How to subscribe to MCD’s blog – get an email every time I blog, approx once a week, occasionally more around new releases. Note the photos/screenshots are older (the blog looks slightly different) but the instructions still work.
How to subscribe to MCD’s newsletter, plus troubleshooting – get an email approx. once a month, occasionally more if I have something interesting to share, and occasionally less if I’m being lazy.
Follow MCD on social media – desktop: see the sidebar for links. Mobile: scroll down below blog posts for links.
I felt an excerpt coming on so I put up a poll in the Facebook reader-run fan group – yes, apparently I have a thing for polls right now – and rather predictably, Paisley won by a landslide. So here is a fairly spoiler-free excerpt from Instincts and Impostors (Amplifier 5) including everyone’s fav demon dog!
“Emma!” Opal cried. Her shout was gleeful but more than a little concerned.
I spun toward the surf, already running.
Paisley had somehow acquired a surfboard, and was trying to drag it into the pounding surf while also climbing on top of it.
Knee-deep in the water, Juniper was watching her with both hands clamped over her mouth.
Opal was jumping up and down next to the other young witch, the waves nearly knocking her over, one after another. “Not like that!” she snapped, half-laughing and half-lecturing as she made a grab for the nose of the board Paisley was trying to mount. “You’re too heavy!”
A male wearing a half-wetsuit was striding down the beach toward the trio, his focus intent, though he wasn’t close enough for me to see his expression.
Aiden was already moving to intercept the newcomer with an easy smile plastered on his face and his hand extended. An offer to shake hands, not an overture to casting a spell.
I closed the space between me, the witches, and the demon dog, wading into the roiling surf. I made a show of grabbing Paisley’s collar and ‘helping’ her out of the pounding waves. She chortled, playing along.
Opal and Juniper rescued the surfboard, dragging it back toward Aiden and the surfer, who didn’t seem particularly distressed now that he was chatting with the sorcerer. Aiden could be as charming as he was deadly, so I wasn’t terribly surprised that he could so easily smooth over the oddity of having a surfboard stolen by a pit bull.
“You’re soaking wet,” I chided Paisley.
She snapped at my hand playfully.
I lowered my voice. “And for future reference, the waves are strong enough that they should have knocked you over.” I hit the word ‘should’ hard.
Paisley eyed the crashing waves, our ankles getting more and more buried in the sand under the onslaught. Then she snorted dismissively.
I tucked my hand under her chin, forcing eye contact. “Opal could have gotten hurt.”
Paisley blinked up at me, then over at Opal. Who was apparently in the process of interrogating the surfer about where she could rent a board and what he would recommend for a beginner.
Paisley pressed her nose against my wrist, clearly apologetic.
“I know,” I murmured. “I would never hurt her either, but we have to remember she wasn’t … bred like us.”
The Amplifier Series is set within the larger Adept Universe but can be read separately. The main series starts with Demons and DNA (Amplifier 1) but there are two prequels (bundled together) as well. Click here for the full/recommended reading order of the Adept Universe
Screenshot from Amazon USA. Five-star review by Rosemary. Could someone please pass the kleenex? July 18, 2022. I’m not sure what to say about this book and the two that preceded it. These books are complex, beautifully written, and pack an emotional punch that I feel all the way down to my pink-painted toenails. Read these books. You need to.
I’m sharing Rosemary’s review of Unleashing Echoes (Reconstructionist 3) because I know I focus too much on the vitriol I’m often deluged in about the Reconstructionist trilogy and I want to remind myself that not everyone tries to twist a book into what they want to see/read instead of trying to enjoy the story the author wanted (dare I say, needed?) to write.
It took a year and a half of my life to write this trilogy (after the first book sat partially written on my ‘shelf’ for two years*). I blubbered through each draft of each book (I do five). I knew how it ended when I put the first words on the page. I carefully, but intentionally, crafted the story around Wisteria and what she needed, what she so desperately needed, to heal, to move forward, to LIVE. And whether some readers believe me or not, I did exactly the same thing for Kett (and the other two major characters).
I put my heart and soul into this trilogy and way, way too much of my own childhood. And, I admit, it hurts when I get hate mail, even after all these years of getting nasty DMs, hateful reviews, and even snide remarks from my readers.
So thank you, Rosemary, for reminding me that I wrote Wisteria and Kett and Declan and Jasmine for a reason. Because I needed to heal even just a little section of my own battered soul.
💗💗💗
*note: for those interested: the Reconstructionist trilogy was originally intended to start/fall after Dowser 4 in the timeline. Eagle-eyed readers will note that Kett was in Seattle at the beginning of Dowser 4. But I lost my stepmother that spring and found I just couldn’t pick up the book and write through the grief. At least, not write Wisteria and the story I needed to tell.
Instincts and Impostors is the fifth book in the Amplifier Series, which is set in the same universe as the Dowser, Oracle, Reconstructionist, Archivist, and Misfits of the Adept Universe series.
And scared. So, so scared, not only for the women of America (and anyone with a uterus, or anyone who loves a person with a uterus) but for the far-reaching ramifications that will ripple across the border into Canada. (I recognize this is a selfish thought today, but it is nonetheless true.)
Then I deleted the long post, realizing that I was just trying to justify my fear, justify my right to speak.
That’s how it works for women (and other minorities), that fear of speaking up, of wanting to play nice … because we’re retaliated against in some fashion when we dare speak our truths. Every. Single. Time.
So I smile.
Forty-eight years of fucking smiling as I try to stay calm, kind, and nonconfrontational, while I try to sneak my truths in behind those smiles and quick wit and fucking cupcakes.
So here is my soul-anchored, tear-riddled truth laid out as boldly and simply as I can write it:
Every person on this planet, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, or country of origin should have the fundamental right to decide what is right for their body.
I’m working through a smoothing pass on the fourth draft of Instincts and Imposters (Amplifier 5) over the next few days, then the book goes off for line and content editing. I came upon this little snippet in a brand new section that I wrote based on the story editor’s notes. It made me smile, so I thought I should share.
It’s just so … Emma.
“Dream walker,” she said in that clipped accent. “The Dunkirk coven is well known for its dream walkers. Yet you choose the Godfreys for your foundling.”
I considered decapitating her.
I didn’t even need my blades, I could —
Aiden squeezed my hand, amusement rolling off him.
Right. Witch games.
– Instincts and Impostors (Amplifier 5), fourth draft
No release date yet! But I’ll have the preorder up sooner than later … just as soon as I get all the scheduling lined up.
I have successfully gotten all of the last round of Mystery Boxes packaged and labeled. They just need to be dropped at the post office. Yay!
I then PREPACKED (look at me being all efficient!) ten more Mystery Boxes! And made those ten random Adept Universe Mystery Boxes available in my store. $45 CDN+ CDN and USA shipping included. Click the previous link for more info and/or to purchase.
Each box includes 1autographed Dowser or Oracle or Misfits paperback, 1 sheet of Cake in a Cup stickers, 1 MCD bookplate, and 6 butterfly Oracle series temporary tattoos.
Note: I’ve thrown extra stickers into the box with Dowser 8.5 because it is slightly skinnier than the other novels.
I’ve included Canadian and USA tracked shipping in the price, $24. I’m NOT offering other international shipping because it costs too much, $65-$125. If you live closer to me the shipping will be less, so I’ll try to compensate by adding more swag (I’ll email and let you know if that is the case).
If you get a paperback you already own, maybe pop over to the reader-run fan group on Facebook and see if you can negotiate a swap?
Next up: Archivist series paperbacks. Warning: And then I will have cleared out my cupboard!!
Note: same caveats as always: please remember I’m not a store. I’ve simplified the shipping, etc, as much as possible. For example: set shipping rates, no extra sets, no special orders. Please remember I’m trying to write as much as possible and these are just meant to be fun extras. The prices are set in Canadian currency (which means some of you are getting a great deal!) so a different charge might show up on your credit card statement. Also, I believe there is a 2.9-5.5%+ $0.30 charge for certain payment methods.
I’ve made ten Amplifier Series Mystery Boxes available in my store. $45 CDN+ CDN and USA shipping included. Click the previous link for more info and/or to purchase.
Each box includes one autographed Amplifier Series paperback, three oracle card stickers (I’ve randomized it so you get a fun mini reading with your package), one MCD bookplate, and a random postcard.
I’ve included Canadian and USA tracked shipping in the price, $24 (and ironically removing one paperback only reduced the average shipping rate by $2)! I’m NOT offering other international shipping because it costs too much, $65-$125.
If you get a book you already own, maybe pop over to the reader-run fan group on Facebook and see if you can negotiate a swap?
Next up: random Dowser, Oracle, and Reconstructionist paperbacks. Warning: I don’t have very many!!
Note: same caveats as always: please remember I’m not a store. I’ve simplified the shipping, etc, as much as possible. For example: set shipping rates, no extra sets, no special orders. Please remember I’m trying to write as much as possible and these are just meant to be fun extras. The prices are set in Canadian currency (which means some of you are getting a great deal!) so a different charge might show up on your credit card statement. Also, I believe there is a 2.9-5.5%+ $0.30 charge for certain payment methods.
Wow! Two updates from me in two days! I’m feeling rather productive!
I just sent Recon Mission: Bee (Amplifier 5.5) aka Zans’ novella off to the sensitivity reader, Natasha Lane. And I’ll forward her notes along with the manuscript to SFG (the editor) once she turns around on her read. Yay!
I’ve also started a search for a Black female narrator for the audiobook. Tia Rider will continue to narrate the main Amplifier series books – double yay!
And! Gene Mollica Studios has all the particulars for the book cover, so hopefully, I’ll start to see art soon as well. I’m excited!!
This is all a long-winded way of saying, I’m most definitely avoiding doing my taxes. Ugh. And now, I really don’t have any excuses. Sigh. Though I am going to play around with one of my Space Opera ideas, and brainstorm/outline Amplifier 6 over the next couple of weeks as well.
Oh! [I announced this on social media already] The sticker sets have all been mailed (as of late last night). Still waiting for the next round to be delivered to me, then I’ll relist.
How about a Zans snippet to celebrate? [I absolutely adore all the Fish/Zans interaction in the novella!]
Fish stood, crossing past me and into the tiny bathroom. He flicked on the light.
“I checked in there,” I said pissily.
He ignored me.
Like always.
I considered pulling out my phone and playing a game.
Fish stepped out of the bathroom, glowering. “Clean.”
“We grab our stuff from the motel and leave,” I said.
“We reach out to my contact,” Fish said, his tone dark. “And when we confirm he sold us out, we hunt him down.”
I sighed, heavily.
“Got something better to do?” Fish asked caustically.
I smirked. “Well, Emma might want some help with the wedding.”
I’m pleased to announce that I just dropped Instincts and Imposters (Amplifier 5) into the editor’s inbox for story editing (the first stage of editing, also called developmental editing). To celebrate I thought I’d share a tiny snippet that Michael highlighted with a laughing face when he beta read the book last week.
Aiden flashed me a knowing grin. He couldn’t read my mind, of course, but apparently my magic beckoned whenever I was thinking of him in a certain way.
So … pretty much whenever I laid eyes on him.
– Instincts and Imposters (Amplifier 5), third draft
