This is awesome! I wouldn’t normally reblog a One-Liner Wednesday, but this one is a review of my book. Check it out! And say hi to Maida, an up and coming romance writer herself, while you’re there. 😀 Thanks, Maida!
The Magician’s Curse kept me turning page after page – I wanted to see what happens next.
Book Cover for ‘The Magicians Curse’ by Author Linda G.Hill
I gave Linda Hill’s The Magician’s Curse four stars on Goodreads and Amazon. This was an entertaining read. Oftentimes, if you’ve read as many books as I have, you’d be able to predict what’s going to happen next. With The Magician’s Curse, I couldn’t. That’s what kept me turning page after page – to see what the characters will do next, what will happen to them. It’s certainly different from the typical books I read and a great palate cleanser. It’s not cookie-cutter or formulaic at all. I don’t normally read books with young characters (18/23) anymore, but I made an exception for this. I’m glad I did because the heroine and hero (Herman and Stephen) are mature for their age. I’d recommend…
We cannot choose who we love… So what happens if the one we love is bound by an ancient curse? Do we watch, walk away or do we become a part of the abomination?
This story by Linda Hill is about a Magician. But do not cast that ward of suspicion yet. For it is The Great Dagmaru, the magician himself, despite all his magic who is powerless before an ancient curse. But is the magician as blameless as you would like him to be?
In this day and age dominated by shape shifters, vampires, and werewolves the very premise of this book makes it a rare find.
If the character of the Magician seems too perfect, too flawless making you withhold your attachment there is someone for just for you dear reader- you might want to make your own and her name is Herman (yes she is a girl…
This is just a quick post to let you know I plan to tweak the paperback cover (back cover only) of my debut novel, The Magician’s Curse, before I buy my copies to distribute in local stores. It will be unavailable for about 24 hours while the update takes place. I’ll upload the new copy tomorrow morning (Toronto time, Sunday, July 2nd, 2017). Hopefully the book with the new back cover will be back online by Monday morning.
The changes are extremely minor, but if this book ever hits the bestseller lists (haha) the first edition may be worth something.
When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.
Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?
Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, The Magician’s Curse begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.
My book–the one I’ve been saying I was going to publish for four years now (didn’t believe me, did you?)–is finally here!
It’s a story I spent months obsessing over, traveled for, went to outrageous lengths for–I sat in the Kingston Via Rail station, taking notes for the description of it; drove around the city looking for the perfect setting for the house in which the story takes place and then I parked my car there and walked halfway back to town to see what it would be like. I stayed in different lodgings – the university where my characters went to school, the house that inspired the one in the book, and a small motel near the train station. I even had a chance to interview a magician. I’ll be posting that interview soon.
But most of all I had a lot of fun writing The Magician’s Curse and its sequel. And I’m almost finished writing the third book. Not sure if there will be more: I’ve toyed with the idea of a prequel.
For now though, I can finally share part of this world I’ve lived in by myself for almost six years. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Magic and romance await.
One of my advance reviews came in, and she gave The Magician’s Curse five stars! The review was posted yesterday on Facebook, Goodreads, and on the reviewer’s website, which you can find here. Sincere thanks, Megan!
The review:
You know you’re addicted to something when you cannot give it up no matter how are you try. The Magician’s Curse was very addicting. I couldn’t put it down. Herman sets out on her own to make a better life for herself. She didn’t expect to run into a magical man who had a curse placed on his family. In order to break that curse, Stephan must break the heart of his true love and possibly lose her forever. This heart breaking tale kept me riveted until the very last word. I’m still reeling from the deep emotions and revelations. Such an amazing book. There is more to come for Herman, Stephan, and Nina. I’m excited to know where this journey goes from here. ~ Megan Starkweather
When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.
Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?
Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, The Magician’s Curse begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.
You can pre-order the Kindle version of The Magician’s Curse and have it automatically delivered to your device or app on June 27th by clicking the following links: Amazon US, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, Amazon Australia, or Amazon where ever else you are in the world. You can also pre-order it through Kobo worldwide here. The paperback will be available on or close to June 27th.
When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.
Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?
Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, The Magician’s Curse begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.
Official release date: June 27, 2017! Pre-order your Kindle copy today here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0721ZH2KN
Available soon on Kobo, and on June 27th in paperback on Amazon.
An excerpt from Chapter 2:
The moment Stephen stepped out the door, the foyer fell silent again. He didn’t have to look at any of the interviewees perched, alert upon burgundy velvet-covered benches against both sides of the room, to know their eyes were on him. They were drawn to him as though he were a human magnet, just as Herman had been. He passed the stairs, turned right, and stepped into the dining room where his agent, Margaret, waited for him to arrive.
“Hey,” she said without looking up. She sat poring over the applications that were strewn across the large antique dining room table. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, staring at the top of her dark mane of hair shining in the light of the chandelier above her head. Her long, graceful fingers, poised to turn a page, were an elegant extension of the rest of her lithe body. Finally, she looked up and took in his appearance with icy-green eyes. She was every bit as beautiful as any of the women outside.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. Being inseparable for five years, both as best friends and then co-workers, made it easy for her to tell when there was something different, however subtle, about him.
“I found her,” Stephen said, his back still to the door.
“Who?”
“She has a perfect body and long, brown hair and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. And her lips! Full and beautiful. And the way they move when she speaks … absolutely captivating.”
Margaret narrowed her eyes. “You hired someone on the train again, didn’t you?” It was a statement more than a question.
Stephen nodded.
“Okay,” she said, sitting back in her chair. “Tell me more about her.”
“I think she’s running away from home. She has a job to go to, but she agreed to come and check this one out. She’s sweet and innocent and she’s almost eighteen.”
Margaret crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes even more.
“No, I didn’t audition her the same way I did the others,” he said.
“So you didn’t bang her in the limo on the way here.”
“No! She’s not of age. And anyway, I knew from the second I saw her that she’s the one.”
Margaret began to say something just as the door opened on the far side of the room to her left, and Nina came in from the kitchen. Both Stephen and Margaret glanced at the slight young woman and then at each other.
“Should I leave the two of you alone?” Margaret asked.
Stephen shook his head almost imperceptibly and walked over to have a quiet word with the girl. After a few seconds she bowed and backed out of the room, and Stephen turned back to his friend.
“Well then,” Margaret said, throwing her hands up and glaring down at the stacks of paper in front of her. “Tell them all to go home.”
“No, I still want to interview them.”
“What the hell for?”
“Herman might not take the job.”
Margaret raised her eyebrows. “Herman?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, let me get this straight. You’re telling me she’s the one you want but that she might not stay. I’m confused.”
He stood, silently pleading with his friend to understand what he had only begun to comprehend himself.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Stephen? I’ve never seen you undone like this before …”
Margaret put her hand up to her mouth, realization dawning on her face. “Oh my God,” she said quietly.
He closed his eyes as he spoke. “It doesn’t matter whether or not she’ll be my assistant, Margaret.” He opened his eyes and swallowed hard. “She’s the girl I’m going to marry.”
I started writing The Great Dagmaru in November 2011 for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I’d completed the challenge with 50,000 words twice already, but in 2011 it wasn’t meant to be. My entire family got sick that month and we were in and out of the hospital. Yet I persisted with my novel because I’d fallen in love with these characters in a way I’d never fallen in love with my characters before.
After eighteen months, I finally wrote “The End” and then I went into a strange depression for a couple of weeks. It was a book hangover with a mighty kick – a kick mighty enough to make me continue the story. I’m currently working on Book 3.
I hope to have Book 2 edited and released by early 2018. In the meantime, thanks to the incredible, torturous (I’m not easily satisfied, apparently) work of my lovely cover artist, Belinda, (you can find her here) I finally have the opportunity to present to you the cover of my first book in the series The Great Dagmaru, entitled The Magician’s Curse.
Synopsis
Book Cover for ‘The Magicians Curse’ by Author Linda G.Hill 
This story by Linda Hill is about a Magician. But do not cast that ward of suspicion yet. For it is The Great Dagmaru, the magician himself, despite all his magic who is powerless before an ancient curse. But is the magician as blameless as you would like him to be?
lindaghill.com 