You're Invited to a Masquerade Ball

It's hard to believe that Masquerade: Oddly Suited is being released on Tuesday. That's right! Release day is less than a week away!

About the Anthology

Title: Masquerade: Oddly Suited
Release date: April 30th, 2019
Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press
Genres: Young Adult Fiction: Romance – General / Paranormal / Contemporary
Print ISBN: 9781939844644
EBook ISBN: 9781939844651

Synopsis

Find love at the ball…

Can a fake dating game show lead to love? Will a missing key free a clock-bound prince? Can a softball pitcher and a baseball catcher work together? Is there a vampire living in Paradise, Newfoundland? What’s more important—a virtual Traveler or a virtual date to the ball?

Ten authors explore young love in all its facets, from heartbreak to budding passion. Featuring the talents of L.G. Keltner, Jennifer Lane, C.D. Gallant-King, Elizabeth Mueller, Angela Brown, Myles Christensen, Deborah Solice, Carrie-Anne Brownian, Anstice Brown, and Chelsea Marie Ballard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will mystify and surprise even as they touch your heart. Don your mask and join the party…

Links

Pre-order eBook: http://books2read.com/masqueradeoddlysuited

Pre-order Paperback: http://mybook.to/MasqueradeOddlySuited

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43785750-masquerade

Blog: https://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masqueradeoddlysuited/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hashtag/masqueradeoddlysuited

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/dustingthesoul/masquerade-oddly-suited/

The ten authors of this anthology are currently participating in the Masquerade Ball Bloghop. Each post features an anonymous author, a piece of fan art with a masked story character, and a teaser scene related to the story that is not included in the publication. On release day, everyone will unmask their character. If that sounds fun, feel free to stop by and read everyone's posts!

SCHEDULE

Thur. April 18th: L.G. Keltner https://lgkeltner.blogspot.com/

Fri. April 19th: Jennifer Lane http://jenniferlanebooks.blogspot.com

Sat. April 20th: Deborah Solice https://thefabulistdotblog.wordpress.com/

Mon. April 22nd: CD Gallant-King http://www.cdgallantking.ca/

Tues. April 23rd: Elizabeth Mueller https://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/

Wed. April 24th: Chelsea Marie Ballard https://www.facebook.com/masqueradeoddlysuited

Thurs. April 25th: Carrie-Ann Brownian http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com

Fri. April 26th: Myles Christensen www.myleschristensen.com

Sat. April 27th: Anstice Brown https://dustingthesoul.com

Mon. April 29th: Angela Brown http://publishness.blogspot.com/

Tues. Apr 30th: Book Release and The Unmasking (Just follow links above)!

The blog tour is also still underway. This blog tour also includes a fantastic giveaway! One person will win a $50 Amazon gift card! Who wouldn't want that? To check out the tour posts and enter for your chance to win, follow the links here!

• Mon 18th March: Spotlight @ The Story of a Writer
• Fri 22nd March: Guest post by Anstice Brown @ Nicki Elson’s Not-So-Deep Thoughts
• Sun 24th March: Interview with Jennifer Lane @ Nancee Cain, Romance with a Serrated Edge
• Tues 26th March: Guest post by Angela Brown @ Blog of Author J Lenni Dorner
• Wed 27th March: Debut author spotlight @ Operation Awesome
• Fri 29th March: Spotlight @ April Blogging from A-Z Challenge
• Mon 1st April: Interview with Deborah Solice @ Dusting the Soul
• Thurs 4th April: Spotlight @ Elements of Emaginette
• Fri 5th April: Guest post by C.D Gallant-King @ Writer’s Gambit
• Mon 8th April: Interview with Elizabeth Mueller @ Just Jemi
• Fri 12th April: Guest post by Carrie-Anne Brownian @ Jennifer Lane Books
• Mon 15th April: Guest post by Chelsea Marie Ballard @ My Pet Blog
• Tues 16th April: Guest post by Myles Christensen @ Quiet Fury Books
• Mon 22nd April: Interview with all the authors @ Alex J. Cavanaugh
• Sat 4th May: Interview with L.G Keltner @ The Cynical Sailor & His Salty Sidekick

The various guest posts by the Masquerade authors will undoubtedly answer a lot of questions you might have about the book and its creators. However, if you have any burning questions that you'd like to ask, you'll get your chance! We're having a live author Q & A on Saturday, May 11th! Follow this link to join in!

Do you plan to get your own copy of Masquerade: Oddly Suited?

Story Spotlight #10: Angela Brown's A Diver's Ball

Here it is. The final story spotlight. Angela Brown is here to tell you about how her story "A Diver's Ball" came to be.

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My contribution to this year's IWSG Anthology almost didn't exist. I sat on the story idea - inspired by Ready Player One - until about nine days to the deadline. While work demanded too much of my time and my daughter deserved way more of my time, I carved moments in between those two important forces in my life to write, revise, and haphazardly edit my short story, sliding it in on the day of deadline.

Yeah, I cut it close.

And I'm so glad I shared this story. Being a part of this anthology is such an honor. Sharing the tale of a young girl's brush with love in the online world of Cumulus is timely. We can be anything and anyone we want to be in the masquerade this is the online world, from keyboard smacktalkers to word vixens with an extra-sassy-sauce-twist. With role play games (RPG) and virtural reality (VR) diving growing more fantastic, who knows if a real life Cumulus will evolve into being, where daily life, and love, are all characters of the masquerade.

Here's a little about my story, A Diver's Ball:

What’s a gamer girl to do when her first chance at love collides with a once in a lifetime quest?

You can be anything you want in the online world of Cumulus. A human. An elf. A powerful beast mutation from your wildest imagination. But can you be in love?

Sixteen-year-old Alyssa hopes so.

Alyssa is stoked she's finally of age to attend the granddaddy of online parties: the Diver's Ball. And wonder of all wonders, her online gamer crush - erm - bud, Irv, asked her to go with him...as his date!

Before her avatar can don the perfect corset and dress in honor of the ball's Steampunk theme, a once-in-a-lifetime quest barges in on her plans. Then the sudden onset of parental controls threaten to ruin everything.

Faced with these dilemmas, Alyssa makes a decision that impacts not just her online, but her real world life as well.

And oh the consequences...

Here's a short blurb:

After the greeting, the black screen behind Alyssa’s avatar transformed into a three-dimensional blue sky. Fluffy clouds moved gingerly above, below, and around her, as if she stood in the sky itself. Had she donned her full-body haptic suit, the gentle breeze spurring the clouds along would cool her skin with a grazing kiss and sweep through the locks of her hair. Only her haptic gloves were allowed for this dive. She held her hands toward a cloud, giggling at the cool, wet sensation that lingered on her fingers.

“This never gets old,” she said aloud.

“You have returned. So glad you are back.” This voice differed, understandably more purr to the words. Alyssa designed her simulated assistant, or SA, as a lithe black cat with piercing green eyes. It hopped from one cloud to the next until landing on her shoulder. Every Cumulus user had a SA assigned as a method of making interaction with the system more personable. She’d always loved things that went unloved or misunderstood. A black cat fit her.

“Yes, Baxter. You know what day it is?” Alyssa all but sang the last few words. She could finally attend the Diver’s Ball, the granddaddy of all online parties. This year’s theme: Steampunk Masquerade.

“Of course, I do.” He licked his paw and groomed his whiskers. “You are of age now and can go to the Yudarian-verse for the Selection. Finally, a winged Traveler all your own.”

“That’s right. I’ve got my corset and…wait, what? Oh no. The Selection? Today? No, no, no. Baxter, home.”

And make sure you go out and order your copy of Masquerade: Oddly Suited today!

Haunt us @

Facebook | Pinterest |Anthology author page

Purchase your anthology @ one of these universal links:

Ebook or Paperback 

Find love at the ball…

Can a fake dating game show lead to love? Will a missing key free a clock-bound prince? Can a softball pitcher and a baseball catcher work together? Is there a vampire living in Paradise, Newfoundland? What’s more important—a virtual Traveler or a virtual date to the ball?

Ten authors explore young love in all its facets, from heartbreak to budding passion. Featuring the talents of L.G. Keltner, Jennifer Lane, C.D. Gallant-King, Elizabeth Mueller, Angela Brown, Myles Christensen, Deborah Solice, Carrie-Anne Brownian, Anstice Brown, and Chelsea Marie Ballard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will mystify and surprise even as they touch your heart. Don your mask and join the party…

Angela is a gladiator-in-business-casual battling giants in the world of IT by day and mom to a teen and a tiny fur baby 24/7. A devourer of books, chocolate, and Hot Tamales, Angela uses words to build bridges for readers to escape, to feel, to explore, and to know they are not alone. In the Masquerade: Oddly Suited IWSG Anthology, she is the author of A Diver's Ball.

Haunt her here: Blog | Twitter | Instagram 

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And now, before you leave, I'd like to let everyone know that the Masquerade Ball Bloghop kicks off tomorrow!

Each day leading up to release day, excluding Sundays, each of the ten authors featured in Masquerade: Oddly Suited will host a masked guest. This guest is a character from one of the stories in the anthology, though you will not know which one. You will also be treated to a small scene that relates to but does not appear in the story. Remember, the mystery is part of the fun! It is a masquerade, after all.

Return to each post on April 30th (release day) to learn who each character is and where they come from!

SCHEDULE

Thur. April 18th: L.G. Keltner https://lgkeltner.blogspot.com/

Fri. April 19th: Jennifer Lane http://jenniferlanebooks.blogspot.com

Sat. April 20th: Deborah Solice https://thefabulistdotblog.wordpress.com/

Mon. April 22nd: CD Gallant-King http://www.cdgallantking.ca/

Tues. April 23rd: Elizabeth Mueller https://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/

Wed. April 24th: Chelsea Marie Ballard https://www.facebook.com/masqueradeoddlysuited

Thurs. April 25th: Carrie-Ann Brownian http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com

Fri. April 26th: Myles Christensen www.myleschristensen.com

Sat. April 27th: Anstice Brown https://dustingthesoul.com

Mon. April 29th: Angela Brown http://publishness.blogspot.com/

Tues. Apr 30th: Book Release and The Unmasking (Just follow links above)!

Story Spotlight #9: Anstice Brown's Sea of Sorrows

Now it's time for our ninth story spotlight! Let's hear from Anstice Brown and how her story "Sea of Sorrows" came to life!

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Writing, like reading, has always been pure escapism for me, which is why I gravitate towards speculative fiction. Writing fantasy and science fiction allows me to explore different belief systems, ancient mythologies, alternative realities and future possibilities. It’s my way of attempting to answer the pesky “what if?” questions that come to me in the middle of night or while I’m taking a shower.

But despite my love of world-building and storytelling, I’ve never had much confidence in my ability as a writer. I never thought anyone would be interested in reading what I affectionately refer to as my “brain vomit”. Being part of the Insecure Writer’s Support group has encouraged me to engage with the writing community and start putting my work out there for the first time.

The theme of the IWSG anthology competition sparked my curiosity immediately. Masquerade. That one word conjured up countless symbols and creative avenues to explore. Masks, disguises, tricksters, secrets, spies, mistaken identity.

But for weeks, I ignored the call. How could I enter? I didn’t have enough time. I didn’t have enough energy. I didn’t have a good enough idea. It was only when the deadline loomed before me that I realised my inner saboteur was talking nonsense again. I was going to write this story! What did I have to lose?

I started with the faintest hint of an idea; a fleeting, intangible thing that I tried to hold onto long enough to immortalise on paper. A shapeshifter who had never been seen by mortals in her true form. She longed to be released, so I presumed she was som kind of genie at first. But her desperate loneliness kept conjuring a remote Scottish island and a wild, stormy ocean. I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole filled with creatures from Scottish mythology like selkies, kelpies and finfolk. Before long, my protagonist shaped herself into a siren named Mairg.

I set my alarm for 5:30 every morning and got up to write before getting ready for work. I knew straight away how the story needed to end, but I had no idea how I was going to get there. I just let the emotions of my main character lead me. She wrote herself into being, refusing to be ignored. I hope you’ll enjoy her story.

Excerpt from Sea of Sorrows by Anstice Brown

When I reach the clifftop, I almost weep with relief. I let the sack thud to the ground and my heart stops for a moment, but of course, he won’t wake. I take a moment to gather my strength before dragging his body across the damp grass, my back screaming in protest.

I’ll leave this one in the churchyard. People avoid the place out of fear that the Slaugh will swoop down from the trees and snatch them away. I remove the sack and prop Jamie’s unconscious body up against a headstone, positioning the empty bottles around him.

A flash of movement over by the church door causes me to duck. No, too late, I’m tingling, flickering. My olive skin pales, my voluptuous body stretches and sharpens. I clutch at the soft, flame red curls tickling my neck.

“Who’s there?” a young man shouts. I jump up and hurry back toward[A1]  the steps.

“Wait! Wait! Ailsa?”

I freeze. My heart hammers in my chest, urging me to flee, but the way his voice cracks makes it impossible for me to move. When he reaches me, my gaze fixes on his wild green eyes and he turns whiter than bone, his mouth forming a perfect ‘O’.

“You’re alive!”

Short Blurb

A shape-shifting siren named Mairg sets out to reunite a handsome young man named Erik with his missing fiancée, but she soon finds herself falling for him. Will Mairg fight against her own kin to save the girl Erik loves? Or will she embrace her monstrous nature and keep him for herself?

Author Bio

Anstice Brown has had her nose in a book and her head in the clouds for as long as she can remember. A geek/hippie hybrid with a love of all things retro, Anstice enjoys doodling, gaming and raving about books on her blog, Dusting the Soul. She adores speculative fiction and is currently working on a science fantasy novel.

Anstice has a BA in Literature and Philosophy and currently works as a school administrator. She lives on the East coast of England with her wonderful husband, daughter and their mischievous cat, Magical Mr. Mistoffelees.

Website: https://ansticebrown.com/

Blog: https://dustingthesoul.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnsticeBrown

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoransticebrown