Danielle Ackley-McPhail - Chronicler of the Bad-Ass Faeries

Happy Black Friday! (This is going to be LONG)

For everyone looking for those holiday deals, this one is a steal! For as little as a $5 pledge you will get:

- The Society for the Preservation of CJ Henderson anthology edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Greg Schauer, with works by Jean Rabe,James Chambers, Jeff Young, Patrick Thomas, Leona Wisoker, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, David Boop, Robert M. Price, John L. French, and CJ himself.

- A print copy of The Sleep that Rescues by CJ Henderson (only 39 left)

- A digital download of Worms by JE Mooney

- A digital download of Dance Like a Monkey edited by Jean Rabe, with stories by Gene Wolfe, Joe Haldeman, Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, KT Pinto, Alma Alexander, Maggie Masetti (Allen), Davey Beauchamp, Donald J. Bingle, Dylan Birtolo, M David Blake, James Chambers, Alan M. Clark, David B. Coe, Jack Dann, Keith DeCandido, Bill Fawcett, John L. French, Tera Fulbright,Ed Greenwood, John Hartness, Nancy and Belle Holder, Stuart Jaffe, Rick Leider, Randall Lemon,Jonathan Maberry, Gail Martin, Jody Lynn Nye, Angela Pritchett, Mike Resnick, Jean Rabe, Aaron Rosenberg, Janine Spendlove,Vicki Steger, Anton Strout, Kelly Swails, Robert E. Vardeman, Elizabeth A Vaughn,Michael A Ventrella, Cynthia Ward, Jean Marie Ward, Bryan Young, and Timothy Zahn. (Yes, the book is THAT big!)

- a digital download of Choices of Damnation by John L. French

- a digital download of Within the Branches of Alternity by Jeff Young.

- a digital download of Flash in the Can, an audiobook by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, voiced by the author

- a digital download of Local Catch by John L. French

Full of Sound and Fury

By Gail Z. Martin

Airships, inventions, secret government agencies, and trips around the world to acquire rare objects for wealthy and sometimes supernatural patrons. It’s all just another day for Jake Desmet, Rick Brand, and Nicki LeClercq as they outwit assassins and foil murderous plots in Iron and Blood, the new steampunk series I’m co-writing with my husband, Larry N. Martin.

But while Jake, Rick, and Nicki are the main characters in the Iron and Blood novel that debuts July, 2015, two agents for the Department of Supernatural Investigation are in the limelight in several new steampunk short stories related to the Iron and Blood world.

Mitch Storm, a former Army sharpshooter, and his investigative partner Jacob Drangosavich, are agents for the Department of Supernatural Investigation, a secret government agency that looks into crimes involving supernatural or paranormal elements. DSI doesn’t doubt the existence of magic, witches, vampires, and monsters. They just step in ahead of local law enforcement to make sure problems are dealt with quietly so that regular people can go about their business without worrying about things that go bump in the night.

Mitch and Jacob are DSI’s problem children. Mitch tends to favor solutions that are bold, innovative, and use lots of explosives. Jacob has a knack for finding information and slipping unnoticed into places he shouldn’t be, to get things he shouldn’t have. That’s why their boss calls them the ‘Sturm und Drang’ boys, Sound and Fury. Both Mitch and Jacob have a penchant for ending up on suspension, but they’re too damn good at what they do for DSI to do without them for long.

In Airship Down, our story in Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens for Zombies Need Brains Publishing, Mitch and Jacob are sent to find out what’s behind mysterious lights in the sky over New Pittsburgh and the unusual energy drains happening all over the city. Mitch and Jacob investigate with their usual fondness for dynamite and a bevy of top-secret gadgets, trying to shut down the invaders and discover whether the strangers are European spies or visitors from much, much farther away.

Resurrection Day, in Dreams of Steel 5 for Dark Oak Press, pits Mitch and Jacob against two mad doctors bent on discovering the secret to creating clockwork men out of human corpses. Missing bodies, stolen inventions, and a Jack the Ripper suspect on the loose means time is running out for Mitch and Jacob to get to the bottom of things before dead men walk and social niceties get severely strained.

While we’ve been inventing and exploring the whole steampunk world of Iron and Blood and New Pittsburgh, it’s been fun to do stories that are related to the book and main characters but deal with two secondary characters who really get their chance to shine. And while we’re not ruling out the possibility of writing stories about Jake, Rick and Nicki in the future, these anthologies came up early in the series development, so focusing on Mitch and Jacob gave us a little more wiggle room as we got to know our protagonists better.

After the success of the Deadly Curiosities novella (The Final Death) that I wrote for Wattpad last year, we’re seriously considering writing a Sound and Fury Adventures novella in the spring. I’ve discovered that creating short stories in the worlds of my fictional series lets me get to know the characters even better, and helps me flesh out background and world building as I tell extra tales, all of which makes the main books richer and more believable. And, it brings new adventures to readers more quickly, helping them feel like they are part of an ongoing, exciting new fictional world.

After having lived in the real Pittsburgh for a decade, it’s so much fun writing a book and short story series set in an alternative history New Pittsburgh filled with steampunk gadgets, Victorian villains and supernatural surprises. Stay tuned—there’s a lot of Sound and Fury yet to come!

My Days of the Dead blog tour runs through October 31 with never-before-seen cover art, brand new excerpts from upcoming books and recent short stories, interviews, guest blog posts, giveaways and more! Plus, I’ll be including extra excerpt links for stories and books by author friends of mine. And, a special 50% off discount from Double-Dragon ebooks! You’ve got to visit the participating sites to get the goodies, just like Trick or Treat! Details here: www. AscendantKingdoms.com

Trick or Treat: Enjoy an excerpt from Airship Down, my steampunk short story in Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens here:

http://www.ascendantkingdoms.com/short-stories-and-more/anthologies/clockwork-universe-steampunk-vs-aliens/excerpt-from-airship-down-in-steampunk-vs-aliens/

And a bonus excerpt from The Final Death, my Deadly Curiosities novella here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/15334006-the-final-death

And a second bonus excerpt from my friend Michael Ventrella’s novel Axes of Evil here:  http://michaelaventrella.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/theaxesofevilsample.pdf

Woefully behind on a lot of things, but very pleased to announce my schedule for the upcoming Capclave...before Capclave is actually here :) In addition to the Dark Quest Launch party being held at 6pm on Saturday, featuring: The Raven, the Elf, and Rachel (L. Jagi Lamplighter), Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn (Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed), Trust and Treachery (edited by Day Al-Mohamed and Meriah Crawford), and With Great Power (edited by John L. French and Greg Schauer). The following is my schedule:

Happy Labor Day!

To celebrate I'm going to get to work on Eternal Wanderings! I'm 500 words in and I can already feel the spirit in the piece. This is going to be a fun ride.

Well, since I don't expect much of anything to go on today I’ll leave you with a couple of opportunities to learn more about me.

First is a guest post on author Lawrence M. Schoen’s blog as a part of his EATING AUTHORS feature:

http://www.lawrencemschoen.com/plugs/eating-authors-danielle-ackley-mcphail/

The second promo coming up on 9/4, starting at 3pm EST. Bitten By Books is hosting a guest blog and author chat with myself and Day Al-Mohamed, my co-author on my most recent novel Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn. If you RSVP in advance with the following link you will have 25 extra chances to win a $40 Amazon gift card: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=80052. You must be present at the chat and mention your RSVP to get the 25 chances.

For those not familiar with it, Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn is a steampunk retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. You can learn more about it here: Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn: A Steampunk Faerie Tale

And don’t forget our Eternal Wanderings kickstarter. We’ve already funded, which makes this a sure-thing, and the more people who get on board, the more goodies for everyone! 

Enjoy your day!

Danielle Ackley-McPhail
www.sidhenadaire.com
www.epecbooks.com

See....I've been trying to write this post ALL week. Unsuccessfully.

Here I am finally telling you all about my first ever Kickstarter, Eternal Wanderings - The Continuing Journey of Kara O'Keefe, and instead of timing my post with it's launch, I'm managing to tell you about it when we are nearly fully funded! Yes...nearly already there. Now, does this mean there in no reason to tell you about it? Why no! That's not what it means at all.

See...funding to the goal means a bare bones campaign. Goal achieved, but no bells-and-whistles for anyone. Me? I LOVE bells and whisles. I'd like there to be lots of them not just for myself, but my backers as well.

First, let me tell you what it's all about. We are trying to fund a novella that continues the tale of Kara O'Keefe, the heroine from my Eternal Cycle trilogy, urban fantasy novels based on Irish mythology. These were my first novels and will always be special to me, meldings of magic, music, and myth. They've gathered quite a following among my fans and I regularly get requests for more stories featuring these beloved characters. Well...now's the time to make it happen! Like I said, the campaign at only four days in is nearly funded, and we still have 26 days to go. You know what that means, right?

Stretch Goals! (and the crowd roars!)

We have some great ones coming up once we fund:

First 20 backers – ACHIEVED! Receive an electronic copy of "Birth of the Tuatha de Danaan" by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, the Eternal Cycle’s origin story for the Celtic elves.

First 50 backers – Receive three bonus short stories: “Forever and A Day”, “Travellin’ Show”, and “The Devil’s Own Luck”. These are the seed stories that will eventually become the novel Forever and A Day, written in the far future of the Eternal Cycle universe.

$1200 - All backers at $5 or more will receive a DRM-Free copy of Janine K. Spendlove’s novel War of Seasons: Human.

$1500 - All backers at $5 or more will receive a DRM-Free copy of Alma Alexander's story "Hourglass" featuring Aris the Gleeman.

$1800 - All backers at $5 or more will receive a digital download of Jonah Knight's Eternal Cycle songs, inspired by the novels.

$2100 - All backers at $5 or more will receive a DRM-free copy of L. Jagi Lamplighter's story Foot-Sore Angel

$2400 - All backers at $5 or more will receive a digital download of Danny Birt's original composition based on Eternal Wanderings

$2700 - To Be Announced

$3000 - A print version of Eternal Wanderings will be produced

And that's not all...these are just the confirmed goals. Those goals I'm confident we can reach. We are scheming for some other, really fantastic goals I'm still crossing my fingers on, like custom cover art and a possible audiobook version.

More on those later, though. Going to focus now on getting the deal in the bag, then I'll concentrate on sweetening it!

Keep dreaming!

Danielle

AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Danielle McPhail

PO Box 493

Stratford, NJ 08084

greenfirephoenix@aol.com

GIVING VOICE TO A MODERN-DAY CLASSIC

HOWELL, NJ – Authors Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed are proud to announce that they have entered an agreement with international actress and voice talent Deepti Gupta for the production of the audiobook version of their new novel Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn. A preliminary excerpt of Ms. Gupta's reading can be heard at: 

http://ghostinthemachinepodcast.com/?p=520

Praised by The New York Times for her performance in the feature film ‘Walkaway’, Deepti also stars in ‘Record/Play’ (a sci-fi love story) which was an official selection at SUNDANCE 2013.  Fluent in Hindi, Urdu and English, her career spans across India, Singapore, Pakistan and the United States.  

With an MFA in Acting from the UT Austin, she’s lived in Delhi, Singapore, New York and now Los Angeles where she continues to build her career in acting and voice-overs.  In her six successful years in New York City she appeared in several plays including the Off-Broadway production of Chekhov’s ‘Ivanov’ produced by NAATCO and Mint Theatre for which she received glowing reviews.  

She also works as a diversity consultant for corporate firms and aspires to be an educator through her one-woman show, Bodylogue. In Los Angeles she runs a monthly screenplay reading series to help fellow actors, writers work on new material and network in an informal setting. Last year she wrote and directed her first short film, 'Happy and You Know It', about a woman's journey to celebrating her pregnancy. As a new mom herself, Deepti is in constant awe of the challenges and surprises of motherhood.  For more visit www.DeeptiGupta.com.

Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn is a steampunk retelling of the classic “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, from 1001 Arabian Nights. To learn more about the book, please visit:

http://www.amazon.com/Baba-Ali-Clockwork-Djinn-Steampunk-ebook/dp/B00KS8G0FI/

The audiobook is scheduled for release in November.

###

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Ms. Gupta or one of the authors, please contact Danielle McPhail at greenfirephoenix@aol.com.

Other than the initial announcement on Facebook I haven't written about the passing of my friend, CJ Henderson. He lost his battle with cancer on the 4th of July. If it had to be, then no better day than that to be liberated from his pain.

I have been sad and I have cried, no more so than on that day as I realized I missed my chance to see him one more time. I was supposed to go visit the very next day. I was making him soup at his special request. I made the soup anyway, but I didn't get to see my friend.

Why am I writing this now? So long after his passing?

Today I received this:



His wife, Tin, sent me this picture from Balticon...the last time I ever saw him. 

When someone passes you think that's it...they'll never touch my life again. There is a hole where they used to be.

No. CJ gave me his family and he gave me tasks to carry me through this difficult time. He gave me memories and motivation. He sparked enthusiasm. Even now he's pushing me to write great works. Opening the doors to opportunity. Inviting me into his world, even as he's had to step away from it. 

I ache each time I think of him not there. I tear up when I come across an email from him still in my in box or open a folder to discover a photograph I wasn't expecting. I will always miss his voice, his hugs, his grand plans, even now still playing out.

See, the last time I saw CJ I surprised him with a party celebrating his 30th anniversary. I didn't realize it was a dress rehearsal.

His final request of me...to throw a party celebrating his life. It will be one heck of a party, larger than life, like CJ himself.

I hope you all can join us. It's called CJ-Con and it's being held in the absolute heart of his world...his home, among his family and all the memories he built up over his life. Here are the details: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/300567220122332/

Come help us celebrate.

Happy Friday!

Day Al-Mohamed and I are featured in an interview over on the fabulous My World In Words and Pages blog. Co-interviewing is nearly as much fun as co-writing! Check it out:

http://melissa-melsworld.blogspot.com/2014/06/author-interview-with-danielle-ackley.html

And if you have a question we didn't answer in the interview, feel free to leave it for us in the comments section and we'll answer it there!

Also, if you have a blog, we would love to do a guest blog about our new novel, Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn: A Steampunk Faerie Tale.

Best,
Danielle

To celebrate the upcoming release of my newest novel, Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn, co-written with Day Al-Mohamed, we are holding a GoodReads Giveaway:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21531932-baba-ali-and-the-clockwork-djinn

Come, Best Beloved, and sit you by my feet. I shall tell you a tale such as sister Scheherazade could have scarce imagined.

In the Nejd there is nothing at all…except secrets. A band of thieves wish such secrets to remain hidden.

In England, far from his desert home, Ali bin-Massoud serves as apprentice to the famed Charles Babbage. One night a mysterious box is delivered by a clockwork falcon and Ali’s world is never the same again. Heartache, danger, and thieves mark his journey as Ali is summoned home at the death of his father.

It will take faith, knowledge, and yes, love to realize his destiny, and more than a little skill with steam-driven technology. Can he unravel the mystery of the puzzle box and the clockwork djinn before it is too late? An ancient legacy and Ali's very life depend on it.

Hear you the tale of Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn.

"Fantasy needs more heroes like Ali bin-Massoud, and more stories like Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn. This charming story deserves to be well read. Read it, let it sit with you a while, and then read it again." —Luke's Reviews

Folks,

We don’t just want to do something, we want to do the very best we can. Right now CJ is laying in a hospital bed while they pump poison into his veins for four straight days…96 hours. Can you imagine that? Forget about how utterly horrible it would make you feel to have that stuff entering your body. Forget about how uncomfortable it would be to stay in the same place for all that time wondering if this time it’s actually going to work. Just think about how expensive that must be to lay in that bed for four days constantly getting medication. My husband was in the hospital for just the weekend getting saline in his veins and that was over $25,000 for just two nights of basically salt water.

CJ doesn’t have a job that gives him medical leave, or disability, or even basic health care. If CJ can’t work, CJ doesn’t get paid. Can you imagine worrying about that while lying in that hospital bed? Worrying about your wife and daughter, your mother-in-law, all who depend on you to provide their basic needs? Heck, worrying about all the convention organizers and fans you are disappointing each time you have no choice but to cancel a show…that’s what CJ’s doing. I know because CJ is my friend and I hear these things.

Let me say it again, we DON’T just want to do something, we want to do the VERY BEST we can. That doesn’t just mean meeting our campaign goal. That doesn’t mean hitting a few stretch goals. That means blowing them all out of the water. We need your help for that. We are providing our time, effort, and talent for absolutely NO compensation beyond the satisfaction that we are doing everything we can to help our friend, a man who has given so much to the fannish community in time and enjoyment and brilliant writing. In answering the hopeful author’s questions and offering guidance to those just starting out. CJ doesn’t just look out for himself, he keeps an eye out for all of us and does a good turn where he can.

We aren’t asking much, just return the favor. Chip in a few bucks to get a fantastic anthology. Post or Like or Share our updates on what we are doing and why. Maybe even dance a little…for a good cause. All it takes is a click of a button. Maybe one day of bringing your lunch to work. The sacrifice of the smallest bit of your dignity. Not much. But together think what we can accomplish with those little efforts. Everyone who pledges even just $10 gets an anthology full of high-quality stories by authors at the top of the industry. If we hit stretch goals there are a ton of perks that come with it. Free ebooks. Free music. Free audiobooks. Extra stories. We take this high enough and you get more than one anthology and CJ gets just a little bit of breathing room.

Keep those monkeys dancing and keep those nickels coming!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/monkeying-around-for-a-good-cause/x/6753223

Dark Quest Books and Author Danielle Ackley-McPhail are proud to present her newest solo collection, Consigned to the Sea, stories of mystical, nautical fiction where our heroines pit themselves against pirates, witches, and the forces of nature. The book will officially launch at a Book Launch to be held at this year’s Lunacon (www.lunacon.org).

’Tis Said We All Return to Whence We Began…

Is it any wonder then why so many are drawn to the sea? Throughout the history of Man the crash of the waves has been a siren song…a promise…a curse. Above the waves is a challenge that makes or breaks many a man or woman. Below is another world both magical and menacing.

In Consigned to the Sea you will find the vast spectrum of what the oceans have to offer. The wonder of a mermaid yearning to reach the sky… The wrath of the selkie protecting its own… A dragon waging war against pirates…

Whether you root for the sailor or the sea, here is a collection you can treasure.

“Dripping with tension, Consigned to the Sea is a powerful tale with interesting twists toward the end and a strong lead. Recommended.”—Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Rise Reviews

102 pages | $9.95 | 978-1-937051-96-9

Well...the insanity that is Kickstarter is done for me...for now anyway. A thanks go out to all the supporters of the Athena's Daughters Kickstarter I've been going on about for weeks. The fundraiser was a resounding success that managed to fully fund not only the original anthology we were going for, but also two other companion volumes. Two of the books are guaranteed to be in hardcover as well as paperback, and with original artwork created specifically for the project.

For those who were not able to contribute, thank you for your extreme patience during this time when Athena's Daughters was virtually all I talked about.

Now on to other news! This is going to be a very busy year for book releases. I don't have release dates or cover blurbs yet, but here is some of what you can expect later this year (in no particular order):

Hellfire Lounge 4 - anthology - Bold Venture Press

Bad-Ass Faeries: It's Elemental - anthology - Dark Quest Books

Consigned to the Sea - Solo pirate-themed fantasy collection - Dark Quest Books

Lucky 13 - anothology - Padwolf Publishing

Athena's Daughters - Silence in the Library Press

Trouble on the Water - nautical anthology - Dark Quest Books

Gaslight and Grimm - steampunk faerie tale anthology - Dark Quest Books

Ali Baba and the Clockwork Djinn - novel with Day Al-Mohamed - Dark Quest Books

More info to come as it is available.

Hey, everyone!

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and have lots of exciting things to look forward to in the coming year. 

And, speaking of exciting things, we are one week away from the end of our Athena's Daughters Kickstarter. It has already been a resounding success, but it can be even greater with just a little more help. 

Believe me, we aren’t being greedy. I know we have well exceeded our original goal so it may seem silly that we are still pestering you all for your support, but we want to do great things and thanks to so many of you we will get to do so, but you know…we want to do even more! We don’t have many stretch goals left but those we still have to reach are pretty fantastic:

• - We are only about $650 away from $31,000, which will make it possible for us to have original cover art for our companion volume, Apollo’s Daughters (a collection by all men about strong female protagonists). Artwork from  artists known for their work with LucasArts and Star Wars!
• - $32,000 and $34,000 gets everyone who contributed $5 or more THREE more stories on top of the bountiful loot you’re already getting.
• -$35,000 adds two fantastic authors to the roster for Apollo’s Daughters - Joshua Palmatier and Donald J. Bingle.
• $38,000 scores a hardcover edition for Apollo’s Daughters that will be the perfect complement to the hardcover edition of Athena’s Daughters, which we’ve already achieved thanks to resounding support for this project.
• -And…last and most certainly not least…$44,000 will guarantee that Athena’s Daughters, Volume 2 will be FULLY funded from the get-go and…for all our writerly supporters out there…if that happens this will be an open submission volume!

So please, if you haven’t donated yet please consider doing so. Just a $5 donation right now gets you ALL the multitude of stretch goal rewards we have already achieved. That is a whole library’s worth of novels, short stories, and audiobooks. And if you feel motivated to donate more there are plenty of cool rewards left for the taking at all different donation levels, including four mentorships from experienced authors and editors, original artwork, prints, more books, and—if you want a super-special present for that most amazing woman in your life: the dedication for Apollo’s Daughters is still up for grabs.

If you aren’t able to donate, please consider helping us spread the word. This is an amazing project and all we want is to see how far we can take it and what amazing things we can accomplish. Thanks for listening and please do Share!

To donate, find out more specifics about the weath of rewards that come with even a $5 donation, or to share the news: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/103879051/athenas-daughters-women-in-science-fiction-and-fan

Thank you!

Danielle