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Long Black Curl eBook is now on sale for $2.99

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The ebook edition of Alex Bledsoe’s Long Black Curl is on sale for only $2.99!*

About Long Black CurlIn all the time the Tufa have existed, only two have ever been exiled: Bo-Kate Wisby and her lover, Jefferson Powell. They were cast out, stripped of their ability to make music, and cursed to never be able to find their way back to Needsville. Their crime? A love that crossed the boundary of the two Tufa tribes, resulting in the death of several people.

Somehow, Bo-Kate has found her way back. She intends to take over both tribes, which means eliminating both Rockhouse Hicks and Mandalay Harris. Bo-Kate has a secret weapon: Byron Harley, a rockabilly singer known as the “Hillbilly Hercules” for his immense size and strength, and who has passed the last sixty years trapped in a bubble of faery time. He’s ready to take revenge on any Tufa he finds.

The only one who can stop Bo-Kate is Jefferson Powell. Released from the curse and summoned back to Cloud County, even he isn’t sure what will happen when they finally meet. Will he fall in love with her again? Will he join her in her quest to unite the Tufa under her rule? Or will he have to sacrifice himself to save the people who once banished him?

Buy Long Black Curl here:

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This sale ends March 3rd.

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New Releases: 4/26/16

Here’s what went on sale today!

Fall of Light by Steven Erikson

Steven Erikson returns to the Malazan world with the second book in a dark and revelatory new epic fantasy trilogy, one that takes place a millennium before the events in his New York Times bestselling Malazan Book of the Fallen. Fall of Light continues to tell the tragic story of the downfall of an ancient realm, a story begun in the critically acclaimed Forge of Darkness. It's a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the realm of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power... and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such ambitions. The impending clash sends fissures throughout the realm. As rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the First Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold...Steven Erikson returns to the Malazan world with the second book in a dark and revelatory new epic fantasy trilogy, one that takes place a millennium before the events in his New York Times bestselling Malazan Book of the Fallen. Fall of Light continues to tell the tragic story of the downfall of an ancient realm, a story begun in the critically acclaimed Forge of Darkness.

It’s a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the realm of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power… and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners’ great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark’s hand in marriage, but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such ambitions. The impending clash sends fissures throughout the realm. As rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the First Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold…

HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay ’til death. Whoever settles, never leaves.

Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children’s bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened or the consequences will be too terrible to bear.

NOW IN PAPERBACK:

Last First Snow by Max Gladstone

Last First Snow by Max Gladstone Forty years after the God Wars, Dresediel Lex bears the scars of liberation—especially in the Skittersill, a poor district still bound by the fallen gods’ decaying edicts. As long as the gods’ wards last, they strangle development; when they fail, demons will be loosed upon the city. The King in Red hires Elayne Kevarian of the Craft firm Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao to fix the wards, but the Skittersill’s people have their own ideas. A protest rises against Elayne’s work, led by Temoc, a warrior-priest turned community organizer who wants to build a peaceful future for his city, his wife, and his young son.

Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe

Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe In all the time the Tufa have existed, only two have ever been exiled: Bo-Kate Wisby and her lover, Jefferson Powell. They were cast out, stripped of their ability to make music, and cursed to never be able to find their way back to Needsville. Their crime? A love that crossed the boundary of the two Tufa tribes, resulting in the death of several people.

Somehow, Bo-Kate has found her way back. She intends to take over both tribes, which means eliminating both Rockhouse Hicks and Mandalay Harris. Bo-Kate has a secret weapon: Byron Harley, a rockabilly singer known as the “Hillbilly Hercules” for his immense size and strength, and who has passed the last sixty years trapped in a bubble of faery time. He’s ready to take revenge on any Tufa he finds.

Strangely Beautiful by Leanna Renee Hieber

Strangely Beautiful by Leanna Renee Hieber Miss Persephone Parker—known as Percy—is different, with her lustrous, snow-white hair, pearlescent pale skin, and uncanny ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Seeking to continue her education, Percy has come to Queen Victoria’s London, to the Athens Academy. What she will learn there will change her life forever.

Athens Academy is the citadel of The Guard, an ancient order that battles the forces of evil. The Victorian Guard, led by professor Alexi Rychman, is incomplete. They cannot defeat Jack the Ripper— who is more than the serial killer he appears to be—or the greater monster his appearance heralds.

Time Salvager by Wesley Chu

Time Salvager by Wesley Chu  In a future when Earth is a toxic, abandoned world and humanity has spread into the outer solar system to survive, the tightly controlled use of time travel holds the key maintaining a fragile existence among the other planets and their moons. James Griffin-Mars is a chronman–a convicted criminal recruited for his unique psychological makeup to undertake the most dangerous job there is: missions into Earth’s past to recover resources and treasure without altering the timeline. Most chronmen never reach old age, and James is reaching his breaking point.

On a final mission that is to secure his retirement, James meets an intriguing woman from a previous century, scientist Elise Kim, who is fated to die during the destruction of an oceanic rig. Against his training and his common sense, James brings her back to the future with him, saving her life, but turning them both into fugitives. Remaining free means losing themselves in the wild and poisonous wastes of Earth, and discovering what hope may yet remain for humanity’s home world.

NEW IN MANGA:

D-Frag! Vol. 8 by Tomoya Haruno

Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn Vol. 4 by Masamune Shirow; Art by Ridukou Koushi

See upcoming releases.

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in July

Time Salvager by Wesley ChuThe Unnoticeables by Robert BrockwayThe Suspicion at Sanditon by Carrie Bebris

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in July! Once a month, we’re collecting info about all of our upcoming author events. Check and see who’ll be coming to a city near you:

Carrie Bebris, The Suspicion at Sanditon

Friday, July 24
Books & Co.
Dayton, OH
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 25
Ohio State Barnes & Noble
Columbus, OH
2:00 PM

Tuesday, July 28
Joseph-Beth Books
Cincinnati, OH
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 30
The Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN
6:30 PM

Alex Bledsoe, Long Black Curl

Friday, July 10
Arcadia Books
Spring Green, WI
6:30 PM

Saturday, July 18
Parnassus Books
Nashville, TN
2:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
Eagle Eye Bookshop
Decatur, GA
3:00 PM

Robert Brockway, The Unnoticeables

Thursday, July 16
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

Friday, July 17
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
Copperfield’s Books
Petaluma, CA
7:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Wednesday, July 22
Powell’s City of Books
Portland, OR
7:30 PM

Wesley Chu, Time Salvager

Tuesday, July 7
The Last Bookstore
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM

Sunday, July 12
Mysterious Galaxy
Also with Carrie Patel and Scott Sigler
San Diego, CA
2:00 PM

Wednesday, July 15
Elliott Bay Book Company
With Ramez Naam
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 16
Powell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
Uncle Hugo’s
Minneapolis, MN
3:00 PM

Monday, July 20
A Room of One’s Own
Madison, WI
7:00 PM

Tuesday, July 21
Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 23
Schuler Books and Music
Lansing Charter Township, MI
7:00 PM

Friday, July 24
Book People
Austin, TX
7:00 PM

William S. Cohen, Collision

Wednesday, July 1
Books-a-Million
South Portland, ME
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 2
Politics and Prose
Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM

Carolyn Ives Gilman, Dark Orbit

Wednesday, July 15
Barnes & Noble
Washington, D.C.
6:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
Fountain Bookstore
Richmond, VA
2:00 PM

Max Gladstone, Last First Snow

Tuesday, July 28
Oxford University Press Book Club in Bryant Park
New York, NY
12:00 PM

Neal Griffin, Benefit of the Doubt

Sunday, July 26
Carlsbad City Library
Carlsbad, CA
7:00 PM

Kristen Simmons, The Glass Arrow

Thursday, July 23
Sundance Books and Music
Reno, NV
6:30 PM

Anne A. Wilson, Hover

Saturday, July 25
Payson Book Festival
Gila Community College
Payson, AZ
9:00 AM

Also, don’t miss the Big Summer Road Trip Tour! To celebrate the 2015 releases from some of our Northeastern authors, Tor Books is excited to send Elizabeth Bear (Karen Memory), James Cambias (Corsair), Max Gladstone (Last First Snow), and Brian Staveley (The Providence of Fire) on tour in the New England region. Check out the dates and locations.

JulyRoadtrip

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in June

The Darkness Rolling by Win Blevins and Meredith BlevinsLong Black Curl by Alex BledsoeSeriously Wicked by Tina Connolly

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in June! Once a month, we’re collecting info about all of our upcoming author events. Check and see who’ll be coming to a city near you:

Alex Bledsoe, Long Black Curl

Thursday, June 11
A Room of One’s Own
Madison, WI
6:00 PM

Saturday, June 13
The Avid Reader
Davis, CA
7:30 PM

Sunday, June 14
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Saturday, June 27
Mystery to Me Bookstore
Madison, WI
2:00 PM

Win and Meredith Blevins, The Darkness Rolling

Saturday, June 20
The Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
2:00 PM

Tuesday, June 23
Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM
7:00 PM

Tuesday, June 30
Marie’s Bookshop
Durango, CO
6:30 PM

Tina Connolly, Seriously Wicked

Thursday, June 4
Stayton Public Library
Stayton, OR
7:00 PM

Saturday, June 6
YA-Landia
Also with Fonda Lee, Ali Berman, Paula Stokes, and Mary Elizabeth Summer
Barnes & Noble
Beaverton, OR
2:00 PM

Thursday, June 18
Raven Book Store
Lawrence, KS
7:00 PM

Alan Gratz, The Dragon Lantern

Tuesday, June 9
Malaprop’s
Asheville, NC
7:00 PM

Peter Orullian, Trial of Intentions

Monday, June 1
Powell’s Cedar Hills Crossing
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Tuesday, June 2
Weller Book Works
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM

Wednesday, June 3
Barnes & Noble
Orem, UT
7:00 PM

Anne A. Wilson, Hover

Tuesday, June 2
The Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Dan Wells, The Devil’s Only Friend

Tuesday, June 16
Weller Book Works
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM

Wednesday, June 17
Barnes & Noble University Crossings Plaza
Orem, UT
6:00 PM

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Flying with the Real Fae

Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe
Written by Alex Bledsoe

My Tufa novels, of which the upcoming Long Black Curl is the third, are all about music. They’re about other things, too, of course, but a central theme is how music touches people, affects them and brings them together. But I never expected that my novels would, in fact, bring me together with a tribe of musicians that could’ve stepped right out of those pages.

In 2013, I was a presenter at the Pagan Unity Festival (a.k.a. PUF) at a state park outside Nashville. Like many such festivals, there was a lot of music, including two appearances by a band I’d never heard of: Tuatha Dea.

I’ll admit to a bias here: some pagan-themed music strikes me as a bit overt, wearing its heart (and environmental concerns, and European folklore, and feminist agenda, and so forth) on its sleeve to its overall detriment. So I’d planned to skip the concert that first night and rest in my cabin.

Imagine my surprise when, from the pavilion down the hill, I heard a musical roar like nothing I expected. And I was even more surprised when I recognized the song as a snarling cover of the Cranberries’ “Zombie.”

That was my introduction to Tuatha Dea, a band that, as I said, sounded and looked as if they’d stepped right out of one of my Tufa novels. They’re an eight-piece ensemble that rotates on the instruments, with an emphasis on heavy drums. Their performance that night was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen Springsteen multiple times. They completely blew my idea of pagan music out of the water. I also was lucky enough to become friends with them, and to enthusiastically swap copies of my novels for their CDs.

Then came the biggest surprise: a call from band leader/songwriter Danny Mullikin, asking if he could write songs based on my Tufa novels.

I’m pretty sure my response boiled down to, “Yes, please.” Danny was kind enough to keep me updated on the process, sharing lyrics and early tracks with me, but I deliberately gave him no input; I wanted to be surprised like everyone else by the final product, which the band titled Tufa Tales: Appalachian Fae.

And I was. I mean, I knew the songs would be good, and that the band would perform them well. But the surprise was how thoroughly they captured the atmosphere I strove to create in my novels. Feel is always an intangible quality, almost impossible to really describe or copy, but they clearly got it.

They did three tracks titled after my first three novels, and so far have two videos, for the songs “Long Black Curl” and “Wisp of a Thing.” (If you look very closely in the “Wisp” video, you might spot this author for about one and a half seconds.) They also do a rocking version of the classic folk tune “The Five Nights’ Drunk,” which they call “Granny’s Bedtime Tonic.” And there’s a wonderful instrumental called “Dance of the Tufa.”

I’m proud to be associated with this band, and I’m incredibly flattered that they felt so connected to my work. Creating art is always fun, but inspiring it may be the biggest rush of all.

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Preorder Long Black Curl today:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | iBooks | Indiebound | Powell’s

Follow Alex Bledsoe on Twitter at @AlexBledsoe, on Facebook, or visit him online.

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