Hachi + Araine : The Dream Series by Michael G. Hurston Series Tour

 

Hachi + Araine: The Dream Series by Michael G. Hurston

After waking up from a thousand-year cryosleep to a world they no longer recognize, Hachi and her golem Araine embark on a perilous journey with human scavenger Sara to find others like themselves, navigating a world of romance, tragedy, and self-discovery along the way.

The stories need to be read in order.

Series Links

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BOOK DETAILS

BOOK 1

Book Title: Hachi + Araine // Awake: The Dream Series Book 1 

Length: 45 000 Words

Release Date: October 20, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Romance 

Tropes: Polyamorous and Pansexual relationships

Themes: Strong Female Protagonist, Self-discovery

Heat Rating: 3.5-4 flames

It is not a standalone story and this book ends on a cliffhanger.

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Blurb 

Hachi is an unstoppable Tau-born juggernaut on the battlefield with her golem Araine. The two wake up in a cryopod after a thousand-year sleep to find the world she knew is gone, and the others who came with her are nowhere to be found. Determined to find others like themselves, Hachi and Araine embark on their search, encountering a human scavenger named Sara, and a treasure hunt through space ensues.

While Hachi is confident in her abilities as a warrior, she is insecure and unsure of herself in social interactions. She is forced to deal with not only the loss of her own kind, but with people she doesn’t know, and more than she could have expected. Throughout their adventure, Hachi must confront her vulnerabilities, even as she battles against seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

With the help of Araine and Sara, Hachi must not only find others like herself but also discover the truth about the new world she finds herself in, regardless of what tragedies occurred and what may yet still befall them.

BOOK 2

Book Title: Hachi + Araine // Nightmares: The Dream Series Book 2 

Length: 45 000 Words

Release Date: October 20, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Romance 

Tropes: Polyamorous and Pansexual relationships

Themes: Strong Female Protagonist, Self-discovery

Heat Rating: 2-3 flames

It is not a standalone story and this book ends on a cliffhanger.

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Blurb 

Taking place immediately after the events of book 1, Hachi and Araine have now recovered their memories as well as been granted a boon from the Founders. Together the pair are tasked with locating the remaining unopened Tau-born vaults hidden somewhere across the Sol System.

Determined to complete her mission and return to the man she’s known all her life. Araine and Hachi set out on a quest that takes them through the universe and back, but for every action, there is a reaction, and they’ll need to face the consequences of every decision they’ve made. 

Meanwhile Lamant and Mira work tirelessly to attempt to restore the woman Hachi loved back to life, though things take a darker turn when an unknown ship appears suddenly on the outskirts of our galaxy.

BOOK 3

Book Title: Hachi + Araine // Falling: The Dream Series Book 3 

Length: Approximately 45 000 Words

Release Date: October 20, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Romance 

Tropes: Polyamorous and Pansexual relationships

Themes: Strong Female Protagonist, Self-discovery

Heat Rating: 2-3 flames

It is not a standalone story.

It does not end on a cliffhanger, but leaves some aspects open.

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Blurb 

One year after the events of book 2, Hachi is trying her best to help lead the new world she created, even as her relationship with Araine is strained. A new series of challenges, both emotional and physical awaits her.

A celebration gone awry, a mission to the belts to rout out the last remnants of the old regime, and ongoing struggles with relationships are now just par for the course for Hachi and Araine. Along with the help of Gemini, Scarlet, Darius, and KAD their goal is to bring safety and a lasting peace to the people of Sol.

But the clock is ticking as Amrita has warned her. Will any of Hachi’s actions matter once they face off against entities known only as the First Children. Unfamiliar beings from Draco that rival the abilities of the Founders and want nothing more than to consume all life within Sol.

About the Author

I’ve worked in MarTech/WebOps for the last twenty years. Most of my daily writing is spent on Business Requirement Documents, Project Plans, and Engineering Tickets. 

I started creative writing in my spare time. I enjoy writing fantasy and science fiction as well as d20 campaigns.

Everything I make from writing goes to helping provide a better life for my cat.

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The Game by Beth Bolden Release Blitz

 

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: The Game (Charleston Condors Book 2)

Author and Publisher: Beth Bolden

Cover Artist: The Book Brander Boutique

Release Date: August 9, 2023

Genre: Contemporary MM sports romance

Tropes: friends to lovers, unrequited long-time crush, Vegas wedding

Heat Rating: 4 flames  

Length: 100 000 words

It is book number two in a spinoff series. 

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

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Micah Rose arrives in Charleston, ready to finally get his man and The Game is on.

Blurb

Micah Rose is ready for a clean slate. He might’ve messed up his rookie year with the Miami Piranhas, but being traded to the Condors is the best way to put all that behind him.

 The Condors are rebuilding, too. New owner. New coach. New players. New rules.

 But one rule hasn’t changed: don’t marry your ex-best friend in Vegas.

Beckett West isn't looking forward to seeing Micah again. Back in college, they shared not only a ride-or-die friendship, but a ton of unresolved sexual tension.

That was before Micah pushed him away.

Still, Beck’s never forgotten their last drunken night together. Not only did they finally confess their feelings, they both promised if the day ever came when they played on the same team again, they wouldn't waste the chance to be together.

But Beck didn’t expect that day to ever be this day.

He certainly didn’t expect to wake up in bed with Micah’s ring on his finger.

Or that he’d never want to take it off.

But it turns out the only man for him is the one man he could never forget. The one man he’s always wanted to make his.

Excerpt

“There you go.” Scott sounded smug. “So you’re gonna let yourself have this. You’ve made amends. You’ve apologized to Beck. You’re gonna be his friend.”

“Yeah.”

What if I want to be more than just his friend?

But Micah didn’t say it. He probably didn’t need to, the way Scott kept hinting that there might be something more between them.

“Listen, you’re a good friend, so just be that guy I know who’s under those ridiculous suits, and you’re gonna be just fine.”

“My suits aren’t ridiculous.”

They were extra not ridiculous, especially after he’d worn his new camel plaid suit the other day, on the way to Toronto, and he’d been far too aware of Beck’s eyes skimming over him when they’d been boarding the plane.

He looked good, he knew he looked good, and it had felt satisfying that Beck had been forced to acknowledge just how good.

Especially when he was still so caught on how Beck looked.

“Son, they’re ridiculous, but it’s alright. It’s your thing. I’m just glad you’re expressing yourself now.”

Scott didn’t have to say it bluntly because Micah already knew what he really meant: you’re not too afraid to express yourself anymore.

“Thanks.”

“So you’re gonna fix things, huh?” Scott continued.

“I apologized, yeah. And he said he wanted to be friends again.”

“What’re you gonna do about that?”

“Geez, Dad, ask an easier question,” Micah retorted.

Scott laughed. “And here Asa thinks our only kid is Beau.”

“You’ve got an entire team of kids,” Micah pointed out.

“Plus one more.” Scott’s voice was warm.

And while Micah had known he wouldn’t lose Scott’s friendship—or Asa’s respect—when he left Miami, it felt good to hear it, too.

Clearing his throat, Micah tried to change the subject. “What do you mean, what am I gonna do about it? We’re friends.”

“Friends spend time with each other, Micah. You gonna invite him over? Meet him out for a drink? How about what you’re gonna tell him? He’s going to want to know why you left Miami.”

“I don’t know. Some of those, I guess.” Micah could admit he hadn’t thought that far. He’d been pretty stuck on just getting the apology out—and hoping Beck listened to it.

“You should tell him.” Scott’s voice was knowing.

“About what happened with Sebastian? Hell no.”

He knew how he’d feel if Beck told him about some guy he’d been attracted to. Because it had happened more than once, and Micah had hated it every single time, even though he’d refused to do anything about it.

“You can’t just talk to me, no matter how much it warms my heart to know you don’t think I’m some old, washed-up, uncool dude,” Scott teased.

“Fine, fine, I’ll talk to him about some of it.” Not about Sebastian, and why we didn’t get along. That’s way too far.

“Invite him over for a beer,” Scott suggested, “and then when he’s there, get close on the couch—”

“Enough!” Micah yelped. He stood and started pacing. How had being just friends with Beck been so easy before and now felt impossible? “You’re supposed to be helping me be his friend.”

“Come on, Rose, we both know that’s not what you really want.”

“It’s all I’m gonna get.”

“It’s all you’re gonna get if you don’t make it clear you’re crazy about him.”

“Maybe I’m not.” He knew how stubborn he sounded.

Scott scoffed. “Don’t lie to me. Especially not when it’s so freaking obvious. You’re absolutely head over heels for that guy. Don’t do either of you the disservice of pretending otherwise.”

“He probably doesn’t—”

But Micah didn’t get the rest of it out.

“You’re never gonna know if you don’t say anything. But, that said,” Scott said with a chuckle, “maybe try to be friends for a little while first. Get used to each other again.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“You keep calling me that like I’m gonna hate it, and so far, not so much,” Scott teased.

About the Author 

A lifelong Pacific Northwester, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She has published over forty novels and novellas.

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Dionysus in Wisconsin by E. H. Lupton Book Blast

 

BOOK BLAST

Book Title:  Dionysus in Wisconsin (Wisconsin Gothic, Book 1)

Author: E. H. Lupton

Publisher: Winnowing Fan Press

Cover Artist: E. H. Lupton

Release Date: May 26, 2023

Genres: Urban fantasy/historical M/M romance

Tropes: Living Aphrodisiac, Turning into a God, Offing the Offspring, In Love with the Mark, Occult Detective, Don't Go in the Woods, Prophesies Rhyme, Killing the God, A+ Parenting, Metamorphoses

Themes: self-acceptance, overcoming family history, mystical library communion

Heat Rating: 3–3.5 flames 

Length: 78 000 words/ 350 pages in paperback

The story ends with a lovely HEA.

Book 2 is due in early 2024.

Goodreads

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Bookshop.org  |  Kobo Plus 

Mythology, but make it everyone’s problem.

Blurb 

A graduate student and an archivist work together to fight a god.

Fall, 1969. Ulysses Lenkov should be working on his dissertation. Instead, he's developing an unlucrative sideline in helping ghosts and hapless magic users. But when his clients start leaving town suddenly—or turning up dead—he starts to worry there's something afoot that’s worse than an unavenged death or incipient insanity. His investigation begins with the last word on everyone's lips before they vanish: the mysterious Dionysus.

Sam Sterling is an archivist who recently moved back to Madison to be closer to the family he's not too sure he likes. But his peaceful days of teaching library students, creating finding aids, and community theater come to an end when the magnetic, mistrustful Ulysses turns up with a warning. There's a god coming, and it looks like it's coming for Sam.

Soon the two are helping each other through demon attacks, discovering the unsavory history of Sam's family, and falling in love as they race to find a solution. But as the year draws to a close, they'll face a deadly showdown as they try to save Sam—and the city itself.

Excerpt 

“What did you want with it, anyway? There’s nothing of value in there. Just books. I would have let you look at any of them if you’d asked.”

Ulysses took a deliberate step closer, and Sam found himself retreating until he fetched up against the metal of the door. “Would you have, though? If I’d come to you and said I needed to investigate why the spirit of the stacks seems interested in you?” Ulysses took another step forward. They were standing far closer than people generally did, and it was both thrilling and terrifying. “Because a lot of people might find a request like that peculiar.”

Sam’s mouth went dry. They were practically chest to chest now. “I—Yes!” he said, and tried to pull himself up to his full height. “I don’t know what any of that means.”

Ulysses nodded. “Then this is going to be weird for you,” he muttered, voice rough and practically in Sam’s ear, and grabbed him. He opened the lock and pushed Sam through the door before he could protest.

On his desk were a white candle and a small, heart-shaped piece of blond wood that held a pencil in a vertical position. Beneath it was a sheet of typing paper, blank except for a cursive letter D in the center of the page. “What’s all this?”

“The inconclusive results of last night’s experiments,” Ulysses said. He grappled with the chair for a moment and then shoved it out into the corridor, shutting the cage’s door between it and them. There was just barely enough room for both of them standing up. This was going to be hideously embarrassing if anyone came along and caught them.

Ulysses, heedless, was lighting the candle with a Zippo. “The building seemed to have something to say to you in the elevator. Maybe it just needs more time to build up to a real psychic discharge, but we can’t wait that long.” He grinned again, eyes wide. “So I thought I’d bring it what it wants, and see if that helps.”

“You—what exactly do you do, Mr. Lenkov?”

“I’m a human lightning rod.” He reached up and grasped Sam very gently by the chin, turning his face to the candle. “Look. Be silent and breathe. Think about the flame.”

The other man’s taut body was pressed right up against Sam’s back, his left arm wrapped around Sam’s waist, and the candle flame was definitely not where Sam’s thoughts were heading. His face still tingled where he’d been touched. “Lenkov,” he said uneasily, “Ulysses. Are you okay? Are you—”

“No drugs, if that’s what you’re trying so delicately to ask. I never touch the stuff. Now hush.”

For some reason he wasn’t entirely clear on, Sam hushed. The man’s tone of voice seemed to demand compliance. At first all he could feel was the rush of blood through his veins, most of it headed southward. But after a while, his head started to clear. He could feel Ulysses breathing behind him and the movement of air through the study cages, smell the paper and Ulysses’s piney cologne and the slightly acrid candle. It wasn’t that his body stopped responding with arousal, but rather that for what felt like a few increasingly long moments he was conscious of all of it, and the linoleum beneath his feet, the rush of water through the pipes of the building. The loud clicks as the motion sensors turned the lights out, one row at a time. Still they stood in their tiny puddle of candle light.

Then, suddenly, the temperature dropped. Sam opened his eyes wide, afraid to say anything lest he break the spell, but also more generally terrified. He twisted slightly, but Ulysses’s grip was unforgiving. The other man leaned forward, murmuring something almost inaudible in a calming tone, and Sam gave up. Whatever was going to happen, he’d have a front-row seat for it. His breath hissed out, steaming.

Ulysses reached out and grabbed Sam’s right hand with his. “Using your left hand,” he whispered, “touch the planchette. Whenever you’re ready.”

Sam wanted to ask how he’d know when he was ready, but as their skin connected he felt a tension building in the room. It reminded him, abruptly, of the churning green clouds before a thunderstorm. The tension was in him, too, somehow, like anxiety but not quite, a nauseating squirming thing hiding there behind his breastbone. He closed his eyes and let it build for another minute, until it reached a level he couldn’t stand anymore.

He touched the planchette and felt it jerk to life as something ran through Ulysses and through him and somehow grounded itself in the paper. It was a little like the peculiar relief offered by a sneeze or an orgasm or taking off a pair of painful shoes, and a little like a static shock turned up to eleven. He might have shouted.

A moment later, Ulysses reached around him and pinched out the candle flame. Sam leaned dumbly against the wall, trying to catch his breath, and Ulysses turned on the overhead light, swung the door open, and carefully pushed Sam down into the chair.

“Sorry about that,” Ulysses said, sounding entirely unaffected. He picked up the page from beneath the planchette and frowned at it. Sam looked at the little stylus, which gave a desultory wriggle and was still.

About the Author

E.H. Lupton (she/they) lives in Madison, WI with her family. She is the author of the novella The Joy of Fishes (Battered Suitcase Press, 2013/2015). Her poems have been published in a number of journals, including Paranoid Tree, Poet Lore, 300 Days of Sun, and House of Zolo's Journal of Speculative Literature. She is also one half of the duo behind the hit podcast Ask a Medievalist. In her free time, she enjoys running long distances and art.

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The Firefly by Laury A. Egan Blog Tour

 

BLOG TOUR

Book Title:  The Firefly

Author:  Laury A. Egan

Publisher:  Spectrum Books

Cover Artist: Design by Laury A. Egan with assistance by Andrew May and Vicki DeVico

Release Date: August 12, 2023

Genres: F/F Romance and portrait of a teenager, age 14, through adulthood, age 40.

Tropes:  teenage lovers separated

Themes: Solitariness of a creative girl/woman, sexual orientation confusion in the 60s, pressure to conform to social expectations

Heat rating: 3 flames

Length:   74 000 words/ 304 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

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A Romance by a Lake; a Life Searching for a Teenage Lover

Blurb

1964: A dark summer night on a still black lake. A lantern is lit at the end of a dock. A blond girl in white appears and begins to dance, her body illuminated like the fireflies surrounding her. A second girl emerges from a house and is beckoned forward. The two meet, swim, and then kiss. Thus begins an ethereal romance and a young woman’s journey into adulthood.

Robin Bennet, age fourteen, has been accidentally abandoned at a lakeside rental house in the Pocono Mountains. Her parents were arguing, and each believed the other had remained with Robin. Alone, Robin discovers that someone has been sleeping in the house and is now stealing vodka and snacks. A fifteen-year-old boy, Kieran, the intruder, appears and invites himself to dinner. Robin is charmed by him, especially when she learns he is the brother of the beautiful girl who magically appeared on the dock the night before. After Kieran leaves, the “Firefly” returns, lights the lantern, and circles around it until Robin joins her. The two swim and make love on the beach. When Robin awakens, the Firefly—Stella—has disappeared, and Robin’s mother arrives, announcing they will return to New Jersey immediately because she is divorcing Robin’s father. Frantic, Robin tries to find Stella, a search that continues while Robin builds a career as an architect in Manhattan, fails in marriage, and struggles with her sexual identity. 

Excerpt

[Robin’s parents have left her alone in a rented lake house, each thinking the other would remain. The year is 1964, Robin is 14, and has just drunk some wine.] “Robin shuddered awake. She shook her head, which felt on the verge of aching, and lifted her gaze toward the lake. To her amazement, the lantern was lit on the dock. Standing by it was the Firefly, dressed in white, her blond hair bright against the darkness of the water and the forested hill beyond. 

Robin rubbed her eyes. She must be having drunken hallucinations, but when she looked again, the beautiful vision remained. Excitement shot through her, and she lurched to her feet, descended the stairs with the bottle of wine, and walked down the grassy hill to the path, afraid to blink and lose sight of the enchanting image that lay before her. As she stepped onto the dock, the Firefly circled the lantern and offered her hands in invitation, her long fingers sweeping through the air with elegant fluidity. It appeared the girl was smiling, but perhaps this was what Robin hoped. 

She made her way carefully. Some of the boards were uneven, and she didn’t trust her steadiness after drinking so much. Her ears also seemed filled with a pulsing sound, or was that the loud beating of her heart? Nearing the girl, Robin knew the figure was Stella because of the strong resemblance to Kieran—the same yellow hair, slender build, neat features, and gracefulness. But Stella was more magnetic, more enchanting. Instantly, the dinner with Kieran was forgotten. This moment was all present, all now. 

Dazed, Robin stopped and stared at this beautiful apparition, one she struggled to believe was real. Almost afraid of breaking the silence with words, she whispered, “Hello.”

“Hello,” the girl replied.

“Stella?”

“Yes. Robin?”

“Yes.”

The water lapped against the dock pilings, and a bird called from a distant tree. Above, the dark sky shrouded them in an illuminated enclosure. 

They smiled at each other.

Robin inched closer, reveling in the sensuous figure before her. Stella had blue eyes. Perhaps a paler shade than Kieran’s or maybe the lantern’s glittering reflections were creating the appearance of translucence. Her skin was unblemished, smooth, and creamy. The fragrance of Jean Naté floated in the air. 

“I hoped you’d return,” Robin said. 

“I’m glad. I waited until Kieran left.” Her expression was amused, flirtatious.

Robin sighed. “I don’t think the dinner went well. I mean, the meal was fine, but Kieran is hard to understand.”

Stella laughed. “He’s perfected the fine art of being secretive.”

“And you? Are you the same?”

“Yes, I suppose so. You’ll have to find out.”

This sounded like a teasing challenge. “I will,” she answered in kind. “Would you like some wine?” 

Stella accepted the bottle, drank, and wiped her mouth. Her lips were perfectly cut, pink, and alluring. 

“Thank you.” She handed the wine back to Robin, who took a swallow. “Good. Now, it’s a warm night, Robin. We should swim, don’t you think?” 

Without waiting for a response, Stella began undressing. Underneath her blouse, against her tanned skin, a lacy white bra was revealed. Robin noticed that Stella’s breasts appeared to be larger than hers, but Stella was two years older.

When Stella leaned down to unbuckle her sandals, Robin unbuttoned her own shirt, overcome with shyness. Although she showered with girls after gym class, Robin had never exposed herself like this. She fixed her eyes on Stella, who had dropped her pants and stepped clear. The girl was slightly taller than Robin, with legs and arms that were lean and strong. Clad only in cotton underpants and a bra, Stella gave her a captivating smile, turned, and dove neatly off the dock. For what seemed like a minute, she stayed underwater until she resurfaced about fifteen feet away. Stella brushed back her short hair and watched as Robin took off her slacks and sandals and executed a clean entrance into the black water. Rising near Stella, the two swam closer to each other and kept upright by paddling their arms.

Robin felt a wave of dizziness pass over her. Because of the wine or because of the nearness to this radiant being? She waited for the girl to speak, to act. Instead, Stella laughed, the sound reminding Robin of wind chimes blowing in a light breeze.” 

About the Author

Laury A. Egan is the author of eleven novels: The Firefly; Once, Upon an Island; Doublecrossed; The Swimmer; Fabulous! An Opera Buffa; The Outcast Oracle; Turnabout; Wave in D Minor; The Ungodly Hour; A Bittersweet Tale; The Outcast Oracle; and Jenny Kidd as well as a collection, Fog and Other Stories. Four limited-edition poetry volumes have been published: Snow, Shadows, a Stranger; Beneath the Lion’s Paw; The Sea & Beyond; and Presence & Absence. Eighty-five of her stories and poems have appeared in literary journals. She lives on the northern coast of New Jersey.

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