DOSA Files blog tour: Inspiration for my story and secret code!

21 Jun 2024 4 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in book tours Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s my Birthday and to celebrate I am going to talk about something I wrote! As you know I had a story accepted in the upcoming DOSA Files Anthology of superhero stories.

Superhero fans rejoice! The DOSA Files: Tales from the Supervillain Rehabilitation Project Anthology is launching June 27th.

If you love epic tales of heroism, humor, and heart, you’ll adore this collection.

Featuring stories from:
H.L. Burke, Sarah Pennington, Amber Gabriel, Karen Eisenbrey, Rena Gail, Jake Tyson, K.M. Carroll, C.O. Bonham, Michelle L. Houston, and Jenelle Leanne Schmidt.

About the Book:

10 Authors, 10 Stories, Endless Ways to Save the Day!

The Award-Winning Supervillain Rehabilitation Project series expands with this new ten-story anthology of exciting superhero (and villain!) tales.

Enter a world of superpowered heroes… and villains. Of epic adventure and hope.

In this collection you’ll find tales of humor, action, and suspense. Meet brave heroes, quippy villains, and desperate vigilantes.

All featured stories are PG or lower, making this a great read for all ages, but especially for fans of superhero fiction, heartfelt moments, and snarky humor.

Featuring New Superhero Stories from Award Winning authors as well as exciting new voices in the genre.

Are you ready to save the day?

Available on Amazon June 27th! Get your copy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5JS32QJ

Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212327283-dosa-files

My Inspiration for “Letting Off Steam.”

My story “Letting Off Steam” is a very fan service filled story filled with cameos from established SVR characters. But did you know it actually ties into another novel in the universe? Power Through is book three in the Supervillain Rescue Project. (The one with Marco on the cover.) From this book, I borrowed the setting, the villian, and of course Marco.

The truth: I just really wanted to write a story with Marco in it.

The more interesting version of the story behind the story:

As soon as Heidi mentioned that she wanted to open up her superhero universe to other authors, I knew I wanted to be included. I have read all the SVR books and had a wish list of all the things I wanted to know more about or include in a story.

I knew I was going to use Marco and an early draft actually had the story almost entirely from Marco’s POV. But once I realized that Violet was the more important of the characters I slowly took away Marco’s POV to make room for hers. But the more I wrote Violet, a.k.a. Valve, the more I figured out who she was and the more this became her story.

For Violet’s backstory, I took a cue from Stephen King. I always thought that Carrie was not a horror story but a superhero origin story in which the person chooses the wrong path. Why does Carrie become the villain? Because she has no support system or safe place to go. Her home life is just as bad as her school life.

So Violet also needed to have nowhere to go. Her dad hates sables and school is only survivable by pretending to not exist. There’s also the whole girls attacking her in the locker room thing too.

Next I needed a villain, and I needed one that would have a good reason to visit the abandoned steampunk park without knowing that someone was already living there. Who better than the man who used to use it as a lair. I also included Seth Wallace’s sister who appears in Captured by a Supervillain book three in the Supervillain Romance Project series, because I wanted the satisfaction of the two villains named Wallace actually interacting with each other.

But the real reason I wrote this story is — I really wanted to use the abandoned steampunk park as a base for a vigilante steampunk superhero.

My favorite part of the story was fleshing out the Jules Verne theme park. I went through the original descriptions and tried to make sure nothing I added contradicted them while also not repeating anything. After fleshing it out I really want to go there.

I used to work at an amusement park when I was younger. I pulled a lot of the feeling of walking through an empty park from that experience. Amusement parks are so different when you’re alone. They’re suddenly too big and too quiet and you feel so small walking through them.

The DOSA Files: Tales from the Supervillain Rehabilitation Project Anthology is available on Amazon June 27th! Get your copy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5JS32QJ

Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212327283-dosa-files

DOSA Needs Your Help!

The Cryptographer is targeting DOSA and scrambling their communications. We need your help to solve the codes and unscramble the messages.

Scattered throughout the various blog posts are six clues. Find them all and solve the puzzles to get a secret passcode. That passcode will give you entry to this form: https://forms.gle/55fAGSXAyyjDEFCw9

If you succeed DOSA will give you a chance to win a library of books written by the DOSA archivists.

One lucky puzzle solver will win a mini-ebook library of titles from our authors. (Winners chosen July 1st, 2024)

OR

One lucky puzzle solver will win a mini-paperback library of titles from our authors (US shipping only).

Decrypt Message Two:

ᛏᚺᛁᛜᛊ ᚨᚱᛖ ᚷᛖᛏᛏᛁᛜ ᛊᛖᚱᛟᚢᛊ, ᛊᛈᛖᚲᛟᚨᛚ ᚨᚷᛖᚾᛏ. ᚹᛖ ᚨᛏᛏᛖᛗᛈᛏᛖᛞ ᛏᛟ ᛊᛖᚾᛞ ᚨ ᛗᛖᛊᛊᚨᚷᛖ ᛏᛟ ᛚᚨᛚᛖᚺ ᚨᛊᚺᛖ, ᚺᛟᛈᛁᛜ ᚺᛖᚱ ᛏᛖᚲᚺ ᛈᛟᚹᛖᚱᛊ ᚹᛟᚢᛚᛞ ᛒᛖ ᛖᚾᛟᚢᚷᚺ ᛏᛟ ᚢᚾᛞᛟ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚲᚱᛁᛈᛏᛟᚷᚱᚨᛈᚺᛖᚱ’ᛊ ᛗᛁᛊᚲᚺᛁᛖᚠ, ᛒᚢᛏ ᛁᛏ ᛊᛟᛗᛖᚺᛟᚹ ᚱᛖᚹᚱᛟᛏᛖ ᛟᚢᚱ ᛗᛖᛊᛊᚨᚷᛖ ᛁᚾᛏᛟ ᚨ ᚱᛁᚲᚲᚱᛟᛚᛚ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛊᚺᛖ ᛒᛚᛟᚲᚲᛖᛞ ᚢᛊ. ᛁᛟᚢ ᛗᚨᛁ ᛏᚱᚢᛚᛁ ᛒᛖ ᛟᚢᚱ ᛟᚾᛚᛁ ᚺᛟᛈᛖ. ᛏᚺᛖ ᛊᛖᚲᛟᚾᛞ ᛚᛖᛏᛏᛖᚱ ᛟᚠ ᚦᛖ ᛈᚨᛊᛊᚲᛟᛞᛖ ᛁᛊ ᛟ.

Check out the other stops on our blog tour to decode all the encryptions and enter to win!

June 20th:

https://www.hlburkeauthor.com

https://jenelleschmidt.com

June 21st:

http://Cobonham.com (You are here, obviously!)

June 22nd:

https://authorambergabriel.com/blog

June 23rd:

https://corinnejet.wordpress.com/2024/06/23/hl-burke-exclusive-interview/ (post goes live 6/23/2024 6:30 AM PST)

June 24th:

http://creatingforcreator.wordpress.com

http://kmcarrollblog.wordpress.com

June 25th:

https://www.rachaelritchey.com

June 26th:

https://kareneisenbreywriter.com/blog/

June 27th:

https://Whichwaywriting.com

Don’t forget: once you’ve solved all the clues and discovered the passcode you can enter to win one of two epic prizes here: https://forms.gle/55fAGSXAyyjDEFCw9

Epic SVR News: A Kickstarter

29 Apr 2024 1 Comment

by C.O. Bonham in Author news, Cover Reveal Tags: , , , , , ,

Long time readers of this blog should know that I am obsessed with H.L. Burkes Superhero universe. It’s expanded well beyond the first five novels into MCU levels of content. And now it’s expanding again.

DOSA Files superhero anthology: 10 talented authors, 10 thrilling stories, ENDLESS ways to save the day.

That’s right, an anthology. Late last year H.L. Burke put out a call for submissions to see if anyone wanted to write stories in her expansive universe. Because she wants to actually pay the authors for their stories. H.L. Burke is running a Kickstarter to cover expenses.

DOSA Files cover art

10 Authors, 10 Stories, Endless Ways to Save the Day!

The Award-Winning Supervillain Rehabilitation Project series expands with this new ten-story anthology of exciting superhero (and villain!) tales.

Enter a world of superpowered heroes… and villains. Of epic adventure and hope. 

In this collection you’ll find tales of humor, action, and suspense. Meet brave heroes, quippy villains, and desperate vigilantes. 

All featured stories are PG or lower, making this a great read for all ages, but especially for fans of superhero fiction, heartfelt moments, and snarky humor. 

Featuring New Superhero Stories from Award Winning authors as well as exciting new voices in the genre. 

Are you ready to save the day?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dosafiles/tales-from-the-svr-universe-superhero-anthology?ref=user_menu

Not only did I write a story for it—it was accepted!

I am excited to introduce you to Violet Rivelt AKA Valve. My story even borrows a setting from one of the main books. In the novel Power Through, the final fight takes place at a Jules Verne themed amusement park. I loved that park and wanted to know more about it. So I when Heidi gave me permission to expand on it, I strapped on my goggles and wound my gears. And because I am a huge SVR fangirl, you can expect lots of cameos from my favorite characters.

Letting Off Steam by C.O. Bonham
When teenage Violet’s powers manifest unexpectedly in a school locker room, she’s convinced DOSA will have pegged her as a villain.
Fleeing to an abandoned, steampunk-themed amusement park, she struggles to get a handle on her powers and discover her true identity. 
The sudden appearance of actual supervillains throws a wrench in the gears.
Rewards Fit For Heroes—or Villains.

With the knowledge that I wrote a story in this anthology it might sound self-serving to ask you to back this Kickstarter, but as has been established I am a fangirl for this universe and you know I would be asking you to back it anyway, even if my story had been rejected. And there are some epic backer rewards.

Yes, there’s the standard ebook and paperback tiers, but there’s also a tier that gets you a TTRPG session DM’d by H.L, Burke herself. As someone who plays D&D with Heidi, I can assure you, this is a premium gaming experience.

If you can’t afford to back right now, that’s okay too. You can still help by sharing the Kickstarter. The campaign is only about a hundred dollars away from being fully funded at the time of this writing. Then we can start the stretch goals. Goal #1 is an audiobook production of the anthology. I am rooting for this goal because I love audiobooks and I’ve never had something I wrote in audio before.

Back or share the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dosafiles/tales-from-the-svr-universe-superhero-anthology?ref=user_menu

Add it to your TBR on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212327283-dosa-files

Second Chance Superhero Cover Reveal

26 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal, Dive In Review Tags: , , , , , , , ,

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know I am in love with the Superhero books by H.L. Burke. Her newest book releases next month and I am so excited! I was a beta reader for this book and it was amazing, So for this cover reveal I’m also giving you my honest opinion.

SECOND CHANCE SUPERHERO BLURB

Once a slacker, now a superhero, but will his ex buy the change?

Eleven years ago, Brayden Water’s high school sweetheart slammed the door in his face. Floundering, he found purpose first in the military, then by volunteering for genetic enhancements and joining the Department of Super-Abled as a full-time hero. Just when everything’s looking up, a family emergency summons him back to the hometown he gleefully put in his rearview. And guess who else is back in town? 

Rachel Blum has had it with men in general. A single mom who managed to scratch her way through medical school, she’s accepted that she can’t depend on anyone … especially not her sometimes criminal baby daddy, and definitely not her high school ex who has popped up out of nowhere after a decade of radio silence. Dang, though, Brayden’s even hotter than she remembered, and there’s … something different about him now, though she can’t quite put her finger on what. Could he really have finally gotten his act together? Can she take the risk?

Brayden’s bitterness over Rachel’s rejection slowly turns to admiration and begrudging affection. But even if he drops the fact that he can now fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes, will she ever see him as anything but a small-town loser? When her son’s father starts causing trouble, though, Brayden realizes, she might just need a hero in her life after all.

A review from me:

Second Chance Superhero chronologically follows Accidentally a Supervillain, But officially this is book three in the Superhero Romance Project, and so technically follows Superhero Ever After.

This book is a swoony in all the right ways. Wholesome ways, hilarious ways, and heroic ways. I always love the Characters in this series, but these are especially sweet. Because they dated in highschool Brayden and Rachel have so much on page chemistry.

But of all the cozy superheroes — can superheroes be cozy? If they can this is probably the Coziest. The big fight, scenes are only in the beginning and the end. And only the villains in the beginning are a real threat. It really feels like a look at what real life would be like for a real superhero. I love superpowers but seriously, this book would be an easy special effects budget. (What are you waiting for Hallmark?)

Reading this book is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket, lighting a scented candle, putting in a Marvel movie and pulling up your shopping cart of wine. (I promise that last part will make sense when you read it.)

This book was even better because of the amount of inside jokes that you get when you know the Author personally. I would tell them all to you — but you really had to be there.

As always, I read an early version of this book for the LOLs. Then I decided, all on my own, to inflict my opinion of it on you.

REVIEWS FROM EARLY READERS:

“Can superheroes be cozy? Second Chance Superhero is the novel equivalent of a Marvel movie, a shopping cart of wine, and a scented candle.” 

— C.O. Bonham, author of Runaway Lyrics (That’s Me!)

“Great story! It’s like a Hallmark movie with a sci-fi budget.”

— Max B. Sternberg, author of The Rhise of Light

“H.L. Burke’s superhero books just keep getting better and better! (And they were amazing to begin with.) I have devoured every book in the series and eagerly await each new release. In Second Chance Superhero, I was sucked in to Brayden’s and Rachel’s plight, rooting for them to overcome their pasts, and couldn’t stop reading. No matter which book you pick up in this series, I highly recommend!”

— Michele Israel Harper, award-winning editor and author of Kill the Beast

Second Chance Superhero is a new Superhero Romance from author H.L. Burke and part of the longer, multi-series SVR/DOSAverse expanded universe of superhero fiction. 

The book launches on September 9th, but you can pre-order it on Amazon. 

It’s a tale of love after heartbreak, coming home, and second chances featuring a cocky but damaged superhero and the high school sweetheart who broke his heart but is now a single mom (and doctor)  haunted by her own past… also, French fries, a cart-load of wine, and surprisingly high number of dinosaurs. 

Book Links:

https://amzn.to/3QWw09w*
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196959641-second-chance-superhero 

Author Bio:

H. L. Burke has written more books than she can count—because she’s written a lot of books, not just because she can’t count very high. 

Easily distracted by shinies, she has published in many subgenres including fantasy romance, Steampunk, and superhero, and always creates story worlds with snark, feels, and wonder. 

Married to her high school crush, she spends her time writing, spoiling her cat, and supervising her two supervillains in training (aka her precocious daughters). 

An Oregon native, she wilts without trees and doesn’t mind the rain. She is a fan of delicious flavor, a follower of the Light, and a believer in happily ever after.

Author Links

www.hlburkeauthor.com 

https://amzn.to/47GnjpA*

https://www.facebook.com/hlburkewriter

https://www.instagram.com/burkesdragons/

https://twitter.com/hlburkewriter

https://www.tiktok.com/@hlburkeanddragon?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

*This Blog is a member of the Amazon Associates program clicking an Amazon Link will give me a small kick back at no cost to you. We appreciate your support.

Cover Reveal: A Superhero for Christmas

24 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , , , , , , ,

If Marvel and Hallmark had a baby, it would be A Superhero For Christmas

A Superhero for Christmas, a holiday superhero romantic comedy by H. L. Burke arrives to save the day November 5th, 2022.

Pre-order now so it hits your E-readers in plenty of time for Christmas.

This cozy Christmas romance takes place in the same world as Burke’s Supervillain Rehabilitation Project, but can be read independently.

A SUPERHERO FOR CHRISTMAS

When superhero, Glint’s, aka Henry Nichols’s, powers go on the fritz after a supervillain attack, he finds himself rethinking his priorities. Years of devotion to public service have left him with little for himself, and with forty swiftly approaching, he finds himself longing for his youth on his grandfather’s farm. An incognito vacation is just what he needs.

Former reporter Lara Landis lost her career and her only long-term relationship all in one humiliating blow. Broke and rudderless, she retreats to her parents’ small town grocery store to try and make one last career rally, but how is she going to get a big scoop living in the middle of nowhere? When a poorly disguised superhero lands in her neighborhood, insisting that he’s just a normal guy, she can’t help but smell a story.

As their chance encounters turn into a begrudging friendship, Lara is surprised to find a caring, sincere human beneath Henry’s press-conference-ready exterior. When the truth comes out, though, her big story could turn into his worst nightmare.

Amazon Pre-Order:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFK45G8K

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62611074-a-superhero-for-christmas

What are early readers saying about A Superhero for Christmas?

Hallmark and Marvel got together to have a baby, Superhero for Christmas. An adorable heart-warming cozy read for the reader looking for some superhero charm with their rom-com.~Ticia

Christmas, romance, and superheroes…this story lifted my heart up, up, and away!~Ernie Laurence,  Jr, author of the Islands of Loar series.

A cozy Christmas rom-com with superheroes… it doesn’t get better than this! ~ Brianna

This story has all of the feels with, thankfully, not a thing that was sappy. This is how I have always wished Hallmark holiday stories were written. ~ Veronica Lynn AKA Mrs. Spellsmith

Website:

https://www.hlburkeauthor.com/supervillain-rehabilitation-project

About the Author:

H. L. Burke has written more books than she can count—because she’s written a lot of books, not just because she can’t count very high.

Easily distracted by shinies, she has published in many subgenres including fantasy romance, Steampunk, and superhero, and always creates story worlds with snark, feels, and wonder.

Married to her high school crush, she spends her time writing, spoiling her cat, and supervising her two supervillains in training (aka her precocious daughters).

An Oregon native, she wilts without trees and doesn’t mind the rain. She is a fan of delicious flavor, a follower of the Light, and a believer in happily ever after.