire was based on the notorious Wallachian prince. In fact, in early drafts of the novel, Stoker’s antagonist was apparently named “Count Wampyr.” You can’t make this up. The historical…
Today I’m guest blogging at Heroines of Fantasy, a site devoted to fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, and especially women in genre fiction. As part of their month-long “Fright Fest,” I’ve written a work of flash fiction (i.e., a story under 1,000 words) titled “The Devil’s Bridge.” It’s based on an old Welsh legend about…