Tag Archives: urban fantasy

New Release! “Bad Dreams and Broken Hearts,” by Misha Burnett

07 Thursday Nov 2019

Posted by in Lagrange Books, Self-Promotion

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

So in October, Lagrange Books published an awesome hard-boiled detective fantasy collection by the incredible Misha Burnett, and for some reason WordPress wouldn’t let me post about it for weeks…

But that was then. Feast your eyes on this sweet cover:

2019-1151 Misha Burnett b01.jpg

And the book itself is even better! But don’t take my word for it. Here is a great review from Jon Mollison:

Misha’s writing snaps along with the brisk pace, terse delivery, and blank slate hero that marks all the best hard boiled works.  His understated descriptions and emotional subtlety are in display here at their finest.  For his writing alone, this book deserves a place on your shelf.

Rugar’s World is a city set in a straight up fantasy realm.  It isn’t our Earth plus magic, it is its own world with its own history and politics and cultures.  Our protagonist is a quiet American type of guy who keeps the peace in a west coast city that lies somewhere on the cultural and physical border between LA and Seattle.  City politics rears its ugly head and complicates otherwise straightforward murder investigations.  Think Bright without the heavy handed identity politics.  Or Law and Order with wands and necromancers and nations filled with golems and vampires.

Buy it today in Kindle, or in print from your favorite retailer. You’re going to love it!

Advertisement

FIRST LOOK: “The Hopeful Bodies of the Young,” by Misha Burnett

15 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by in Lagrange Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Today, we’re giving you a look at one of the five stories in our Kickstarter-exclusive bonus bundle. The only way to receive this bundle is by pledging to this campaign at the $10 or $25+ levels; it will never be available for sale. This excerpt is from “The Hopeful Bodies of the Young,” by Misha Burnett, and takes place on a lovely night in Dracoheim. Enjoy!

 

[…]

The waiter handed them each a larger leather folder containing the day’s menu and withdrew as if on a greased track.

Ivor realized that he was hiding behind the menu and made an effort to put it down. Say something, he told himself.

“Your pictures don’t do you justice,” he tried.

She raised an eyebrow at that. But she was still smiling.

“Thank you, Magus,” she said impishly.

Ivor colored. “It’s not really that big a deal—” Then he stopped himself. He might as well be honest, even if it came across as conceited. “Well, actually, it is kind of a big deal. Eight years of schooling, then six years as an apprentice. I only graduated six months ago, I’m still getting used to it.”

“And you work for Blackstone-Tate,” she said. That had been in the profile he’d sent the agency.

He nodded. “Junior partner, but my name’s on the rolls. Along with about sixty others.”

(Read more…)

FIRST LOOK: “Dead in First Grade,” by P.L. Sundeson

07 Tuesday May 2019

Posted by in Lagrange Books, Self-Promotion

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Thanks for supporting The Wand that Rocks the Cradle! Today you’re in for a treat: the first of our story excerpts! You’ll be happy to know that the stories are nearly finished with the first round of edits, which let’s us raise the curtain just a little bit. As the days go by, we are going to be periodically posting excerpts from the stories in the anthology to give you a little taste of the full package. Our first excerpt is the beginning of the short story “Dead in First Grade,” by P.L. Sundeson. Enjoy!

 

As an only child who did not play with many other children, Emma Peters had no one to tell her what school was or should be like. She was sure, though, that your teacher was not supposed to be dead.

* * *

Emma knew the days of the week, and she knew Thursday was a Work Day.  So she was startled to see Daddy, in his dark gray suit and tie as always, waiting outside their gate that cool September morning.  She threw herself down the steps and hugged him around his waist. “Daddy!  I’m glad you came.  Mommy said you had work.”

Daddy stroked her head.  “I couldn’t let my little girl go to her first day of school without me.”

(Read more…)

The Wand that Rocks the Cradle—Author Insights from Misha Burnett

01 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by in Better Fantasy, Lagrange Books, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

Thanks for visiting the campaign for The Wand that Rocks the Cradle: Magical Stories of Family! Today, we’re presenting author Misha Burnett, who will introduce you to his fantasy setting, Dracoheim. Enjoy!

Forget it, Jake, it’s Dracoheim

The publication of The Wand That Rocks The Cradle will include my third story (and fourth, for those of you pledging at the Bonus Stories level!) set in the city of Dracoheim, and I’d like to take a moment to talk about the city and how it came to be.

One thing that it is easy for modern readers of fantasy classics to overlook is that while the settings seem exotic and strange to readers born in the late 20th Century, the writers of those stories chose those settings because they were mundane and prosaic to the readers of the time.

Tolkien wrote about the Shire because that’s where he grew up. The name of Bilbo’s home, Bag End, was taken from the name of his aunt’s house in Africa. L. Frank Baum put a magical scarecrow in The Wizard Of Oz because scarecrows were such ordinary objects for his readers, something that children of his era would routinely pass by on their walk home from school. C. S. Lewis put Narnia in a wardrobe because he had one in his bedroom growing up…

Read more…