Available Now
An Ocean of Secrets in Her Eyes
The 1940s. A time when Hollywood studios owned their talent.
Which included making sure the talent avoided scandal.
Shining star Tabitha St. Claire has a secret. PI Sam Belmont accepts the job to learn what that secret is.
To devastating results…
A standalone story in the popular Nikki Ashburne series, “An Ocean of Secrets in Her Eyes” originally appeared in Fiction River: Chances, 2021.
Available Now
Jennet, scarred from a fire and with few prospects, accepts the position of companion to the veiled, enigmatic Lady Vesta.
But Lady Vesta’s secrets extend beyond what she hides behind her veil. From enquiring as to Jennet’s marriage plans (none) to allowing Jennet to dress without a corset or petticoats due to the house’s heat, she leaves Jennet intrigued.
Their time together rattles Jennet’s emotions.
The truth terrifies her—but it also might be her salvation.
Captivating short story “Beautiful Soul” originally appeared in Cutter’s Final Cut: Dragons, 2021.
Whether you’re in cold and rain (here in OR), or under snow (I hear you, friends in MN!), or dealing with heat (CA, Australia…), maybe you crave holiday stories. Not just Christmas stories, but Thanksgiving and Hannukah and Solstice and more; not just plain holiday stories, but ones that intertwine with crime or romance or fantasy and magic.
I certainly do.
Plus, short stories don’t take a lot of time to read. On your phone while you’re standing in line at the Post Office or the grocery story. While you’re waiting for the oven to preheat. A few stolen minutes before you fall asleep.
Hopefully dreaming of dancing sugarplums (whatever they are).
If you’re like me, then let me tell you about a wonderful Storybundle of eleven holiday collections—which comes out to a whopping seventy-two stories.
For $5, you get four ebooks; for $15 or more, you get all eleven.
You can also donate to a special charity, AbleGamers: “Creating opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.” This is so important during the pandemic shutdown, and especially during the holidays.
My collection, Winter Wonderlands: Ten Tales of Holiday Magic is only available through this project. I’ll probably put it up for sale next holiday season, but that’s eons away.
But hurry: this Storybundle vanishes like Santa at the end of December!
For more information and to purchase this amazing deal, check out Storybundle.
If that’s not enough holiday cheer for you (is there ever enough?!), then check out the WMG Holiday Spectacular. It’s an advent calendar of stories, one appearing in your In Box every day from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.
Yes, I know it’s the middle of December already! It doesn’t matter. If you subscribe between now and December 27, you’ll get an email of every story you missed. If you wait until after December 27, you’ll get the email on January 3 (but what’s the point of reading all the stories after the holidays?).
Either way, you’ll also receive The Holiday Spectacular #3 ebook compilation, which includes all thirty-eight stories and introductions, in July 2022.
In this advent calendar of stories, I have a sweet Solstice romance set in Wales. I have no idea on which day it’ll appear…but that’s part of the fun!
(Hint: Both of these make great last-minute holiday gifts for the readers on your list.)
The Magic, Monsters, and Myth Storybundle has a wonderful variety of work, and as curator Kristine Kathryn Rusch says, “…this bundle is all about the sparkle. Sometimes the sparkle is magic. Sometimes it’s a made-up world. Sometimes it’s love.”
When she first approached me about putting Beautiful Beast in this bundle, I warned her that there was no fantasy in it. It’s inspired by a fairy tale, but it’s contemporary YA. She didn’t care, and ended up renaming the bundle because of the variety of subgenres she was including.
I then asked her (and Jason, who runs Storybundle) if they’d like an issue of Uncollected Anthology, and they said yes. The UA cooperative agreed that our latest issue, Deities, would be perfect. So you’ll find a story from me in there as well: “Shattered, Scattered, and Saved.”
Additionally, WMG Publishing included Fiction River: Tavern Tales, which I also have a story in: “Girls That Glitter,” a Nikki Ashburne story.
If you pay $5 or more, you get five books, and if you pay $15 or more, you get twelve. A pretty damn good deal! This will be going on for only three weeks, so don’t miss out.
Once again, the charity you can donate to when you buy the bundle, is AbleGamers. As I said about the most recent Storybundle I was in, gamers with disabilities already need equipment tailored to their needs, and now, those that weren’t already housebound are stuck at home. We read for escape, and we also game for escape. Let’s let everyone have their chance!
For more information, go to Storybundle.com. You probably know the drill by now. 😉
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I’m able to continue writing and publishing thanks to my wonderful supporters on Patreon.
And it’s better than ever!
After a year of Heart’s Kiss (six issues), the folks behind it decided to revamp a bit, and I’m behind them every step of the way. The original was great, but I think the new version builds on that to become a publication that really speaks to the modern woman (and man).
I’m chuffed that the new editorial team asked me to continue writing for them, including under my Andrea Dale name. Issue #7, which just released, has one of those stories, “House Full of Dreams,” about an older couple facing an empty nest. It’s also got an excerpt from a new novel by Jayne Ann Krentz as well as an interview with the world-class author.
Here’s what the editors, Lezli Robyn and Tina Smith, say in part:
With change comes opportunity. And through our brainstorming we decided to go BIG. We talked about the kind of romance fiction we’d like to see. We wanted to skirt the edges of the genre and syphon out the essence of the best part of it. We wanted to explore the boundaries of relationships and delve deep into what it means to get that first tingle of interest to falling into lust and love.
Check out the new Heart’s Kiss, and let me know what you think!
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As I’ve said before (probably enough time that your eyes are starting to roll into the back of your head), I love portal fantasy. I love doorways, garden gates, secret passages, moss-covered stone steps curving away into the mist, you name it. I think it’s about the potential for magic. What special secret thing awaits, just out of sight? Come with me, take my hand and we’ll go find out…
I love portal fantasy so much that I’m editing a volume of it for Fiction River. I can’t say much until the contracts are signed, but the lineup of authors is stupendous! I’ve just figured out my own story—I just need to find the time to write it!
To keep me (and you) satisfied until then, check out the Universe Between bundle from Storybundle. If I wasn’t in this bundle, I’d be making grabby-hands at it. (I still made grabby hands at it. The bonus was that I got a free download for having a novel in the bundle. Mine!) Some of my favorite authors are in this bundle: Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Annie Reed, Leslie Claire Walker, T. Thorn Coyle… (I had the pleasure of copyediting both Leslie’s and Claire’s novels, so I can attest to their marvelousness.)
Here’s the deal: for $5, you get four novels, including mine. For $15, you get five more novels and an anthology of “between” stories. Plus, you can choose to give a portion of the money to an amazing charity, Able Gamers, which helps people with disabilities enjoy the imaginary worlds of video games.
My novel, What Beck’ning Ghost, is an atmospheric gothic romance.
For more information, and to purchase this bundle, visit Storybundle.
But do it soon…this will be available only for eight more days!
If you’d like to get this sort of information—and more!—directly in your In Box each month, you can sign up for my newsletter. Each issue has publication news about stories, collections, novels, and other fun stuff. BONUS: you get a free short story every month! What are you waiting for? Subscribe today!
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I’m delighted to announce that, after much love and toil and many phone calls, Sophie Mouette’s new novel, Love, in Stitches, is finally here!
Love, in Stitches is the second book in the Hollywood Spice series, following Out of the Frying Pan. But you could conceivably read Love, in Stitches first if you really wanted to—the heroine is the best friend of the heroine in the previous book, but the events aren’t linked in such a way that the order is important.
What’s important is that it’s here! And it has a gorgeous cover! And it’s a funny and sexy romance between a fashion designer (who moonlights making pretty clothes for closet crossdressers) and a movie producer/writer who looks like a pirate.
Luanna Deveneax dreams of designing couture fashion. But when she loyally refuses to tell her employer about her side job—secretly sewing custom women’s clothing for high-powered LA crossdressers—her high fashion dreams flush right down the toilet.
With his rakish grin, dark, flashing eyes, and tiny gold hoop earring, producer and writer Derek Acosta looks like a sexy pirate. He kisses Luanna’s hand, making her weak in the knees…and offers her a job designing costumes for his first movie.
Far from her dream job—and you know what they say about mixing business with pleasure. But in the wild world of Hollywood, dreams come true in the most unexpected ways.
Sophie Mouette expertly weaves a seductive tale of desire, dresses, and delightful romance in Love, in Stitches, the second novel in the steamy and wacky Hollywood Spice series.
Ebook: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords
Print: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
And if you haven’t already, you might also want to pick up Out of the Frying Pan…
Ebook: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords
Print: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powells
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I’ve been remiss in announcing some new publications, so here are three—two fantasy stories and one romance story—for your reading pleasure.
Still-Waking Sleep by Dayle A. Dermatis
literary alchemical fantasy short story
Fiction River’s latest anthology contains my story “Still-Waking Sleep,” which is one of the more unusual stories I’ve written. The editor of the volume said I created a new subgenre: literary alchchemical fantasy. Okay, I’ll take that!
Tangent Online reviewed the issue and said of “Still-Waking Sleep,”
“Dermatis has a love of lush language…that fits well into the story.”
(I recommend you read the issue before you read the review, because it contains some minor spoilers.)
Here’s what the issue is all about:
Humans prove great fodder for fiction. But what about the universe of possibilities offered by the nonhuman protagonist? The eighteen daring humans of Fiction River’s latest volume explore just that. From a goblin who must choose whether to risk everything for love to a heroic rat adventuring at sea to sentient underpants (yes, underpants), these nonhuman tales demonstrate why Adventures Fantastic says: “If you haven’t checked out Fiction River yet, you should. There’s something for everyone.”
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
and in print: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
You can also check out the book’s product page here and learn more about the entire Fiction River series.
Girls That Glitter by Dayle A. Dermatis
urban fantasy short story
Fans of my Nikki Ashburne/Ghosted series, rejoice! For here is a new Nikki story. It has drag queens in it. It has a search for missing paperwork. And it’s my homage and fond farewell to the Sunset Strip House of Blues.
Here’s what the issue is all about:
Think you know a tavern tale when you hear one? Think again. The seventeen stories in this volume run the gamut of genre and mood. Bars filled with glitter and ghosts stand alongside taverns filled with orcs and adventurers. Exclusive members-only drinks served at the end of the universe war with coffee bars with strange employee policies in the Pacific Northwest. Dive bars, afterlife bars, gay bars—you name it, and you’ll find it in Tavern Tales. So, grab a drink and get ready for one of the most entertaining Fiction River volumes yet.
I love every story in this issue.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
and in print: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
The book’s product page
More about the entire Fiction River series
Leave a Candle Burning by Dayle A. Dermatis
romance short story
The second issue of Heart’s Kiss is out now, with my story “Leave a Candle Burning.” Hurrah!
About my story:
Claudia lives a vagabond life, crisscrossing the country doing research for a reality show about American myths and legends. Christmas finds her in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, at a small hotel allegedly haunted by the Lady in White, who leaves a candle burning for her husband, lost in the snow.
The ghost might not be real, but Claudia’s attraction to the mysterious Reese, who once lived in the Victorian house, definitely is. Will he be what it takes for Claudia to change her wandering ways?
You can buy the issue on Amazon or Barnes & Noble in ebook or print form, from Kobo in ebook, or purchase directly from the website. You can also subscribe to the magazine, which might not be a bad idea, because I have a story in issue #3 coming up, too…!
emagazine: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
print: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Heart’s Kiss website
If you’d like to get this sort of information—and more!—directly in your In Box each month, you can sign up for my newsletter. The May newsletter has publication news about three additional new stories plus an upcoming novel! BONUS: you get a free short story every month! What are you waiting for? Subscribe today!
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I meant to post this by Valentine’s Day (the official day to post about romance, even though romance readers are the most voracious of any genre and devour romances all year long, hurrah! And I am one of them.), but our home Internet went out, and Life. (Don’t talk to me about Life.)
I am thrilled to be in the inaugural issue of the brand new Heart’s Kiss, a magazine devoted to short romance. It’s edited by Denise Little, one of the top editors working today. She had her own imprint at Kensington, was the executive editor for Tekno Books (during which time she edited approximately a bazillion anthologies for Daw Books), and worked as a national buyer for Barnes & Noble). She’s also one of the funniest people I know.
But I’m here to tell you about Heart’s Kiss. The first issue has an interview with and a story by Mary Jo Putney, and more fiction from Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Christina F. York, Laura Resnick, Diane A.S. Stuckart, Petronella Glover, Casey Chapel, and Neesa Hart, plus some nonfiction as well.
You can get it for your Kindle or buy the hard copy, and even better, you can subscribe and never miss an issue (it comes out bimonthly). (Psst, I can tell you I have a story in an upcoming issue, too. I’m not officially announcing it ’til I sign the contract, but Denise has asked for the story, so it’s almost a done deal.)
My story in the first issue, “Then & Now,” was inspired by true circumstances, although I changed both the decade(s) and the outcome. It’s a lost love found again story, a second changes story, and it’s sweet and…well, you can read it and see. I hope you like it!
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So much good news to impart!
First, a new publication: Haunted, an anthology from Fiction River edited by the fantastic Kerrie Hughes, is now available. It contains my story “Land of the Living,” a Nikki Ashburne/Ghosted short story.
Rubicon: less rehab, more luxury spa for the ultra-rich elite of Hollywood.
Nikki Ashburne: less recovering from an accidental OD, more hiding from the world and grieving for her beloved grandmother.
Nikki’s Rubicon roomate: less alive, more ghost.
Nikki’s choice: less hiding away, or more living?
Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | all other retailers
TWO BUNDLES
Magical Tales of Witches!
I have a story in a frightfully luscious bundle of Witch stories!
For only $2.99, you can get 20 short stories of witches and spells. That’s a mere $0.15 per story. Way cheaper than the mocha frappuccino I had in an airport recently to keep me awake on the flight (I had work to do, don’tcha know).
I read all of the stories this month and let me tell you, they are delicious—some spooky, some funny, and all witchy goodness.
My story in this bundle is “This is the World Calling”:
Tansy and Ki come from two of the most powerful witch dynasties—and the feud between their families puts the Hatfield and McCoys to shame. So why, then, did their parents not care when the two would run off and play as children, lost in their own little world?
When they meet again as adults, Tansy and Ki’s mutual attraction makes it vitally important that they find the answer to that question.
Note that the price will go up to $4.99 on November 2, so strike while the witchy iron is hot!
Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Kobo | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
Pulse Pounders!
This one’s called Pulse Pounders, and it’s a bundle of novels and anthologies. Coincidentally, one of the books is the anthology Pulse Pounders, which contains my story “The Scent of Amber and Vanilla” (which was an honorable mention in the The Year’s Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016). So if you haven’t bought the story already, here’s your chance to have it along with a bunch of other nail-biting, roller-coaster-ride stories.
Plus, the the anthology is bundled with 10 other books, all for only $15 (you can pay more if you want the novel authors, anthology editors, and/or the charity to get more). That’s a pretty sweet deal…just don’t blame me for your sleepless nights because you couldn’t put the books down.
Available in ebook format from Storybundle
Touch not the cat bot a glove…
The MacPherson family crest above the door gives Rachael de Young, genealogist and psychic, an unexpected chill. She doesn’t know that by crossing the threshold, her life will change forever. Because the MacPhersons are a family cursed by jealousy, betrayal, and fire….
Rachael grows closer to the truth even as she grows closer to the ghost of Jordan MacPherson, who died in the tragic fire…and could very well be the person sabotaging her research. But she must trust Jordan’s love in order to find the strength to face her own fears, break her one cardinal rule, and stop a madman before he can kill again.
Available from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | AllRomanceEbooks
Four boys confess to the murder of a woman who died a hundred years ago…
The violent encounter Rowan Everly survived in college jolted awake her psychic power to see past images while holding a related object. At the behest of a friend, she comes to the privileged prep school town of Millburn, New York, to investigate the current rape and murder, and hopefully clear her friend’s son’s name.
Rowan’s not sure she’s up to the task. Her deeply ingrained mistrust of men makes her question where her loyalties lie. The deeper she investigates, the less anything makes sense. The boys seem truly horrified by what happened—almost as if they hadn’t had control over it.
Her initial encounter with sheriff Toby Candusco isn’t pleasant for either of them. But his calm support of her, and his unwavering desire to see justice done, gives her the strength to not only face her fears, but to reexamine the core beliefs that shape who she is.
Only then can she face and destroy the real menace…and save everyone around her.
Available from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords
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