Gothic fantasy

In my never-ending quest to uphold a reputation, I tend to look upon Valentine’s Day with all the warmth of the Winter Warlock. Try to give me a choo-choo and I will sic my monster trees on you.

The thing is, beneath my wintry fortress, I can be a bit of a softie. Despite my curmudgeonly self, I appreciate the people in my life: friends, family, social media peeps, geeks and readers alike. I am grateful.

So, I’ve decided to show my love with a book sale. Depending on what you’re into, it might not compete with chocolate and roses, but hey, that shit’s expensive (especially on Valentine’s Day). A story lasts forever. Dark stories about wizards, warlords, fiends and shadows last even longer. Heh.

February 13-15, all the books in my epic fantasy series the Chronicles of Ealiron will be on sale on Amazon. The first four of these books are normally $4.99.

Want some more chocolate? A Northward Gaze will also be free! In this gothic fantasy tale, an old forest with a dark history, a tryst with an elven lord and a series of grisly, unexplained deaths drives a woman into the labyrinth of a faerie curse put on her bloodline in a centuries-old crossroads bargain.

See? Softie. And choo-choos are cool–especially those elven-made ones.

Love you all. Stay safe and well.

Previously published as The Crossroads Bargain by F.T. McKinstry.

Elspet’s mother died between the worlds, staring with eyes of lily white. A common occurrence in their bloodline, it is said. Denied a grave in hallowed ground, she is now only a whisper in the dark forest that borders the estate.

Grieving amidst a turbulent household of superstitious servants, the mysterious departure of her father, and an ambitious aunt with a draconian agenda, Elspet begins to see faces and shapes in the floral patterns of her bedroom wallpaper. Only she knows the reason for the series of grisly, unexplained deaths that follow her seduction by the beautiful elven lord who appears to her amidst the faded leaves.

What Elspet doesn’t know is the high cost of consorting with the Fae. For not even her mother’s books, the village witch, or the Fae themselves can stop her inexorable descent into the labyrinth of a faerie curse put on her bloodline in a centuries-old crossroads bargain—a curse she can only end with blood magic and the name of her lover’s most terrible enemy.

Novella, 125 pages
Second edition

Amazon