Re-Releases!

All right everyone, exciting news for the new year!

First, Troll Slayer's ebook version is now available.

 In other news, there are new covers! The Night Shift, The Hellfire Legacy, Home Sweet Home and Sleeping on the Job all have shiny, brand new covers! When purchasing, please make sure you are buying copies with these covers, otherwise I don't actually get paid.

The re-releases for Home Sweet Home will be tomorrow with the other three releasing later this week. I'll continue to re-release stories until we've got them all back up again.

Sophia and I are hoping to get The Spider's Web re-released in March, pending a reversion of rights letter. We're also waiting on the letter for The Night Wars Collection, and hope to have that re-released at the same time.

So...Here's What Happened

Since the publisher has announced it, I feel comfortable coming out with this. Torquere Press is closing. What rights of mine they still have will be reverting into my hands. I made an effort to place my books in new homes, but am now self-publishing everything.

Which means, I am re-editing. I am formatting and I'm doing all of the cover art. So I've gotten the first batch out. The Hanged Man's Ghost, Troll Slayer, and The Grave Watchers are all out in the world. The next batch will include The Night Shift, The Hellfire Legacy, and Death's Children.

After that, Sleeping on the Job and The Night Wars Collection are up, as well as the Night Wars novellas that are floating around. Sophia and I are working together as well to get Evie's books edited, reformatted and with shiny new cover art.

As I have updates, you will get them. It's been a super frustrating few months. The closure of Torquere Press wasn't a real surprise to the those of us who started to pull our rights earlier, and honestly I'm just glad it's all finally over. There have been authors with other houses that never got their rights back.

And I'm sort of resigned to the fact I'll never get paid for the books I sold during the quarters they were struggling. It sucks. So as the new covers come out, please make sure those are the ones you are buying because they are the only ones I am getting paid for.

New Release: Let the Good Times Roll

Lu Felix: college dropout, tour guide and possessed with the power to see the dead. If she could change one of those things, it would be the latter. When the haunted mansion she works at starts to get a bit more active when a new owner shows up. Bodies start to drop and it becomes clear that Lu is either going to have to accept her gift or let more people die.

Working at the Sauvageau estate was never part of Lu's life plan, but when she was forced to drop out of college after a nervous break down she needed a job and she didn't want to go back home to Dad. It wasn't just stress that caused her break though, it was the ghosts. The power she'd tried to push came roaring back and while the estate isn't exactly ghost free, at least most of the spirits are friendly.

But not all of the estate's ghosts are Casper, and when blood is spilled on the grounds, the darker spirits begin to emerge and an old pattern starts up again. While the estate's new owner, Jasper Savage, brings in a host of psychics to take a look at the place, Lu tries to keep her distance. But when an old boyfriend is murdered on the grounds and her friends are put into danger she finds herself drawn into the fray. Lu is going to have to tap into her powers and get to the heart of the estate's spirits before she and the other psychics end up as the estate's latest ghosts.

Obligatory Buy Link

You may remember Lu from The Hellfire Legacy, Fynn's third book. The red haired Southern beauty's past was always something I wanted to write about and thus, Let the Good Times Roll was written. I hope you all enjoy learning about Lu in what I hope is only the first installment about the Ladies of the Night Shift.

Cheers!

Missouri Dalton

Free Reads Update

I have at last properly formatted two of my free reads for distribution on Smashwords. This should make it easier for those of you who prefer reading on mobile devices. As of right now you can pick up:

Fiends in Low Places

 Originally available from Torquere Press for the Charity Sip Blitz.

Simon Murphy, psychic and former thief is trying to rekindle the romance between himself and his FBI beau, Gabriel. The two of them have gone from being on opposite sides of the law, to the same side, to fighting over cases. At each step they've been drawn closer together and thrown apart over their constant fighting. Can a pizza date fix this mess? Or will the vampire mobsters after Simon ruin any chance Simon has of being with the man he really loves?

Station House Six

Originally a serial here on the blog, it can still be found in that format if you so desire to read it that way.

Wayland, vampire hunter and Night Shift officer, is forced to take on something he never wanted; a partner. With Inspector Mulhaney breathing down his neck, a rotating shift of captains because no one really wants to run a station house full of pale, creepy fellows with garlic breath, Wayland is going to have to find a way to get along with his new partner--or at the very least, not get the guy killed.






I may add some others, not decisions have been made yet. Happy reading!

The Ladies of the Night Shift

There are a lot of amazing fellows to be certain, but the ladies of the Night Shift have their stories as well, and I am itching to tell them. Right now I'm working on the tale of Rebecca Driscoll, your first introduction to the New York Division. I just finished up the origin story for Lu, the charming lady from New Orleans and will be working on a few others.

When I start the Night Wars International line up, Thursday, one of the London members, will be making an appearance, and Lu will pop up again when we head to Tokyo to see how Takashi from Ame is fairing.

A newcomer in Sleeping on the Job will bring us back to Simon, but from her perspective, and the workings of Station House Three.

And because I'm in a good mood, I'm going to give you a snapshot of how Rebecca is dealing with being a new recruit.

Sleeping on the Job

Simon's book just went off on submission! It's a bit shorter than previous works, but it sort of needed to be, I think. A lot happens though. Simon has a lot of growing up to do, and this is the book where the training wheels come off, so to speak.

In other news, I have another submission out in the ether, a high fantasy novel of epic proportions which I think everyone will enjoy. Different from my usual fare I'd say but the humor is still there and there are several darling boys for you all to fall in love with.

I'm working on How to Breathe Fire at the moment, which will be the next in the YA, Guidebook series. It's more of a prequel than a sequel, as it deals mostly with William, the dragon introduced in Vampirism and You! He has quite a backstory and it's been a blast digging into his past.

In other Night Shift news, I've started work on  The Evil Eye, which will be Jack's book, and I'm hoping to finish and submit it time for a Christmas release date. Prior to that will be The Hellfire Boys, which at this stage is turning out to be an anthology from Ian's perspective.

I'm trying to finish twelve drafts this year (one a month, I'm crazy), and I'm a bit behind so I'm racing to catch up. I moved house last month, so things were a bit more hectic than usual, not allowing for much writing time, blogging time or really, any time that wasn't spent packing and/or getting things ready to move.

I'm happy to say that I'm settled into the new place with Sophia and we're much happier. Location is everything.

In the meantime, here's a little snippet of Sleeping on the Job.

“Simon, I’m heading to work, you want a ride in?” Gabriel asked.

I’d spent the night at his apartment, which for all practical purposes was a warzone. He wasn’t exactly a neat person. We’d been doing this a lot these last couple weeks. Spending the night. Sometimes at his place, sometimes at a hotel. I couldn’t take him to my place, Fynn would find out and never let me live it down. It kind of sucked living with two other guys sometimes.

Well, two other guys and their adorable eight and a half-year-old daughter and demonic seven and quarter-year-old son. And a pixie. Fynn and Jack saved my miserable ass so I had to be appreciative, they also saved my job, which was why I was living with them—well that and Fynn was bound and determined to be the father figure I’d been lacking and keep me on the straight and narrow.

Once you’ve started taking strange purple pills from hobgoblins, it’s a clear sign you need serious help. Lucky for me, Fynn had provided. Unlucky for me, until I got my shit together, really together, I was stuck living with them.

So I spent the night at Gabriel’s.

I rubbed crud out of my eyes and blinked at my beau. “Coffee?”

He shook his head. “You are the most hung-over looking sober man I have ever seen.” He walked into the kitchen and poured me a cup while I peeled myself off of the couch. My back creaked in several places a nineteen-year-old shouldn’t be creaking.

“We are so never fucking on that fucking couch, ever again.” I stretched, cracking vertebrae back into alignment. “That is the couch the devil built. Why do you not replace it?”

“Why are you talking like that?” He emerged from the kitchen and pressed the warm mug of black coffee into my hands. “Drink. Wake up. Answer my original question.”

I took a drink of coffee, he pushed hair out of my face with a sort of lazy smile. I managed to smile back.

“Sure, I could use a ride. I think my wallet is in my office.”

“Given that I paid for dinner last night, yes, yes it is.”

“How is it I forget shit even when I don’t drink?” I shook my head. “It makes no sense.” It made some sense though. My ability sometimes overloaded my head, giving me sort of a hangover, only worse. “Did I leave any of those pills here last time?” My meds were supposed to help. I had no idea what was in them. Dr. Chan, the Night Shift’s shrink and doctor, cooked them up with Bronson, House One’s resident witch. I think they were mostly ancient herbs and things I didn’t really want to know about.

“I think so.” Gabriel headed back into the kitchen and looked through some cabinets, coming up with a small orange bottle with a prescription label on it that was totally bogus. “This it?”

“Yeah.”

He popped the top off and poured me out a pair. I opened my mouth and he rolled his eyes, but placed both pills on my tongue. I drowned them with coffee and he tucked the bottle into my front jeans pocket.

“Thanks.” I gave him a quick kiss, took another drink of the coffee and set about finding my shirt and shoes. “And what the hell is up with your music selections for sex? While I’m on the topic of things that bother me during sex. Couldn’t we, I don’t know, throw in some Tool? ACDC? Anything but Garth Brooks?”

“I like Garth Brooks.”

“Dude, you’d marry Garth Brooks if he swung the right way.” I found my shirt under the couch and put it on, relieved it was mostly clean.

“And you have an unhealthy obsession with that kick boxer.”

“Mixed martial arts expert,” I corrected. “And who wouldn’t? He’s all—fit.”

“Uh huh. Your shoes are by the door. Let’s hurry along now, I have a big meeting to get to.”

I stifled a yawn and gathered up my shoes, black and white Converse that looked out of place in the forest of black and brown dress shoes and dusty cowboy boots already next to Gabriel’s front door. “Yeah, yeah. And I have to—do something. I’m sure.”

“I bet Fynn has something for you to do.”

I shrugged. “Things have been pretty quiet recently. Mostly we’ve just been getting things more settled. The renovations at the last station wrapped up last month so I finally got my own space back—it was no fun at all sharing with Fynn—probably spend most of the day shifting papers again.”

“The exciting life of a government employee.”

“Very.” It was better than what I’d been doing before Fynn dragged me out of the fucking gutter. The days when I was still a thief, dodging my way out from under my father’s thumb.

 

Home Sweet Home Cover Reveal.

Here we are! It's the Home Sweet Home cover! It's a short story, but it was long enough for it's own cover! Which is just--awesome. The cover comes from the amazing Brandon Clay.

Blurb:

Kis returns to Columbus on the heels of a bad break-up. Unfortunately for Kis, his boyfriend isn’t ready to give him up—vampires aren’t easy to say no to. With the help of Julius, an old friend, Kis is hopeful. His ex isn’t the only one looking for him. Kis ran away from home after he came out and his Uncle Tobias is now on his trail along with his boyfriend Caspian.  But with a vampire after him, Kis couldn’t have hoped for better than Chicago’s finest vampire hunter on his side. If they can find him first.

The Night Shift Release Day!

That's right folks, The Night Shift has hit cyber shelves! The e-book version is available now. (And don't worry print book lovers, it's coming)

Blurb:

Two years of experience in the Night Shift and Fynn Adder still has a lot to learn -- before his newest case drives him back off the wagon. Recently he's been assigned a new partner, a trainee named Simon Murphy. In the middle of breaking in his new partner, a grisly murder rocks the foundation of Fynn's shaky sobriety. And not just any "regular" murder -- the murder of a child.

As more ritual killings start to spread out across the city, Fynn, Jack, and Simon scramble to track down the necromancer responsible and stop them before they complete whatever ritual they're performing. Meanwhile, Simon has to deal with the overly ambitious FBI Agent Gabriel Sheppard, whose dogged determination to put Simon's mob boss father in prison is putting Simon at risk, and hindering Fynn's investigation. As if that wasn't enough, the king of the elves wants to have a sit down, Tara’s birthday is only a few days away, and it seems the family secrets just keep on coming. The tension and pressure just never seems to end for Fynn and his crew.


That's right, Fynn and Jack are back! Enjoy!

The Night Shift

It's the Night Shift cover art folks! Look, shiny! Finally got a man in a scarf... I hope this is enough of a teaser for you folks at the moment, but in case it's not, here's an actual teaser:

Enjoy!

 The Night Shift

        Sharp, sweet and smoky tendrils of scent followed us. The stone floor beneath my feet was getting slick as Simon bled on it -- he ran just in front of me. Behind us the howls were starting. Throaty, piercing sounds that made your hair stand on end and burned into your memory as surely as that time you walked in on your Great-Aunt Shirley in the bathtub.

          Simon -- my partner in this case and an unhealthily good looking young man several years my junior -- had been injured during what had been supposed to be a simple reconnaissance trip. The creatures behind us were ghouls; a nest of them had gotten together in a section of the Old City, and we’d been trying to make a count before taking affirmative action.

            I wanted to set fire to the whole damn complex, but somebody overruled me.

            “I see the stairs!” Simon shouted over his shoulder.

            I looked up, spotting the sliver of sunlight that was our escape hatch. The ghouls wouldn’t be able to follow us out into the light, thank God.

            After a moment’s thought, I caught up to Simon and slung him over my shoulder with a grunt. “You see one, shoot.”

            “Yes, sir.” He wasn’t particularly surprised to be manhandled, I’d done it before -- not to say the boy was injury prone but… He rested the butt of his shotgun against my shoulder, and I went for the stairs. The howls were getting closer as I took the first step, and Simon fired a warning shot that sent a sharp blow to my shoulder as I absorbed the recoil. I ignored it for the time being and kept going.

            At the top of the stairs I set him down, shoving him through the open doorway and turned on the crowd of ghouls that had paused just out of reach of the sunlight. They were ugly bastards. Unlike zombies, ghouls didn’t rot after they dug themselves out of the ground -- they dried. It was particularly unattractive. Several of them had huge distended stomachs to go with the long claws and pointed teeth. They’d fed recently.

            “Hi guys.” I smiled and pulled the grenade I’d been saving out of my pocket. “Bye guys.” I jerked the ring out and tossed the grenade amongst them, throwing myself out the door, slamming it shut and running. “Fire in the hole!”

            Simon took off and the explosion went off about five seconds later, blasting bits of building, and ghoul, into the air. Simon and I continued our retreat to the van, climbing in and shutting the door. The reinforced panels would keep off the worst of it, though I could hear the tinging as bits of stone and wood and bone struck the exterior.

            “That was fucking insane!” Simon snapped, lounging against the wall of the van and panting. “You’re nuts.”

            “Aw, it wasn’t as bad as the siren in Humbolt Park and you know it.”

            “One of these days, Adder, you’re going to get me killed.”

“Not today.” I took a closer look at his injury, a nasty gash along his side. “We’re heading to the hospital. Bronson, start her up.”

            The slender, salt and pepper redhead started up the van without further prompting and took off fast enough to leave tire behind on the concrete. “You blew something up again,” he complained.

            “No choice.” Well, there’d been a choice, but I’d liked mine.

            “How bad is it?”

            I looked at Simon, noting he had passed out. “He’ll be okay, just hurry.”

            Simon wasn’t particularly stalwart about pain, it seemed he’d pass out at the drop of the hat -- if you didn’t know why. Simon had been diagnosed with narcolepsy, because what was really wrong with him was too unbelievable for the medical community.

            “Is he out?”

            “Like a light.” I maintained pressure on the wound. “I’m fine too, thanks for asking.”

            “I assumed you were, because you weren’t complaining.” He took a sharp turn that knocked me into the wall. “Now hush.”

            Bronson wasn’t technically my superior; we were basically equals, but I still tended to do as he said. For one, I was almost certain that if I pissed him off he’d curse me. Bronson was, after all, a witch.

            I refrained from mouthing off and concentrated on keeping Simon from bleeding to death. All in all, not a bad day of training. 

 

The Hanged Man's Ghost Release Day!

So, apparently there was a typo in my calendar, or I'm blind, but The Hanged Man's Ghost hit cyber shelves today! I have some cool stuff up, including a knitting pattern by the lovely Sophia inspired by the book (it is completely relevant, as the MC is a knitter himself) and there's a short story companion piece to the novel as well up and...drumroll...you'll get a chance to win a signed copy of the paperback!

There could be more goodies to come, so keep your eyes peeled!

Cheers!

About the book

Detective Fynn Adder is embarking on the case that will change his life forever. The ghosts of murder victims are leaving him clues, his drinking problem is out of control, and no matter how nepotistic the Chicago Police Department might be, there are some forces his family’s reputation can’t save him from.

Just a few years ago, Fynn’s longtime partner Robert was murdered and the case went unsolved. As he gets deeper into a new investigation, it becomes apparent that somehow the two cases are connected. To make matters worse, it’s clear to Fynn that forces beyond this world have come into play.

Forces like Internal Affairs agent Daniel Voight, who’s determined to make dirt stick to Fynn any which way he can. The only real bright points in Fynn’s day are when he’s with Jack, his unfortunately straight partner. Fynn is going to have to pull himself together--because if the dead don’t kill him, his family will.

An excerpt from the book

The driving skills of Detective Jack Winchester have never been in contention. It is the manner in which he applies those skills I find disturbing. I also have my suspicions that he made a deal with the devil to always find a parking space when he needs one.

But I can’t prove it.

"So…it’s a yoga studio." I stared at the glass and metal monstrosity that was Modern Gym. Part of it was weights and treadmills, at least, the first floor was, and the sign above the very tan receptionist’s desk had the second floor labeled for yoga and meditation.

My ex with the yoga thing hadn’t gone to a gym like this. His gym had been conveniently located one floor up from his apartment that was all part of a renovated cannery.

"It’s a monstrosity," Jack confirmed. "These places aren’t gyms. My gym doesn’t have mirrors."

"Your gym is in an old car garage and run by a guy called Spider." I gave him a look. "I don’t know that you can talk."

"You can’t say he’s a bad fitness coach though." Jack flexed one arm. "I beat you in the ring, last I checked."

"Luck."

He snorted. "You wish."

The receptionist was talking on the phone in a voice that I was fairly certain was near the limits of the human ear.

"Miss?" Jack waved a hand in front of her face. "I’m looking for -- "

She held up a hand to silence him and continued to yammer away about her yorky’s delicate digestion.

"Miss, I’m with the police."

Still nothing.

I gave Jack a look and then reached over the counter and pressed down on the button, hanging up on whomever she’d been chatting with. She gave me a look that would have killed a lesser man.

"Hi." I grinned. "I’m Fynn, this is Jack, and we’re detectives investigating a homicide. I need to talk to Jason Campbell. Where is he?" After which I showed her the star dangling around my neck.

"Uh…he’s upstairs in the Shangri-la room. But there’s a class going on right now."

"That’s okay, I’m sure they’ll understand that murder comes before yoga," Jack said. "Thanks so much for your help."

We headed up the stairs, I took them two at a time just to prove to Jack I was still in shape and beat him to the top with a grin. "Ha."

"That proves nothing. You get back in the ring and we’ll talk."

"Maybe I will."

He snorted. "I’ll believe that when I see it."

We headed down the hallway the stairs opened onto and found the Shangri-la room about halfway down. I put on my cop face and gestured for Jack to go first. He opened the door and I followed after him.

The room was occupied by about fifteen very limber young women currently engaged in bending their bodies to resemble pretzels, and a man at the front of the room. Behind him was a raised platform where sticks of incense burned, giving the place an odor of musky herb over warm bodies.

The man had a sheen of sweat over his tan skin. I noticed lean muscles, and the tight shorts he wore gave a clue to the reason for the amount of pretty faces in the room. He wasn’t bad looking, but there was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way.

I tugged at the collar of my shirt and suddenly wished I wasn’t wearing so many layers.

It was kind of hot in there.

The man gave us a look. "I’m sorry but we’re in the middle of a class…"

"Jason Campbell?"

"Well, yes -- "

"Detectives Jack Winchester and Fynn Adder, we need to ask you a few questions about the murder of Jessica Yates." Jack flipped open his wallet to flash his star. "Why don’t we talk in the hall?"

"Uh…okay. Ladies, take five; I’ll be right back." He smiled reassuringly and followed Jack and me out into the hall, closing the door firmly behind him.

"You and Ms. Yates dated, correct?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, like four months ago. It’s old news."

"Why don’t you let me be the judge of that," I said. If this was the guy…well, I wasn’t all that sure if he’d make it to the station in one piece. "What caused the breakup?"

"Jessica wasn’t willing to share me," Jason said. "I told her I couldn’t be monogamous, and she freaked out. She threw a bottle at my head. I had to call the cops."

"Where were you the night before last, around four a.m.?" Jack shouldered in front of me ever so slightly.

"I was giving a private lesson at my apartment," he said smugly. "I have three witnesses."

"I suppose that’s a cute little code for fucking your students?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe. I can even give you their names. We were occupied until sunrise. Dawn greeting is very cathartic."

"Right." Jack pulled out his notepad and a pen. "Write down the names of your tryst partners and the best way to contact them."

Jason wrote while Jack stared at him.

"Here." He practically shoved the notepad back into Jack’s hands. "Can I go back to my class now?"

"Of course," I said. "But don’t leave town."

Jason sneered at me and then stormed back into the yoga class.

"Well, I think his chi is off balance."

Jack rolled his eyes. "We can’t really hold him on anything you know."

"I don’t like him."

"That’s not a crime."

"It should be. Who else are we talking to today?"

"Well, I think we’d better call his little playmates. Let’s make sure that alibi is legit. If it’s not, we can arrest him for interfering with a homicide investigation." Jack’s grin was positively feral. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of it.

God damn it. Why does he have to be straight?

"I -- I’m hungry. Let’s get lunch before we start making phone calls."

"Sure. Chinese okay with you? There’s a place just around the corner from here with really good spring rolls."

"Sure."

Jack tucked his notebook into his pocket and gave me a sharp look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just really don’t like that guy."

"Okay." He started to head down the hallway, and I stood frozen for a moment. Sometimes Jack made me feel like a high school kid with his first crush on the captain of the lacrosse team. Timmy Mullins…a lazy smile crept across my face. Just him and me in the locker room after the championship match.

I shook my head. Why was I thinking about that? I gave myself a mental slap and hurried after Jack.