C Gockel Writes

Featured Fantasy: Red City Reaper (Books 1 – 3)

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Featured Fantasy: Red City Reaper (Books 1 - 3)

99¢ as of May 13, 2025
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If you try to assassinate the Grim Reaper… Don’t miss.

Dax used to be the Grim Reaper. Until he was banished to Earth to live as a human. Exiled to Redemption City, he’s doing his best to keep his head down and run his shabby dive bar. But when an assassin puts a bullet in his chest, his quiet life dies a bloody death.

Red City is a corrupt and decaying metropolis. Finding out who wants Dax dead could be a long twisted road. He’ll have to test the boundaries of his suppressed magic if he hopes to survive.

But if he presses his power too hard, the death gods who allied against him will do more than just exile him to earth. They’ll obliterate him from existence…

Featured Sci-fi: Red Thunder by John Varley

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FREE as of May 11, 2025:
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“The heart-pounding space race is on . . . in this riveting SF thriller” from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of Red Lightning and Rolling Thunder (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
 
As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida decide to take matters into their own hands. If they can quickly build their own space-worthy ship using scrap metal, appliances, and power tools, they have a chance to come from behind—thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory . . .
 
“Varley’s great strength is in his characterizations, but in Red Thunder he also shows a strong sense of place. . . . If you are willing to simply fantasize about fleeing your office cubicle and becoming a heroic space explorer, this novel will fulfill your wishes.” —The Washington Post
 
“Fast paced . . . Engaging characters.” —Rocky Mountain News
 
“Full of little gems of wit and intelligence.” —Booklist
 
“[A] fun-filled adventure. Varley matches a serious literary style with an outrageous plot, and he’s one of the few writers in the field who could make it work.” —Chronicle

Featured Fantasy: The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Books 1 – 3 by Christine Pope

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Featured Fantasy: The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Books 1 - 3 by Christine Pope

FREE as of May 11, 2025
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Ancient curses…family feuds…finding a happily ever after can be a real nightmare for the modern witch….

DARKANGEL:
Angela McAllister is searching for the green-eyed man who haunts her dreams. The man she’s sure is fated to be her consort when she becomes the next prima of her witch clan. The catch: She must find him before her next birthday, or her magic will be diminished and her clan left vulnerable. The problem: the only man she’s felt a spark with isn’t a witch. But when a rival clan moves in to seize control, she’ll find out who’s a betrayer — and whom she can trust.

DARKNIGHT:
Angela McAllister’s body is still tingling with the sweet fire of her bonding kiss with Connor Wilcox. She can’t allow herself to want him, yet as she settles uneasily into life with the quiet artist, she gets the feeling he’s as much a victim of his brother’s schemes as she.

But when a series of gruesome deaths begin taking place around Flagstaff, Angela has a very bad feeling the killer is lurking close to home…and uncovering the truth could break the fragile trust she and Connor have worked so hard to build.

DARKMOON:
Certain she’s lost Connor’s love, Angela returns home to resume her place as the McAllister prima — without her consort. Then she learns her little birth-control charm couldn’t fool Fate — and now she’s the next target of the fatal Wilcox curse. Determined to break this dark legacy, she reaches out reconcile with her beautiful, brokenhearted Connor.

Then she must journey to the otherworld to fill in the blanks of her own past. With every broken thread she reweaves into her history, her magic grows and evolves. But the healing that will finally break the Wilcox curse could cost Angela everything….

Featured Sci-fi: Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler

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Featured Sci-fi: Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler

99¢ as of May 11, 2025
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“[A] stunningly well-crafted science fiction novel…” —The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly (10 out of 10)

A reclusive empath confronts his role in the war that shattered the United States.

Fifty years ago, civil war fractured the United States into a mosaic of polarized nations. Ever since, Harmony “Bibi” Cain has isolated himself: from society, from technology, from family. A powerful empath weary from the constant intrusion of others’ emotions, he’s cloistered in his rural Wisconsin retirement community where he hopes to find, if not peace, then at least a little quiet.

But when four impossible assassinations shake North America, Bibi is forced into an investigation he wants nothing to do with. The victims were killed by drones that only an empath can control—and decades ago, Bibi was part of the wartime program that created them: the program that weaponized empathy.

“[A] story written so well that, no matter how perfect, surprising, and complete the ending, readers will want to return in search of even more. It’s just that good.” —BlueInk Review in Booklist (Starred Review)

“Giesler pushes readers to think deeply about how we connect to each other…” —The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly (10 out of 10)

“A brainy near-future SF novel of exploited neurons and expanding consciousness.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Provocative, empathetic dystopian SF with a sense of narrative playfulness.” —BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly (Editor’s Pick)

“Wow. Wow wow wow…this was a captivating, entertaining, and enlightening read.” —Judge, 31st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Featured Fantasy: Urban Magick & Folklore Series by C. Gockel

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Featured Fantasy: Urban Magick & Folklore Series by C. Gockel

Start the series FREE as of May 9, 2025
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Once upon a future-time, in a city of steel, concrete, and Magick, a wicked queen trapped a mighty warrior with a curse …

In the tiny village of Somer, far from the city, Cherie knows nothing of the evil spell. Her home is a safe, Magickal place. The Fae travel freely along its roads, Magickal humans and animals are welcome, and everyone is hidden from the Queen’s sight by Jack Frost, the local ghost, who blurs the Queen’s mirror with snow and ice.

But when Jack’s spell begins to crack, the Queen’s eyes fall on Somer. Nothing will keep her from abducting all of Somer’s Magickals, not even a war with the Fae.

To avert a war, save her village–and herself–Cherie strikes a perilous bargain. Aided only by Jack and her own small Magick, she’ll set off on a quest … If she fails, she’ll lose more than her life.

The first two books are retellings of Snow White Rose Red with Urban Magick, plenty of folklore, and a Princess Charming. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Spinning Silver. Books 3 through 5 are a retelling of Grendel & Beowulf.

Featured Sci-fi: Steel Guardian (Rusted Wasteland Book 1) by Cameron Coral

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Featured Sci-fi: Steel Guardian, by Cameron Coral

FREE as of May 9, 2025
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A timid robot protects an abandoned baby in a post-apocalyptic world.

The AI Uprising destroys society.

No internet, phones, or electricity. Machines turn against humans. The military SoldierBots have one function–seek and destroy.

Block is a simple CleanerBot programmed to scrub floors and serve hotel guests. Forced to leave his city, he must avoid dangerous SoldierBots and find a new hotel he can call home.

But when Block discovers a human infant, his surprise attachment to the girl compels him to protect her while traveling across the metal-infested wastelands of America to a safe haven. When he encounters Nova – a surly soldier who becomes an unlikely ally – they must tackle the biggest challenge of their lives.

Together, they face mortal danger from bands of scavengers, militaristic SoldierBots, and Combat Mechs. A cyborg Bounty Hunter will stop at nothing to find Block and the child – an infant who holds the key to humanity’s future.

If you enjoy characters with heart and page-turning adventures, then you’ll love the award-winning first book of this post-apocalyptic sci-fi series.