Free Fiction Feature October 2022 | Tale of the Tape, PLUS The Devil You Know

This month, you enjoy two fun short stories with strong female leads–one murder mystery, and a fantasy adventure featuring a dwarf and her demon sidekick:

Tale of the Tape: A Kira Brightwell Short Novel (Mystery)

Tale of the Tape Kira Brightwell coverA bootleg Nine Inch Nails cassette tape.

Weird thing for Kira to find abandoned by a sewer grate on her way to school.

The hand-drawn NIN logo in marker catches Kira’s eye. Who tossed the tape? And why?

Kira pockets it, of course. Seems a shame to leave it in the gutter. Who knows what kind of extra tracks she might find on it?

…Now she only needs to figure out a way to play the thing.

A twisting, short novel of Kira’s high school past from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Legends of Lasniniar: The Devil You Know (Fantasy)

Legends of Lasniniar The Devil You Know coverMerchants peddle fear in Belierumar.

Mothers cling to their children as they walk through the crowded marketplace. Eyes dart as people hurry to make their dubious purchases.

Demon-warding amulets. Herbs guaranteed to help victims of possession. Paige inspects them all with a jaundiced eye.

The young dwarf woman knows how to deal with demons. Probably better than anyone else in Lasniniar.

…With good reason.

In the aftermath of war, a new era begins in this stand-alone story from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Free Fiction Feature September 2022 | Legends of Lasniniar: By the Light of the Moon

This month, check out a fun, fall-themed fantasy adventure, with a hint of mystery:

Legends of Lasniniar: By the Light of the Moon (Fantasy)

Legends of Lasniniar By the Light of the Moon cover

No matter where their journeys take them, Barlo and Iarion always seem to find trouble.

The eve of the Harvest Festival. The dwarf and elf pair find themselves potentially lost on the way to the closest human village. A blanket of mist drifts from the nearby hills to obscure the dirt road as night closes in.

Barlo remains content to let Iarion lead the way. At least then he can blame his elf friend if—no when—things go wrong. Still, Barlo’s hand stays close to his ax.

What danger lurks in the darkness beyond the mist?

The infamous duo of Barlo and Iarion return in this spooky, stand-alone misadventure story from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Free Fiction Feature August 2022 | Wayward Scribe: A Fantasy Short Story

A little shorter than my usual story length… This month, enjoy a stand-alone fantasy adventure:

Wayward Scribe: A Fantasy Short Story

Wayward Scribe cover

An invading empire. A fallen kingdom. I watch from the shadows at our usurper’s side as history repeats itself.

In a game of power and thrones, only a nameless, royal scribe stands to make the difference between the kingdom’s uprising or complete submission. Death lies on both sides of the knife’s edge.

And in this game, only the victor can claim to know hero from traitor.

A twisting, stand-alone fantasy story by the author of the World of Lasniniar series, Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Free Fiction Feature July 2022 | Lucky Punch, PLUS Prevailing Wind

This month, enjoy two short story adventures that feature a strong female protagonist:

Lucky Punch: A Kira Brightwell Short Story (Mystery)

Lucky Punch Kira Brightwell cover

A nice, relaxing vacation. After all the mystery and mayhem over the past several months, a tropical getaway seems like just what Kira Brightwell needs.

With only her best friend for company and no one back home aware of their location (detective friend, persistent sidekick, and nosy reporters included), Kira can finally unwind and try to forget. Maybe enjoy a cool, refreshing cocktail on the beach.

But wherever Kira goes, trouble always follows only a step behind.

A stand-alone story from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by Jacquelyn Smith. If you enjoy a fun, tropical escapade, grab this book. 

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Legends of Lasniniar: Prevailing Wind (Fantasy)

Legends of Lasniniar Prevailing Wind cover

Arinwyn leads the Tribe of Hawk across the vast dunes of the Shifting Sands. A lone elf among humans.

The sun beats down on her head scarf like a hammer while the jingle of harnesses fills the dry air. A single shadow falls across the land from overhead in a ripple of movement.

A dragon.

Arinwyn knows the tribe cannot stand against it. But none of the tribe’s warriors want to lose status by fleeing.

Arinwyn must rely on her human companion Nasir to convince them otherwise while she tackles a much bigger problem—how to hold off the dragon.

…And what its seemingly chance presence might mean.

A short story adventure from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series and a follow-up to “Legends of Lasniniar: Without Wings” by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Free Fiction Feature June 2022 | Legends of Lasniniar: Without Wings

This month, enjoy a magical story of an outcast elf who must go on a dangerous journey to embrace her secret heritage:

Legends of Lasniniar: Without Wings (Fantasy)

Legends of Lasniniar Without Wings coverGround walker. Wingless worm. Freak.

The only Sky Elf ever born without wings, Arinwyn does her best to ignore the taunts and slurs. Bad enough she can never know the thrill of flying. Must she suffer the cruelties of her own kind as well?

But the winds of change blow from beyond the elven wood as the Fallen One stirs.

…And more than Arinwyn realizes lies hidden within her wingless heritage.

A stand-alone origin story from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Free Fiction Feature May 2022 | Legends of Lasniniar: Goddess Almighty

This month, check out a vengeful origin adventure, featuring trickster and aspiring goddess, Felara:

Legends of Lasniniar: Goddess Almighty (Fantasy)

Legends of Lasniniar Goddess Almighty coverFelara watches over the Light Elves’ wood from above, unseen. She knows Iarion wanders somewhere beneath the ancient trees.

Willful, mercurial, and more than a bit fey, some of her Unborn siblings consider her in danger of becoming obsessed with the elf that freed them from the Void.

Others might even argue she crossed that line some time ago.

None of that matters to Felara. She follows a vision only she can see.

A stand-alone origin story from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Free Fiction Feature April 2022 | Clean Break, PLUS Quicksilver

Even though it’s technically spring now, we’ve had some more snow here recently in my neck of the Canadian woods. (Sigh.) Both of these stories are fun, winter adventures.

Clean Break: A Kira Brightwell Short Novel (Mystery)

Clean Break Kira Brightwell coverKira Brightwell needs a change of scenery.

A relaxing, solo trip to Toronto to visit her grandparents seems like a good idea. No nosy reporters, no criminals to take down, and (most importantly) no self-appointed sidekick Trevor Wright.

…But from the moment Kira steps off the plane from California, nothing goes according to plan.

A stand-alone short novel misadventure from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Legends of Lasniniar: Quicksilver (Fantasy)

Legends of Lasniniar Quicksilver coverHero of Lasniniar. Dwarvenhome’s Chief of Clans. Barlo can claim both these titles, and more. (But never ‘Master Chef.’)

Brave, stubborn, and loyal to a fault, he takes pride in his judgment of character. And he holds no qualms about sharing his opinions. (Much to his elf friend Iarion’s chagrin.)

…Even when it means he must tell an unwelcome truth.

A stand-alone story of the infamous Barlo and Iarion from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Free Fiction Feature March 2022 | Legends of Lasniniar: A New Kind of Magic

Legends of Lasniniar A New Kind of Magic coverPaige trudges along the Great North Road and does her best to ignore her misery. An autumn rain pelts her face and soaks her to the skin.

A lone dwarf woman wandering Northern Lasniniar in search of adventure. A part of her wishes she never left her warm, comfortable burrow with Barlo.

But Paige knows she needs to find her own way in the world if she wants to become something more.

…A hero in her own right.

A stand-alone story that opens a door to new possibilities in the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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Writing/Publishing Roundup: The new Mackenzie Quinn novel is here

The first full-length novel in the Mackenzie Quinn Canadian cozy mystery series has arrived!

The Author of His Demise Mackenzie Quinn Mystery coverMurder has struck again in the small town of Ashwood, Ontario.

Zee gets tangled in a case that hits a bit too close for comfort in The Author of His Demise

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Free Fiction Feature February 2022 | Legends of Lasniniar: Bond Forger

Legends of Lasniniar Bond Forger cover

Barlo guards a secret. Only his best friend Iarion shares it, along with the rest of the Light Elves.

No one else can ever know.

Barlo’s secret keeps him apart from other dwarves. Even his own family. Memories of another time haunt him. He longs for a way to claim his identity. To be himself.

…A hero of Lasniniar, capable of leaving Dwarvenhome to go on adventures. (With Iarion, of course.)

But his secret acts as both a blessing and a curse. And the call to adventure proves too strong to deny.

A stand-alone story of the infamous friends Barlo and Iarion from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by Jacquelyn Smith.

Now, you can read it online for free for one month only:

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