If you've read the blog, you know I am a fan of TAPratt's Marla Mason novels. I am not alone in this. Kelley Armstrong blurbed Marla with this statement: "A fast-paced, thoroughly fun, satisfying read." (http://www.marlamason.net/)
Pratt (who is both a sweetheart & a talented author) is doing a serialized text.
"Bone Shop is a serialized, donation-funded urban fantasy novella, available for anyone to read for free. New chapters will go up every Monday until it's done, starting June 29th.
Marla Mason is the chief sorcerer of Felport, a woman who's tangled with gods and monsters and come out on top (if a bit damaged in the process). But she wasn't always a formidable engine of brute force and pragmatism; she started out alone, in a strange city, without allies or any more power than the average teenage runaway on the street. Marla was always willing to do anything necessary to survive, and it didn't take long for her to stumble into a world of magic, danger... and even the occasional moment of grace.
Bone Shop tells the story of Marla's evolution from runaway to sorcerer's apprentice to mercenary magician and beyond. Fans of the urban fantasy series from Bantam Spectra that began with Blood Engines will find surprising secrets revealed about Marla's past, and new readers can get to know the character from the very beginning.
As for why I'm doing this...
My wife was laid off on June 23, 2009, and this novella is an attempt to bring in some extra income while also telling a story I'm passionate about. Your donations will help keep a roof over our heads, and pay our son's medical bills (he has congenital glaucoma, so you can help keep him from going blind). Pay whatever you think the story's worth. Enjoy!" (Pratt, http://www.marlamason.net/boneshop/about.html)
So if you're in the market for some ass-kicking, well-written urban fantasy (no weak chicks in THIS series), check out the novels and/or the serialized novella.
Go HERE to do so: http://www.marlamason.net/boneshop/about.html
. . . and here's the author confessional bit: This is stuff TAPratt doesn't know (& I suspect will embarrass me once he does know).
Once upon a time (around 2004), I started trying to be a Real Writer. I joined crit groups, wrote a story every week, started various novels, & read read read. In crit groups, there were TWOauthors I kept hearing named in connection to my tastes. One is my fav living author. The other is TA Pratt.
I was told repeatedly "oh, this is just like Pratt's story -- or --" and "your myth focus reminds me of Pratt" and "man, you know whose texts you'd totally
love? Pratt!" So, I looked him up. I read his short stories. Seriously? I got close to envy. He can
write. . . and w/o any doubt, I knew that if he DID write it, I would like it bc he knows his myth & lore & does quirky things here or there. It became a personal goal to get published in either the magazine he edited OR one of 2 particular magazines he'd been published in (
Strange Horizons and
Realms of Fantasy). My first story sale was to his magazine (
Flytrap). It was a short story that I am still very proud of. (He still rejected me afterwards, & the other magazines both rejected me. . . which is cool bc I don't want to be published there unless the story is good enough to BEthere).
I still know that if TAPratt writes it, I will love it. Seriously? He & I both had novels with
gancanaghs release the same year. Do you know how many other novels I've read with this type of character? NONE. Go read him.
NOTE:HEISNOTYA. Seriously, I love his texts, but Idon't hand the Marla texts to my 15 year old yet. Marla is NOTfor younger teen readers (at least in this overprotective mother's opinion).
OTHER:I'll be giving away a few Marla novels (& some of my Mark Del Franco's books) over
on the fansite in the near future. By the way, this month I'm
giving away Rachel
Vincent's My Soul to Take and some LJSmith. You can still enter.
Future giveaways . . . I just heard (
literally while I was typing this) that I'll be getting to give away Malinda Lo's ASH. I also have 6 ARCs of BEAUTIFULCREATURES coming up. . . and some copies of Clare Dunkle's THEHOLLOWKINGDOM. It makes me happy to give out books I enjoy, so thanks to all of you for entering.
. . . and now I'm really going back offline.
