Almost Summer!

Just a couple weeks from the solstice and welcoming in Summer (here) with a whole lot of rainy, spring like weather. Ah well. Good excuse to stay in and read.

This month is another Whole Lot of Dragon Thief! LOL. But also don't forget to check out The Cafe for new stories, including Cary and Deacon visiting The Cafe on the 15th! More below.

First! The releases because that's a little complicated and there's a bunch of stuff.

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THE DRAGON THIEF SERIES, Season One Omnibus is available at KatSimonsBooks now! If you missed the Kickstarter, this is your chance to pick up the full omnibus collection in eBook, Trade paperback, fancy deluxe paperback (with a slipcase if you like), and fancy deluxe hardback (also with a slipcase if you like)!

The deluxe editions are only available through KatSimonsBooks. BUT the regular Trade paperback and the eBook will be out wide in August. They're available for preorder now if you don't want to forget!

EBook, Deluxe Hardback, Deluxe Paperback

Slipcase sample (similar for paperback and hardback)

In addition to the omnibus, all six of the first season stories also have their own individual paperbacks available now from KatSimonsBooks! AND you can also buy them in a bundle with their own pretty slipcase/box if you're interested. The individual books ship faster than the bundle with the slipcase because the slipcase is a specialty product, but if you're a collector, it's a nice package!

Mockup of The Dragon Thief Box Set of paperbacks.

The paperbacks (without the slipcase option) will also be available wide! They come out in August when the omnibus is released wide, so I'll have more details on those then.

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On top of all this exciting Dragon Thief news, I ALSO have a BRAND NEW Dragon Thief story out at KatSimonsBooks!

Book 9 in the series, THE PAYBACK JOB, is out on June 18th from KatSimonsBooks and releases wide in (you guessed it!) August. (June and August turned out to be very busy release months for the Dragon Thief series!)

THE PAYBACK JOB
Dragon Thief, Book 9

Buy Direct  -- OUT JUNE 18TH
All other eBook vendors -- OUT AUGUST 20TH

So many enemies, so little time…

Working with their new team, Myra and Christopher have rescued “damsels” in distress all over New York City. Even as their relationship develops and deepens. Though Myra tries not to think too much about the future. In the moment, the work makes her happy, and so does Christopher. And their latest job, saving grieving widows from a scam artist, proves a satisfying challenge. Or at least it did. Until the king drops an emergency into their laps and upends all their plans.

Suddenly the team must drop everything to rescue three missing dragon shifters. With only three days to find them and get them back. And it appears an old enemy orchestrated everything. An enemy looking for payback.

But who? Someone from Myra’s past? Christopher’s? Or someone they thwarted together?

With so many adversaries, so many people they’ve managed to anger, Myra and Christopher have a long list of suspects. And very little time to whittle that list down. The lives of the missing shifters and the entire team rest in the balance. They have to uncover the truth or people will die.

And time is running out.

~~

AND if you're a wide reader, book 8 in the series, THE GREEN SCROLL JOB, is now out everywhere!!

THE GREEN SCROLL JOB

Dragon Thief, Book 8

All Other EBook Vendors

Buy Direct

Ancient magic, a deadly bargain, and a whole lot of lives on the line…

Teaming up with a crew of people all with the same goal—to save damsels in distress—seemed like a fun idea. At the time. But growing pains and Myra’s lifetime of working alone complicate the delicate balance of the new team. She doesn’t want to give up on it, for Christopher’s sake as much as her own. Her dragon shifter boyfriend has a soft spot for damsels in distress. To ensure his safety, Myra will willingly work with other people, so someone’s there to have their backs.

But trust never came easy for the magic thief, and now Myra has to learn to trust a whole bunch of people when some of them clearly don’t trust her.

When the team’s latest attempt to rescue a damsel in distress goes bad, and their tight timeline pushes the boundaries of calculated risk, trust might be the only thing that saves them. The only thing that can save their client. Because two wealthy, dangerous men after the same ancient artifact, and one conman without a conscious, have trapped an innocent artist in the crossfire. Myra, Christopher, and the others will do whatever it takes to rescue their client.

Even if it means launching themselves into danger. Confronting deadly ancient magic. And putting all their lives on the line.

~~~

So. Yeah. That's a lot of Dragon Thief. LOL. 

Beyond the Dragon Thief series, this month, I do have two new Café stories available. The first, Kassidey at the Café, is free for a couple more days and then Cary and Deacon at the Café goes live on the 15th!

If you've missed some of The Cafe stories or just prefer to read in print, next month I'm releasing the first collection of Cafe stories! It'll be available in eBook, trade paperback, large print, and hardcover editions, so whatever fits your fancy it'll be available! More on that next month, but the books should be most places for pre-order now. And are definitely up at KatSimonsBooks for preorder.

Okay, I think that's more than enough for one post! LOL. I hope the changing seasons are treating you kindly and that you're finding some very good reading!

Standalone Releases and a Surprise for July

News and Updates this month include the release of two stories that were originally published in the Haunts and Howls and Guardian Spells contemporary fantasy collection. And information about my "now for something a little different" coming out next month!

The two releases this month are standalone eBooks for The Unshattered Sword (out June 7th) and Destiny Through the Cats Eyes (out June 28th).

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The Unshattered Sword turned out to be a sort of ancient history prequel to the Cary Redmond series--a hint as to where the Protectors started. I hadn't intended that when I started writing, but that's what happened.

THE UNSHATTERED SWORD

Available June 7th
eBook 

The fate of her clan depends on the strength of her sword…

In the land of the Fae, when clans go to war, destruction spreads throughout the realm. To prevent disaster, the clans fight ritual battles through single combatants. One warrior, standing between her people and utter devastation.

Lilia knows that losing the coming fight will mean the end of her people. Everything rests on her shoulders, and her sword. Her ability to stand against the powerful magic of their greatest enemy.

Because if her strength falters…

Her people will die.

~~

Destiny Through the Cats Eyes is a novella that I found so much fun to write, I may have to write more in this series. I'm really interested in seeing what happens between Erica and the cats. *grin*

DESTINY THROUGH THE CATS EYES

Available June 28th
eBook 

Her future holds more danger, magic, and…cats than she anticipated.

When Erica Randal learns her beloved aunt has disappeared, she rushes home, desperate to find her. But when she arrives, everything in her aunt’s house appears normal. Except for the missing cats.

No cats means big trouble.

Instead of the simple explanation Erica hopes for, she discovers her aunt is not who she thought. Magic is real. Deadly enemies gather to overwhelm her world. And a powerful destiny awaits her.

If she’s brave enough to embrace it.

~~

And now for the big July news!

I'm branching out into a (slightly) different genre. Contemporary Romance! It's not the first time I've written romance set in contemporary times, but even my hockey romances as Isabo Kelly have had some level of "woo woo," as a former editor used to call it. Some level of the paranormal or fantasy. My July release is just a straight up, low angst, trope-tastic contemporary romance with an adorkable couple in a slipstream non-Covid reality that I just had to write.

DESIGNED FOR YOU is available for preorder now, and releases on July 12th! I wrote this book while I was "going through some things" and needed something easy and light and fun to write. This is what came out. I love these two together.

If you like Grumpy/Sunshine, Friends-to-Lovers, Boy/Girl Next Door, and Fake Dating, I think you'll enjoy this one. I couldn't squeeze in Only-One-Bed, but I'll try for that next time. *grin*

Because this won't be my only contemporary romance. I have a novella coming out in December, and a third story I'm about a third of the way through writing now. Plus, I think the heroine's best friend in DESIGNED FOR YOU deserves a story, too. 

For those worried, NO I'm not moving away from Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy. In fact, the next Demon Witch book is going into edits as we speak for a September release. And the next Haunts and Howls contemporary fantasy collection is coming together for October. I also have a new paranormal romance series I want to launch in early 2023.

So I will not be moving away from my favorite genres! I'm just branching out a little. This branching out will also include some mysteries as well, so look out for more on that in future posts! I'm a genre writing madwoman at the moment, and I'm very excited to bring so many different stories to readers.

Until next month, Happy Reading! 

~Kat

Welcoming the Seasonal Change

Happy Spring or Fall, depending on your hemisphere! I hope the changing seasons are treating you well.

This month, I have a new collection out. This one of three novellas in the Cary Redmond Series. WITCHES AND WEAVERS AND GHOSTS, OH BOY features Cary and her three best friends and some of their more interesting adventures. Each novella has been published independently, but the collection is the first time any of these stories has been in print. The print editions are available in both Trade and Large Print editions.

The universal link to the eBooks also now has links to available markets for paperbacks as well, and should pick up your geolocation and therefore the appropriate markets where you can get the paperbacks. (At least, this is how it's supposed to work. Let me know if it doesn't!) 

Additionally, you can always request either eBook or print copies at your local libraries. Talk to your librarian!

WITCHES AND WEAVERS AND GHOSTS, OH BOY

A Cary Redmond Short Story Anthology

Ebook 

Trade Print: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indie Bound |

Large Print: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indie Bound |

Don’t mess with a magical Protector’s best friends…

For magical Protector Cary Redmond, nothing is more important than her family and her friends. And that means standing behind her friends—or in her case, in front of them—whenever they need her help. She’s there when they call. No matter what dangers they face.

Even when those dangers rub against her biggest fears.

Nothing stops Cary from getting between her friends and the bad guys. Because no one messes with the people Cary loves.

Don’t miss this collection of three action-packed Cary Redmond novellas. And find out just how far Cary will go to save the people she loves.

Stories in the collection:

Cary vs the Goblin King

Cary Goes to Hawaii

Cary and the Demon Witch

~~~

Next month, the seventh novel in the Cary Redmond series, THE TROUBLE WITH DEATH AND DEMON GODS releases! Preorder is available now. My cover artist did a beautiful job on the cover. I really think she captured the tone and feel of this book.

I'm very excited about this book. I hope readers will enjoy it too. It's currently up for preorder and will be available in eBook, Trade paperback, and Large Print editions.

Until next month, happy Reading!

~Kat

Holidays are in full swing now!

There are so many of them this time of year, it's just delightful. All my favorites. For me, it's Winter Solstice, Halloween, Christmas, New Years, even American Thanksgiving because of the food. (Though, to be fair, I don't eat turkey so our food is a little different.)

And beyond the food, are the holiday books! For a paranormal/fantasy author Halloween is the season, of course. But I don't want to leave the others out. And so Cary Redmond gets a Christmas story--mixing my love of spooky with my love of all things Winter holidays.

CARY HOLIDAYS
A Cary Redmond Short Story
eBook 

A quiet holiday shouldn’t be too much to ask…
 
Unless of course your name is Cary Redmond and your job title is Magical Protector. But in the days leading up to Christmas, in her second year as a Protector, Cary might just get the quiet time off she hopes for.

Nothing to do but watch Christmas movies, drink Christmas coffee, maybe even decorate for the season. No shapeshifter trouble. No vampires up to no good. No demons popping in to threaten death. Just peace and quiet. Lots and lots of quiet.

Until, of course, her new Christmas tree reveals a surprising complication...

That is anything but peaceful.

~~~

Coming in December is another Cary Redmond novella. In Cary and Dragons and Goblins, Cary meets a dragon and his hero--Joan and Rory from the Joan of Kerry series--and mayhem ensues. Of course. This novella leads into book 6 in the main series, The Trouble with Wizards and Old Enemies, which is out in January 2022! 

 

For those of you who do NOT like spoilers, please don't read next months release until after you've read book 5 in the series, The Trouble with Magic and Faery Curses. There are spoilers throughout Cary and Dragons and Goblins for book 5--starting on the first page!--so again, if you are someone who hates spoilers, wait on this book!

I'll post that warning again next month, too.

And don't forget to look out for book 6 in the Cary Redmond series, coming out in January! Things in Cary's world are getting...complicated. Well, more complicated than they already are.

Until then, enjoy the holidays you celebrate. Stay safe and take care of yourself! And enjoy a good read.

Happy Reading!

March Release and News

And now for something a little different...

I have a new short story out this month. Joan of Kerry: Joan and the Abhartach, is out now! This is the first of a few short stories I have with this character, so if you enjoy Joan and her adventures, there will be more. This is a strictly urban fantasy/mythic fantasy story, though. No romance at all. Just so you're forewarned.

JOAN OF KERRY: Joan and the Abhartach

Joan of Kerry, Book One

EBook 

Ancient monsters beware…

Joan has spent her life facing down the monsters that no one else can defeat. But the rise of dark, hungry beings in the fields of Ireland brings portents of something more ancient and deadly. A monster out of myth. And a plague of death that could destroy everything in its wake.

Joan is all that stands between this rising evil and her home. Just her. Her sword. And her one true ally.

All in a night’s work, for a hero and her dragon.

As a heads up, Joan appears in an upcoming Cary Redmond novella, which is currently scheduled (pending potential changes) for December 2021. That Cary Redmond novella also ties more directly into the main series than most of the shorter fiction and leads into Book 6 in the Cary Redmond series--currently scheduled for January 2022. More on that and all the crossover stuff to come!

And speaking of  crossovers...

COVER REVEAL!

I have a new paranormal romance releasing soon! This is a romance, and is a crossover of the Cary Redmond world and the Tiger Shifters world. ROMANCING HER LEOPARD is out May 11, 2021, and will be released in ebook, print, and large print editions.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing this book and I hope you'll enjoy reading it too!

For more on this release as well as other upcoming releases and news, check back next month. In the meantime, I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. And continuing to read good books.

Happy Reading!

Kat

Starting a New Series SOON!

I have a new series COMING SOON! I'm very excited about this series and I hope readers will enjoy it too. It's an urban fantasy series with a strong romantic element, featuring one of my favorite heroines to date: Cary Redmond.

Cary is, in her own words, a walking, talking Kevlar vest. Officially, her job description is Protector. She gets between good guys and bad guys and ensures the good guys don't get killed. But boy, does Cary encounter a lot of Trouble!

This particular series had been bouncing around in my head for many years now, so I'm delighted to finally bring it to readers. There will be a seven novel arc with a whole bunch of short stories scattered through out. The short stories are mostly just fun stuff I felt like writing--origin stories of how Cary met the people (and pets!) in her life, some of her other adventures both before and after the series starts, just fun stuff. The shorts won't be necessary for reading and understanding what's happening in the novels, but if you like Cary and her adventures, I think you'll enjoy the short stories as well.

As a little warning, for those long time Urban Fantasy readers: I don't write this series in first person, I write in third, so this will be a little different to the typical books. That may or may not appeal to you, so I wanted to be sure readers were clear on that upfront.

To celebrate the upcoming release of book number 1 later this year (end of August/beginning of September so long as the copyedits and formatting go well!), here's a sneak peak at the cover!

***

Got Trouble?

Cary Redmond sure does. This time with a particularly sexy leopard shifter who seems to think she’s his mate, a faery mentor who’s suddenly made himself scarce, and an ancient demon searching for a mysterious, mystical source of power in the forest outside of town. Throw in a vulnerable kid for her to keep safe and it’s just another day in the life of Portland’s resident Protector—save the innocent, manage her private life, keep all hell from breaking loose, and try not to die.

Easy, right?

Oh boy.

***

Check back for more as the release date nears! And if that cover sparks you're curiosity, keep reading for a short excerpt from the book. Happy Reading!!

***

THE TROUBLE WITH BLACK CATS AND DEMONS

(c) Kat Simons

Chapter One

“Not again.” Cary Redmond ducked as another fireball clipped over her head. “You don’t think fireballs are a bit over the top,” she shouted up at the ceiling then had to duck again as a dagger whispered past her ear.

Close. Her heart pounded. Way too close.

She needed to find the damned cat and get out of here. She scanned the apartment from her dubious cover behind a table piled high with unopened mail. Fireballs, daggers, gusts of preternatural wind, freezing hail, and the occasional lightning bolt dropped around her, roaring through the living room in a bright cacophony of magical mayhem.

The lightning bolts flashing in the small confines were pretty spectacular. If they hadn’t been trying to fry her, she might have enjoyed the show.

“Jaxer, I’m going to kill you for this.”

Normally, this kind of thing was just a part of her job. She was a Protector and literally got paid to run around keeping people safe, mostly from magical bad guys. Not that she’d asked for the job, but that was another story. It was her job, so she faced off against dangerous stuff because the Nags—her bosses—told her to.

Tonight, however, was not an official assignment. Tonight, she was just doing a favor for her demented faery mentor. The bastard knew exactly how to get to her. All he had to do was mention a defenseless little black kitty cat and she was done for. How could she refuse to help a kitty? People did rotten things to black cats on Halloween.

Except Jaxer had forgotten to warn her about the fireballs.

She screeched through her teeth and dove behind the couch as one of the aforementioned fireballs barreled toward her. She cursed Jaxer as she took a quick look under the couch for the cat. Where the hell was it?

She’d called out to it when she’d first entered the apartment but hadn’t gotten any irate kitty responses. After her lurching hunt of the living room and kitchen, the only place left was the bedroom.

She pulled in a deep breath as she contemplated the long space of unprotected ground between her hiding spot behind the couch and the bedroom door. Once she found the cat, this would be easier. When she was actively protecting something, very little of the magical dangers could get to her, and nothing deadly would touch her. She just had to find the cat first. And quickly. They had to be out of this cursed apartment before midnight. Before the wizard got home and all hell broke loose.

Again.

She ducked flying objects and ran to the bedroom, squealing when a lightning bolt hit the ground right behind her. Crossing her fingers that there were no nasty spells waiting for her, she lunged through the half-open door and cringed in anticipation of magical repercussions as she fell onto a red-carpeted floor. She held perfectly still, waiting. Nothing. She let out a breath and pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, shaking her head. All this for a cat. That bastard Jaxer had a lot to answer for.

She rose to a crouch, trying to calm her racing pulse, and froze.

In front of her sat a huge bed, which she barely noticed because the naked man lying in the middle of the enormous mattress stopped her heart.

Holy hell.


THE TROUBLE WITH BLACK CATS AND DEMONS (The Cary Redmond series, Book 1) Coming Soon in 2019!!