PHILIPPA BALLANTINE

M. H. BONHAM

ERIK BUCHANAN

JEANETTE COTTRELL

TOM DULLEMOND

DEBY FREDERICKS

VALERIE GRISWOLD-FORD

JASON HENDERSON

MICHAEL MENNENGA

TEE MORRIS

BOB NAILOR

KATHLEEN H. NELSON

JANA G. OLIVER

KRISTAN PROUDMAN

JENNIFER RAHN

SELINA ROSEN

TONY RUGGIERO

DAVID SAKMYSTER

SCOTT SIGLER

KAREN ANNE WEBB

Pip says:

History, magic and Shakespeare are my favourite things, and in CHASING THE BARD I got to write about all of them.  I decided I wasn't going to be afraid of exploring the man that every school kid has studied for four hundred years.  Falling in love with William Shakespeare, I still didn't let him off easily.  To act as his foil I created a primal female force, a fairy woman that is both flawed and fabulous.  And I had such a blast writing in one of my favourite historical periods, the golden age of Elizabethan England, and also going wild with the magical world of the Fey.  In my research I traveled to England from my home in New Zealand and went to all
the places that Shakespeare would have known; I stood in his childhood home, visited the Globe in London and almost caught a glimpse of Puck in the remains of Arden wood.
   The Trickster was a bit of a surprise, because when I started off he was cast as a bit player in my drama, but he insisted on becoming much more than that.  He demanded a role that was both comic and tragic and some better lines than I had given him.  In fact, in the end Puck told me that his story was even more than Chasing the Bard could contain, so I ended up writing him a novel of his very own.  That's the kind of a magic an author loves.

I'll be doing a new podcast this coming week on New Zealand poetry, but subjects I've covered in recent casts include; goal setting for writers, the New Zealand Christmas, the value of a good reference library and kiwi BBQ! 

WHAT'S CHASING THE BARD ABOUT?

A historical-fantasy adventure that explores the inspirations behind A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Born into the human world with a gift; a gift that brings him to the attention of powers both dark and light from the World of the Fey, it is his burden to defend all the world.

Sive, the goddess of battle, hopes that he may be able to change the fate of her people. The Fey are dying, killed by something beyond the boundaries of worlds, and Sive will do anything to save them. So she enlists the help of her trickster cousin Puck to guard the child, and watch him grow into his gift. But a dark power imprisoned by human and Fey, plots to destroy both worlds, and unmake all that they have created.

Can one boy stop the destruction, even if he is William Shakespeare?

REVIEWS of CHASING THE BARD

Nominated for the Sir Julius Vogel Award for best novel 2006

Chasing the Bard deftly weaves history and fantasy within the mortal and fey world. Philippa Ballantine brilliantly exposes the blindness that causes us to believe we don't need each other whether human or not.  ~Dena, Fallen Angels Reviews
   
Shakespeare's England I felt right at home in; and the characters introduced there were more than just famous names from history but real people with real personalities. This is a terrific trip across two worlds, across various legends and lore, and a sweet dream in print if ever there was one... ~Tee Morris, author of Morevi.

Jana says:

What if you could travel through time? Where would you go? I would visit 1888 Victorian London. I'd loiter on Commercial Street in Whitechapel, watching the costermongers selling their goods. I'd buy an eel pie and put coins in the tin cup of a gregarious organ grinder's monkey. If I stay in place too long a constable would roust me, believing me to be a working girl. In that case, I'd pop into the Ten Bells for a pint, waving the thick pipe smoke aside as I entered. While I enjoyed my ale, one topic could dominate the conversations around me. In the autumn of 1888, Jack the Ripper was the man of the hour.

Since I can't make the trip, I sent Jacynda Lassiter on a journey to a time she loathes. Jacynda's a Time Rover, one of the best. She carries a truncheon for protection and has no time for fools. More than anything, she just wants to go home. This London isn't like the one in the history books. This one has shape-shifters and rogue time travelers who will kill to remain in 1888.

Let Jacynda have all the adventures. I'll stay in my den, enjoy the toasty fire, the purring cat and a fine glass of scotch. It's a lot less exhausting that way.

WHAT'S SOJOURN ABOUT?

Welcome to Whitechapel. The Year is 1888.

Discovery is the ultimate risk… for the shapeshifter... for the time traveler... ...for the madman who hunts them. A new kind of evil lurks in the back alleys of Whitechapel, and for Time Rover Jaynda Lassiter the danger is not just in 1888 but in what could happen to the 2057 she knows as home. Now, she must outwit a madman before history is rewritten.

• Georgia Author of the Year Nominee
• Finalist for the Colorado Romance Writer's Award of Excellence
• Winner of Honorable Mention for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense

Jacynda's exploits are chronicled in the Time Rovers™ Series: Sojourn (Book 1) and Virtual Evil (Book 2) which will debut in October, 2007.

REVIEWS of SOJOURN

“Sojourn isn’t just another crime novel, it’s a story aspiring to what Jack Finney so fondly and famously did for the Edwardian period in his Time and Again, with a time traveler grown comfortable in a bygone day, despite the dilemmas.” ~ Sci Fi Dimensions

 “Jana Oliver has created a complex world that combines science fiction with dark fantasy in an original refreshing novel. She has obviously done considerable research into Victorian London giving her story an authenticity and solid foundation from which she has created a superb tale.”                        – Eternal Night

In January Dragon Moon Press released Operation Immortal Servitude, Book I of the vampire series from Tony Ruggiero. A unique vampire novel which develops a new premise of the existence of vampires and a change to traditional vampire lore. The novel attracts readers of vampire literature from Anne Rice as well as those who like the military intrigue of Tom Clancy novels. Note: Read only during the daylight hours!

Tony will be attending Shevacon in Roanoke, VA, February 23-25. Check out Tony's podcast for Aliens and Satanic Creatures Wanted: Humans Need Not Apply! He's also planning a booksigning at Creatures and Crooks, in Richmond Virginia. See his website for details.

Valerie Griswold-Ford, author of NOT YOUR FATHER'S HORSEMAN will be attending RavenCon in April (April 22nd-24th) in Richmond, VA

Selina Rosen, author of SWORD MASTERS, will be attending Con DFW, Dallas, TX - February 23-25, 2007, and the Midsouth Con, Memphis, TN - March 23-25, 2007. SWORD MASTERS is due out in February of 2008.

Her newest novel with Meisha Merlin Publishing is getting rave reviews at The Internet Review of Science Fiction. Meantime, BADLANDS, a gonzo murder mystery co-written by Selina Rosen and Laura J. Underwood is due out from 5-Star Mystery - a branch of Techno Books - in June of this year (2007).  "Prom Date" is due out January 2007 in an anthology titled LOVING THE UNDEAD, from From the Asylum Books and Press, and "The Big Trash" is due to be published this year (2007) by Legends in their HELIX online magazine.

Tee Morris, author of MOREVI, is offering two sets of podcasts these days.

• The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy (posting monthly) --  This is a podcast focusing on marketing and self-promotion techniques for authors in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and other genres. It's a podcast for writers of all genres, and goes into the fine art of surviving in the business of writing.
• Billibub Baddings and The Case of The Singing Sword (launching 2/14/07, posting weekly) --  This is the podcast of my novel, Billibub Baddings and The Case of The Singing Sword. From the imagination behind MOREVI comes The Lord of the Rings, written by Mickey Spillane! It is The Era of Prohibition, where crime runs rampant in the streets and a city divided into territories serves as the ultimate prize. Somewhere in this Underworld of Chicago, an enchanted weapon holds the key to ending The Gangland Wars. In the wake of The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, only one is man enough to stand up against Al Capone...a four-foot-one dwarf named Billibub Baddings. Poking fun at the hard-boiled detective novel, fantasy mainstays, and even the legend of Chicago's 1920 underworld, Tee Morris hosts Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword, featuring the voices of Scott Sigler, Leanny Maybry, Mur Lafferty, Paul Levinson, and Tracy Hickman.

Here is a picture of me with one HUGE cup of coffee. I really need it for one these podcasts! Also see the bookmark for Billbub Baddings at the left side of this newsletter.

On the left-hand side of the newsletter are links to podcasts presented by our authors. Wander by, and have a listen!

ARTICLES

Gwen Gades, publisher of Dragon Moon Press, is looking for a few good volunteers. Dragon Moon Press is currently experiencing rapid growth. We are still very small though, and depend heavily on volunteers. Some day we hope to change that, and are looking for a few committed individuals to join our team and help us make the leap out of this universe and into the next. Gain valuable experience in the publishing industry.

THE SHADEBINDER'S OATH by Jeanette Cottrell is a wonderfully lyrical story from the pen of Jeanette Cottrell. One the face of it the story is a simple one revolving around a plot to overthrow the Ailsandian royal family but this novel has an interesting twist - a number of the main characters are spirits. Cottrell has managed to mix magic, knights, ancient secrets and the dead in an original and entertaining story. Superb! ~Steve & Lesley Mazey, The Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Fiction Web Site

ALIEN DECEPTION by Tony Ruggiero “Populated by intriguing, colorful characters and dizzying plot twists, this book is a thoughtful commentary on present day politics and a darn entertaining romp through the future.” ~John Patrick Schmitz, Editor of The Door to Worlds Imagined.

EARTHCORE by Scott Sigler “One thing I particularly like is that Sigler didn't pull his punches or cop-out at any point. All the threats lined up at the beginning of the book were delivered on before the end. In fact I strongly recommend that you not get too attached to any characters as Sigler is ruthless at culling them throughout the novel.”  ~Eoghann Irving, Solar Flare

Read About Dragon Moon's Other Awards and Accolades

NEW DRAGON MOON PRESS DRAWING March 5, 2007. All subscribers to our newsletter will be automatically entered in our drawing for a free Dragon Moon T-shirt, and an e-book download of the winner's choice!