Birthday

As usual, Lizzie makes sure that I have a wonderful birthday. This year was no different. We kind of turned it into three days of cool stuff. 

Saturday, the day before my birthday, Lizzie and the kids surprised me with a Crab Boil and gifts of fine spiced rum and beer, which is totally my favorite. We ended the night with a brutal game of Monopoly (which I won) the birthday luck was with me! 

Sunday we had a fabulous breakfast and we went to BJ's for dinner. 

Monday we took off to Seattle to have brunch at Americana. If you make it to Seattle, this place is bad ass and often has an hour wait. The maple glazed pork belly is off the charts awesome. We then hit two record stores for some new vinyl I ended up getting Alt-J, Russian Circles, and Slayer. I've always loved buying music. In between stores we hit a really awesome bar called Hazelwood which was a tiny old style European looking place with vintage cocktails. Then we went to dinner at Poquitos a sweet Mexican restaurant with awesome authentic tacos. Then finally we got to see the final Hobbit movie at IMAX and in 3D. I have to say seeing a movie like that is fabulous! 

It was a great birthday and as always it's a little sad to see the celebrations end but man, it was fun!

The Crab Boil complete with 4th child (Kaya's BFF and Elsa)

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In Seattle we stopped by Twice Sold Books for some neat used book finds

Lizzie in Twice Sold Books

Drink at Hazelwood in Bellingham

Lizzie at Poquitos

Tequila at Poquitos

Space Needle at night

HUGE 3D glasses for IMAX

Stephen Zimmer's Spirit of Fire

It's out now! Spirit of Fire. The third instalment in the Fires in Eden series from the talented, amazing and wonderful Stephen Zimmer. Mr. Zimmer is giving epic fantasy a new gold standard with his richly detailed novels. He's a road warrior and hits a ton of cons and book signings so if you get the chance, you should really go hear him read. I went to his Nashville signing for the second book in the series and it was a blast. (Sometimes he gives away bad ass prizes too.)

Published on Seventh Star Press, Stephen pulls the reader into a huge world of conflict that rivals all epic fantasy you've ever read. I'm telling you, don;t miss out on Spirit of Fire or any of the books in the Fires in Eden series! And may I say that you'll not meet a cooler guy than Stephen, seriously.

Check out the Amazon blurb below then go buy the story in print or on your kindle with the links.

"A maelstrom of war engulfs the lands resisting the designs of the Unifier to bring about a new order, of a kind that has never existed within Ave. Battered by a massive invasion force from Gallea, the tribal people of the Five Realms and their Midragardan allies are being driven eastward, towards the sea, while the Saxan lines are wearing down ever thinner on the Plains of Athelney. Time is running out quickly, as an ancient creature of legend soars through the skies with a brave young Saxan. They carry the desperate hopes of two realms sorely beset by a voracious enemy. Diabolic entities conduct a great hunt, as a malignant darkness deepens across all of Ave. The exiles from another world must gain refuge, or find themselves ensnared by the long reach of the Unifier. The very nature of creation itself stands in the balance. It is a time when the honor and fortitude of many are put to the test, and terrible prices are paid for resisting great evils. It is also a time of awakening for many, old and young alike, some of whom may yet discover the spirit of fire that lies within. The third installment in the Fires in Eden series, Spirit of Fire is richly imagined epic fantasy with a diverse ensemble of characters that offers a new world to explore for the readers who enjoy large-scale tales along the likes of George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, Steven Erikson, and J.R.R. Tolkien."

Buy the print book here!

Buy the digital version here!

New Steampunk Anthology

Her Majesty's Mysterious Conveyance

That's the name of the newest steampunk anthology that Elizabeth (Darvill) Valentino and I are in with Sean Hayden and Jennifer Williams published by Echelon Press. This is a super fun anthology where all the stories are about non traditional steampunk characters and there is a queen or empress involved in every yarn.

My story is called Ten Thousand Years and is about a bitter Japanese sea captain that takes to piracy to regain his crew's honor. There are samurai automatons, royal airship battle cuisers and advanced cannons that can punch holes through an entire ship! *Hint* (This cannon also makes an appearance in the new Thomas Riley 2)

I'm super excited about this nifty little anthology and to celebrate, I'm giving away 2 e-copies for Twitter users. Copy and paste the text below in twitter and two winners will be chosen at random on Saturday night!

RT this for a chance to win an e-copy of new #steampunk Anthology "Her Majesty's Mysterious Conveyance" @sirthomasriley http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ZA8P9C/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

If you want to go on and pick up the e-book (Print books will be available in a few weeks!) you can grab them at Amazon for a very cheap $3.99 here. http://www.amazon.com/Her-Majestys-Mysterious-Conveyance-ebook/dp/B006ZA8P9C