What’s New

Check out a Free eBook Promo!

I love getting free stuff, and I bet you do too. That’s why I’m telling you about the Free Paranormal and Fantasy Tales promotion going on right now through the end of December. Check out the free books, and maybe you’ll find another author you enjoy.

CLICK HERE to go to the PROMO

Sneak Peek at Yes, Ironspell, There is a Santa Claus

I thought I’d offer my fans a sneak peek at the upcoming book, Yes, Ironspell, there is a Santa Claus.  My blurb for the book is as follows:

The Krampus is kidnapping children. Santa makes an unscheduled stop to ask Ironspell and his Jotun partner, Vetr, for help. Together, they must visit Hel to gain entrance to the Krampus’ stronghold. But can they rescue the children and stop the Krampus from enacting his dastardly plan?

Check out the first chapter, and be sure to preorder it right here!

Continue reading “Sneak Peek at Yes, Ironspell, There is a Santa Claus”

The Myths and Legends Behind The Ironspell Chronicles

If you’ve been a fan of mine for some time, I’d wager you probably know I take quite a bit from myths and legends. It’s not surprising to see werewolves and vampires in an urban fantasy. But what about the gods and the creatures, such as the Jotun? Well, in the next several posts, I’m going to give you insight into my crazy world and what I’ve borrowed and from where.

Norse Legends

Not surprisingly, I take from the Norse and Viking legends. The Norse had some pretty cool ideas when it came to their pantheon and the landvaettr (land spirits) that inhabited their world. The Norse had their own version of zombies, vampires, and yes, even werewolves, so I tried to blend that into my writings to provide richness in that particular world.  If you’re a fan of the Marvel comics, you know that Jotun are giants. In the myths, Jotun could be frost giants, fire giants, or something else. I tried very hard with Winter of Our Discontent and Oathbreaker to add these creatures to the story and make them believable. You’ve already seen Eir, Loki, Odin, Thor, and Tyr, not to mention Fenrir and Jormungandr, so I figure that’s pretty well covered.

What About the Christian Side?

I’ve decided to add the archangels and demons (not to be confused with Tuzren, the daemon) to the mix because Christianity has its own rich lore. I decided that dealing with the Watchers and the Angels gives me enough to work with without adding Yahweh and Jesus to the story. Sure, the Christian god is part of people’s faith, which is why I keep the story focused on the angels and demons. I figure the Christian god has enough to do without worrying about what our hero, Ironspell, is doing. Plus, he’s got angels to handle the tasks at hand.

What About Other Pantheons?

I’ll probably be adding more pantheons as the series progresses.  The Roman/Greek gods are always interesting, and probably the best known. But there are Celtic gods, Slavic gods, Hindu gods, Native American gods, and Egyptian gods. I suspect I’ll be bringing those in as the stories progress.  After all, there are plenty of rich tales in that folklore.

I’m hoping to give a little background in some of the legends I use right here as the books come out. Anyway, be free to ask questions in the comments.

Fiction by MH Bonham

I just had a fan ask me for a list of books by MH Bonham (that’s me). I’ll preface it by saying these are fiction titles of mine that you can get online. These are the main ones, although I suspect I have some smaller pieces of work out there that my fans can access online.  So, here’s the list. I’ll try to keep this updated as new releases appear.

Books by MH BONHAM

The Ironspell Chronicles Series

That Dragon was in No Way my Fault

A Date with a Werewolf

Alchemist Rules (Book One)

Elfshot (Book Two)

The Trouble with Bats

Wolfsbane (Book Three)

Oathbreaker (Book Four)

Winter of Our Discontent (July 2020)

Hellfire (August 2020)

The Swords of Destiny Series

Prophecy of Swords

Runestone of Teiwas

Lachlei

Daemons and Shadows

Serpent Singer and Other Stories

The King’s Champion

Other Books

Howling Dead

Samurai Son

Murder Most Howl

Free Sneak Peek! Oathbreaker — First Chapter

Since I’ve been running a bit late on Oathbreaker, I thought I’d give you a sample chapter to whet your interest. Let me know what you think! You can preorder it HERE.


Oathbreaker  — Chapter One

When I met Odin again, I knew I’d need a bigger can of whup-ass. If I managed to survive the army of fallen angels or Watchers, as they called themselves.

Standing in the cavern where Fenrir, the Wolf of Ragnarok, had laid stricken with venom from the Mayan feathered serpent god, Kukulkan, made me realized how fucked up my life was. Everything had been going more or less according to plan until Sigrún, one of Odin’s Valkyries, had betrayed me. She decided to turn the Wolf of Ragnarok back over to Odin, even though I had told her and Odin that I had a plan. Apparently they didn’t trust me enough to at least listen and try it.

Now, all they did was delay Ragnarok, instead of maybe avoiding it altogether. And Kukulkan bit my werewolf girlfriend and her mother, injecting them with powerful venom. My friends, Elryn, the Light Elf and Tuzren, the demon, had transported them out of there before the Watchers could kill them.

Now, I turned in time to see the Watchers rush toward me with their flaming swords drawn. Usually, a Normal person would’ve freaked out and begged for mercy. After all, it’s not every day you get to see bat-winged, albinos with fiery swords and automatic weapons. But, I’m not a Normal, or a person without magic.

My name is Officer Robert “Bob” Ironspell-Cabas, a Denver cop, although most of my friends call me Ironspell, and that’s the name I go by. I’ve been hesitant to call myself a wizard—or a mage, as the stuck-up magic users call themselves—but I’ve been slinging around spells like a fairy grabbing doughnuts on a three-day sugar buzz. In other words, saying I’m not a wizard no longer cuts it. I’m just not the best wizard out there, and as my Dark Elf relatives like to point out, I’m not that well-trained. But, at least I’m housebroken.

So, when the Watchers came blasting into the cavern looking for Fenrir and instead got me, they were understandably upset. I recognized two of them almost immediate: Azazel and Samyaza. The two fallen angels looked both beautiful and menacing as they half flew, half ran towards me. The Watchers looked much as they had when they were part of the Heavenly Host, except they now had bat wings instead of feathers, and their furrowed brows and menacing glares told me all I needed to know. They were pissed.

Azazel’s title was commander of the Watchers, and his white hair was only outdone by his almost translucent skin. Samyaza’s black hair contrasted with the same pale skin. Both were intensely beautiful, but both held haughty and arrogant expressions which marred their faces. They wore fatigues and battle armor in the style you’d see on any GI. As they rounded the corner on me, I cast a shield, hoping to buy enough time to create a portal and get the hell out of Dodge. Except I wasn’t in Dodge.

I was in Montana, somewhere in the wilderness far away from help. So, I tore open a Gateway to Denver and dove towards it. At that moment, I saw what I would call “Dark Force Lightning”—you know, that black and purple lightning that came from Emperor Palpatine’s hands?—hit my Gateway and it snapped shut. I slammed headfirst into the cavern’s wall.

You know how in old cartoons they’d show stars or little birds flying around someone’s head? Seeing stars isn’t exactly like that, but it’s close. More like my vision went tunneled with flashes of lights. The only reason why I didn’t go unconscious was I had my hands out in front of me. And that fucking hurt. Big time.

What hurt infinitely worse was Samyaza grabbing me by the neck and hauling me to my feet, a la Darth Vader. Apparently it was a Star Wars day. I could only wish for A New Hope.

“Where is Fenrir?” the Watcher demanded.

“There are no plans. We’re on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan,” I squeaked. Yeah, witty, I know.

Another Watcher came around from the interior of the cave. I didn’t seem to recall him disappearing. “There’s no one else here. Whoever was here is gone.”

“Acknowledged.” Azazel stood beside Samyaza and leered at me. “So, where did you put the Wolf? Did you bring him to your home?”

“Errrrh…nerrrh…” I gasped for breath.

“Set him down but hold onto him. We won’t get our answers from a dead man.” Azazel looked at me with a calculating expression.

Samyaza looked askance at his leader, but lowered me down until my feet touched the ground. I breathed in as the pressure around my trachea subsided. “I don’t…have…him…” I panted.

“No? Then, kill him.” Azazel turned around to bark orders at the other Watchers.

“But, I know…where…” I began before Samyaza’s fingers tightened on my throat.

“Wait.” Azazel raised a finger. The pressure stopped. “You know where the Wolf of Ragnarok is?” I nodded. “Tell me, then.”

I stayed silent until Samyaza removed his hand from my throat. I coughed a few times. “Why should I tell you? You’ll kill me after you get the information.”

Azazel nodded. “Very shrewd. But I’ll kill you anyway because I think you’re bluffing.”

“Go ahead. Even if you figure out where he is, you’ll never be able to get to him without my help.” I shook my head.

“Kill him.”

Samyaza reached for me, but hit the shield I silently constructed after Samyaza moved back. Azazel screamed and charged me, but I threw my own version of Force lightning at him. Mentally, I decided to call it “wizard lightning” since I wasn’t working for the Dark Side.

I hoped.

Azazel lit up like a Fae firestorm. The lightning knocked him backwards unceremoniously on his ass and lit his wings on fire. The stench of burning bat wing was enough to make me gag.

I thought I knew what a pissed off demon looked like. I had Tuzren, who was a daemon, technically, though every wizard and mage I knew called his kind demons. Daemons are creatures from other planes of existence and not in the general Nine Worlds—or Nine Universes. The Watchers, aka the Fallen Angels, aka the Judeo-Christian demons were nothing like angry Tuzren. Tuzren, when pissed off, was scary; the Watchers, however, were positively terrifying.

“Kill him!” Azazel shouted and his skin grew red and burst into flame. All at once, the two dozen or so Watchers that assembled around me attacked.

The Trouble with Bats is Available on Amazon!

Guess what, peeps? My new Ironspell Halloween story, The Trouble with Bats, is now available on Amazon and it’s available FREE on Kindle Unlimited.  Don’t have Kindle Unlimited? That’s okay, because if you cruise over to Amazon on Halloween or the day after, you can get the book for free! Get it HERE on Amazon!

Working on a new Halloween book!

Okay, I know I wasn’t planning on it, but yesterday I started The Trouble with Bats and it’s already hilarious. This story takes place when Ironspell was back in college and went with a buddy to release mice and bats over in a Vampire neighborhood.  Yeah, that’s a recipe for comedy right there. Hopefully I’ll have it written in time for Halloween!

Elfshot Releases Today, PLUS FREE Sample of Elfshot

I know you’ve all been waiting for Elfshot, so the waiting is over! Elfshot is now available on Amazon for $4.99 or you can read it free if you have Kindle Unlimited.

BUY IT HERE

 

To whet your appetite, I’ve included a sample for you to enjoy. Check it out:

ELFSHOT

MH Bonham

Chapter One

“Excuse me, sir, but your demon appears to be growing.”

I glanced at the harried waitress before looking at Tuzren. Beau Jo’s Pizza was surprisingly packed for the day after the almost Apocalypse. When we arrived, the staff put us on an hour-long waiting list. Other humans and Supernaturals hung out in the bar or stood around us and made idle chatter, totally unaware that the four people who hung out patiently waiting for their name to be called were the same people who saved all of humankind.

We humans are surprisingly resilient creatures, which has served us over millennia, but we also can be totally clueless. There wasn’t even a titter when the server called out my name, Ironspell. It was probably best. I didn’t want to be reminded that even though I stopped a poisonous alchemical gas from killing off all humans, millions had died.

Eventually the waitress seated us at a table which was somewhat in the middle of the room. Which meant just about everyone jostled by us, one way or another. But we were here at Beau Jo’s and, by golly, we were eating the best damn pizza on the planet.

We had just gotten through the first round of pizzas when the waitress noticed a problem with Tuzren. A middle-aged woman with slightly graying brown hair falling down in wisps from her ponytail, she set another large pizza with extra meat in front of my girlfriend, Luna. The waitress had enough tact to not mention Luna’s half-changed state. Luna was a werewolf with a shifting problem—she couldn’t control her transmutations and was more than halfway shifted to her wolf form. “Thanks!” Luna said brightly and smiled at the woman—a simply terrifying expression if one wasn’t familiar with werewolves. The waitress smiled back and left us to our double meat everything.

Now, I studied the object of the waitress’s concern. Damn if Tuzren didn’t appear larger as he chomped merrily into the Beau Jo’s pizza. Right now, he was as large as a Labrador Retriever, whereas just a few hours earlier, he’d ride on my shoulder and I’d hardly notice him. An innocuous demon, as demons go, someone had summoned him to this plane only to abandon him because he was too small for their purposes. I had found him Dumpster-diving near Bonnie Brae Denver and took pity on him.

“Hey, Tuz, what’s the deal? We can’t feed you after midnight or ever get you wet?” I asked.

“Nah, that’s gremlins,” Tuzren said between bites. “Apparently this pizza has magical properties.” He smiled at me with cheesy goo running down his chin. “Don’t worry. It’s not permanent.”

“Good, because I’d have to have you ride in the truck’s bed,” Elryn spoke as she picked at her salad.

“Says the Elf who eats salad at the best damn pizzeria on the planet.” Tuzren pulled another slice and held it out to her between his clawed fingers. “Oh, come on. Live a little and have some.”

Elryn winced. “I’d rather not.”

“Are you a vegan?” Luna asked. “You know they have vegetarian pizza.”

“I know,” Elryn said.

“They have gluten free and dairy free,” Tuzren added. “You know, in case you’re intolerant.”

“I’m fine.” Elryn’s face said she wasn’t.

“What’s wrong, Elryn?” I added another slice to my plate. “You’ve hardly said a word since we got here.”

“I’m all right, really. I just don’t like pizza.”

I gaped. “What? Why didn’t you say something?”

“Are you even alive?” Tuzren asked. The demon had grown to about human height and about twice as wide as a normal human. His Denver Bronco t-shirt looked like a tiny afterthought on him. The chair groaned under his weight. “Everyone loves pizza. You can’t ‘not like’ pizza and be alive. Did a vamp get to you or something?”

“You know, they have pasta.” Luna opened a menu. “If it’s the tomato sauce…”

“I’m fine. Really, I am.” Elryn took a forkful of lettuce and popped it in her mouth. She chewed, making an exaggerated face of enjoyment.

“Honestly, Elryn, you could’ve said something. We could’ve gone anywhere.” I tried to meet her gaze but she looked away.

Tuzren swished his tail and accidentally knocked over two guys wearing cowboy hats who were walking behind our chairs. “Oops,” said Tuzren.

“Hey, watch where you put your tail,” the first guy said. He wore a wife-beater shirt and jeans. He also had at least a hundred pounds on me and about three inches or so in height. Even though it had just turned 11 am, the guy looked half in the tank already. His buddy wore denim that looked stylishly well-worked in. Probably a couple of guys from the resorts around here. Given how over-the-top Western they looked, it was probably for show. I bet if you quizzed them, you’d find they were from California or another urban center. Still, it was better not to piss off the locals.

“Sorry, guys,” I said. “Can we buy you a couple of beers?”

“Is that a demon?” Wife-Beater asked. He cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

“Why yes, I am,” Tuzren said, his voice an octave lower than his normal voice. He turned around and met their gaze solidly. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“Demons and Elves.” Denim-Guy spat. “They don’t belong here.”

Suddenly Beau Jo’s got very quiet. I could feel all eyes on us. I winced as I heard a growl issue from Luna. I stood up slowly, opened the wallet when I kept my badge, and flashed it to the men. “Police officer. Sirs, I don’t think you want any trouble.”

Murmuring went through the restaurant. A few teenagers, probably with fake IDs, tried to melt into their seats. Wife-beater squinted at my ID.

“That doesn’t even look real.” With that, he threw a swing.

I caught his arm in mid-throw, arm-barred it and took him down easily with an added wrist lock. His buddy held up his hands and retreated. “Hey, man, I don’t want no trouble.”

“Get out of here,” I said. Denim-Guy needed no more urging. He left.

I was handcuffing Wife-beater when an Idaho Springs police officer came in. He looked like the clean-cut average officer with the chiseled jaw and crew cut hair. My guess is he was around thirty. “I hear there was an altercation?” He walked up to me.

“Hello Officer…Duncan.” I hesitated and read the name badge. I handed him my badge. “This fellow and his cohort decided to take offense to my friends here. This one took a swing at me.”

“Officer Ironspell?” Duncan said.

I nodded.

Whispers and exclamations ran through the restaurant. I glanced at Elryn, who shrugged. Luna beamed at me and the demon chortled in amusement.

“Well, you’re always welcome in Idaho Springs,” Duncan offered me his hand as he grasped handcuffed Wife-beater. He glanced at the man. “Now, Johnny, how many times do I have to tell you to quit getting drunk and bothering the tourists?” He grinned at me. “A night in the drunk tank will sober him up. He’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry, Mike,” Johnny muttered.

“I’m going to remove the handcuffs—are you going to behave?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry. Me and Jesse were just havin’ fun…”

“Doesn’t sound like fun getting in a fight with a police officer.” Duncan unhandcuffed the man and handed the cuffs back to me. “Thanks, but I’ll take him from here. Enjoy your pizza.”

“Thanks, Officer,” I said. I sat back down and looked at the cooling pizza. I wondered if they even had a microwave to reheat them.

Just as Duncan walked to the door with Johnny, Duncan’s radio went off. “Duncan, we’ve got a situation at the Gold Nugget Mine.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I listened. The waitress handed me the bill.”

I glanced down. Almost $500 for pizza? I remembered the beer we had. How many had Tuzren drank? I put my credit card down and the waitress promptly scooped it up.

I glanced at Elryn, who was also listening attentively.

“Roger, that. What’s going on?” Duncan keyed the mic.

“We have tourists trapped and possible terrorists in the mine. Elevator stopped working and before communications got cut off, people were screaming and Salazar heard metal banging. He thinks it’s Drow.”

Duncan frowned and then looked at me. He pointed at Johnny. “You wait here.” He walked over to me. “What do you make of that?”

I shrugged. “Tommyknockers, maybe. Could be Hobgoblins. I’d get the Supernatural Unit of the Army involved.” I met Elryn’s gaze. She gave a slight nod.

“Good luck with that,” Duncan muttered. “You see the latest news? The National Guard and military have been called out to calm everyone down. It’ll be a week before they’ll respond. We’re it.”

“We’re? Uh, we were just here after saving the world. I really hadn’t planned on rescuing people today.”

The waitress came back. “Excuse me, sir. But your card’s been declined.”

Silence ensued. I began to stutter, but then I remembered the Hostess snack cakes. Tuzren had stolen my card and maxed it out to bring Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ding Dongs and other snack cakes to distract the troll guards at the Dark Elves’ entrance. I figured he would’ve just given them my name and address, but no. “Uh, I might have another card you can try.” I pulled out my wallet and started rooting through it. I glanced askance at Elryn, who shook her head and I felt my face flush with embarrassment. I guessed I was going to be washing dishes to make up the tab. They clearly stated “NO CHECKS.”

Duncan smiled. “Let me get that tab. I’ll expense it out to the Idaho Spring’s budget.”

I glanced at everyone in my party. Luna was laughing and Tuzren gave me a thumbs up. Elryn rolled her eyes.

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go rescue some tourists.”

Why Shifters Fascinate Us

Werewolves and other shifters have fascinated people long before Lon Cheney Jr. appeared as Larry the Wolfman on the silver screen. Just about every culture past and present, had their version of shifters, from skinwalkers to ulfhednar and beserkers to werewolves.

Whether or not you believe the old stories that many people have relegated to myth, you have to admit that the fuzzy ones with big fangs even fascinate us today. But why is that?

Shifters: The Beast Within

Part of our fascination with shifters is the exploration of the beast within us. Each of us humans have the capability of doing evil, or at least, violent acts. It is our civilization which keeps us from turning back into the animals we evolved from. It is our civilization that keeps us from being “the wolf at the door.”

Look at the story, Beauty and the Beast–and other stories along the similar theme. The Beast demands Beauty as the price for her father stealing a rose from his garden. When the father reluctantly sends Beauty (the civilizing factor in the form of a woman), the Beast is taken with her, and only Beauty’s love can free him from his beast nature.

But obviously that’s not all of it. We see shifters in the forms of other creatures like otters (selkies) and foxes (kitsune), although these creatures are often dangerous for humans to deal with. We fear more the human side of the cute and mischievous creatures, who can possibly destroy us with their magic or lead us to our doom.

A Fascination with Metamorphosis

As humans, we’re intrigued by creatures and people who aren’t what they seem to be. The change from human to animal gives the shifter power over us puny “Normals.” They can go places us humans can’t. They can do things we can’t. They can choose which life they prefer and they hold a magical attraction that is hard for us to resist.

How many of us have at one time or another wanted to be a bird and just fly away? Or maybe you imagined you were your favorite pet, who didn’t have to worry about all the things we worry about in our lives? Or maybe you just admired an animal you saw and wished people could be more like that animal? If you have, trust me, it’s normal. Animals don’t necessarily have it great in nature, but we idealize them a lot. So, the concept of changing into one is magical, in more ways than one.

Just as the act of changing from one thing to another is magical. Whether it’s a child growing up to an adult, getting a degree in college, or becoming something you weren’t even a few years ago. We’re fascinated with butterflies, who start as lowly caterpillars.

Shifters Changed in a Variety of Ways

If you’ve been a fan of Urban Fantasy for any length of time, you know that shifters can change in a variety of ways. In myths and legends, a very common way people changed to werewolves was with magic. Someone puts a wolf skin or a belt on and they shift to a wolf. Or someone drinks a potion or casts a spell and they become a wolf. Or someone is cursed and becomes a wolf. In Norse legends, the goddess Freyja could change into a hawk by wearing a cloak of hawk feathers.

Some shifters were naturally born shifters. If you were Fae, chances are you were born with your abilities. Selkies, for example, were pretty much born into being selkies and not changed by a curse or magic.

Another popular way to become a shifter was for another shifter such as a werewolf to bite or scratch you. Then, you received the curse that the shifter had. Along those lines, a full moon could change people into werewolves, possibly related to Artemis/Diana legends and the strange behavior some people seem to show around full moons (at least anecdotally).

 

Why The Ironspell Chronicles are set in Denver, Colorado

Location, location, location. It’s all about location, which is why you may be wondering why I chose to locate The Ironspell Chronicles in Denver, Colorado.

Denver, The Mile-High City

I spent a good portion of my youth and adult life in Denver, Colorado, which made it a prime target for a book series such as The Ironspell Chronicles. I got my degrees from the University of Denver, met my spouse, and got married there. And I spent a good portion of my town in the Front Range and the mountains nearby.

In other words, I know the area well.

But There Are Other Reasons for Choosing Denver

A lot of urban fantasy writers choose areas they’re comfortable with. Those cities include New York, Chicago, LA,  Palo Alto, St. Louis, Kansas City, New Orleans, the Tri-Cities, etc.  A good friend of mine, Gary Jonas, wrote his Jonathan Shade and Kelly Chan books in Denver. Although he’s enjoyed some real success with it, I wanted to place my stories in a world I was comfortable writing.

I feel that Denver isn’t used that much in Urban Fantasy–certainly it isn’t a place people think, gee, Harry Dresden has that town... In other words, I wanted to make Denver Ironspell’s home town.

That being said, yes, I know that Denver is the setting for the Kitty Norville series, but because I am writing a different type of series, I felt that Denver could be a good stomping ground for my protagonist who needed a bit more than just Denver to work in.

Lots of Plot Opportunities

Denver is just a stone’s throw away from the Rocky Mountains which gives me great places to include in my stories. I also know the history behind a lot of the places I’ve included, so it’s fun to incorporate them into my writing.