Category: Special Guests

Integrating a New Language and Culture into Traitor: Guest post by Laurie Lucking

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Today we have author Laurie Lucking  sharing a little more about building language and culture into our stories. Her new book Traitor, book 2 of Tales of the Mystics, is available for pre-order! (and I’ve read it–sooo good! 🙂 ) Thanks, Laurie!

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I know I’m probably (okay, definitely!) a bit biased, but I adored the setting I created for the first book in my series, Common. Castles, gowns, carriages…wandering manicured gardens, reading by candlelight, taking a gentleman’s arm to be escorted to dinner. Enough chivalry and manners and banquets to make my fairy tale and Jane Austen-loving heart brim with joy. 🙂

But while the technology constraints of my fantasy world, along with the formality associated with royalty in general, caused many of these elements to carry over into Traitor, I wanted to fashion a distinctive new culture for Princess Penelope to immerse herself in when she travels overseas to fulfill a new betrothal. After all, Penelope’s natural beauty and elegance cause her to fit perfectly into her own society (at least until her involvement in a traitorous plot made her the subject of gossip and contempt). In order for her to grow and truly step outside her comfort zone in Traitor, I needed to expose her to something new and foreign.

Much of my inspiration for Delunia came from Greece, Italy, and other Mediterranean countries. The weather is sunny and hot, the people are affectionate and boisterous, and everything from the colors to the flavors is a bit more vibrant. Prim Penelope is initially overwhelmed by the clamoring sounds and vivid hues of her new home. But over time, she comes to see the beauty in the art she’d passed off as garish and the gardens she’d dismissed as wild and unkempt. She loosens up enough to learn the lively dances and visit the bustling marketplace, and she can’t deny the practicality and elegance of a more streamlined style of dress. But she doesn’t think she’ll ever adjust to the Delunians’ insistence that soon-to-be-married couples should show affection, especially since Penelope has no intention of falling in love with her new fiancé! She struggles to find a balance between the desire to embrace her new home and the fear of losing her former identity and connections to her family.

I also took on the challenge of introducing a new language in Traitor. Though I’ll be the first to admit I’m no J.R.R. Tolkien—I only came up with translations of words I actually needed for my story. 🙂 I took the Delunian language as another opportunity to give the country a unique feel, both in the sounds of the words and in their meanings. For example, poloi ipa asteria is a traditional Delunian phrase for bidding someone goodnight and translates to “sleep under a blanket of stars.” Let’s just say, when spoken by her new fiancé, it has more of a romantic impact on Penelope than she’d care to admit!

Teaching Penelope the new language and having her gradually incorporate it into her own speech patterns offered another way to show her slow acceptance of and acclimation to Delunia as her home. Plus, it offered some additional opportunities for character development along the way as she deals with the frustration and awkwardness of not being able to communicate with the people around her!

Thank you so much for inviting me to share about my series today! I hope you have as much fun exploring Delunia as I did creating it! I’d love to hear about some of your favorite fantasy worlds and languages!

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Thanks again for stopping by, Laurie!  Want to learn more about Traitor? Here’s the blurb!

Princess Penelope has finally found a way to redeem her past mistakes-if only it didn’t require betraying her new fiancé.

Princess Penelope has been the object of gossip and ridicule ever since she returned home in disgrace following her failed engagement to the Crown Prince of Imperia. When her father offers a new start in a country far across the sea, she has no choice but to accept.

Even if it means another betrothal, this time to a total stranger.

Penelope arrives in Delunia determined to avoid bringing further shame upon her family. But her devoted, caring fiancé makes it harder to guard her heart than she anticipated, and rumors of dark magic haunt her with memories she’d rather keep buried far beneath her pristine exterior.

When a poverty-stricken village outside the palace gates looks to her as their hope for a brighter future, Penelope embraces the opportunity to make amends for her transgressions. But in order to help, she must manipulate her new fiancé, putting her reputation on the line once more. And her heart.

Can Penelope rise above the failures of her past, or will she forever be branded a traitor?

Don’t forget to stop by the other sites on the blog tour!
  • Monday, 19th, “Redeeming a ‘Villain’ in Traitor” Laura A. Grace, www.lauraagrace.com
  • Tuesday, 20th, “Connecting Companion Novels in the Tales of the Mystics” Pam Halter,  www.pamhalter.com/fairiesfantasyfaith
  • Wednesday, 21st, “Visual Post: Characters of Traitor” Anne Wheeler, www.anne-wheeler.com/blog
  • Thursday, 22nd, “Integrating a New Language and Culture into Traitor” J.M. Hackamn, www.jmhackman.com
  • Friday, 23rd, “Author Interview with Laurie Lucking: Traitor Blog Tour” Riella Cristobal,  www.booksandeverydaylife.home.blog
  • Saturday, 24th, “Interview with Traitor Author Laurie Lucking” Amelia Nichole, www.amelianichole.com
  • Sunday, 25th, “Review of Traitor” Breny Maurtua, www.brenyandbooks.home.blog
  • Monday, 26th, “Dive-in Review: Traitor” Cathrine Bonham, www.cobonham.com
  • Monday, 26th, “Review of Traitor” Laurin Boyle, www.laurinboyle.wordpress.com
  • Tuesday, 27th, “Welcoming My Second Book into the World” Laurie Lucking, www.laurielucking.com
  • Wednesday, 28th, “Visual Post: Traitor Storyworld” Jenelle Schmidt, www.jenelleschmidt.com
  • Thursday, 29th, “Celebrate Laurie Lucking’s New Release Traitor Tonight” Michele Israel Harper,  www.MicheleIsraelHarper.com
  • Friday, 30th, “What’s Coming Next in the Tales of the Mystics” Peter Adler, www.arsilverberry.com/blog

The Lore of Lament

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Today, we welcome a guest post from Laura Zimmerman, author of Keen and the soon-to-be-released Lament! For those of you who think fantasy writers don’t do research, think again! Laura studied up on faerie folklore to write these wonderful tales of magic!

Thanks for being here, Laura! What can you tell us about faerie lore and how you wove it through the Banshee Song series?

The first book in the Banshee Song Series takes place in the Mortal Realm (that’s earth to us!) in a contemporary setting of high school. Since Caoine never visited either of the Faerie Realms in Keen, there was a lot of world building to be done for Lament. Luckily, I love to dream up fictional places!

In classic faerie lore, the Unseelie Realm is called the Winter Court or Winter Realm. Because of this, it is often described as mostly snow, very cold, and with an abundance of dead foliage. But I wasn’t satisfied with this type of setting for the Unseelie Realm within the world of Lament. I chose to introduce the idea of it still being quite wintry (think cold and snow!) but with color and plant life unlike any you’d find in your backyard. I had a blast creating beautiful and strange new plants and flowers, not only in their physical appearance, but in the way they might react to the world around them. (Yes, some plant life is definitely alive!)

Another aspect of faerie lore I enjoyed exploring were the faerie tricks and behaviors. I stick a bit closer to traditional fae legends when it comes to lying (something the fae cannot do,) healing (something the fae definitely can do,) and enchantments over humans (something Caoine learns to avoid quickly!) While the fae are an immortal people not easily killed, they also each inhabit a specific power that makes them different from one another. This is an addition I added not only because it goes well with the inhuman ways of the fae, but also to make faeries that much more mystical to Caoine as she discovers all the things about the other half of her life.

The creatures of Faerie added another way to explore this fictional land. Although there are a few traditional faerie creatures, there weren’t any that stood out to me that would lend themselves to the story. So, I created my own, of course! The Wild Gowher is a creature simply referred to, not one we get to meet in this trip to the Unseelie Realm (which is quite fortunate!) Although not described physically, this dangerous creature is basically a faerie goat. A creature we do get to meet in Lament is the scarlet reynard. The closest thing the Mortal Realm has is a fox, although this creature is far different. A scarlet reynard will rip its prey to shreds in a matter of minutes. It may not have a taste for fae blood, but it certainly enjoys humans, something Caoine learns all too quickly!

Have you had fun learning about the faerie lore within Lament? Grab the book to learn more about Caoine’s adventures within the Unseelie Realm!

Thanks so much, Laura! I’m finishing up Lament, and it’s so worth the read!

Here’s a little more about the book:

Half-fae banshee, Caoine, is devastated by the loss of her father, and graduation is just around the corner. Ignorant of an old enemy seeking revenge, she is whisked away to the Unseelie Realm where she learns someone dear to her is being held captive. She vows not to go home until he’s free.

Then she finds out she’s trapped, unable to return to the human realm.

In order to go home, she must set aside old prejudices and work with a nemesis to survive faerie tricks and fae creatures hungry for human blood. Only then will she discover the secret to her escape and her loved one’s freedom.

Aided by an unlikely band of fae, she uncovers more about her banshee powers than she dreamed possible, even as the fae remind her just how human she really is.

She’ll take the drama of high school over the pettiness of the fae any day.

Get your copy here!

Blog Tour Schedule:

Tuesday, January 19th, “Review of Lament” Abigail McKenna,  www.novelsdragonsandwardrobedoors.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 20th, “Interview with the Characters of Lament” Kellie Parker, www.kelliemichelleparker.com
Thursday, January 21st, “Lament Character Spotlights” Laurie Lucking, www.landsuncharted.com
Thursday, January 21st, “Insta Post of Lament” Marie Godsey, www.instagram.com/IfCatsCouldRead
Friday, January 22nd, “Guest Post: The Writing Process” Laura A. Grace, www.lauraagrace.com
Saturday, January 23rd, “Visual Post: the World of Lament” Tabitha Caplinger, www.tabithacaplinger.com
Sunday, January 24th, “Lament: Banshee Song Series, Book Two—A Review” Tammy Ayers, www.cryptidworld.com
Monday, January 25th, “Interview with the Author of Lament” Jebraun Clifford, www.jebraunclifford.com
Tuesday, January 26th, “Themes of Lament” Laura L. Zimmerman, www.lauralzimmerman.com
Wednesday, January 27th, “Lament Blog Tour + an Interview with the Author” Hailey Huntington, www.haileyhuntington.com
Thursday, January 28th, “Lament’s Online Release Party is Today!” Michele Israel Harper, www.micheleisraelharper.com
Friday, January 29th, “Visual Post: the Characters of Lament” Pam Halter, www.pamhalter.com

Not Perfection, But Direction

Hi, welcome to Jilligan’s Island! Today we have author Tabitha Caplinger visiting!  Her upcoming book, The Wolf Queen, not only has a beautiful cover but an intriguing story. What’s it about? Glad you asked!

Ylva was raised by wolves. That is the story her clan tells of their Wolf Queen. The truth is far more miraculous. Her Gift, bestowed by the Light, enables her to see deep inside the hearts of men. Prince Rohan considers the Light mere superstition and only believes in what he can see with his own eyes. But a great evil is infecting the Four Realms. The battle between the Light and the Darkness is no longer bound to human hearts, and words Ylva and Rohan thought were just legend are being whispered again. The dragon is rising.

Sounds amazing, right?  I love learning about the “stories behind the stories.” You know, those things only the author can tell you? Tabitha has some interesting thoughts on choices, living chosen, and how it all ties together in The Wolf Queen.

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If you hang around me or my social media at all, you will eventually hear or see the words, “You are powerful, chosen, loved, and never alone.” These are words I firmly believe. Why? Because I believe that each of us was created on purpose, for a purpose. I think that is why we like hero stories and Chosen One tropes. We want to be the hero. We want to be chosen. I believe we already are.

Maybe we aren’t chosen to save the whole world from an apocalypse, but we are chosen to speak life and light to the people around us. We all can live chosen.

That thread, living chosen, is the thread that ties all my books together. Whether it’s urban fantasy, paranormal romance, dystopian, or a little Viking-inspired fantasy coming soon…each and every story carries with it a piece of what it means to me to live like we are chosen for more.

The Wolf Queen focuses on the idea of choice. It’s ultimately a story about how the choices we make can guard our heart and keep it full of light or can let the darkness creep in and take hold.

Ylva was given the ability to see into human hearts and determine whether they were ruled by light or darkness. Looking into our own hearts isn’t so easy. We have to be intentional about opening our eyes to the choices we are making, big and small. We have to be careful to listen to the Light and walk in obedience. When we can’t see our hearts, He can.

To live chosen is to guard our hearts, to consider our choices with care. Why? Because the state of our hearts will determine the state of our lives. When we are full of light, we will reveal that light in our attitudes and actions. When we are full of darkness, it will taint our perspective and defeat us before we even get started in finding or living for our purpose.

Now, this isn’t about being perfect. I’m also a youth pastor and something I say all the time to students (and my pastor husband says it too) is “It’s not about perfection, but direction.” We will make bad choices. The next choice is what will matter most. Will the next choice take us back toward the light or will it pull us further toward the darkness?

I know, all the light and dark talk feels ominous. You could think of it differently if it helps. For you, it could be a choice between peace and anxiety. Or a choice between love and fear. Perhaps it’s a choice between gratitude and complaining, or insecurity and confidence. Depending on the circumstances, those choices could be easy or indescribably difficult. But they are choices we make that will lead our hearts and lives in a direction. Are the choices we are making leading us in the direction we want to go—the direction God wants us to go?

We were each created on purpose, for a purpose by a God who wants to help us discover and live that purpose out. It starts in the heart—with a heart yielded to Him and choosing to follow His leading.

In The Wolf Queen, there is a saying—a battle cry of sorts. “May the Light lead you, and the Darkness fear you.” That is my hope for you. Guard your heart. The Light will lead you. The Darkness will fear you.

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Thanks so much for sharing, Tabitha! If you’d like to be notified when the preorder is available, check out this link: https://www.blueinkpress.com/pledgetobuywolfqueen.html

About the Author

Tabitha Caplinger gets way too emotionally invested in the lives of fictional characters, whether it’s obsessing over a book or tv show, or getting lost creating her own worlds. Tabitha is the author of The Chronicle of the Three Trilogy, a Christian urban fantasy, and a lover of good stories and helping others live chosen. When she’s not writing book words, she’s reheating her coffee, binging a new show or teaching God’s Word to students. Tabitha, her husband and two beautifully sassy daughters desire to be Jesus with skin on for those around them. They live to love others…and for Marvel movies.

TO FOLLOW TABITHA ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website: https://www.tabithacaplinger.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TabCaplinger/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Tab_Caplinger/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tab_Caplinger

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Tab_Caplinger/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12824805.Tabitha_Caplinger

 

 

KEEN Blog Tour: Behind the Scenes

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Hi, lovelies! Today, I’m thrilled to host author Laura Zimmerman on my blog to talk about her debut novel KEEN!

I had the privilege of reading the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), and I was so eager to endorse it — it’s amazing! But I’ll allow Laura to share more about her story (and don’t forget to read on–special dates,  KEEN’s blurb, and blog tour information  are below!) Enjoy!

 

Do you ever wonder what inspired an author to include specific details ina book? There’s a good chance that many of them aren’t random! Much of my own personal life is echoed throughout the pages of KEEN. Let’s talk about it!

Our hero, Oliver, has a secret obsession with being a musician. This is no coincidence as I was a music major in college. My father has always played guitar, so when I was young it was normal to find one lying around the house. I liked the idea of pulling this small detail into the story and having Oliver find her dad’s guitar. When I was little, I’d sometimes hear my dad playing and singing while I fell asleep at night. Again, this was a special detail to Caoine’s story that I wanted to highlight.

Next we’ll visit with sidekick, Aubree. Her bubbly personality was inspired by a good friend of mine. They look nothing alike, but I just couldn’t help but picture my friend as I wrote! *giggles* I could hear the words of Aubree in my friend’s voice, and it helped me portray her character. There’s also a reference to Aubree being a Star Wars geek. That would be my fault. #StarWarsLoversUnite

The big scene with the drama teacher actually didn’t make it into the final cut of the book. I modeled her after my own drama teacher at our public school who directed the ninth grade production of “Good Luck, Charlie Brown.” For the production we borrowed large building blocks from another school that presented the show the year before for our cast to sit on while we performed our scenes. During one rehearsal, my teacher commented that she wondered what word the previous teacher had tried to spell with the oversized building blocks. I asked if it was possible that they were just random letters. Her reply? Nothing is ever a coincidence when it comes to the drama department! Although that scene with her was changed, I wanted to use that idea in regards to the theater production at Caoine’s school, and use the play at West Lincoln High to contribute to the story of KEEN.

That’s all I’ve got for this installment of Behind the Scenes! Be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour to learn more about the characters that make up the world of KEEN!

 

Thanks, Laura! KEEN releases Tuesday, July 9th — and don’t forget to stop by the Facebook party on Thursday, July 11th!

You must walk the darkness to find the light.

Half-faerie Caoine has no control over the banshee lament she sings each night, predicting the death of others. A senior in a brand new high school, she expects the same response she’s received at every other school: judgment from fellow students over her unusual eyes and unnaturally white skin and hair. However, when Caoine arrives at West Lincoln High, for the first time in her life she finds friends. Real friends.

But being a teenager is never easy, especially when the star soccer player, Oliver, sets his sights on her. Allowing him to get close means revealing her curse to the human world.

She can’t let that happen.

Life spins further out of control when her lament comes out during the day, those whose death she predicts die right in front of her, and a dark faerie known only as the Unseelie prince blames Caoine by leaving her the creepiest notes ever.

Her curse is not supposed to work like that.

In a race against time, Caoine must uncover the Unseelie prince’s identity and stop a spell before it unleashes hell on earth, all while trying to control her banshee song and finding a place among her peers.

Senior year just got real.

 

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

  • Monday, July 1st, Guest Post, Katherine Vinson, www.sparksofember.wordpress.com
  • Monday, July 1st, Guest Post, Rebecca Bruner, www.rebeccabrunerauthor.com
  • Tuesday, July 2nd, Visual Post, Kellie Parker, www.kelliemichelleparker.com
  • Wednesday, July 3rd, Review, Tammera Ayers, www.beliedoutcastlegends.com
  • Thursday, July 4th, Review/Interview, Pam Halter, www.pamhalter.com/fairiesfantasyfaith
  • Friday, July 5th, Interview, Jebraun Clifford, www.jebraunclifford.com
  • Friday, July 5th, Interview, Medomfo Owusu, www.writingsfromagodgirl.wordpress.com
  • Saturday, July 6th, BookTube Review, Gretchen Engel, www.gretchenekengel.com
  • Sunday, July 7th, Behind-the-Scenes Feature, Laurie Lucking, www.landsuncharted.com
  • Monday, July 8th, Behind-the-Scenes Feature, J.M. Hackman, www.jmhackman.com
  • Tuesday, July 9th, Release-Day Feature, Laura L. Zimmerman, www.lauralzimmerman.wordpress.com
  • Wednesday, July 10th, Interview, Kelly Barr, www.kellyfbarr.com
  • Wednesday, July 10th, Review, Vincent Vezza, www.hiddentreasurenovels.com
  • Thursday, July 11th, FB Party Feature, Michele Israel Harper, www.MicheleIsraelHarper.com
  • Friday, July 12th, Review, Abigail McKenna, www.novelsdragonsandwardrobedoors.blogspot.com

 

Exciting News: I’ve got a cover!

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It’s been awhile since I’ve had any news to share about Book Two (aka Flare) of the Firebrand Chronicles. It was submitted to the publisher, then I had to wait because other books were in the pipeline for release, then we had the holidays. Absolutely everything stops at that point, which is just as well, because it gets crazy-busy at the Hackman household in December.

Anyway, when a book is prepared for print, my publisher is thorough — I have to do three rounds of editing. I received  and completed the first round of edits, then I (recently) finished the second round. And that’s when I received the approval to share the cover with you. From the beginning, I was in love! I’ve always been impressed with Sara Helwe’s work (check her out at https://sara-helwe.com/), and she outdid herself — again! (And although Sara doesn’t know, purple is my favorite color, so I was very excited about this beautiful cover. 🙂 )

So I won’t torture you. Find a comfy chair and feast your eyes. I’ll even share the blurb with you.

 

Heartbreak. Kidnapping. Political rebellion. Best summer vacation ever.

Brenna travels to Linneah via portal to visit her boyfriend Baldwin, only to find heartbreak. Betrayal. A serious case of never, ever wanting to see him again.
Worst summer vacation ever.
So when her best friend Tiny invites her on a road trip to meet Tiny’s fiancé, Brenna jumps at the chance. Even if her mother disapproves. Even if it’s through a dangerous travel portal. Even if Tiny has never met this fiancé handpicked by her dad. Anything’s better than staying in Linneah.
But the trip disintegrates into disaster. The two friends are separated, Brenna is kidnapped, and not only are Brenna’s Firebrand skills tested to the limit, she must participate in the dangerous event, Starfall . . . or go home. Broke. Alone. With a shattered heart. So not fun.
And then as if that’s not bad enough? Brenna discovers a plot that could spell disaster for everyone she holds dear. And no one believes her.
Can she prevent a bloody government takeover? And what will become of Brenna’s broken heart?
There you go! I’m so excited (*cartwheels and confetti*) This is scheduled for a February 26 release so you have to wait a bit longer. Thanks for reading this post — enjoy your weekend!

Days of Fantasy Tour and a Giveaway!

Hi! I had plans to have this post ready first thing this morning, but I woke up feeling like I’d been flattened by a truck (a semi, not a pick-up.) My headache from yesterday followed me into today.  Then, my dreams from last night involved me running around New York City in my bathrobe with friend Sarah Delana White. (???) That must be why I’m so tired! 🙂

But despite the less-than-stellar beginning to my morning, it’s still a day to celebrate. I’m participating in the Days of Fantasy Tour with a group of exciting authors and bloggers. It kicks off today! All the juicy information on the tour can be found here.  And in case that doesn’t excite you (although I can’t imagine why not), there’s a giveaway, too, with two winners!  The winner will either win a Kindle Fire HD 8 loaded with some great e-books or a stack of print books. Go here to sign up!

Spark will be featured on December 6th. Keep your eyes peeled on social media for #FantasyforChristmas, and I’ll be sure to share the links, too.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

The Theme of Rothana: Sarah Delana White

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I’m so excited to introduce Sarah Delana White to my blog today. Her new book Rothana is the sequel to Halayda (which I read and enjoyed!) I can’t wait to get my hands on my own copy of Rothana! *grabby hands*

Did you ever wonder how authors manage to weave such fantastic themes into their stories? I’ll let Sarah address that question.

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I never plan the themes of my books in advance. They emerge as I write, as the characters grow and make hard choices. One of the unexpected themes in Rothana was regret. I didn’t expect this to emerge so strongly, but as I delved into each character’s backstory and hidden issues, I realized most of the major characters were dealing with past failures they wished they could undo.

Sylvie feels like a failure of a queen. When events spiral out of control and she loses her throne, she feels she has let everyone down. She regrets she couldn’t help Faerie in all the ways she wanted to, but instead left the realm vulnerable to new threats. She also still carries hurts from her past in Sabellyn. She wishes she could have saved more of the changelings she adopted, and she still partly blames herself for not confronting Casimir years ago when she first realized he was scheming against Faerie.

Taylan regrets many, many things. He killed countless people and used harsh means to rule Faerie for centuries, and he is constantly haunted by this. When he is forced to deal with the darker side of his shadow-magic—the power that connects him with the fae underworld—it is all too easy for him to believe he is destined to be a monster. Taylan’s scenes in Rothana were some of the most painful I’ve ever written because he is so deeply entrenched in his terrible past and in the lies he tells himself. (All I can say is… thank goodness he has Sylvie and Diza around to keep him from wallowing TOO much!)

The one that really surprised me was Casimir. Before I wrote Rothana, I thought he was just a cold-hearted madman who delighted in trying to bend the world to his will. Guess what: he was holding out on me. A lot. In this book, we see the true motivations that lurk beneath his pompous speeches, as well as the pain that drove him to make some desperate decisions. Does he regret the choices he made in Halayda? Well, maybe… in a very Casimir way. In other words, he’s still a special bundle of special. But even villains can have regrets.

Each of these characters deals with regret in different ways, but it seeps into each of their motivations and reflects in the choices they make. The events of Rothana force them to confront their past choices and failures and choose whether to be defined by them.

So, why does Rothana deal so much with regret? Again, I don’t consciously choose the themes of my books, but I’m not really surprised this one emerged. It has always been a struggle for me to let go of past mistakes. The Star-Fae Trilogy was born during a time in my life when I felt like I’d failed in major ways, including destroying the career I’d intended to pursue lifelong (long story). It was cathartic to watch my characters wrestle with those same emotions, and I rejoiced as they began to shake off the lies that weighed them down. I hope their journeys connect with readers in the same way.

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Thanks, Sarah! I loved hearing about this theme in Rothana.

Would you like to know more about this fantastic book? Read on….

A new queen falls. A death lord rises. An ancient foe looms in the shadows.

Sylvie Imanthiya is desperate to lead Faerie well and deepen the bond with her  husband, former king Taylan Ashkalabek. But all hope of that vanishes when the winter solstice ceremony ends in disaster, stranding her and Taylan in the Deathrealm, and stripping the kingdom from her.

With Faerie in chaos, Zad and Diza are separated once again: Zad to reconcile with an old mentor to stabilize the kingdom, and Diza to confront the nefarious Casimir in the mortal realm. But Casimir claims that a greater evil seeks to destroy both realms, an evil that Diza’s unique death magic can hold at bay—if she could only remember how.

In the Deathrealm, Taylan is succumbing to the lure of specters from his past, and pushing away Sylvie’s love. Overwhelmed by decay and darkness, Sylvie must  summon unexpected magic from the soul of Kyure to fight for her convictions and her husband’s heart.

Shadows divide them. Their friends are in peril. If Sylvie fails, her marriage and her world will fall.

Purchase Links
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Signed Paperback
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42637351-rothana

And don’t forget to join us for the Rothana Facebook party! There’ll be prizes, guest authors, and fun bookish information! Don’t miss it! *throws confetti*

 

 

Sarah Delena White was raised by wolves in an alternate dimension. She writes eclectic speculative fiction that reworks mythology with a fine balance of poetry and snark. She’s an experienced world traveler who loves to weave world folklore and ancient concepts into vibrant, original story worlds. She is the administrative manager for Uncommon Universes
Press. When she’s not writing, she can be found making elegant designer bead jewelry, traveling to festivals as a professional ballad singer, drinking tea, and seeking to create the perfect latte. She can be bribed with dark chocolate.

Fairyeater Blog Tour

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Today on Jilligan’s Island, I have special guest Pam Halter, author of the new release Fairyeater. (I say “special” because she’s a personal friend of mine — and after reading Fairyeater, I’d say she’s a darn good author, too! 🙂 )

Anyway, to celebrate her new book, she agreed to write a guest blog post about the creation of one of her key characters.  I’ll get out of the way and let her continue. Welcome, Pam!

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The Creation of Tzmet, the Fairyeater

Where did the idea for a fairy-eating witch come from? I get that question a lot.

In 2006, the Scholastic Book Club paper came home with Anna. Not sure why the school thought our developmentally delayed kids needed books appropriate to their age and not their developmental level, but nonetheless the paper came. None of the books were appropriate for Anna, but as a book lover, I looked through the paper anyway.

I saw the book Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book. It was expensive, so I looked on Amazon. Found it and bought it. Ended up sending it back because it was actually pornographic! Always read the reviews. Just sayin’.

But here’s what happened. I got to thinking about the concept of pressed fairies. Does anyone remember pressing flowers? We’d take flowers that were special (I still have the flowers from the first high school prom I attended) and place them between waxed paper and put them in the pages of a really heavy book. It preserved them, even keeping some of the color.

So, I thought, why would someone catch and press a fairy? Or would they catch and pin a fairy in a shadow box, like a butterfly collection? Or maybe hang and dry them like herbs?

What would happen to the fairies? They are living things, right?

I imagined they would become leather-like. Dried out and kind of supple. Why would someone do that? And what would they do with the dried-out fairies?

Then I thought, well, when you dry fruit, it becomes fruit leather. What do you do with fruit leather? You eat it. So, why would someone dry and eat fairies? What would happen if they did? And, most importantly, WHO would do such a heinous thing?

And boom, Fairyeater was born.

That led me into figuring out what would happen if lots of fairies started dying. I had to decide what kind of magic they might have and how it would affect the world around them. That led me to the dark lord, who clearly needed the power to do something evil, but the fairies prevented it.

How did the fairies prevent the rising of the dark lord? And how could the hero/heroine stop it?

Those are questions for another blog post. Heh, heh, heh …

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Fairyeater: Book One of the Fairy Guardian Chronicles
All fifteen-year-old Akeela has ever wanted is an ordinary family who will love her. But theonly mother she has ever known is the old hag, Krezma, who berates her night and day. Why did the old woman even take her in?
But Krezma knows her charge is no ordinary child. She can see the auras surrounding living things and can communicate  with fairies. And the birthmark on her palm reveals a secret Krezma must hold close for the child’s safety.
A secret that the witch, Tzmet, hunts for night and day, drying and eating fairies for the
power they contain. When Akeela discovers her fate lies in being the next Fairy  Guardian, all hope for an ordinary life dissipates like the dreams they were. She must protect the fairies from the witch—and an even darker power that threatens them all.
Akeela is unwillingly thrust into an adventure that will not end until she decides to accept her fate and give up on her dream.
Maybe even her life.
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Don’t forget to check out the last two blog stops on her tour:
  • Thursday, Nov. 1st, Review, Michele Israel Harper, www.MicheleIsraelHarper.com
  • Friday, Nov. 2nd, Review, Laura A. Grace, www.unicornquester.com
Pam Halter has been a children’s book author since 1995. The first book in her Willoughby and Friends series,  Willoughby and the Terribly Itchy Itch, won the 2018 Realm Award in the children’s category, and she also received a Reader’s Choice Award in 2015 for her short story, “Tick Tock,” in Realmscapes. Fairyeater is her first fantasy novel. She lives in South Jersey, deep in farmland, and enjoys long walks
on country roads where she discovers fairy homes, emerging dragons, and trees
eating wood gnomes. Visit Pam at www.PamHalter.com.
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The French Inspiration Behind Kill The Beast

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Today, I’m excited to be participating in Michele Harper’s blog tour for her new book, Kill The Beast. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, full of fascinating characters (Ro, the main character, is no shrinking violet!), magic, and action.  Did you know there’s a French connection to Kill The Beast? I can’t wait to hear more. Welcome, Michele!

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Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Jill!

Mark’s Twain’s book, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, opens with this chapter title: “When Wolves Ran Free in Paris” and continues with the following heartbreaking description.

“In Paris, mobs roared through the streets nightly, sacking, burning, killing, unmolested, uninterrupted. The sun rose upon wrecked and smoking buildings, and upon mutilated corpses lying here, there, and yonder about the streets, just as they fell, and stripped naked by thieves, the unholy gleaners after the mob. None had the courage to gather these dead for burial; they were left there to rot and create plagues.

“And plagues they did create. Epidemics swept away the people like flies, and the burials were conducted secretly and by night, for public funerals were not allowed, lest the revelation of the magnitude of the plague’s work unman the people and plunge them into despair. Then came, finally, the bitterest winter which had visited France in five hundred years. Famine, pestilence, slaughter, ice, snow—Paris had all these at once. The dead lay in heaps about the streets, and wolves entered the city in daylight and devoured them.”

And it simultaneously broke my heart and captured my imagination. I had to write about it.

(This, of course, was a description of France in the 1400s, well before the original La Belle et la Bête was written by Madame Villeneuve in 1740.)

What if the beast’s curse affected more than him and his château? What if the curse held all of France in its grip and filled its people with despair? What would it look like? What would it take to make wolves so bold they no longer feared man and came into the cities and villages in the middle of the day? What if the curse turned the land to rot and created a never-ending winter?

But I also deviated from Mark Twain’s description in that instead of plagues and numerous deaths, I made my Kill the Beast story world one in which the curse did not allow the people of France to die from starvation. And in a way, starving without death, without an end to the pain, may be the more horrific.

Kill the Beast is set fifteen years after the curse fell, when the people of France have gone through the cycles of riot, of trying to fix what happened, and have fallen into despair and hopelessness, trudging through an existence they cannot escape.

Yet there are plenty of wolves hunting the weakened and starving people, and Gautier, the king’s steward, hires huntsmen to protect the people and to provide a way for the people to barter for food from the Mesdemoiselles of the Mountain, three women who somehow grow the only food in all of France. (I have written about them in my prequel novella, Beast Hunter.)

So my huntress, Ro, who is hired to hunt and kill the beast who is said to have brought the curse down on France, is determined to end the starvation, to protect her family, and to return France to the way it should be.

To the beautiful country I fell in love with when I traveled there in February of 2018.

If you want to see how she does it, well then, I recommend that you visit the other blog stops on my blog tour, or read both Beast Hunter and Kill the Beast, and let me know what you think. I love to hear from my readers!

And thank you again, Jill, for having me on your blog today. You are so sweet!

In Him,

Michele

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Thanks so much, Michele! Don’t forget to stop by the Facebook party on Thursday, September 27th from 8-10PM EST.

Kill The Beast is a fantastic read! Here’s the blurb:

Ro remembers the castle before. Before the gates closed. Before silence overtook the kingdom. Before the castle disappeared. Now it shimmers to life one night a year, seen by her alone.
Once a lady, now a huntress, Ro does what it takes to survive—just like the rest of the kingdom plunged into despair never before known. But a beast has overtaken the castle. A beast that killed the prince and holds the castle and kingdom captive in his cruel power. A beast Ro has been hired to kill. Thankful the mystery of the prince ’s disappearance has been solved, furious the magical creature has killed her hero, Ro eagerly accepts the job to end him. But things are not as they seem.
Trapped in the castle, a prisoner alongside the beast, Ro wonders what she should fear most: the beast, the magic that holds them both captive, or the one who hired her to kill the beast.
A Beauty and the Beast retelling.
You can contact Michele at the following social media sites:

Guest post: How I Lost My Writing

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Hi,
Today on Jilligan’s Island, we welcome Julia Skinner from the Lit Aflame blog. She’s got a great writer’s testimony, so without further ado…..
Welcome!
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Today, I am here to tell you the tale of how I lost my writing. Yes, yes, I know, surprising, right?  But tis true, I lost control of my writing quite a few years ago. Though the losing has glitched in and out through the time (which means my rebellious side tried to takeover from time to time).

See, I didn’t always write.

I know, unspeakable!  Incomprehensible! But nonetheless true.

It was some years ago when brilliance struck me (it does happen sometimes y’know), I had a brand-new tablet PLUS an awesome story in my head = why not write it down?!  (I’m a genius).

So I did or I began to, and PEOPLE!  Do you know how incredibly slow and hard and horribly uncomfortable it is to write a story on a handheld tablet?

Dreadful, I tell you. (Fine, it wasn’t that bad).

Happy me started writing the beautiful story in my head when a huge catastrophic portal opened up, sucking everything into it and plunging us into utter darkness, despair, and a world with no ice cream.

Which goes to say, something wasn’t right.  Sure, I loved my story, I enjoyed seeing it down on the screen, I couldn’t wait to get further into the story, and was already dreaming of people reading it.

The problem?

I wasn’t fulfilling my purpose in life.

What is my life’s purpose?

To bring glory to God.

So when God pointed out to me that my current story did absolutely ZERO to bring glory to Him, I tried to ignore at first, but there’s only so much ignoring you can do before you gotta pull out the big guns.-

– Aka excuses.  (who here knows that excuses don’t work on God?)

“This isn’t a big deal, I’m just writing a little story, it’s not some life changing thing”

*******excuses. . . more excuses. . . excuses upon excuses******

All the while God patiently told me, “Give Me your writing”

At last I broke,  tossed my excuses out the window, and said, “FINE.  If you want my writing here it is. I give it to you, Lord.”

HUZZAH!

In that very moment, I lost control of my writing. Actually, I gave control over to God – and am I ever so thankful I did.  Because you know, I don’t think I would be writing the WIP (work in progress) I am if I hadn’t, not to mention life would be a great bit more unhappy — a great wad of my writing would be stuck between me and my Savior, and my flesh’s control issues would only be growing worse.

Of course it didn’t end there.

God wanted my writing, He got it, so since He owns my writing…..then shouldn’t I write FOR HIM? (see the verse, 1 Cor. 10:31 above)

Well, yeah.

So I’m sure you can already guess, I lost the story, too.  More like I gave it up, that thing didn’t bring glory to Jesus at all.  Sure, I considered trying to find a way to push and shove some of the plot around to fit in some sort of something that could point to Christ. But that’s not how it should be, God shouldn’t just be stuffed into the story like that, rather He should come first and the story come next — because remember, my first purpose as a Christian is to bring Him glory — so always in everything, God comes first!

So that story was scrapped, thrown off in some corner. Yes, it hurt to let it go, but you know what?  Dear writer, you haven’t the faintest idea of the joy of writing until you write something that revolves around Jesus and brings glory to God.

I will admit, one of my objections was no one would want to read something like that, if I wrote it in a way that would bring glory to God, but that just showed where my priorities were: they were focused on writing a story the world would like reading.  It was then I decided I was going to get my priorities off of writing for the world and onto writing for God.

My current WIP is Fantasy, but in whatever genre you write, Fantasy, Dystopian, etc, you can still point to Jesus — even without outright screaming it.  There is a way to write purely with a message that brings glory to God.

So that’s why I write the sort of stories I write, ones I hope point to Jesus, because I am a Christian, and God has called me to write for Him.


Who do you write for?

 

Meet the Writer:

Julia is a 15-year-old born again Christian who believes if the Bible says it it’s true, and a Bookworm who knows words have the power to change the world.   She juggles her small business, writing, and college while living on a farm in Texas with her parents, seven siblings and a ton of animals
Her goal in all she does is to bring glory to God and to live a life lit aflame for Christ.  She hopes to encourage others to do the same.