Amy Kuivalainen's Blog, page 3

Free Story- Women in Mens Waist Coats

Hi Everyone

Yes , I know its been ages since a free story! But the good news is that today's story is a rather long one to make up for it.



Women in Men's Waistcoats was originally written for an anthology called Blood Sucking by Lamp Light. I wrote it during the worst Christmas of my life and it's because of it that no one was killed off that year (so close). Unfortunately the publisher never went to press and disappeared over night.

I wanted to write a vampire steampunk story based in an alternate Sydney ( or New Albion as it was originally called) in the 1800's and tie in some random vikingness at the same time.

Find it here: Women in Mens Waist Coats

p.s. Firebird shaped Announcements coming soon so keep an eye out!

Free Books On Blog

Hi Guys!

Do you know that you can download a FREE PDF of 'Cry of the Firebird' and 'The Eagle Key' on my official site?

Check them out here and review now!

https://firebirdfairytales.wordpress....

Amy x

Free Story- Bookstore Baker

This month I'm going to do things a little differently and put two short stories up under my Free Stories page.

This is the first and it's a mock fairytale called Book Store Baker.



I have a thing with liking book stores to be quiet so I'm really not impressed when parents let their kids run about and terrorise the place.

This story was born out of a particularly bad trip to a bookstore. At the time I was reading a lot of fairy tales about Baba Yaga and her penchant for eating children. I started to see why she would find the idea appealing when I watched a child have a tantrum and destroy a bunch of books much to the dismay of the poor staff. Then I started to wonder how Baba could get away with it now....and this story was born.

I hope you enjoy it. Find it here:  Bookstore Baker

Defending YA Round 3

Apologies everyone for not blogging as much as I should be at the moment, with the release of a book comes all sorts of interesting delays...but that doesn't matter because today boys and girls we are going to talk about the gorgeous Leigh Bardugo.

I really struggled with this blog because these are meant to be broad recommendations and not reviews and I want nothing more than to disseminate these amazing stories, write essays and find all the tricks used. It's the writer in me to want to pull a book apart that I love and see how it all works underneath.



For those who've read my Firebird Fairytales  (hi guys!) it's pretty obvious how I feel about Russian fairytales so you can imagine my reaction when I stumbled on Leigh Bardugo, someone who feels as intensely about them as I do.

I have a really incredible partner who understands my interesting ways (crazy) so when I read my first Bardugo story The Witch of Duva, he was very understanding when I freaked the fuck out with excitement. I know I went a bit backwards with my first reading choice but I was a hardcore fan from that moment. Not only was it different enough to be a new fairytale but it's structure was familiar enough that it feels like it could slot into a canon of the original. It's ending was horrific and haunting in a way that only a good Russian fairytale can achieve.

The next day I went to Dymocks and cleared out their entire stock of Leigh books with enough enthusiasm and gesticulation that it was almost interpretive dance, much to the amusement of the sales staff.



Look at those covers...damn, I had no chance to resist them.

Okay so the first series I annihilated was the Grisha Trilogy. It draws you into the fascinating world of Ravka that Bardugo has created. There is a stark difference between the war ravaged lands and the lush Little Palace but the world building in this series is intense and in equal parts Russian derivative and original creation. The structure of the magic wielding Grisha is fascinating and I could've happily read a whole book all about magic lessons.

Our story begins with Alina, orphan and apprentice cartographer in the Ravkan Army. She saves her childhood friend Mal (more on him later) when a dormant magic deep inside of her flares to life in his defence. This rare gift is instantly scrutinised by the Leader of the Grisha, The Darkling. Here is, in my opinion, one of the greatest characters I've seen in a long time. The Darkling is magic incarnate with the ability to summon darkness as Alina's rare gift is to summon light, earning her the title of The Sun Summoner. Alina is taken back to the Little Palace in order to learn about her gift and the pale orphan that's always been overlooked is suddenly seen as the Saviour of Ravka.

The books move through a series of betrayals, love's and losses as Alina struggles with her power, her heart and her duty to bring peace to Ravka. It's really difficult for me to keep my mouth closed and not spoil the whole series for you but if you love fairytales I can't recommend it enough. Bardugo has created a world so rich that it almost outshines her protagonist. The stories are laced with symbology and theres iconic elements that give it its fairytale quality. What it also does really well is question the concept of power and magic and what it costs to claim both. Alina herself is not your typical likeable character either; I could've punched her in the face on more than one occasion. She can be a real whinger but rallies when she needs to, like a lot of people. She's not perfect, she has shit self esteem right to the end despite the things she achieves. There are a few things I really took issue with in the series so I've added a spoiler section at the bottom of this blog for those who've read the series and want to hear my rant.

This brings me to Bardugo's newest (and my favourite) Six Of Crows. 

 Part heist, part adventure, part street war - this two part series based in the Grisha world has everything.

The story starts with criminal protege, Kaz (I'm so in love with this guy) putting together a team to break into the Ice Court and retrieve a hostage, the creator of a drug that can enhance a Grisha's power but also ends with their death as the magic and addiction eats away at them.

The characters in Kaz's crew are all vivid and individual. They have a incredible chemistry in their interactions and the scenes between Nina and Matthias had me laughing uncontrollable.

As a writer Bardugo levelled up in this series. It seems easier, like she's more confident in her own magical ability of story telling. It carries less of the epic fairytale and more of the fantasy. It's written so visually that you could see it transposing easily into a tv series (a movie would not do it justice- seriously get onto it Netflix).

I can't wait for the second book (left) that cover alone! I'm loving what she's doing with the series and the extra layering of awesome world building.

Honestly, I think Leigh Bardugo is just getting going and if she ever decided to write for adults she would redefine whatever genre she decided to choose.

Also, I'm about 98% sure she washes her hair in virgin tears because it's kind of magical. Yeah, I got hair envy AND writer envy. In the best possible way. She seems like a really kick ass, scarily clever person and if she ever comes to Melbourne I'll be first in line with an offering of cake and cocktails. Read her. Buy her books here.

Keep reading ONLY if you have read the Grisha series...here there be spoilers:

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Oh hi there, so glad you're still with me to read about the major issue I had with the Grisha trilogy. I've talked about this with a few people (my understanding partner had to pull me up because I was in full blown rant mode after book 3 was done) and before I begin I want to make something really clear....writing books is fucking hard. It's a long and involved process for a writer and decisions made in books, even if YOU, the reader, think they are wrong, have still been considered long and hard by the author. It's their story and ultimately your opinion doesn't really matter.

The following is purely my opinion as a reader. As you can tell I'm a huge fan of Leigh Bardugo and I respect her immensely so this one thing I take issue with doesn't diminish my over all love of the series.

As stated above I'm really blown away by the character of the Darkling. He's the rare type on antagonist that I could fear, love and respect. He is someone that has lived for hundreds of years, the only one of his kind, awaiting his opposite that can summon light to balance to his darkness.

Alina is that person, that balance and when she appears there is a relief in the Darkling that he doesn't have to be alone anymore. Alina is very young, immature and still holds a flame for her childhood friend and crush Mal.

I take MASSIVE issue with Mal as a character. I know this is the unpopular opinion and many ship him and Alina from the start but he made me grind my teeth in fury. Mal is that guy that you are mates with as kids who you have always been there for and then becomes the popular boy in high school that all the girls throw themselves at. As the best friend you have to put up with his womanising crap and be the mate and shoulder to cry on when it doesn't work out. You are the only girl that stands by him and he doesn't know you exist UNTIL suddenly someone else (in this case the Darkling) starts to treat you like you are special and important and then for the first time, the boy you have been waiting on, realises that you're desirable and only then decides you're worth his time. This is Mal in a nutshell. Until he goes to the Little Palace during a celebration and see's Alina, blossoming with power and beauty from her months away, standing with the Darkling, her equal in power, that he realises his epic mistake of not giving her the time of day. It was only when Alina is cut off from the sun that is Mal that she learns of her own value and starts to shine. I know, I know..they grew up together, Alina's always loved him, he's a good guy in many ways...all true but I don't think he's good for HER. She's been not worth his time until she's suddenly worth someone elses.

This is not to say that the Darkling doesnt treat her badly, he does but they are the only ones of their kind, they actually do belong together and its obvious (especially in the later books) that Alina has considerable influence over him. She's meant to be the light to his darkness, the only person that could (if she'd wanted to) sway him because they are equals, that could teach him another path. He actually says this in his comments about her being the one that could make him into a better man. But she chooses NOT to.



(Image courtesy of artist warika on Pinterest)

From a writing perspective the scenes between the Darkling and Alina are so charged that it hurts. They have a chemistry together that goes beyond physicality and beyond magic. Scenes between Alina and Mal are not like this. They are filled with guilt and regrets and hurt. Mal doesnt, will not, ever understand Alina the way the Darkling will- that's actually explained in the books.

Mal treats Alina like shit, especially in the second book. She reaches out to the Darkling because Mal being a selfish, self absorbed git, isolates her when she needs him the most. His actions are not the ones of a conflicted man in love. They are the actions of a man who is jealous that he's no longer the sole focus of Alina's world.

The Darkling, for all of his faults, is only really acting the way I imagine a hundreds year old person would act. There is a coldness, a focus on his goals and the lives he takes don't matter to him because a human life is a flickering candle flame to him because he's been so isolated and disconnected. He acts in many ways they way I imagine a vampire would act after hundreds of years (yeah a teenage girl wouldn't hold their attention, sorry but no). He's waited for Alina to appear and he needs her on a fundamental level. They are the only ones of their kind and he finally has a chance to alleviate his loneliness. The way Alina responds to him is intense as you imagine it would be. She tries to deny it for the rest of the series but he is the only one that doesn't make her feel alone. He even chooses to become her villain ('Fine, make me your villain') because he would be anything she needed him to be. He never wants her to hide her power, who she really is, unlike Mal who just wants her to 'normal' so he can be the special one again.

I would've been happy if Alina and the Darkling killed each other in their final battle. I half expected it to happen. But she ends up with Mal, running the orphanage, normal with her power gone. It was an ending that I could understand but really cut me sideways. Bardugo does comment about Alina missing her power though which is something, there is a part of Alina that will never filled, satisfied or happy. Maybe, like me, she wonders if she could've changed the Darling's mind and had an immortal love that shook the heavens.

I know, this is a rather intense opinion and it's a credit to Bardugo that I had such a strong reaction to it. I don't like it when women end up with men who make them feel less than what they are to make themselves feel better...I've been in that kind of relationship and so I fucking balk at it in a book.

I will read the series again, probably many times, and perhaps I will feel differently about Mal because I'm not so drawn to the Darkling. Maybe I will read the scenes between him and Alina differently, maybe I will stop feeling like she ended up with the shitty consolation prize.

Yeah, I know, I love the Darkling WAY too much. Which probably says a lot about me. It says even more about the prodigious talent of Leigh Bardugo. I wait to see what she does next with high anticipation. I hope its a book of fairytales. I know it will be stellar regardless.

Ashes of the Firebird

One more sleep til my Book Birthday!

Okay now that I got that out of my system I can tell you a little bit about the next instalment of The Firebird Fairytales. 

Second books are strange beasts. You know you’re in the middle of something but don’t quite know what and foreshadowing for the next book can be vital. In saying that I tried to have it as a separate sort of story where things happen. Some stuff gets resolved and other stuff becomes worse. There is new cities, new faces, new secrets and all sorts of monsters and good stuff.

When I was writing this beast of a book I had so many plans and ideas for how it was going to turn out…by the end of the second rewrite none of these things eventuated or were even left in which is pretty typical.  Trust me they weren’t needed. I was pretty close to setting it on fire more than once. I’m pretty sure it would have died in a blaze if it wasn’t for my partners in crime Fox and Anna hiding the vodka and matches and sharp objects.

Also this book and all of its subsequent drafts were written to Amanda PalmerAmanda Fucking Palmer’s albums. Who Killed Amanda Palmer was the soundtrack to my life at the time of the first draft, a spooky coincidence that I fed into my art and dealing with the shit going down at the time. Thank you Fox for giving me the gloriously inspirational Amanda. She’s an incredible artist who will speak wild things into your dark and dreaming heart…you can find her work here where you can download her albums for as little as a dollar. Better yet, go support her Patreon.

If Ashes had a theme song it would be this song, ‘Runs in the Family.’ 



This book, and series, deals a lot with family and with what’s inside our blood and dealing and fighting the inherited monsters and problems. It’s a theme that’s pretty prevalent in my own life. Anya’s ability to pick up strays (and in turn be adopted) is inspired by own. I never had much family around growing up so I was adopted my a whole manner of people. The concept of  “Family” has very little to do with blood at all and its reinforced in the rag tag tribe of misfits that gather about Anya and Yvan.

To keep track of the ever growing cast I have put a character list in the back of the book and kept it as spoiler free as possible. I’ve had some pretty mixed reactions from my ARC readers about this one, but don’t worry there is definitely a third book where all shall be revealed. I hope you enjoy it, I hope you listen to it with Amanda Fucking Palmer on full volume.

The Red Shoes - Free Short Story

The first short story up is The Red Shoes. For those who got the second edition of The Eagle Key you will already be familiar with it but I thought it was a good one to share for others.

This story was actually a nightmare of mine..the Autumn Queen and I have a long history together. She usually will turn up in a nightmare every couple of months. Opposed to all the other nightmares this was actually story shaped. You will learn more about the Autumn Queen in my new series that I'm currently working on.

I hope you enjoy it! Find it here

Free Story PDFs -My New Thing

You might have seen back in my New Years post that this year I wanted to start putting Free Stories onto the blog for you to read, share, pirate whatever.

Today I have uploaded the first free story! Hurray! Because I'm SO excited about my release of Ashes of the Firebird this coming weekend I've uploaded the complete first novel of The Firebird Fairytales, Cry of the Firebird for your reading pleasure. You can find it here under the Books Tab of my Menu.

My mind is bursting with stuff to write, load and advertise before the weekend (including a proper blog for Ashes) so bear with me folks and I'll see you on the otherside :)

Defending YA: My Recommendations Round 1

Recently I stumbled across an article (one of many out there on the topic) about YA Fiction and why, as an adult I should be embarrassed about reading it. I'm not going to lie, I got rather ranty about it on my Facebook page. Maybe it's because recently I decided to rewrite the first book I ever wrote, Eastern Gods and Western Wars. I started it when I was about 1 6 and finished by 19. I was a young adult when I wrote it and so I've tried to keep that voice but clean it up so it's readable. I was surprised to find I still love the story and the characters. I also wrote it because YA wasn't what it is now when I was a teenager (late 90's, early 00's) and while I know books out there had to exist in the genre, I couldn't find them. So I wrote my own.

I believe in reading whatever the fuck you like whether its YA, literature, fiction or fantasy tenticle porn- I don't care- as long as you're reading something it counts, and you shouldn't listen to any loud mouth who wishes to push their opinions and shame you out on your choices.
I've read some amazing YA in the last year, stuff I desperately wish was around when I was a teen, and so I'm ready to step up and defend the genre.

Instead of Hulking out and picking the article, and that opinion in general, to pieces and peeing on the remains, I've decided to meet the negative with a positive and offer up the best YA I've read in the last year or so in a series of blogs over the next few weeks. I'll try and keep it spoiler free but be warned, I'm talking about series' in whole as well as stand alones.



Laini Taylor - Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy

'Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.'

BAM! How's that for an opening?

Okay, first off is Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy. To give you a bit of back ground I hadnt read any YA in a while when I picked this one up. I had looked at the first book on and off until I caved in and bought it and damn, aren't I glad I did.

This series is about Karou, a beautiful blue haired girl that is raised by creatures from another land, Elsewhere, who deal in teeth and magic. At the beginning of the series she balances art school in Prague and working for Brimstone. Enter a pissed off angel Akiva and Karou's life gets turned upside down with repressed memories, intense love and bloody action thrown into the mix.

Ancient battles between Angels and Chimaera, other worlds, resurrection magic. Hell, this series has everything I love going for it. It spans across two worlds as Akiva and Karou try to honour their own people, each other, and try and bring about an impossible peace. It's Romeo and Juliet but in a fresh, unconventional and non-sappy sort of way. If you're looking for Twilight, this isn't for you.

The thing I loved the most about this series is the relationships and the chemistry of the characters. Karou is raised as a human and her interactions between her  and her human best friend Zuzanna as well as the object of her affection Mik (first date recorded beautiful, hilariously, in short story Night of Cake and Puppets). Their conversations are so real, funny and warm, its no surprise most of the reviews you read comment on them.

The series goes through some big themes and if you are a fan of urban- fairytales/ Pans Labyrinth/ epic fantasy seriously give it a go. It is 'older' YA, the flashy genre name New Adult would be appropriate here, with characters out of high school. Laini Taylor is an amazing writer, I was often stunned by the beauty of some of her sentences, perfectly executed. My particular favourite paragraph from Book 1 reads as follows:

"It wasn't like in the story books. No witches lurked at crossroads disguised as crones, waiting to reward travellers who shared their bread. Genies didn't burst from lamps, and talking fish didn't bargain for their lives. In all the world, there was only one place humans could get wishes: Brimstone's shop."

Laini sets scenes with a strong voice imbuing magic in around you in a fairy tale of angels and monsters. It's something I wish I had written because its so damn good. I went though this series one after the other, I couldn't stop myself. It's complex story telling, things aren't magically neatened up and she's not afraid to pull her characters through some serious shit.

If it sounds like your thing, give it a go, you won't regret it. Find her here

Books Of Magic

I love reading books about magic of all stripes and stamps, the more original the better. Over the last 12 months I’ve read some great fiction so I thought I would share my favourites of 2015.

The Peter Grant Series – Ben Aaronovitch

I was drinkingale in a medieval pub in Estonia (Old Hansa) when I was recommended the first of this series ‘Rivers of London.’ I love urban fantasy and this interesting mix of crime and magic was irresistible from the first page. Ben Aaronovitch’s knowledge of London streets, history and heart is impeccable. As you read it you can really tell that he deeply loves this sprawling metropolis. Newbie police officer and protagonist Peter Grant has an encounter with a witness of a crime only to learn that he had been interviewing a ghost without realising. The story and world grows as he’s introduced to Nightingale (my personal favourite in the series) and inducted into the Folly, the magical crimes unit of the London police. I won’t give away spoilers but I have a tendency to gush about this series. Its sharp, clever, engaging and I really love the history that is woven into it. The Rivers are formidable characters in their own right and it’s a delight to watch as they engage with Peter throughout the entire series. Aaronovitch’s creatures are incredibly original and it really delves into using magic to kill or maim and the costs of that. There is the seduction of magic and what it can be used for, and the hands that it should stay out of at all costs. The supernatural demimonde is an incredible lesson in world building and urban fantasy writers should use this series as an example of it being done well.

I went through all of the Peter Grant books like a crack addict. One of the great things about it that is hard to do well as a writer, is that Aaronovitch’s explains the magic without robbing the joy of it. If you love crime and magic this series is worth your time and money.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu – Susanna Clarke

I need to admit something here…I am obsessed with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Fiercely. Deeply. And in ways that I can’t fully explain. So when I approached this book of short stories it was with equal parts eagerness and hesitation. This is due to the fact that Susanna Clarke wipes my writer soul across the floor every time I read any of her words. They wrap themselves around my mind and fill it full of wonder and sheer joy and make me want to hide in a corner somewhere until I recover. With illustrations by Charles Vess its a beautiful book visually as well.

Okay so enough fan-girling (for now)…this is a series of short stories based in the world Clarke created for Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Jonathan himself turns up in The Ladies of Grace Adieu and I couldn’t help but squeal as I’m a stone cold Strangite. These are tales of magic, wonder and the malicious and lingering presence of the Fae. These are not the beautiful cuddly creatures of so many paranormal novels. These are established very quickly as a different breed entirely. They are a capricious species who don’t particular care what harm they can cause in the human world. They are not the kind of Fae you want to fall in love with. The only one that shows any kind of decency (in a backward manner as is their way) is Tom Brightwind when he uses magic to build a bridge in Thoresby, not to benefit the town so much as distract them while he seduces the mayor’s wife. Mary Queen of Scots makes an appearance in a way that will cause you never to look at embroidery the same way.

The delight for me in the collection (there was more than one) is when Neil Gaiman’s town of Wall turns up in ‘The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse.’ As a fan of Stardust and The Duke I laughed in glee at his frustrations and ultimate solutions.

Now let us speak more softly, as respect demands it, of the Raven King. The final tale in the series, ‘John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner’ is mentioned in passing in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell but here we have the account in its entirety. I loved the Raven King and his looming omniscient presence in Jonathan Strange so it was great to have this story added into the collection.ladiesofgraceadieu I would dearly love it if Susanna Clarke would write a story just about the Raven King but she is definitely an author who knows her own mind on these things. Her writing has no unnecessary bits. Every part has a point and a purpose.

As a writer I have this compulsion to pull apart stories I love to see how they work but I have learnt to tread carefully with Clarke. Once you see the tricks your admiration just grows until you are feeling like the ultimate fraud to even try and step into the profession. It can be said that her Victorian style of writing is not for everyone but for those who love Austin and the Bronte’s and want something like it with a magical twist they should look no further than Susanna Clarke.

The Magicians-Lev Grossman

There is an old saying of ‘Good writers borrow, great writers steal’ and going into this series I can see why many people have mentioned it after reading this trilogy. Comments and headlines often say things like ‘Hogwarts for Adults’ and ‘a sort of terrifying Narnia.’ There are definite elements of truth in both comments.

The trilogy begins when protagonist Quentin Coldwater receives an invite to attend a prestigious college of magic, Brakebills. There is the typical shenanigans of drinking and fucking and pushing boundaries that teenagers are known for but this isn’t the total focus of the first book, its only really the first third. Quentin can be a dislikable character, depressive, needy and emotional but its not hard to believe an ultra intelligent and privileged kid could act in this manner. The real story starts to kick off when he and his friends discover a way into Fillory, a magical land from a series of books Quentin loves.

As with the Peter Grant books I won’t give away too many spoilers but there are things that this series does really well.Firstly that magic really comes with a price and its always a personal price. Julia, one of the most excellently crafted characters I’ve seen in a long time, suffers deeply when she isn’t accepted into Brakebills. She has to live with the knowledge that not only is magic real but she’s been purposefully denied the opportunity to learn it. She forges her own path and in many ways I see this trilogy not so much about Quentin but about Julia. She isn’t about to cry over things as Quentin has a tendency to do, she is made of sterner stuff and hunts magic and learns it on her terms. She suffers great personal costs and to me her journey was the most engaging.

Secondly, even though there are obvious Narnia overtones Grossman seriously makes Fillory, his Narnia, 100% his own. The clock trees are an original favourite of mine. This land isn’t ideal. Its damn frightening majority of the time. I also loved the libraries of history seen in the third book of the trilogy. I love a good magical library.

This series is a strange beast and for months afterward I couldn’t decide if I intensely loved it or hated it. Readers of the series seem to fall into one category or the other. I loved it, but its a complicated love. Grossman didn’t set out to write a story with a likeable protagonist, he can be a darn right piece of shit when he wants to be, but can’t everyone? I still wonder if the book is about the pointlessness of wishing for things to be better all the time instead of enjoying what you have…or that dissatisfaction comes from within yourself and not the world or wonder around you. Even with the knowledge of magic and other worlds Quentin still struggles to be happy or satisfied and that would frustrate a lot of readers. It’s jaded in its way but I still believe its worth the read because there is so much in this series that is awesome.

There is terror, wonder, love, pain, suffering and magic. It’s violence is sudden and visceral. Magic is not safe and to abuse it is to court pain. Grossman has tried to be realistic in his approach to the magical, how modern teenagers would probably approach it, and in that way he is making a social commentary. I will read it again because there is much that can be overlooked with a single reading. I am looking forward to what they do with the TV series and I hope they don’t soften its edges.

So there we are folks…they are my top picks. I need to do another blog on YA, including a magic series in that category, but these are the best magic books of 2015 in my opinion. They are the ones that have really stuck with me for a variety of ways. I hope you give them a go.

ThanksGiving Promotions

*Promotion Announcement*

'Cry of the Firebird' will be be on a Free Books Promo in all countries on 26th-28th of November.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R...

'The Eagle Key' will be on a Free Books Promo in all countries on 26th of November.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Eagle-Key-A...