Crafting Fantasy

Even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture, and 2014 marks the intriguing role-playing phenomenon’s 40th anniversary. Released decades before the Internet and social media, Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures and is still revered by more than 30 million fans. Now, the authoritative history and magic of the game are revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player.

Ghosts just want to have fun… FREE on Kindle Unlimited! As the new Mrs. Rowling, life is supposed to be easy for former FBI Special Assistant Amanda Meyer. Marriage to her drop dead gorgeous boss Rick is everything she dreamed of, unfortunately she can’t sleep, and she can’t even blame the ghost of his late stepmom Clara for popping up in the middle of the night with a tricky request. Someone staged mechanic Fynn’s death to look like a suicide, and now his unhappy ghost is keeping Clara and her dead friends awake all night. Proving he was murdered will keep the newlyweds hopping, ...

The most impossible crime ever witnessed by… a ghost? FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Days away from giving birth, Mandy finds herself involved in the mysterious heist of a beastly piece of art. The USCAB duo suspect some monkey business is to blame for the disappearance of a priceless mask from the locked vault of Manhattan socialite Nicole Sparks. A ghostly art critic deems the masterpiece to be more hideous than haunting, but that won’t stop a serial art thief from attempting to add it to his growing collection of famous works. With an abundance of suspects and a dearth of clues, this may ...

A haunted mansion in a beautiful town… A chilling ghost awaiting for his next prey… Throw in a newbie witch realtor! FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Fio Valentine is starting to settle into her sometimes vexing job in the Haunted and Hexed Properties Management Department of Quest Realty, but when her friend Suze invites her on a weekend trip to Santa Barbara, she’s less than excited about visiting yet another haunted house. Rumored to be hosting the ghost of a wealthy businessman, the mansion could hold a clue to the disappearance of Chris Adams, the older brother of her foxy boss Jack, ...

Whether you’re dreaming of galactic empires, magical kingdoms, or dystopian futures, this comprehensive guide will help you bring your imagined worlds to life—and keep readers turning pages. Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy is your essential companion for crafting compelling characters, building immersive settings, and mastering the tools of powerful storytelling. You’ll learn: Worldbuilding Creating magic systems and technologies that feel real Pacing, suspense, and scene structure Character arcs, voice, viewpoint, and more How to write each genre, from time travel to high fantasy...

Magic is a gift. A pretty miraculous one, in my opinion. It also comes with responsibilities—things like protecting the town that made this possible. Sadly, that means my last battle with the evil coven may have caused a tiny little problem. The spell that protects this place is fading. My power is fine, but a magical ritual like that takes six wixen to make possible. That means I have two choices: I can either let it fade or work with the assholes I just pissed off. Or, maybe I can find a third option?

Wicked to the rescue! FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Soon-to-be-bride Amanda Meyer can’t wait to walk down the aisle with her fiancé Rick Rowling. Everything is falling into place for their long-awaited nuptials until Mandy’s BFF bridesmaid Fiona reveals that according to a cryptic message from her grandmother’s ghost, Fiona is soon-to-be-dead. So before the happy couple can say I do, they’re off to Fiona’s family estate to find the murderer-to-be amid a bevy of paranormal ghost tour guests. Hidden affairs, family secrets and meddling spirits will keep the future Mr. and Mrs. Rowling ...

When the world was young, all life shook before the might of Galakrond, a massive primal dragon whose hunger could not be sated. Five primal dragons rose valiantly beside the titan-forged Keeper Tyr to combat this threat. Though the fight was desperate, Galakrond fell by their teeth and talons, and they were chosen to become protectors of Azeroth. The titans gifted Nozdormu, Ysera, Alexstrasza, Malygos, and Neltharion with order magic, transforming them into the Aspects, powerful dragons with command of time, nature, life, magic, even the earth itself.

A blissful engagement, a haunted ring, throw in the mother-in-law from Hell... FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Wedding bells are about to ring for FBI Special Assistant Amanda Meyer and her sexy boss, Rick Rowling, but before they walk down the aisle, Mandy will have to solve a new case for the Paranormal Cases Division…and stop Rick’s estranged mother, Alice, from turning their ceremony into the wedding from hell. While Mandy has no trouble talking to dead people, her very alive future mother-in-law is another story. As she tries to graciously dodge Alice’s nutty plans for the ceremony—...

After recovering from the effects of a Core shard taking over her mind, Sandra had developed a way to bond with nearby Dungeon Cores, “pacifying” them in the process. Consistent culling of the Monsters within their dungeons would still be required, but no longer would the surrounding areas be dangerous with wandering Monsters sent out by those Cores. Accomplishing all of that will inevitably lead to a greater responsibility that Sandra wouldn’t be able to handle on her own. Fortunately, the surrounding races are more than willing to step up.

The end is here—and Alec West holds the fuse. After shattering the Ascension Gate and entering the Core World, Alec—now an Ascendant Warden—stands one irreversible choice away from saving Earth… or severing it forever. The Beacon’s heart is broken. The Void Dragon rules the skies. A one-minute countdown ticks across every reality shard. Worse, Harbinger champion Darius Kane wants the Beacon’s core—and the power to reshape existence—for himself. To stop the collapse, Alec must: Reunite his scattered party—Rina, Virgil, Cole, Mark, Eleanor, and Miranda—within a realm where...

The death of one of her Orcish mercenaries has sent Sandra into a spiral of rage and revenge, focusing on the four Dungeon Cores that attacked her. Unable to prevent herself from invading the rival dungeons with the misguided intent of destroying their Cores, the consequences of which would be devastating, the craft-loving former merchant struggles to regain control of her actions caused by the remnants of a Core shard invading her own mind.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner… Love is in the air and so are the ghosts! FREE on Kindle Unlimited! When Rick’s old friend, up-and-coming celeb psychic Brian Powers is accused of murdering an esthetician at a luxe gentlemen-only spa, Mandy’s cozy afternoon at home goes from cookie-baking to crime solving. With baby Sophie and ghost-pal Jackie in tow, Mandy and Rick take to haunting the spa where the facials are fab and the intrigue is high-end. Every suspect has a secret, but who’s willing to kill to keep theirs under wraps? [Seaweed wraps, that is.] Find out in this ...

History is filled with stories of women accused of witchcraft, of fearsome girls with arcane knowledge. Toil & Trouble features 15 stories of girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destinies, and using their magic to create, to curse, to cure - and to kill.

A tricky art theft and talking teacup… Throw in a perky ghost and a perkier toddler! FREE on Kindle Unlimited! When a slightly tricky art theft takes place in an upscale Upper East Side neighborhood, Mandy and Rick are called in to crack the case. With their daughter Sophie and Mandy’s ghost pal Jackie in tow, the USCAB duo tackle a baffling switcheroo. An art dealer’s pricey Japanese vase has been replaced with a cheap fake and an attempted murder complicates the situation. The only witness: a talking teacup. Can Mandy coax the spirit of an ancient Samurai with a fuzzy memory to ...

Trees decorated, stockings full of presents, and another case to crack! FREE on Kindle Unlimited! The Rowling family is gearing up for another Merry Christmas, and Mandy has her hands full with holiday prep, but how can she get into the spirit of the season when the victim in her latest case isn’t a ghost? Twenty years ago, during a Christmas Eve blackout, Kevin Holt, the husband of a rich heiress, lost his memory in a fall down the stairs of their mansion. Now he’s discovered evidence that someone might have been trying to kill him, and all he wants for Christmas is to find out who. ...

A haunted theater, drama queen ghosts, and the rest is… Wicked? FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Alas, poor Mandy! Decorating the nursery for Baby Rowling is giving her the blues, and only Manhattan’s top interior designer can help, but securing her services could mean putting Rick into the clutches of a notorious homewrecker. In exchange for hooking Mandy up with the designer, famous actress Karina needs help with some strange happenings at her theater production of Hamlet, and who better to solve the mystery than someone who can talk to the ghost of the Ghost? Trodding the boards with the ...

Included in a Will has Aunt Zelda in the Hot Seat Aunt Zelda is called in for questioning when she's included in the will of a murder victim. Since Steve, Penze's squeeze is in on the questioning at the police station, she's none too pleased that he's putting her aunt through the wringer. The Mazurski women decide that in order to help their aunt, they need to case the murder scene. However, someone beat them to it and doesn't like intruders, putting their lives in danger. Can the women figure out how to help aunt Zelda without getting killed themselves? And why does cousin Madge only come ...

Nineteen-year-old Marion can't remember anything before waking up at Mercy Hospital. All she knows is that a lot of people want to kill her. And her would-be assassins are not human. Faeries are real. So are vampires and angels. They all want Marion dead. Surrounded by enemies, Marion turns to Lucas Flynn: a mysterious doctor as good with a gun as he is with a scalpel. He fights like a demon but claims that he's human. And he's hell-bent on protecting Marion.

A sweet n' cold murder… A newbie, pathetic agent… and a hot mess… FREE with Kindle Unlimited! PI Assistant extraordinaire Kelly Kinki is back, and she’s stuck between a hunk and a hard case. A popular college student has been murdered after visiting a local ice cream shop. The suspect list is short and sweet, but with a fledgling FBI agent tagging along on their investigation, Kelly and her drop dead gorgeous boss Michael Archangel have an extra scoop of trouble. Trading his dress for a suit and hitting DC’s top ten list of eligible bachelors may be business as usual for Archangel...