Heather Hayden's Blog, page 2

National Book Lovers Day Promotion!

My writers’ group has put together a promotion to celebrate National Book Lovers Day! For a very brief time, you’ll be able to pick up several of our books either deeply discounted or free!

The Participating Titles!

A Bit of Magic: A Collection of Fairy Tale Retellings — $.99 until August 13th!

A Quiet Rebellion: Guilt — FREE until August 13th!

Augment — $.99 until August 13th!

Between Heroes and Villains: A Superpower Anthology — FREE until August 13th!

From the Stories of Old: A Collection of Fairy Tale Retellings — $.99 until August 13th!

Of Legend and Lore: A Collection of Fairy Tale Retellings — FREE until August 13th!

Whispers in the Shadows: A Horror Anthology — FREE until August 13th!

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Magic Monday: The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder

The only reason I didn’t finish The Electrical Menagerie in one sitting is that I started it on a red-eye flight and was too tired to keep my eyes open—much less focused on text—toward the end.

Before I get to my review, here’s the lovely cover and the blurb!

The Electrical Menagerie, one-of-a-kind robotic roadshow, is bankrupt.

Sylvester Carthage, illusionist and engineer, has the eccentric imagination the Menagerie needs to succeed creatively — but none of the people skills. Fast-talking Arbrook Huxley, meanwhile, has all the savvy the Menagerie needs to succeed commercially — but none of the scruples.

To save their show, Carthage & Huxley stake everything in a royal talent competition, vying for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform for the Future Celestial Queen. In this stardust-and-spark-powered empire of floating islands and flying trains, the Menagerie’s bid at fame and fortune means weathering the glamorous and cutthroat world of critics, high society, and rival magicians — but with real conspiracy lurking beneath tabloid controversy, there’s more at stake in this contest than the prize.

Behind the glittery haze of flash paper and mirrors, every competitor has something to hide…and it’s the lies Carthage & Huxley tell each other that may cost them everything.

 

When this book was selected for my book club’s July read, I was super excited! Steampunk is one of my favorite genres, and I’ve always been fascinated by circuses and stage magic.

I love how Reeder weaved a sense of magic through the story; even though you know it’s all trickery, it’s still a spectacular sight as Carthage appears onstage to impress the audience yet again with newly imagined creations. (My favorite scene is the butterflies.)

There is mystery and a dastardly plot afoot that Carthage and Huxley find themselves entangled in (through no fault of their own), but the heart of the story is the relationship—built of lies and fragile trust—between these two men. I was pleasantly surprised to see this be the focus, rather than a romance between one (or both) of the men and other characters. For me, that made the story all the richer.

Like a carnival ride, this story will sweep you off your feet and take you on a breathless ride. I recommend it to readers who enjoy steampunk, stage magic, and tales about the fragile beauty of companionship.

You can find The Electrical Menagerie on Amazon.

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Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 28: July 2018 Month Map

July is here, and so is my shiny new Month Map! Butterflies are one of my favorite creatures, so this month’s map features a lovely, fluttery insect. I hope to fly through my goals like this little one flies through a flower patch.

A quick breakdown of my goals:

Secret Project

It’s Camp NaNo and I’m hoping to finish the first draft of my secret project under the influence of said writing challenge. I haven’t started yet, but the month is still young and I’m hoping to begin tonight if I have time and energy after work!

JLA #6

I’m well into revisions on this short story, and judging time is coming up fast. I plan to revise this one more time in the beginning of the month before it goes off to judging.

JLA #7

I’ve plotted out this story, so I’ll be writing it as part of Camp NaNo. Yes, I’m working on two projects. No, it’s not against the rules. At least, I don’t think it is…

Goodreads Challenge – DONE!

Like every month so far this year, I’ve set myself a simple goal of reading two books. I have already completed that goal and then some! (Mostly due to the fact that I took yesterday off.)

 

What are your goals for July?

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Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 27: June Month Map and Progress

In the Beginning…there was no Month Map?!

This month has been a very busy one for me due to work. I never actually posted my June Month Map at the beginning of the month! Today we’ll take a look at the month map I created earlier this month and my overall progress toward those goals.

As you can see, I was quite ambitious going into the new month!

The most important goal for June was writing 2,000 words a day. For various reasons, I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump. I hoped diving into a new project would help push through that resistance. And it did…at first. However, I had several pressing deadlines for work this month, and though I tried at first to keep up with both work and writing, my energy levels kept dropping. Eventually, I had to make the difficult decision to step back from writing and focus on work.

Here’s how the month has gone so far:

Writing for Secret Project

I currently have about 19,000 words written. It’s a very rough first draft; I estimate this draft will be around 40k in length and likely expand to 50-60k with edits.

Am I disappointed that it’s the 25th and I haven’t finished this draft? Yes. But I’m also pleased with the progress I made, despite my lack of energy in the latter half of this month, and I’m looking forward to finishing this draft next month for Camp NaNoWriMo.

Revised JLA #6 – Complete!

I completed this goal last week, after dragging my feet for a bit. I thought it would need more revisions than it actually did; it still needs a few more passes before the judging commences, but I’m pleased with the progress so far. Right now, it’s back in the hands of my amazing critiquers!

Compile Notes for Upgrade – Complete!

Another goal that seemed like a bigger task than it actually was. Once I gathered all of the notes I had lying around, it really wasn’t as big a document as I expected. I’m glad that the end is in sight!

Read Two Books – Complete!

I’ve actually read four books so far this month, and I loved all of them! I reviewed my favorite, The Tea Dragon Society, in my June Magic Monday series post. You can read it here. You can follow my Goodreads challenge here (as of today I’ve read 48/37 books!)

Looking Ahead

Next month is July, also known as Camp NaNoWriMo for those initiated in the craziness that is NaNoWriMo and its related challenges. I plan to finish the first draft of the Secret Project, read some books, and prepare for the writers’ conference I’m attending in early August (Cape Cod Writers Center Conference, for those curious).

How have your June goals gone? What exciting things happened this month for you?

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Character Interview: Freckles the Cat-Dragon from Priceless by Janeen Ippolito

I have an exciting guest today! Please welcome Freckles the Cat-Dragon from Priceless. He has kindly agreed to an interview with me as part of the Priceless Blog Tour, celebrating this steampunk romance’s recent release!

Thank you so much for being here today, Freckles. What is your favorite part about being a cat-dragon?

I exemplify the best parts of both species in a unique specimen that will never be repeated. Because the horrid scientists who orchestrated my creation also took the liberty of some rather awful mutilation towards my person.

But no matter. I can breathe fire, I can fly, and I can cuddle the secrets from anyone. All useful skills.

Oh, how awful! I’m so sorry you were created that way. I definitely agree that you share the best parts of both species, though!

If someone offered to grant you a single wish, what would you ask for?

…someone else like me. No, that is not a contradiction. Shall we change the subject? Yes. Yes, we shall.

I can understand wanting someone like you to share life’s joys and tribulations with. Let’s change the subject to food! Do you eat fish, and if so, what is your favorite kind? If you don’t eat fish, what’s your favorite food?

I enjoy fish and small rodents and milk. Small rodents are my favorite food. In skin form, I enjoy ice cream, and I would eat it for every meal if I could. But Maira says it looks irregular, and I should try to blend in 15% of the time. Since I’m only in skin form 15% of the time, and only around her, I think the little filly is tricking me.

She definitely is. It’s perfectly acceptable to eat ice cream all the time! Next time you stop by, I’ll make sure I have some waiting for you.

What sights would you recommend for travelers visiting your hometown?

Don’t. My “hometown” is buried beneath rubble and good riddance to that horrible laboratory.

Definitely doesn’t sound like a good place to vacation. I hope you find a much better home somewhere else.

Who is your best friend?

Maira Ukerys is my death unicorn. I chose to bond with her when she was a child because it was an excellent idea at the time. Let no one tell you anything different. It certainly had nothing to do with the mercy and kindness she and her twin brother showed me. And it definitely had nothing to do with a supposed softening of my heart and a growing sense of altruism. I was already an exceptional example of cat and dragon.

But yes, Maira Ukerys is mine. Which is a reason why she had to be found. She’s a troublesome thing, but I also enjoy her company. Because I have fantastic taste in humans and would only choose the best.

She sounds lovely! Perhaps you can have her visit too next time; I’d love to met her. Thank you so much for stopping by, Freckles!

Unfortunately, that’s all the questions Freckles had time for today, but he wanted all of you to know before he left that Priceless is now available on Amazon and other retailers. Make a cat-dragon happy; pick up your copy today!

You can read my review of Priceless here.

A little ambition can turn into a lot of trouble, even for the city’s wiliest double agent.

After years of rebel spywork in the dragon-human war, Nula Thredsing is ready to claim her legacy. As the Scepter of Commerce’s new liaison to dragons, she’s one step away from the old family seat on the city council. But during her first meeting with dragon diplomat Tiers Sunscaler, they are attacked by rogue dragons—one of them Sunscaler’s former tactical partner, who is bitterly determined to keep the sham war in action and turn the diplomat to his side.

At the same time, Nula and Tiers discover a startling connection: an embermate bond. While a political marriage suits Nula, the bond’s side effects are obnoxious—and potentially deadly.

Aided by an unexpected cat-dragon and a mysterious unicorn, Nula and Tiers must track down the rogue dragons before their dangerous bond tears them apart.

Fortunately, Nula is used to impossible odds—and this time, she has a dragon on her side.

Janeen Ippolito believes words can (and should) transform worlds. She writes urban fantasy and steampunk, and creates writing resources, including the reference book World Building From the Inside Out and the creative writing guide Irresistible World Building For Unforgettable Stories. She’s an experienced teacher, editor, author coach, and is the leader of Uncommon Universes Press, a small science fiction and fantasy publishing house. She’s also the cohost of the podcast Indie Book Magic. In her spare time, Janeen enjoys sword-fighting, reading, pyrography, and eating brownie batter. Two of her goals are eating fried tarantulas and traveling to Antarctica. This extroverted writer loves getting connected, so find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and at her website.

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Magic Monday: The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

Normally the books I highlight in my Magic Monday series are novels, but today I’m highlighting a graphic novel by the talented Katie O’Neill!

Here’s the cover:

Isn’t it gorgeous? I love the soft colors and artwork of this story (the entire novel is in full color, by the way).

Here is the blurb:

The Tea Dragon Society follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons. After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

It’s a short read, easily finished in the space of an afternoon (even if you linger over the beautiful illustrations like I did). I loved all of the characters–Greta is passionate about keeping the skills of blacksmithing alive under the tutelage of her mother, and she also has a kind heart. When she stumbles upon two dogs cornering a small tea dragon, she realizes how hungry they are and offers them the bacon she had been sent to the market. From that moment, I was captivated by this lovely little world and the charming characters who fill the story’s pages.

Picking a favorite character would be difficult, if not impossible. From wise Hesekiel to shy Minette, each brings their own outlook to the story. The tea dragons are lovely creatures, and the tea they grow has some very special properties.

You can find The Tea Dragon Society on Amazon or read it online (it originated as a webcomic.)

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A Heroic Giveaway!

Heroes!

What would stories be without them?

The Fellowship of Fantasy has put together an incredible prize pack for readers who love heroes:

A Woman Woman Journal.

A paperback copy of Hall of Heroes.

A ten ebook mini-library of Fellowship of Fantasy titles, including Between Heroes and Villains, which features my very own short story, “In a Breath”!

Use the rafflecopter giveaway app to enter to win this prize pack!

Featured Titles

Between Heroes and Villains: A Superpower Anthology by the Just-Us League

Hall of Heroes by the Fellowship of Fantasy

To Save a Race by Kandi J. Wyatt

My Alien Boyfriend by Janeen Ippolito

Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors by H. L. Burke

Mercy’s Prince by Katy Huth Jones

The Shaman’s Apprentice by B. Muze

Aerisia: Gateway to the Underworld by Sarah Ashwood

Imani Earns her Cape by Bokerah Brumley

After by Savannah Jezowski

Toonopolis: Anchihiiroo by Jeremy Rodden

Giveaway open until June 15th, 2018!

Enter now!

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Release Day: A Bit of Magic!

Release Day is here!

I’m so very happy to announce that my writers’ group, the Just-Us League, has published our fifth anthology!

A Bit of Magic is our third collection of fairy tale retellings, and it is now available for purchase on Amazon (or free through Kindle Unlimited). It contains eleven fantastic stories, each accompanied by its own full-page, black-and-white illustration.

The oldest story can be made new again, changed and altered until it is reimagined and restored.

Pride interferes with happily-ever-afters: a proud princess is tested and tests the prince in return; a young thief is caught red-handed and must make amends; and a vain queen struggles to save her stepdaughter.

Finding love is not a simple task: a hero searches for the ideal magical bride; an innocent librarian is charmed by a man with a menacing secret; a queen takes a spoiled prince as her sole deckhand; and a well-intentioned princess seeks to make things right with her father.

Change causes chaos, for better or worse: a scheming cat seeks to better the lot of his daydreaming master; a cursed pirate captain is given a second chance when he finds a young stowaway; a spoiled teenager suffers the consequences of turning her best friend into a toad; and a thief and a rebel hiding secrets meet at a ball.

Follow these characters on their journeys as eleven magical tales are turned on their heads and seen from new perspectives.

 

Grab your copy now!

Paperback        Kindle

 

Want to learn more about the talented authors behind the anthology? Check out our blog tour:

Melion Traverse hosts Mae Baum — 18th May

Heather Hayden hosts B.C. Marine — 21st May

Allie May hosts Rebecca Mikkelson — 24th May

M.T. Wilson hosts Lynden Wade — 27th May

Authors4Authors hosts Kelsie Engen — 30th May

**RELEASE DAY — 31st MAY**

Louise Ross hosts Heather Hayden — 1st June

Authors4Authors hosts Katelyn Barbee — 6th June

Mae Baum hosts Allie May — 9th June

Elise Edmonds hosts Louise Ross — 12th June

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A Bit of Magic Blog Tour: Author Interview with B. C. Marine

 

In celebration of the upcoming release of A Bit of Magic, I’ve invited the amazing B. C. Marine to my blog for an author interview!

Thank you so much for being here today, B. C.

Which fairy tale did you choose to retell, and what inspired that choice?

I’m retelling “King Thrushbeard”. At its heart, the original story is about learning humility and kindness, but it hasn’t aged well. It’s not hard to find modern reviews that condemn it as sexist and vilify the king for sabotaging the princess. So I decided to write my version with the genders reversed and a kinder monarch leading the lesson.

That was a good choice–I absolutely loved your retelling, and I’m sure our readers will as well.

Do you prefer a happy ending, and did that affect how you wrote your story?

As a romance writer, when I look for a fairy tale to adapt, I purposely look for ones that either have a happy ending or could easily be changed to a happy ending without ruining the message.

That makes a lot of sense! I prefer happier endings as well.

How did this retelling differ from retellings you’ve written in the past?

This is my first gender-swapped retelling. It also required more research than both of my previous stories combined. Most of “The Veiled Queen” takes place on a fishing vessel, and I’ve never fished in my life. (I don’t even eat seafood!) Thankfully, I had a former commercial fisherman on hand to fact-check for me. (Thanks, Dad!)

It’s always great when you have family (or friends) to call upon in times of research! I also think this is a great place to slip in the promo image for your story:

Just looking at this image is making me want to read it again! But before I go off and do that, we have an interview to finish.

If you had to live in a fairy tale as one of the characters, which fairy tale would it be, who would you be, and why?

Gerda from “The Snow Queen” gets to go on an amazing adventure and save her friend. Who wouldn’t want to do that? And she still gets to have loving parents and a happy childhood, so I wouldn’t have to go through the years of misery, which is how so many fairy tales start.

That’s a good choice. I love “The Snow Queen”!

What projects are you working on now?

I’m working on a romantic fantasy novel to release this year called A Seer’s Daughter, and its companion short titled “I Loved You Tomorrow” is in its final stages.

Awesome! I look forward to reading more of your stories.

Thank you so much for being here today, B. C., and best of luck with your upcoming publications!

 

B. C. Marine’s superpowered romantic fantasy is heavily influenced by the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and two sons. Hairdresser by day and full-time mother all the time, she sometimes has to negotiate with her family to get time to write, and the scenic views of Western Washington provide plenty of inspiration for her settings. She loves knitting and spends far too much time researching for her stories.

Her retelling of “King Thrushbeard,” titled “The Veiled Queen,” can be found in A Bit of Magic, releasing on the 31st of this month. Look for her other retellings in From the Stories of Old and Of Legend and Lore as well as her debut novel A Seer’s Daughter, to be released in 2018. You can follow her through her website or on Twitter.

 

 

A Bit of Magic Blog Tour Schedule

5/14 ~ Cover Reveal and blog tour schedule post

5/18 ~ Melion interviews Mae

5/21 ~ Heather interviews Brandi

5/24 ~ Allie interviews Rebecca

5/27 ~ M.T. interviews Lynden

RELEASE DAY ON 5/31

6/1 ~ Louise interviews Heather

6/6 ~ A4A interviews Katelyn

6/3-6/9 ~ Mae interviews Allie

6/12 ~ JL Blog (Elise) interviews Louise

 

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All That We See or Seem Blog Tour: Author Interview with Kristina Mahr

Welcome to today’s stop on the All That We See or Seem blog tour! I’m happy to announce that I’m hosting an author interview with this romantic fantasy’s author, Kristina Mahr!

Before we get to the interview, I’d like to share the book with you!

Every night, seventeen-year- old Reeve Lennox finds herself under a noose.

By day she is a lady of Acarsaid’s royal house, daydreaming of adventure and love. But every night in sleep she wanders through a nightmarish city, an invisible witness to the screeches of monsters and the screams of their victims. Her only consolation is Bran, a battle-torn young man with a selfless heart and eyes that reflect the stars.

Yet while Reeve falls deeper into her dreams, in truth she is engaged to Arden, a mercurial nobleman who has long been cured of his belief in love and breathes fire and flattery like other people breathe air.

Torn between two lives, Reeve struggles to remember what’s real. Until night and day collide, with a revelation that threatens all of Acarsaid.

You can purchase a copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Apple!

Mark it to read on Goodreads!

 

I really, really love that cover. It’s so shiny!

Now for the interview! Welcome to my blog, Kristina. I’m so glad you could join us today. My first question is, what was the hardest part of writing All That We See or Seem?

Understanding Bran was really the trickiest part for me. He was a mystery to both me and Reeve for a while there! It sounds so writer-y to say that about a character I made up in my head, but I really did have a hard time cracking him. Once I understood who he was and how he came to be that person, as well as what he wanted, it got a lot easier for me, but that wasn’t until pretty deep into my first draft. When I rewrote the book from scratch, I was glad to have a much better understanding of him.

If you could have tea with one of the characters, who would it be?

Del, totally Del. (Just kidding! There’s a scene in this book which will very clearly convey why I would not actually want to be eating or drinking in the vicinity of Del.) Bran would think it’s a waste of time, and Arden would make the whole thing somehow suggestive. Reeve is the obvious choice, as my main character, but I’ve already spent so much time with her, in her head. So I’m going to choose… the guards. It’s cheating, because there’s four of them, but they’re one unit, so I’m going with it! I would love to hang out with them in any capacity, but specifically drinking tea with those four warrior men… that would be a delight. I’d just want to sit back and listen to them interact with each other.

Is All That We See or Seem a standalone novel, or will there be a sequel?

There will be a sequel! I finished writing it in February, and it was so wonderful to get to dive back into the world and give these characters an ending. I hope it’s a satisfying one to readers.

If you could visit fictional worlds in your dreams, which would you want to visit first?

Hogwarts. Always, always Hogwarts. But, like, during a peaceful year. Not a time when there’s a basilisk or dementors or Umbridge or a massive attack led by Voldemort. I just want to hang out with my fellow wizards, go to classes, and do some magic. I think that’s all anyone ever wanted. (Except Tom Riddle.)

What current project(s) are you working on?

I just finished revisions on a novel I wrote called The Weight of the Fire, and now I’m in the early drafting stages of a novel based on a short story I wrote a couple years ago called Heartfire. I’m very excited for this one! It’s my first contemporary novel, which means girls get to wear pants in it! After having written three books of girls trying to run in gowns, it is truly a relief.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by, Kristina! Good luck with your release!

 

Kristina Mahr devotes her days to numbers and her nights to words. She works full-time as an accountant in the suburbs of Chicago, where she lives with her two dogs and two cats, but her true passion is writing. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and waking up at the crack of dawn every weekend to watch the Premier League.

You can connect with Kristina through her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

 

Blog Tour Schedule

Here’s the schedule for the blog tour!

May 9 – Savannah Jezowski – Author Interview
May 11 – Lea Doue – Author Interview/Book Spotlight
May 14 – Loie Dunn
May 15 – Release Day!
May 16 – Heather Hayden – Author Interview
May 17 – Michelle Levigne
May 18 – J.M. Hackman – Author Interview
May 19 – J.M. Hackman, Lands Uncharted Top 3
May 20 – Liv K. Fisher – Character Interview
May 21 – Claire Banschbach – Guest Post
May 22 – Deborah Dunson – Book Spotlight
May 23 – H.L. Burke – Book Spotlight

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