Category: Fairytales

Fairytale Lost on inkitt.com!

8/12/2016

So, I've been dismally bad about blogging this summer, but rest assured the time I could have spent blogging has been focused on writing my actual books, so when I come out of the fog that is trying to get Fractured Dream published again while finishing Shattered World and another secret project I'm working on, I will be a blog girl once again!

I did want to let people know that my book, Fairytale Lost, is currently free on inkitt.com along with many other books. For those who liked Fractured Dream, this is the beginning of the story. Make sure to take a look!

https://www.inkitt.com/stories/fantasy/71532?quote=1apmc7856&ref=a_c3ddb5bb-8169-4cb5-9cc9-9c52da403901&utm_source=quoteshare

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Reading for Life: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

3/14/2016

I've always been a voracious reader. I would sit at the dinner table and read as a teenager, lay in bed all day just to read a book, stay up all night so I could finish one. Of course, becoming a mother almost five wonderful years ago slowed how many books I put away a month, which is normal. But then I began to focus on getting published, and then I began to edit books and got so busy working on books I was no longer merely reading for pleasure. Reading for me is an escape, so without that regular outlet I've felt a bit sad, missing the reading me. With the turn of the new year I vowed to return to myself, and it feels like I'm making up for lost time, because I can't stop discovering all that is new, all that I've missed.

As a commitment to never lose that part of myself again, which is essential to my writing self, I'm going to feature the occasional book review from mine and my sister's book review blog, Cellar Lit Rants & Reviews. I'll be featuring a regular Indie title and a traditionally published title that I've enjoyed. This week for my mainstream, I'm going to feature Cinder my Marissa Meyer, because it's brilliant.

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For the last year or so I’ve been hearing people rave about Marissa Meyer and her Lunar Chronicles series. I’m going to admit, I may have been snobby. I just couldn’t imagine cyborgs and Cinderella. As a twister of fairytales myself, I just wasn’t that interested. And then I decided, what the hell, I should just see what the hub-bub is all about. Last weekend I finishedCinder, the first in the series, and I’ve been checking my Amazon tracking ever since. Because I NEED Scarlet (It came today, FYI, just in case you were worried for my sanity). This will probably be the most informal review you’ve ever read from me because I’m fan-girling. Yes, it’s true. I’m a fan … woman.

Cinder is an example of everything done brilliantly in a retelling. It’s not only wholly unique in the twist, it’s fascinating because you actually don’t know what’s going to come next. Cinder is a young woman/cyborg, living in plague-ridden New Beijing, who has earned herself a reputation for being a first-rate mechanic. At the beginning of the story, she’s just saved enough to replace her “foot” so that she can hide the robot parts of herself and pass as human, which comes in handy when the prince comes calling and asks her to fix his favorite droid.

Hated by her “stepmother” and yet beloved by her youngest stepsister, Cinder soon finds herself embroiled in the search for a cure for a plague, which has been sweeping the world. Meanwhile, the Earth world is embroiled in a treaty talk with the Lunar people, who would bring war if New Beijing’s prince doesn’t agree to marry the Lunar queen.

I could go on about this carefully and creatively woven plot, but I won’t go down that road too much more because fantasy and fairytale lovers should just read this. Even though I actually guessed pretty early on an important component of the story, it in no way detracted from my utter and complete enjoyment of this fairytale, romance, dystopian novel. Cinderella as a cyborg now equals BRILLIANCE.
Note: This review was cross-posted from Cellar Door Lit Rants & Reviews.

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A Fairytale of Sorts

3/2/2016

So I'm bummed that I missed out on the chance to post on National Tell A Fairytale Day last week. I actually didn't know such a day existed, but now that I do you can bet I won't forget it next year. To make up for my lapse, I'm still going to post a fairytale of sorts here. The story is called The Golden Fiddle, and it's a story within a story because it actually comes from my epic fantasy novel, Fractured Dream, but it also stands on its own. I hope you enjoy!

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The Golden Fiddle
An excerpt from Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga)

The Golden Fiddle Legend has it that a king commissioned its making. He was a good king. But like all kings, he had lovers. When he met his wife and married her, he swore off all other women forever, and this angered one lover particularly—a powerful witch.

In a fit of rage, she put his wife under a sleeping curse. But all curses must have a way to be broken. Knowing how much he and his wife loved music, she made it so that only the purest music played by the purest heart would break the curse. Heartbroken, he sent out word, and soon every musician in the kingdom had gathered to play. But no one could break the curse, no matter how beautifully they played. Only one musician, a fiddler, struck the king as being particularly talented and particularly pure. So it was he that the king chose to go find a perfect fiddle to play.

The young fiddler searched high and low, for he truly wished to save the queen for the king. Being a musician and poet, he appreciated true love and wanted to help in any way he could. But no matter where he searched, no instrument would do. This one was out of tune, that one pure of sound but cracked. They were all imperfect. Merely a boy at the time, he began to despair as a year passed and then another. He was barely a man when he decided if he could not find a perfect instrument, he must make one.

So he went deep into the forest and visited every tree, praying to The Green to show him a tree that would do. Every night at the end of the day, he would sit down and play his own fiddle, a nice enough instrument, but not truly pure. Despite this, he played like an angel, and even if he did not know it at first, he had an audience. When she eventually showed herself to him, he found her more beautiful than anyone he’d ever seen. Her eyes were leaf green, and her hair was a soft, silvery blonde. She fell in love with him, and he lay with her, entranced by her pure, seductive beauty.

He loved her in his own way, but he was bereft at the thought of returning to the king and telling him he had failed, so pure was his heart. And because she loved him and could not stand to see his tears, she gave him a gift. After lying with him one night, she took his hand and led him through the trees, her long hair trailing in the dirt behind her, practically a part of the earth. He followed her, believing he would follow her anywhere, his heart was becoming so full with her. Finally, they came to a tree. Kissing him, she promised him this tree was pure, that it would make the most beautiful music and would surely wake the queen. He asked her how she knew. She merely replied that it was a tree made of magic and love, and surely that was pure.

They slept by the base of the tree that night, and when he awoke she was gone, like she always was. He only ever saw her by night, but he was so trusting, he never asked where she went. That morning he set to chopping the tree down, and as he did so, his heart felt heavy. When the tree was felled, he caressed its bark and indeed felt that it was a magic tree, worthy to make the perfect fiddle. He was the son of a fiddle maker, a great one at that, and so he set to carving the wood into an instrument that would be pure. It was glorious, with a golden sheen that clung to the strings and bark. But he didn’t want to play it until he was in front of the king, and so he waited until nightfall to ask his love to accompany him on his travels. When she didn’t come that night, he worried but thought something may have simply kept her. So he waited another night. By the seventh day, he was sure she hadn’t really loved him, and he headed back to the castle heartbroken. Not even the thought of waking the queen and restoring true love could make him feel better.

When he reached the castle, he quietly found the king had aged during the few years the fiddler had been gone. But the king was overjoyed to see the fiddler, and his entire face lit up when the fiddler told him his story. When the fiddler took the instrument out of his bag, the king delighted at the sight of it, for it was a thing of beauty. With a heavy heart, the fiddler sat down and for the first time touched his bow to the strings, and then he began to play a slow lament to his lost love. At first, the fiddler merely looked sad, but within a few moments tears streamed down his face. Those who were present that day, including the king, thought he wept out of happiness because after a few strokes of the strings, the queen began to stretch and yawn and finally opened her eyes. The kingdom rejoiced, and the king made him the royal fiddler, bestowing upon him the title and gift of his very own perfect fiddle.

No one knew the true reason he wept that day. But while everyone else heard music, he heard his true love singing to him with every note, telling him she loved him and that her gift to him was perfect music. And that’s when he knew she hadn’t been a woman at all, but a tree dryad who had sacrificed her life to him out of the purity of her love, so that he might fulfill his quest. Every time he played the fiddle thereafter, he would weep, for her voice was always singing that he was her truest love.

Years passed, and the fiddler married. There came a time when he put the fiddle away, although he never forgot his love nor the sacrifice she made for him and for the true love of his king and queen. He eventually had a son, and when his son grew up to be pure of heart with the soul of a fiddler, he bestowed upon him the most perfect fiddle that was ever made. By the time he gave it to him, it wasn’t as shiny and lovely as it had once been. It had been worn through time, but when the fiddler’s son played the instrument, it would light up and become the beautiful instrument it had once been, perfecting mistakes so the fiddler always played true.

Over the years the fiddle was lost to the family of the fiddler. Now that her job was complete and her love long dead, the dryad waited for the day to come when a pure hearted fiddler would play her once more and finally set her free.

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Reader and Author Events for Fantasy, Paranormal, and Horror Readers this Fall

9/18/2015

I'm participating in a couple of really cool online book events this fall. The first is the 2015 October Frights Blog Hop, which is happening Oct. 1-10. I'll be running a series of posts during those days and at the end of it all, I'll be giving stuff away! There will also be a list at the end of the post directing readers to all the other authors taking part in the hop. It should be some fangtastic fun. Honestly, Halloween is a delicious time of year for me, so bear with me. I love decorating, I love the spooky atmosphere, the crisp air and hint of something powerful in the air.

Then November 1-8, I'll be an author at the first ever Virtual Fantasy-Con. Each day will have a theme such as Epic Wednesday, Fairytale Thursday, and YA Fantasy Sunday, which are the events I'll be a part of. This event takes place on Facebook, and the link is posted above. I'll give further details, but I'll definitely be giving away some books then too. If you any questions, feel free to post in the comments below.

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Once upon a time there was a fairytale that needed twisting

5/29/2015

In Fractured Dream and in the rest of the Dreamer Saga, twisted fairytales, legends, and myths are significant characters and an important element that makes up Tressla, the land where Fairytales go once they're created. I'm now offering subscribers the chance to twist a favorite "fairytale"—or legend or myth.

As I work on writing the second book in the Dreamer Saga trilogy, Shattered World, new fairytales are revealed, and I thought some help from the minds of my readers or potential readers would be amazing. So if you're game, head to the Home page and fill out the subscription form. When I send out the newsletter on June 1, you'll be eligible to enter the contest and be privy to all the details.

Happy twisting!

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Rafflecopter Giveaway: Win Signed Paperbacks!

5/6/2015

We're just two days away from the launch of The Reaper's Daughter this Saturday and my marketing manager wants me to dress up as the Grim Reaper and make a video for my book launch party on Facebook. Will I do it? We shall see. But until then, I'm so stoked about my launch I'm giving stuff away. Books, that is. Beautiful, tangible, paperback books. But there's only a couple of days left to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for one signed copy of The Reaper's Daughter or one signed copy of Fractured Dream.

To join said Facebook launch party for lots of other goodies and giveaways from myself and a number of other YA authors, click here: The Reaper's Daughter Facebook Launch Party, Enter Here ... Goes from 2-9 pm this Saturday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Prequel to Fractured Dream, The Reaper's Daughter Release Date & Updates...

3/3/2015

It's a sad state that I seem to have become a once-a-month blogger. But I have been busy, I promise, and right now I just wanted to post a few updates. Although I was hoping to release The Reaper's Daughter earlier in 2015, I think the later release date is well-worth it. The official launch for The Reaper's Daughter is May 9. I will most likely be hosting a big giveaway right here on that day. More to come on that soon!

Next, for Fractured Dream readers, I'm currently rolling out the prequel to the saga on Wattpad, called Fairytale Lost. Currently, the update is every Wednesday. I'll also occasionally be updating with new short stories coming form the land of Tressla. Take a look if you're interested: http://www.wattpad.com/106534307-fairytale-lost-chapter-one

Meanwhile, I'm in the midst of working on Shattered World, the second in the Dreamer Saga trilogy. While I'd love to release it later this year, I'm thinking realistically it will probably be early next year again. But I'll update here as I get closer to finishing it.

Finally, we're also looking for advance readers, so if you're interested in getting an ARC of The Reaper's Daughter in exchange for an honest review, please feel free to email me: [email protected].

I'll leave you with a small excerpt from The Reaper's Daughter. Here's one for all you romance lovers:

Rishi rolled the car into a parking spot and put it in park. I was turning to wake Shelby when a warm hand slid down my arm and over my hand tugging on it in a way that insisted I look back at him.

            He was suddenly so close I felt trapped in my seat, his gaze intent, but not on my eyes—on my lips. He smiled slowly, finally raising his eyes to meet mine, a slow, golden burn igniting my blood with heat. “Yes?” I managed to say, arching my brow in that way I’d practiced.

            “Do that thing again,” he said, his voice low and smooth, invading my senses as I never thought a voice could. My heart lurched in a way that hadn’t happened even when we were in a high-speed chase. I swallowed thickly, trying to find my voice around his desire that smelled like musk and car leather.

            “What thing?” I finally managed to murmur, sipping in a deep breath of air as my breathless voice gave away my weakness for him.

            His smile widened, as if he knew he had me, his high cheekbones and loose, shiny black hair lending him a certain primal male beauty that made me retreat until I could feel the door handle pressing into my back. “That thing with your tongue. When you chastised me,” he said, mimicking my tsking of him from only moments earlier. “I found it interesting.”

            I couldn’t help it, my eyes fell to his own lips while I tried to wrangle my cutting wit and Artemis-like spirit. I shook my head, so lightly I was surprised he saw it.

“Let’s go get rooms, we could all use the sleep,” I finally managed to say, nearly choking on the words that sounded liked a sordid invitation. “I mean separate rooms,” I amended, inwardly bringing back the defense he’d torn down, but only by avoiding his gaze.

            He brought me back to him by clasping one hand under my chin and bringing my eyes up to meet his. “First, do that thing,” he insisted, his dark eyes glowing with amusement.

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Fractured Dream is on sale for 99 cents -- limited time only!

11/2/2014

Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga) is currently on sale for only 99 cents! But the deal ends on Nov. 5! Here's the synopsis if you're unfamiliar with the title:

Have you ever wondered where fairytales go once they're created?

It's been eight years since Story Sparks last had a dream. Now they're back,
tormenting her as nightmares she can't remember upon waking. The black
waters of Lake Sandeen, where her Uncle Peter disappeared decades
before, may hold the secret to Story's hidden memories, or a truth she'd
rather not know. On a bright summer afternoon, Story and her two best
friends, Elliott and Adam, take a hike to the lake, where they dive into
the cool water and never reemerge. What they find is beyond anything
they've ever imagined could be possible, a world where dangers lurk in
the form of Big Bad Wolves, living Nightmares and meddlesome witches and
gods.

Now Story must remember who she really is and somehow stop
two worlds from ultimate annihilation, all while trying not to be too
distracted by the inexplicable pull she feels toward a certain dark-eyed
traveler who seems to have secrets of his own. The fates of the worlds
are counting on her.

Here's what people have been saying recently:

"She has an incredibly vivid writing style that allows you to 'see' what you are reading. The worlds she paints with her words are very imaginative."

"Oh man, this book was a winner for me. I couldn't put it down in between jobs. I even told some of my patients about it. I don't know why but even from the beginning I was hooked."

"I loved the characters, the world building, and especially the back stories. I was really bummed when it ended and I can't wait for the next one."

Get it on Amazon here.

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Catch a Q&A with Larry Wilson and find out more about his upcoming retelling, CINDY

10/21/2014

Larry Wilson, best known for his work co-writing and co-producing Beetlejuice and The Addams Family, has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a fabulous new web series that's near and dear to my heart. Why? Because it's fairytales, but with a twist. Just like I like them. In this new rendition of Cinderella set in contemporary times, you've got a mix of reality TV, a fairy godmother with a penchant for "the dust" and a handsome prince that's a bit past his ball-dancing prime. Check out this Q&A with Wilson to learn more about CINDY and the campaign, which has only eight days left. Scroll to the bottom for a sneak peek of CINDY. Or else check out the series' YouTube channel here.

Q: How did you get the idea to do a fairytale retelling in such a way? Why Cinderella, specifically?

LW: The idea came to me in one of those flash creative epiphanies; as simple as "Cinderella would make a good reality show." As CINDY developed it actually became about "What would happen if Cinderella was asked to do a reality show?" But the original idea was just all of a sudden there. It happens doesn't it? The idea for Beetlejuice came to myself and my writing partner, Michael McDowell, in three short phone calls over three days.

Q: Is this your favorite fairytale? Why or why not?

LW: Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are my favorites and I've now written scripts (both dark comedies) based on both of them. I have two daughters (Autry, of course, is the star of CINDY). I saw that both Cinderella and Snow White could be about girls getting empowered, rather than girls getting rescued.

Q: How long have you been working on filming? How many episodes are ready for broadcast?

LW: We shot 10 episodes of CINDY over 6 days. They run from about 5 to 10 minutes -- so we basically shot a feature length film! Six episodes are edited, all need music and post production -- hence the Kickstarter campaign. But I can say honestly, I think we've got something really good. We want to be broadcasting in time for Christmas!

Q: How has your experience as a producer with Beetlejuice, Adams Family, etc., colored subsequent work, including this one?

LW: I've always worked as a writer/producer and I've been privileged to work with some world-class producers (Scott Rudin, David Geffen among them). The lesson is always the same: it all starts with a good script.

Q: Why do dark comedies appeal to you?

LW: I grew up in some fairly dark circumstances and laughter became a survival mechanism. That's translated into writing dark comedy.

Q: How much money are you hoping to raise with the kickstarter? What will the money allow you to do with the show?

LW: We need to raise just over $18,000 and as I write this we've broken the $11,000 mark. Most of the money will go into post-production for CINDY with a bit left over for distribution and publicity.

Q: When will the first episode air?

LW: Like I said, "Merry Christmas from Cindy," is our goal!

Q: Tell me a bit about the 40-year-old prince, how did that idea come around?

LW: The forty-year-old Prince? As you can see from the CINDY trailer one of our guiding principals was to take all of the conventions of the Disney-ised Cinderella and subvert them in some way. All of the usual fairy tale answers for Cindy are the wrong answers. She's a girl who ultimately is going to have find her own way.

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