Summer Dreaming


Summer and island dreaming go together like strawberries and chocolate. Heaven! So it’s perfect that I have the cover for Fantastical Island to share with you, today, in the middle of my summer. Isn’t it stunning? Designer Lou Harper is amazing.

old school, kindle unlimited, fantastical island, pnr, Jenny Schwartz, paranormal romance, urban fantasy

Fantastical Island

Someone is hunting the fantastical creatures of Catalina Island.

When a magical amulet gives marine biologist Naomi Twain the power to see through glamours it plunges her into a world of danger and intrigue. Fantastical creatures are everywhere, but hidden, on Catalina Island—and someone is hunting them, putting at risk a unique, magical ecosystem.

Corey Madrigal is bathing a behemi, a flying miniature pig, when Naomi crashes into his life. With a natural talent for seeing through glamours, he feels a responsibility to the creatures of his island home, creatures who were the friends of his childhood. Now, he’s a Hollywood special effects artist, and he’s going to be an amazing ally for Naomi in her quest to capture the hunters of the island’s fantastical creatures.

But the hunters have their own agenda.

And then, there’s the ghost…

Intense danger, wild storms, and passionate loyalties put to the test. Fantastical Island is a stand-alone adventure in the Old School series. Pre-order it today for 99c. Releases February 21.

Back in the Real World…

It gets hot on the west coast of Australia, to the point that I think I hibernate (if that’s the word?) in summer rather than winter. As I stay in the cool of air conditioning, I’m getting some reading done. Not so much of other things.

I’m a wicked person who was too lazy to take a photo, but I made the most delicious pancakes the other day and ate them with fresh raspberries. Mmmhmm. Why didn’t I know about the magic that is buttermilk earlier? It is so good in cooking. I suspect it was the mystery ingredient that made the wonderful Puffin Donuts that I remember from childhood especially delicious.

Kindle Unlimited Discoveries

kindle unlimitedA quick apology. I’m not sure how to fix this, but the covers aren’t quite lining up with text in emails of this post, so you may have to scroll back to see the book I’m reviewing.

Burning Man by Alan Russell is a bit of a change of pace for me. This is a police procedural with tiny hints of being something more, both thoughtful and paranormal. The moral dilemmas in the story aren’t belaboured, but they’re real. I didn’t always agree with the hero’s choices, but the fact that I’m still thinking about them indicates how well written the book was. I expect that I’ll read more in this series – I love Sirius the dog.

kindle unlimitedSmart Bitches, Trashy Books did a post on Kindle Unlimited books and there are some great suggested reads in it and in the comments on it. I picked up Rachel Sharp’s The Big Book of Post-Collapse Fun and just had to read and read, laughing at the snarky humour, empathising with the heroine. It was gripping. About being far from perfect, but surviving anyhow.

kindle unlimitedFire’s Stone by Tanya Huff stays with the theme of imperfect characters growing and learning. A brief warning, it includes an alcoholic character. It’s also complicated as to relationships. The happy ever after is not the hero and heroine riding off into the sunset. But it was a vivid, fascinating fantasy adventure.

kindle unlimitedSpeaking of complicated situations – the hero and heroine of Demelza Carlton’s science fiction romance, Halycon, have really intense back stories, but somehow I read on, trusting that Demelza could deliver happiness for them.

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My Lighthouse

There may or may not be a lighthouse in Fantastical Island, but I can’t resist ending this mid-summer post with a picture of “my” lighthouse. This is the light my family drove past so often on the way to town. It’s still a working lighthouse, just south of Fremantle.

I’m really tempted to share the story of the ghost who haunts it – the second lighthousekeeper’s cat, but … there’s no ghost! Sometimes real life just isn’t as exciting as fiction 😉

 

 

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6 responses to “Summer Dreaming”

  1. Phoenix Blood was soooo good. (I like to think I spotted a few hints in there too.) I can’t wait to read Fantastical Island. 🙂 Love the cover.

    Chocolate and strawberries definitely sounds heavenly. We visited the Chocolate Factory last weekend. Divine! LOL I may have come home with a few bottles of chocolate liqueur from the winery around the corner too. 🙂

    The lighthouse is lovely and something I can take my sister and brother-in-law to see when they visit. They worked in a lighthouse early in their marriage and have so many pictures of them in their home. Thank you for sharing such lovely photos. 🙂

    • Oh, now I’m envying your sister and bro-in-law so much! Lighthouses are the best! I saw an ad for a lighthouse keeper’s job in Tasmania the other day …

      Yummy, yummy chocolate factory — worth coming west just for that — and the wineries, LOL

      Super-glad you enjoyed PB. I thought it was something special as I wrote it, but authors are always biased, aren’t we? 🙂

      • Well you did set one of your short stories in a lighthouse. 🙂

        Oh yes, the chocolate factory was definitely worth the journey. LOL As for the wineries, unfortunately it ‘s my turn to drive home from the next one.

        You’re allowed to be biased. 🙂 They are special, especially the favourites. 🙂

  2. Fantastical Island sounds awesome! I need to read between publications. This one sounds right up my alley. 🙂

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