Tag Archives: Contagious Magic

Still not as wordy as George R.R Martin…

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I grabbed this image of the Kindle app on my phone the other day:

2013-06-02 16.19.40

So the number of dots under a book signifies the length of the book. The dots turn blue as you make progress through the book.

I thought that my trilogy of all three of my Contagious Magic books would stack up against one of George R.R. Martin’s huge “Song of Ice and Fire” books, but I still fell short.

But hey, it was really cool seeing my books right there next to the books of a best-seller like GRRM. Hope readers enjoy it as much as his stuff (and hey, I don’t kill off all my character like he does, so there!).

And hey, my trilogy clocks in at 692 pages, and weighs a solid 2.5 pounds. The trade paperback version, that is — the ebook version weighs not a thing! 🙂

Have an awesome day!

More Contagious Magic goodness!

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Hello again! I know, two blog posts in one week — what gives?

Well, I just wanted to share two cool things with you related to the last book in the trilogy I just finished, A Lasting Cure for Magic. It’s actually been a twenty-year trip for these “Contagious Magic” books of mine.

I first started writing about the characters in these books when I was teaching junior high English and Reading way back in ’93. One day I assigned them some to do some descriptive writing of a person, and just for kicks I did the writing exercises along with the kids. I ended up writing about one of the characters in these books, Archie the homeless guy, also known as the “last sorcerer.” I guess it was a good exercise in descriptive writing… 🙂

A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (art by Andy Castro)

To celebrate finally being done, I went ahead and made the first book in the series, A Sudden Outbreak of Magic, FREE.

This is just for a limited time, so grab a free digital copy while you can (you still have to pay for the paper version, alas). I figured this would be a great way for readers who are new to the series to jump on-board, without any risks. And of course, you’ll be hooked by the end of book one, and want to read more…

Continue reading More Contagious Magic goodness! →

New novel now available: A Lasting Cure for Magic

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A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover image by Fotolotti | dreamstime)
A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover image by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Today marks the official launch of my latest novel: A Lasting Cure for Magic!

This is the next book in the “Contagious Magic” series, and like the first two books in this series, I  think this one is a lot of fun. I know I had a great time writing it.

A Lasting Cure for Magic has magic (of course) with ancient Sorcerers and teenaged wizards, lots of secret histories, a fair bit of globetrotting, plenty of non-stop action, and of course, pizza.

Like the other book in the series, I wrote this as an “all ages” books — there’s some magic-related violence, but no f-bombs, sex, or other R-rated material: a pretty tame PG rating, I’d say.

This is the third book in the Contagious Magic series of novels. Book one is A Sudden Outbreak of Magic, and book two is A Wild Epidemic of Magic.

Here’s the synopsis: Continue reading New novel now available: A Lasting Cure for Magic →

Hanging off some cliffs…

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A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)
A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

It’s been a while, I know, but I have indeed been plugging away on book 3 of my Contagious Magic series, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

I got a lot of work done in November of last year, and then hit the wall in December and barely wrote a word. Not sure what happened there… But then I started getting ramped up in January, and have hit a great rhythm here at the end of February.

I’m excited with where this is going, and I just finished up the end of Act 2 (of a 3-act novel). I tried to end each chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger (the story switches between the points of view for Kelley and her twin brother Jeroan).

So I thought I’d share the last sentence of each chapter with you. I like them probably TOO much, which means they’ll probably get axed as I work on the novel more. 🙂

Continue reading Hanging off some cliffs… →

A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Four

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A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Below is the final excerpt from my new contemporary fantasy novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

This all-ages novel is a sequel to A Wild Epidemic of Magic and A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (which are both available as trade paperbacks and ebooks of all formats).

These books make up the Contagious Magic series of novels; the first three form a standalone trilogy.

So, without any more needless banter, I’m taking you back to the ongoing adventure:

A Lasting Cure for Magic

Chapter Four

Jeroan hated flying.

It wasn’t bad, leaping ten feet into the air when he was playing ball and using some magic to boost him up toward the basket. That kind of flying—the temporary kind—was okay. But Jeroan preferred to keep his feet on the ground most of the time, where he felt like he had more control over things, instead of relying on someone else to keep him from crashing back to Earth. Continue reading A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Four →

A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Three

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A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Below is the next excerpt from my new contemporary fantasy novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

This all-ages novel is a sequel to A Wild Epidemic of Magic and A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (which are both available as trade paperbacks and ebooks of all formats).

These books make up the Contagious Magic series of novels; the first three form a standalone trilogy.

So, without any more needless banter, I’m taking you back to the ongoing adventure:

A Lasting Cure for Magic

Chapter Three

Polly was the first to speak up.

“Just let him go,” she said, sitting with her arms crossed tightly in front of her chest. She caught Kelley’s eye and pointed her chin at the closed conference room door. “Let him go off and try to be a hero on his own. That’s what he always does, isn’t it?” Continue reading A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Three →

A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Two

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A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Below is chapter two of my new contemporary fantasy novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

This all-ages novel is a sequel to A Wild Epidemic of Magic and A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (which are both available as trade paperbacks and ebooks of all formats).

These books make up the Contagious Magic series of novels; the first three form a standalone trilogy.

So, without any more needless banter, I’m taking you back to the ongoing adventure:

A Lasting Cure for Magic

Chapter Two

Jeroan knew where to go.

He didn’t know how or even why he had to go there. It probably made more sense to head to Australia to find that black hole in the water next to the coastline. But no, not the land down under—that seemed too obvious. Plus, he just had a feeling about this other place. Continue reading A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Two →

A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter One

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A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Below is chapter one of my new contemporary fantasy novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

This all-ages novel is a sequel to A Wild Epidemic of Magic and A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (which are both available as trade paperbacks and ebooks of all formats).

These books make up the Contagious Magic series of novels; the first three form a standalone trilogy.

So, without any more needless banter, I’m taking you back to the ongoing adventure:

A Lasting Cure for Magic

Chapter One

It was gone.

She could feel its absence in the coldness of her phone, and in the silence of the big room where Mom and Dad used to hold meetings. It left a kind of emptiness in her head. But most of all she felt it in her chest. Continue reading A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter One →

A Lasting Cure for Magic: Prologue

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A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Below is the beginning of my new contemporary fantasy novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

This all-ages novel is a sequel to A Wild Epidemic of Magic and A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (which are both available as trade paperbacks and ebooks of all formats).

These books make up the Contagious Magic series of novels; the first three form a standalone trilogy.

So, without any more needless banter, I’m taking you back to the ongoing adventure:

A Lasting Cure for Magic

Prologue

Excerpted from Words of Magic, page 1331:

If you want to know about magic, it starts—and ends—with the Druid.

I know little of his beginnings, but I was present for his demise. It makes for a fascinating story, and my role in it is quite significant, if I do say so myself.

Continue reading A Lasting Cure for Magic: Prologue →

This Past Month: November 2012

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I read somewhere yesterday that when it comes to raising kids, “the days are long, but the years are fast.” It’s also true for my life right now, with two kids (5 and almost 8 years old already!), a wife, a full-time job, and my “other job” as a writer slash publisher slash everything else.

This Past Month (image from http://iftodayisyourbirthday.com)

So I wanted to stop at the end of each month and look back. So here’s my first “This Past Month” post, for November 2012.

The Current Novel

First off, it’s been a really good month for getting work done on my current novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic. I keep a spreadsheet of my writing where I track the time of day I wrote, how many words and pages, and what I worked on that day. It’s great to look back on that spreadsheet for each month to see when I was most productive.

Continue reading This Past Month: November 2012 →