You can buy it in paperback at Amazon.com.

The Kindle edition will be out shortly. Here’s a sneak peek at the back cover image that will be exclusive to the digital edition.

A great reason to pick up this title is that it contains our submission guidelines for the second anthology, scheduled for a 2013 release. Would you like to write a story set in the City of the Gods?

A few spoilers about what the collection contains were spilled in our latest breakout review at the San Diego Reader – and you can always keep up on the very latest news about my writing by subscribing to my monthly newsletter, Wynn Mercere’s Writing World.

Happy Holidays to all our City of the Gods fans! May your season be festive no matter what realm you call home.

First a novel, then a game, now a brand new comic! Announcing the first release in the City of the Gods Universe comic line, The Last Goddess #1. If you have already read about D’Molay’s adventures with the gods in the City and the realms, you might be curious about what’s going on back on Earth. The Last Goddess #1 is a stand-alone story which references the retreat of the gods from our planet and the power of the Council, but tells a tale all its own.

At Dunwich Asylum, two evil gods secretly attempt to rebuild their powers and gain new converts. One remaining goddess of the light is reborn to thwart them. Can she rediscover her godhood, adapt to the modern world, and succeed?

The Last Goddess #1 is for mature readers and contains some nudity and supernatural horror elements.

Available exclusively at DriveThru Comics, this 53-page publication is priced competitively at $1.75 for the digital download. Story by M. Scott Verne and Wynn Mercere, with art by Seppo Makinen and S. Crompton. There is a free preview of the first six pages at the link.

Larger type and more art increased the book to 428 pages. The original release clocked in at 310. Check the page counts to make sure you are ordering the edition you want from booksellers such as Amazon.Com.

At this time, the Kindle eBook has not been changed. It is the first edition with a limited selection of images, but bargain priced at $3.99.

Game Masters: Have you ever wanted to take your players to meet the gods?  Now you can with the City of the Gods Map Pack.  Usable with any role playing system, this product presents a world where all the gods of Earth reside: Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, Celtic, Asian and many other Pantheons all dwell in this mystical realm.  The City of the Gods is where they all meet, plot, plan and fight for dominion. 

Map Pack includes:
11 x 17 full color detailed City map — 20 page book that describes over 105 places in the city – details on the world and 54 scenarios the GM can use to incorporate his existing game into the City of the Gods – full color map of the outlying realms of the gods – 18 full color NPC cards of gods and citizens from the City – 32 page signed comic – plus a booklet with a chapter from the City of the Gods novel.

Published by Flying Buffalo, Inc. Suggested retail $19.95. Game retailers — look for our ad in the fall distributors’ catalogs.

Sneak peeks of the art will be posted here next week. In the meantime, enjoy this interview about the Kindle edition of our book at David Wisehart’s Kindle Authors site.

The Kindle edition has fewer art pieces than the paperback, but the ones chosen for the Kindle display marvelously on the device. We also made one frequently requested change, which was to move the map of the world to the front of the book for easier reference.

Don’t use a Kindle? Don’t worry - digital versions of the novel will be available in several other formats soon. The paperback will remain on sale for those who prefer a traditional book.

Chapter 6 - The Cursed and the Blessed

D’Molay was tempted to throw his fishing pole into the lake as another in an endless stream of gnats tried to crawl into his eye. Instead, he rammed the end of the useless stick between his knees and reached for Quan’s pipe. Perhaps a cloud of smoke would keep the bugs away, or even encourage them to go chew on Quan instead. As he loaded the pipe, he shot a suspicious look at Mazu’s favored man. He still couldn’t see why Mazu placed such a high value on him. Perhaps his pure loyalty was cause enough; but sometimes D’Molay felt Quan was up to something. In camp this morning he could have sworn he’d heard him opening his pack. Yet when he turned to check, Quan was napping in the boat, nowhere near D’Molay’s belongings.

Right now Quan was busy detaching a fish from his line and tossing it into a bucket already populated by earlier trophies. The boat barely rocked as the fisherman worked. D’Molay noted his skill and ease on the water with a touch of jealousy. Quan met his gaze and a grin spread across his face.

“That’s five fish, Freeman,” he said. “I’ll let you eat one.”

“Two,” D’Molay bargained. “Mazu says I’m still too thin.”

“She can’t see how fat you are under that heavy coat.” He hiked the long tail of his own thin silk shirt up around his hips as he settled in front of the bucket. Quan shook a long finger at D’Molay to caution him. “I hope you can float. Not even good Mazu could save you if you fall into the lake with that weight on your back.”

“My coat is made of wool, not lead,” D’Molay said wearily. “And it keeps me warm.”

Quan began to clean the catch, his small knife glinting brightly. “I am not cold. I am the most blessed one of the goddess,” he said smugly. D’Molay couldn’t argue. If a different man was clad only in the silk threads that covered Quan, the day’s biting wind would reduce him to a huddle of shivering flesh. He listened stoically as Quan soliloquized further about his favored status, fighting the urge to dispute the man’s inflated view of himself. Quan was still talking when D’Molay heard the yell from shore.

“Quiet,” he interrupted. The men listened. The voice called out again, allowing D’Molay to pinpoint its source. A woman was wading at the water’s edge, holding out a sign and waving to the boats. Her dress was short and she’d shrugged out of its sleeves, tying them up under her breasts. When she noticed D’Molay and Quan looking at her, she held the placard higher and called out something that was lost in the brisk wind.

“What does it say?” Quan asked. D’Molay finally felt a flash of superiority over his traveling companion. Quan could not read.

“It says ‘I’m hungry’ in the old English tongue. Poor choice of language. Who can read that in Olympia?”

“You.”

D’Molay turned back to Quan as he felt the boat rock a bit. The fisherman had set aside the knife and the fish and was reaching for the oars. “What are you doing?”

“Taking you over so you can give her one of your fish,” he said.

D’Molay was flabbergasted by Quan’s presumption. “What if I don’t want to?”

“You want to,” Quan dismissed. “Besides, she’s pretty. And I’m handsome.”

D’Molay bit down on the pipe irritably as Quan rowed them toward the girl. As boring as their wait was, he wasn’t sure he wanted to make it less so by engaging random wanderers on the shore. The last time he helped a girl he stumbled across hadn’t turned out so well.

When it became obvious to the woman that the boat was headed her way, a broad smile broke out across her face. She stepped out of the water and pointed toward a sandy shelf that was a good place for the craft to pull in. D’Molay looked beyond the potential harbor to the woods, suspicious of a trap. He reached out to Quan’s arm and made him stop rowing before they got too close.

“Who are you?” D’Molay called out.

“My name is Everild.” Her voice was strong, with a faint Celtic accent to it. “Do you have any food?”

“We do,” D’Molay said. “But with a little industry you could get your own. There are berries to your left, and this lake is full of fish.”

“If you can catch them,” Quan needled. D’Molay gripped his arm a little tighter to pay him back for the jibe.

“I can’t,” she insisted. “Look.”

Everild stretched out her hand to a bush that hung heavy with fruit. The moment her fingers came near a berry, it disappeared. D’Molay, unconvinced of her plight, suspected some sleight of hand.

“Do it again,” he demanded.

She grabbed an entire branch. Every berry on it vanished. But this time D’Molay noticed that the fruit had instantaneously reappeared on another part of the bush.

“The wizard at New Camelot punished me for stealing food,” Everild said bitterly. “Now I can only eat what another freely gives.”

“Surely you can buy food. Freely give me a coin, and I’ll freely give you a fish,” D’Molay proposed.

Everild’s shoulders slumped. “I cannot barter coin or body or soul,” she said, reaching into the fabric tied about her chest and pulling out a coin. “I am cursed. Try to take it from me.”

“Let me,” Quan said, rowing again energetically. “I am blessed.”

A few moments later he was out of the boat and next to Everild. She stood passively with the coin in her outstretched palm. Quan touched her hand only to find that the piece of copper was stuck tightly to her flesh.

“What if you – ”

Everild anticipated Quan’s suggestion and dropped the coin onto the pebbled shore. He knelt to grab it, but it vanished before his knees hit the ground. He looked up at Everild, who was again holding the coin sadly between thumb and forefinger. D’Molay watched all of this and felt pity for Everild, even if she was a self-admitted thief.

“Please. I’m hungry.”

“You’re in luck,” D’Molay said. “So am I. And I happen to have an extra fish.”

[end excerpt]

Link

Messenger in the Mist is a tightly paced fantasy adventure set in a world where court intrigue and tragic romance operate in the shadow of a dire threat. Monsters lurk in the foggy skies beyond the limits of the cities. For Star Nightengale, every ride she undertakes to deliver mail between the kingdoms of Evenspark and Ravencliff is a race with death. But her fear for her safety is countered by her hope for love, for Star’s independent heart has drawn her to Prince Valen of Ravencliff. When chance provides an opportunity to gain the trust of the royal family and the craved attention of the Prince, Star is pulled deeper into the politics of power. To her dismay, she soon discovers that feelings are secondary to royal alliances. With little left to lose, Star is driven to take rash action to confront the monsters that threaten both kingdoms. In the company of a rogue whose fortune has also suffered major reversal, she sets out on what may be her last ride.

Dionne has created a vivid world with unique problems and believable characters. The action moves logically and the dialogue is tight, providing an easy grasp of the plot and critical insight into the characters. The revelation of what the monsters are and from whence they come adds a rich depth to the tale. The 150-page Messenger in the Mist is a quick, but satisfying read. Fans of do-or-die adventure as well as those who appreciate a scoop of star-crossed love with their fantasy will thoroughly enjoy this book.