Fantasy adventure

Hi,

I hope you’ve had a fantastic week.

Today is such a lovely day here. The birds are outside singing in the garden. Well, some of them are. Some of our local kaka (a green/brown bush parrot) are screeching from the oak tree. But that's their thing, and they're so cheeky and fun they're still one of my favourite birds. Which is why I also vote for them for bird of the year--except for this year. They know what they did to my car.

And I've got a great newsletter for you, including a dragon pic from Hobbiton. But most exciting, I've finally uploaded my paperback for "Into the Deadlands" the last book of Blood of the Fae!

But you should know they're phantom paperbacks. Here today and gone tomorrow. Because even though I love the covers, they make the story look far more romantic than it is. So if you want your paperbacks to have these covers to match the rest of your collection, you need to get them now, before I completely rebrand.

This is the book where we meet Keera when she was younger, discovering why she was obsessed with swordmaking and left the DeadLands.

Hades gets to go a little ham - which is fun "“…you shall have no dreams but nightmares until you accept me as your god. So, enjoy your nightmares.”

And of course it's not about the main characters Ruby and Pearl being amazing, it's about how they can work with others to pull down a tyrant. So I hope, if you haven't already you remember to pick it up.

Blood of the Fae series Amazon aff link

This week:

• Dragon out and about. The Hobbiton Wayward Dragon
• What I'm reading: Medar by S.R. Manssen
• Three Fantasy adventure promos including two free ones at the end.
• The cats: Maisey and...Maisie

Dragons out and about — The Hobbiton Wayward Dragon

So as I mentioned last week I had a bit of a trip up North of New Zealand to the Te Pae Tawhiti Speculative Fiction awards.

And what I think I forgot to mention was that I stopped off at Hobbiton on the way. And what a good plan that was, I managed to stop and chat to Wayward Dragon just outside the village. The Wayward Dragon is clearly a very proud dragon with a long tradition of not only lighting the way to Hobbiton but also being an ambassador for all dragons.

Because we all know of Smaug and his fearsome reputation, some dragons feel that we shouldn't judge all dragons on a senile old gold-obsessed red dragon. Of course I say what's wrong with being a senile old gold-obsessed red dragon? And apparently it's the whole stealing other people's homes aspect. Which is fair enough, the poor dwarves really did suffer from being kicked out of their mountain home.

I did tell him you don't need to work all the time to make up for other people's (or dragon's) mistakes, but Wayward just says he loves his life and meeting new people more than anything else. And where else in the world could he meet hundreds of new people every day.

And as I watch my fellow visitors and guides, I can;t help but agree. :)

discover my books:

A.J. Ponder's Books

What I'm reading: Medar by S.R. Manssen

This is a quick YA read and part of a trilogy. Freya's lost eye was such an integral part of the story right from the get go, that it really has you rooting for her. And the world building is fun, too. And a little bit odd. I kept on wondering how things would work with the wall around the outside of Medar. And there's a real feeling that there's a bigger mystery to be solved.

Medar: Wide

Medar: Amazon aff

Herbert and Maisie!

Herbert failing to pose on the couch when he has snuggles to get. He's a big fan of lots of attention, and when he doesn't get it he's the cat who will whip out a paw and snag the human before they can get away.

Maisie, who has been a bit of a top out with the improved weather. She's come in for a bit of a brush and a lot of fuss, and headed straight back out again. thank goodness - because I thought I'd have to show you a blurry grey photo from yesterday. :)

Books! Fantasy, sci fi, paranormal and more.

Happy reading!​
​A.J. Ponder