My brain is melting...but in a good way?
Perilous Gods Trilogy, mega-author giveaway ends soon, clumsy panda video
I can’t believe the first book in my Perilous Gods trilogy is due to release three months from today!! With all three stand-alone books coming out close together, plus a whole raft of other writing-related stuff that I’m juggling (line edits, copyedits, cover drafts, and more), plus a day job copyediting (and a separate multi-book contract!!) there’s a lot going on behind the scenes right now — hence the brain melting. 🫠 I’ll be sharing the cover reveals and pre-order links as soon as I get them, but here’s a teaser description from the publisher for book one, While the Gods Sleep, plus a mood board from me, and what Publishers Weekly and Walter Jon Williams had to say 💖:
In an alternate 1950’s Greece, locksmith Ty is drawn into the dangerous games of the gods. Deeply in debt, he is forced to descend into an underworld filled with squabbling deities and monsters in search of the key to his own freedom.
"Shunning clichés, Colter crafts a suspenseful plot that dashes along to the rousing ending... Fans of Greek myths and celestial fantasy will root for Ty and eagerly await more adventures in this polished world." - Publishers Weekly
"The pleasures of Greek mythology mixed with the dark undercurrents of contemporary fantasy." -- Walter Jon Williams, New York Times bestselling author
The story behind the story. Is there one? There usually is…
Part 1 (I’ll post part 2 next time: a short essay on my love of myth, folktale, and world religions that was going to be a preface for one or all of the books until I landed three amazing forewords for the novels!)
The works of Tim Powers and China Miéville especially influenced this set, and particularly this book. What I love most about Last Call, Perdido Street Station, and other books like them is their unpredictability. Finding authors who write fantasy, write it strange, and then push that envelope so hard that I can’t guess what’s coming next is absolutely the best. They’re also books that are dark — sometimes edging into horror, but not too far for my tastes. Fantasy adventure/thrillers that are a hell of a lot of fun. I’d like to hope I’ve accomplished this same feel with all three of these books.
Like Tim Powers, and so many others who’ve influenced my writing, I also have a love of mythology, using gods as characters, and the challenge of weaving folktales and myths into something new. Kind of like Kaos did on Netflix with the Orpheus and Eurydice tale (and then disappointed by cancelling it just weeks after the first season dropped, even tho in my circle it got a lot of love). Then again, my book is nothing like Kaos (or is it …?? Well, without Jeff Goldblum and the bits played for humor, maybe if you squint hard enough...)
And the foreword for While the Gods Sleep… drumroll… written by the amazing Natalia Theodoridou, author of Sour Cherry!!
My publisher has this to say about the full Perilous Gods set: “For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow and Claire North’s Songs of Penelope series, the Perilous Gods of Slavic, Greek and Mayan mythologies walk the earth amongst humanity in this exciting fantasy trilogy.”
Three books coming out in the next few months!! I can’t wait for this wild ride to start!
Here’s special preview of all three books:
Are you a reviewer/influencer? Reach me through this form to request an e-ARC when they become available. (Be aware that I may not be able to send one to everyone who requests them. Also, if you fill out the form and don’t get an answer, try pinging me by PM on IG)
Another reprint acceptance, another great deal on a JayHenge anthology: Masque & Maelström Volume 1: The Reluctant Exhumation of Edgar Allan Poe
Dive into a menacing celebration of the master of the macabre with Masque & Maelström Volume 1, a chilling anthology that exhumes the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe and thrusts it into twenty-first-century nightmares. From haunted parlor walls to the labyrinthine corridors of a forgotten asylum, each story unspools a new terror—where love curdles into loss, shadows whisper forbidden secrets, and the line between reality and delirium collapses…
I can’t swear to it, but that bit about the line between reality and delirium collapsing might be making the side-eye at my story. It’s an uncomfortable little flash piece where events might be real or might be supernatural—first published in Fantasy Magazine, Jan 2023 (CW for implied history of unspecified child abuse and mental illness). If you want 30+ Poe-inspired stories for $3.49, look no further. I know six other authors in this anthology, and would recommend all of them!
Fabulous Summer Fantasy Reads: FREE now thru July 5th
That multi-author fantasy promo I mentioned in my early June newsletter…it ends soon. Nearly 125 authors participating. Everything free — including my novel, A Borrowed Hell. Click the link above to check out the entire selection. Maybe you claimed a book or two last time but didn’t download them yet? The download window may have expired, but there’s still time to grab them again!
*If you appreciate authors making their work free, spreading the word about a book you’ve enjoyed is a great way to say thank you. Please consider dropping a review at Amazon, Goodreads or any social media site where you hang out, to help others find that book or author.*
Oh, and of course, a cute animal video to sign off (:37 sec):
Seriously, pandas have to be the goofiest and clumsiest of all bears. I’d like to think I’m a polar bear (their closest relative) but yeah, probably more panda these days.
Till next time, happy reading everyone!