Friday, February 17, 2023
Daican's Heir Release Day!
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Guest Post: Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and Silence the Siren
Today I have a special guest post by author Michele Israel Harper in celebration of the release of her newest book, Silence the Siren! Michele is awesome, by the way. I've talked to her a couple of times at Realm Makers and was so disappointed that she wasn't there this year. I haven't had a chance to read her Beast Hunters series yet, but I loved her Zombie Takeover book.
Guest Post
Thank you so
much for featuring me on your blog today, Jaye! I am so honored to be here.
So it’s no secret that the latest book in my Beast Hunters series, Silence the Siren, is a light reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid.
I mentioned this in an earlier blog post on the tour (so I will only restate it briefly!), but I was raised on the Disney version of fairy tales. When I first read Andersen’s Little Mermaid, I threw my Kindle across the room.
(I mean, she didn’t get the prince, she died, and she turned into sea foam? Why, Hans, why?)
But that first read stuck with me so hard.
It kept circling in my head, the little mermaid’s sacrificial love and giving up what she wanted so the prince, and his new bride, could be happy.
Such different fare
than my usual happily-ever-after must-reads.
Andersen loved his morals, loved telling his stories to children with an admonition to “be good” and to care for their eternal soul—a strong theme in his Little Mermaid tale—so different from the (dare I say it?) more selfish “I just have to wish hard enough and all my dreams will come true” stories I was raised on.
Don’t get me wrong. I adore those stories and absolutely think they have their place.
But this theme of sacrifice, of not always getting what you want, no matter how hard you work for it/wish for it—is this completely valid too?
I’ve struggled with it, wrestled with it, and finally had to write a story about it.
Now, I absolutely admit that I couldn’t do to my characters what Andersen did to his, but I played with the themes of love and sacrifice and happily ever after—and my characters explore what happens when things don’t quite go as planned.
Lest you think the story is a downer, let me assure you it isn’t! Silence the Siren is a high-seas adventure with pirates, sirens, swashbuckling, and heart, with just the slightest bit of sweet romance. (I grew up on HEAs, remember?)
But I had to explore self-sacrifice and putting others before one’s self.
I pray you enjoy the tale that was born out of that moment of throwing my Kindle!
Postscript!
Fun fact: There are quotes from the original story in both English and French throughout the book!
The Little Mermaid was first published in Danish in 1837, then translated into English in 1845. I wanted to use quotes from the original English version, but using stories in the public domain can be tricky. I had to find the original English version, pull five quotes (it was so hard to pick just five!), then translate them into French (oh my gosh, the tenses).
Those five measly little quotes took me two weeks to get just right. I don’t trust Google translate, so I had my French dictionaries spread around me, had three different French versions of the tale (and oh my word, each were significantly different), and conferred with a few of my French-speaking or French-nationality friends to get the phrasing just right.
So there you have it! I sweat blood and tears over those translations, friends. I hope you love them! (And any mistakes that got past those who knew what they were talking about were entirely my fault.)
Thank you, Jaye, for letting me ramble on about my story today! You are just the sweetest.
Michele
About the Book
Buy Now
About the Author
Giveaway!
Tour Schedule
Saturday, April 10, 2021
GOLGOTHA Blog Tour - Spotlight
Remember the cool cover reveal I did a couple weeks for Angela R. Watts' book? Well, the book is now available and I, for one, I'm very much looking forward to reading it when I get the chance. :)
Four unlikely companions must band together to escape the Realm of Bones and save their kingdom from a reign of darkness.
Prince Moray will lead his empire to glory, even if it means dabbling with forbidden black magic. But when their parents are murdered, Moray and his brother, Finnigan, are cast into Golgotha—a realm where hope is dead. Finnigan fiercely believes his god, Elohai, will rescue them, but Moray will never trust again.
Princess Ama, promised in marriage to Moray to ensure her clan’s safety from rival tribes, arrives just before a coup and becomes trapped in Golgotha with the smart-mouthed mercenary, Gunnar. Surrounded by strange monsters and ravenous demons, Ama must fight to hold on to her faith—or lose everything.
Despite Ama’s Gift of prophetic dreams, Finnigan’s Gift of energy, Moray’s magic, and Gunnar’s blades, nothing can rescue them from themselves. If they fail to escape, darkness will devour the entire kingdom.
Shadow and Bone meets Mark of the Raven in this epic for fans of faith-based young adult fantasy.
Angela is the bestselling author of The Infidel Books. She lives at Step By Step Sanctuary, Tennessee, where she raises horses, dogs, cats, and snails. She’s been writing stories since she was little, and when she's not writing, she's probably drawing or working with her amazing clients.
Website: angelarwatts.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaRWattsauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelarwattsauthor/
Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/v7y6r0
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeculiarAngela
One winner will receive a signed paperback copy of GOLGOTHA, along with a bookmark, and a GOLGOTHA map.
April 8th
Nathan Renfroe | Spotlight
Joshua Reid | Review
Merie Shen | Review
April 9th
Laura A. Grace | Author Interview
Emily Seaver | Guest Post
April 10th - Release Day
Stephen Howard | Author Interview
Jaye L. Knight | Spotlight
Michaela Bush | Author Interview
April 11th
Ian Wilson | Author Interview
Nicole Dust | Spotlight
Madisyn Zeller | Spotlight
April 12th
Hannah Gaudette | Guest Post
Lacie Ryder | Spotlight
Yakira Goldsberry | Spotlight
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Acktorek: The Void Blog Tour + Giveaway!
Which would you choose—save your sister or save the world?
Emma Edsel’s first priority has always been protecting her blind sister Carla. So when Carla begins to develop science-defying abilities that threaten her life, Emma will stop at nothing to save her. With nowhere else to turn, she seeks help from Mitchell, the new boy at school who seems to know much more about it than he will admit.
After his last mission went horribly awry, Mitchell Banks is relieved to have a simple task: seal a small, accidental portal between Earth and other worlds in the multiverse. He didn’t count on his growing feelings for Emma—and the dangerous levels of dimension energy contaminating Carla.
Carla knows the voice in her head is evil. Manipulative. Feeding her with a strange energy she can control. She doesn’t know that she is the key to a coming global catastrophe and Mitchell’s boss will use any means possible to prevent it…including blackmailing him into murdering her.
About the Author
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke fell in love with sci-fi and fantasy at age seven when she first read A Wrinkle in Time and The Chronicles of Narnia. In the time since, she’s spent an inordinate amount of time exploring new realms and bygone eras through countless books, movies, and TV shows. She also spends a great deal of time talking to her imaginary friends and writing down their stories in books such as the Time Captives fantasy trilogy and Twisted Dreams, a sci-fi/fantasy Sleeping Beauty novella. On the occasion she remembers she lives in Georgia in the 21st century, she can be found working at the local library, playing and teaching violin and piano, singing along to Disney and Broadway soundtracks, making casseroles while blaring Casting Crowns, sewing her own clothes, turning pirouettes in the kitchen, and volunteering for political campaigns.Giveaway
Enter to win a signed copy of Acktorek: The Void! Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.
Monday, November 18, 2019
Resistance Audiobook Blog Tour
I know things have been pretty quiet lately, but this week I'm very excited to be celebrating the release of the Resistance audiobook. I know many have asked about it over the years. I'm glad to finally be at this point and sharing the story in this format. You can listen to a sample of it below and learn more about my narrator, Lance Rasmussen. Be sure to also check out the other blogs that are participating in the tour and enter the giveaway!
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
The Divided Nation Blog Tour - Guest Post
Today I'm helping Angela R. Watts celebrate the release of the first book in her new series. This is especially fun because I got to meet Angela at Realm Makers just last month. Yay! First, here's a bit about the book and then a guest post from Angela herself.
Angela R. Watts
Writers are usually lonesome, strange creatures. We make coffee or tea and let it go cold as our fingers fly across our keyboard. We talk to ourselves while cleaning as plot twists work their way through our minds. We watch people in the grocery store like they’re specimen waiting to be understood. We spend hours on writing and cry over worlds that the naked eye cannot see. What is all this for? Hours of work, lots of tears, countless sleepless nights… for a book that can fit in someone’s hands. It might not even make us money. We might not get any support or any readers. So, allow me to answer the question: “What for?”
It took me about 7 months to finish my dystopian novel, The Divided Nation. This was my first time writing a book with heavy Christian content for the general market. Not all of my close friends or readers supported this new novel because of the PG13 content. And it grew difficult, at times, to find encouragement. I’m not really the kind of person who needs a lot of support, honestly, but there were moments when I realized I was losing things… And I didn’t like it.
I had to focus on the “what for”. Am I writing to please every reader or am I writing for God? It’s ironic that I learned so much about loving people while writing the darkest novel I’ve written to date. But honestly, I was enjoying the novel but dreading the *socializing* aspect. Why? I’ve had rough times helping authors, reading things I wouldn’t usually read or didn’t even enjoy, just to help fellow Indies. And I found that not many people are willing to do that kind of thing in return. I wasn’t building up my author platform. I was wearing myself out. What for?
There is a balance to this writing journey, y’all. We cannot please everyone. But we can love every single person without pushing ourselves to the limit all the time. We can fully trust God that He knows exactly who needs our novel, and He will bring them to it, if we are faithful. We don’t have to chase readers down. And that is “what for”! I adore writing and allow myself to love others, even if they don’t always return that love. How do we keep the balance of being ourselves and loving other authors?
Be inspired by your fellow Indie authors. Publishing is not a competitive race. You don’t have to be the best Indie author to matter. So be inspired! Does your favorite Indie author have a stack of self-published novels? Finish your own novel. Decide in your heart that you want to have a pile of your own books out in the world one day! If you choose to be encouraged and inspired, instead of jealous or envious, by other authors, you will enjoy yourself more.
Be encouraging to your fellow Indie authors. Comments on social media take seconds, y’all. No matter how *popular* your favorite Indie author might seem, literally everyone appreciates a comment, so don’t be shy. Don’t think they won’t hear you. Be encouraging to the *big* Indies and the *newbies*, no matter where you are on that scale. We’re all human who want to hear “You got this, I believe in you.”
Be supportive. Supportive friends are rare. There, I’ve said it. But that’s OK. God is the most supportive friend we’ve got, so don’t stress. Just try to be the most supportive friend you can be while staying focused on your own goals. Maybe this is as simple as brainstorming with fellow Indies in a chat group. Maybe it is sticking with them through the gritty times. It is a hard balance, but Indies need each other in the long haul.
Be wise. Seasons change, friends leave, support systems dwindle. It may be sad, though it is just life. I’m not here to advise on how to make more friends. I am here to remind you that people are out there. If you’ve lost support, if you’ve watched your audience lose interest, keep going. Don’t panic or say “I won’t make it!” because every author struggles. Struggling doesn’t make you an author, but pushing through them makes you a stronger human.
Find joy. Some days, we won’t meet our writing goals. Some days, we will have an author friend drop out last minute on something important. Some days, we’ll have to help family instead of edit. Whatever the *mishap*, find joy. Don’t let things drag you down for long. Authors are still human. We still want support, love, and peace. We make sacrifices for writing, editing, and cover design. If we don’t choose joy, we will probably lose our minds. So remember, God has a reason for everything in our life and writing journey. What we see as a setback? He can use to build us up.
All of this to now say… what for? The Divided Nation taught me many things, but the lessons it taught me about friendship aren’t ones I’ll forget easily. I am so thankful for a supportive and growing Indie community. I want to encourage every writer that they have their own journey. We’re all human. We all struggle. But God made us to love each other and being lonely authors doesn’t quite shake that, ha! If you want to go far, stay true to your story and be a genuine person. God will help you every step of the way.
God bless,
Angela R. Watts
About the Author
LINKS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaRWattsauthor/
Website: https://thepeculiarmessenger.wordpress.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Angela-R-Watts/e/B07F97JNMY?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1564688304&sr=8-1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelarwattsauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17597325.Angela_R_Watts
US shipping only. If an international winner is drawn, they will receive an ebook only.
1st place: hardback copy of The Divided Nation. A custom mug with a quote from the book, bookmark, and an exclusive snippet from The Infidel Books.
2nd place: paperback copy of The Divided Nation, bookmark.
3rd place: ebook copy of The Divided Nation.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Midnight's Curse Blog Tour--Author Interview + Giveaway
Today I'm helping to celebrate the release of Midnight's Curse, book two in the Beyond the Tales series by my good friend, Tricia Mingerink! Beyond the Tales is a series of fairy tale retellings with hints of allegorical elements set in a world based on the Appalachian Mountains.
Don't miss the giveaway at the end of this blog post nor the invite to the Facebook party for more giveaways!
About the Book

High King Alexander rules the Seven Kingdoms of Tallahatchia—a divided nation on the brink of yet another war. When an invitation arrives from the king of Pohatomie, Alex knows it must be a trap, but could it also be his opportunity to unite the kingdoms?
Daemyn Rand has lived a hundred years, served an arrogant prince, fallen in love with a princess, and lost himself somewhere along the way. He has already died for his loyalty. Will standing at the high king’s side cost him his last chance to truly live?
Elara Ashen is a lowly, miserable servant. All she wants is to spend even one night in a fancy dress dancing with the high king. When she is offered a pair of glass slippers, it seems that all her dreams have come true.
But dreams have a price, and gifts can be curses in disguise. What will it cost to stop this curse from tearing Tallahatchia apart yet again?
Fairy tales meet the Appalachian Mountains in this adventurous fantasy retelling of the classic Cinderella story.
Author Interview
About the Author
Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn't writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.
You can connect with Tricia on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Facebook Party!
Giveaway!
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday – August 5- The Florid Sword – Author Interview & Book Review
- Scribeheart – Author Interview
- The Music of a Story – Book Review
- Jaye L. Knight – Author Interview
- Perfectly Quirky in Every Way – Book Review
- Liv K. Fisher – Author Interview
- Blooming with Books – Author Interview & Book Review
- TJ’s Musing – Book Review
- Imperial Scribis – Author Interview
- Dream Write Now – Author Interview & Book Review
- Morgan Huneke – Author Interview
- The Page Dreamer – Book Spotlight
- Elizabeth Koetsier – Book Spotlight
- Brie Donning – Book Review
- Facebook Party 8-10PM EST
- Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors – Book Review
- M.H. Elrich – Book Review


















