Archives for posts with tag: fantasy

New Five-Star Review of The Garden of Abracadabra by Lisa Mason “A heady mixture, highly entertaining” #urbanfantasynovel #printnovel #ebooknovel #fantasyauthor #publishedworldwide

December 21, 2022 //

5.0 out of 5 stars fast-paced occult/ suspense/ mystery murder story well worth reading
“THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA from Lisa Mason, author of the wondrous scifi time travel book, Summer of Love, which, despite being fiction, may be one of the most accurate histories written about San Francisco, and the Haight/Asbury hippie scene.
Ms Mason does it again, weaving history into a fantasy/ occult yarn. Once upon a time in the 60’s, the late Issac Bonewits went to UC Berkeley, in Berkeley CA, just across the bay from San Francisco. He talked Berkeley into letting him major in Magick, not stage magic but ritual Magick! He got an independent study degree, the first and last BA in Magick. True story! (Since then Berkeley has tightened up topics for independent study) After his degree, Bonewits became a wizard of sorts and wrote many books including one entitled “Real Magic”, about his ideas, studies and adventures.
In the last century, English dark occultist Aleister Crowley also performed a great deal of ritual Magick, and destroyed the hierarchy of the Hermetic Order of Golden Dawn, the most famous English occult order, from which we get the most popular Coleman tarot deck, Eden Gray, and many occult books. Crowley wrote “Book of the Law”, “Book of Lies”, “Magick in Theory and Practice” etc. Crowley regularly sponsored sex and drug orgies among his followers and fancied himself a “Laird”, Scottish royalty, despite no evidence.
Ms Mason’s book contains fictionalized characters based on the real Bonewits and Crowley. The heroine is Abby Teller, another fledgling occultist with budding powers. Thrown into this mix of occultists is an FBI guy Jack Kovac, an agent assigned to hunt down occultist criminals. He investigates murders with occult overtones. Abby enrolls in college at a fictionalized UC Berkeley to study Magick. She also gets finagled into managing an apartment full of vampires, and other occultists, including the rich sinister Aleister Crowley character named “Prince Laster”. The top floor penthouse of her apartment, she discovers, is linked up with a portal to another dimension. Abby has a relationship with a bad-news seedy old boyfriend, Dan Stern, also a dark side occultist. She goes to UC Berkeley Magick Dept “Professor Bonwitch” to get advice how to deal with these various demonic weirdoes, including the vampires, (who come across to me like San Francisco’s hyper aggressive panhandlers.)
Ms Mason has written a heady mixture, highly entertaining. A fast-paced occult/ suspense/ mystery murder story well worth reading! Abby Teller wears high heels and pantyhose which not only make her legs look pretty but also will prevent an evil spell from getting “inside” her lower chakra. Who knew? Despite some poor decisions, Abby Teller seems more charmingly feminine than many of today’s fictional crop of macho tomboys.
And what is Abracadabra other than a place name? A spell repeated, leaving off a letter at a time. At the end, Abracadabra is supposed to make a demon diminish and ultimately vanish.
More Lisa Mason books with Abby Teller are promised I’m looking forward to the next.”
So there you have it, my friends.
Find The Garden of Abracadabra (“Fun and enjoyable urban fantasy . . . I want to read more!) On BarnesandNoble, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands. NOW IN PRINT! Find the beautiful trade paperback at in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at Australia
Find the Print book of SUMMER OF LOVE (a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist) in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and New in Print in Australia The ebook is on US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands
The Gilded Age (a New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended Book). On BarnesandNoble, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands. BACK IN PRINT! Find the beautiful trade paperback at in the U.S., the U.K., in France, in Germany, in Italy, in Spain, and in Japan. New! Now in print in Australia.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle worldwide, including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia Australia
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (“A must-read collection—The San Francisco Review of Books). On Nook, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle at US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands. Strange Ladies: 7 Stories is in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, and in Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at Australia
Visit me at http://www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, interviews, round tables, cute cat pictures, the bespoke artwork and studio jewelry of Tom Robinson, forthcoming works, and more!

Tags authors, books, ebooks, fantasy, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author on Facebook, Lisa Mason Romantic Suspense Author, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author

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Reviews of Two of the Thanksgiving Week Movies “Howl” and “The Gold Rush” Lisa Mason #storycritic #writer #sciencefictionandfantasywriter #sciencefiction #fantasy #mainstream #screenwriter #publishedwriter #publishednovels #published stories

November 27, 2022 //

These are reviews of the two of the Thanksgiving Week Movies. More to come (SuperGirl, Reilly, the Ace of Spies, and Outlander).
First up, “Howl” the film was released in 2010, and we looked everywhere but couldn’t find the film. Finally, Tom found the film at our wonderful local library.
Of his poems, “Howl” is the most famous poem by Allen Ginsberg. The film rapidly intercuts creative animation, with Ginsberg talking toward the camera about his creative process, memories of his relationships with Jack Kerouac and Neil Cassidy, the young poet poking two-fingered at a typewriter figuring out his poem (he says, “I thought I’d never get published so I could write whatever I wanted”), Ginsberg reading “Howl” at a standing-room-only poetry reading, the Beat poets in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, and finally, the famous criminal trial against City Lights Bookstore and Lawrence Ferlinghetti for publishing and selling “obscenity.”
Tom lived fifteen years in North Beach, I lived five years there, and we met most of the Beat poets.
I was going to say that admitting to be a homosexual was dangerous and a shocker in the 1950s and early 1960s. Many states outlawed such behavior and sent gays and lesbians to prison. Though homosexual behavior has been legalized, it is still dangerous—witness the tragedy at Colorado Springs this past weekend.
The trial pits the prosecutor and the defending attorney against the question: “What is socially redeeming value?” and “What is literature?” The witnesses arguing for and against “Howl” were literary critics and professors of literature.
Fascinating, very creative film. Recommended for fans of Allen Ginsberg, viewers interested in the creative process, and viewers interested in the definition of literature.
The film made me appreciate Allen Ginsberg more–though I still don’t care for most of his repetitions. Tom says, “That was his style.” Fair enough.
And second is “The Gold Rush”, a PBS documentary. In 1848, San Francisco was a sleepy pueblo of eight hundred residents. Thanks to the Gold Rush, by the end of 1851—in two years—San Francisco was a bustling town of thirty thousand residents.
So many early miners made an overnight fortune in gold, that Gold Rush’s reputation spread worldwide. Asians, South Americans, Europeans, and East Coast Americans caught the “Gold Fever” and came to California for the back-breaking and leg-laming work of panning and digging for gold.
The people who made steady riches were those who supplied the miners with tools of the trade and fed them and housed them.
Many of the late-coming miners came with nothing and left with nothing, their families anxiously awaiting some money from them and also awaiting their return.
A fascinating documentary interspersed with live action, photographs, and narrations of letters. Recommended.
Please donate to the tip jar at https://paypal.me/lisamasonthewriter. Without your donation, I can’t keep reviewing movies, magazine articles, stories, and books and giving writing advice and news about the writing business.
From the author of ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle worldwide, including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan. ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia
CHROME (five-stars) an ebook on Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo. And on US Kindle, UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, India Kindle, Germany Kindle, France Kindle, Spain Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Japan Kindle, Brazil Kindle, and Mexico Kindle. IN PRINT at U.S. print as a beautiful trade paperback. Also in U.K. print, in German print, in French print, in Spanish print, in Italian print, in Japanese print, and in Australia.
Summer of Love is a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist and a San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book. Find the Print book of SUMMER OF LOVE in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and New in Print in Australia The ebook is on US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands
The Gilded Age (a New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended Book). On BarnesandNoble, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands. BACK IN PRINT! Find the beautiful trade paperback in the U.S., the U.K., in France, in Germany, in Italy, in Spain, in Japan, and in Australia.
The Garden of Abracadabra (“Fun and enjoyable urban fantasy . . . I want to read more!) On BarnesandNoble, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands. NOW IN PRINT! Find the beautiful trade paperback in Print in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, and in Australia.
Arachne (a Locus Hardover Bestseller) is an ebook on US Kindle, UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. On Kindle worldwide in France Kindle, Germany Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Spain Kindle, Mexico Kindle, Brazil Kindle, India Kindle, and Japan Kindle. Back in Print! Find the beautiful trade paperback of ARACHNE in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, Italy, in Japan, and in Australia.
Cyberweb (sequel to Arachne) is on US Kindle, BarnesandNoble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. Also Kindle worldwide on UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, Brazil Kindle, France Kindle, Germany Kindle, India Kindle, Italy Kindle, Japan Kindle, Mexico Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, and Spain Kindle. Back in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, in Japan, and in Australia.
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (“A must-read collection—The San Francisco Review of Books). On Nook, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle at US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands. Strange Ladies: 7 Stories is in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, and in Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia
One Day in the Life of Alexa (“Five stars! An appealing narrator and subtly powerful emotional rhythms”). On BarnesandNoble, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands. Order the beautiful trade paperback of One Day in the Life of Alexa in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, and in Australia.
Celestial Girl, The Omnibus Edition, A Lily Modjeska Mystery (Five stars) On Nook, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.
Please visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Website for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, reviews, interviews, and blogs, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, worldwide links, and more!
And on Lisa Mason’s Blog, on my Facebook Author Page, on my Facebook Profile Page, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on LinkedIn, on Twitter at @lisaSmason, at Smashwords, at Apple, and at Kobo. I’ve been a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association for thirty-five years.
If you enjoy a title, please “Like” it, add five stars, WRITE A REVIEW on the site where you bought it, Tweet it, blog it, post it, and share the word with your family and friends.
Your participation really matters.
Thank you for your readership!

Tags authors, books, ebooks, fantasy, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author on Facebook, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author

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12 Principles of Story Structure Lisa Mason #lisamason #published novels #publishedstories #storysoldtoabigstudio #novelcritic #storycritic #filmcritic

May 18, 2022 //

This is an article I saw on my one of screenplay websites. The article was a promotion for a movie. I didn’t like the first film, will probably not see the second.
But this—unlike the “’legendary’ how-to-write-rackets” which will charge you thousands of dollars—is free from me to you. I deleted the references to the upcoming movie. You writers probably know this already, but the principles bear repeating. As applied to screenplays, so do the principles apply to stories and novels.
Let’s begin:
12 Powerful Principles of Story Structure
In addition to the overall structure of your screenplay – the three acts, the five key turning points, and the six stages, plot structure also involves employing as many structural principles, tools, and devices as you can throughout your script (or novel or story).
1. Every scene, event, and character must contribute to the protagonist’s outer motivations.
Pick any scene and either move the protagonist closer to his/her goal of protecting the people or society, move the protagonist closer to his/her desire to win the love of another important character, or create obstacles to those goals.
2. Make each hurdle and obstacle your protagonist faces greater than the previous ones.
The conflict in your story must build, becoming greater and greater as you drive the reader toward the climax.
3. Accelerate the pace of the story.
If your story has a futuristic, faraway setting (or any complex setting), your first Act should contain the narration of that before the pace needs to be accelerated and the conflict shifted into high gear. Act 2 should contain more action and Act 3 should shift into high gear.
Amplify the emotion by creating some conflict (and the anticipation of conflict) in each scene.
4. Create peaks and valleys to the emotion.
Intersperse big action sequences with quieter scenes with your protagonist interacting with other characters or learning something new.
These moments allow the viewers/readers to catch their breath and to begin anticipating the next big conflict. They also prevent the movie (or novel or story) from becoming one monotonous action sequence.
5. Create anticipation.
Viewers and readers want to try to guess what’s going to happen next — they just don’t want to be right all the time. And while surprises and confrontations are often brief, anticipation can be prolonged almost indefinitely.
6. Give the audience superior position.
This means providing the viewer and the reader with information that some of the characters don’t have yet.
Instances of superior position create anticipation of the conflict that will result when the information we have is revealed to the characters.
7. Surprise the viewer or reader.
Viewers or readers don’t want to anticipate everything that happens in your story. Sometimes you have to jump out and go “boo!” to keep them alert and involved.
This principle is even more important in a comedy, thriller or horror film, novel, or story where reversals create humor, shock, or fear.
8. Create curiosity.
Don’t explain everything in your script, novel, or story as soon as it happens. Viewers and readers love puzzles and relish figuring out who committed the murder, how the protagonist plans to overcome the conflict, or what a character’s true motives are.
9. Foreshadow your characters’ actions and abilities.
Foreshadowing is a term for adding credibility to your story by revealing information before it seems important, which prevents your story from seeming contrived or illogical.
Introduce facts before they become critical to the story. They all add credibility to the characters’ later actions.
10. Echo situations, objects, or dialogue to illustrate character growth and change.
Repetition allows the viewer or reader to compare where the protagonist is at any given moment in your story to where he/she was the last time we encountered that particular item or phrase.
11. Pose a Threat to One of the Characters.
Remember that this principle applies to all films, novels, or stories, not just adventures and thrillers. Always force your characters to put everything on the line in the face of losing whatever is important to them, whether it’s money, a job, a loved one, dignity, acceptance, or their own destiny.
12. Compress time.
The shorter the time span of your story, the easier it is to keep the audience involved. Or give a time span to do a decisive action, you have a ticking time clock after which disaster will hit. The end of “Alien” does this very well—you hear the ship announcing “You have ten minutes to evacuate.”
There you have it, my friends.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle worldwide, including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback on November 17, 2020 in the US, in the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. Now in Print in Australia
Summer of Love (a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book) is in print as a beautiful quality trade paperback in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1548106119
The Gilded Age (a New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended Book) is in print in the U.S., the U.K., in France, in Germany, in Italy, in Spain, in Japan, and in Australia
The Garden of Abracadabra (“Fun and enjoyable Urban Fantasy”) is in print in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1978148291.
ARACHNE (“Highly recommended and very memorable.”) is in print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, and in Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/198435602X
One Day in the Life of Alexa (“[An] absorbing read with an appealing narrator and subtly powerful emotional rhythms.”) is in print in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1546783091
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (“A must-read collection—The San Francisco Review of Books) is in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, and in Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1981104380
Visit me at http://www.lisamason.com for all my print books, ebooks, stories, interviews, round tables, cute cat pictures, the bespoke artwork and studio jewelry of Tom Robinson, forthcoming works, and more!

Tags authors, books, ebooks, fantasy, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author on Facebook, Lisa Mason on Facebook, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author

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Beatles’ Promotion in The New Yorker Magazine and Elsewhere Lisa Mason #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #publishedauthor #publishednovels #publishedstories #publishedmagazinestories #sciencefiction #fantasy

January 16, 2022 //

Oh, now I understand.
Why in the October 25, 2021 The New Yorker issue, Paul McCartney published “Writing ‘Eleanor Rigby’”, an interesting, engaging brief account of how the song was written, how the song’s names got chosen, the “happy accidents” that helped form the Beatles when they were still teenagers, and feedback given to McCartney about his poetry in the song by Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. “Eleanor Rigby” is considered a breakthrough song by the Beatles because it was written NOT to be performed onstage.
Why?
Because McCartney published an 874-page book (!!!) called “Lyrics, 1956 to Present” in the U.K. and probably in the U.S (and elsewhere). The book was reviewed in the December, 10, 2021 issue of TLS.
In conjunction with The Beatles: Get Back, the 15-hour documentary directed by Peter Jackson on Disney and the book, The Beatles: Get Back, edited by John Harris, also both reviewed in the December, 10, 2021 issue of TLS.
That’s why.
The Beatles and their managers were always good with publicity. I remember, as a child, looking at a young teenage friend’s Beatles’ cards—like baseball cards.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle worldwide, including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. New! Now in print at Australia
CHROME is in U.S. print as a beautiful trade paperback. Also in U.K. print, in German print, in French print, in Spanish print, in Italian print, and in Japanese print. New! Now in Print in Australia
The CHROME ebook is on US Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, and on UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, India Kindle, Germany Kindle, France Kindle, Spain Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Japan Kindle, Brazil Kindle, and Mexico Kindle.
Summer of Love is BACK IN PRINT in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan, and now in Australia.
The Summer of Love ebook is on US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, BarnesandNoble, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.
The Gilded Age is BACK IN PRINT! Order the beautiful trade paperback in the U.S., in the U.K., in France, in Germany, in Italy, in Spain, in Japan and in Australia.
The ebook is at BarnesandNoble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords and on Kindle worldwide at US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.
Visit me at http://www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, new reviews, interviews, round tables, cute cat pictures, the bespoke artwork and studio jewelry of Tom Robinson, forthcoming works, and more!

Tags authors, books, fantasy, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author

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Reviews of July Movies: “Jumanji: The Next Level,” “French Exit,” and “Promising Young Woman” by Lisa Mason #filmcritic #writer #author #sciencefictionandfantasy #publishednovels #publishedstories #screenplays

July 19, 2021 //

We belong to the Netflix DVD service. Our entertainment center isn’t set up for streaming. We don’t want to stream. Period.
I don’t know what is wrong with Netflix these days, however. I have half a dozen films (most films very recent, one we missed two decades ago that we want to see) reserved in my queue and all marked by Netflix “Unavailable.”
Our lovely little local library has opened up from being locked down (we’re in the San Francisco Bay area) and the library has a decent selection of movie DVDs, which can checked out for (I think) three weeks for free. (I pay plenty of property taxes that go to support the libraries, so it’s not *really* free.) Sometimes, though, the disc is scratched or otherwise stops right in the middle of the movie. So there’s a downside to checking out library movies.
If Netflix doesn’t improve on acquiring and making available DVDs (and I intend to speak with their customer representative), I’ll have to look for another DVD rental service.
If you use one, can you recommend an alternative DVD service?
All right. So the July movies were not my first choices. Not even my second choices. The Hollywood Reporter had positive things about the films I chose but, in retrospect, the notices were paid for by the film’s producers. Therefore, somewhat suspect.
First up, “Jumanji: The Next Level.” We saw the first Jumanji years ago when it was released. This movie takes its time to set up the complicated plot with its multiple characters, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t really remember the first movie well, so appreciated the story setup. (A note to writers: I know the how-to-write rackets instruct you to start with a dynamic sentence, and that’s a good strategy, but don’t be in a hurry to rush your story out. Sometimes it’s good to take your time.)
Once we understand what Jumanji: The Next Level is and who the characters are, and they physically upload into the game (kind of like telespace, in my Arachne Trilogy), the action takes off. The film is endlessly inventive, funny, fun, and totally entertaining. There are references to “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Wizard of Oz,” “Clash of the Titans,” and “Lord of the Rings.” There’s even a tear-jerker emotional denouement, followed by a humorous epilogue.
Recommended, especially for fans of fantasy and gamers.
I wish I could the same of the other two movies, but I can’t.
I generally like the previous work of Michelle Pfeiffer. The Hollywood Reporter article commented that her acting was commendable in this film. She plays the lead in “French Exit.” Unpleasantly too-skinny (she smokes throughout the movie and drinks hard booze so I guess that’s the point), she is the thoroughly unpleasant Frances Price, a semi-crazy socialite woman long widowed from her wealthy husband. When she goes to see her lawyer-financial advisor, he tells her she is broke. “What would have me do?” she asks. He tells her to sell everything, including her fancy three-story Manhattan townhouse. She bounces checks so much that her maid asks her to pay her in cash, please.
It was hard for me to sympathize with her plight after she announces, “I’ve never worked a day in my life.”
That completely lost me. I’ve been working since I was a teenager, have a deep respect for work and a deeper respect for money, especially money earned and saved through your own efforts.
When the character goes to dinner with one of her wealthy friends, the friend suggests she stay for free in the empty Paris apartment the friend owns.
She takes ship to Paris with her son, an even more unpleasant character. A full-grown, able-bodied young man, he sponges off his mother like she sponged off the inheritance her husband left her.
The movie includes touches of magical realism—she holds seances twice to “speak” with her dead husband—but instead of interesting, the scenes are ridiculous. Likewise with the plot twist that her dead husband has been incarnated into a cat.
I can’t fathom why the half dozen little producers wanted to make this movie. As a producer, I would never have invested in the project. The story has no “redeeming value” for me.
Not recommended except for enthusiastic fans of Michelle Pfeiffer.
Last up, Promising Young Woman. Cassie lives with her parents, works as a barista at a tiny coffee shop, has dropped out of medical school. That’s the backstory, which gets established later.
The film opens with three young men in a swinging nightclub observing Cassie alone, a pretty blond woman and clearly falling-down drunk. One young man offers to escort her home, instead takes her to his apartment and begins to undress her when she lies, seemingly drunk, on his bed. But she’s not really drunk.
Cassie has a “secret life” at night, according to the film’s coy synopsis.
I don’t usually do this but the plot twist is revealed in the film’s first ten or fifteen minutes. PLOT SPOILER ALERT: She kills him. She’s a serial killer of men. She tabulates his murder in her little black book, which records many other murders.
I suppose this is a radical feminist statement about male violence against women but had I known this was the movie’s plot, I would never have rented it. And I LIKE The Silence of the Lambs and The Little Things.
After the first revelation about Cassie, the plot goes downhill from there. At the café she DOES meet a nice man who went to medical school with her and is now a doctor. He is a promising romantic partner. But there’s no redemption for Cassie.
Not recommended except for fans of the weird, serial killers, and the violent.
So there you have it, my friends. You win some, you lose some.
In fairness to the latter two movies, Tom said he was entertained by them. So there’s that.
Enjoy your Movie Night!
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle worldwide, including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia Australia
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (“A must-read collection—The San Francisco Review of Books). On Nook, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo.
On Kindle at US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories is in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, and in Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1981104380
Find the Print book of SUMMER OF LOVE in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and New in Print in Australia The ebook is on US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands
The Gilded Age is In Print in the U.S. at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1975853172

In Print in the U.K. at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1975853172

In Print in Germany at https://www.amazon.de/dp/1975853172

In Print in France at https://www.amazon.fr/dp/1975853172

In Print in Italy at https://www.amazon.it/dp/1975853172

In Print in Spain at https://www.amazon.es/dp/1975853172

In Print in Japan at https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/1975853172

New! Now in Print in Australia at https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1975853172

The Gilded Age is an ebook on U.S. Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On U.K. Kindle https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Canada Kindle https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Australia Kindle https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On France Kindle https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Germany Kindle https://www.amazon.de/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Italy Kindle https://www.amazon.it/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Spain Kindle https://www.amazon.es/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Netherlands Kindle https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Mexico Kindle https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Brazil Kindle https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On India Kindle https://www.amazon.in/dp/B005QUIWDQ

On Japan Kindle https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B005QUIWDQ

ARACHNE is in print in the U.S. at https://www.amazon.com/dp/198435602X
In the U.K. at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/198435602X
In Germany at https://www.amazon.de/dp/198435602X
In France at https://www.amazon.fr/dp/198435602X
In Spain at https://www.amazon.es/dp/198435602X
In Italy at https://www.amazon.it/dp/198435602X
In Japan at https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/198435602X
New! Now in Print in Australia at Australia.
Arachne (a Locus Hardover Bestseller) is also an ebook on US Kindle, UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords.
On Kindle worldwide in France Kindle, Germany Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Spain Kindle, Mexico Kindle, Brazil Kindle, India Kindle, and Japan Kindle
Visit me at http://www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, interviews, round tables, cute pet pictures, the bespoke artwork and studio jewelry of Tom Robinson, forthcoming works, and more!

Tags authors, books, ebooks, fantasy, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author

Categories Uncategorized

Amazing Stories Online Review, Part I, of ODDITIES: 22 Stories, Part I Lisa Mason #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #publishedstories #magazinestories #authologystories #sciencefiction #fantasy #historicalfantasy

September 30, 2020 //

Here are excerpts from Steve Fahnestalk’s new review, Part I, of ODDITIES: 22 Stories at https://amazingstories.com/2020/09/new-book-review-lisa-masons-oddities-part-1/ Steve is an author, editor, and critic:
“For my 300th column for Amazing Stories®, I’ve chosen to review a new book by San Francisco’s Lisa Mason. It’s a collection of 22 previously published stories from such varied publishers as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s, Omni, and several anthologies…..So I’ll be splitting it into at least two parts, possibly three. …..
She’s the author of several books, many set in this city, and a large number of short stories, twenty-two of which appear in this new volume. The ebook version is available in print now in the U.S.; and on Kindle on November 17. Lisa is a very versatile writer, and this is a great collection. You may have read the occasional story by her in one of the above places, but I doubt you’ve read them all. The book’s divided into three sections, titled “Part I Yesterday” and (guess what?) “Part II Tomorrow”; and “Part III Fantasy.”
Part I comprises only four stories, but they’re goodies. The first, “Every Mystery Unexplained,” takes place in San Francisco in 1895. Danny Flint is the son of a traveling stage magician; he and his father and “Uncle Brady,” a freed slave, move from engagement to engagement in a huge covered wagon drawn by a team of four horses. Danny’s father has an illusion where he fences with “Death,” who is actually Danny behind a mirror, which is very popular with audiences, and Mr. Flint tells the audience he can communicate with the dead. (The mirror illusion is called “Pepper’s Ghost,” and can be seen in an episode of The Mentalist, as well as being used instead of CGI in the movie Home Alone.) Danny is disillusioned (sorry) with the life of a traveling magician’s assistant, and feels he is responsible for the death of his mother earlier. After a performance of the duel with Death, a mysterious, beautiful woman calling herself Zena Troubetzskoy asks Mr. Flint to communicate with her husband. Stage illusionists know that mentalism—that version practiced in the 19th century, at least—is a scam, and he refuses, but he’s broke and she has gold. Lisa weaves these disparate threads into a very engaging tapestry that will have you guessing till the last minute.
”Daughter of the Tao” is about Sing Lin, a mooie jai—a household slave girl bought from another family. Sing Lin works for the Cook in Tangrenbu, a 10-block area in what would eventually be called Chinatown in San Francisco. It’s either the 19th century or early 20th, some time before the famous 1906 earthquake. One day, when sent to buy shrimp for the Master’s dinner, Sing Lin meets Kwai Yin, a mooie jai who’s two years older than she. At this time, the Chinese are forbidden to bring their families to California, so Sing Lin and Kwai Yin must disguise themselves as boys to do their shopping (the Powers That Be at that time were afraid of what eventually happened anyway, that a lot of Asians would fill the state, along with other People of Colour including Indigenous, Hispanic, Black, and so on. What fools we mortals be, as Shakespeare said!).
When she’s with Kwai Yin, Sing Lin somehow sees magical creatures (there are four main ones: dragon, unicorn, phoenix and turtle); she learns that Kwai Yin is a Daughter of the Tao. Alas, there is only one end for a mooie jai that grows up, and that is to become a daughter of joy. (The joy is for the men who pay a procurer for a short time with the Daughters; there is no joy for them.) A bittersweet tale of a time gone by.
”Ghiordes Knot” begins in 220 BCE, in the time of Darius the King of Persia. We learn of the artistry of a man named Latif, who feels he is blessed by Ahura-Mazda, and has visions that he incorporates into the rugs he weaves (a non-manly art, but his own). In a short hop, we are in the current year (2020, remember? It’s gonna be one of those we want to forget about). Gabriella was an artist, nearly 30, whose gay life in San Francisco’s art colony was cut short when she succumbed to the blandishments of Geoff, a financial wizard of some kind. After they were married, he whisked her across the bay (to somewhere in the North) where she can only see the city itself dimly through the windows of their model home. Weaving the strands of this story, from 220 BCE to today, Lisa makes twin pictures: one of a woman held captive by an abusive husband; the other an artist who fails to please an abusive king.
I’m not sure how to characterize “The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria.” On the surface, it’s about a Surrealist painter named Nora, who fled Europe in 1941 with a playwright named “B.B.” for Mexico. Arriving in Mexico City, the two became friends with people like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera—the whole surrealist crowd in Mexico at that time—and a woman named Valencia. Now, my mother was a painter and a sculptor; she had studied with (not as a pupil of his) one of Australia’s premier artists, Russell Drysdale, so you can believe I know a little about art. This story makes it clear that Lisa Mason is also conversant with art; her descriptions of not only artworks and their process, but also the making of egg tempera and its uses show that art is something Lisa knows about and cares about.
According to the story’s afterword, it’s meant to parallel, or perhaps just echo, the story of two of her favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo—the Nora and Valencia of this story. They were both independent women bucking the male-dominated—in spite of Kahlo—world of Surrealist art at that time. The story itself, perhaps echoing the year Carrington spent in an asylum, dips into surrealism off and on…..”
So there you have it, my friends. I’m awaiting Parts II and III of Steve’s review!
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle Preorder worldwide, including in the US, in theUK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in theNetherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback right now in the US, in theUK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan.

Tags Anthology stories, fantasy, historical fiction, Magazine stories, Published Stories, science fiction, Story Collection

Categories Uncategorized

ODDITIES: 22 Stories by Lisa Mason #publishedstories #magazinestories #anthologystories #sciencefiction #fantasy #historical #SFWApro

August 22, 2020 //

ODDITIES
22 Stories
Lisa Mason
Here You Enter
Yesterday
Tomorrow
& Fantasy
Coming November 17, 2020 in Print and Ebook

Tags Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, dark fantasy, fantasy, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), historical fantasy, Immortal Unicorn, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author on Facebook, Lisa Mason on Facebook, Lisa Mason on Twitter, Lisa Mason Romantic Suspense Author, Lisa Mason Screenwriter, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author, Lisa Mason's Patreon Page, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Not One Us Digest # 61 April 2019, ODDITIES, Oddities: 22 Stories, Omni magazine, Patreon, science fiction, science fiction daily, short stories, Story Collection, Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), yesterday tomorrow and fantasy

Categories 2020, Arachne the Omni story, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, author, Bast Books, Books, Booksellers, Bookstore, bookstores, Chimera Story, Contemporary Fantasy, Crazy Chimera Lady, Dark modern fantasy, Daughter of the Tao, David Copperfield's Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), Ebooks, Facebook, Facebook Author Page, Facebook Personal Page, Fantasy, Fantasy Cat Story, Fantasy Story, Far Future, Fiction, Futuristic Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Hummers, Illyria, My Love, Librarians, Libraries, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author On Facebook, Lisa Mason Official Website, Lisa Mason on Facebook, Lisa Mason Romantic Suspense Author, Lisa Mason Screenwriter, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author, Lisa Mason's Patreon Page, Lovely Fantasy Story, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Magazine Story, Magazines, modern fantasy, Not One of Us Digest #61, Not One of Us, Issue # 61, April 2019, ODDITIES, Omni magazine, Omni Story, Patreon, Philip K. Dick Award Finalist, Print Book, Published Book, Published Story, Published Worldwide, Runaways, Science fiction, Short Stories, Short Story, Sold Story, Speculative Fiction, Stage Magic, Stage Magicians, Stories, Story Collection, Story That Sold to the Movies, Teardrop, Teardrop by Lisa Mason, The Bicycle Whisperer, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, The Shimmering Door, The Shimmering Door anthology, The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, Tomorrow Is A Lovely Day, Tomorrow Is A Lovely Day by Lisa Mason, Weird Fiction, Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 5th Annual Collection (St. Martin's Press)

Strange Ladies: 7 Stories Lisa Mason “A Must-Read Collection” The San Francisco Review of Books in Print and an Ebook Worldwide New Reviews #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #storycollection #fantasyandsciencefiction #publishedfiction #shortstories #publishedstories

March 31, 2020 //

Updated for 2020! Published in print in seven countries and as an ebook on eighteen markets worldwide.
As I mulled over my published short fiction (now forty stories), I found seven wildly different stories with one thing in common–a heroine totally unlike me. I’m the girl next door. I have no idea where these strange ladies came from.
In The Oniomancer (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine), a Chinese-American punk bicycle messenger finds an artifact on the street. In Guardian (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine), an African-American gallerist resorts to voodoo to confront a criminal. In Felicitas (Desire Burn: Women Writing from the Dark Side of Passion [Carroll and Graf]), an immigrant faces life as a cat shapeshifter. In Stripper (Unique Magazine), an exotic dancer battles the Mob. In Triad (Universe 2 [Bantam]), Dana Anad lives half the time as a woman, half the time as a man, and falls in love with a very strange lady. In Destination (Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction), a driver takes three strangers from a ride board on a cross-country trip as the radio reports that a serial killer is on the loose. In Transformation and the Postmodern Identity Crisis (Fantastic Alice [Ace]), Alice considers life after Wonderland.
Five stars on Facebook and Amazon! “Great work, Lisa Mason!”
“Hilarious, provocative, profound.”
From Jeanne-Mary Allen, Author on Facebook and the Book Brothers Blog: “Kyle Wylde and I are thrilled to have found such a talented, dedicated, and brilliant collection of shorts in Strange Ladies: 7 Stories…Your style/craft is highly impressive.”
From the San Francisco Book Review: “Strange Ladies: 7 Stories offers everything you could possibly want, from more traditional science fiction and fantasy tropes to thought-provoking explorations of gender issues and pleasing postmodern humor…This is a must-read collection.” http://anotheruniverse.com/strange-ladies-7-stories/
From the Book Brothers Review Blog: “Lisa Mason might just be the female Philip K. Dick. Like Dick, Mason’s stories are far more than just sci-fi tales, they are brimming with insight into human consciousness and the social condition….Strange Ladies: 7 Stories is a sci-fi collection of excellent quality. If you like deeply crafted worlds with strange, yet relatable characters, then you won’t want to miss it.” http://www.thebookbrothers.com/2013/09/the-book-brothers-review-strange.html#more
And on Amazon: 5.0 out of 5 stars This one falls in the must-read category, an appellation that I rarely use.
“I have been a fan of Lisa Mason from the beginning of her writing career, but I confess that I often overlook her short fiction. That turns out to have been a big mistake! I have just read Strange Ladies thinking I would revisit a few old friends and discover a few I had missed. Well, I had missed more than I had thought, and I regret that oversight. This collection was so much fun! I loved each and every story and enjoyed their unique twists, turns, and insights. I thank Ms Mason especially, though, for the high note ending with the big smiles in Transformation and the Postmodern Identity Crisis. Uh oh, I guess I still am a child of the summer of love. Well played. You made me laugh at the world and myself.”
From Amazing Stories. com “I’m quite impressed, not only by the writing, which gleams and sparkles, but also by [Lisa Mason’s] versatility . . . Mason is a wordsmith . . . her modern take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland is a hilarious gem! [This collection] sparkles, whirls, and fizzes. Mason is clearly a writer to follow!”—Amazing Stories
5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection that will make you think
Format: Kindle Edition
“My definition of a good short story is one that you keep thinking about for days, and this book had several of them.”
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (“A must-read collection—The San Francisco Review of Books). On Nook, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo.
On Kindle at US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories is in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, and in Japan.
Join my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206 and help me while I recover from the Attack. I’ve got delightful new stories and previously published stories, books excerpts, writing tips, movie recommendations, and more there for you with more on the way.
Visit me at www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, worldwide links, beautiful covers, reviews, interviews, blogs, round-tables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, and more!

Tags "Destination" in Strange Ladies`, "Felicitas" in Strange Ladies: 7 Stories, "Guardian" in Strange Ladies, "Stripper" in Strange Ladies, "The Oniomancer" in Strange Ladies, "Transformation and the Post-modern Identity Crisis", "Triad" in Strange Ladies, Contemporary Fantasy, Dark modern fantasy, dark urban fantasy, fantasy, horror, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author on Facebook, Lisa Mason on Facebook, Lisa Mason on Twitter, Lisa Mason Romantic Suspense Author, Lisa Mason Screenwriter, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author, Lisa Mason's Patreon Page, Patreon, Print Book, Published Book, Published Stories, Reviews of Strange Ladies, science fiction, Speculative Fiction, Strange Ladies: 7 Stories

Categories "Destination" in Strange Ladies: 7 Stories, "Felicitas" in Strange Ladies, "Guardian" in Strange Ladies, "Stripper" in Strange Ladies: 7 Stories, "The Oniomancer" in Strange Ladies, "Transformation and the Post-Modern Identity Crisis" in Strange Ladies, "Triad" in Strange Ladies, 2020, About My Patreon Page, Amazing Stories Book Review, Amazing Stories Magazine Review, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, author, Book Review, Books, Booksellers, Bookstore, bookstores, Contemporary Fantasy, Dark modern fantasy, dark urban fantasy, Desire Burn: Women Writing from the Dark Side of Passion (Carroll & Graf), Ebooks, Facebook Author Page, Facebook Personal Page, Fantastic Alice (Ace), Fantastic Alice: More Stories from Underground, Fantasy, Fiction, Librarians, Libraries, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author On Facebook, Lisa Mason Official Website, Lisa Mason on Facebook, Lisa Mason Romantic Suspense Author, Lisa Mason Screenwriter, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author, Lisa Mason's Patreon Page, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, modern fantasy, New York Public Library Recommended Book, New York Times Notable Book, Patreon, Philip K. Dick Award Finalist, Print Book, Published Book, San Francisco, San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Science fiction, Sold Story, Speculative Fiction, Strange Ladies: 7 Stories, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, The Oniomancer

Updated for 2020! The Garden of Abracadabra Is In Print In Seven Countries “Very Entertaining Urban Fantasy” Also an Ebook on Eighteen Markets Worldwide Lisa Mason #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #urbanfantasy #modernfantasy #contemporaryfantasy #magiccollege #magicians #magicapartmentbuilding

March 23, 2020 //

At her mother’s urgent deathbed plea, Abby Teller enrolls at the Berkeley College of Magical Arts and Crafts to learn Real Magic. To support herself through school, she signs on as the superintendent of the Garden of Abracadabra, a mysterious, magical apartment building on campus.
She discovers that her tenants are witches, shapeshifters, vampires, and wizards and that each apartment is a fairyland or hell.
On her first day in Berkeley, she stumbles upon a supernatural multiple murder scene. One of the victims is a man she picked up hitchhiking the day before.
Torn between three men—Daniel Stern, her ex-fiance who wants her back, Jack Kovac, an enigmatic FBI agent, and Prince Lastor, a seductive supernatural entity who lives in the penthouse and may be a suspect—Abby will question what she really wants and needs from a life partner.
Compelled into a dangerous murder investigation, Abby will discover the first secrets of an ancient and ongoing war between Humanity and Demonic Realms, uncover mysteries of her own troubled past, and learn that the lessons of Real Magic may spell the difference between her own life or death.
The Garden of Abracadabra is an ebook on BarnesandNoble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords.
On Kindle in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and India.
The Garden of Abracadabra is in Print in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan.
“So refreshing. . . .This is Stephanie Plum in the world of Harry Potter.”
Goodreads: “I loved the writing style and am hungry for more!”
Amazon.com: “Fun and enjoyable urban fantasy”
This is a very entertaining novel—sort of a down-to-earth Harry Potter with a modern adult woman in the lead. Even as Abby has to deal with mundane concerns like college and running the apartment complex she works at, she is surrounded by supernatural elements and mysteries that she is more than capable of taking on. Although this book is just the first in a series, it ties up the first “episode” while still leaving some story threads for upcoming books. I’m looking forward to finding out more.”
So there you have it, my friends! I’m delighted to announce The Garden of Abracadabra is in print and an ebook worldwide.
Join other patrons on my Patreon page and help me after the Attack. https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206. I’ve got delightful new and previously published stories, writing tips, book excerpts, movie recommendations, and more for patrons!
Visit me at www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, reviews, interviews, blogs, roundtables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, worldwide links, and more!
Please disregard any ad you see here. They have been placed without my permission.

Tags Abracadabra, Contemporary Fantasy, fantasy, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author on Facebook, Lisa Mason on Facebook, Lisa Mason on Twitter, Lisa Mason Romantic Suspense Author, Lisa Mason Screenwriter, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author, Lisa Mason's Patreon Page, magic apartment building, magic college, magical apartment building, magical college, Magicat, magicians, Patreon, Real Magic, The Garden of Abracadabra, The Garden of Abracadabra 1: Life's Journey, The Garden of Abracadabra 2: In Dark Woods, The Garden of Abracadabra 3: The Right Road, urban fantasy, urban fantasy and more

Categories 2020, Abracadabra!, author, Authors, Bast Books, Book Distributors, Book Marketing, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Booksellers, Bookstore, bookstores, Contemporary Fantasy, Ebooks, Facebook Author Page, Facebook Personal Page, Fantasy, Fiction, Garden of Abracadabra, Librarians, Libraries, Lisa Mason, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author, Lisa Mason Fantasy and Science Fiction Author On Facebook, Lisa Mason Official Website, Lisa Mason on Facebook, Lisa Mason Romantic Suspense Author, Lisa Mason Screenwriter, Lisa Mason Urban Fantasy Author, Lisa Mason's Patreon Page, Magic Apartment Building, Magic College, Magicat, Magicians, New York Public Library Recommended Book, New York Times Notable Book, Patreon, Philip K. Dick Award Finalist, Print Book, Published Book, Published Worldwide, Real Magic, The Garden of Abracadabra, The Garden of Abracadabra 1: Life's Journey, The Garden of Abracadabra 2: In Dark Woods, The Garden of Abracadabra 3: The Right Road, Urban Fantasy, Urban Fantasy and Beyond