Sunday Snippet: "The door should be open now, right?”

Whew! Talk about a crazy week! Don't get me wrong, I've loved almost every second of it, but so much has happened that I'm excited to share with all my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors passing by this blog. But, priorities– my snippet for this week's 8Sunday follows up from last week, when Claire and the marauder crew were looking at a trap called a Pitfall, blocking them from entering the Junkyard to find supplies for the airship they need. Claire is puzzled by the safest way to get past the booby trap, so roguish captain Sawyer decides on a more practical solution...

I couldn’t see what he was doing until he pulled the flintlock pistol from his belt and aimed it at the Pitfall. Without a word of warning, he fired a shot straight into the black box.

The effect was instantaneous. Orange sparks erupted from the Pitfall, sending a rippling current through the copper wires, which made harsh zaps as blue lightning shuddered over the wire fence. I jumped back and stared with wide eyes until the current stopped. Then I turned and shoved Sawyer’s chest. He leaned to the side, but didn’t lose his footing.

“What the hell did you just do?!” I demanded.

Sawyer spun the gear-like hammer at the back of his flintlock– a modification to load another round and save time on manual reloading– and looked at me.

“I got us inside. The door should be open now, right?”

***

Oh, how I loved writing those characters. I definitely felt a burst of excitement sending Midnight Sky to my editor this week, though I don't expect the copy edits back until June. That's totally fine with me, because my schedule is completely full for the rest of the year. I've got two releases coming up in a couple months, and am excited to share the cover of the first one, my standalone novel, Storm Born.

Yes, the designers at Deranged Doctor Design have outdone themselves yet again. I'm thrilled about this cover, and can't wait to start the promos and pre-orders. I've got a little more editing to do before the book is fully ready, but I've gotten a head start on my media kit and some of the pre-orders. I've also started emailing reviewers and booking slots so I can have some hype around my release date. If you're interested, here's the official synopsis:

A single night can change your life… for the worst.

It’s been a century since the last Centennial Storm, the calamitous phenomenon that covered the world in disasters– tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, tsunamis, and dust storms– caused not by nature, but by alien creatures from another realm. The Stormkind.

Ava Reid tries not to think about that night, when she was caught in a hurricane and brought face to face with one of the Stormkind, the man with a dagger, and the agony she felt when he stabbed her with a crystal blade. Yet as she and the rest of Florida’s citizens begin to rebuild their lives, Ava can’t help but notice strange things happening around her. Things she seems to be causing. The gusts of wind and sudden floods attract the attentions of a mysterious stranger who leaves her clues, and the deadlier men following her.

It isn’t long before Ava is swept up into a wild conspiracy, led by a secret society that knows the truth about the Stormkind– and what their enemies have planned for the world she loves. If she wishes to protect her friends and her family, Ava must harness her strange new abilities and become part of the Stormkind society. Because if she loses control, there will be no force strong enough to stop her…

If you are interested in reviewing/spotlighting the novel, I'm happy to do a swap. Email me at amybraunauthor (at) gmail (dot) com for more details.

Oh, did you think that's the last bit of news I had? Well of course not! If you've followed me for a while, you might know about a little series called Cursed, the one that's gotten me an award from One Book Two and is coming to an end in June. I'm a little sad about that, but I'm also super excited to see the series draw to a close. I had a great time writing the third and final book, Damnation's Door, and can't wait to share it. The edits are done and the pre-orders/promos will be starting in mid-April, but the cover is coming later this month. Technically, I'll be seeing it next week, but why won't the reveal come until the end of the month? Well, long story short, I was recently given a fantastic gift– a cover reveal promotion from Xpresso Book Tours!

To say I'm looking forward to this is no small thing, and I can't wait to see what it does for Constance, Dro, Warrick, Sephiel, and Max. It's a new experience, and I'm positive it'll pay off.

So that's all for now! I still have a ton of work coming my way, but my work week is almost over, and then it's full steam ahead for current and upcoming projects. Remember to stop by the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and leave them some love in the comments. I'm not the only one with some awesome releases coming up!

Amy