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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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Free Fiction Feature November 2021 | Legends of Lasniniar: Mum’s the Word

Mum's the Word Legends of Lasniniar coverA dwarf and an elf. As friendships in Lasniniar go, most people find Barlo and Iarion an odd pairing.

Wherever the unlikely duo travel, adventure follows close behind. Barlo and Iarion fall in and out of trouble on a regular basis. But even as they perform heroic deeds, they find time to bicker and banter.

The straightforward journey Barlo plans for them now should prove no problem—a piece of cake.

…Or so he thinks.

A 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 October 2021 | Her Rightful Place, PLUS Puncher’s Chance

Two stories are available to read for free this month–a dark fantasy adventure featuring elves and vampires, and a fun mystery misadventure featuring kickass amateur sleuth Kira Brightwell:

Legends of Lasniniar: Her Rightful Place (Fantasy)

Arinmalia holds herself above the rest of her Wild Elf tribemates. With good reason.

Few can match her fighting and tracking skills. She needs no friends to watch her back or distract her with their tiresome company. She prefers to walk the forest paths alone, with only her own thoughts as companions.

Arinmalia knows in her heart a great destiny awaits her. Something beyond the modest village life of her tribe. She dreams of finding it. She hungers to make her tribemates understand.

She needs them to acknowledge her rightful place.

A stand-alone story from the sprawling history of the elves 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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Puncher’s Chance: A Kira Brightwell Short Story (Mystery)

Puncher's Chance Kira Brightwell coverLocal hero and problem solver for hire, Kira Brightwell finds herself on the run. Again.

Her running shoes pound the crowded sidewalk. A trickle of sweat slithers down her back in the California heat. And the damp remains of scrambled egg spatter the front of her favorite Nine Inch Nails T-shirt.

The egg stain earns her a few looks from passers-by. That and her breakneck pace.

Kira’s quarry remains two blocks ahead of her. She needs to haul ass if she wants to catch him.

…Because when a bad guy messes with her favorite shirt, the case gets personal.

A stand-alone misadventure story 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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Writing/Publishing Roundup: New Fatal Empire titles, plus Kira Brightwell deals

Fantasy Updates:

Keeper of Knowledge Fatal Empire cover Visitor's Guide to the Dharakmeni Empire Fatal Empire cover Visitor's Guide to the Shining Kingdom Fatal Empire cover

Expanding the Empire: 3 new Fatal Empire titles, including a free bonus story

Lots happening in Fatal Empire! Three new titles, plus two more on the way soon…

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Mystery Updates:

Kickstart Your Collection: Kira Brightwell deals, plus a new mystery series on the way

Save big on the first four Kira Brightwell novels and collections. Update on a new mystery series in progress…

Update: The Kira Brightwell promotion is now over.

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Posted by Jacquelyn in Promotions, Publishing Updates, Writing Updates, 0 comments

Free Fiction Feature July 2021 | Shadow Stalker PLUS Seeing Stars

Two stories are available to read for free this month. One fantasy adventure featuring Barlo of Dwarvenhome and his wildcat sidekick Sinstari, and a Fourth of July whodunnit featuring kickass amateur detective Kira Brightwell:

Legends of Lasniniar: Shadow Stalker (Fantasy)

Legends of Lasniniar Shadow Stalker coverBarlo wanders the underground streets of Dwarvenhome with only the wildcat Sinstari for company.

His days of adventure seem long behind him. He misses the thrill of battle, the journey to strange new places…

He misses Iarion.

Bereft of the elven best friend who always accompanied him into danger, Barlo’s life now revolves around a seemingly endless stream of clan meetings.

But fate—and Sinstari—have other plans.

A stand-alone story of action and adventure from the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith.

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

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Seeing Stars: A Kira Brightwell Short Story (Mystery)

Seeing Stars Kira Brightwell coverKira Brightwell might not wear a badge. But she still enjoys the challenge when she unravels a difficult case.

The case of Taylor Christie proves no exception. The social media starlet prepares to shoot a video, when things go wrong. Horribly wrong. With an entire crowd in attendance.

And more than Kira knows stands between her and the truth about what happened.

A twisting, stand-alone story from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. If you love a clever detective, who plays by her own rules, grab this book.

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

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Writing/Publishing Roundup: New Legend of Lasniniar, Kira Brightwell collection updates, plus other writing news

Some updates on both the fantasy and mystery front…

Fantasy:

Legends of Lasniniar the Wanderer coverEmerging from the Rubble: A new Legend of Lasniniar, plus other writing news

A new Barlo and Iarion adventure is here, as well as updates on multiple Fatal Empire projects:

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Mystery:

Six Stitches Kira Brightwell coverKira collection updates, recommendations from lockdown, plus a crazy cat story

Paperback updates, mystery reading and TV recommendations, and, well, a crazy cat story:

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Want to stay in touch?

Join Jacquelyn’s newsletter group to receive sneak peeks and book release news, plus exclusive access to special offers.

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Posted by Jacquelyn in Publishing Updates, Writing Updates, 0 comments

Free Fiction Feature April 2021 | On the Card PLUS Making Waves

OK, so it’s been about a year since I launched the Free Fiction Feature, and I’ve decided to mix things up a bit. Instead of posting each story here, on my overall/multi-genre site, I’m breaking them out by genre onto my sub-sites going forward. I’ll continue to post a roundup here of the feature(s) for each month, as well as any other writing news.

What does this mean?

For fantasy:

A different short fantasy adventure will be posted each month on my fantasy-specific website, which will also be highlighted on this blog.

For mystery:

A different short mystery adventure will be posted for one month of each quarter on my mystery-specific website, which will also be highlighted on this blog. These posts will take place during the months of April, July, October, and January.

And yes, this means that during the months listed above, there will be two stories available to read for free–one fantasy and one mystery. This also means that those who enjoy fantasy will get a story in that genre each month, without a mystery story taking up a place in the rotation. For mystery readers, the scheduling is still roughly the same–if not a little more frequent–as it was when I was slotting my mystery stories on this site between my fantasy titles. (I have far fewer mystery shorts than fantasy at the moment, so the scheduling on that side is lighter.)

I hope this all makes sense… In the meantime, here are this month’s Free Fiction Features!

Legends of Lasniniar: Making Waves (Fantasy)

Legends of Lasniniar Making Waves coverDeep sapphire, flecked with silver. Iarion’s eyes mark him from any elf ever born.

A strange, physical anomaly? Or a sign of his unique condition? Even after thousands of years spent wandering the lands of Lasniniar, the answer continues to elude him.

…Now Iarion’s eyes sweep the harbor of the Sea Elves in the hopes that his ship might finally come in.

In the epic fantasy World of Lasniniar series by award-winning author Jacquelyn Smith, this stand-alone story explores an adventure from Iarion’s deep past, before he becomes a hero of legend.

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

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On the Card: A Kira Brightwell Short Story (Mystery)

On the Card Kira Brightwell coverKira Brightwell needs to pay.

A problem solver for hire and local hero in her own right, Kira never sought any acclaim for her actions. She only wants to track down the man who abducted her three years ago. And maybe celebrate her birthday with some ice cream cake.

But even an unintentional path to prominence comes with collateral damage.

…And some people can never forgive and forget.

A fast-paced, stand-alone story from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith.

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

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New Release News and Promos: August 2020

I can’t believe it’s August… These past few months feel like some weird, alternate reality.

We’re coming onto the last two of the Kira Brightwell shorts I have planned for this run (August and September) before I’ll start formatting and releasing all the existing Kira novels and shorts as collections, with one new collection coming out each month for five months.

On the fantasy side, all of the Lasniniar collections are done (for the moment), and I’m focusing on Fatal Empire now, with the remaining three titles in the quartet planned to come out by the end of 2020. Plus, I’ve also written a fun bonus guide to the Dharakmeni Empire that’s available for free, which you can check out below!

August New Releases

Ring Girl: A Kira Brightwell Short Story

Enemies since high school… Kira and Trevor never expected to end up solving cases together.

Trevor knows that Kira does most of the solving, but he likes to think his raw charm and charisma count for something

And when the opportunity to prove himself as more than a stunningly handsome sidekick falls into his lap in the form of a beautiful client, how can he possibly refuse?

A short story misadventure of Kira and Trevor from the Kira Brightwell crime fiction series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith.

Get your ebook ONE WEEK EARLY when you buy your pre-order direct from the author!

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Yarden the Wanderer Presents: A Visitor’s Guide to the Dharakmeni Empire (A Fatal Empire Bonus Book)

Visitor's Guide to the Dharakmeni Empire cover

Assassins, danger, intrigue… The Dharakmeni Empire does not welcome the faint at heart. (Or anyone else, for that matter.)

But fear not, dear reader! The Shining Kingdom’s foremost adventurer, Yarden the Wanderer, knows all the ins (inns?) and outs of the continent’s most reclusive (and reviled) region.

Let Yarden guide you—as only he can—on a journey through the empire’s customs, caste system, and cuisine. Explore esoteric temples dedicated to the endless expressions of the goddess. Meander your way through a myriad of marketplaces. Impress the locals with your nebulous, newfound knowledge!

…Learn just enough to become an adventurer in your own right with this exclusive guide, funded by the Temple of the Keeper of Wonder, and recorded by award-winning scribe, Jacquelyn Smith.

Please note: Yarden the Wanderer and the Temple of the Keeper of Wonder in no way claim responsibility for any harm or mishap that befalls visitors of the Dharakmeni Empire before or after reading this guide—including, but not limited to death or enslavement.

This title is ONLY available as part of the Back Story Sampler Collection, which is FREE when you subscribe to my newsletter group.

Get this book for FREE!

 

Coming September 3rd (Available for pre-order)

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Posted by Jacquelyn in Promotions, Publishing Updates, 0 comments