Revisited : Requiem in E Sharp by Joan De La Haye

Joan was the first author to sign a novel with Fox Spirit. One of her novels with us also has the distinction of being our first crime release. Requiem in E Sharp.

Requiem Cover

 

‘A troubled detective

A tormented serial murderer

Sundays in Pretoria are dangerous for selected women.

A murderer plagued by his childhood, has found a distinctive modus operandi to salve his pathological need to escape the domination of the person who was supposed to cherish him.

As The Bathroom Strangler’s frenzy escalates and the body count mounts, Nico van Staaden, the lead detective on the case, finds himself confronting his own demons as he struggles to solve the murders of the seemingly unconnected victims. The lack of evidence in the sequence of deaths and pressure from his superiors are challenges he must overcome.

The resolution is bloody, savage and merciless.’

You can find the book on Amazon here
‘Bravo. I picked this book up and couldn’t put it down. Dark and grisly at times, the character development pulls you into the lives of these hopelessly screwed up people and doesn’t let you go. I’d never dreamt of having a peek into the backstory of a serial killer as intimately as I got in this book. Equally disturbed and enthralled, I am wondering how I am already done reading and yet in want of more?!’ – Amazon reviewer

The opening paragraphs

Sunday, 23 June

His hands shook. He wanted them to stop; he wanted everything to stop.

All he could hear was her banging on the piano. It reverberated along the passage,
through the tiled floor of his childhood bathroom and into his brain. The feel of the cold,
smooth surface of the bath beneath his small curled-up body was soothing and calmed him.
It was safe as long as she banged on the piano. The moment the music stopped the real
nightmare would begin. Urine ran down the insides of his legs causing his jeans to cling to
them. The music stopped. She would be coming soon.

He closed his eyes and tried to shut out the memory.

The car boot slammed shut and brought him back to the present. The street lights above
his head flashed on and illuminated the quiet street. A slight though cool breeze played with
crisp brown leaves on the ground around his feet; a dog barked down the street, disturbing
the quiet suburb. The owner of the dog yelled at it to shut up. Why did people keep dogs to
protect them, then stop them from doing their job? It was something he would never
understand.

 

Revisited : Breed by K.T. Davies

I was reading an excellent article on gender and stereotyping in fantasy over at Fantasy Faction and thinking about our books.

K.T. Davies rightly pointed out her lead in Breed has no identifiable gender stated, although interestingly many reviews assign one to the character. I think we do this without even realising. I also think here at Fox Spirit we do pretty well on having varied approaches to our female leads, we’ve even had one who is a fish. In Drag Noir we focussed particularly on gender as a variable scale ecouraging writers to look at and challenge typical gender roles.

In amongst all this it occurred to me that many people who have started enjoying Fox Spirit over the last three years may not have picked up on all the things we have out there. So with our new third year of our existence starting, we are going to revisit our previous releases. Starting topically with Breed.

Breed Final Digital Cover for Upload

‘After Breed, a Guild Blade of small renown, is chased by a dragon, tricked by a demon, almost killed by a psychopathic gang boss and hunted by a ferocious spider-like arrachid assassin life really takes a turn for the worst. Sentenced to five years bonded servitude to a one-handed priest magician, Breed must find the hammer of the ancient hero known only as the Hammer of the North within a year and a day… or else. And so, with only a drug-addicted vagrant, a rat-faced child, and a timid priest for back up, Breed sets out for the mighty city of Valen and the tomb of the Hammer. What could possibly go wrong? I’ll give you a clue. Everything!’

You can read the amazon reviews in full here

‘I can’t recommend Breed enough. It hits the ground running (literally) and drags you happily with it until the end when you start screaming for MORE!’ Amazon reviewer.

The opening paragraphs for your reading pleasure:

Prologue

There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as headlong flight, when fear of the unknown is banished by the sure knowledge that whatever lies ahead cannot be as dreadful as that which is behind. It is liberating, like being a child again. Although, truth be told, as wild as my childhood was, this was the first time I’d ever been chased by a dragon.
Even though my situation was rapidly sliding from dire to fatal, every fibre of my being sang with the sheer joy of being alive. I let out a loud whoop! It was a challenge, an exultation. Not to be outdone, the dragon answered with an ear-splitting roar and spewed a mouthful of frosty bile in my direction. I dodged into a stand of knotted pines. A wash of ice glazed the copse, leaves shattered like glass, trunks and boughs cracked like old bones. I escaped all but the merest lick of cold fire but that slight splash was enough to peel the skin from my shoulder. I stumbled, arms windmilling, feet scrabbling for purchase. The second I regained my balance, I dug my claws into the ground, and propelled myself down the mountain. My thoasan father had blessed me with his race’s superior speed and agility, alas; my human mother had cursed me with the stamina of her breed. The pace was hard and the furious dragon was devouring my lead with every beat of its coriaceous wings.

Please join us next week for another ‘Revisited’ 

 

Reviews 4: Down the Rabbit Hole

Weirdmage

Tales of Eve edited by Mhairi Simpson

‘The quality of the storytelling is very high here, above what can be expected from any anthology. It really is consistently very good throughout. Every author in here has delivered something that they can be proud of, and something which I have really enjoyed.’

Fox Pockets: Piracy edited by Adele Wearing

‘It is short, as are the stories in it, and it is all the stronger for it. This is excellent for those that want some short fiction that will fill a few minutes now and then. For those that like their fiction to come with a piratical leaning, this is an absolute must.’

Neil Williamson

Fox Pockets: Piracy edited by Adele Wearing

‘Did I mention the cover design? How much I love it? No? Well I do. Look to your left. See what I mean? I reckon artist Sarah Anne Langton has created something truly iconic with this set of simple elements and limited palette.’

Liquorice UK

Weird Wild by G Clark Hellery

‘The mix of styles and genres, incorporating elements of thriller and fantasy works well on the whole and the descriptions of the wood are wonderfully vivid and rich, beautifully capturing the eeriness of the setting.’

Killer Aphrodite

Requiem in E Sharp by Joan De La Haye

‘As you all may know, Killer Aphrodite is run from Pretoria and we are well aware that sometimes the truth is much more terrifying than fiction… especially around these parts, which means that De La Haye was able to capture the truly gruesome realities that we have to face more often than not and turn it into a book that will give you a proper scare. ‘

White Rabbit advert 2

A whole bunch of carrots… or reviews for White Rabbit by K.A. Laity

Alasdair Stuart : This is supernatural fiction mixed with noir, coffee and incense, whiskey and blood, all swirled together in a novel that’s compact, punchy fun. Life is messy, death is too.

Antonio Urias : White Rabbit is fast paced, pitch perfect noir with a well-developed fantasy world and tight characterization. Highly enjoyable.

Crimeculture : Laity’s writing is punchy and readable and she has a knack for slang and banter. The whole style of the genre mash-up keeps the reader on their toes, because with noir, the supernatural and the Carroll-bunny theme all in play, we never know what’s coming next.

Reviews 3 : A few good men

Continuing the review round up series. More soon.

The Eloquent Page

Fox Pockets: Shapeshifters edited by Adele Wearing

‘Traditional horror rubbing shoulders with steampunk, dark fantasy and science fiction, I felt spoiled for choice. Fox Spirit have left the submission themes for the Fox Pocket series deliberately ambiguous and this ambiguity has paid dividends.’

Breed by K.T. Davies

‘Brash, bawdy and with more chases than you could shake a big northern hammer at, Breed is fantasy caper that’s bucket loads of fun. Davies’ writing continues to evolve and delight in equal measure always retaining that joyous, blissful escapism that drew me to her work in the first place.’

Tales of the Nun & Dragon collected by Adele Wearing

‘The best news is that each writer has brought their ‘A’ game and produced something that works well as a standalone but also fits seamlessly into the collection as a whole. I was spoiled for choice with all the differing, iconoclastic interpretations of the nun and dragon theme.’

Oasis by Joan De La Haye

‘Oasis treads classic Romero-esque ground and has a suitably downbeat ending that I really enjoyed. I have to admit I do enjoy my zombie stories to be grimmer than grim and I’m glad to say this novella delivers on that score.’

oasis cover 600x800

The Cult Den

Blood Bound by Sarah Cawkwell

‘Cue a totally unexpected plot twist and an eventual final battle worthy of any blockbuster movie, and you have a highly satisfying conclusion which still leaves enough questions and possible openings for a continuation.’

The Shockwave Writer

Tales of the Nun & Dragon collected by Adele Wearing

‘If you have ever lived in Britain then “Nun and Dragon” will  almost certainly make you think of a country pub, much like the name “The Vat and Fiddle” in Nottingham or “The Goat and Tricycle” in Bournemouth. I seriously suspect the many of the Nuns in this book would be more at home in “The Wicked Lady” in Wheathamstead.’

 

Reviews 2: The Tony Lane Edition

Tony has been a supporter of Fox Spirit since it beganand has consistently given us honest, largely positive reviews. He’s also on occasion hosted interviews with our authors, artists and even Aunty Fox. I have attempted to collect all his reviews so far here.

Emily Nation By Alec McQuay

The Velocity of Constant by Hardeep Sangha

Drag Noir edited by K.A. Laity

Billy’s Monsters by Vincent Holland-Keen

billys monsters - front coversmall

Breed by K.T. Davies

King Wolf by Steven Savile

Burning by Joan De La Haye

The Girl at the End of the World Bk 2 edited by Adele Wearing

The Girl at the End of the World Bk 1 edited by Adele Wearing

White Rabbit by K.A. Laity

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000448_00023]

Warrior Stone by Rob Harkess

Fox Pockets: Guardians edited by Adele Wearing

Tales of the Fox and Fae collected by Adele Wearing

Oasis by Joan De La Haye

The ‘Lost’ Second Book of Nicoletto Giganti (1608) translated by Piermarco Terminiello and Joshua Pendragon (A Vulpes book)

Fox Pockets: Shapeshifters edited by Adele Wearing

Tales of Eve edited by Mhairi Simpson (shortlisted for Best Anthology with BFS in 2014)

Noir Carnival edited by K.A. Laity

Fox Pockets: Piracy edited by Adele Wearing

Blood Bound by Sarah Cawkwell

front-back-cover-final

Requiem in E Sharp by Joan De La Haye

Weird Noir edited by K.A. Laity

Tales of the Nun & Dragon collected by Adele Wearing

Huge thanks to Tony and everyone who has reviewed our books for their support. It means a lot to us.

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StarFang

StarFang : Rise of the Clan by Joyce Chng
Cover Art by Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein

 

Is a clan captain going to sacrifice everything for her clan? Tasked to kill Yeung Leung by her parents, powerful rival clan leader of the Amber Eyes, Captain Francesca Min Yue sets out across the galaxy to hunt her prey, only to be thrown into a web of political intrigue spreading across the stars. Is Yeung Leung collaborating with the reptilian shishini and playing a bigger game with the galaxy as a price? Is Francesca’s clan at stake? Welcome to Starfang: Rise of the Clan, where merchants and starship captains are also wolves.

“Wolves should not be in space, but here we were, a clan of wolves and merchants. Instead of the preserved forests of New Earth and Noah’s Ark, we were in ships of steel and armor, reading data scans and commanding officers on the bridge. Wolves within the uniform of merchants and mercenaries, human seeming, claws and teeth sheathed.”

– Captain Francesca Ming Yue, of the warship Starfang.

Welcome to Starfang, a space opera with werewolves, politics and intrigue.

Buy this book

Starfang: Claw of the Clan Keen on avenging the death of her Pack-mate, Captain Francesca Ming Yue embarks on a hunt again to seek out her enemy, Yuen Leung, leader of the Amber Eyes. Torn within from her own desires and failure, Francesca has to play a dangerous game with the reptilian shishini. Can she trust them? With her clan at stake, the captain of Starfang has to tread carefully or place the lives of her ship and crew in jeopardy. Content warning: Strong sexual content.

Starfang: Will of the Clan The sudden appearance of the enigmatic jukka adds another layer of intrigue and peril to Captain Francesca Ming Yue’s already shaky game with the shishini. The threat of galactic war with a mysterious force looms. Will the clans gather? Francesca have to keep her wits about her, unite all the clans and fight. In this stunning conclusion of the trilogy, the fate of the wolf clans, shishini and jukkda will be decided in a final battle. Will the will of the clans prevail?

‘Not simply the great idea of werewolves in space but great writing, fantastic world-building and interesting characters mixed with political intrigue.’ – Matt Cavanagh, runalongtheshelves.net

Opening Paragraphs

 Docking was a simple task, a routine procedure involving the machine navigator out and basic station instructions. I watched the data scans as the jets eased Starfang into her assigned lot. But my mind was already somewhere else. After the tour of duty, I was eager for a run in the forests of Noah’s Ark with my pack-crew. My body ached to move.
However, there was one thing I needed to do when I disembarked. I had to return to the clan home mansion to pay Aunt Gertrude a visit.
I waved my ID tag at the immigration officer who allowed me to pass. He recognized my uniform and my eyes. All homo sapiens lupus had what normal humans called ‘wolf eyes’. It was another thing that marked us as different.

Fox Spirit originally shared Starfang as an unedited serial on the website, now it’s been polished and bound up ready for you to own. 

Cover Reveal for Warrior Stone

At the end of this month Fox Spirit will be releasing it’s first YA title.

Warrior Stone: Underland by Robert Harkess

Cover art is by Linzi Goldstone and the layout by Vincent Holland-Keen

Please contact adele@ foxspirit.co.uk or use the contact form if you are interested in reviewing the title.

Warrior Stone Underland - with layout