Today I am so pleased to welcome Morgan Brice to Joyfully Jay. Morgan has come as part of the Coastal Magic Blog Tour to talk to us about her latest release, Roustabout. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

The Fun of Sharing a World

I’ve participated in six multi-author, shared-world series so far—under my Gail Z. Martin name and as Morgan Brice. There’s a reason I keep playing. It’s fun!

A shared-world series means that there are story elements, characters, or world building that is common across the books written by multiple authors, regardless of the individual plot. In my latest book, Roustabout, the shared element is the Carnival of Mysteries and its permanent cast members.

At a crucial point in the story, my characters Bart and RJ interact with the carnival’s mysterious leader as well as its potion-maker and the fortune teller. The fun thing is that each author has leeway to add elements and encounter characters in different ways, while all having a common thread.

Each of our Carnival of Mysteries books stands alone, but they all have the carnival in common. That’s one of the challenges of writing in a shared world. There are rules that have to be observed so that the shared elements work for everyone. There are also usually things that have to be mentioned, and things that can’t happen. Knowing those rules up front makes it fun and challenging to write a story that fits the guidelines.

Working in a shared world also means getting to know fellow authors a little better. It’s fun to work together to spread the word about the books and come up with new ideas. Of course each of us hopes that fans of the individual authors will explore the other books and authors in the series and maybe discover some new favorites. It’s a win-win for everyone!

In addition to the Carnival of Mysteries series, I have also been part of the Beyond the Realm (Imaginary Lover), Magic Emporium (Haven), and Caynham Castle (Trick or Treat, Ring in the New, Love and Valentines) shared-world series as Morgan Brice. As Gail, I’ve not only had some stories in the Caynham Castle books (Christmas, Midsummer Mischief), but am also a part of the New Templar Knights series (Spells Salt and Steel) and the Shadow Council (Joe Mack) series.

Working with other authors to build and flesh out an imaginary world is so much fun! I love that together we offer readers access to a much bigger fictional experience than a single book can provide.

I hope you’ll check out Roustabout and the whole Carnival of Mysteries series. Adventure awaits!

Coastal Magic Convention is a casual reader weekend in Daytona Beach and takes place February 22-25, 2024. You can check out the website at http://CoastalMagicConvention.com if you want to learn a little more about the event. And if you are interested in signing up and joining us a the beach, you can register here. 

Blurb

A con man and a government agent walk into a carnival…

Bartlett Gibson is a necromancer and an agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. He’s hot on the trail of RJ Tucker, a psychic con man who has eluded him at every turn and led him on a merry chase. Pursuit leads to grudging respect in their game of cat and mouse, which becomes a high-stakes game of seduction. Bart chases RJ to the Carnival of Mysteries and realizes that nothing is as it seems. A dark witch’s curse ups the ante, creating a deadline for revenge and redemption, and the clock is ticking.

Falling in love breaks all the rules. Can Bart and RJ stop the witch, break the curse, and find a way around RJ’s spot on the “most wanted” list before time runs out?

Roustabout is a fast-paced MM paranormal romance filled with supernatural suspense, snarky humor, crafty carnival workers, sarcastic ghosts, midway magic, hurt/comfort angst, adversaries-to-lovers tension, and a very happy ending!

Bio

Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic and urban fantasy, with less romance, more explosions.

All of the modern-day Morgan Brice and Gail Z. Martin series crossover, so characters from one series appear in cameos and on page in important secondary roles in books from other series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but the more you read the more the expanded universe of friendships and connections becomes clear.

Morgan and Gail believe that paranormal elements make any story even better, and her worlds are full of ghosts, psychics, shifters, creatures, vampires, monster hunters, and magic.

She’s also a huge fan of the TV show Supernatural. (Chibi art by Kamidiox)

Find Morgan at www.MorganBrice.com and her reader group at www.facebook.com/groups/WorldsOfMorganBrice

She’s @MorganBriceBook on Twitter/X, @MorganBriceAuthor on Instagram and TikTok, GZMartin on Pinterest, and can also be found on Bookbub and Goodreads.