Exiles Release Update

Okay, so I’ve never actually had to do this before. I hate that I have to now, but over the last couple of weeks, I’ve come to the realization that I have to postpone the release of Exiles. Now, before you panic, I’m only postponing it 30 days! The new release date is August 11th. You see, life is kind of kicking my butt lately. Not in overly bad ways. I just feel overwhelmed. I’ve been trying and trying to get Exiles done ASAP and constantly feeling like I’m running out of time. That is also making me hate the book and feel like I’m not doing my best and completely lose confidence in myself. So, after praying about it, I made the decision to postpone it a month and feel much better about it. Like I said, I hate to do it, but I feel this is the only way I can give Exiles the TLC and proper editing/time it needs and release a book to all of you faithful readers that I’m happy with. Now don’t worry if you already pre-ordered the Kindle version on Amazon. You’ll still get your book and don’t have to re-order or anything. It’ll just be delivered to you on the new publishing date. So go re-mark your calendars for August 11th!

Three Sleeping Beauties Cover Reveal

Today I’m taking part in the cover reveals for not one, but three different Sleeping Beauty retellings! All three books release on August 7th.

Poison Kiss

About the Book

Everyone knows that Sleeping Beauty's curse is triggered when she pricks her finger on a spindle and that she is awakened by true love's kiss ... but what happens when the wicked fairy decides to switch things up?

Edmund didn't mean to put Auralea to sleep, but now it's up to him and the famous Puss in Boots to figure out how, exactly, a spinning wheel is supposed to awaken her.

About the Author

Kendra E. Ardnek is a homeschool graduate who picked up a pen at an early age and never put it down. The eldest of four, she makes her home in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her parents, younger siblings, giant herd of giraffes, and honor guard of nutcrackers.

You can connect with Kendra on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Twisted Dreams

About the Book

“I, Calandra, of the Wingans, do bestow upon you, the Princess of Hanover, a gift. You have been given long life. I cannot interfere with that, but when you are sixteen years of age, you will prick your finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into an everlasting sleep.” She stepped closer so that she could be heard only by Liesel and her parents. “Then you will at last see the truth. Be wary. Be wise. Your fate rests upon yourself.”

On her sixteenth birthday, Princess Liesel Rosanna falls victim to a sleeping curse—but wakens in another world, a prisoner of war. As the bait in a trap for her fiancé, the crown prince of Hanover, Liesel longs to escape back to the fairy tale world. The world where she is only wanting a true love’s kiss to set everything to rights.

As situations quickly grow dire, Liesel must choose which story to live, which life is real. The fate of her country rests on her decision.

About the Author

Morgan Elizabeth Huneke is a homeschool graduate who lives in Georgia. She has enjoyed creating characters and writing stories since early childhood. Books have always been a big part of her life, never more so than when working at the local library. Her other interests include reading, playing and teaching piano and violin, and politics. She is the author of Across the Stars and The Experiment as well as the Time Captives fantasy trilogy.

You can connect with Morgan on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Rosetta Thornbriar

About the Book

Once upon a time, way out west...

Back when they were young'uns, Fleur Guardstone proposed to Rosette Thornbriar with a cigar band ring. However, not long after, she disappeared back into the forest and hadn't been heard from since. However, when Fleur hears reports of smoke coming from that woods, he's determined to find out if it is, indeed, his dear Rosette. If he can get past all of the briars.

About the Author

Rachel Roden is a natural story teller, capable of weaving the most hilarious of fairy tales. She fell in love with the Lone Ranger in her teens, but ended up with a basketball referee instead. Together, she and the Ref homeschool their four children in the Piney Woods of East Texas, as well as any other odd kid who ends up in their house. She might also be the sole human who still uses math after college.

You can connect with Rachel on her blog, twitter, and Pinterest.

A Friday Post

Such an original post title, right? :P Anyway, I just had a couple things to share. First of all, Samara’s Peril is one of five finalists for the Realm Maker’s Alliance Award!!

I was so excited/shocked/stunned to see it! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who voted for it. Obviously, I wouldn’t even be in the running without you. I’m equally excited for the other finalists who are all friends/acquaintances. I have to say, I’m particularly happy for Tricia Mingerink. You know how I adore her books. Defy deserves this. ;) The final round of voting will begin on May 10th. Make sure to visit the Alliance Award page then and cast your votes for your favorites.

Item number 2 of this post: I gave my website a major overhall. As if I needed more work. But I like website work, so it was something fun to do. I added a fun FAQs section, plus shared my favorite books. So you can check it out here.

Item number 3: It’s May. I don’t know if anyone remembered, but May is usually when I have my annual fan art contest. It didn’t even cross my mind until like the last two days of April. I could have set it up real quick, but I decided to move it ahead one month to June. That way, the school year will be over and it might give everyone a little extra time to participate. Agree? So I will officially be taking submissions to the contest on June 1st. I’ll post more details closer to that date. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t start working on things now. ;)

And lastly, item number 4: Charlemagne is my forty-two times great-grandfather. :D I just had to throw that in there. My family and I have a lot of fun doing genealogy on Ancestry.com, and a couple of days ago I was tracing one of my mom’s lines back as far as I could and next thing I know I found a connection to Charlemagne and was able to trace the entire line. For a history buff like me, it was one of the coolest things ever. Everyone wants to find out they’re descended from royalty, right? ;)

Release Date Announcement

For this first day of May, I have an exciting announcement for you all. Exiles finally has a release date AND the Kindle edition is available for pre-order!

And all of my readers rejoice. :D

Deliver Blog Tour

It seems like it has been SO long since I’ve taken part in a blog tour or, well . . . posted anything really. But here I am to let you know that the fourth and final book of Tricia Mingerink’s The Blades of Acktar series releases today! I’m going to be SO sad to see this series end. It’s one of my favorites. Why? One word. Leith. Yeah, Leith. If you know me at all, you know how I love tortured heroes. This series is full of all the rip-your-heart-to-pieces goodness any crazy reader could want. That might sound totally strange, but I know some of you readers will get it. ;) Seriously, this was me the whole time I was reading Defy (book 3):

Yep, right in the feels. Anyway, I had hoped to share a review of Deliver with you to celebrate its release, but truth is, I’m still reading it. I blame all of you for that. ;) If I weren’t spending hours upon hours editing Exiles for you, I’d have more time to read.

So, have you read any of Tricia’s books yet? *someone slowly raises their hand* WHAT? NO? Well, if you haven’t, you must. They are so good! Okay, enough of my fangirling. Here is everything you need to know. You’ve got no excuse now not to pick up the books and join the fandom.

About the Book

Can something broken ever heal?

Martyn is broken. After torturing his best friend, he doesn’t belong anywhere in Acktar. No matter how far he runs, he can’t lose his guilt.

Leith is broken. While healing from the torture he received at Nalgar Castle, he struggles to find his new role. But can a Blade ever outrun his past?

The country is broken. Bitterness divides town against town, neighbor against neighbor. What will it take to deliver Acktar from itself?

They face their hardest battle yet.
Peace.

Buy Now!

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 her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And make sure you check out Tricia’s Deliver Release Party on Facebook! Seriously, FB parties are always so much fun. :)

Lost At Sea Scavenger Hunt Stop # 2

Welcome to the Lost At Sea Scavenger Hunt where we are helping the Kinsman people find a new home. If you’ve just found us, be sure to start the adventure at Stop #1, which is Jill Williamson’s blog.

Collect all the clue words in order so you can enter to win the Kindle. If you want to enter to win the second Kindle, you’ll have to take a quiz at the end, so take your time and read each post carefully. The main prizes in the hunt are open to international entries. Individual author contests, however, might have different rules, so please read the parameters on each site. You have until Sunday night, February 19, at midnight, Pacific time to finish.

If you need help, or get lost along the way, click here for assistance.



The Seffynaw docked at the first sight of land, and my characters found their way to Stop #2, which is Ilyon from Jaye L. Knight’s Ilyon Chronicles. Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Learn more about her books at www.jayelknight.com. 
 

Here’s a closer look at Resistance, book one in the Ilyon Chronicles.

Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he's ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he's tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor's declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.

Wilek and Trevn like the look of Ilyon. It is forested and sits on a cliff, which is reminiscent of our old home. They decide to take a closer look.

Inspiration for Ilyon

Inspiration for the world of Ilyon has come from a variety of places I’ve only ever dreamed of visiting. You see, I live in a very flat, rather boring part of Wisconsin. And while there are lots of lakes and pretty hills nearby, Wisconsin is farm country. We don’t have mountains, Sequoia trees, or cool things like that. So when I write fantasy, it’s a chance to “explore” more interesting areas.
One of the first things that inspired the world of Ilyon was Ancient Rome. Even though Ilyon Chronicles leans more heavily toward being medieval fantasy, I took a lot from my love of Roman history. You can see that in some of the architecture, the society, and of course the gladiator arenas that inhabit Ilyon’s main country of Arcacia.

But Arcacia isn’t all cities. There are lots of forested areas. These are my favorite. I have a thing for English forests and those amazing English trees you see gracing the screen in British TV shows like Downton Abbey. They are incredible, and I am a girl who loves trees and forests. That’s why so much of the book takes place within the forest. I’m also a huge fan of Robin Hood, and took a lot of inspiration from that story.

The one place I can point to for inspiration that I have actually visited is the Dells of the Eau Claire. This is a state park close to where I live and one of my favorite places to visit. It’s one of the really cool places in the area and has been a source of inspiration in my writing for a long time. It has gorgeous rock formations and amazing walking trails that transport me right into the heart of my stories. When I’m there, I can easily imagine places one might set up a hidden camp if we were living in a world like Ilyon.
 

 


You can order Resistance on Amazon!

CLUE! Write down this clue: northern
The next stop on our map is Stop #3, Seultrie, on Ronie Kendig’s blog.

Before you move on, I am giving away a bronze sword bookmark to three lucky winners. To enter, use the form below. Winners will be selected Tuesday, February 21st. Thanks for visiting my blog. Enjoy the rest of the scavenger hunt!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Dells photo by pixn8tr [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Happy Singles Awareness Day (plus a Valentine’s Surprise)

I couldn’t resist, being the single girl that I am. ;) For the next 24 hours, romance, hearts, Valentines, and all the mushy stuff (which you know I love) will be everywhere. So, to mix it up a bit, I’m dedicating this post to those such as me who aren’t spending the day with a significant other. I always say laughing about it is better than crying, after all. ;) And even if you’re not single, you might find humor here too. Gifs are always humorous. Plus, I have a special Valentine for all of my readers, single and not, at the end of the post. You don’t want to miss that, do you?

How Different Singles View Valentine’s Day

1. Who cares? I don’t need anyone.

At least that’s what I tell myself.

2. The sooner today is over, the better.

3. And finally, worst day ever.

Yeah, Valentine’s Day can be rough. Here, maybe this will cheer you up.

 

And just as I promised, a special Valentine for my readers. Click to open it. ;)