Sharon Skinner – Blood From a Rose is featured at the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

The Showcase is a special feature of the Author's Spotlight. It is designed to highlight Spotlight author's NEW releases and their soon to be released novels.

The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Sharon Skinner's New Book: Blood From a Rose.

Sharon is an award-winning poet and author. She writes Dark fantasy, Paranormal, and Supernatural short fiction.

Blood From a Rose

Author: Sharon Skinner

At Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Mr2owK

Blood From a Rose takes the reader into the dark spaces between dusk and dawn, serving up dark fantasy, paranormal and supernatural short fiction. An exploration of our shadow sides, things that go slurp in the dark, magical entrapment, demons that get their due, and fairy tales that show their true colors.

This collection contains stories, poetry and flash fiction that ranges from disturbing and unnerving, to haunting and strange, with some dark humorous twists along the way.

Excerpt from Blood From a Rose Collection

Grist For The Mill

Grist for the mill, the Miller said. Grist for the mill. Everything was simply grist for the mill.

Jordan plodded along beside the small pony, the heavy grain sacks slung across its back. If he only had a horse, he thought, it could carry both him and the grain. Instead, he was forced to wear out his soles trudging the many miles to and from the mill, delivering the latest batch of flour to the baker, hauling back seed for the farmer, and bringing the harvested grain to the mill for grinding.

His only rest, if rest it could be called, was the time he was allowed to spend lying in his tiny bed nested in the rafters high above the stone and wheel, listening to the grinding of stone against stone and the crack and whisper of the grain being crushed between them.

Grist, grist, grist, the big wheel seemed to say.

Grist for the mill. Grain becoming flour.

Miller Sandin likened it to the hard labor that prepared a boy to become a man. The grinding friction breaking open the outer hull and forming something new from inside. Jordan saw only that the fine powder that spilled out from beneath the wheel was no longer what it had once been; grist for the mill become dust that could be blown away in an errant breeze.

Sturdy, that’s what Jordan wished to be. Tough like the coarse grains of dried corn. Strong like the hard northern boar-tusk grain, named so because it took forever to break beneath the heavy granite wheel and came out coarse and gritty even afterward.

The pony stumbled, kicking loose a clump of soil and yanking the lead from Jordan’s sweaty fist before righting itself and its heavy load. Jordan reached for the frayed rope dangling from the pony’s bridle, but the small animal shook its head and backed away. “Come now,” Jordan told the animal. “Let’s not make one another sorry.” He used his most coaxing voice, but still the pony refused to allow him within reach of the lead.

“Blister you!” Jordan cursed and sprang for the rope, but the pony reared, tossing its load, then skittered off into the forest as if being chased by the demons of Kavner.

Jordan started after the stubborn pony, but turned back before the heavy sacks of grain were out of sight. It wouldn’t do to lose the Miller’s goods. He could almost feel the angry sting of the switch. The bruises and cuts from his last beating were barely healed.

He had to think.

If he stayed here, the pony would disappear, might even become prey for a prowling wolf. He peered into the dense woods and shivered. If he chased the pony, and left the sacks in the middle of the road, anyone who passed could take them.

He squinted at the bulky sacks. It was one thing to heft them singly up onto a pony’s back, but he would never be able to carry all three together. Maybe he could hide the sacks and then go after the pony. After all, it would stop running once it realized nothing was chasing it. It might even find some meadow and stop to graze. Then, if he moved silent-like, Jordan could ease up to it and catch the lead rope.

He glanced at the sky. The sun had not yet hit its high mark for this time of year. Plenty of time to hide the grain and follow the pony. He’d miss supper at the mill, but he’d also miss the switching the miller would give him for losing his goods or his beast. Or worse, both.

One by one, Jordan hoisted the heavy sacks up onto his back and hauled them just into the forest, settling them behind a huge oak tree. As he lifted the last bag from the dirt, a glint of something caught his eye. He leaned forward, shifting the sack to keep it balanced. The sight of a tiny rim of gold made his breath catch. He dropped the sack onto the road and bent closer, brushing away the loose dirt and digging with his fingers to uncover the bit of golden treasure. His digging revealed a curved band of pure gold.

Visions of wealth played in his head. No more switchings. No more sleeping above the heavy wheels that mocked him with grist, grist, grist all night long. No more hard labor wearing him down like the hard grains ground beneath the wheel into powder each and every day…

Author: Sharon Skinner

Author Genre: Dark fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural short fiction

Website: SharonSkinner.com
Author's Blog: Sharon Skinner Blog
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Twitter: @sharonskinner56
E-Mail: Sharon@BrickCaveBooks.com
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Author Description:
Sharon Skinner holds a GPC, a BA in English, an MA in Creative Writing and is a Certified Book Coach and freelance editor, whose goal is to help writers weave their words into stories that shine. She mainly writes fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and the occasional steampunk, for audiences of all ages. Skinner is an active member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and serves as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ.




Author's Book List




Lostuns Found
In the smoke-covered, steam-powered city of Landings, the filthy streets of the lower city are rife with criminals. It’s a rough place where orphans and lost children known as streeters struggle to survive by banding together, forming rival crews.

Gage dreams of earning passage to a better place while Wynd has a promise to keep, the last one she ever made to her father.

When their fellow streeters begin to disappear, Gage and Wynd must put aside their long-standing rivalry and work together to rescue their mates from a crew of ruthless, kidnapping smugglers.

But can a pact made under pressure be trusted?


Order the Book From:
Amazon






Return to Anoria - The Nelig Stones Book 2
Stefani and Robbie have grown closer since their adventure in Anoria, but their friendship has become strained. Stefani is having troubling dreams. A voice is calling for help, calling her and Robbie back to Anoria. She has no idea why they need to return, or what may await them when they do. If they can figure out how to get there.

But Robbie has troubles of his own dealing with his grandfather’s strange behavior. Anoria has become sick and in need of healing. While trying to help, Laurel Silverbark, last of the Treemages, has become trapped in a deep slumber that only one person can rouse her from; The Awakener. No one knows exactly where the Awakener is, nor what form they have taken.

As Stefani and Robbie search for a way to heal the sickness that is draining the land, they learn that sometimes hope can be the greatest strength, and that even those who seem lost have something to offer. Join Stefani and Robbie as they journey back to Anoria, to attempt to set things right and save their friends. More than a quest adventure,

Return to Anoria is a story about facing fear and learning to accept others as they are.

From the Book

Stefani glanced across the way to where Aurien stood talking with the old man. Standing beside one another like that, the two beings looked sort of alike. Aurien’s white coat and faded hooves and horn beside the Awakener’s long, white beard. It was as if they had both stepped out of some fantasy artist’s idea of a unicorn and a sage. She snorted again and looked away.


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Amazon






The Exile's Gift - The Healer's Trilogy Book 3
In the third and final book of The Healer's Legacy Trilogy, Sharon Skinner continues the story of Kira.You are who you are because of your choices, Heresta’s voice whispered in her head. You cannot walk another’s path.With the Matriarch dead and Eilar’s protective barriers devastated, Kira’s homeland is at risk. Amid the resulting aftermath of fear and insecurity, mounting tensions cause a rift in the Eilaran leadership.Against the ruling council’s will, Kira embarks upon a hazardous quest to discover the workings of her mad half-brother Kavyn’s shattered focus stone.But will the strange stone turn out to be a boon for the imperiled land, or unleash a bane that will ultimately destroy Kira and the land and people she is determined to save.


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Amazon
Audible






Supernal Dawn - Transcendent Powers Book 1
The discovery of alien artifacts across the world brought humanity together. Activating the pillars threatened to tear the world apart. The resulting vibrations did more than rumble the earth. It altered DNA, changed ordinary people into supers.

Governments were quick to step in, to quarantine and control. The affected were a threat. Civilians were never meant to have real power.

For Lee, that means choosing between the family that betrayed him and the agency offering to train him. Ember’s loyalties are divided between the brother she’s lied to all her life and the family sworn for generations to protect the Nexus – the largest convergence of ley lines on the planet.

The path ahead will not be easy.

It is a time of beginnings, for new powers to arise.

The age of heroes is upon us…

A Supernal Dawn.


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Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store






Collars and Curses
Think being a High School sophomore is hard? Try doing it when your messed up genetic code turns you into a wolf every full moon. Not only does Merissa have to deal with high school divas, bullies and pop quizzes, she also has to hide the awkward truth that once a month she really does get bitchy. And just when she thinks she's found someone she to whom she can actually relate, her new classmate Bree turns out to be an arrogant witch. Literally. If they weren’t the only non-Norms in the entire town of Fair Glen—aside from the annoying half-Elf, Jeryd, who shows up and complicates things—Merissa might not give Bree the time of day. But when Bree is drawn into a curse that causes chaos at school and threatens the town, Merissa must find a way to vanquish the dark power behind the curse and keep her parents from finding out about it. All without failing biology.


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Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store
iTunes Store






The Matriarch's Devise - The Healer's Trilogy Book 2
“If we turn our backs on who we are, who knows what danger we ourselves may become?”

Orpahned by war, haunted by unknown origins, KIRA is a young woman with a secret. She can psychically communicate with certain animals.

Determined to discover the truth of her heritage, Kira resumes her journey following the events of The Healer's Legacy. Together with Milos, and accompanied by her loyal companions, Kelmir and Vaith, she sets sail for the strange land across the Faersent Sea.

But when she arrives in her mother’s homeland, what awaits her is not the welcoming arms of loving relatives, but a land filled with political strife, dark intrigue, and a family secret that could shatter everything.


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Amazon
Barnes and Noble
iTunes Store






Mirabella & the Faded Phantom
“Something hissed and a wet chill wrapped around Mirabella’s wrist and crawled toward her shoulder. She whipped around and glimpsed the outline of someone sitting on the edge of her bed. But as she stared, the image faded to a blur.”

When twelve-year old Mirabella and her mother move into Great Aunt Clovinia’s old house, Mirabella discovers they aren’t the only ones living there. A mysterious faded specter haunts the place.

When the house is scheduled for demolition, Mirabella must unravel the mystery of the ghost’s identity, and free it from the old house before it’s too late..


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Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store
iTunes Store






The Healer's Legacy - The Healer's Trilogy Book 1
Orphaned by war, haunted by unknown origins, and chased by a warlord and his army of brutal soldiers. KIRA is a young woman with a secret. She can psychically communicate with animals. She is also on the run from her abusive mate Toril, the hero turned warlord, who led the country’s forces to victory against the outland raiders. Only that was before his love of power consumed him. Now, his only focus is on tracking down Kira and making her punishment an example of his power. But the quest for freedom isn’t the only struggle Kira faces. She must also come to terms with her past choices, whose echoes drive her present. And now, the future of the land and people she has come to love depends on the decisions she will be forced to make.


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Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store
iTunes Store






In Case You Didn't Hear Me The First Time
A tremendous collection of poetry and prose from Sharon Skinner. Whether samples of poetry from over the last 15 years, a great story about traveling in the Indian Ocean in the Navy, or a fantastic story, this book is sure to give you a tremendous read, not to mention introduce you to this amazing, award winning author.

Includes the award winning poems Another Grandmother Poem and The Dancer.


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Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store


For a Complete List of Sharon's Books, visit Amazon Author Profile and Book List.

The Showcase is a special feature of the Author's Spotlight. It is designed to highlight Spotlight author's NEW releases and their soon to be released novels.

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