July starts off with a bang for Medallion Press!

The fireworks have started early for Medallion Press as July brings us plenty to celebrate!

We are thrilled to announce the teaming with New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham for the second release in the Medallion Masterpiece Collection. The illustrated romantic masterpiece, There Be Dragons, will include beautiful illustrations by the talented artistic team of Cherif Fortin and Lynn Sanders. In addition to being the second release in a new imprint for Medallion Press, it will also include a music CD containing original music arranged by Heather Graham and Ruben Amiel and performed by The Slush Pile.

Heather Graham has over one hundred novels and novellas under her belt in the categories of romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas family fare. She is a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA, and has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Party since 1999 with all proceeds going to a children’s charity.

The book will follow the format of the imprint as an illustrated romance novella in hardcover format. Each release within this imprint will be beautifully designed with every page carefully crafted to be stunning in its visual impact and each storyline filled with passion, seduction, and intrigue. The book will be available in stores September, 2009.

The first book in the Medallion Masterpiece Collection, Passion’s Blood, by Cherif Fortin and Lynn Sanders is scheduled to hit store shelves November, 2008.

To keep the excitement going, we have three new releases to sweep you away this summer.

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Lose yourself in Holly Taylor’s newest epic fantasy, Cry of Sorrow.

The Coranians have won the war, Kymru is defeated. For Havgan, however, the victory is not complete. Cadair Idris, the hall of the High Kings, remains closed to him. To gain entrance he must locate the Four Treasures—the Stone, the Spear, the Cauldron and the Sword—and bring them to the Guardian of the Doors. Only then can he proclaim himself High King of Kymru.

But the Treasures were hidden long ago, after the death of the last High King. To find them Gwydion the Dreamer must locate a long-forgotten song, and the clues it contains. Following the dictates of the song, he persuades Rhiannon, her daughter Gwenhwyvar, and his nephew Arthur to set out with him on the dangerous quest.

Dogged by Havgan's soldiers they race against time to find the artifacts. But the difficult journey is made even harder by the distrust they have for each other, as well as the necessity to face their own worst fears in order to succeed and gain entrance into Cadair Idris—only to watch helplessly as Arthur risks his life, and his very soul, on the next move in the deadly game.

4 ½ Stars – TOP PICK
“Murder, treason, magic and love combine to make this epic fantasy a tale that will blow you away. Even if you haven’t read the first two books—and you should to fully appreciate the story—you’ll be drawn into this sweeping saga. The world building is superb, and excellent character development skillfully exposes personality and motivation.”
~ Gail Pruszkowski, Romantic Times BOOKreviews

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Enter the small southern town of Sequoyah, Georgia, and fall in love with the inhabitants in Raymond L. Atkins’s debut release The Front Porch Prophet.

What do a trigger-happy bootlegger with pancreatic cancer, an alcoholic helicopter pilot who is afraid to fly, and a dead guy with his feet in a camp stove have in common?

What are the similarities between a fire department that cannot put out fires, a policeman who has a historic cabin fall on him from out of the sky, and an entire family dedicated to a variety of deceased authors?

Where can you find a war hero named Termite with a long knife stuck in his liver, a cook named Hoghead who makes the world's worst coffee, and a supervisor named Pillsbury who nearly gets hung by his employees?

Sequoyah, Georgia is the answer to all three questions. They arise from the relationship between A. J. Longstreet and his best friend since childhood, Eugene Purdue. After a parting of ways due to Eugene's inability to accept the constraints of adulthood, he reenters A.J.'s life with terminal cancer and the dilemma of executing a mercy killing when the time arrives.

Take this gripping journey to Sequoyah, Georgia and witness A.J.'s battle with mortality, euthanasia, and his adventure back to the past and people who made him what he is—and helps him make the decision that will alter his life forever.

"The Front Porch Prophet is a fine piece of southern fiction—by turns poignant and hilarious. Atkins knows his front porches; the rustics who inhabit his novel are real people who walk right off the page, but he's also had some book learning...in the rich, lucid prose, one finds moments of breathtaking elegance.

With a knack for storytelling, a sly sense of humor, and a Faulkneresque sensibility, Ray Atkins enters the literary scene with aplomb, and he plans to stay."
~ Melanie Sumner, author of The School of Beauty and Charm and Polite Society.

“Raymond Atkins tells a story at once comic and deeply tender, a story of friendship, love, unexpected brotherhood, and redemption. The world he paints is so full of wonderful eccentrics you’ll wish you could stop off for a cup of bad coffee at The Wages of Sin Are Fried Chicken Diner. I don’t have to be a prophet to predict you’ll adore this book.”
~ Man Martin, author of Days of the Endless Corvette

“Atkins is the new Twain… This is what you get when you blend the best sense of humor in the world and the biggest heart: The Front Porch Prophet.”
~ Ken Anderson, author of Someone Bought the House on the Island and The Statue of Pan

“In The Front Porch Prophet, Raymond L. Atkins whisks the reader into a world of Southern quirkiness, a world that is well-populated by many novelists and story-tellers from the Deep South. The novel is reminiscent of the longtime favorites coming from such Georgia penners as Erskine Caldwell and Flannery O’Connor but with Atkins’ unique voice leading the way into and through the tradition of quirky characters doing quirky things in quirky ways.”
~ Kenneth Robbins, author of The City of Churches and Buttermilk Bottoms

“It’s creative and clever beyond comment. I’m simply blown away. I laughed out loud, chuckled, grinned, felt sad, found hope, and burst into tears. That’s pretty powerful writing to my way of thinking.”
~Terre Gorham, Editor, Memphis Downtowner Magazine

“The Front Porch Prophet is a deep poignant look at friendship in a small Georgia town… Fans will appreciate this insightful glimpse at life in the south where sipping Georgia ice tea on a cabin’s porch might be dangerous as anything can fall from the sky; just ask the cops.”
~ Harriet Klausner, Gotta Write Network

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Fall into the romance and betrayal of the Wild West in Beth Ciotta’s final installment to the Wild West Trilogy The Fall of Rome.

They gamble their lives with reckless abandon, but are they brave enough to bet on love?

Famous for bending the law to get his man, former Wells Fargo detective, Rome Garrett signs on with the Peacemaker Alliance, a covert government agency intent on taming the west. Unfortunately, his first assignment involves teaming up with the only woman who ever broke his heart in order to entrap a cold-blooded killer. Bringing down Bulls-eye Brady would restore Rome’s tarnished career. As a personal bonus he vows to show his old flame how it feels to love and lose, vanquishing the beautiful hellcat from his dreams once and for all.

Retired cardsharp, Kat Simmons, has been in hiding for six years. Now she’s being asked to risk her hard won obscurity by baiting the very man she fears. Not only that, the plan involves spending intimate time with Rome, the only man she ever truly loved. Readopting her flamboyant persona, Kat joins Rome on a whirlwind poker tournament tour, gaining notoriety as they clean up at the tables. When word gets out that Kat Simmons is back on the circuit, with any luck, Bulls-eye Brady will show up to reclaim the woman who “got away”. Meanwhile Kat and Rome grapple with rekindled passion, past betrayals, and a secret that could prove their doom.

“Ciotta strikes gold with this fast-paced western. The characters that readers loved in her Wild West series are back in this intricately plotted story, which has a hero and heroine who fight like cats and dogs.”
~ Faith V. Smith, Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“The large cast of characters, including Rome’s family and their love interests, make for a rollicking read.”
~ BookPage

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From all of us at Medallion Press, have a safe and happy Fourth of July!
God Bless America!