Dark fantasy novel 'Bless the Skies' selected for national bookstore distribution

On Sept. 11, DartFrog Books selected "Bless the Skies" by Julie Elise Landry for distribution to independent booksellers nationwide.

DartFrog evaluates self-published books to ensure they meet the standards required by bookstores, then promotes and distributes its selected books to its network of partners.

"DartFrog's motto is 'Anyone can self-publish, but only the best can become DartFrog books.' And they've named 'Bless the Skies' a DartFrog Book of Distinction," Landry said. "Thanks to their confidence, more readers will be able to find this story."

Every book submitted to DartFrog undergoes a rigorous evaluation. Reviewers examine the book's binding, artwork, formatting, font choice, pacing, editing, and storytelling.

According to a DartFrog reviewer, "Landry's world is vivid with a clear hierarchy and system of government. Her female characters are strong, smart, and brave... The pacing is excellent—there is a lot of action and suspense to keep the reader's attention. (The main characters) complement each other well. They are on the fringes of society, and the underbelly of Landry's world is evocative."

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Landry self-published her debut novel in November 2015. She earned a Master of Arts in English from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and she works in communications.

​"Bless the Skies" follows Laeli Tavens, a skilled thief and murderer who must rescue her little sister Elaina from a sadistic nobleman. Throughout the journey, Laeli clings to a well-crafted denial of her past, while Elaina copes with brutalities and tortures she cannot understand.

​For more information or to purchase "Bless the Skies," visit blesstheskies.com.

Comic book mini-series offers modern, Southern Gothic take on "Beowulf"

In Winter 2017, independent comic writer Jake Nickens will publish "Lost Stories," a comic book mini-series offering a modern, Southern Gothic take on the three-part epic of "Beowulf."

Nickens said, "The tale of Beowulf’s quest for heroism is as old as the English language. Though many details have been lost—including the writer’s identity—we remember the legend of the young warrior battling monsters to save his people. The thread of his myth endures, fundamentally woven into the fabric of Western storytelling."

Nickens pulled on Beowulf’s thread and followed it from sixth-century Scandinavia to the rural town of Opossum Trot, Mississippi. Tyson Drake, an amnesiac drifter, wanders the rural South, fighting the figurative and all-too-real monsters that populate the frayed edges of the map. Aiding him on his journey is Evie, a loveable Pitbull with a healthy dose of attitude. As Tyson uncovers the stories of those lost and forgotten, the truth of his own dark history threatens to destroy the man he seeks to become.

When Tyson arrives in Opossum Trot, he unknowingly enters a colorful and dangerous world, where hospitality might mean bare-knuckle brawls or southern cooking—a tenuous realm populated by rhinestone gangster cowboys, serial killers in basement mazes, rural health food stores and at least one dragon.

​The first issue of the nine-issue series will be available for purchase in Winter 2017.

Eddy and Carol Sagebin of SageTribe Art are illustrating Nickens's story.

​Julie Elise Landry, author of "Bless the Skies," will serve as editor.