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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 opens in a new windowLong 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!

opens in a new windowFall 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…

opens in a new windowHEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

opens in a new windowHEX 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:

opens in a new windowLast First Snow by Max Gladstone

opens in a new windowLast 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.

opens in a new windowLong Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe

opens in a new windowLong 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.

opens in a new windowStrangely Beautiful by Leanna Renee Hieber

opens in a new windowStrangely 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.

opens in a new windowTime Salvager by Wesley Chu

opens in a new windowTime 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:

opens in a new windowD-Frag! Vol. 8 by Tomoya Haruno

opens in a new windowPandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn Vol. 4 by Masamune Shirow; Art by Ridukou Koushi

opens in a new windowSee upcoming releases.

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in July

opens in a new windowTime Salvager by Wesley Chu opens in a new windowThe Unnoticeables by Robert Brockway opens in a new windowThe Suspicion at Sanditon by Carrie Bebris

opens in a new windowTor/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, opens in a new windowThe Suspicion at Sanditon

Friday, July 24
opens in a new windowBooks & Co.
Dayton, OH
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 25
opens in a new windowOhio State Barnes & Noble
Columbus, OH
2:00 PM

Tuesday, July 28
opens in a new windowJoseph-Beth Books
Cincinnati, OH
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 30
opens in a new windowThe Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN
6:30 PM

Alex Bledsoe, opens in a new windowLong Black Curl

Friday, July 10
opens in a new windowArcadia Books
Spring Green, WI
6:30 PM

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowParnassus Books
Nashville, TN
2:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
opens in a new windowEagle Eye Bookshop
Decatur, GA
3:00 PM

Robert Brockway, opens in a new windowThe Unnoticeables

Thursday, July 16
opens in a new windowMysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

Friday, July 17
opens in a new windowUniversity Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowCopperfield’s Books
Petaluma, CA
7:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
opens in a new windowBorderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Wednesday, July 22
opens in a new windowPowell’s City of Books
Portland, OR
7:30 PM

Wesley Chu, opens in a new windowTime Salvager

Tuesday, July 7
opens in a new windowThe Last Bookstore
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM

Sunday, July 12
opens in a new windowMysterious Galaxy
Also with Carrie Patel and Scott Sigler
San Diego, CA
2:00 PM

Wednesday, July 15
opens in a new windowElliott Bay Book Company
With Ramez Naam
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 16
opens in a new windowPowell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowBorderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
opens in a new windowUncle Hugo’s
Minneapolis, MN
3:00 PM

Monday, July 20
opens in a new windowA Room of One’s Own
Madison, WI
7:00 PM

Tuesday, July 21
opens in a new windowBoswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 23
opens in a new windowSchuler Books and Music
Lansing Charter Township, MI
7:00 PM

Friday, July 24
opens in a new windowBook People
Austin, TX
7:00 PM

William S. Cohen, opens in a new windowCollision

Wednesday, July 1
opens in a new windowBooks-a-Million
South Portland, ME
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 2
opens in a new windowPolitics and Prose
Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM

Carolyn Ives Gilman, opens in a new windowDark Orbit

Wednesday, July 15
opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble
Washington, D.C.
6:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowFountain Bookstore
Richmond, VA
2:00 PM

Max Gladstone, opens in a new windowLast First Snow

Tuesday, July 28
opens in a new windowOxford University Press Book Club in Bryant Park
New York, NY
12:00 PM

Neal Griffin, opens in a new windowBenefit of the Doubt

Sunday, July 26
opens in a new windowCarlsbad City Library
Carlsbad, CA
7:00 PM

Kristen Simmons, opens in a new windowThe Glass Arrow

Thursday, July 23
opens in a new windowSundance Books and Music
Reno, NV
6:30 PM

Anne A. Wilson, opens in a new windowHover

Saturday, July 25
opens in a new windowPayson 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 ( opens in a new windowKaren Memory), James Cambias ( opens in a new windowCorsair), Max Gladstone ( opens in a new windowLast First Snow), and Brian Staveley ( opens in a new windowThe Providence of Fire) on tour in the New England region. opens in a new windowCheck out the dates and locations.

opens in a new windowJulyRoadtrip

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in June

opens in a new windowThe Darkness Rolling by Win Blevins and Meredith Blevins opens in a new windowLong Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe opens in a new windowSeriously Wicked by Tina Connolly

opens in a new windowTor/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, opens in a new windowLong Black Curl

Thursday, June 11
opens in a new windowA Room of One’s Own
Madison, WI
6:00 PM

Saturday, June 13
opens in a new windowThe Avid Reader
Davis, CA
7:30 PM

Sunday, June 14
opens in a new windowBorderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Saturday, June 27
opens in a new windowMystery to Me Bookstore
Madison, WI
2:00 PM

Win and Meredith Blevins, opens in a new windowThe Darkness Rolling

Saturday, June 20
opens in a new windowThe Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
2:00 PM

Tuesday, June 23
opens in a new windowBookworks
Albuquerque, NM
7:00 PM

Tuesday, June 30
opens in a new windowMarie’s Bookshop
Durango, CO
6:30 PM

Tina Connolly, opens in a new windowSeriously Wicked

Thursday, June 4
opens in a new windowStayton Public Library
Stayton, OR
7:00 PM

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

Thursday, June 18
opens in a new windowRaven Book Store
Lawrence, KS
7:00 PM

Alan Gratz, opens in a new windowThe Dragon Lantern

Tuesday, June 9
opens in a new windowMalaprop’s
Asheville, NC
7:00 PM

Peter Orullian, opens in a new windowTrial of Intentions

Monday, June 1
opens in a new windowPowell’s Cedar Hills Crossing
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Tuesday, June 2
opens in a new windowWeller Book Works
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM

Wednesday, June 3
opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble
Orem, UT
7:00 PM

Anne A. Wilson, opens in a new windowHover

Tuesday, June 2
opens in a new windowThe Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Dan Wells, opens in a new windowThe Devil’s Only Friend

Tuesday, June 16
opens in a new windowWeller Book Works
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM

Wednesday, June 17
opens in a new windowBarnes & 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 opens in a new windowAlex 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 opens in a new windowPagan 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: opens in a new windowTuatha 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 “ opens in a new windowLong Black Curl” and “ opens in a new windowWisp 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:
opens in a new windowAmazon | opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble | opens in a new windowBooks-a-Million | opens in a new windowiBooks | opens in a new windowIndiebound | opens in a new windowPowell’s

Follow Alex Bledsoe on Twitter at opens in a new window@AlexBledsoe, on opens in a new windowFacebook, or visit opens in a new windowhim online.

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