Kate Danley's Blog, page 14

Introducing Queen Joanna

Last year, I got the most wonderful email from the super talented and all around good guy Brian Spangler asking if I might be interested in contributing a story to an indie anthology.  Now, I had sworn up-and-down from this-way-to-that that I was done with group projects, but when I heard of the crew contributing to From the Indie Side, how could I say no?  It was going to be chock-full o' awesome with stories from award-winning NY Times and USA Today bestsellers like Hugh Howey, Michael Bunker, Peter Cawdron, Anne Frasier, Sara Foster, Jason Gurley, Mel Hearse, Kev Heritage,  Ernie Lindsey, Susan May, and Brian Spangler.  It was the royalty of the speculative fiction indie publishing community wrapped up in one gorgeous cover!

At the time, I had been crawling around castles in England, swimming in the images and history of the U.K.  I was finishing up Queen Mab and had been to Shakespeare's grave and his birthplace.  I took a Shakespeare intensive over the summer (three days a week!  Eight hours a day!) and had followed up with a text course where we read the History plays, starting with with Henry VI: Parts I, II, and III.  I had been to the Tower to see where ol' Henry got himself stabbed and seen Henry VII:iii at the Globe.  It was a lot of Shakespeare crammed into my lil' pea brain. And it had to spill out somehow.

That was how Queen Joanna was born.



I start off all of my projects with a "vision board".  The human brain likes to make connections with things.  So I start my writing process by finding a bunch of inspirational pictures, tacking them over my desk, and letting my mind wander.  (Fun fact!  Yes, that is a picture of Tom Hiddleston.  I cast him as the uncle in this piece.  Sometimes "casting" a character in your story with an actor you are familiar with helps you to hear the character's voice.)

The story that came out from these images was a revenge tale, a retelling of the Bloody Mary ghost story.  Not the real gal.  The one where your friends said not to say her name in the mirror because she will show up.  I was always so disappointed that no one ever knew the reason why she was so bent on popping up in your bathroom, so I decided to tell the tale in a fun, quiet-creepy, historic-ish way.

In true indie spirit, the folks doing all of the heavy lifting on the From the Indie Side project said that after publication we should feel free to take our stories and do whatever we wanted to do to get them out to the people.  So here we are!  If you enjoy Queen Joanna, check out the larger From the Indie Side anthology.  And I say this pushing aside my bias: it is really, really good.  There are stories in there that will blow your mind.  I haven't read short stories that fun in a long time.

But if you want a little taste test sampler first, or just want to read what's coming out of my fingers, here's the twenty-two page short story Queen Joanna!  It is only 99-cents.  You can buy yourself a Coke AND a story and read the story while you're drinking your Coke!  Is this your lucky day or what?!

Queen Joanna
KindleNookKoboiTunesEnjoy!

Presenting Distilled Spirits - Book III in the O'Hare House Mysteries!

After surviving an ancient Egyptian curse, life should be smooth sailing for mediums Clara O'Hare and Wesley Lowenherz. But when a cab driver named Red sees the ghosts in Clara's house, the doors are opened to a much deeper secret. Clara and Wesley stumble upon a deadly conspiracy, and find that the recent murders all have a chilling connection.
PaperbackKindleNookiTunesKoboHaven't read any of the O'Hare House Mysteries?  Never fear!  As a special limited-time offer, Book I - A Spirited Manor - is FREE on all platforms!



KindleNookiTunesKoboJust so you know where things are going with this series, this story arc will be wrapped up in four books (we're on #3 right now... dun... dun... DUUUUN!  THE PRESSURE!) and then a new four part story arc will begin with book five.
Now, as a fun little bit of fun, one of my old college chums Danielle Blackbird sent me the greatest link ever:  How to Tell if You're Reading a Gothic Novel presented by The Guardian.  It has charts!  We can turn it into a drinking game!  Take a shot whenever I hit one of these tropes!  Off to add more swoons for you!

Queen Mab Trailer

Recently Queen Mab was awarded the McDougall Previews Award for Best Fantasy Book of the Year and named the 1st Place Fantasy Book by the Reader Views Reviewers Choice Awards.  As part of all this awesomeness, I won a free book trailer created by the fabulous Castelane.  I think it turned out just fabulous!  If you have one minute and twenty seconds of your life to spare, click below!

The Keys to the Realms Release Party

https://www.facebook.com/events/258360841001705/

If you have questions about any of my books or writing in general, I am going to be hanging out online tomorrow (4/22/14) from 8:15-8:45PM (PST) at the virtual Keys to the Realms release party, hosted by fellow 47North author Roberta Trahan (*warning! Her site has sound, so turn down your speakers if you're goofing off at work right now). There will be prizes every half-hour, I'll be giving away signed copies of things, will post some stuff about world building (don't tell anyone I am making this up as I go along!) So grab your virtual beverage, put on your virtual hat, and come on over for a virtual good time!

Deep Peace by Fiona Macleod

Deep peace I breathe into you,
O weariness, here: O ache, here!
Deep peace, a soft white dove to You;
Deep peace, a quiet rain to you;
Deep peace, an ebbing wave to you!
Deep peace, red wind of the east from you;
Deep peace, grey wind of the west to You;
Deep peace, dark wind of the north from you;
Deep peace, blue wind of the south to you!
Deep peace, pure red of the flame to you;
Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you;
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you;
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you;
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you,
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you!
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you!
Deep peace of the Yellow Shepherd to you,
Deep peace of the Wandering Shepherdess to you,
Deep peace of the Flock of Stars to you,
Deep peace from the Son of Peace to you,
Deep peace from the heart of Mary to you,
And from Bridget of the Mantle
Deep peace, deep peace!
And with the kindness too of the Haughty Father Peace!
In the name of the Three who are One, Peace!
And by the will of the King of the Elements,
Peace! Peace!

Queen Mab Wins!

McDougall Previews Award for Best Fantasy Book of the Year
1st Place Fantasy Book - Reader Views Reviewers Choice Awards
I am so pleased to announce that Queen Mab has been named the best fantasy book of the year, coming in first place in the Reader Views Reviewers Choice awards and winning the McDougall Previews Award.  I feel this occasion calls for a tiara and a sash.  

*singing* Theeere sheee isssss... Miss McDougall Previews Award for Best Fantasy Book of the Year... Theeeere she issss...  *breaks down into tears while waving in the elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist-wrist fashion*

Queen Mab is available exclusively on Amazon in paperback and Kindle, and if you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can borrow it for free!


When Faunus, the god of daydreams, breaks the heart of Queen Mab, revenge can be the only answer.  Using the most powerful families in Verona, they wage their war against one another, and place their final bets upon the heads of two youths, one named Romeo and the other named Juliet.

But when Queen Mab falls in love with a gentleman named Mercutio, everything changes and she will do anything, even if it means destroying the world, to save him.  Will it be enough to stop the tragedy?  Or only spur it forward to its terrible end?

Weaving Shakespeare's original text into a dark, epic fantasy, fans of The Woodcutter will love this latest retelling by USA TODAY bestselling author Kate Danley. Experience the romance of Romeo & Juliet from a different point of view - through the eyes of the bringer of dreams... Queen Mab.

April 2, 1013

After a filling breakfast of all the five major food groups of Cadbury chocolates, I'm off to 221b Baker Street and then the London Library to see if I can check out an original Folio.  Will check in this evening!

Love you lots!

xoxo

-------

Checking in to say I had a lovely day!  Just got back from seeing Rufus Sewell (Zen) on the West End.  Phenomenal performance.  Also hit the Sherlock Holmes Museum (they decked out a townhouse with all of the details of Sherlock Holmes's apartment in the books), saw Kings Cross and Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter books, strolled through Regent Park and hit the London Zoo (best tiger exhibit I've ever seen and made it just in time to catch their birds of prey show.  I guess a whole lot more people out here hang out with falcons), went to the London Library and took a gander at a Shakespeare First Folio, the Magna Carta, Jane Austin's diary, and scores handwritten by Mozart, Handel's Messiah, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven (sloppy handwritting, that Beethoven).

I have not seen Selfridge, but I'll put it on my "to find" list!  I saw a crazy supernatural murder mystery on the BBC last night starring Ab Fab's Patsy and Green Wing's blonde doctor (whose lived with Caroline) in serious roles.

The only internet connection I have is down in the hotel lobby and I haven't found a Starbucks.  I'm sure there is one here somewhere.  But I'll be back Friday afternoon and will call you then.  It is practically here!  Time is flying!  

Anyways, time for me to head to bed.  Grand adventures for tomorrow!  Love you!

xoxo

------

I hopped onto the Tube from Paddington to Baker Street to see what my old chum, Sherlock Holmes was up to.  If you are going to be in London, you have to at least see what odd little building stands at 221B Baker Street.


It turns out that it was a museum.  A Sherlock Holmes museum!  Some enterprising soul bought out the townhouse which stood there and turned it into Sherlock's home.  If an object was mentioned in the books, it was in the apartment.


I lined up with the masses and was happily snapping pictures when a girl in front of me asked if I would take her picture in front of the 221B.  And I asked her if she would take mine.


And then we struck up a conversation.  She was from Spain, visiting for two weeks, traveling by herself, and suddenly, we were friends.  We walked through this crazy little museum taking pictures of each other and oohing and aahing and going through the gift shop and figuring out how many pounds were in a dollar and Euro.  As we left, she asked if she could kiss my cheeks.  I was so European!

I ate a terrible panini sandwich consisting of some tasteless cheese and four olives on some flat bread.  Then decided to hunt down Primrose Hill, which is evidently this hill that gives you a spectacular view of the city.  It said on my map it was on the other side of Regent's Park.

I did not really understand how big Regent's Park was.

But halfway through, there was a little old church which had been converted to a coffee shop and featured "brewed coffee".


I walked through the park, the warm cup in my hand as joggers raced by and couples sat beneath winter trees.  There was a water fountain from ancient days.  Both weather and acid rain had taken their toll.


By the time I got to the far end of the park, I decided to scrap my Primrose Hill idea in lieu of checking out the London Zoo.


Only after arriving home would I find out the reptile house was the one from Harry Potter.  The tiger exhibit was the best I'd ever seen.  There was a birds of prey show, and none of these birds were injured and taken in.  No, this is just what people do here.  They falcon.  I sat on a grassy hill and watched as the birds dove.

It seemed rather silly to spend so much time at a zoo when you can see a penguin anywhere.



But he kept coming over to say hello.  And what can you do?  Be the jerk who blew off a penguin?  There was something lovely about it all... the winter... the happy families..

There was a tall brunette man by himself at the zoo, too, and we were on the same exhibit path, running into each other again and again, sharing a smile and a polite word.  We might have been timing things just so that we would keep meeting at every other exhibit.  Sometimes you play these games with strangers.

As I left, I decided to catch the bus back to the tube station and a mum with her pram asked me for directions and was surprised to learn I was American.  Me!  Mistaken for a local!  I helped her onto the bus and to find her way back to Baker Street Station.

I didn't know what to do next, so I just walked, and discovered King's Cross Station and Platform 9 3/4.

 
Then I realized I was next to the Library.  Everyone had told me to go to this library, but I had blown them off.  Pfft.  I had seen a Gutenberg before.  I had seen an original Folio.

I had no idea.

 
I saw music penned by Mozart's hand, and the sloppy mistakes of Beethoven.  I looked upon the Magna Carta with the only existing seal.  Yes, there was a Folio there.  And drawings by Michelangelo.  And notes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  It was a wonder.

I headed back to my room to get ready for my West End show that night.  Rufus Sewell was performing with Lia Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas in Pinter's Old Times.  I have been a Rufus Sewell fan since Dark City and Dangerous Beauty and was so excited to see him perform life.


I had bought myself one of the best seats in the house.  And my god... the play.  OH THE PLAY!  It was like a dream.  I walked out of there unable to comprehend what I had just seen.  I wandered Picadilly Circus for a half hour in the dark not wanting that feeling to end.  It was like flying.


I heard other people on street corners discussing the play and wanted to shout to the world, "ME, TOO!"  When theatre is great, you fall in love.  The lights are gentler, the colors are brighter.  You look at the world through the filter of the playwright's words.  The performances were exciting and nuanced and subtle.  There were moments... oh those delicious moments... when they fell into each others eyes and time stopped.  Everything existed in the pause.  I picked apart the moments and reassembled them in my head as the layers kept going deeper and deeper.

In Los Angeles, actors don't do theater because they love theater.  They do it because they're hoping some director or casting agent will see them and hire them for a film.  I say this as guilty as anyone. That sort of thinking seeped into my own pores.  I stayed in long running shows for ages, not because I enjoyed doing them, but for "exposure".  It creates this cultural wasteland, this world of faux art that is no more real than a backlot facade.  I was a voter for a big awards show in LA and saw 50 plays a year, and was lucky if two or three were good.  And here!  My first show in London!  After twelve years in the desert, to see a play where the play really and truly is The Thing!  I felt like a starved woman gulping the sweet waters of an oasis.  Theater could be wonderful and profound and heart-wrenching and complicated!  It wasn't just the hazy nostalgia of days which had gone by.  This feeling was real.  The power of theater was real.  There were places in the world where audiences were smart and could be trusted with heavy words, and they craved more.  I had seen it!

And in that moment, I knew I couldn't keep doing what I was doing.

And that my time in Los Angeles was done.

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Take a global excursion with bestselling authors Kay Bratt, Karen McQuestion, and yours truly in this Rafflecopter giveaway!  We're giving three pint sized suitcases full of worlds to explore with three books from each of us authors.  AND one lucky grand prize winner will win A NEW KINDLE!  Enter to win!  And share it with your friends!

FREE 3/16! Queen Mab

Grab a copy of Queen Mab for FREE! Today only on Amazon Kindle!


From the mind of USA TODAY Bestselling author Kate Danley comes a dark romantic fairytale. When Faunus, the god of daydreams, breaks the heart of Queen Mab, the queen of dreams, revenge can be the only answer. Using the most powerful families in Verona, they wage their war against one another, and place their final bets upon the heads of two youths, one named Romeo and the other named Juliet.

But when Queen Mab falls in love with a gentleman named Mercutio, everything changes and she will do anything, even if it means destroying the world, to save him. Will it be enough to stop the tragedy? Or only spur it forward to its terrible end?

Weaving Shakespeare's original text into a new fantasy about the redemptive power of love, fans of The Woodcutter will delight in this period retelling by award-winning author Kate Danley. Experience the romance and passion of Romeo & Juliet from a different point of view - through the eyes of the bringer of dreams... Queen Mab.

M&K Tracking NOW AVAILABLE!

For all of you who have been waiting with bated breath, start breathing again.  Book IV in the Maggie MacKay: Magical Tracker series is NOW AVAILABLE!  Ladies and gentlemen, may I present... *drumroll* M&K TRACKING!  WOOO!  *arms flail like a Muppet*


KindleNookPaperbackiTunes (coming soon!)Kobo (coming soon!)
M&K TrackingBook IV: Maggie MacKay - Magical Tracker SeriesM&K Tracking is finally up and running, but business has been the pits for Maggie and Killian… that is until someone tries to open a portal to the pits of the Dark Dimension via Father Killarney’s church.  When it comes to vanquishing evil, who are you going to call?  M&K Tracking.  It is a hell of a job, but someone’s gotta do it.

WARNING: This book contains cussing, brawling, and unladylike behavior.  Proceed at your own risk.