Brand new website...

I finally broke down and got myself a website. And it doesn't even look half bad! I'd love it if you read this blog if you'd pop on over for a visit. I have a shiny new blog over there, too, which I'm even updating regularly. Will wonders never cease?

I've really enjoyed my time on Blogger, and I've shared my journey into the writing life here. But now it's time for some changes. I'll be offering a newsletter which will go out occasionally, and I'll be sharing new and established voices in fantasy and indie publishing. In addition to the usual sass and blather, of course. Come on over and check me out.

http://www.jlmurraywriter.com/

New Release!!!

It's finally ready. After the Fire is available on Amazon. We will be getting the paperback version ready very soon. I have to say that it turned out very well. It's a very different kind of book compared to the urban fantasy that I usually write, and that is a good thing. I hope fans of the Niki series will give this one a try as well.

The beta reader reviews are coming in and they sound something like this:

"Creative and engaging."

"The author has a talent for exploring the complexity of emotions and interpersonal relationships."

"Eleni is an absolute badass!"

"I thoroughly enjoyed this take on the lives of the gods."

I'll be posting more later this week, but for now I'll leave you with the synopsis on Amazon. I have some outlining to do for the next Niki Slobodian book. (It's going to be a good one)

"As he was killed, the god of fire unleashed an unprecedented burst of flame that consumed half the world.

After the fire, in a forest surrounded by high mountains, Eleni was born with a phenomenal power. In fear of her abilities, the terrified villagers imprison her during the day, and allow her out only at night to hunt and kill the dark creatures that prowl in the dense forest.

But an unusual visitor from the Islands in the West has appeared; a man with a gift just as strange as hers. He tells Eleni that she is the new goddess of fire, born from the ashes, and that she is in great danger. The god-eaters are taking the gods, one by one. And they are growing stronger. 

Entangled between the Fates, the gods, and a world submerged in chaos, Eleni must choose her own path, a path that will affect the future of the world...or the end of it. With no clear direction, even the Fates have lost sight of the world's destiny. And with the god-eaters quickly approaching, Eleni could be next."

Excerpt!! After the Fire...

I may be getting ahead of myself here, but I'm going to go ahead and post a rough teaser for After the Fire, book the first in the Dark Fire Trilogy. I'll make changes as we make edits to it, but this is the first few pages of the new book (which I finished last night! Yay!). So if it's too rough for you, know that this is the rough draft and if will get smoothed out over the next week or so. Just so excited to get this one out!

"The forest was moving. Eleni could feel it.

She crouched down and surveyed the valley, raising her head to sniff the air. Snow was coming soon; the crisp air smelled clean and cold. It was early this year. She scanned the landscape, her eyes sweeping over the impenetrable thickness of the wood, the trees thinning gradually as they approached the dark, sleeping village. Eleni continued, over the iron wall that surrounded the town, along the tall grasses of the meadow. She froze as she saw the grasses twitch, far back, where the forest thickened.

Eleni watched as a black she-wolf emerged, dark as a shadow, and looked up at her perched on the side of the hill. The wolf's eyes glinted, gold in the darkness. They watched each other for a long moment, then the wolf suddenly broke into a run, heading straight for her. She watched as the animal bounded up the slope, its powerful muscles easily closing the distance, then stopped just short of Eleni. Her muzzle shone with wetness and she smelled of blood.

“What took you so long?” said Eleni, her voice hoarse. She was not used to speaking aloud. The wolf snorted, almost derisively, then turned and stood next to her, fur brushing her shoulder, joining her in looking out over the forest. The usual night sounds emerged from the deep wood: a howl in the distance, the chittering of a rodent, the rustling of leaves. Eleni heard a twig snap and the wolf's ears twitched. A low growl rumbled in the wolf's chest. Eleni looked toward the sound. It was out-of-place, as though a two-legs stepped on it and then froze. Eleni could see at night almost as well as the wolf, but it was the feeling that told her something was very wrong.

Eleni moved along the ridge, keeping her body close to the ground. She could feel eyes on her, following her. It was in the wood, close to the village. Not an animal, but something dark and hungry. Eleni nodded at the wolf and the animal instantly turned and slinked off in the opposite direction. Eleni watched her circle around the ridge and head down the slope. The wolf moved slowly and steadily, and could easily be mistaken for a shadow.

Knowing she had been seen, Eleni stood up, pushing her tangled hair away from her face. Small tendrils of steam rose off her body as she walked down the incline, towards the area where she felt the creature. She heard another twig crack, then a scurrying in the brush. Eleni walked quickly and just inside the first stand of trees, saw movement on the ground. She held out her arm and a bright illuminating flame rose from the palm of her hand. Eleni saw it and curled her lip in disgust.

“Drekavac,” Eleni said under her breath. The creature's skin was mottled pink and hung loose at the joints. It was completely void of hair and its face was round and soft-looking. The eyes glowed green and Eleni sighed as she saw it open its dripping mouth, knowing what was to come. The scream echoed against the mountainsides, a high-pitched shriek that made even Eleni flinch. It went on for what seemed like an eternity until Eleni raised her hand, forming the fire into a ball.

The drekavac's eyes bulged with fear. It scuttled along the forest floor on long, spider-like legs covered in fleshy skin, making hissing noises as it went. A growl issued from the other side of the creature and it shrank back from the wolf, moving toward Eleni again. In its panic it stumbled, falling over its own legs.

“There are no babies here,” said Eleni. “There's nothing for you to eat. Go back where you came from.”

The drekavac hissed at her again, and the wolf bared her teeth, her growl growing deeper and more menacing. The creature's eyes rolled around looking for a way past Eleni, into the village beyond. It opened its mouth and shrieked again and, righting itself, clambered toward Eleni, great pincers emerging from its jowls. Eleni pushed the flame forward and kept pushing, creating a bright orange jet that surrounded the monster, blackening its mottled pink skin. The drekavac thrashed on the ground, the fire that was consuming it scorching the fallen leaves. The screaming ceased abruptly as the beast collapsed, its bones dry sticks, its charred flesh shrinking into embers.

Eleni approached the smoking corpse. With her bare foot she kicked wet leaves and earth onto the creature, making the sparks hiss as they touched the moisture. She gagged on the stench. Dark creatures always smelled like defecation and rot when they died, but it was worse when they burned. Satisfied that the flames would not spread to the trees, Eleni turned to the wolf.

“Now we hunt,” she said. The wolf leaned against her affectionately, panting happily. Eleni ran her fingers through her thick, coarse fur. The two, as if sharing the same thought, at once began to walk deeper into the forest, Eleni's gait just as wild and fluid as the wolf at her side."

Hope you liked it! If you did, you can add it to your goodreads list. Should be out around the end of February. 

After the Fire and Niki 4 news...

As some of you might know, I've been working on my first series out of the Niki universe. It will be out at the end of the month at the latest. I took a poll on my fanpage, and people liked the title for the series to be the Dark Fire Trilogy. Even though I think it may go longer than three books, for now the series title stays. This is the new cover:

I'm right on time with finishing the book, which is amazing, considering all that has happened since I started writing it. I almost quit a few times, but I'm incredibly glad I didn't. What resulted was this dark, beautiful, slightly elegant thing that will soon be a book. I'll post an excerpt as soon as my editor looks it over. Then it will go through my new army of beta readers to make sure it's extra polished. It will be available February 28th on Amazon.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Before I go, I would like to say what my Facebook fanpage fellows have known for a few weeks now. I'm swapping the delivery dates of Jenny Undead and Niki 4 (which will be entitled The Devil Was an Angel). So the next installment of Niki will be available in May instead of September! And here is the cover I made for that book, too.

All my books are up on Goodreads, by the way. So feel free to add them to your reading list. 

I'm still alive...

I know I haven't really been around, but I promise I'm still alive.

I'm just wrapping up After the Fire, and have already started work on Jenny Undead. (Just as a sidenote, Jenny Undead is going to be so much fun. I really think you guys are going to like it.) So I've been kind of busy.

Also of note, I got photoshop for Christmas and have been giving all the covers facelifts. I still don't think I've gotten AtF tweaked just right yet, but I'll get there. I should be finishing that book at the end of the month or so, and then however long it takes for my editor to work his magic. I'm thinking February at the latest.

This has been an especially difficult book to write for a couple of reasons. I'm completely out of my element here. It leans more towards true fantasy with mythological elements, rather than my old buddy Urban Fantasy. It's in third person in multiple voices rather than first. I'm totally out of my league, but I think that's a good thing for a writer. And I think it'll turn out pretty decently. It was just difficult to write. It's also really dark. I don't mean that the plot is dark, that I can handle, but many of the characters have great big old dark sides, and sometimes it's hard for me to get into a character's head that way. But success is happening. I'm in the home stretch.

Many, many of my fans have expressed doubt that they will truly like this new series. So let me give you the first few pages of the rough draft, just so you can make a better-informed decision on this. Please recognize that this is the first draft, and some of it may change later. But this is pretty much going to be how the book starts.

"The night my father was murdered, I woke up in a cold sweat. For a long, heart-pounding moment I was sure there was someone else in the small, dank room. Someone that wore the same aftershave as my father. But after gasping in the dark for a couple of minutes, I realized I was alone.

There were noises outside; they echoed through the tunnels. Everything echoed underground. I heard the whoops of young men and the cackling laughter of at least one woman. They were far-off, though. I thought maybe Jason and his friends had found a bottle of something or other on their scavenging trip. That happened sometimes. Usually, though, they just brought back toilet paper and canned beans. But the young people got really excited when they brought back liquor. Except for me. I never did like to drink. It just made me feel dizzy.

It wasn't until the next morning that I realized that the excitement of the night before hadn't been for whisky. I had to go down to the kitchens because it was my turn to help make lunch. We all took turns making the meals, throwing this and that together. Sometimes the results were disastrous, but people ate it anyway, choking it down in silence. Everyone knew better than to complain about food these days no matter how horrible it was.

There were several spots in the tunnels that passed through what used to be the underground sewers. All the manhole covers had been replaced with metal grates to let more fresh air to the Underneath. There was one on the way to the kitchens. It was the most popular one, but not for the fresh air. It was popular because you could see the Wall through the slats.

The Wall was what was left of an old glass factory. The rest of it had crumbled or been torn mostly down before the shit hit the fan and people stopped caring about tearing down dilapidated buildings. It was old brick and mortar with a jagged edge that rose from the ground at an angle. The bricks made it look like small stairs. The bricks were big enough for a very small foot to climb, but that's not what they were used for. Each step held a dismembered head, each in various states of decay.

Jason called it the Enemy Wall, but most just called it the Wall. It wasn't like there were any other walls that people talked about. When I first came here, I thought all the heads were from rotters. Most of them were green and smelling so bad I puked the first time I saw them. It wasn't until I worked my first day in the kitchens that Moira, a squat, round woman that smelled like nutmeg and sang at the top of her lungs, told me who they were.

“It's called the Enemy Wall for a reason, you know,” she said, kneading some kind of dough she had thrown together. Moira was just about the only one that knew how to cook things from scratch. And Jason had brought us some flour the day before, which had made Moira give a whoop and put a big smile on her face.

“Well, I figured that,” I said.

“Those ain't no zombies up there, sweetie. Those are people. Used to be people, anyway.”

“Why are their heads cut off and sitting on a wall?” I said, pausing my task of opening cans of baked beans.

Moira raised her eyebrows, but stared down at the dough she was working. She had pushed up her sleeves and her arms and breasts jiggled a little with each movement. When she spoke it was in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. “Don't know if I'm supposed to talk about it.” Her lips pursed like she was trying not to let them open, like the truth would just float right out of her if she opened her mouth.

“Why not?” I said. I looked around. “There's no one else here.”

“Oh, don't let that fool you, darlin',” said Moira, shaking her head. “People have ways of knowing things. Best to just keep quiet.”

“You can't just tell me there's a mystery involving decapitated heads and then refuse to tell me,” I said. “That's just not right.”

Moira sighed and looked at me. I smiled sweetly at her. “Please?”

Moira laughed. “You're too sweet for this world, Jenny. This old world is done with sweetness.”

“I'm not sweet,” I said. “I have a dark side, just like anyone.”

“Maybe so,” said Moira, still chuckling. She sighed and looked around, her eyes taking in the room before they swung back to me. “Those heads are enemies,” she whispered, leaning close. “But they're not the undead kind. Those are the heads of the leaders of rival bands of the living.”

“There are rival bands?” I whispered back.

“Every other group is a rival,” Moira said, her voice almost inaudible. She pointed toward the tunnels in the direction of the grate. “Those poor souls out there are people just like us. People defending their own and scavenging to keep them alive.” Moira frowned and deep creases formed on her forehead and around her mouth. “Sometimes I wonder if the living are any better than the monsters. Could be we're worse.”

And there I stood, looking at that new head. I recognized it instantly. It was bald except for a patch that went around the back of the head. The ears were slightly bent at the tops, the nose wide and crooked. If the face's teeth had been showing, there would have been one canine that was chipped and sharper than the other one. And if the head had been connected to a body, it would have been hardly taller than me and thin as a rail. And his name would have been Henry Sebastian. My father.

I stuffed my fingers in my mouth and bit down to keep from screaming. We weren't supposed to make a lot of noise down here. Jason said it attracted the undead. But he laughed when people made all kinds of noise when he came back with something good from a scavenging trip. I was breathing fast and hard and I felt like I was going faint. The world started going dark around the edges and I felt light, far too light. But I couldn't look away. I just kept looking at that face. I had never seen my father terrified before, but there on the Wall was a face that had eyes permanently frozen open, as though he'd been looking at something that chilled his blood before he died. And his mouth, the same mouth that kissed me goodnight and told me about all the wonders I had yet to learn about, was stuck in a horrific 'O', the lips brown with dried blood. There were flies buzzing around him and one went in his mouth. I sobbed, the noise muffled by my fingers, but my body shook with the power of it.

That's how Moira found me, gasping for breath, with tears streaming down my face and a hair away from passing out onto the dirt. She must have hurried me off to the kitchen, but I don't remember walking there. She turned a bucket over and made me sit on it and put my head between my knees. She stroked my back while I sat there sobbing so hard that it felt like every drop of liquid in my body had been cried away. When I was finally still, she tugged me up gently to a sitting position and put her arms around me.

“Friend of yours, baby?” she cooed. “I saw someone I knew up there once. Last year. A man that used to go to my church. I think I was sick right on the spot, all over the dirt out there. I was so scared, I ran away and didn't even clean it up.” She smiled, but I couldn't smile back.

“My father,” I managed, my voice hoarse, and my throat raw. “It was my father.”

“Oh, sweet Lord,” Moira said. “Will the pain of this world never end?” She hugged me tight then, and even though I felt like I couldn't possibly cry any more, I did. When I finished, Moira boiled some water and made us some tea from a jar of rosemary that someone had brought back from scavenging. “I do miss a good cup of tea,” she said, sipping.

“It's not too bad,” I said weakly. “At least it's hot.” And then we made lunch. Moira didn't bring up my father again, and neither did I.

Of course, after that day, I never saw Moira again. The people that I did see from the Underground after that day either ran away from me in terror, or were stupid enough to try to kill me. I guess I don't have to tell you how that turned out for them.

After all, I'm still here."

So that's all you get for now. And now you can decide if the series is for you or not. And it's okay if it's not. I  get it. :)

Not much I can tell you about this one yet. I know a lot of people are waiting for it, though, so I'll give you a few hints. Lucifer, Bobby Gage, and Gage's dead wife will all be players. And you are never going to guess who the villain is. (I know, so mean, right? Don't worry, it won't be long.)

So that's what I've been up to. Now I need to go finish After the Fire so I can work full time on Jenny. I also want to thank you all for your support. I've really got the best fans, and you all give me encouragement and fun every day. And I don't thank you enough. 

2013! Cover reveals! Shiny!

I am stupidly excited about the coming year. Particularly, I am excited about the books I have scheduled! It's going to be an incredible year. Busy (for me), but incredible nonetheless. Here's a little about what I have planned...

After the Fire

This is book one in a brand new series. It will be released around the end of January (I hope). 

The world was consumed 25 years ago when the fire god died. He left scars on the earth so deep that it took an entire decade for things to start growing again. Eleni knows all too well that the people fear fire. Born with the ability to wield flames out of thin air, Eleni's village banished her to an iron box where she sleeps during the day, and spends her nights hunting and fighting the dark creatures that prowl the forest. As far as Eleni knows, it is the only forest that survived the fire.

Until one night, Eleni meets a man. A very unusual man. And Eleni finds out who she truly is. But monsters and men are the least of Eleni's concerns. Something else roams the earth, searching. And it appears that she is their next target.

 Jenny Undead

Another new series!  This one is slated for March, but I may change it to April (time to breathe). It's a fun thrill-ride full of zombie craziness, motorcycles, and salty language. 

Jenny wakes up dead. The zombies finally got her. But she finds that things aren't as they seem. Not all zombies are the same. And from the time she hops on the back of Casey the undead boy's motorcycle, her life (or lack thereof) will never be the same.

The Devil Is an Angel

Brace yourself, Niki Slobodian fans! Niki 4 is coming! I don't have a synopsis for this one, you'll just have to wait on that. But I will tell you there will be more Bobby, more Lucifer, and a whole lot more Niki.

So that's it! 2013 in a nutshell. I'm sure there will be more, but these are all I'm going to plan for the coming year. It's been a fabulous 2012. My life has been transformed in the past 12 months, and I hope to keep improving every year. Thanks so much for all your support.

Also of note, I did all my covers for 2013! Yay! Let me know if you like them.

Thank You, I'm Sorry, and You're Welcome

You may or may not have noticed that I haven't been blogging lately. This happens to me often. I just get busy working, writing books, fleshing out ideas, and I forget about this here little blog. So I'd like to apologize first of all, if you happen to read this blog (all two of you) and are irritated that I've neglected it.

To make it up to you, here is a collage of derpy Scully pics. You're welcome.

If I said I wouldn't neglect the blog again, I'd be lying. I'm planning on doing a lot of neglecting. Starting today actually. But it's a good thing. Totally awesome actually. No, really, it is.

Ha. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The reason neglecting the blog is so great is that it means that I'm getting tons of work done. Which means more books. Which means I get little to no sleep, am constantly exhausted, and work my fingers to the bone. Consequently, living like this makes me extremely happy. Because I'm crazy. Or a workoholic. Or both. 

My face looks like this all the time. (Holy crap, two Doctor Who references in one post!)

So, I'm sorry, thank you and you're welcome. I guess that's all I have to say. I've got to get back to neglecting now. Life is great right now and I'm exceedingly thankful for all the fans/readers. And to show my gratitude, I'm going to ignore you now...to write another book. You're welcome.