As the five year anniversary of my first published book approaches, I’m giving it a refresh, and a sequel!
Aside from the gorgeous new cover, and a few spelling errors corrected, the book is essentially the same. However, there’s a new sneak peek at the sequel in the back, and I’m working hard on editing the mostly completed manuscript so I can get it out before the end of the year.
No one expected the last night of the Summer holidays to be deadly.
Rain and her best friends Rachel and Jackie head to the carnival. Rain’s plan was to chat up Jake, who runs the Ferris Wheel, and maybe get a kiss or two. But then Rachel’s killed in mysterious circumstances, and none of them will ever be the same again.
When Rachel returns as a ghost insisting Rain find out who killed her and why, she turns to Jake, who knows more than he seems to. In fact, he’s encountered weird stuff like ghosts and monsters before.
So now she just has to grieve for a friend who she’s still talking to, try not to fall deeper in love with Jake, keep her family off her back, decide who to trust, infiltrate the funfair and find Rachel’s killer. Piece of cake, right?
The Suburban Book of the Dead is available on multiple book platforms on ebook, and paperback via Amazon. I should have paperbacks in my online store soon enough.
As for the sequel, The Suburban Book of Dreams is coming soon.
Descent is a non-binary fantasy novel written entirely without the use of gendered pronouns, set in a magical world of towering mountains, frigid forests and shadowy chasms.
Tragedy has befallen the best and brightest at the Callan Imperial College of Striking. A young mage, a prodigy who once had a bright future ahead of them, flees terrified into the night. In an unyielding, foreign world, they are tested and tried time and time again as they battle with heartache and the loss of innocence, making new friends and new enemies on their steady descent into the shadows.
Too much chaos, if you ask me. I’m Chris, and I’m stuck in the Inbetween. It’s kinda my fault, I did jump, but I didn’t expect this. I don’t know what I was expecting… but now I’m the cat curiosity is trying to kill – or, at least, I can be.
Turns out I’m a Bone Magician. The last Bone Magician. And there’s a prophecy, because of course there is, and the deadline is my 16th birthday, because of course it is! I did not pack enough brownies for this mission. But there are good things too. Did I mention AJ? Have you met AJ? You need to meet AJ. He’s going to teach me magic, and we’re going to save the world.
Neurodiverse Jesse loves pop culture and the animals he cares for in the store. Drew is a high school teacher who has written a book on American poetry and loves Shakespeare and has a history of making bad relationship choices. How can their relationship survive when everyone around them constantly reminds them of the differences separating them? When one of Drew’s bad choices from the past shows up, it sets in motion a confusing and heartbreaking chain of events that tests their relationship. How can Drew and Jesse prove to their friends and family that what brings them together is stronger than what sets them apart? Can they demonstrate that sometimes, when it comes to love, the most important thing in the world is a smile?
Jesse’s Smile is a standalone MM romance featuring a slight age gap, hurt/comfort, opposites who attract, and a very sweet young man finding love in a world that doesn’t consider him worthy of it.
Modelling wasn’t the glamorous job portrayed in the media. It wasn’t all glitzy parties, fashion shows, and photoshoots. There was also the long hours being fitted for garments, of being told how to walk and when to smile. But for Addison, none of that mattered so long as she got paid. Several years of living on the streets after living in a world of excess had given her a new look on life, and she no longer took anything for granted.
But there was a darker side to the modelling world that wasn’t talked about.
There were people who viewed models as nothing more than mannequins with a heartbeat.
Men who refused to take ‘No’ for an answer… and those who thought Addison’s sexuality was something that could be changed with the right partner. Yeah, that wasn’t happening.
Then there were the stalkers. Addison had had her fair share of them since taking up the modelling contract with House of Bolton. But none of them had required Addison to be saddled with a bodyguard – Clio Di’lorio.
Until this one.
And the man behind the threats might be closer than Addison or Clio realise.
Runway Riot is a 59k fluffy dark, sapphic, mafia romance novel set in Melbourne, Australia. It involves a feisty bisexual bodyguard falling for her client, and a model with a dangerous stalker problem. Each book in the House of Bolton series can be read standalone.
A serial killer stalks the streets of Boggslake, Ohio. The victims are always found in pairs, one human and one vampire.
Simon Hawthorne has been a vampire for nearly a hundred years, and he has never seen anything like it. Neither have the other supernaturals he works with to keep the streets safe for both their kind and the humans.
One meeting with Simon finds Ben Leyton falling for a man he knows is keeping secrets, but he can’t ignore the growing attraction between them. A recent arrival in Boggslake, Ben finds it very different from his native New Zealand, but something about Simon makes Ben feel as though he’s found a new home.
After a close friend falls victim to the killer, Simon is torn between revealing his true nature to Ben, and walking away to avoid the reaction he fears. But with the body count rising and the murders becoming more frequent, either, or both of them, could be the killer’s next target.
Author’s note: This story was originally released in 2014 by another publisher. This edition has been revised and re-edited with the end result being a better, stronger story.
The case: a grandmother who vanished from a locked room. The best lead: a psychic who’s as mysterious as she is cute.
Detective Jack Duarte is the one called upon when weird cases hit Auckland. A fierce loner with a reputation for solving the unsolvable, she is the perfect choice for the latest odd mystery: the locked-room disappearance of a beloved grandmother, who has vanished without trace and, seemingly, without suspects or a motive. This time around, though, Jack has also been assigned a partner.
The fresh young detective Piper, who has transferred in with a difficult history, is determined to prove themself. Smart, perky, and inexperienced. They are exactly the kind of partner Jack manages to scare away. As they dig deeper into the mystery, though, Jack has to put her own reluctance in the back seat and help Piper navigate a whole different world — because the beloved grandmother has her own mysterious past, one that has already cost lives… and souls. With the help of the enigmatic and beautiful psychic Emmaline, Jack and Piper must confront the strange world on the other side of the mirror. Some mysteries can only be solved with magic!
Rival Princes by Jaxon Knight – now available wide on multiple book platforms
There are three golden rules for new recruits at Fairyland Theme Park:
1. No breaking character, even if you’re dying of heat exhaustion 2. Always give guests the most magical time 3. No falling in love. Nate’s only been at work one day, and he’s already broken all three.
Fast-tracked into a Prince role, Nate’s at odds with Dash, the handsome not-so-charming prince who is supposed to be training him. Nate doesn’t know how he ended up on Dash’s bad side, but the broody prince sure is hot when he gets mad.
Dash has worked long and hard to play Prince Justice at Fairyland. Now, instead of focusing on his own performance, he is forced to train newbie Nate to be the perfect prince. Nate’s annoying ease with the guests coupled with his charm and good looks could dethrone Dash from his number one spot … so why does he secretly want to kiss him?
Fairyland heats up as sparks fly between the two rival princes. Will they get their fairytale romance before they’re kicked out of Fairyland for good? Find out in this standalone MM contemporary romance by Jaxon Knight, set in an amusement park where fairytales can come true.
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Rival Princes is a sweet Rivals to Lovers romance with queer characters, set in a fairy tale themed amusement park. Guaranteed HEA. Some cursing, no cheating.
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For fans of Kiss Number 8 and On a Sunbeam, this debut graphic novel is a fast-paced time travel adventure with a hint of romance that has garnered 1.5 million views as a Tapas webcomic.
Ren Mittal’s last memory in the year 1996 is getting on a bus to visit his mystery pen pal Georgia. When he wakes up in 2122, he thinks he might be hallucinating…he’s not!
Tech conglomerate Chronotech sponsors a time-travel program to help students in 2122 learn what history was really like…from real-life subjects who’ve been transported into the future…and Ren is one of them.
In 2122, Ren’s life in the 1990s is practically ancient history—and Ren’s not sure how to feel about that. On top of it all, he learns that his memory will be wiped of all things 2122 before he’s sent back to the ’90s. Adding to Ren’s complicated feels, he’s forming a crush on his student guide, Mars.
And when he crosses paths with the absolute last person he expected to see in the future, he has a bigger problem on his hands: What if Chronotech isn’t the benevolent organization they claim to be, and he and his fellow subjects are in great danger
When life drowns you in lemons, to hell with making lemonade. I wanted to burn the whole world. But eighteen months from the day my life was torn apart, I’m tired of the anger. Tired of the nightmares. Tired of putting one foot in front of the other just trying to survive. Three months on a high country sheep station in the middle of nowhere is exactly the reboot I need. A chance to break free. To breathe again. To find a way forward. I put my entire life on hold and head south to Mackenzie Country. But falling for the captivating young station boss was never part of the plan. Holden Miller might be smart and sexy and push all my dusty buttons, but we come from two different worlds. I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m not interested in love. I’m done with all that. But Holden doesn’t care about my rules. Nestled safely in the arms of the spectacular Southern Alps, on an isolated sheep farm at the top of the world, Holden begins knitting my battered heart together one careful stitch at a time. And with every pass of the thread, every braid of the river on our doorstep, I catch a tantalising glimpse of something I’d almost given up on. Happiness, and maybe even love. If I have the courage to reach out and grab them.
When Mason Chynoweth inherits an old house in small-town New Zealand, he hopes to discover what happened to his great-great uncle Lewis after he returned from the war in 1945. Mason’s first encounter with the property is thankfully reassuring—his sensitive psychic powers aren’t triggered and he has a calm sense of coming home.
Elijah Whitaker arrives in Kedgetown for an extended visit with his aunts. He’s quickly drawn to Mason and offers to help him try to find some answers in the dusty old house. It soon becomes clear that Mason is keeping secrets, but Elijah has a few secrets of his own. Like his closely guarded knowledge of the hidden supernatural world, and the fact that many of the townspeople are psi and supernaturals.
What is the connection between the house and Postscript, the town’s enigmatic bookshop? Mason’s glimpses of the past give some clues, but not enough to make sense of the puzzle.
When a hidden journal comes to light, the true story of Lewis’s journey is revealed, and his path and Mason and Elijah’s begin to intertwine.
Meet Charley Deacon. She’s failing out of uni, being near the sea makes her inexplicably ill, and now her sister has gone missing in suspicious circumstances. Her only hope of finding her may lie with an impossibly old woman who lives – you’ve guessed it – by the sea.
Welcome to Inver Aora, a tiny settlement on the coast of New Zealand’s South Island. It has a holiday park, a woman who may or may not be a witch, and not a lot else. Most people can’t find their way here, but the locals find it hard to leave. If there’s anything weird going on, they’re not in the habit of talking about it.
Charley might be the least likely person to show up in Inver Aora, but it also might just be the place she discovers new powers, her own purpose, and some people that make her want to stick around.
2021 Sir Julius Vogel Award Finalist for Best Novella
Self-taught witch Ashley Robinson considers it her duty to protect her hometown Hamilton. She spends her time doing community work and picking up litter by the Waikato River.
But something is badly wrong with the river, a sickness deeper than mere pollution can explain. Magic must be the cause, but is it a curse or something else entirely? Ash has to get to the bottom of it, armed with nothing more than the support of her best friend Mikaere and a pocketful of crystals.
Then there’s Bryony Manu, the town’s only other witch. A charismatic practitioner of dark magic, Bryony is infuriating … and captivating. Ash needs their help to track down the source of the spell draining life from the river. Can she balance her work with her attraction to Bryony, and master her magic along the way?
Life is tough when you’re an eldritch abomination.
Trillin isn’t technically a person. She’s a tiny breakaway piece of consciousness from the all-devouring Endless, doomed to eventually rejoin it. But when a human witch stumbles into her world, Trillin suddenly has a new reason to figure out individuality–one shape-shifting tentacle at a time.
Sian is sure important magical discoveries are just around the corner, if she can just get her portals to work reliably. Reaching the dimension of the Endless without being eaten on sight is a dream come true, and Sian is determined to explore every bit of it. For science, of course, not for the strangely adorable life-form who keeps popping up and trying to… flirt?
But Trillin’s world can be a dangerous place, and keeping Sian safe might risk drawing the attention of the Endless itself–which will swallow Trillin up along with all her dreams of humanity. Together, can this unlikely duo escape the Endless, figure out the optimum number of appendages, and maybe even find love?
How to Get a Girlfriend (When You’re a Terrifying Monster) is a sapphic cozy fantasy romance between a witch scientist and a shape-shifting Cthulhu monster. HEA guaranteed!
An unsettling selection of sixteen quiet horror and dark speculative fiction stories from Australian Shadows Award-winner, Tabatha Wood.
It begins with a seed. A dream. An idea, planted and encouraged to grow. A thought that buries deep down inside and puts out monstrous roots. Until, at last, the bloom erupts and showers the land with life. It begins with a seed… The menopause brings some unusual and unexpected changes, a woman wakes up after a party in a body that isn’t hers, a teen’s life changes forever when they embrace the truth about who they are, and a lone mother tries to bury her traumatic past but instead grows a terrible future… An unsettling selection of sixteen quiet horror and dark speculative fiction stories brought together in a brand new collection from Australian Shadows Award-winner, Tabatha Wood.
Addison Harper is abruptly summoned to Milverton at the behest of an abrasive lawyer. He plans to be in and out, back to the city lickety-split. Instead, he finds himself charmed by the small town with its delightful and eccentric residents, not to mention the rather easy-on-the-eye Sergeant Jake Murphy.
Despite the rocky start, Addison admits he’s had a pleasant day out. That is, until returning to find the prickly old lawyer on the floor, and very much dead. Worse, it looks like murder, and Addison’s fingerprints are all over the crime scene.
Murder on Milverton Square is the first in a wonderful new cosy mystery series set in an enchanting small town nestled amongst stunning New Zealand scenery. The Milverton Mysteries features a chaotic cast of local busybodies, delicious baked treats, a demanding and disdainful ginger cat, a very slow-burn romance with a rather appealing policeman, and of course, murder…
Stitch-witch and costume supervisor Marnie Taylor knew she was taking a risk when she left her solid studio job in L.A. and returned to New Zealand to work on the film adaptation of her favourite fantasy series. But she didn’t expect supernatural sabotage – or her disastrous attraction to the star.
Rider Adams was hoping for something different for the next stage of his film career. Instead, he’s trapped with a terrible script and a production where everything that can go wrong does. And for some reason, he can’t stop making an idiot of himself in front of the costume supervisor…
Can Marnie and Rider overcome magical vandalism and studio stresses? Find out in Bespoke and Bespelled, the first Witchy Fiction novella in the Wellywood Magic series!
Felix Wood, valet, is determined to halt his employer’s downward spiral. Just because the man is a vicious beast three nights a month doesn’t mean he can’t be an impeccably dressed gentleman the rest of the month. Felix’s commitment to duty convinces Westaway, a man of more wealth than sense, that Felix is the valet he—and his large wardrobe—deserve.
There’s just one problem: Felix already has a gentleman, and his presence is the only thing between Robin and self-destruction. When a werewolf and his keeper are brutally murdered, Westaway and Felix must work together to prevent the Society of Lycanthropes and their Keepers being ripped apart. But even as he risks his life to save Robin, Felix finds himself drawn closer to Westaway, in an attraction that could destroy everything he values.
Non-Binary protagonist, urban fantasy Be careful what you wish for…
Arrow is fifteen, non-binary, and bored.
It’s one thing to read about magic, or watch ghost hunting shows. But Arrow yearns for something more. When they try out a prosperity spell from a magical library book, things start to go very very right.
Until they don’t.
Arrow’s good luck seems to be affecting a lot of the people around them. From A students suddenly failing quizzes to freak accidents, their good luck seems to be double-sided to say the least. Arrow’s best friend Ren knows not to mess with the unknown, but Arrow’s spell might just affect him all the same.
Arrow’s got to learn about how to wield their magic fast when the power they’ve drawn down proves to be beautiful, but dangerous as well.
Onesies and Ouijaboards is a young adult novella spinoff of the popular Mt Eden Witches series. There is no romance, but there are tarot cards, best friends, ghosts and bubble tea
Two rites stand before him. Fail one and he will be powerless, fail the other and he will likely be dead. Falric Mislan is torn. Born of a magical Voce and a mundane Dracan, he stands at a crossroads. One direction leads him to the magic he craves, the other to a warriors recognition and status. Stung by his first abortive attempt at awakening his power, Falric throws himself into Dracan life…
Two rites stand before him. Fail one and he will be powerless, fail the other and he will likely be dead. Falric Mislan is torn. Born of a magical Voce and a mundane Dracan, he stands at a crossroads. One direction leads him to the magic he craves, the other to a warriors recognition and status. Stung by his first abortive attempt at awakening his power, Falric throws himself into Dracan life, and inadvertently unearths a perilous talisman. Watching slip away the last chance of his mother aiding his ambition, Falric accepts that his father’s people, and his passing of their Moon Rite, are his only path. But in the aftermath of his find, Falric now faces a bitter enemy who is determined to see him fail. Spending a month alone in the southern desert for his ‘Moon of Solitude’ is dangerous enough, but can he survive his own doubts, his unrequited desire for the magic that alludes him…and a man who dreams of deadly vengeance? Moon Rite is the exhilarating first book in the LGBTQ+ Legend of the Ancients, Books of Locurnia Fantasy series. If you like deep friendship, dangerous trials, and lethal enemies, all with a touch of heated passion, then you’ll love Deonne Dane’s gripping adventure.
For whatever reason, this year, 2023, I’ve been mostly interested in reading comics and manga. I have a wonderful local public library which have a free reserve system and a bountiful catalogue of graphic novels and manga.
I’ve been borrowing liberally from the library and reading through books I’ve already bought and left on the shelf waiting to be read. So let’s go, here’s my picks for awesome graphic media.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
by Miya Kazuki and Suzuka
This manga is long, there are a lot of installments, and they all have long titles like a Fall Out Boy song. Start with Ascendance of a Bookworm; I’ll do anything to become a librarian! Part one: If there aren’t any books, I’ll just have to make some!
but don’t let the title put you off. This series is fantastic.
The premise is this: a book-obsessed woman from modern-day Tokyo dies and wakes up, resurrected in the body of a small girl (Myne) in a medieval world that bears a lot of resemblances to Earth, but is not Earth. The problem is, this little girl’s family is low-born, peasantry, and can’t read or write, let alone own costly books.
But she wants to read books more than anything..
Thus begins a wholesome and intriguing saga of Myne attempting to craft books from remembered craft from her past life, trying not to seem too out of place, discovering the world around her and deciding which technology and knowledge she ought to share with the people around her. It’s wholesome, full of interesting characters, some drama, some crafting sequences reminsicent of Studio Ghibli.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
by Hitoshi Ashimaro
This book is the sweetest, most optimistic climate apocalypse book I’ve ever encountered. The main character is Alpha, an android who runs a coffee shop in the absence of her owner.
There are some people who come to buy coffee, but not many, people are scarce now. But Alpha is full of curiosity about the world. She wants to understand the people around her, what they want and what makes them happy. We learn about the world slowly, as Alpha does, and some moments are breathtakingly beautiful and some are a bit of a gut-punch, but overall the message is so beautiful. It’s about making the most of the moment you have now, and the community around you. Can’t wait for the reprint of volume two!
The Lost Carnival
by Micharl Mordeci and Sas Milledge
The Lost Carnival stars my favourite boy from all of DC comics ever, Dick Grayson. This is a pre-Batman Dick. A teenager travelling with the circus he grew up in and straining against the expectations of his parents.
Haly’s Circus has pitched next to a bizarre, strange carnival that lures Dick in with its mystery and a particularly good-looking girl.
I don’t want to spoil the story, but it’s lush and strange and absolutely enchanting. If you liked The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern you’ll enjoy this.
The Me You Love in the Dark
by Skottie Young and Jorge Cortona
This one fooled me a couple of times – is it a love story? is it a horror? is it the story of a woman with creative block losing her mind?
Sure, yeah. It is.
It’s gorgeous, weird and horrible, an examination of the creative process, the notion of a muse, and what love is. How do you have a relationship with something that might not truly be there?
I loved it.
Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan
by Sasami Nitori
Pure adorable fluff about a lonely guy adopting a cute cat who’s devoted and weirdly intelligent.
It started as a comic online, so you might have seen one or two strips. This is the collection which went deeper and I love it.
Nice, chill, relaxing reading.
I had that same Dream again
by Yoru Sumino
A lonely little girl makes friends with weirdos and outsiders, accompanied by a beautiful black cat.
Slice of life, examination on inter-human relationships, overshadowed by the main question “what is happiness?”
The story is another slow reveal, I’m such a sucker for them, so I won’t say too much more, except in her innocence the little girl calls her neighbour ‘Skank-san’ because she’s had Skank scrawled on her apartment’s intercom by an ex.
Check it out, it’s beautiful.
In Real Life
By Cory Doctorow
Cory Doctorow has a few books that deal with the power of being online, and sympathy for the people who are forced by circumstance to do things which may be less than ethical.
An American girl dives into the world of MMORPGs and making money from actions that happen in game.
What do you know about gold farming? I didn’t know much before I read this, and it’s all handled ethically and well.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up with Me
by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’connell
A queer love story, about teenage heartbreak and what it’s like when you’re attracted to someone who is careless with your heart.
It’s framed around letters to an advice column, and over various encounters and school dramas.
Beautiful art, lovely emotive character work. Mariko Tamaki also wrote some wonderful books I’ve enjoyed called Skim and This One Summer. She’s brilliant at evoking longing and intense emotion that is so characteristic of the teenage experience.
Courage, kindness and a certain wtf is a new venture by me. A subscription email where I share what’s on my mind as well as short pieces of fiction and maybe even snippets from my works in progress.
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There are free and paid subscription options. The free option will get you probably half of the content (although for the first while everything will be free), and the paid option is just US$50 for a year, and will et you access to everything I post.
Why did I start up a substack newsletter? well, put simply I am trying to make some more money. My contracting has been severely affected by my Long Covid, and I’m taking this as an opportunity to really work on my writing career and make it my main source of income. Paid subscriptions to my newsletter would absolutely help me achieve this goal!
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Jamie Sands - Author 