New book

A few hours left in preorder campaign!

Giveaways, New book, News & Updates

🎃👑 There are less than ten hours left to preorder #ShadesofRustandRuin and be entered for a chance to win this collector’s edition, crafted and curated by me! With its sprayed edges, removable grunge Halloween “Jacket-tat” (jacket tattoo slipcover), dyed/textured interior, and bookmark bungee, it’s eerily unique. And it will be autographed with a personal note to the winner! Also, in keeping with the holiday theme, an adult #Halloween coloring book will be included with this #prize. 🎨
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Best of all, everyone who completes the online form showing a qualified proof of purchase receives a free character flipcard of Nix and the #GoblinKing just for preordering! 🎁 Simply click this link to visit the Bloomsbury online entry form. And to all who’ve already preordered, thank you and good luck!
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#GoblinMarket #Labyrinth #bookstagram #aghowardbooks #aghoward #jacktat #bookcover #authorsofinstagram #portalfantasy #yalit #beautifulbooks #bloomsburyya #exclusivecollectorsedition #retelling #preordercampaign #goblinfruit #freebies

Finished writing my newest novel!

2 Comments / Events, New book, News & Updates, Updates

Today, although summer’s around the corner, I’ve been swept away by the autumn spirit . . . partly because of the gloriously dreary weather we’ve been having here in Amarillo lately (overcast and rainy days are a rare occurrence indeed!), but much more because I FINALLY FINISHED WRITING MY WiP, MYSTIQUIEL, a young adult urban fantasy set during the Halloween season! 🎃👻

Fun facts:

  • This is book one of a duology. The working title is “Mystiquiel: Of Rust and Ruin”
  • Premise: On Halloween night, seventeen-year-old Phoenix Loring, an amateur graphic novelist still grieving the death of her sister, steps from modern-day Astoria, Oregon into a portal—leading to a dark fairyland that appears to be born of her own imagination—where she must face a mercurial goblin king’s maze to rescue the people she loves. 😈👑
  • The portal world is described by Nix herself as “an industrial-faerie dreamscape” and the goblins and faeries as “part magic, part lore, and part mechanism.” Think: Goblin Market meets Labyrinth with cyberpunk/horror elements.
  • Why did I choose Astoria for my MC’s hometown? For one, The Goonies movie was filmed in the port city; there’s also a trolley tour, shops and art galleries, brewpubs, and misty mountains, beaches, and forests galore. This all adds up to a beautiful, unique, and gloomy atmosphere—the perfect parallel to my Goblin King’s domain.

Manuscript writing stats—Started writing the book proposal (first 100 pages and a 7-page synopsis) in late fall 2019; sent proposal out to publishers in June 2020; sold the book on proposal July 2020; completed MS May 2021; Final word count: 105,505 (approx. 420+ pages).

I’ll be posting insights into the story, setting, characters, and creatures over the next few months. Until then, I’m going to catch up on some pleasure reading in hopes to make a dent in my TBR tower. 😊

The Wisdom of Blood paperbacks are here!

New book, News & Updates, Updates, vampires

At long last, the #paperback version of #TheWisdomofBlood is now available for purchase (thanks to everyone for your patience)! For buying options, go here.

Also, the English version of the paperback will be available for international purchase at BookDepository.com soon. I’ll update my ordering options page once it is.

SIDE NOTE: I’ll be having a giveaway in a few weeks to celebrate, and will make it a foreign affair this time so anyone can enter. Keep an eye out for that!

Until then, the due date for my Goblin Market/Labyrinth inspired ya-lit urban fantasy is nipping at my heels, so I’ll be laying low online to pound out the last part of the book. Happy reading to everyone, and I’ll see you soon!

My Bloody Valentine Giveaway

39 Comments / Events, Giveaways, New book, News & Updates, Updates, vampires

Welcome to My Bloody Valentine Giveaway, in celebration of Valentine’s Day and The Wisdom of Blood’s ebook birthday! 🎂🧛🏻💝🦇💟

Check out the prizes up for grabs below, then be sure to enter the rafflecopter for a chance to win one!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PLEASE NOTE: This is a domestic giveaway only. I can’t afford the foreign S&H right now, but I will have a smaller foreign giveaway soon when money’s not so tight, so all my readers will have a chance to win something then!

Good luck to all who enter, and don’t forget to purchase my ebook today, if you’re up for a darkly romantic read. 💋 You can find a free excerpt and buying options on the book’s landing page here. And if you’re waiting for the paperback version, it will be launching in a couple of weeks. I’ll let everyone know here when it’s ready for ordering.

A peek into the worlds of Nocturnus:

New book, Updates, vampires

Today I’m revealing the #aesthetic and #auditory#inspirations that helped me write and revise #TheWisdomofBlood, my #adultlit#vampirefantasy / #gothicromance that is debuting on Sunday, February 14th.

The #worldbuilding in this book was HUGE, which explains why it’s close to 500 pages. There are three distinct worlds I had to build from the ground up (one of them, literally, because the #vampire realm is located deep beneath the earth’s substratum).

First is Mordecai’s world—#Nocturnus, a labyrinth of subterranean tunnels and canals. Within lives a kindredship of wealthy, ingenious, and beautiful vampires who are ruled by blood, passion and immortality. There’s other beauty in this realm, such as glowing flowers, gondolas, pomegranates, and music. Then, the foil to all this beauty: bloodthirst, savagery, and mutant underlings known as gargoyles.

Next is Gwyndolaire—Lynora’s world: a pristine castle where a sisterhood of vampire halflings hide from the darkness tainting their blood by embracing the sunlight. These sisters are well versed in self-defense, along with the lore of vampires—how they originated from #EgyptianMythology, and the role bats play not only in history but in their daily life. Unlike the kindredship, the sisterhood feeds peacefully, by throwing galas. Wearing gold makeup, they entertain unwitting donors, using hypnosis to drain their blood, then send the attendees safely away … none the wiser.

And lastly is The Cummings’ Asylum for Orphaned Children—young Father Lucien’s world: a townhouse and its occupants being haunted by either a perplexing miracle, or a hellish plague. But Lucien is not your typical priest, and he has his own demons chasing him.

Throughout the story, these very different worlds collide, brought together by the plight of the orphaned children. This final image offers a peek at some of the music that inspired the atmosphere and moods of all three worlds.

Follow this link to the Nocturnus landing page, where you’ll find preordering options, as well as links to my #pinterest board and spotify where you can listen to the #playlist.

Everything’s coming up vampires! (cover reveal and giveaway)

Cover reveal, Giveaways, New book, News & Updates

Today I’m revealing my newest adult book’s official cover art, and am having a vampire-themed INTL giveaway to celebrate! Here’s a quick description of the story: The gaslit gothic atmosphere of a Victorian penny dreadful meets the dangerous romance of Hades and Persephone in A.G. Howard’s newest lush adult vampire fantasy fraught with passion, horror, and mystery.

For the full description, check out my IG post here.

Now, here are the goodies up for grabs:

To enter the giveaway, follow this link to the rafflecopter and choose your options!

And for anyone who wants to share the cover image for extra entries, I’ll drop this little pretty right here:

The giveaway will run through November 11th. Good luck to everyone!