Encrypted by Lindsay Buroker

Professor Tikaya Komitopis isn’t a great beauty, a fearless warrior, or even someone who can walk and chew chicle at the same time, but her cryptography skills earn her wartime notoriety. When enemy marines show up at her family’s plantation, she expects the worst. But they’re not there to kill her. They need her to decode mysterious runes, and they ask for help in the manner typical of a conquering empire: they kidnap her, threaten her family, and throw her in the brig of their fastest steamship.

Her only ally is a fellow prisoner who charms her with a passion for academics as great as her own. Together, they must decipher mind-altering alchemical artifacts, deadly poison rockets, and malevolent technological constructs, all while dodging assassination attempts from a rival power determined the expedition should fail. As if Tikaya didn’t have troubles enough, her new ally turns out to be exiled fleet admiral, Federias Starcrest, the man who recommended taking over her nation. To trust him could be a mistake; to fall in love with him would be a betrayal to her people, her family, and the fiancé she lost in the war. Those runes cloak more than mysteries, however, and he may be the only one who can help her unravel them before their secrets destroy the world.

About the Author:

I've been writing fantasy novels and short stories since I was seven. I've been finishing them since... well, that's a more recent development.

I'm a professional blogger for my day job, and I live in the Seattle area ("area" is code for 'I couldn't afford a house within twenty miles of the city limits and my neighbors have alpacas'). I have two vizslas who are as spoiled as most people's kids. Occasionally they let me leave the house to play tennis, go to the coffee shop, or take a yoga class.

My "Goblin Brothers" short stories are available on Amazon, and the first novel featuring those characters will be out in 2011. I have two more fantasy novels coming for the Kindle. Check back!

Dragon Academy by Diane Nelson

With high school finished for the summer, Nick looks forward to visiting his aunt and uncle in New Jersey. What awaits him is a heat wave like no other - and the last two Greywings on the planet. Nick has an innate ability to train horses but will he be able to translate his amazing skill to these teenage dragons?

The steaming soup of mid-summer heats up tempers and tests resolve as Nick vies with fellow trainers, Keith and Maxie, for mastery over their new charges. The dragons, Nikita and Michael, typical teenagers themselves, have other ideas.

Nick treads a torturous path through a minefield of competing demands: the expectations of his aunt and uncle, recalcitrant horses, the Academy’s female students and the overwhelming egos of Nikita and Michael. One small mistake erupts into a conflagration that hurls everyone into a race against time and forces of nature.

About the Author:
Diane Nelson has been writing for over 25 years across a variety of genres - dark urban fantasy,paranormal romance, science fiction, humor and cross-genre erotica. Her completed works include The Guardian Chronicles (paranormal), Mounted Exercises (short stories), Dancing in the Dark: An Anthology of Erotica and Sculpting David (contemporary romance novella). Due out soon: Flashes Through Time - a collection of flash fiction, shortie short stories, poetry, and more, all funny, fantastical, and perfect for a lazy day at the beach, curled up on the sofa or a break from that report [you know you want to].

Dragon Academy is her third full length novel.

Diane is a lifelong equestrienne who has competed in dressage and distance riding. Her love affair with dragons began as a young child and continues unabated. She lives in Pennsylvania with her son, horses, cats, chickens and a family of friends and supporters who provide not just inspiration but absolute belief in her characters and stories.

To learn more about Diane and her books, visit her website!

Dawn's Review: Seems like the theme for this week is dragons. I can't complain. I love dragon stories. This was a really fun read, and I wish the kids had signed up for Diane's tour. They would've really enjoyed it. (Diane may have to watch for them to review it later on, because I'm sure once I tell them about it, they'll want a chance to read it themselves!) The book itself was wonderful, with an interesting and unique plot. I enjoyed how easy it was to follow and it had me hooked from beginning to end. I can't wait to see what else Diane has in store for us.

The Royal Dragoneers by M.R. Mathias

Michael has been a busy boy this week, what, with two blog tours running back to back. Which has kept us busy over here as well. Luckily, Michael's an awesome writer and we don't mind burying ourselves in his books. So we are happy to present another of his books and another of his blog tours!

Hold on to your dragon! You're about to journey through a brave new world of hearty survivors straight into a dragon riding, troll fighting adventure for the ages.

After struggling for more than two centuries to tame the inhospitable, dragon infested Islands where they washed up, the descendants of the survivors of a lost passenger ship are now striving to tame the Mainland they have found.

But the Goblin King, an Ivory antlered demon called Gravelbone, has a different plan for the men who are invading his territory. He and his Nightshade are rallying the trolls to defend their lands.
With the help of the dragons, goblins, and orcs they plan on rendering the wall the humans have built useless, so that they can drive man back to the islands from where they came.

When stubborn King Blanchard finally accepts that the kingdom really is under attack it may be too late, and the only ones who can save the people on the Mainland have been locked away in the dungeon.

Join some brave young men and their mentor, a grizzled old King's Ranger, and a particularly clever young magic wielding woman, as they traverse the wild frontier, and sail to King's Island to warn the King of the warring trolls. Then hold on for your life as you tear through the pages, because the pure blooded dragons they have befriended have another plan all together.

This full length novel is 115,000+ words, over 300 pages.

About the Author: Please see our previous post.

Dawn's Review: Seriously, who doesn't love dragons? Good dragons, bad dragons. They're all great, aren't they? But if you really want to read about dragons, then you must read Micheal's books. This is not just another story about dragons. It is a wonderful tale that you will be sure to enjoy. Having read a few of Michael's books, I've really come to really enjoy his style of writing. It's both entertaining and engaging. This book certainly does not dissapoint and I can't wait to read more of his work.

Reining In Winner

The winner of the giveaway for Reining In by Dawn Judd is John Pearson. Congratulations John. I will contact you for your mailing info.

The Butcher's Boy by Michael Robb

We are hosting Day 4 of Micheal's blog tour. I think this is our first horror book we've hosted on the site and I'm thrilled about it. I love horror. It's my favorite genre. So I'm happy to present The Butcher's Boy by Michael Robb.

Thirty-one years ago, William H. Buxly aka "Buxly the Butcher" went to trial for killing his entire family. He was found guilty, and sentenced to die for those crimes. Now, Janet Hale, a recently divorced nurse, has purchased the house unaware of the brutal murders that took place there so long ago.

From the moment she, her eleven-year-old son, and his overprotective Rottweiler move in, things start to happen. A strange man is caught lurking in the back yard, and the only neighbor turns out to be a crazy old widow. But not everything is going wrong. One of the men who helped them unload turns out to be a well-built charmer and Janet likes him enough to start dating again, leaving a sitter to watch over her son.

When Michael, and his dog, Lucy-Fur, learn firsthand that their home is haunted by one of the victims of the Butcher's grizzly act, Michael scours the internet and the local library to find out what happened back then. Maggie, the sitter, brings over a Ouija board and they learn the hard way that more than one dark spirit is on the haunt.

Can Lucy-Fur protect her boy from the ghost that wants to possess him? Can Michael fight through the madness and terror to find out what really happened? If he does, maybe the tormented souls can be put to rest so that his mom can keep the house she loves so much. If he fails, he just might become one of them. With the help of Maggie, and a burned out house painter named Oliver, Michael is going to try. The problem is, not everyone is who they seem... even the dead.

The Butcher's Boy by Michael Robb - Take a slow ride into terror!

***Content Warning: This IS NOT the over-gory sort of thrasher-horror novel, but it does touch on some unsettling subject matter and should not be read by children under the age of 17.

About the Author: Michael Robb Mathias has made a name writing epic fantasy novels under the pen name M. R. Mathias. Amazon, and Barnes & Noble Bestselling e-books such as:
The Sword and the Dragon & The Royal Dragoneers have taken on a life of their own as masterworks in the fantasy genre.

Michael's newest release, The Butcher's Boy, is not a fantasy. It is a terrifying Haunted House/Murder-Mystery/Chiller.

In order to maintain a distance from the YA fans of his popular Dragoneers Saga, this frightening tale has been released under the pen name: Michael Robb

The Butcher's Boy is part of this month's sponsorship contest, so if you purchase it before the end of January, you qualify to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card. Click here for details.

Dawn's Review: Of course I love a good ghost story, but this is so much more than that. The ghosts of the past aren't the only mystery entangled within the story and it doesn't take long to figure out that something is amiss. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, I realized there was so much more to it. Truly a brilliant piece of work.

P.S. The product placement of The Royal Dragoneers was a hoot! Thanks for the laugh Michael!

The Shifters of 2040 by Ami Blackwelder

Ami is kicking off her blog tour today, and we get to be the first on the list. Since Ami has been on our blog a few times, I thought it would be fun to do an interview with her. As always, we enjoy having her here. Thanks Ami.


Breakout Books: Shifters is the prequel to The Hunted of 2060. That being said, do you think people can read it without reading Hunted first?

Ami: Definitely. The books are written to make sense individually, much like Star Wars. The first two books, Invasion and SCM go together and the next two go together, Shifters and Hybrids and then the last two go together, Hunted and Revolution. So, i would advise to read them in sets if anything. But you can choose whatever order you like.

Breakout Books: Is it more difficult to write a prequel?

Ami: No, I found the writing cathartic. Delving into the characters gave me so much more to work with for other prequels and the final sequel.

Breakout Books: Are there any characters that we will recognize from Hunted? Do we get a better look at who they are and why?

Ami: Definitely, we drop into Melissa Marn and Bruce's life and get to know them quite well as well as touch on Melissa's father (Colonel Marn) and their relationship. We also get a better look at Unseen and Diamond and their relationship. We meet April and Arquet's shifter father too!

Breakout Books: I know from experience that working on a series really pulls you into the world of your characters. Will you be sad when this series if finished?

Ami: YES:) I have fallen in love with so many of my characters!

Breakout Books: What was your favorite part of working on this book?

Ami: I love so many parts. Getting to know Arken, Melissa, Bruce, even the General Raul in SCM comes to life as a more softer character that you care for....Of course, April and Arquet I will miss terribly, but I will dive into their relationship more in Revolution, or should I say feud.

Breakout Books: Do you have any new projects in the works? If so, what can you tell us?

Ami: I am working on SCM of 2030 and than Invasion of 2020 and then the final book Revolution of 2060. After that series I will finish Inquisition of Innocence for my Elfin Romance saga. In 2012 I have a few projects in mind, but i will save those for later. Think...time travel, romance, angels, DNA, aliens....you get the picture....I am all about the Science Fiction and Fantasy. But there will be one contemporary cultural novel: Glass Tears based in Tibet. I do one historical/cultural/

contemporary maybe once a year.

Breakout Books: Tell us something interesting about yourself that we don't already know!

Ami: I have a cat named Lotus whom I bought while in Thailand teaching. So, now in America I have a real Siam cat:) Siamese.

Ami's new book, The Shifters of 2040 can be purchase on Amazon Kindle for $2.99.

Product Description

America 2040.
Three Species. Divided Lovers. The Race is on for Planet Earth.


Summary: Set in Alaska in 2040, Melissa Marn and Bruce Wilder must work under the iron fist of the SCM, while still trying to maintain humanity. Discovering a world of shifters and hybrids, the scientists must struggle with human prejudice and betrayal. With the original ancestors, dubbed shifters, still living on earth, humans are in the midst of a fifteen year old war. As the eldest hybrids, Unseen and Diamond, learn about humans the hard way, with the loss of loved ones and sacrifices, love on planet earth proves challenging.

With underlining themes of how prejudice breaks human connections and animal/wildlife conservation, this novel which has received rave reviews will leave the reader flipping through the pages.

About the Author

I am a forbidden romance writer in the paranormal and historical romance genre. My unique experiences allow me an original perspective and a plethora of ideas to entertain readers. I grew up in Florida and went to UCf. In 1997 I received my BA in English and teaching credentials. I decided to travel overseas and teach and have worked in Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, China and Korea. Thailand is considered my second home now. I have always loved writing and wrote poems and short stores since childhood; however, my novels began when I was in Thailand. http://amiblacklwelder.com

The Crystal Facade by Debra L. Martin

Today is day 4 of Debra's blog tour, and I'm excited to be hosting today. Here is the schedule for the rest of her tour. Check it out. Today we are going to do something a little different. Debra has written a little about what it's like to co-write with another author. Enjoy!


THE CRYSTAL FACADE is the second installment of the "Rule of Otharia" trilogy.
Royal Otharian twins Darius and Dyla Telkur have a big problem: they know too much. While fleeing from a telekinetic assassin in a failed coup to seize the Telkur throne, they defied a centuries old quarantine order and traveled to the strange planet called Earth where they made a shocking discovery that native Otharians are living and working on the forbidden planet. While there, the twins run afoul of a criminal overlord who bears a striking resemblance to their own beloved Grand Duke, the most powerful man on Otharia. Simply returning to their home world doesn't end the twins’ troubles, because there are people at home who know the secret too, a secret so powerful it could topple the hierarchy of the royalty itself.
When Dyla's dream visions of the London crime boss portend an imminent threat to her family, she has no choice but to secretly return to Earth and seek answers. Who is this crime boss, what’s his connection to Otharia and why does he look like the Grand Duke? What the twins don't realize is that they're walking into a conspiracy that involves a centuries old interplanetary diamond smuggling operation between the two planets. Crystals as they are called on Otharia fuel their PSI powers and controlling the flow of crystals is the ultimate power.
Assassins on both planets are on the move, and their target is the elimination of the Telkur twins. Everything is connected, but time is running out. Darius and Dyla must unravel the mystery and discover the identity of the malevolent mastermind trying to destroy them before Dyla's worst nightmare comes true.

About the Author:

Science fiction and fantasy author who started writing with co-author, David W Small in 2006. Writing with a co-author is challenging in itself, but when 1 author lives on the East Coast and 1 lives on the West Coast, the challenges are a bit more daunting, but because we live in an electronic world of email, Instant Messenger and Skype, the partnership is totally workable.They have 2 science fiction novels, "Quest for Nobility" and "Crystal Facade" of the RULE OF OTHARIA trilogy available for sale as well as two novellas "The Right Path" and "Path to War" in the DARK FUTURE series.

Debra L Martin Interview for Dawn Judd, Breakout Books

Dawn, thank you so much for hosting me on this stop of my blog tour.

You're very welcome. We're excited to have you here. You write with a collaborator. Can you tell us about your process?

First, I’d like to share a little known fact about my co-author, David W Small. He’s my brother so we have the advantage of knowing each very well. We share a love of fantasy, science fiction and action adventure books. We’ve spent many years passing books back and forth to each other.

We started writing together in 2006 after we couldn’t find anything new to read. We thought perhaps we’ve try our hand at writing and our career was born. We both live on opposite coasts and our writing process has definitely evolved over the past four years. With email, Instant Messenger and Skype we are able to keep in touch to plot out the next scene, chapter, or action sequence. We’ve found through trial and error that what works the best for us is to do edits/additions in real time. We send chapters/scenes back and forth to each other for comments and changes. It’s always a wonderful surprise to see what kind of twist Dave has put on a chapter I’ve sent him especially when I thought I knew what was going to happen. That keeps our writing exciting for me.

I asked Dave what he would like to add and here are his thoughts:
Probably, number one is the flow of extemporaneous ideas when we chat through Instant Messenger. We are at our best when we 'talk' through ideas and scenes. The flow back and forth is almost electric; when we get going, it is like pistons firing, one idea after another and another.

One of the most important things is that both Deb and I have agreed to check our egos at the door. We tend to disagree a lot about different ideas and so we have to convince the other which idea is best. If you can’t justify it, it doesn’t get included and, of course, to quote Tom Hanks, "There's no crying in writing." I am probably the most argumentative person around and Deb balances that quite nicely. She is the best writing partner I could ever have.

Without a doubt though the most interesting and exciting part for me is when we finish a major edit and include it in the main file. It makes me realize that we are definitely making progress on our book.

Can you tell us about your novels?
Dave and I have written two full-length novels in our RULE OF OTHARIA series, Quest for Nobility and The Crystal Facade. The books revolve around royal Otharian twins, Darius and Dyla Telkur and their struggle to maintain control of the throne of Telkur. The reader delves into a world of PSI powers [telepathy, empathy, telekinesis], betrayal, intrigue and murder. There is an evil mastermind bent on eliminating the twins and, of course, there is a deliciously evil telekinetic assassin. There is also a connection back to Earth which Darius and Dyla uncover. To unravel the mystery, they must shift through the clues from the Arthurian legends of Merlin and the Lady of the Lake.

We also have two novelettes in our DARK FUTURE series, Path to War and The Right Path. The stories are set in a bleak post-apocalyptic world where only the strongest survive. Food and water are scarce and gangs roam the streets preying on the weak. System cops try to keep the peace any way they can but it’s not always pretty.

How do you research the science in your science fiction?
Dave and I both like to have the science we use in our books grounded in reality. For example, in our Otharia books, we use “crystals” to enhance PSI power. We wanted these "crystals" to be something that people would recognize easily and so we chose to use diamonds as the model. Anyone who has purchased a diamond knows that diamonds are rated by 4Cs - cut, clarity, color, and carat. We enhanced the 4C rule and had the Otharians discover another intrinsic “C” within the nature of a diamond: conductivity, the 5th C. This 5th C is what fuels their PSI abilities. Every Otharian wears a personal crystal to strengthen their particular PSI ability and the largest 10K crystals open the Duchy portals for interplanetary travel.

What will your readers like about your work?
I think readers will enjoy our novels because we create fast moving action-packed stories. We strive to keep the reader turning the pages through tension, challenges and the conflicts our characters face.

What inspires your stories?
I get inspiration from many things from catching snippets of conversations during the day to reader comments on my blog and forums. It’s amazing how you can spin a story from one seemingly innocent comment.

Where can we find your novels?
In the US, my author page at Amazon is:
http://www.amazon.com/Debra-L-Martin/e/B003Q1WLXY
In the UK, my author page at Amazon is:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Debra%20L%20Martin

I blog at Two Ends of the Pen where I host author interviews, guest posts, and do book reviews. I also try to visible as much as possible on the internet and frequently comment on forums such as Kindleboads.com.

You can find me here:
Blog: http://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/
Website: http://martinandsmall.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Debra.L.Martin.Author
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dlmartin6

What is your current WIP?
Dave and I are actually working on two manuscripts at the moment. One is a new fantasy involving assassins, witches, twin girls and an ancient prophesy. We hope to finish this in 2011. The second project is another novelette in the DARK FUTURE series tentatively titled, Zia’s Path.

Thank you for joining us Debra. We wish you the very best of luck!