Liz DeJesus's Blog, page 6

Fairy Tale Friday ~ Snow White

Originally posted by liz_dejesus at Fairy Tale FridayThis weeks edition of Fairy Tale Friday will be about my absolute favorite princess...Snow White. I think this story has everything, a beautiful princess, loss of parents, evil stepmother (which technically makes her an orphan), dwarves, poisoned apple, jealousy, kiss, and then she comes back from the dead! Seriously. What else does this story need?

Well there are different versions of this story. In some the evil stepmother tries to kill her three times, with ribbons,  a poisoned comb and last but not least the poisoned apple. And then the prince wakes her up but again there are different versions that explain how it happened. The most romantic one is with true loves kiss, and in another version the prince decides to take her casket with him to his castle and in the journey  the casket hits a bump, making the bit of apple dislodge itself from Snow White's throat and allows her to breathe again. I'd rather go with true love's kiss...it's a lot less creepy. I mean...why would the prince want a dead body? I mean, come on!

LOL Either way I love this story and what she represents which is kindness, determination and hope.

Anyway here's what I've found on wikipedia:

"Snow White" is a German fairy tale known across much of Europe, and is today one of the most famous fairy tales worldwide. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection Grimms' Fairy Tales. It was titled in German: Sneewittchen (in modern orthography Schneewittchen), and numbered as Tale 53. The Grimms completed their final revision of the story in 1854.[1]

The fairy tale features such elements as the magic mirror, the poisoned apple, the glass coffin, and the 7 dwarfs, who were first given individual names in the Broadway play Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs (1912) and then given different names in Walt Disney's 1937 filmSnow White and the 7 Dwarfs. The Grimm story, which is commonly referred to as "Snow White", should not be confused with the story of "Snow White and Rose Red" (in German "Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot"), another fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.[2]

In the Aarne-Thompson folklore classification, tales of this kind are grouped together as type 709, Snow White. Others of this kind include "Bella Venezia", "Myrsina", "Nourie Hadig" and "Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree".[3]

Story

[image error] 1. The Queen asks the magic mirror [image error] 5. The dwarfs warn Snow White [image error] 2. Snow White in the forest [image error] 6. The Queen has poisoned Snow White [image error] 3. The dwarfs find Snow White asleep [image error] 7. The Prince awakes Snow White [image error] 4. The Queen visits Snow White [image error] 8. The Queen arrives at the wedding

At the beginning of the story, a queen sits sewing at an open window during a winter snowfall when she pricks her finger with her needle, causing three drops of blood fall onto the snow on the ebony window frame. Admiring the beauty of the resulting color combination, she says to herself: "Oh, how I wish that I had a daughter that is as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as that wood of the window frame". Soon after, the queen indeed gives birth to a baby girl as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and with hair as black as ebony. They name her Snow White, and not long after, the queen dies.[1][4]

After a year has passed, the King takes a new wife, who is beautiful but also unutterably wicked and vain. The new Queen possesses a Magic Mirror which she asks every morning: "Magic mirror in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?". The mirror always replies: "My Queen, you are the fairest in the land." The Queen is always pleased with that, because the magic mirror never lies. But, when Snow White reaches the age of seven, she becomes as beautiful as the day and even more beautiful than the Queen and when the Queen asks her mirror, it responds: "My Queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you."[1][4]

This gives the queen a great shock, and she becomes yellow and green with envy, and from that hour her heart turns against Snow White, and with every following day she hates Snow White more and more. Envy and pride, like ill weeds, grow in her heart taller every day, until she has no peace day or night. The Queen orders a Huntsman to take Snow White into the deepest woods to be killed. She demands as proof that Snow White is dead, he returns with her lungs and liver. The huntsman takes Snow White into the forest. After raising his knife, he finds himself unable to kill her as she sobs heavily and begs him: "Oh, dear huntsman, don't kill me! Leave me with my life, I will run into the forest and never come back!". The huntsman leaves her behind alive, convinced that the girl would be eaten by some wild animal. He instead brings the Queen the lungs and liver of a young boar, which is prepared by the cook and eaten by the Queen.[1][4]

After wandering through the forest for days, Snow White discovers a tiny cottage belonging to a group ofSeven Dwarfs. Since no one is at home, she eats some of the tiny meals, drinks some wine and then tests all the beds. Finally the last bed is comfortable enough for her and she falls asleep. When the Seven Dwarfs return home, they immediately become aware that someone sneaked in secretly, because everything in their home is in disorder. During their loud discussion about who sneaked in, they discover the sleeping Snow White. The girl wakes up and explains to them what happened and the Dwarfs take pity on her, saying: "If you will keep house for us, and cook, make beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want." They warn her to be careful when alone at home and to let no one in when they are away delving in the mountains.[1][4]

Meanwhile, the Queen asks her mirror once again: "Magic Mirror in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?" The mirror replies: "My Queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White beyond the mountains at the seven Dwarfs is a thousand times more beautiful than you."[1] The Queen is horrified to learn that the huntsman has betrayed her and that Snow White is still alive. She keeps thinking about how to get rid of Snow White, then she disguises herself as an old peddler. The Queen then walks to the cottage of the Dwarfs and offers her colourful, silky laced bodices and convinces the girl to take the most beautiful bodice as a present. Then the Queen laces it so tight that Snow White faints, causing the Queen to leave her for dead. But the Dwarfs return just in time and Snow White revives when the Dwarfs loosen the laces.[1][4]

Next morning the Queen consults her mirror anew and the mirror reveals Snow White's survival. Now infuriated, the Queen dresses as a comb seller and convinces Snow White to take a beautiful one as a present. She brushes Snow White's hair with a poisoned comb and the girl faints again, but she is revived by the Dwarfs. And the next morning the mirror tells the Queen, that Snow White is still 'a thousand times more beautiful' than its mistress. Now the Queen nearly has a heart attack in shock and rage. As a third and last try, she secretly consults the darkest magic and makes a poisoned apple, and in the disguise of a farmer's wife, she offers it to Snow White. The girl is, at first, hesitant to accept it, so the Queen cuts the apple in half, eating the white (harmless) part and giving the red (poisoned) part to Snow White. The girl eagerly takes a bite and falls into a state of suspended animation, causing the Queen to triumph. This time, the Dwarfs are unable to revive the girl, because they can't find the source of Snow White's poor health and, assuming that she is dead, they place her in a glass coffin.[1][4]

Time passes, and a Prince traveling through the land sees Snow White. He strides to her coffin, and enchanted by her beauty, instantly falls in love with her. The Dwarfs succumb to his entreaties to let him have the coffin, and as his servants carry the coffin away, they stumble on some roots. The tremor caused by the stumbling causes the piece of poisoned apple to dislodge from Snow White's throat, awakening her. The Prince then declares his love for her, and soon a wedding is planned. The couple invites every Queen and King to come to the wedding party, including Snow White's stepmother. Meanwhile, the Queen, still believing that Snow White is dead, again asks her magical mirror who is the fairest in the land. The mirror says: "You, my Queen, are fair so true. But the young Queen is a thousand times fairer than you."[1][4]

Appalled in disbelief and with her heart full of fear and doubts, the Queen is, at first, hesitant to accept the invitation, but she eventually decides to go. Not knowing that this new queen was indeed her stepdaughter, she arrives at the wedding, and her heart fills with the deepest of dread when she realizes the truth. As a punishment for her attempted murders, a pair of glowing-hot iron shoes are brought forth with tongs and placed before the Queen. She is forced to step into the burning shoes and to dance until she drops dead.[1][4]

Variations [edit]

In their first edition, the Brothers Grimm published the version they had first collected, in which the villain of the piece is Snow White's jealous mother. In a version sent to another folklorist prior to the first edition, additionally, she does not order a servant to take her to the woods, but takes her there herself to gather flowers and abandons her; in the first edition, this task was transferred to a servant.[5] It is believed that the change to a stepmother in later editions was to tone down the story for children.[6]

Disney's variation of Snow White gave the Dwarfs names and included magical, moving trees and a singing Snow White.

Another notable variation is the 2012 feature film Snow White and the Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sanders. In this version of Snow White, Snow White becomes a warrior in order to overthrow the Queen and the Huntsman is presented as her mentor and possible love interest.

Many later versions omit the queen's attempted cannibalism, eating what she believed to be the lungs and liver of Snow White, reference on old Slavic mythology where witch eats hearts of people, like in some versions of this tale.

Snow White by =ProdigyBombay on deviantART


"Real Life" Snow White by ~JirkaVinse on deviantART


Snow White by ~bomgirl on deviantART

Gravely Inanimated ~ A review

Okay...so I'm a writer. Not really a reviewer. LOL So when I fall in love with a book the only things that usually come out of my mouth are 'Oh my God, it was amazing. You have to read it.' So please bare with me as I do my best to describe what Gravely Inanimated is about using my own words.

This novel was written by my new BFF and partner in crime (as far as festivals, fairs and conventions are concerned) Esther Wheelmaker.

Let me start by saying 'Wow!' This book completely took me by surprise (in a good way). The story is about Lucille Knight who is a young lady who's still trying to figure out her place in the world, mainly in Victorian London. She worries about things like what to wear, have your father introduce you to a suitable suitor (whether you like it or not), tea time ...oh and don't get bitten by zombies on the way home.

This book was a mixture of Steampunk, Pride and Prejudice and Blade (except that it had zombies instead of vampires).

In the beginning of the story Lucy meets Aeron, when he saves her from a group of zombies from eating her brains. She's a little stubborn at first but eventually once you realize why she's the way she is, you warm up to her and root for her to fulfill her destiny.

Don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the book for anyone, but definitely give it a try. It's a fun read that will keep you guessing til the very end.




Kindle

Nook

Learn more about Esther Wheelmaker and the Zombiepunk Series at her website http://www.zombiepunkseries.com/

Book Signing Tips

My friend Becky Palmer is getting ready for her very first book signing. I’m so excited for her. I remember my first book signing, it was about 10 years ago for my (out of print novel) Note to Self. Anyway, if you happen to be in the area Becky Palmer will be at the Smyrna Library on May 17th from 11AM to 1PM. She will be signing copies of her latest novel The Baltimore Butcher.

She asked me for some tips and I figured this would be a great chance to give everyone some tips for your next book signing.

Smile. You want to seem approachable.
Make eye contact. Let the person standing in front of you know that they have your full attention.
Know your pitch. This is the biggest fail for some authors. You need to be able to tell people what your book is about. You can just stand there and say, “Ummm, it’s about…you know…stuff. And what happens…it has some scary parts…and some funny parts….” So please, please, PLEASE know your pitch. Memorize it. Practice with other people (friends, family members, your pets). Next time someone asks you “What’s your book about?” you need to be able to have the answer ready.
Handouts/freebies. I’ve done just about everything when it comes to handouts and freebies. I’ve printed excerpts of my book and handed them out to people. Sometimes people throw them in the trash, other times people walk around the store, read the excerpt and turn around to buy my book. It’s an expense but sometimes it’s a necessary one. Also have bookmarks, business cards, stickers (if possible) to hand out. Business cards are essential because you never know what contacts you’ll make at these events. A book signing can lead to an invite to a school, library or book group. Make sure it has your information printed neatly and clearly (no crazy fonts that only you can read). The stickers are great because I can offer them to kids if they’re crying and they often cheer them up. And sometimes I’ll have a bowl of candy or chocolates (people love candy).
More freebies. I’ll also have fun gifts with purchase. I’ve given away stickers, crayons (with the cover of my book on the label) and everyone’s favorite…lip balms (with the cover of my book on the label). People love free stuff. :)
Ask questions. If you have a person checking out your table, talk to them. Don’t just sit there staring at them. LOL Ask them if they’re having a good day. Are they avid readers? If so, what kind of books do they like to read? In case it’s not in the genre that your book is in, ask them if they know of someone that likes mystery, fantasy, horror, etc (whatever genre your book is).
Have a good pen with you. I recommend a Sharpie pen (black or blue ink) to sign copies of your books.
Plastic holders. You want to make sure your book is propped up and displayed so everyone can see the cover of your book. (I got some awesome ones at Staples).
Depending at what time you schedule your book signing, pack a lunch or a snack. I always do and it has been a lifesaver.
Create events on facebook and invite your friends and family. The more the merrier!!

I hope these tips help. Happy writing!

Bob...or The Velveteen Table

Today was the Maryland Faerie Festival. I want to take a moment to give special thanks to my dear friend Elizabeth Kolodziej for inviting me to this event. She and I have become fast friends (to the point that we share a brain...seriously) and she is so incredibly talented. She writes, makes jewelry, designs hats, made voodoo dolls and made glow in the dark fairy dust! I couldn't believe it. I was like...when do you have time to do all that? She's a tremendous author if you haven't checked out Gravely Inanimated (written under her pen name Esther Wheelmaker), stop what you're doing and pick up a copy now! It's a fabulous book, a great blend of Steampunk and Zombies. I'm reading it right now and I can't wait to finish it.






We always have fun together no matter where we go. And today was proof of that, you really have to laugh to keep from crying. Everything was great this morning. I got up in time (even though my alarm didn't go off), showered, dressed and was ready to go at 7:30 AM on the dot. Elizabeth picked me up and off we went, to Darlington, MD. We chatted the entire drive up to the Faerie Festival, catching up on each other's lives, talking about writing and other conventions that are coming up where she and I will share a table. Sharing laughs and giggles. I love LOVE hanging out with her.

An hour later we arrive at our destination (thank you GPS) and we found an employee that directed us to our vendor space. Between a tree and a tree stump. No table...no tent...no chairs. They never told us that we needed to bring our own stuff. I was like....uhhhh....what do we do now? :/

This was a make it work moment. Luckily, Elizabeth had some blankets in her car so we did our best to set our stuff up kind of like a picnic. And then I decided that we had enough stuff to make our own table.

This is what we ended up with. LOL Two plastic carrying cases, a banner and duct tape. We were desperate.



We managed to get one of the volunteers to snag us a couple chairs (my butt was grateful). Then for two hours or so we did the best we could. Then I noticed that a couple tents behind us there was a table and a bunch of chairs that NO ONE was using. I seriously obsessed over the table. I found another volunteer and asked her about it. Then she got sidetracked with other duties so I had to find someone else to help us. With our powers combined, Elizabeth and I were able to turn our makeshift table into a real table.

We named it Bob. This is Bob...our table. The Velveteen Table.... :D



And he was magical. He brought us LOTS of people. We sold a bunch of our books until....it rained. Sigh. Thunderstorms. Seriously? After all the trouble we went through to get a table and chairs, it had to rain. :/

At first it was just a sprinkle. So we hid our books underneath Bob (our table) and set up again when the rain stopped. 20 minutes later it started to rain again...with a vengeance. So we decided to pack up for the day and go back home.

But...I still had a blast. We saw a yellow fairy, a brown unicorn, a faun walking on stilts, a giant trying to kill fairies (I was one of the ones that got killed LOL Lucky for me it was a very soft hammer), and little mini ponies. I will post more pictures soon.

And here I am with butterfly wings on my eyes and my new fairy wings made by Pixi Doll from Crone Designs.



Every time we go out into the world it's an adventure!

But seriously, tomorrow we will be ready. Kurt (my awesome husband) bought me and Elizabeth a tent, I have my table and a chair and we'll be awesome!

Fairy Tale Friday

Originally posted by liz_dejesus at Fairy Tale FridayOn today's edition of Fairy Tale Friday I'm going to talk about Rapunzel. There are a few versions of this story but my favorite is (surprise, surprise) the Brothers Grimm version. I remember watching Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theater a long, long time ago and I loved that version for some reason. Although I was horrified over the fact that the prince had fallen off the tower and been blinded by the thorns, I was still fascinated over how Rapunzel had healed him with her tears at the end of the story.


Rapunzel by ~chill07 on deviantART

I was always sad with the beginning of the story. I always thought about how lonely she must've been all alone in that tower with no one to talk to for all those years.


Rapunzel by *LadyAdler on deviantART


Here's what I found on wikipedia.

"Rapunzel" (/rəˈpʌnzəl/; German pronunciation: [ʁaˈpʊnt͡səl]) is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales.[1] The Grimm Brothers' story is an adaptation of the fairy tale Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force originally published in 1698.[2] Its plot has been used and parodied in various media and its best known line ("Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair") is an idiom of popular culture.

In the Aarne–Thompson classification system for folktales it is type 310, "The Maiden in The Tower".[3]

Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.[4] Other versions of the tale also appear in A Book of Witches by Ruth Manning-Sanders and in Paul O. Zelinsky's 1998 Caldecott Medal-winning picture book, Rapunzel and the Disney movie Tangled.

Rapunzel's story has striking similarities to the 10th century AD Persian tale of Rudāba, included in the epic poem

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair".

One day, a prince rides through the forest and hears Rapunzel singing from the tower. Entranced by her ethereal voice, he searches for the girl and discovers the tower, but is naturally unable to enter. He returns often, listening to her beautiful singing, and one day sees Dame Gothel visit, and thus learns how to gain access to Rapunzel. When Dame Gothel is gone, he bids Rapunzel let her hair down. When she does so, he climbs up, makes her acquaintance, and eventually asks her to marry him. Rapunzel agrees.Upon hearing these words, Rapunzel would wrap her long, fair hair around a hook beside the window, dropping it down to the enchantress, who would then climb up the hair to Rapunzel's tower room. (A variation on the story also has the enchantress imbued with the power of flight and/or levitation and the young girl unaware of her hair's length.)

Together they plan a means of escape, wherein he will come each night (thus avoiding the enchantress who visited her by day), and bring her silk, which Rapunzel will gradually weave into a ladder. Before the plan can come to fruition, however, Rapunzel foolishly gives the prince away. In the first edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales, Rapunzel innocently says that her dress is getting tight around her belly (indicating pregnancy); in the second edition, she asks the witch (in a moment of forgetfulness) why it is easier for her to draw up the prince than her.[8] In anger, Dame Gothel cuts short Rapunzel's braided hair and casts her out into the wilderness to fend for herself. When the prince calls that night, the enchantress lets the severed braids down to haul him up. To his horror, he finds himself staring at the witch instead of Rapunzel, who is nowhere to be found. When she tells him in anger that he will never see Rapunzel again, he leaps from the tower in despair and is blinded by the thorns below. In another version, the witch pushes him and he falls on the thorns, thus becoming blind.

For months, he wanders through the wastelands of the country and eventually comes to the wilderness where Rapunzel now lives with the twins she has given birth to, a boy and a girl. One day, as Rapunzel sings while she fetches water, the prince hears Rapunzel's voice again, and they are reunited. When they fall into each other's arms, her tears immediately restore his sight. The prince leads her and their children to his kingdom, where they live happily ever after.

In some versions of the story, Rapunzel's hair magically grows long and beautiful again, once the prince touched them.

In another version of the story, the story ends with the revelation that the witch had untied Rapunzel's braid after the prince leapt from the tower, and the braid slipped from her hands and landed far below, leaving her trapped in the tower.

Free Comic Book Day

Saturday, May 3rd 2014 I was at Captain Blue Hen Comics to help celebrate Free Comic Book Day. It was awesome on so many epic levels! It's one of the things I love about comic book stores. They celebrate the love of art and comic books. Cosplayers were welcome with open arms and it was just a wonderful day of celebrating superheroes, Star Wars in a safe place where no one would judge you. Love it. :)

Anyway I got a chance to unveil Zombie Ever After to the public for the very first time and show everyone what Mik, Lynn and I have been working our butts off to put together. FYI Issue #1 is almost finished. 4 more pages and it'll be complete!

Also got a chance to sell my books First Frost and Glass Frost. I sold about 9-10 copies of both books (had a 2 for $20 deal) and that worked to my advantage. :)

I also got to get my picture taken with a stormtrooper and Darth Vader (who was very nice and polite for a sith lord).





So many friends and family came by to show their support of me and my new comic book.
Mark Z. (ZEA is dedicated to him), my brother Pablo, Joanne M. Reinbold, Justynn Tyme, Shannon Connor Winward (with babycakes in her belly), Greg Schauer, Tom Mullin, & Leon Opio. Also special thanks to my big brother George, my Uncle Ralfi, Mom and my husband Kurt for taking care of my kids that day (on another note I had to leave a little early because was so upset that I was gone all day that he made himself sick -then he felt better then moment I walked through the door).

Anyway still...Free Comic Book Day was a hit! Already called Captain Blue Hen and thanked them for inviting me to be a part of such a fantastic event and they're looking forward to having me come back in October when ZEA is finally released. :)



YEY!! So what comics did you pick up on Free Comic Book Day?

Glass Frost Teaser

Note: You've heard all about First Frost, now it's time to learn a bit more about the sequel...Glass Frost. Here's a sneak peek.



Reluctantly Bianca sat down on a nearby stool; the chairs were so small that she worried she would break them. Luckily for her, they were quite sturdy. Bianca took a seat next to Terrance. Ming eventually joined them and sat beside the prince. Bianca noticed the awestruck look on Prince Ferdinand’s face as he ran his hands along the table.

“Are you okay?” Bianca asked.

He lifted his gaze at her. “Incredible. Isn’t it?”

Bianca grinned and nodded. When she closed her eyes, she could easily imagine a young Snow White living here. A beautiful little girl, scared, with nowhere else to go. Probably relieved to have found a safe place to call home. Someplace where she wouldn’t be abused, threatened, or killed. A steady energy seemed to run through the cottage. It hummed with warmth and love.

The three dwarves joined them in the dining room where they all sat and drank herbal tea. Bianca breathed in the warm and aromatic fragrance of the cloves and cinnamon.

“This cottage was half the size when Snow lived with us,” Collier said.

“Really?”

“Snow didn’t care though. She loved it here,” Howard said. “She helped rebuild the kitchen and planted a vegetable and rose garden beside the cottage. It hasn’t been touched since she passed away, but every year there is a fresh crop of vegetables ripe for the pickin’. I swear every year the roses smell sweeter and sweeter.”

Bianca imagined Snow White helping them build the kitchen and the other rooms in the house. She could picture her with silver-colored nails glinting on the corner of her mouth and a hammer in her hand, ready to do anything to help. Bianca wondered if she helped carve the designs on the walls, and if so, which ones was she responsible for.

“She loved you,” Bianca said.

“Aye, she did,” Knox said. All three brothers nodded in agreement.

“Were you angry with her when she left?” Terrance asked.

“No. Not at all. This wasn’t a place for a beautiful princess. We were sad to see her go, but never angry,” Knox explained.

Bianca was happy to hear that. Did Snow White know how they felt? She liked to think so.

Knox finished his tea and set his mug down on the table.

“Come…follow me,” he said. He grunted as he got out of his chair. “You’ll have to forgive my slowness…these old bones aren’t what they used to be. I am nine hundred and ninety seven years old after all.”

Bianca set her tea aside and followed Knox as he led her up the steps.

“Is it true?” Bianca asked.

“Is what true?”

“That dwarves live until they are a thousand years old.”

“Yes, it’s true.” Knox gave her a single nod.

“Doesn’t it scare you? Knowing that you only have three years left?”

“Death doesn’t frighten me, child. I’m looking forward to being finished with this life. I’ll see my brothers again. I’ll see Snow White once more. I won’t be so tired anymore.”

Bianca had a hard time believing what Knox just said. She had never met anyone that was looking forward to dying. In all honesty, she had never thought about what she would be like twenty years down the road. As far ahead as she was thinking at the moment was her senior year in high school and her eighteenth birthday. But other than that? She had no clue.

Bianca continued to follow Knox up the lopsided stairs. She had to bend a little so her head wouldn’t touch the ceiling. Once they reached the hallway, she studied her surroundings. There were four rooms. Three of them she could peek into, but all she could see was the foot of their beds. The door to the fourth bedroom was closed. That was the room he led her to.

Knox opened the door; it released a soft creak, as though it had been ages since anyone had stepped inside its threshold. It had a higher ceiling than the rest of the cottage. In the middle of the room was a full-size bed with white lace sheets and a single pillow. There was a small night table with a silver candlestick and a single half-burnt white candle. At the foot of the bed was a large wooden trunk. It was a beautiful polished cherry. All Bianca wanted to do was open it and find out what secrets it held.

“This was Snow’s room,” Knox said.

“It’s beautiful.” And Bianca meant it. She was struck by the simplicity of the place. It was elegant. Uncomplicated. Much like the woman that inhabited this space.

“We’ve left it just as it is. We come in every once in a while to dust and clean off the cobwebs.”

He opened the trunk and very carefully placed the items on top of the bed. There was a white dress, a pair of dusty-rose silk slippers, black work boots, a navy-blue and white quilt, and lace gloves that had yellowed with age. Then he tugged on a small piece of rope and revealed a secret hiding place. Patiently, Bianca waited. Knox pulled out a red velvet bag with gold ties.

“Here.” He handed the bag to Bianca.

“What is it?” she asked as she took the bag from him. She couldn’t get over the rich velvet fabric she held in her hands. The fabric felt soft against her fingertips. Bianca had never seen anything so luxurious in her life.

“I don’t know. I’ve never looked inside. She never said what it was or what to do with it. All she told me was that she would return someday to retrieve it. Unfortunately that day never came. And seeing as you’re her kin, I like to think she wouldn’t mind if you had it.”

Knox took the items he had placed on the bed and put them back inside the trunk. He gently closed the lid and walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, leaving Bianca alone to examine the red velvet bag.

She let out a deep sigh. It never ends.

She sat on the corner of the bed. The color on the blood-red bag was still bright. It was as though it had been at the bottom of the trunk for a few days and not a couple of centuries. She undid the knot and emptied the contents on top of the bed.

“Apple seeds,” she whispered.



- See more at: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=620#sthash.0W8MxJof.dpuf

Kindle

Nook

Zombie Ever After/ Free Comic Book Day Giveaway!!

To celebrate Zombie Ever After & Free Comic Book Day I decided to have a little giveaway. What's up for grabs? A signed Zombie Ever After sample of issue #1, Zombie Ever After limited edition lip balm and a $10 gift card to Amazon.com. What's not to love?

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Road Trip with Lizzie

Yesterday was the craziest day of my life.

First of all I want to give a HUGE shout out to Joanne Reinbold and Justynn Tyme for being brave enough to drive me down to the Kent County Library for Authors and Audiences Event.

So you can understand why it was such an insane day for me, let's start with the day before.

Friday, April 25th 2014 9:30 PM

Bedtime. At least I seem to think so, my kids have different ideas. 9:30 PM is officially the witching hour here in my house. My kids seem to have more energy and fight sleep with everything they've got. Peter was being his usual fun loving, rambunctious self as usual. He was running in his room, with the iPhone in his hands, not paying attention to where he was going, tripped, fell and bit his own lip. I was in the living room when I heard the loud THUMP, quickly followed by his crying.

I ran to the bedroom and found Peter just standing up from his fall when I noticed a shock of bright red over his teeth, lips and chin. It was a disaster. I won't give you too many details because trust me, I don't want to remember how awful it was. Safe to say, he didn't need stitches. I cleaned his wound as best as I could, gave him a lot of Tylenol and was able to get a little bit of sleep.

Next morning. Saturday, April 26th 2014. 6:30 AM

I checked on Peter and he seemed to be okay. So I got ready to go to Dover for Author's and Audiences with Joanne and Justynn who had graciously agreed to pick me up in exchange for gas money.

I said, "You guys are brave. I can promise you it's never boring when I'm around." I didn't think it was going to be this eventful. Usually I'm just a smartass, telling jokes and making sure everyone has a good time. But this time? Stuff actually went a little crazy. I blame the fairies.

Here's what happened.

1. My debit card wouldn't work at the gas station. Sounds silly, but to me that was the first sign that things were going to get a helluva lot more interesting.

2. Luckily the drive went smoothly. Lots of great discussions, laughs, and jokes. I had a lot of fun talking to Joanne and Justynn and getting to know them and allowing them to get to know me better.

3. When we finally arrived, I bent forward to check my shoes and unbuckle my seat belt when I heard a loud SNAP. For a moment I thought that my bra had become unhooked. When I got out of the car I felt a breeze...that was when I realized that the zipper in my BRAND NEW dress had come undone. Joanne and two other authors that I was meeting for the very first time got to see me in a very awkward situation. They tried to fix the dress and get the zipper to work but nothing worked. All I could do was put my jacket back on and wait until the library opened so we could get set up, and have Justynn take me to WalMart so I could buy a new dress.

4. Once the library doors opened to the authors (the library opened to the public at 1PM but authors were allowed inside at 10AM) I put my things down and headed straight to the ladies room. Took my dress off and pulled, pried, prodded, swore enough to make a seasoned truck driver blush and finally fixed the zipper on my dress. MIRACLE!!

5. Had lunch. Called Kurt to check up on Peter. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. I'm exhausted and worried. Still try to put on a brave face because my mom told me that since his lip was hurt he wasn't going to have much of an appetite. But still...my baby boy was on my mind all day long.

6. Got a chance to meet Annette Curtis Klause author of Blood and Chocolate & The Silver Kiss. Listened to her speech and discovered that we had a lot in common.

7. Had lunch and got a chance to meet Christy Schaffer who is even lovelier in person (we met on facebook). And also saw some other friends and fellow authors that made the trip to the library specifically to see Joanne, Justynn and I. Definitely the highlight of my day.

8. Had a mishap with my credit card reader. It was working just fine until suddenly it just refused to work. Why? I have no clue. At least the lady was a good sport and found an ATM machine nearby and bought a copy of Someone Wicked. (BTW Have you picked up your copy of this amazing book yet?)



9. I feel bad because even with all the craziness going on I had a really great time with my friends, but my mind was elsewhere. My mind was on Peter and how he was doing. Because no matter where I am, I'm always a mommy. By the time I had checked in on my husband and the kids, Peter still hadn't had a single thing to eat or drink.

10. We left a few minutes early because most people had already left (beautiful day usually means that people are going to spend the day outside) and I really wasn't paying much attention to what was going on. I blame exhaustion and checking my phone every ten minutes to see how Peter was.

11. The drive back to Wilmington went smoothly thank God. We talked the whole time. And it's funny because when I'm home I don't say much. I keep my thoughts to myself but when I'm around like-minded people, I can't shut up. I have to talk to the point where I have to get as much of my thoughts out of my head as possible. And then I can go back to hibernating in my house until my next outing.

12. Ooohh and I got a leprechaun's cane/magic wand yesterday. Christy Schaffer gave it to me and I'm totally going to find a way to write it into my next book. :) And I got books signed by Annette Curtis Klause. :D Will post pictures later.

13. In case anyone is wondering Peter is doing a lot better now. Took a trip to the emergency room, and lots of love, and patience but he's finally eating, drinking and being his usual, fun loving, rambunctious self.

Book Map

This year I put together a workshop for authors titled 'Social Media and Technology for Authors'. And one of the slides in my power point presentation is called A Book Map. I got it from facebook so I honestly don't know the original source of this image.

But one of the things I tell people is that this is basically your book on steroids.



The first time I saw this it felt as though a light bulb turned on inside my head...or that could've been a bunch of fireworks for all I know. Even I don't know what goes on inside my head all the time. Anyway, what I'm trying to get to is that it's work. It takes time, and effort and just when you think your arms are going to pop off and quit...there's even more work. Why? Because I have to write new stories while I'm doing all of this promotional/marketing stuff.

So just for fun, I created a book map with the cover of First Frost. So far these are some of the things that I've applied into my personal marketing and promotional stuff.




Hopefully some of you will find it helpful.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I'm always happy to help. :)