FROM STAGE DOOR SHADOWS

So excited. I've been waiting for FROM STAGE DOOR SHADOWS to come out for about a year, because inside is a story of mine I could never in a million years have imagined I could write. Not only is it my first ever speculative piece of fiction, but it's also the first I ever wrote to a strict prompt: a line from a song lyric, "L.A. Lady".

I'm so thrilled for it to go out into the world. And guess what? You can read it for free for 48 hours, starting from HERE AND NOW.

From Stage Door Shadows is based on Bernie Taupin’s lyrical tribute to California in the 1970s, “Tiny Dancer” (the original title for the anthology). The song appears on Elton John’s fourth studio album, Madman Across the Water and although not a hit at the time of release, went platinum in August last year.

Blurb:
Twenty-six authors trade Tiny Dancer’s California blessed lyrics for the hadowed recesses of stages large and small in From Stage Door Shadows, a speculative fiction homage to the darkness just beyond the limelight of the entertainment industry.

The stories re-introduce the women BernieTaupin wrote about and Elton John sang about: blue jean baby, LA lady, the band’s seamstress, the music man’s wife and the girl dancing in the sand, along with a stellar cast of musicians, singers, thespians, fans, managers, dancers, DJs, magicians, talent show contestants, stars and has-beens.

From vaudeville to opera, piano bar and street corner, hotel suite and beauty pageant, From Stage Door Shadows is a backstage pass to where dreams of fame, fortune and fulfillment live and die in a heartbeat.

The stories all go live on the LMT site, in the order below. Recognize some names? They start 9 a.m. Saturday (Aussie Eastern Time) then roll out per the schedule. Each story will be up for 48 hours and then each story will come down one story and hour until we reach the final one. You know what's really cool about this? They all go live in the order of the lyrics of the song:

09:00 INDIGO Blue jean baby – Jodi Cleghorn
10:00 MUTED L.A. lady – Jessica Bell
11:00 COLOUR OF BLOOD Seamstress for the band – Cath Barton
12:00 TINY DANCER Pretty eyed, pirate smile – Emma Kerry
13:00 THE MUSIC MAN You'll marry a music man – Lisamarie Lamb
14:00 LUMINAIRE Ballerina, you must have seen her - Joanne Anderton
15:00 DANCING IN THE SAND Dancing in the sand – Rebecca L. Dobbie
16:00/17:00 CANDENTIA MUSIC BOX And now she's in me, always with me - Clive Martyn & Laura Eno
18:00 A LIVING DOLL Tiny dancer in my hand - Monica Marier
19:00 FEAR IS THE SIN Jesus freaks out in the street - Alan Baxter
20:00 TIME SIGNATURE Handing tickets out for God - Melanie Saward
21:00 THE GODS ARE JUST Turning back she just laughs - Janette Dalgliesh
22:00 TORCH SONG Piano man he makes his stand - Andrew McKiernan
23:00 OPEN AUDITION In the auditorium - Devin Watson
00:00 MY MOMENT Looking on she sings the songs - Theresa Milstein
01:00 HOUSE OF THE CANTOMANCER The words she knows - Jennifer Muirhead
02:00 DISCOVERING THE GIFT The tune she hums - Len Lambert
03:00 RITE OF SPRING But oh how it feels so real - Graham Storrs
04:00 WHITE POPPY SERENADE Lying here with no one near - S.G. Larner
05:00 SING FOR ME Only you and you can hear me - Laura Meyer
06:00 THE TWILIGHT DREAM When I say softly slowly - Tom Dullemond
07:00 VELVET Hold me closer tiny dancer - Josh Donellan
08:00 THE LAST OF THE UNDEAD BEATS Count the headlights on the highway – Daniel Wynne
09:00 THE PERFECT EVENING Lay me down in sheets of linen - Sam Adamson
10:00 LAST ILLUSION You had a busy day today – Rus VanWestervelt

Looks like a good time to have a read-a-thon! :)

Internet Book Fair!!! Extra, extra, read all about it!!!

Welcome to the Internet Book Fair! Just so you know, this was originally set up to promote your own books, but seeing as I've got this supah dupah blog tour for String Bridge set up next week, I decided to promote other authors' books.

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Okay, those who know me, know I don't really read YA. But you know what? I'm actually interested in reading this one by Susan Kaye Quinn. It seems like a real "mind-#*@!" so to speak. Excuse my language, it's totally unorthodox, but sorry, I love stuff that deals with psychological twists so I'm really looking forward to giving it a go ... Here's the blurb:

"Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can't read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can't be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf's mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she's dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where being forced to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her."

If you want to read more about the book and/or author, Susan Kaye Quinn, CLICK HERE.

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I don't read many anthologies of short fiction, but this one, edited by Jodi Cleghorn, looks TO DIE FOR. Who wouldn't be intrigued by a collection of short stories based on songs released in 1989? Interesting, huh? Here's the blurb:

"1989: a cusp between decades.
The year the Berlin Wall came down and Voyager went up. Ted Bundy and Emperor Hirohito died. The birth of the first Bush administration and computer virus.

In San Francisco and Newcastle the ground shook, in Chernobyl it melted. Tiananmen Square rocked the world and Tank Man imprinted on the international consciousness. Communism and Thatcherism began their decline, Islamic fundamentalism its rise.

It was the year Batman burst onto the big screen, we went back to the future (again) Indiana Jones made it a trifecta at the box office and Michael Damian told us to rock on.

Based on a play list of 26 songs released in 1989, Eighty Nine re-imagines the social, political, cultural and personal experiences at the end of the decade which gave the world mullets, crimped hair, neon-coloured clothing, acid-wash denim, keytars, the walkman, Live Aid, the first compact disc and MTV."

To check it out on Goodreads, CLICK HERE. They're actually having an Amazon Chart Rush for this book today, so it would be a great day to buy it! Also, first one to comment and say they want one will receive a free copy of this in eBook format! (PDF, mobi or epub)

All the stories will be live, and free for 48 hours beginning 9am Aussie time today. They all go up one every hour via the LMT official website http://literarymixtapes.com.

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I'm told that Judy Croome writes with a poetic flair so how could I resist giving this a shot? It sounds like my cup of tea. I've actually had this in my Kindle for MONTHS, but still haven't got around to reading it. I will soon! Here's an excerpt of the blurb:

"Boldly atmospheric, buoyed by touches of magical realism, this compelling story explores the sacrifices people make in the pursuit of a love that transcends everyday existence. Lulu’s quest, and that of Jamila and Zahra too, is to find the divine love that will fulfil their hopes and save their souls...if they can recognise the masks of those who seek to lead them astray."

Sounds beautiful, huh? Okay, to read more about this one on Goodreads, CLICK HERE.

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This blurb says it all:

"Haunted houses. Haunted hearts.
And a past that refuses to die.

Leap Books summoned best-selling paranormal and dreadfully talented debut authors to conjure up Spirited, a haunting collection of 13 tales guaranteed to keep you up all night.

Get entombed in stories of Egyptian treasures, shudder at tales of malevolent spirits, and dive in the adventures of witch-hunters, ghost seekers, and lost souls. From steampunk to cyberpunk, our collection of spirits from the past, present, and future will haunt you in these pages.

With this celebration of things that go bump in the night, Spirited authors hope to slay the truly frightening illiteracy statistics that plague our youth. All proceeds from Spirited will be donated to 826 National. 826 offers free after-school tutoring, workshops, and in-school programs because "strong writing skills are fundamental to future success."

Go ahead. Turn the page if you dare. We won’t tell if you sleep with the light on. Because after all, there’s no rest for the wicked."

Also, here is the blurb of one of the short stories you'll find in there, written by the brilliant Dawn Dalton: 

THREAD OF THE PAST: Letitia Hawke is used to feeling invisible and the only thing that makes her senior dance bearable is the location—one of the most haunted houses in the country. Then Tish makes an unexpected connection with Elijah, and it’s bye-bye wallflower, hello gothic rose. Too bad the Franklin House is a jealous host.

To read more about SPIRITED CLICK HERE!

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Now this book, Lyon's Legacy by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan, I've just heard about and I'm wondering why I hadn't heard of it earlier! Guitar? Music? I'm already hooked. Here's the blurb:

"Joanna Lyon may have inherited musical talent from her famous ancestor, Sean Lyon, but her parents' bitter divorce and her Uncle Jack's attempts to remake her into another Sean have left her hostile toward her family and music. Her passion is for science, but since she has no access to the family funds, she struggles to earn enough credits for graduate school. Then her uncle sets up a business deal with her employer to make Joanna go on a mission for him: travel via the spaceship Sagan to an alternate TwenCen universe where Sean is still alive. Joanna must collect a DNA sample from Sean so her uncle can create a clone of him. She refuses at first, but finally agrees to go. Secretly, however, Joanna believes her uncle will exploit the clone, and she plans to sabotage the project to stop him. But when she falls in love with one of the scientists in the Sagan's genetics lab, clashes with other time travelers who fear she'll change how history develops on the alternative TwenCen Earth, and receives devastating personal news, Joanna will find herself pushed to her limit even before she comes face-to-face with her hated ancestor. Their encounter will leave her changed forever. Will she still be able to thwart her uncle's plan, and what will she have to sacrifice to do so?"

This story is available as an e-book for only $2.99 at Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

If you'd like to discover some other books on the market, make sure you drop by the host of the Fair to access everyone's blog links. Thanks for reading!!!


PS: See yesterday's post as to why I won't be around again until next Monday.