Posts:
15 September 2024
We have a short story in “Tales from the Wood.” These are the fantasy stories based on the Jethro Tull songs. Volume 1 has the Sci Fi ones.
12 June 2024
A bit I’m playing with… Not sure where it’s going.
Promises…
She walked the desolate wooded prairie of West Texas slowly. Around her, the small, twisted mesquite trees grew mixed with the local cedar, though the dusty, blue, misshapen berries on them made her think of juniper. The mesquite almost looked like twisted grumpy old men in the pale morning light. Thorny ill-tempered Ents, if Tolkien’s tree people had hated mankind and wanted him out of their land. Twisting among them were the wild rose and the wild plum, small trees also decked with thorns, but even now in winter, they seemed to lack the malevolence of the mesquite.
Even using its wood, mesquite seemed unfriendly. Twisty with gaps and knots as lumber, its sawdust was gritty, dulling tools and clogging lungs. Burned, it was hot and smokey, giving food a harsh flavor, though some liked it. It seemed to keep its form, even as ash. In winter, leafless, the thorns were more evident, and the shadows cast by the low morning sun looked like grasping claws. With thorns that caught and tore clothing, pierced tires, and often carried infection.
She paused. The sun made the native grasses, dry and dead in the winter drought look almost like the so-called golden hills of California. Pretty, but a wildfire death trap, waiting for the unwary. Nothing in this land was welcoming. That might be why the people seemed so friendly.
It was people against an age-old enemy that didn’t want them. The land threw cycles of drought and flood against them, summer heat that killed either fast by heat stroke or slowly by the skin cancers it caused, and winter cold that flowed down from the arctic wastes. A cold deep enough to doom the unprepared.
Hints of it dallied in the wind this dawn. She was glad she took his hoodie. Heavy and plush with fleece, it felt like his hug around her. She pulled it tighter, remembering when he teased her about stealing it. Complained how it smelled of her perfume. Later, he admitted that it was a comfort when he traveled. He’d steal her pillowcases for trips, too. Silly man.
She continued walking along the rarely used path. As she crested the low hill, she saw the graveyard below. Leaves blew across the untended graves and tumbleweeds were trapped against the stones and the fences; the halt of their normally joyous dance was as complete as death.
“For the sake of a promise, for the keeping of an oath no living man has heard.” The verse echoed in her mind. She looked back. The white stone house stood with its metal roof ablaze in the rising sun. The white gravel driveway sparkled and glowed in the light, almost like the roads were said to be in Fairie.
Light peeked from the windows, and she knew he was making coffee. Black for himself but a little cream in a cup on the floor for the dog. He spoiled what he loved. He did her. Soon he would let the dog out. Always a black standard poodle. Always named Beau. Always a rescue.
He liked rescues. She had been one once.
Soon, he’d sit on the swing he made for her. Watch as the dog plays in the yard. Sometimes answers emails. Sometimes slowly plays that mandolin. But always with a cup of black coffee. Always watching. As if waiting for something that never came. Maybe, if his joints didn’t hurt, he’d play with the dog.
She often sat at night and watched him as he slept. Old injuries hurt him. His dreams were sometimes dark, with places and things he never spoke of. She’d sit and stroke his hair like a child. Sometimes, she sang to him. Sometimes, in the deep dark, they would make love as if in a dream. Afterward, he slept without pain. Sometimes, while he slept, she cleaned a bit.
She had promised.
She walked down the hill and through the iron gate that opened to the graves. She paused and checked the knotted cord around her wrist. She smiled and spoke some words in the old tongue. Then she walked over and looked at the only grave that was still tended. She never figured out how he managed to get permission for this. Old cemeteries on private land weren’t used anymore. But he did.
And this only worked here or in the bathhouse at midnight. Old magic.
She looked at the trees again. Nasty grumpy Ents, indeed. And tied another knot on the cord around her wrist.
“Be thou bound as my knot is bound. Guard and keep him. Ward him from all harm of this world or the other. Be so bound save thee can name the stars or tell what Christ said in Hell.”
The trees moved in response to the spell. She suspected they didn’t mind. Despite the harshness, or perhaps because of it, he loved this land. Loved the twisted trees for their tenacity. They knew that.
She smiled at the sun, now uncomfortable, and stood on the tended grave. She sunk in. He’d be here to tend it about noon, and when night came, she’d come back and tend him. After all, you didn’t break a promise.
12 May 2024
At long last, book 6 is out. Book 7, tentatively Sailing the Clouds of Morning, is in work.
1 September 2023
Another short story in the Hall of Heroes cycle: Tania’s Wedding. A retelling of the Koschei the Deathless story, complete with magic swords, talking dogs, a mostly friendly troll, and Nate the sea turtle.
16 August 2023
Another awesome review from Miss Caroline on Book 2
August 11, 2023
BOTW: Gemini Warrior by JD Cowan
TWO MEN; ONE POWER Matthew and Jason are just two nobodies in a city of heroes and villains. But when they are given bracelets that endow them with powers, and then get thrown into a whole new world beyond all reason, they are soon in over their heads!
Now they must team up with aliens, battle magical creatures, and get back home before the bombs inside the go off! All that, and they still have to defeat the being who sent them there in the first place! Two heads are better than one, but will it be enough to save two whole worlds? Find out in the first book of the Gemini Man trilogy, Gemini Warrior!
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Gemini-Warrior-Man-Book-ebook/dp/B0CB1SN8VW
August 4, 2023
Wow! What an amazing review! We blush
https://carolinefurlong.wordpress.com/2023/07/21/review-sworn-to-the-light-by-denton-salle/
July 1, 2023
It’s out as is Book 2 on audio.
Paper and HB will be up in a few days.
June 19, 2023
And book 5 of the Avatar Wizard, In the Hall of Eternal Music, is up for preorder.
Join Jeremy and Galena as they make a visit to Bolgor's home. And of course, bad things are happening. It's a rough job for a teenager being the Shield of the Light.
You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8H61BJ1
May 24 2023
The Avatar Wizard book 5 is now at the first reader and the audiobook of the Fourth Bear of God is in ACX review,
March 21, 2023
The audiobook for Sworn to the Light is now available at both Amazon and Audible.
Feb 22, 2023
Sorry for the radio silence. It’s been a bit of a ride.
Book 5 is coming along, but looks to be longer than expected. Galena keeps getting in mischief.
More in a bit…
Dec 4, 2022
My interview with the wonderful people at Blasters and Blades is now up. You can find it here. Listen to some of the others too, they talk to a lot of cool writers.
Avatar of Righteousness? Us?
Dec 3 2022
I’m running late. The day job caught up with me.
Current plans are the Hall of Eternal Music in Jan, Warlocks Heirs in March, and probably some shorts in between.
Mea cuplea.
Nov 18, 2022
BOTW: Falling Up by Karina Fabian
Will not passing a gym class keep Prilly from joining her dad on Mars?
All Prilly wants is to join her father on Mars, but in the meantime, she has to live with her Aunt Edith, a Rescue Sister who runs an orphanage and school for Spacer children. It's hard enough for an Earther girl to make friends, but when the kids tell her she can't go to Mars unless she passes gym class, she's desperate. Will anyone teach her the proper way to fall when variable station gravity means she has to fall up?
Nov 14, 2022
To answer a reader’s question, yes, By the Burning Stone is the same as Away with the Fairies. Another author released a book with the same name the first of November and as we share a pool of readers, I changed it. Don’t want a mess like Blood and Bone. I understand titles aren’t copyrighted, but why be a jerk?
BTW, Friday’s book of the week is another one by Karina Fabian. Without having gotten to it yet, put the liquids down when reading. Falling Up.
Nov. 12, 2022
By the Burning Stone is now up. The burning stone gives the hero three choices in Slavic folktales. Alex, having gone to Otherworld to rescue Emily, must go by it and finds adventures. But will he find the woman he loves? Now an ebook on Kindle.
Oct. 6, 2022
Haunted Mansion is now in the Kindle store and on Kindle Unlimited.
Sept. 12, 2022
Tales Yet Untold is up. Next release will be the Haunted Mansion, a Hall of Heroes story about Oct 1.
August 27, 2022
The proofreader is running late so Tales Yet Unsung is up for pre-publication orders. I’m planning on releasing it on Sept 4th. Our proofreader was on vacation. Final cover is below. Also below is a painting from the Kimbell’s exhibit on Venitian glass. This is what I see Milka and the others like. The statute of Othello and company has the gown that gets Helena in trouble. (again).
Yes, Jeremy has a white streak in his hair. Other than that, he looks like his father.
August 4, 2022
Looks like Tales Yet Unsung will be out Aug 30th or so. Proofreader was on vacation.
Also coming this fall:
July 22, 2022
Texas Cozy to Noir is now up. (I reversed the title ‘cause they follow better.)
July 4, 2022
Happy Independence Day!
If you can find one, a great idea to really understand what it might have been like to separate from one of the greatest powers in the world back then would be to attend an Appleseed event. Not only will they teach you to shoot, but they will talk in detail about the Revolution. Looking at what we have today in politics, it’s hard to imagine the man they wanted to be king went home after two terms.
One of the readers suggested a glossary of the Rusyn terms and maybe a list of people from the keep. It seems like a good idea, so you’ll see that in either Tales Yet Unsung or Book 5, which got started this week. Jeremy continues to grow up and the Dark continues its attempts to dispose of him. Like in our world, the price of freedom is vigilance.
June 11, 2022
Cover reveal for this summers coming releases:
Texas Noir to Cozy is expected in mid July and Tales Yet Unsung is expected in late August. Titles and covers may change a bit.
I mentioned last month that Tales Yet Unsung was a collection of shorts. Some of these are scenes not in the books because they pulled away from the main plotline, a mistake I made in book three. Others are fill-ins and may contain either spoilers or appetizers as I prefer to call them. Jeremy’s world is complex and varied, and as you know he didn’t realize what he was getting into. He thought he was just learning to use his power. Ha! As one of the Masters said “You were a bit naïve when we got you, lad.”
May 30, 2022
Memorial Day -Lest we forget
May Light Perpetual shine on them and may their memory be eternal.
May 27, 2022
And Book 4 is released. For a brief time, about an hour, we were number 1 in Young Adult Fantasy.
Book 5, tentatively called Hall of Eternal Music, is in work and a collection of shorts, tentatively Tales Yet Unsung, is planned for late summer release.
12 May 2022
Stand against the Dark is now available for pre-order. It will be on Kindle Unlimited after release.
1 May 2022 (updated May 10)
Not Snakes, Exactly was submitted to Amazon late last night. Link is here.
The Heart’s Seasons should be submitted tonight or tomorrow. took longer than I hoped. Link is here
Avatar Wizard Four is due back this week so hopefully soon.
23 April 2022
Well, Mr. Grumpy Hat found a plot hole, so we’re running late. Looks like May now as it’s being reread. It was a good catch. I think you like the stronger and longer story. After this, there should be a collection of short stories in Jeremy’s world that contain, well I guess, fillers. Like why Jeremy’s Dad left the volkh and some adventures mentioned in the books. Then book five in the fall.
A couple of other things need some love too. So we’ll get to those over the summer.
Tomorrow is Pascha, in the Eastern Orthodox tradition so I doubt anything will get done until Tuesday, but we’ll have a short in the Hall of Heroes world and some cute-meet shorts up this week to keep people busy.
And Sworn to the Light was nominated for a Dragon Award in YA. If you can, nominations are the first round of voting so please support your panda-wizard and nominate us.
Thanks to all of you who wrote and asked. It’s nice to know someone reads this other than family and Dr. Menard. Also there is an email list you can sign up for at the bottom of the page. Or you can write…
24 Feb 2022
Cover reveal. Book 4 - Stand against the Dark -is at the proofreaders.
20 Feb 2022
Well, book four of the Avatar Wizard is at the readers. Mr. Grumpy Hat, as he is affectionately known as, hasn’t asked for hooch yet, so I am hopeful. Cover is done too. Maybe we’ll do a reveal next month. I heard real authors do that
We have a bunch of shorts - mysteries and romance mostly - that we plan to get out as well as four out of the planned five shorts in Jeremy’s world. It might grow a bit. I do like shorts. So hopefully readers will too.
I’ll be on the Nerdcognito’s podcast on the 24th. Talking about fantasy, Amazon, and things.
And as promised long ago, a panda photo. Copyright K Menard 2013
26 January 2022
It looks like book 4 is going to be later than planned. Book 3, well, I think it could have been tighter and the story grows some in four and I need to pull it together. Hopefully I can get it to the proofreader in mid Feb.
There should be some shorts coming in the next month.
4 December 2021
Book of the Week: Life: 15 Short Stories That Honor the Imago Dei (A Doorway Anthology)
A vibrant collection of short stories presented by Doorway Publishing that explores and honors the Imago Dei (the image of God) through 15 engaging fictional tales written by a diverse group of authors.
This collection focuses on the complete spectrum of life, from formation in the womb, childhood into adulthood, and all the way through old age. Each tale stands on its own and together they illustrate the complete value of life. Some deal with moral dilemmas grounded in a snapshot of time, while others explore the past, the future, and fantastical worlds to communicate the importance of preserving life. Experience the sorrow of loss, the joy of redemption, the thrill of harrowing adventures with heroes both ordinary and exceptional.
The imaginative expression of Imago Dei is needed now more than ever for a world surrounded by emptiness, isolation, and condemnation. The Life Anthology is a beacon of hope in a dark world, projecting the light of God’s promise in a unique way that reaches the heart, stimulates the mind, and calls the reader to consider His most precious creation. Us.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KT95WDN
30 November 2021
Charms of the Dark - Book Three of the Avatar Wizard
It’s live. Jeremy’s adventures continue as temptations come his way. What is the cost of fidelity? And what does that young vixen want anyway?
Also shorts set in Jeremy’s world have just come out in Can’t Go Home Again, Adventure Stories for Young Readers, and Fantastic Middle Schools.
Sept 9, 2021
BOTW Time: A bit early 'cause I'm off to the wilds tomorrow. An unusual one this week:
Eerie by Gibson Michael (Memory Eternal)
In first century Ireland, the Celts and the Fae fend off an invasion of Roman legionnaires. In the Thirty-third century, a mining colony fights for survival as the world around it shakes and shatters. An ancient species seeks to end its long exile and return home. Three disparate worlds, separated by millions of light years and over three millennia of time, are now on a collision course. Their ultimate fates will be decided on a cold, barren world that is suddenly springing to life… Éerie.
***
“As fate determined that we would only get four stories from Gibson Michaels before he was taken from us, then it is only fitting that this work should be his grand finale. With Éerie, Michaels weaves a spell-binding tale that highlights the very thin line that exists between fantasy and reality. Éerie will leave you asking ‘Are we the dreamers or are we the dream itself?” For in the realm of Éerie, what seems real may not be real at all and what seems unreal is very real indeed.” – Richard Paolinelli / Author of “Escaping Infinity”
https://www.amazon.com/Eerie-Gibson.../dp/B09C2NMKDP
Aug 20, 2021
BOTW: Lady Hawk and her Mountain Man, N Gray.
I’m the last of my kind and hunted.
They killed my protector; drove me out of my home, and now I have nowhere to go. During my escape, the hunters injured me. No longer able to fly, I stumbled upon a cabin in the woods seeking help. The man I met wasn’t happy to see a naked woman with hunters hounding her. All I wanted was medical attention and some food.
All I wanted was to live my life in isolation and enjoy my retirement in peace. But then a naked woman approached from deep within the forest, needing my help. I knew I shouldn’t help her, she would only bring trouble. The men after her would arrive soon, and I should chase her away. But I couldn’t.
Lady Hawk and her Mountain Man is a stand-alone HEA shifter romance
Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5vgZl
Aug 6, 2021
BOTW: Taking the Night - JF Posthummus
Magic and the Mob don't usually mix well. But to survive, Selia Lascari has made both work in her favor.
Banished from her hidden island homeland and adopted into a Mob family, Selia has spent nearly a decade learning to live in the "modern" world of technology and doing legitimate business for one of the city's oldest crime syndicates. Being a part of it all while still feeling very much apart from everything and everyone around her.
When she's asked to run an errand, she discovers too late that it's a trap. Alfi Barboni, a would-be suitor, wants revenge on her family and he'll do anything to get it.
When her adopted father is left for dead in the attempted coup, Selia's forced to turn to her only other option: the city's vigilante known as the Sandman. Risking everything to protect her father and save herself, Selia dons a mask –a lot of Kevlar – and begins her search for Alfi… only to discover he’s nothing more than a necromancer’s puppet.
If Selia, with the Sandman’s aid can't stop the necromancer and end the attempted coup, everything she holds dear will be left in ruin.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BG48X64?&&&&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
July 31, 2021
Dang. I really need to be better about posting here. I just get busy and forget. Anyway, my new YA fantasy, Sworn to the Light, is now available from Amazon, or for a signed paperback from me. (Email DentonSalle@gmail.com).
"Power comes from either the Light or the Dark, lad. Nothing is neutral."
Jeremy has a problem: he randomly turns into a black and white bear cub. The transformations panic his mom, but his father says he knows a wizard who can help. That scares his mother even more.
The volkh wizards once ruled like gods in their power, building the great golden city of Miklagard, establishing kingdoms, and trading with legendary places like Sheba, Chin, and India. Then the Dark arose and the wars destroyed much of the world. Kingdoms fell, cities burned, and the volkhvy were merciless in crushing it.
Master Anthony remains the greatest of the living volkh lords. Can he, will he help Jeremy stop this random changes? And at what price? Why is Jeremy's dad so worried? Isn't the war against darkness over?
Join Jeremy as he enters the world of the volkhvy. A world of mysteries and secrets. Where women walk in shadow and men call lightning at will. Where endless war against the Dark continues. If you liked Harry Potter and the Heroes of Olympus, you'll enjoy this series set in a Rus fantasy world where the lines between Good and Evil are clearly drawn.
The second book in the series, The Fourth Bear of God, is now at the proofreaders and should be out in September or October. We’ll show off the cover September 1st. “
June 12, 2021
Book of the Week: Heroes Fall, by Morgon Newquist
Living and working in the slums of Serenity City, she has become its faceless and nameless defender. She turned her back on the glittering world of professional superheroes years ago. If she has her way, she’ll never go back.
But the young and forgotten teens she helps are disappearing from the street, and nobody seems to care. As Victoria unravels this mystery, she is lead back to her old life in the star-studded glamourous superhero circles. No matter how much she hates it, she can’t abandon the helpless when they need her the most.
All clues point back to The Rampage, the terrible day when their mightiest champion Achilles fell to darkness. Will Victoria uncover the truth of what actually happened twenty years ago in time to help her lost boys and girls?
And what will happen when the fallen hero Achilles escapes, and Victoria is the only one who can stop him?
Morgon Newquist blazes on to the Superhero scene with the first Serenity City book, bringing nuance, emotion, and superpowered fights in spades. A solid, engaging launch to the brand new shared Heroes Unleashed universe, Heroes Fall will hook readers right in and leave them wanting more.
Can Victoria solve the twenty year mystery of Achilles’ fall from grace in time to save Serenity City? Or is there another, more sinister player who will destroy the very idea of superheroes?
Unravel the mystery and fight the villains with Victoria. Buy Heroes Fall today!
April 30, 2021
We had a bit of a website problem. Anyway, we are back. (Hi Mom).
Wings of Fire Stephanie Mirro
I wasn’t always the bad guy…
Once upon a time, I was simply Veronica Neill: daughter, sister, phoenix. But now I’m all alone, and life as the Falcon - an avian shifter and acquirer of fantastical things - is dangerously sexy and fun.
Some might even call me a thief, just never to my face.
But when my latest acquisition is stolen before I arrive and a gruesome murder is blamed on me, I've got a choice to make. I can get taken in by the hotter-than-hell agent sent by the Death Enforcement Agency and let them charge me with a crime I didn’t commit, or wait for my bloodsucking client to realize I've failed at the job for which he hired me.
I don’t like either door, so I'll take the window instead. Time to track down the real killer and clear my name.
If I don’t solve this murder, and fast, then I might just be facing a lifetime in a grim prison. Or worse, a lifetime of servitude to the man who hired me, a man who’s turning out to be more dangerous than I realized. And my kind lives for a very long time.
Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3cDRAvo
March 19, 2021
Book of the week: Somewhither, by John C Wright
A 2016 Dragon Award Winner!
All Ilya Muromets wanted to do was save the girl. Maybe Penny would get his name right as he swooped in to rescue her from her mad scientist father’s machine. And then they’d get married and live happily ever after.
Armed with only a squirrel gun and a samurai sword, he manages to fall into another world entirely. Alone.
Without saving Penny.
Ilya is captured and brought to the Dark Tower. A place where every man knows all the failures and successes of his life. A place where every man knows the day he will die. Everything the Stars have written will happen the way they proclaim.
Ilya’s only way out is to swear fealty to the dark lord. An action the Stars claim he cannot avoid. They want his recently discovered power for their own, and they’re willing to torture Penny to make him submit.
But Ilya doesn’t believe in the destiny the Stars give him. He’ll make his own, even if he dies doing it.
And in the highest heights and deepest depths of the dark tower, Ilya must discover who he really is.
Science Fiction Grandmaster John C. Wright leads readers through a break-neck coming of age story as Ilya rushes to rescue the girl and save the world. His trademark imaginative world and over-the-top action will delight fans of his work.
Will Ilya find Penny in time to rescue her?
And can they escape the Dark Tower when the Stars know their every move? Read Somewhither today
Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3oZLKaJ
March 6, 2021
My latest Novella should be up on Amazon by Wednesday.
Oath to a Warlock
What price for a promise kept to an oathbreaker?
Peng expected to work in the stables and someday run them for the Master. A magician who Peng’s family served forever. His cousin, Qian, worked in the house, caring for the Master’s small child. She knew someday the old magician would decide who she married. It was the way it was.
Yaros worried that keeping this promise would lead to bloodshed and horror. The warlock’s actions stayed unforgiven by many of the people, including his own descendants. Impersonating an Imperial Censor and his retinue to gain access to him all for the sake of a promise made long ago. Insane but he wouldn’t let Bata do it alone. Kin mattered.
Everyone’s plans fell apart when magics and politics crashed. How steep would the cost of keeping this oath be?
In a fantastical China where Rus Viking roam, two children end up trapped by forces beyond their control.
March 5, 2021
Book of the week: Dreamers and Misfits: The Definitive Book about Rush Fans.
No, not that Rush. Alexander Hellene's book looks at the Canadian rock band. Rush has a legion of devoted fans. But what is it about the band that inspires such a loyal and dedicated fan base? And what is it about these fans that has created this powerful bond between artist and audience? The story of these fans has never been told . . . until now
- Exclusive interviews, including Donna Halper, the woman who broke Rush in the United States, and Ed Stenger, proprietor of RushIsABand.com, one of the biggest Rush fan sites on the internet.
- Detailed survey results illuminating what makes hundreds of Rush fans tick-
An exploration of the interest, politics, faith, and philosophy of the millions of people across the globe who find meaning in the music and lyrics of Rush.
In-depth fan profiles, where Rush fans tell their stories about what this band means to them. -
Concert memories, personal anecdotes, and fan favorite songs and album.
Dreamers and Misfits presents a celebration of Rush's music and the fans who inspired and propelled the band to such dizzying heights. One things is certain: there is nothing "average" about the average Rush fan.
Feb 26, 2021
Book of the Week time: Galen’s Way, by Richard Paolinelli
A KIDNAPPED PRINCESS.
A FEARED MERCENARY.
AN EVIL EMPIRE ABOUT TO BE BORN.
The Princess Rhiannon of Salacia has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom on the fortress planet Nammu. Galen Dwyn, the most feared mercenary in the Andromeda Galaxy has been hired to rescue her and bring her home.
He will soon find himself on the run with the Princess and right in the middle of a web of political intrigue even as he begins to fall for the Princess. For her love, he will stand alone against the forces looking to establish a new, and very evil, empire.
Galen will look to keep her safe and bring the budding empire to a halt before it can gain a foothold in the galaxy. He will choose to do so the only way he knows how.
Galen’s Way.
Feb 19, 2021
It's Book of the Week time; this one is seriously awesome.
I got to beta read Ms. Lewis book and wow. Really really good. Well, except the sword on the cover which is not a yatagan. (Inside joke). Seriously, this is a goodie by one of my favorite heretics (Also inside joke)
Nephilim: Corruption, by Ann Margaret Lewis
Dakhar knows his place in life. But the God of his ancestors has a different plan for him.
For generations, his people have fought an endless battle with the cursed Nephilim, and Dakhar followed in his father’s footsteps and went off to war. All he found there was horror and death. He is unclean and unworthy of the honor his people want to grant him.
But his bravery has won him command of the Royal Guard, and the sacred duty of protecting the King and his family. The King, who rules by divine right, and receives council directly from an Angel. Dakhar doesn’t deserve this life, but he will do his duty anyway.
Then Tasia, the lovely young Princess he’s honor-bound to protect is kidnapped and whisked off-world. Dakhar will tear apart the galaxy to find her, no matter the cost. Can he find Tasia before it is too late? Will he forgive himself and become the man he’s meant to be? And what orders will the Angel of their people have for a sinner like him?
Feb 6, 2021
By next week, we’ll have a mailing list. Please sign up and we’ll send panda pictures.
This week’s things to read: SATURN, A Planetary Anthology.
Edited by the divine Miss Bokerah, the last book in the Planetary Anthology series is now released. Saturn. The Ringed Planet. Harbinger of ideas and wonder. The planet that gave birth to the modern era of science envisioning the myriad of multi-colored rings circling the planet, one of the reasons for the invention of the telescope and the second largest in our solar system. These are the stories of Saturn, the great Titan. Tales of time, age and endings. Stories range from space opera to magic and include tentacles, furry familiars, ancient gods in modern places, and time travel. Releases next week.
January 8, 2021
Things to read: Karl Gallagher, Storm Between the Stars
Each new revelation makes the reader feel new levels of dread every time. It goes from "aw Hell" to "aw f***" to "why aren't they running?"
And @KarlKGallagher's sequel is even better.
January 1, 2021
Things to read: When the Gods Fell
Paolenilli’s latest starts off as a space opera, which almost lost me. But then it gets good, or weird, depending on your viewpoint. The idea the gods are aliens is an old trope, but warring houses of mythologies that lived 65 million years in the past and caused mankind to develop. And left someone to tell the story. By themselves. For 65 million years or so. All the backstabbing and treachery of the Malazan Book of the Fallen in a fun read.
Kept me up past my bedtime, and that’s high praise.
December 27th, 2020
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
I think a few posts got eaten by the internet bears. Or maybe I forgot to save them. Anyway…
Panda Dreams and Other Hallucinations is now up on Amazon. It’s a collection of various things, including a Genetic Vampire story, a story in the Hall of Heroes series where a samovile’s cloak of feathers is stolen, some stories in the Napoleon’s Genies world, and a bunch of other writings including cozies and whatever.
The Speakeasy Train - A stand-alone short story. Tracy found going on the long hike more miserable than she expected. It got worse. Turns out sometimes Grandma’s stories are true.
Black Earth Rises - The start of Jim’s adventures in the Hall of Heroes world. What a young engineering student to do when his best friend is attacked by legends from Slavic Myth? And then there’s his buddy’s teal-haired little sister.
Anyway, that’s it for now. Should be another novel up in early February.
Things to read: It’s not fiction and it’s not light but it’s amazing. Thinking Orthodox by Constantinou. If you are at all interested in why the Orthodox don’t look at the split like the RCC do… Just wow.
December 11th, 2020
First, happy birthday to the fellow who does my covers, Kevin Menard.
Now, books. And it’s a big week.
Eating disorders make a hard topic to discuss well, especially as they normally involved other issues. Lots of other issues. Molly Fennig in Starvation tackles them. Wes’s life is messed up and well, here’s the a snippet from a review.
“Sixteen year old Wes can’t believe that his brother Jason is dead. Wes meets Caila sitting in the high school hall on a windowsill crying. She is dressed as a ballerina. She thanks Wes after they talk a little but Wes doesn’t understand. Caila decides to go on a fruit diet and asks Wes to do it too. It’s for a report on changing eating habits. Wes doesn’t know if it’s a good thing to do. Caila wants to lose weight to be able to dance ballet better. She does lose weight and doesn’t stop. Wes can’t believe how skinny Caila is. Wes starts eating less food and at first is happy in his results at wrestling. Wes continues to eat less until he is so thin, he faints. He is taken to the hospital where it is discovered that has lost more weight than anyone including his parents knew. He goes home after a few days in the hospital. Does Wes go back to normal eating? He decides to go to Caila’s home to see how she is. She is skinnier. Will Wes be able to help Caila or himself? What caused them to continue eating less?”
Honestly, I read it on Kindle unlimited and was surprised how it hooked me. Not at all my usual fare.
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For Christmas, and no Die Hard is not a Christmas movie so as the Biden people like to say “Shut up, peasant.” This is actually Christmas-y and what romance reader doesn’t love a bit of Christmas magic in their stories. And since this is a paranormal romance, we get that. The Christmas Spirit by Lou Aguilar. Fun.
Normally I read what I mention here, but Declan Finn’s Hussar is out. In his Saint Tommy series, it’s the next book and named for the old Polish calvary/knights. The same guys who saved the West by breaking the siege of Vienna? Anyway, I’m saving it for Christmas holidays as I expect to have it and a bourbon keep me up way too late. Demons, monsters, a modern saint, a preternormal Polish girl… I expect a fun read.
December 4th, 2020
Every now and then you trip over a book that’s really unique, something you wouldn’t have thought of. Frozen Dreams by Moe Lane stuck me like that. Set years in the future in a world where magic work, we follow Tom Vargas investigate the murder of an illegal mage in a New California on the Baja peninsula. At the request of the King, and the opposition of some of his staff, Tom is called in because he’s a Shamus, a special type of detective, and driven by the Lore. It’s a hoot.
November 13, 2020
I really need to turn this into a blog. Maybe over Thanksgiving. So this week’s fun thing to read is The Mummy of Monte Cristo, by J. Trevor Robinson. It’s very well done and it took first place in the Cisco Writer’s Club novel competition, beating out my own Wizard and Panda. (Obviously, we know there was anti-ursine bigotry involved, but it’s still an excellent story.) Robinson does a good job of keeping true to the feel of a Dumas novel while introducing twists from a world where magic and monsters exist. Sadly, the Bourbonites do win, which was sad. From the blurb:
Revenge takes time; fortunately Edmond Dantes doesn't sleep. Or breathe.
In a world of monsters and magic, Edmond Dantes has a pretty good life. He's just been made captain of a ship, and he's about to marry his sweetheart. But when jealousy, spite, and ambition conspire to frame him for treason, he loses everything. To make things right, he'll need to give up the only thing he has left: his humanity.
They thought their troubles died with Edmond. They were wrong on both counts.
Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3iaI5mn
October 31, 2020 - Happy Halloween
Fun things to read:
First a collection of story from everyone from Declan Finn to the Divine Miss Bokerah: Supernatural Streets
From Sue Freivald’s review on Amazon
“Each piece is a different kind of "chocolate", some mild and sweet, some bittersweet and dark, tempting one to take that first bite. And each bite was delicious. Surprising, different, rewarding. The talent and writing ability on display is just like the chocolates - tempting one to indulge further. Some of the authors I had read, some were new to me, all a treat. Be tempted. Take that first bite. You won't be disappointed.”
And like any box, some might be chocolate, others might be coconut. Heck, one might be cabbage. (Don’t laugh. There was this artisan chocolate in England…) Nice thing about a collection is there is something for everyone.
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Also Kai Weah Cheah has a new book out:Unmasked. Probably Cheah is one of the best noir pulp writers today, just get it. A great continuation of Alan Song’s story.
October 23, 2020
Coming soon: Panda Dreams and Other Hallucinations Preorder next week and released Nov 1. A collection of short stories in various genre.
Fun things to read:
Well, maybe not fun exactly but a good story, well told. War Demons, by Russell Newquist
From Declan Finn’s review: Honestly, War Demons was solidly authored and put together. 11% into the book, he's established most of the characters we're going to see throughout the novel, including the villains. Yes, all of them. What? You thought just a demon was going to be enough? Nah. We're going to have golems and vampires and zombies and warlocks and Jihadis, oh my. (Or, as I thought of it as I read it, "terrorists and demons? Challenge accepted.") Newquist also does a great job of sprinkling the back story throughout the novel.
It's got a nice sense of humor. Up to and including a spook who picks his aliases out of a liquor cabinet.
But as I said at the start, the tag line for this novel is no boast. The action is MHI at its most gonzo (otherwise known as Harry Dresden on a day that ends in Y). The atomospherics top even F. Paul Wilson's The Keep (book, not movie).
Here's the short version: get War Demons. If you like Urban Fantasy, or books with a Southern atmosphere, or military UF, Larry Correia or Jim Butcher novels, you're going to enjoy War Demons.
October 16, 2020
Fun things to read:
The Last Ancestor (The Swordbringer, Book 1), by Alexander Hellene
The enemy wants you and your race dead. Humans survived last time by better weapons but now the Growlers are working at obtaining them too. Oh, and your best friend is one of them. A much longer review can be found here. (not by me.)
We’ll be moving this to a blog in the next couple of weeks, so we can add images etc. Things to read will get me coming here weekly as I still read more than I should.
October 11, 2020
“Opera Cozies” is up. This collection of three short stories about Julie, who works at an opera house in Dallas, was published today
September 5, 2020
Well, the collections of Urban fantasies shorts about a Slavic haunted North Texas is out. Texas Otherworld, where you might end up dancing with a vila, sweet-talking a rusakla, or making love to Lady Death. Or maybe you’ll ride the little red horse across time and space to save the one you love?
Also up is Miss Bokerah’s Cracked. Stories about chickens from people kept inside too long. My contribution has a young man dance with the rooster in the afternoon light. To mutilate a Joker quote.
August 3, 2020
Three Shorts coming up in the next day or so: The Cursed Blade, a PI mystery short; Cavalry Iron, a western short, and New Mexico Hunting, another Genetic Vampire story with John Pappas and Sabrina. Links will be added when live.
July 25, 2020
Took longer than I hoped but the below are up now. See my Author page for details. Click on the title below to jump to the book on Amazon.
July 11, 2020
Fantastic Schools, Volume 1, edited by C. Nuttall and J. Wright, is now up. It includes my story about the the Deep School. More information on the Deep School can also be found here.
In honor of the charity “Christmas in July” that runs locally, a short story about A Real German Christmas in Texas will be going up on Amazon this week. Another story set in the Slavic Otherworld that appears in North Texas. This time it’s a Krumpus problem.
Texas Otherworlds will also be released. A collection of short stories set in the Black Earth of the Slavic myths as it erupts in North Texas. Includes the stories from Girls Night Out and A Real German Christmas and one of the Genetic Vampire stories. You still get 8 new tales from the Hall of Heroes. Learn what lines the road to hell, why you keep your promises to the water king, where riding the little red horse can take you, and why wizards meet death to gain their powers.
June 6, 2020
Two more collections of stories:
Lovecraft Lied - six stories about the Foundation a small NE university started after Lovecraft used their name in his fiction. He misspelt it too. They’re still pissed.
Girls Night Out - Two shorts set in a Texas haunted by the monsters and myths of the Slavic Otherworld. In the old Russian bylinya tradition of warrior women.
Both are on Amazon and links will be added as soon as they get them up. You can check www.amazon.com/dentonsalle for all my babblings.
Oh, we added a sign up for an email list on the bottom of the page.
May 2, 2020
Okay, we crawled out of the shop. Those mesquite boards are heavy. Anyway once we got down brushing the sawdust off, we got some collections of shorts up.
West Texas Cozies - some short cozy mysteries about a old chemist and MD wife.
By the Willows - two stories (one about the professor and the airship admiral, and one about Amadeus) in the Steampunk world of Napoleon’s Genies.
The Genetic Vampire - Five short stories about John Pappas and his medical condition, one previously published in Impossible Hope.
Coming soon - stories in Sol and Space Chicks. Details to follow.
March 5, 2020
Thawing Hearts, a sweet romance in Bokerah Brumley’s Yearly Texas world is now up and available. Be safe and no hugging.
December 23, 2019
I got some time to think as the holidays mean a slow-down for me professional, so look for a series of short stories coming out on Amazon just after the new year.
November 22, 2019
It’s published. Daemonic Mechanical Artifacts is live on Amazon. Also on Kobo, Barnes and Nobles, and a few other places.
Sept 6, 2019 - No, Really.
Surprising, I took third place for books in the annual Cisco Writers’ Club Contest with Daemonic Mechanistic Artifacts: A Tale of Napoleon’s Genie. It’s an steampunk alternative history where Napoleon wins, complete with a bit of romance. Hopefully it should be available by November 1st.
August 20, 2019 Impossible Hope: Tales of Overcoming the Odds.
A charity anthology for medical expenses contains my first published fiction, Moulin Rouge’s Last Secret. It’s a good collection from old and new authors and for a good cause. You can find it on on GoFundMe or on Amazon, etc. I’ll post the link when I can.
August 1, 2019 Hi!
Hi. I’m Denton. I’m mostly imaginary but I write stories and tell tales. They vary from romance to cozies to alternative histories to urban fantansy. Mostly I write on planes and in airport, which is less annoying than when I used to practice mandolin or carve eggs there. I like to cook, to work iron or silver, build furniture, and spoil standard poodles. There are unconfirmed rumors I might actually be a giant panda for some reason too.