Music Monday: Memorials to Better Days

It's Memorial Day here in the US, and my mind is drawn to the service people in my life that aren't with us any longer, even though none of them died during active combat. I am thankful to them for their dedication to the safety and security of others and for their willingness to serve.

I may have shared this song before. To me, this is one of the best things to come out of the pandanini of the last three and a half years, and I think it speaks to anyone in a tough spot that needs a little encouragement. I know that I can imagine many of my characters when I hear it: Gin and Sath in the time traps, Tairn, Elys, and Hack in Eh'soi's dungeon. Em and Lex just...being Em and Lex.

We will all find better days. (lyrics are in the video)

Music Monday: Of Booms, Shakes, and Funnel Fries

I am back from a glorious* weekend at the Georgia Renaissance Festival! This was a new experience for me...for the first time, I joined other amazing authors to sign/sell books at GARF instead of following a large dog around all day. 

I was looking for something that could convey the music that we were treated to at our tables on Saturday and Sunday, but how do you combine majestic trumpets, thundering drums, Italian pipes, and violins? Well, you don't...at least I don't. So I thought that I would instead treat you to this gem I heard on the television as it was on in the background of a mad editing session. (Thank goodness for Shazam!)

This song IS the 20 years I've been affiliated with the Georgia Renaissance Festival. It is me sitting in the car on day one, afraid to go in with my greyhounds. It is me putting on my Wild Hunt cosplay and searching for oathbreakers with the rest of the Hounds. It is the quiet just before FIRE IN THE HOLE and after, in the parking lot, when the car door is closed and the A/C is blasting. 

Enjoy. The lyrics are in the captions.

*by glorious, I of course mean exhausting, hot, muggy, and in a few cases painful...and 100% worth it.

It's here!!! Launch Day!!!

I'm so pleased to announce that Storm has joined Rift in the World of Arcstone series. From the back cover:

YOU'RE ONLY AS REAL AS YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE.

Welcome to Arcstone. Game loading, please wait...
Madelyne Laurent is Em, an elven warrior in the massively multiplayer online game, Arcstone. She’s made it safely back to the real world, but what does that even mean now that her father decided to stay in the game world? And who is Alex, really - is he Lex or someone altogether different and more sinister? In this Nanowrimo 2021-winning novel, Nancy E. Dunne takes us back through the monitor to the world of Arcstone, a world on the brink of a catastrophic storm. Em’s objective is clear until she again looks up into the Tyreanan Sky and treads the boards of the docks by that massive typhoon. Old longings resurface and this time it is up to more than just Em to figure out what is real...and more importantly, who?

Grab your eBook or paperback copy today, or meet me at an upcoming event to get a signed copy. I'd love to hear what you think!

Music Monday: Right Outta Nowhere

Once upon a time, I was an interpreter who moved to a new state and, while dreaming of being a writer, hadn't gone in that direction. Yet.
Once upon a time, I was a fledgling writer who had published some fairly entertaining stories about my dogs but hadn't yet tried to write in the genre where my heart lives and thrives. Yet.
Once upon a time, I was a newlywed--again--who was moving to a new country and was utterly terrified and excited in equal measure. Okay, that part isn't really true, I was just terrified. But I remembered this song by an artist introduced to me back in those first days as an interpreter here in SC. 
This weekend I'm going to a brand new event, and while I'm not MOVING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY terrified, I'm pretty apprehensive. But this time, I revisited this song that my friend Katy introduced me to and found...hope. I found freedom. I hope you will too.
Leap...and the net will appear.

Right Outta Nowhereby Christine Kane
Midwest morning October snowfallShe packed her ChevorletAnd brushed her fear awayShe got a great big dreamAnd a history of playin' smallAnd everybody seems to thinkShe'll be back by Christmas dayWell, She hit that highwayWith every bit of faith she could summonWhen courage finally comes you never see it comin'
Right out of nowhereOpen your heart, that changes everythingYou're goin' somewhereAnd all you need to knowIs that you're free to go
Summer night the soft smell of seashoreAnd all the deadheads dancing out on the beachHe's got a 10-year tanAnd his own little junk store he saysSome people got a lot to prove and that's the way I used to beI'm just an old hippy with a half dozen PhDsSome choices hold you downSome chances set you free
Right out of nowhereOpen your heart, that changes everythingYou're goin' somewhere.And all you need to know...Is that you're free to go
And you dreamAnd the way will be clearAnd you prayAnd the angels will hearLead and the net will appear
Right out of nowhereBelieve in everythingYou're going somewhere And all you need to know Is that you're free Right outta nowhere You open your heart And have faith in everything You're going somewhere And all you need to know Is that you're free to go 

Music Monday: ESC 2023 is HERE!

It's Eurovision Week! Oh, to be in Liverpool this week...but here's the next best thing. All the entries are in one video! Standouts for me are Austria's Who the hell is Edgar? about two writers that are apparently possessed by the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe, France's Évidemment, which I posted previously, Tattoo by former ESC winner Loreena for Sweden, and Norway's Queen of the Kings. 
Keep an eye out for the absolutely MAD My Sister's Crown from Czechia and--in true ESC fashion, Cha Cha Cha from Finland. And finally, Blood and Glitter by Germany...pure ESC insanity and I am HERE FOR IT.

Home again, home again... May 2023 Newsletter

At this point, it's like going back home. 😏

I've been accepted as an author guest again at ConCarolinas, 2-4 June, and I'm so excited! I'm already working on my Kaylee Cosplay, with maybe a Vala Mal Doran thrown in for good measure...I'm a sucker for anything that lets me wear coveralls.

The big news about ConCarolinas this year is that it will coincide with the launch of Storm, the second in the World of Arcstone series. I will have a spot in Author's Alley, and I will definitely have copies of Storm with me so watch this space for more info on how to get yourself a signed copy if you come to the event.

From the blurb...

YOU'RE ONLY AS REAL AS YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE.

Madelyne Laurent is Em, an elven warrior in the massively multiplayer online game, Arcstone. She’s made it safely back to the real world, but what does that even mean now that her father decided to stay in the game world? And who is Alex, really - is he Lex or someone altogether different and more sinister? Em’s objective is clear until she again looks up into the Tyreanan Sky and treads the boards of the docks by that massive typhoon. Old longings resurface and this time it is up to more than just Em to figure out what is real...and more importantly, who?

As always, if you want signed copies of my books and can't make it to one of the events, contact me and let's talk about how I can make that happen. If you have a copy of one of my books, I'd love it if you'd leave me a review - that's the best way for others to find my books and for me to know how my writing is being received!

Cheers, y'all!

Music Monday: Out with the Nano, in with the Eurovision

I've packed up my tent and left my laundry in front of the washing machine, and I'm jetting off* to Liverpool for the Eurovision Song Contest because May is the month of magnificent music!! I mean, it's like the French entry says... Évidemment. 

(No captions because it is captioned already and in English.)

*There is no jetting anywhere except to the sitting room to watch the ESC 2023.