Honoring the Books of SPFBO 2018

As mentioned a couple of days ago, the ten finalists in 2018’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off are taking a moment to recognize the many other deserving books that were judged alongside ours (because with three hundred in the mix, how could there not be many?). You can find out more about the SPFBO and what it involves here.

I’m so grateful for the new readers the SPFBO has brought to my series, and I wanted to let you know about a few other books you might enjoy if you liked mine! You can also see the books recommended by Steve McKinnon yesterday here.

Dragon School

If you grew up on Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books and you love YA, the Dragon School series should be perfect for you. It’s a gripping merging of dragon-riders with a teen academy setting, set in a fantasy world with plenty of secrets to uncover. In this first volume, the characters have to struggle through tests that can be just as dangerous as the trials in Ruthless Magic.

Godmaker

The YA fantasy Godmaker takes the competition via trials concept even further, with a character who must fight to earn the right to remain a goddess or be exiled as a mortal. Like Ruthless Magic, it features a heroine forced to give her all when the odds are against her and magical powers galore.

A Dance of Silver and Shadow

A YA fairy tale retelling might not sound like it’d have much in common with my series, but A Dance of Silver and Shadows gives the Twelve Dancing Princesses story an unexpected twist. The princesses venture into the supernatural realm to compete in a mysterious tournament in the hopes of protecting their new home.

Huge thanks to everyone involved in making SPFBO happen, from Mark Lawrence to the judges to the readers who’ve followed along!

Looking for even more indie fantasy recs? Check out the books J. Zachary Pike is honoring here tomorrow!

An open letter to fantasy fans everywhere

Spfbo finalists

We are the finalists of the 2018 Self Published Fantasy Blog Off, also known as SPFBO 2018. The contest has brought us together from across the globe and the far-flung corners of our favorite genre to celebrate speculative fiction and the possibilities of self-publishing.

We believe that independent publishing is a force for good in our industry. The direct connection between authors and their fans yields greater choice for readers, drives new business models for writers, and helps create new audiences for books. That’s especially true in fantasy, where new subgenres and tropes are rising up thanks to self-published authors and their fans. Independent authors are working alongside traditional publishers and authors to create a bigger, better, and more inclusive fantasy community.

If you’re looking for evidence of the quality and creativity available from independent authors, look no further than our fellow contestants in SPFBO 2018. Many of the judges this year have remarked on the great quality of books they’ve encountered, and the challenge of whittling down their entries to one finalist. Whether you want something epic or intimate, funny or frightening, grim or uplifting, there’s a fantasy book for you among this year’s SPFBO. We encourage you to find it.

To that end, we will take this time to draw attention to some fantastic books cut from this year’s competition. Over the next week, many of us will highlight some of the deserving fantasy novels of SPFBO 2018. It’s a chance to salute other indie authors who could have easily been signing this letter had the die been cast differently. Please consider giving them a shot, or any other entry that caught your eye. When the genre grows, we all win.

In closing, we’d like to thank the indomitable Mark Lawrence for founding this amazing competition and for his continued efforts to highlight independent fantasy authors. We’d also like to thank the contest organizers and judges for their hard work, thoughtful reviews, and consummate professionalism. And finally, we’d like to thank fantasy readers everywhere, without whom we could not pursue our shared passion. This wonderful community makes it all possible, and for that we are forever grateful.

Signed,

Megan Crewe

Angie Grigaliunas

Barbara Kloss

Patrick LeClerc

Devin Madson

Steven McKinnon

J. Zachary Pike

Craig Schaefer

Mike Shel

Keith Ward

The Fallen World series is now a box set!

You can now get my complete post-apocalyptic killer virus story in one box set, with a shiny new cover! Check it out:

It starts with an itch you just can’t shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you’ll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.

And then you’re dead.

When a strange new virus sweeps through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s island community, everything she took for granted slips away. As the dead pile up, the schools close, the phone lines fail, and the power goes out.

Desperate to save her home, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and opens her heart to a boy she once feared. The journey they set off on will test her resilience and shake her faith in humankind. How much of herself will she have to sacrifice to see her mission through?

The Fallen World complete series box set contains all four books in the series. Buy it now for only $9.99 or read it free with KU!

Ruthless Magic epic launch party!

Ruthless Magic is out in the world today, which means it’s time to paaarty! 😀

If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, get it now by clicking here or on the cover below. The ebook is only $2.99 for the first three days + FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Ruthless Magic cover

If you order a paperback or hardcover, you can request a signed bookplate totally free over here at my signing table. Open until the end of the day tomorrow only!

Signing table

Want to join in the launch day fun, with giveaways, games, and appearances by a whole bunch of guest authors? Head on over to my Facebook online launch party!

Not on Facebook? No worries! I have an epic Ruthless Magic launch giveaway that everyone can participate in, running for the next three weeks. Check out the amazing prize pack!

Ruthless Magic launch giveaway

Thank you so much for joining me and helping make this day magical! <3

Cover reveal and giveaway!

Folks! I am so excited to announce my upcoming new book, the first in an urban fantasy trilogy that will be out May 30th. Check out the cover, which I personally feel is one of the most beautiful images I’ve ever seen. 😀

Ruthless Magic cover

In the contest to keep their magic, the only options may be die… or kill.

Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every sixteen-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages’ Exam.

Disadvantaged by her parents’ low standing, Rocío Lopez has dedicated herself to expanding her considerable talent to earn a place in the Confederation. Their rejection leaves her reeling—and determined to fight to keep her magic.

Long ashamed of his mediocre abilities, Finn Lockwood knows the Confederation accepted him only because of his prominent family. Declaring for the Exam instead means a chance to confirm his true worth.

Thrown into the testing with little preparation, Rocío and Finn find themselves becoming unlikely allies—and possibly more. But the Exam holds secrets more horrifying than either could have imagined. What are the examiners really testing them for? And as the trials become increasingly vicious, how much are they willing to sacrifice to win?

Ruthless Magic is available for pre-order here. It’s at a special price for the pre-order period.

To celebrate the cover reveal, I’ve got a giveaway running with a bunch of swag and a gift card up for grabs! Enter below.

Ruthless Magic cover reveal giveaway

Welcome to the YA Summer Scavenger Hunt! (Author #69)

Summer Scavenger Hunt

Starting June 1st (I’m putting my post up a little early) until June 7th, you can join in the Young Adult Summer Scavenger Hunt.With over 100 authors participating, there are tons of new books to discover — and to win!

I’m author #69, Megan Crewe. I write all kinds of YA, from paranormal drama (Give Up the Ghost) and post-apocalyptic survival stories (the Fallen World series) to sci-fi adventure (the Earth & Sky trilogy) and sweeping contemporary fantasy (A Mortal Song). This past week, I just released my ninth published novel, a supernatural thriller titled Beast. And I’ve been lucky to be blessed with a whole bunch of lovely covers:

Beast cover A Mortal Song cover Earth & Sky cover The Way We Fall cover

You can even grab Give Up the Ghost for FREE here:

Give Up the Ghost offer

Each participating author will have a post on their blog or website with a secret keyword for you to find. Put all those words together in order, and you’ll get a quick story you can use to enter to win the grand prize. Plus most if not all of the authors have their own giveaways too. So make sure you check them all out!

The full author list and instructions can be found here.

My secret keyword is also the end of the sentence, so you get a period along with it. 🙂 Here it is:

BRIDE.

Follow the chain of authors to put the entire story together! Next after me is Jamie Thornton. Again, the entire list can be found here.

Want a chance to win an extra prize? I’m giving away a signed paperback copy of your choice of any of my books. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Open internationally. And happy hunting!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please welcome Beast

My newest YA novel is out in the world today! Beast is a supernatural thriller inspired by all the YA horror of the ’90s that I read as a teen myself. I’ve often thought of it as my “Megan Crewe writes a Christopher Pike novel” book. 😉

Beast cover“You think you have it all figured out, Max, but this isn’t your game anymore.”

Max Weston knows that life is a game: Turn on the charm, say what people want to hear, and whatever you want is yours for the taking. What do a few lies matter if everyone ends up happy? His best friend, Davey, can’t look a cute girl in the eye and barely scrapes by in school, so yeah, Max hassles him sometimes. But he always has the guy’s back—even when a strange beast attacks Davey in the woods.

As Davey heals, something awakens inside him. Something with razor-sharp teeth, vicious reflexes, and no patience for Max’s ploys. Suddenly Davey is challenging Max, getting smarter, stronger, faster—and harder to control. Max plunges into a series of schemes to save his friend, but with each move he makes, Davey lashes back twice as hard. The monster inside him is calling the shots now, and the game it wants to play has deadly consequences for everyone Max loves.

If Max forfeits, he’s giving up on his best friend. But winning might mean losing even more.

The Beast ebook is on sale for $2.99 until June 1st for Kindle ~ Nook ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

I’ll be holding an online launch party on June 1st — head over here to RSVP!

The Young Adult Summer Scavenger Hunt – coming soon!

Summer Scavenger Hunt

Hey all! In June, the Alliance of Young Adult Authors is sponsoring a massive young adult scavenger hunt, and I’ll be participating. This is a chance to meet some new authors, grab a bunch of free books, and sign up to win a whole bunch of epic prizes.

Find out all the details and see the official rules here!

On June 1st, you’ll be able to find my post for the scavenger hunt here on this blog, as well as a special giveaway of my own. So mark your calendars! 🙂

 

Check out this fantasy & paranormal boxed set—and get 10 books free!

I’m excited to share that I’ll have a book in Spellbound, a boxed set of fantasy and paranormal titles for teens and adults alike (not adult-only content here!). Throughout the pre-order period, you can buy the set for just $0.99! With 20+ books in the set, that’s less than 5 cents per book. Hard to argue with that!

Spellbound boxed setOrder for Kindle ~ Nook ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

But because we know it’s hard to order and then have to wait to read, the Spellbound authors have banded together to sweeten the deal. Everyone who pre-orders Spellbound can also receive 10 additional free books, right now! These ten, to be exact:

Pre-order Offer

Want to claim your pre-order gift? Follow these simple steps.

  1. Pre-order Spellbound from any of the retailers linked to above.
  2. Take a screenshot of your receipt and email it to spellboundpreorder@gmail.com
  3. Wait, and your free books will arrive in your inbox shortly!

Get in on this awesome offer while you can! 🙂