by JustinSloan | Sep 15, 2017 | Snippets
UNEDITED
An early morning breeze tickled Kia’s nose, but when she woke she realized that hadn’t been what got her attention. In spite of the calming effect of the otherwise cool morning air and the way the sunlight was scattered across the forest floor with trickles of orange and red seeping in from the sunrise, her heart was pounding and her palms were clammy.
She heard a noise, a clang of metal on metal, then a distant, gravel-crunching voice.
She sat up and saw that the others in camp were still sleeping. Laird Summers and his men had set up a perimeter with guards keeping watch, though she noticed one who was close to nodding off.
It was easy to sneak past him. She scampered up into one of the trees and used it to move through the sky like a squirrel until she dropped down out of sight of the guards and made a run for it.
This might not be worth waking the others for. It might have just been her imagination, or some local boys out for an early morning training session, though as far as she knew, there weren’t any villages in this area.
Again with the gravelly voice.
Trees blocked much of her view ahead, along with gullies and fissures where old riverbeds had dried out here or earthquakes had torn apart the ground there.
She rounded a group of blackberry bushes that grew over some rocks, pausing to grab a couple of the blackberries for an early breakfast, and immediately threw herself backward into a prone position.
Not quite sure she had seen what she thought she had, she inched forward on her elbows and peeked around the rock again. (more…)
by JustinSloan | Aug 18, 2017 | Awesome books
Did you see that I got a new cover for my Hidden Magic Chronicles book 1? It’s the one on the left here – I have a great one for book 3 too, but you’ll have to wait for the cover reveal and snippets to start coming in September 🙂 Stay tuned!
And guess what? Tim Gerard Reynolds is narrating the series! He’s amazing, and has done series by R.A. Salvatore, Mark Lawrence, and other greats. Coming before the end of the year!
The Truth will set you free, but what happens when the Truth is a Lie?
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by JustinSloan | May 26, 2017 | Awesome books, Book Release
In case you didn’t hear yet, SHADES OF LIGHT is now live! My latest fantasy book release is on Amazon for only $2.99, and is #1 in Medieval Fantasy and Arthurian Fantasy (600 overall Amazon!).
Michael and I wrote this together as part of the new KGU spinoff, AGE OF MAGIC, which CM Raymond and Le Barbant started. Mine is a spinoff that takes place in what used to be Scotland, and follows a brother and sister as they battle with the concept of magic and who to trust.
It’s been a lot of fun, and watching the reviews come in has been quite fun (except one, some person who seems totally lost as the review has nothing to do with the book).
So… I decided to set up a fun game around the new release. Below you can grab a free short ebook, enter Amazon giveaways, and help spread the word — all free — to enter to win an Shades of Light ebook and $25 Amazon gift card! Just because I love you all and appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Enter here:
CONGRATS TO BLYTHE J! You won 🙂 I’ll email you about your prize. Thank you to all who played!
Win Shades of Light and a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
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by JustinSloan | May 13, 2017 | Snippets
UNEDITED – This is a snippet from my new book in the Age of Magic series with Michael Anderle. Follow the Facebook Page, check out the Rise of Magic books by Chris, Le, and Michael and enjoy! What you have here is the prologue, so… be sure to pay attention to the next one too (when the story really starts)
Larick reached the top of the hill before his fellow mystic, Volney, and therefore felt like the beauty of the view was his and his alone. They had traveled over land and sea to reach this spot, and as the wind whipped at Larick’s heavy robes, casting them about like thrashing waves, he felt as one with nature.
Spread out before him was Roneland, the top portion of an island divided since the Age of Madness. Remnants of a city, old ruins of buildings that once reached into the heavens from the days of technology toppled and largely covered in vines and earth in spots, some completely overgrown so that they appeared to be new hills.
The ghosts howled, though Larick knew it to be simply the wind blowing through those old ruins, as he had heard those same ghosts many times before. He stood with the sea behind him, the green, rolling hills flowing in every direction, with the highlands just visible, rising up in the distance.
Heavy breathing came from his right, pulling him from the moment. He turned to see Volney, a shorter man with a shaved head like Larick’s, but with piercing blue eyes. Though the man was less physically intimidating, when those eyes turned white the man was a force to be reckoned with.
“If only I could learn to simply levitate,” Volney said between breaths, holding his chest, “this would be so much simpler.”
“You know, brother,” Larick replied with a taunting smile, “you could also spend more time on the physical.”
“And lose time from my mental studies? Hardly.”
For the first time, Volney looked up at Roneland and all exhaustion melted from his expression, replaced with awe.
“This is the place?” he asked. “Where are all the people?”
“My records indicate we’ll not find them in, or even around, the cities. Here, from what I’m told, the people scattered, avoiding the cities and turmoil, holding their own in the mountains on the one hand, or creating great fortresses in the lowlands.” (more…)
by JustinSloan | May 11, 2017 | Snippets
For anyone who likes dragon shifters, epic fantasy, and crazy action, here’s some more from TEARS OF DEVOTION. Book 1 (Land of Gods) is now in audiobook, so I want to share some of this one – probably my favorite book written to date.
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The sun hit the grass of the cascading hillsides in front of Lome as he approached the village walls. Shadows stretched over the bricks, concealing the cracks and crevices in the path.
From the top of a hill, Lome saw the village rising up along the mountain behind the walls. He could barely tell where the buildings stopped and the mountain rock began.
Warm air emitted from the walls like a blanket cast from the mountain to cover the earth below. Lome stopped to figure a way into the village, only then seeing the archers’ turrets and at least one pair of eyes staring down at him from above. A great drawbridge was pulled up, forming a flat surface with its cut rock supports. His instincts told him the walls should be centuries old, but they seemed pristine to the eye. Lome looked over it all with a hesitant thought to his past, a memory never there but never gone, from some other life perhaps. (more…)
by JustinSloan | Apr 22, 2017 | Awesome books
This is one of the characters from my FALLS OF REDEMPTION trilogy – can anyone guess who? First 5 correct (or semi-correct?) guesses gets a #Free Audiobook! US and UK only. Comments below!
More Fun Art?
Also, what do you think? I love this artist’s work, and think I’ll commission her to do more. Maybe a piece on Cammie from my Reclaiming Honor series? How about my others – what would you like to see there? Thanks for the feedback!
By the way, this will be the cover of a short story spinoff probably. So stay tuned, and join the newsletter to keep up to date!
PS – if you have the Land of Gods ebook (Falls of Redemption book 1), the Audiobook is only $1.99. That’s a serious steal.
An early morning breeze tickled Kia’s nose, but when she woke she realized that hadn’t been what got her attention. In spite of the calming effect of the otherwise cool morning air and the way the sunlight was scattered across the forest floor with trickles of orange and red seeping in from the sunrise, her heart was pounding and her palms were clammy.
