Day one of the massive Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom Blog Tour!

Day one of the massive Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom Blog tour! 

The day has finally arrived! My second steampunk adventure novel, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom (published by ZOVA Books) is available! It's been a very long road but worth every second as I feel like this book is the perfect sequel to book one. It's a much darker story and the reader gets immersed into the characters neurosis that fuel their unique desires.

Centered around a massive airship that can control the weather in nefarious ways, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom has taken the original story to a new level of action and peril that I'm most proud of.

Before I go on, tomorrow's blog tour stop is an interview at Book In The Bag so be sure to check it out. 
Also, if you'd like to get the new re-edited reissue of book 1, Thomas Riley click here: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Riley-1-Nick-Valentino/dp/0615790283/ref=sr_1_29?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372211444&sr=1-29&keywords=Thomas+Riley

How do you get a copy? There are a lot of different ways depending on your favored delivery method. Note that for signed copies, be sure and let me know how you'd like the book signed in the note to seller section right before you submit payment. Another cool thing is that the book is on sale everywhere! So you'll get discounts everywhere you order.

Get signed copies here:

Amazon.com Paperback $14.39:

Kindle $2.99:
 
Barnes & Noble Paperback: 

FROM THE BACK COVER

Thomas Riley and Cynthia Basset's adventures in their steampunk world have turned down a dark path. After an assassination attempt, the West Canvian heroes receive a message from a mysterious woman about the whereabouts of Cynthia's missing suitor and famous sky pirate, Sam Burges.

Cynthia insists on pursuing the lead despite great risk, so the two of them take off with a rogue colonial sky pirate and his eclectic crew to find the man that she loves. On their journey, Thomas and Cynthia learn that Sam has joined with their enemies, the Lemurians, under the supervision of the mad man, Doctor Wolfgang Gerhard.

To make matters worse, Sam is in a commanding position on board the secret airship, The Maelstrom, that has the ability to control the weather in a most nefarious way.

Thomas and Cynthia's loyalty to their country and to each other are laid on the line in this steampunk tale of love, loss and adventure.

PRAISE FOR THOMAS RILEY AND THE MAELSTROM

"Valentino does it again with a Thomas Riley story packed with high-stakes action, full of fantastical figments of science, and incredible description guaranteed to transport you on a grand adventure. An epic tale you won't want to miss."
Theresa Meyers, award-winning author of The Legend Chronicles series

"Nick Valentino takes us back into the steampunk world in this second Thomas Riley book, giving us more Riley, his friends, and enemies in an action
and intrigue packed volume that starts with a bang and hurtles toward an unforgettable conclusion. A definite must-read for steampunk and action fans!"
H. David Blalock, author of Angelkiller

"It's another adventurous journey for Thomas Riley and Cynthia Basset as they confront perils from new adversaries, new weapons, and new mysteries. Assassinations, captivity, and several races against time keep the duo charging forward from battle to battle and airship to airship. A captivating and creative story for readers of all ages!"
Kevin Steil, Airship Ambassador

"Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom picks up where the last left off, with the danger escalated, action raised, and tone matured. It's a must read for any fan of steampunk fiction."
Doctor Q

Q & A with Ice Forged author Gail Z. Martin

 

Q & A with Ice Forged author Gail Z. Martin

Q:  You write epic fantasy.  What got you interested in sword-and-sorcery stuff?

A:  As a kid, I loved anything about King Arthur, and I read every book I could find about Arthur, Merlin, Morgan LaFey, and the Round Table.  I know all the words to every song from Camelot! That got me interested in real history, and I read a lot about kings, castles, wars and then of course, magic.  Then I got into reading mythology and folklore, and when you put it all together, I started thinking up stories of my own!

Q:  Please tell us about your other books and where to find them.

A:  The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven and Dark Lady’s Chosen make up my Chronicles of the Necromancer series.  The Sworn and The Dread are books one and two of my Fallen Kings Cycle, which continues the characters and setting from the first four books.  Ice Forged, and in 2014, Reign of Ash, are the first two books in my Ascendant Kingdoms Saga series, which is an entirely different fantasy world from my first books.  All of these titles are available wherever books are sold as paperbacks, ebook and audiobook.

Every month I bring out a new short story on Kindle, Kobo and Nook for just .99.  It’s a cheap thrill, and a good way to get to know my writing if you haven’t read one of my books.  In the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures, so far we’ve got Raiders’ Curse, Caves of the Dead, Storm Surge, and Bounty Hunter.  In my Deadly Curiosities Adventures, so far the titles include Vanities, Wild Hunt, Steer a Pale Course.  You can find these online wherever ebooks for Kindle, Kobo and Nook are sold.

Q:  Ice Forged started a new series for you, with a different world and all-new characters from what you’ve written before.  What made you decide to write a different series instead of continuing with your other characters?

A:  I still have plans to write more stories in the Chronicles world, but I had reached a good place to take a break and do something different for a while.  There’s a natural break in the plot line after The Dread that makes a logical resting point.  So while my characters are taking a much-deserved vacation, I had the opportunity to write some new stories that had been banging around in my head.

Q:  You’ve also begun to bring out short stories on ebook.  How did that happen?

A:  I started doing short stories for anthologies, and discovered that it was fun.  Since my Chronicles world is on hiatus for now, I decided to bring out some of Jonmarc Vahanian’s back-story, since he’s a character everyone wants to know more about.  I created my Deadly Curiosities world for my anthology stories, and enjoyed writing about that world so much I decided to create more stories on my own.  I’ve found that switching up which world I’m writing about keeps me sharp and it’s like a mini-vacation.  I’m having a lot of fun!

Q: What’s the best part about being a writer?

A:  For me, there are two “best” parts—getting to tell the stories and getting to meet readers.  Writing is a lot of fun for me, even though it is a lot of work.  It doesn’t feel like work!  It’s so exciting to share the stories that bounce around in my head and make them real to other people.  Then meeting other people who love to read is also wonderful.  Book people have so much in common, even if we don’t always agree on our favorites, we do agree that books are fantastic!

The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 21 awesome partner sites around the globe.  For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

@GailZMartin Book Giveaway on Twitter—Every day from June 21 – June 28 I’ll be choosing someone at random from my Twitter followers to win a free signed book.  Invite your friends to follow me—for every new 200 followers I gain between 6/21 – 6/28, I’ll give away an additional book, up to 20 books!

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Super Fun Updates

Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom
The pre-orders for my second steampunk novel, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom are going very well! There are only 7 days left to pre-order your signed copy and get free shipping! So order here while there's still time. :) 
If you'd like your book signed a certain way, there is a link at the very end of the ordering process just before you click to pay that says, "Note to seller". Just tell me how you'd like the book to be signed and you're good to go.

Other things
The cover art above is going to be a touch different. Will Routon, the cover artist did some amazing detail work. I'm very excited to show you soon.

Nashville
I flew to Nashville last week mainly for a doctor appointment but I have to say, the time I spent there was a blast. I got to see my parents and briefly my friends Beebs, Stormie and Granny. Good times, Nashville is such a fun place.

Gail Martin
Author extraordinaire, Gail Martin will be guest blogging on my blog on June 21st. Be sure to check her out!

RPG Game
Liz and I are working on the story book for a new RPG game from the company, Harsh Realities... That's all I think I can say right now.