MIU Publishing-THE POWER OF TRUTH-JANUARY 2011

The



New Year came in with many hovering around the

traditional ball, and many more sitting at home their noses aimed downwards and their eyes glued to their

Nooks and/or

Kindles because Muse released a

TON of new books to start the first year in the new decade.

I am one of those people who stayed at home and got lost in all things deliciously Muse...and only four months into it's spectacular debut.

I remember being

awed by the number of books Muse It Up Publishing was able to release for January 1st, especially when you factor in the extra work needed to bring forward our debut to October 2010 and the concurrent details to not fail those who have become used to the yearly

Muse Online Writers Conference...also in October. I'm telling you, given all she accomplishes behind the scenes I sometimes wonder how Lea manages to keep her wits about her. She is nothing short of a

MIRACLE WOMAN!

Again...in no special order I give you Muse...January 2011 and the start of a truly HAPPY NEW YEAR.

1.) Kellan's Dragon by Antonia Tiranth

2.) A Wing and a Prayer by Ginger Simpson

3.) Resurrection Garden by Frank Scully

4.) Flying Kite, Crashing Ship by Krista D. Ball

5.) The Lighthouse by Kat Holmes

6.) Dark Side of the Moon by Terri Lynn Main

7.)The Oak King's Daughter by Emily Pikkasso

8.) Passions Bite by Chastity Bush

9.) Winter's Soul by Patricia Harrington

10.) Murder is a Family Business by Heather Haven

11.) Ghostly Passions by Delilah K. Stephans

Impressive lineup and I have read quite a few of them...lucky me....and yes...lucky you too.

KELLAN'S DRAGON by

Antonia Tiranth is a tale where trust and acceptance of that which is different is play pivotal parts making it a winner from its inception...and of course anything with

dragons is going to stir up all our desires to live with magic and legendary times of derring-do. The cover is also a great lure. You can clearly read the title of the story, the author's name, its series name, and none of the images are battling each other for supremacy. It is a GREAT cover for an equally great book.

A WING AND A PRAYER by

Ginger Simpson...the same Ginger Simpson who gave us HURRICANE WARNING in the November 2010 release, bring us a story I not only read, but have re-read...it is

THAT good. Ginger Simpson is a unique author in that she manages to deliver brilliant stories spanning many subjects and all with such depths of emotion, I'm hard-pressed to chose any one of her books and definitively declare THAT ONE my favorite.

RESURRECTION GARDEN by

Frank Scully is the first book in what promises to be DECADES of rich mysteries spanning the generations. I know...it really IS terrible of me to play on Frank's series title...A Decade Series Mystery...to describe how long we will have Frank Scully around to feed our hunger for excellent mysteries...but I still feel it was a fitting analogy...and lets face it...decades lead to centuries. I full expect both Muse and Frank's

mysteries to be around when 2099 flips into 3000.

FLYING KITE, CRASHING SHIP by Krista D. Ball...imagine being from OUR past and having our FUTURE crash land in your yard?

Space ships have yet to be invented, so what is that bizarre looking thing that just crash landed in your front yard? And who ya gonna call? Krista gives us a playful conundrum plopping it into a time when modern technology has just given you indoor loos...maybe...if you can afford such luxuries.

THE LIGHTHOUSE by

Kat Holmes...

time...I HAVE read this book in its many stages because Kat Holmes is my multi-talented, very prolific daughter. In this book Kat gives us paranormal...there's a ghost...

mystery...how did the

ghost become a ghost...and

romance...he's one sexy hunk of a sheriff and she's just the right armful for him to serve and protect. Also...despite all the clues. I am not alone in being unable to figure out

who-dunit. (This book will go on to win awards and accolades. IT will also become one of the FIRST print books to join the Muse literary lineups.)

DARK SIDE OF THE MOON by

Terri Lynn Main...just when you thought it was safe to colonize the moon and set up actual communities, the devil, in the guise of murder steps into the mix. Terri Main delivers an intricate sci-fi

mystery just in time for the very wise heroine, newly arrived upon colony Moon to investigate...and maybe even solve it...or maybe not.

THE OAK KING'S DAUGHTER by

Emily Pikkasso...this book won Muse It Up publicity and accolades long before Muse's October debut...because it won

the NewCovey Award for its cover designed by one of Muse's most prolific Cover Artists, Delilah K. Stephans and voted on by other cover artists. 

Emily Pikkasso was equally over the moon by this praise. HER short story about the ins and outs of being the daughter of the

King of Autumn, the Oak King and your attraction to a man Daddy so does not consider worthy of his princess, because of the award, had a following waiting in an eager queue for its release. Naturally it

delivered.

Now here's a

question...look carefully at the cover...can you tell who's peeking out from amongst the red and gold leaves?

PASSIONS BITE by Chasity Bush is one I have yet to read...not enough hours in my day, sadly, so I give you this...
Blurb:
When demon Derek Blain and his partner, Max, are sent to hunt down a vampire notorious for killing for fun, the last thing Derek expects to find is a vampire set on killing herself. Even worse, he feels a duty to save her. But there’s something about the beautiful woman who looks so tormented that pulls at his very soul.
Turned against her will and forced to kill, Caroline Montgomery has decided the only way to end her torment, and save the lives of innocent people, is to take her own. Only the pleading of a handsome stranger changes her mind. Now, Caroline is learning how to live without killing and, thanks to sexy Derek Blaine, is loving every minute of it!
When Caroline discovers the rogue Derek is hunting is her maker, she decides to help bring the monster down, whether Derek likes it or not.
But what neither of them knows is that the rogue vampire has set his sights on her for his mate…and he’s coming after her.
Can Derek take down the murderous rogue, and claim Caroline as his own before it is too late?

WINTER'S SOUL by Patricia Harrington is another book I have yet to read...although I do love the dark, dangerous tone of the cover. The sky feels heavily laden with a snow storm yet to unleash the full weight of it's ominous upon the stark and lonely scenery.

I give you this...
Blurb:
All of her life, Elizabeth Sidham, 20, has dreamed of one day marrying into one of Britain’s elite families. It had been Elizabeth’s mother’s wish, too, even to her dying day.
When George Arbuthnot invites Elizabeth to a dinner dance at his family’s manor house, she believes that finally, her dream might come true—for he “belongs.” He is “one of them”, a member of the British Peerage.
George courts Elizabeth, encouraged and guided by his domineering mother, Catherine Arbuthnot. She is determined that he produce an heir—albeit that he has a predilection, one such that he might never marry. But that is a subject, neither mother nor her only son talk about. At his Mother’s coaching and insistence, George woos Elizabeth and the two are married.
After their honeymoon, the couple move into Heathwood Manor, the ancestral home. George’s best friend, William, who is always in the background and often present, promises to “always be a support.”  And he is, to both George and Elizabeth.
But so, too, is Catherine, who still controls George’s life. She is eager for him and his new bride, to produce an heir.  And dutifully, within the year, the couple have a baby, Young Will.
The birth is difficult, and Catherine, soon takes control, insisting her young, daughter-in-law keep to her bed.  Catherine busily begins making plans for her grandson, the schools he will attend, the life he must live.  It matters not what the couple want. Catherine knows best.
George and Elizabeth feel helpless at the domineering mother and mother-in-law’s plans. But George’s friend and secret lover, William, knows he can’t stand by and let his surrogate family suffer. He has promised himself he will be there for them . . . always. And he makes plans to fulfil this promise.
Excerpt:
I’m drawn to the graceful black swirls on the envelope, all tall loops and curves and dashing punctuation. They deserve tracing, but my fingers tremble. Lightly, I touch my name, Elizabeth Sidham. Breeding flows in every line. Mother would have so admired it. With the reverence reserved for a holy day, I touch the embossed seal on the flap. The ochre, gold and purple colours are hues of light caught on the armour of knights from ages past. I tenderly carry the stiff vellum invitation into the kitchen to find the brown-handled paring knife, not the serrated one. I must leave the seal intact to show Melissa at work.
My Dear Elizabeth,
I am having a weekend gathering, the twelfth of this month, and would be so pleased if you could come. Dress is casual, although we shall have a small, formal dinner dance on Saturday night. Details and arrival times by train are included. Please let me know by return letter if you will need transport from the station.
With very best regards,
George Arbuthnot
I hold the invitation against my breast. “I’m going to a mansion in the country.” After all, the Arbuthnot family is in Burke’s Peerage.

MURDER IS A FAMILY BUSINESS by Heather Haven...Okay I'm a sucker for anything with a kitten on the cover, but this story by gifted mystery author with a delicious sense of humor for harmony delivers. Tugger, may be the lure to get one going "AWWW" when they see the cover, but Heather Haven's well crafted story delivers all the misdirection and satisfaction any cosy mystery fan can ask for.

GHOSLTY PASSIONS by Delilah K. Stephans  is a paranormal marvel I cannot begin to do justice to...so I will just turn it over to her blurb...

Blurb:
Devlin Ruark has been trapped in the same house for 230 years. He's faced a British hangman, numerous paranormal researchers, but he doesn't know what to do with the newest researcher.
Determined to prove that ghost do exist, Druscilla Hutchinson has returned to the house where she saw her first ghost. With the Electromagnetic Particle Scanner she developed she hopes to give a ghost a more substantial form.
When the EMP Scanner produces an unusual side effect, Devlin and Druscilla have to decide whether to talk or take advantage of the situation.
Excerpt:
Dru lay still hoping whomever she was draped over wouldn’t realize she was awake. Her hopes were dashed with the sound of a low masculine chuckle.
“I know you’re awake, lass.”
She sat up and looked at the owner of the voice, recognizing him instantly.
Devlin Ruark.
The artist had not come close to doing him justice. Whoever had drawn him definitely captured the smirk but not the rakish arch of dark brows over the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. His hair was not black as she’d thought but a deep chestnut brown. Wide shoulders tapered to a muscular torso, down to six-pack abs where a line of dark hair trailed below the sheet covering his hips.
Her imagination was running full tilt. She was dreaming. Dru was certain of it. She distinctly remembered putting on her pajamas but was now naked and in bed with an incredibly sexy man. There was no other possible explanation and she thanked her imagination for creating such vivid dreams.
“Lass, if you continue examining me so carefully talking is not what we will be doing.” His voice was deep and sultry.
A smile curved her lips. If this was a dream she wasn’t wasting it being her usual cautious self. No, she’d be daring, take what she wanted from this dream and the man in it. Dru arched her back in a way that made the sheet slip down to reveal her breast.  If the raised eyebrow and flaring of his nostrils were any indication Devlin Ruark was definitely interested.
“What if I don’t want to talk,” she asked as she rolled to face him.  He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing and his eyes growing dark.  “This is my dream and I don’t want to spend it talking.”
He opened his mouth, and then closed it to clear his throat. “I’ve always found talking to be unnecessary in certain situations. What did you have in mind, lass?”


2011 has begun and

Muse It Up Publishing gives us not five, nor six new titles but

ELEVEN...bringing the total MUI release so far at

TWENTY-EIGHT...but Muse is only JUST beginning...What will

February 2011 bring our way?

Check Back and I'll tell you?