Christina Bauer's Blog, page 31
September 29, 2020
New Cover – WOLVES AND ROSES
Dear Readers,
I’m redoing the covers for my Fairy Tales of the Magciorum series, including Book 1, WOLVES AND ROSES! Why update stuff? The Magicorum covers are all over the place. Some are funny, others look dramatic. A few are drawn, most are photos. It’s annoying the fuck out of me.
That said, I’m not just a mindless rage machine over inconsistent covers. I’m also SUPER EXCITED for the next book in the Magicorum series, Book 5, BANDITS AND BALL GOWNS! This journey began when I redesigned that cover and grew from there.
So without further ado, here’s the new cover for WOLVES AND ROSES. You can see the new cover below. Be sure to scroll down to check out the before-and-after. Fun!
-CB
Here’s how the cover changed. In the new cover, you see more faces and expressions. It’s also 3D computer art versus photos. As you’ll see, that will now be consistent across the series. Scroll down to see the full print wrap cover!
And here’s the full cover…
ABOUT WOLVES AND ROSES
SEE IT ON: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Apple Books / GooglePlay
Seventeen-year-old Bryar Rose has a problem. She’s descended from one of the three magical races—shifters, fairies, or witches. That makes her one of the Magicorum, and Magicorum always follow a fairy tale life template. In Bryar’s case, that template should be Sleeping Beauty.
“Should” being the key word.
Trouble is, Bryar is nowhere near the sleeping beauty life template. Not even close. She doesn’t like birds or woodland creatures. She can’t sing. And she certainly can’t stand Prince Philpot, the so-called “His Highness of Hedge Funds” that her aunties want her to marry. Even worse, Bryar’s having recurring dreams of a bad boy hottie and is obsessed with finding papyri from ancient Egypt. What’s up with that?
All Bryar wants is to attend a regular high school with normal humans and forget all about shifters, fairies, witches, and the curse that Colonel Mallory the Magnificent placed on her. And she might be able to do just that–if only she can just keep her head down until her eighteenth birthday when the spell that’s ruined her life goes buh-bye.
But that plan gets turned upside down when Bryar Rose meets Knox, the bad boy who’s literally from her dreams. Knox is a powerful werewolf, and his presence in her life changes everything, and not just because he makes her knees turn into Jell-O. If Bryar can’t figure out who—or what—she really is, it might cost both her and Knox their lives… as well as jeopardize the very nature of magic itself.
The post New Cover – WOLVES AND ROSES appeared first on Monster House Books.
New Cover: WOLVES AND ROSES
Dear Readers,
I’m redoing the covers for my Fairy Tales of the Magciorum series, including Book 1, WOLVES AND ROSES! Why update stuff? The Magicorum covers are all over the place. Some are funny, others look dramatic. A few are drawn, most are photos. It’s annoying the fuck out of me.
That said, I’m not just a mindless rage machine over inconsistent covers. I’m also SUPER EXCITED for the next book in the Magicorum series, Book 5, BANDITS AND BALL GOWNS! This journey began when I redesigned that cover and grew from there.
So without further ado, here’s the new cover for WOLVES AND ROSES. You can see the new cover below. Be sure to scroll down to check out the before-and-after. Fun!
-CB
Here’s how the cover changed. In the new cover, you see more faces and expressions. It’s also 3D computer art versus photos. As you’ll see, that will now be consistent across the series. Scroll down to see the full print wrap cover!
And here’s the full cover…
ABOUT WOLVES AND ROSES
SEE IT ON: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Apple Books / GooglePlay
Seventeen-year-old Bryar Rose has a problem. She’s descended from one of the three magical races—shifters, fairies, or witches. That makes her one of the Magicorum, and Magicorum always follow a fairy tale life template. In Bryar’s case, that template should be Sleeping Beauty.
“Should” being the key word.
Trouble is, Bryar is nowhere near the sleeping beauty life template. Not even close. She doesn’t like birds or woodland creatures. She can’t sing. And she certainly can’t stand Prince Philpot, the so-called “His Highness of Hedge Funds” that her aunties want her to marry. Even worse, Bryar’s having recurring dreams of a bad boy hottie and is obsessed with finding papyri from ancient Egypt. What’s up with that?
All Bryar wants is to attend a regular high school with normal humans and forget all about shifters, fairies, witches, and the curse that Colonel Mallory the Magnificent placed on her. And she might be able to do just that–if only she can just keep her head down until her eighteenth birthday when the spell that’s ruined her life goes buh-bye.
But that plan gets turned upside down when Bryar Rose meets Knox, the bad boy who’s literally from her dreams. Knox is a powerful werewolf, and his presence in her life changes everything, and not just because he makes her knees turn into Jell-O. If Bryar can’t figure out who—or what—she really is, it might cost both her and Knox their lives… as well as jeopardize the very nature of magic itself.
The post New Cover: WOLVES AND ROSES appeared first on Monster House Books.
September 21, 2020
SAVINGS ALERT – All Angelbound Origins Only $2.99
The first seven Angelbound Origins books have been discounted to $2.99 to celebrate the launch of Book 8, QUASI REDUX! Check your favorite retailer and save today!
The post SAVINGS ALERT – All Angelbound Origins Only $2.99 appeared first on Monster House Books.
September 19, 2020
New Cinderella… ON SALE!
GREAT NEWS!
The “best Cinderella” now includes a fresh cover and bonus appendix of extras… PLUS it’s marked down from $6.99 to $1.99 for a limited time on: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Apple Books / Kobo / GooglePlay
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the before and after on the cover!
ABOUT SLIPPERS AND THIEVES
Years ago, Elle—never call her Cinderella—escaped her evil step family in order to build a new life for herself in Manhattan. Today, Elle’s awful past is a distant memory. In fact, Elle even attends West Lake Prep, an exclusive high school where regular humans mix with members of the Magicorum, such as fairies, shifters and witches. Although she still must live in hiding from her evil step family, Elle always has found ways to get whatever her heart desires.
That is, until Alec Le Charme.
Alec is the heir to the Le Charme dynasty of high-end jewelers. He’s also kind, charismatic, has a knee-melting smile. Elle has fallen for him, hard. Unfortunately, thanks to Elle’s evil step family, Alec is absolutely off limits. In fact, if Elle and Alec so much as kiss, it will start a magical chain reaction that would end in powerful factions of witches and wizards going to war. As a result, Elle and Alec vow to stay friends, no matter what. Then West Lake Prep holds a masquerade ball. Identities get mixed up and forbidden kisses are finally shared.
Time for the Magicorum to go to war, and for Elle to confront her hidden past in ways she never thought possible.
BEFORE AND AFTER ON THE COVER
Before we get to the graphics, here’s some background. I’m updating the covers on my Fairy Tales of the Magicorum Series because:
It supposedly helps sales
Some Magicorum covers are funny, others are serious photos, and still others are drawings. It’s bugging the shit out of me.
Check out the before and after on SLIPPERS AND THIEVES below. And watch this blog for more before and after fun!
The post New Cinderella… ON SALE! appeared first on Monster House Books.
September 17, 2020
Savings Alert: THE BRUTAL TIME is FREE!
Great news! To celebrate the launch of QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins Book #8), THE BRUTAL TIME (Book #6) is free for a limited time!
Lock in the savings at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Apple Books / GooglePlay
ABOUT THE BRUTAL TIME
As the Great Scala, Myla Lewis is the only being who can move Purgatory’s souls to Heaven or Hell. It’s a big job. Too bad Myla goes through assistants faster than a hot knife through brownies. Not that it bothers her much; Myla’s always been a solo fighter.
Then comes the problem of the fading angels. Millions of Heavenly residents are dying. According to a prophecy, the only way Myla can save them is by traveling back in time, meeting King Arthur, and creating her own knights of the round table. The catch? Doing so might end the after-realms in a bloody demonpocalypse.
Yipes.
Myla and her main squeeze, Lincoln, aren’t afraid of taking a few chances (in between kisses). But this time the stakes may be too high, even for them. And the biggest challenge of all? Finding those knights.
Because Myla Lewis doesn’t play well with others. At all.
ANGELBOUND ORIGINS
1. Angelbound
2. Scala
3. Acca
4. Thrax
5. The Dark Lands
6. The Brutal Time
7. Armageddon
8. Quasi Redux
9. Clockwork Igni
The post Savings Alert: THE BRUTAL TIME is FREE! appeared first on Monster House Books.
September 15, 2020
Cover Reveal: BACULUM (Angelbound Origins #4)
It’s a cover reveal day! Please join me in welcoming BACULUM, Book 4 in the Angelbound Lincoln series!
ABOUT BACULUM
SEE IT ON: GooglePlay / Amazon / AppleBooks / Kobo / Nook
As King of the Thrax, Lincoln leads the most powerful demon fighting force in the after-realms … yet he cherishes nothing more than his Angelbound love, Myla. All of which is why Lincoln loses his freaking mind when a demon horde targets his pregnant wife.
So. Not. Happening.
Sometimes, a warrior just needs to ignite his baculum sword and kick a ton of evil ass.
“Getting to understand Lincoln’s point of view is fantastic” – Haddie’s Haven
ANGELBOUND LINCOLN
Stories from the perspective of Mister The Prince
1. Duty Bound
2. Lincoln
3. Trickster
4. Baculum
5. Angelfire
“Lincoln’s the kind of character you can’t not love” – Antonella’s Book World
Author’s Note To Readers: This book takes place between Angelbound Origins Book 3 ACCA and Book 4 THRAX
Author’s Note to Self: Why do I write things out of sequence? Wasn’t THRAX published a while ago? To which I say to myself: self, this is how our gift works. Just be happy it does. And go eat more cookies. We like those.
The post Cover Reveal: BACULUM (Angelbound Origins #4) appeared first on Monster House Books.
September 13, 2020
Excerpt With Myla & Lincoln: QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins #8)
QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins #8) is almost here! The title ships on September 29th—and the Kick-Ass Launch Tour lasts from Oct 12-16—but you can check out an excerpt right now!!! In QUASI REDUX, heroine Myla Lewis gets spelled into a reality where she never became a supernatural demigoddess called the Great Scala.
In this revised world, none of Myla’s friends and family know her any more. Even worse, the world has gone to total crap on a cracker. But that doesn’t stop Myla from trying to “put the band back together” and fix reality. In this scene, Myla finally gets in touch with her Angelbound love, Lincoln…
See QUASI REDUX On: Googleplay / Apple Books / Amazon / Nook / Kobo
Read an excerpt wth Cissy here.
QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins #8)
Excerpt – Myla
I’ve found Lincoln. At last.
This is my chance. Sure, some crazy magic erased his memory, but this is Lincoln. My Lincoln. I’ll explain things to him. Afterward, we’ll fix this together. That’s how it’s always worked before.
Across the cavern, Lincoln scales up a climbing wall. A small group of younger guys in tunics and leather pants watch him move. This is a training session for the thrax nobility, just as I suspected.
So far, so good.
Lincoln clutches onto the wall with his right hand. Muscles strain in his face and body. All the while, my guy’s voice stays low and growly as he explains climbing stuff. In my mind, it’s a lot of blah blah blah ripped arms blah blah blah tight butt.
Did I mention that Lincoln is buck naked except for a pair of cargo pants? He is.
Here’s the problem. I’ve two inner demons—lust and wrath. And watching my guy right now? It makes my lusty side wakes up with a big HELL to the Oh.
What a disaster.
At this moment, I should be plotting on how to approach Lincoln. Instead, I can’t help but notice that single bead of sweat running down my guy’s abs… only to disappear into the waistline of his pants. My inner lust demon heats my blood with desire.
If I keep ogling my guy’s very yummy body, I’ll end up tackling him in front of everyone.
Which is a thought at that…
–End of Excerpt–
ABOUT QUASI REDUX
Myla Lewis has her life back. Wife. Mother. Queen. Great Scala. Queen of the Thrax. Yay! Then one day, Myla runs across a supernatural waterfall that makes her igni screech like crazy. Our heroine speaks the fateful words:
Some days, I wish I weren’t the Great Scala.
The waterfall grants her wish.
A moment later, Myla is back at Purgatory High. No husband. No child. No powers beyond her old quasi days. And without Myla around as the Great Scala, all quasis now live under Armageddon’s rule. That sucks. Hard. So Myla sneaks into Antrum—she simply must find Lincoln and figure this out. Once she arrives, two problems arise.
First, her husband doesn’t know her. At all.
Second, Lincoln is married to someone else.
Fuuuuuuu…
See It On: Googleplay / Apple Books / Amazon / Nook / Kobo
The post Excerpt With Myla & Lincoln: QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins #8) appeared first on Monster House Books.
September 10, 2020
Cover Re-Reveal: FAIRIES AND FROSTING
Dear Readers,
I’m redoing the covers for my Fairy Tales of the Magciorum series, starting with book 6, FAIRIES AND FROSTING. There are two reasons for this:
1) Updating covers supposedly helps sales
2) The Magicorum covers are all over the place. Some are funny, others dramatic. A few are drawn, most are photos. It’s annoying the fuck out of me.
So without further ado, here’s the new cover for FAIRIES AND FROSTING. It’s been updated to photo realistic art by Majorgaine. You can see the new version to the left… and more information on the title below. FAIRIES AND FROSTING now launches in June 2021!
FAIRIES AND FROSTING
Book 6 in The Fairy Tales of the Magicorum
Order Now: Amazon / Apple / Nook / Kobo / GooglePlay
Elle (never call her Cinderella) is trying to throw a surprise birthday party for her bestie, Bryar Rose. Trouble is, some unfriendly fae are working hard to ruin everything. Good thing she has a certain handsome Le Charme wizard on speed dial…
Here July 20, 2021
FAIRY TALES OF THE MAGICORUM
1. Wolves And Roses
2. Moonlight And Midtown
3. Slippers And Thieves
4. Shifters And Glyphs
5. Bandits And Ball Gowns
6. Fairies and Frosting
The post Cover Re-Reveal: FAIRIES AND FROSTING appeared first on Monster House Books.
September 9, 2020
Excerpt With Myla & Cissy: QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins #8)
QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins #8) is almost here! The title ships on September 29th—and the Kick-Ass Launch Tour lasts from Oct 12-16—but you can check out an excerpt right now!!! In QUASI REDUX, heroine Myla Lewis gets spelled into a reality where she never became a supernatural demigoddess called the Great Scala. In this revised world, none of Myla’s friends and family know her any more. Even worse, the world has gone to total crap on a cracker. But that doesn’t stop Myla from trying to “put the band back together” and fix reality. In this scene, Myla and Cissy break into Antrum to get in touch with Myla’s Angelbound love, Lincoln…
See QUASI REDUX On: Googleplay / Apple Books / Amazon / Nook / Kobo
QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins #8)
Excerpt – Myla
I step past the trio of thrax guards writhing on the ground.
Meh. They’ll live. Plus, it serves them right for trying to tackle me.
My best friend, Cissy, stares at the same scene. “This isn’t right,” she snaps. “Before you said and I quote, when we break into Antrum, there will be no fighting.”
“True, but that wasn’t a real battle. I just tripped those guards by mistake.”
Cissy rolls her eyes. “Myla, you punched that guy in the nuts.”
I give an eye roll right back. “Same difference. He’s down, isn’t he?”
Cissy shoots another nervous look at the guards, who remain passed out on the ground. Except for the junk-punch guy. He’s awake, just not moving yet.
Cissy narrows her eyes. “And why are we here again?”
“Because at this time of day, Lincoln will be training the young lords. I can catch up with him, easy peasy.”
Cissy nibbles her thumbnail. “And he’s your husband.”
“In another reality, yeah.”
“But he won’t know you here.”
“No.” My tail arcs over my shoulder. The arrowhead end points right at my face. I’ve seen this move before. “I know, bud. Cis is acting strangely.” I refocus on my friend. “I feel like we’ve covered all this before. Why do you keep asking the same questions?”
Cissy shifts her weight from foot to foot. “Just give me the plan one more time.”
“I’ll talk to my guy and all our troubles will end.” Cissy still looks skeptical, so I continue. “Lincoln is a rock. I haven’t changed; he hasn’t changed. Sure, there’s probably some spell on his memories and—just like you—he won’t know me right away.”
“I don’t remember you at all.”
“Doesn’t matter. Once I explain things, Lincoln will believe me. Then together, we’ll fix this mess.”
“So you say.” Cissy throws up her hands. “How can I be sure?”
“Here’s the deal. When it comes to me, you always have a healthy dose of skepticism, but I bulldoze you into things anyway. Come on, let’s go before the guards get mobile.”
And as I suspected, that speech works perfectly. Without another word, Cissy follows me as I step off to find Lincoln.
–End of Excerpt–
ABOUT QUASI REDUX
Myla Lewis has her life back. Wife. Mother. Queen. Great Scala. Queen of the Thrax. Yay! Then one day, Myla runs across a supernatural waterfall that makes her igni screech like crazy. Our heroine speaks the fateful words:
Some days, I wish I weren’t the Great Scala.
The waterfall grants her wish.
A moment later, Myla is back at Purgatory High. No husband. No child. No powers beyond her old quasi days. And without Myla around as the Great Scala, all quasis now live under Armageddon’s rule. That sucks. Hard. So Myla sneaks into Antrum—she simply must find Lincoln and figure this out. Once she arrives, two problems arise.
First, her husband doesn’t know her. At all.
Second, Lincoln is married to someone else.
Fuuuuuuu…
See It On: Googleplay / Apple Books / Amazon / Nook / Kobo
The post Excerpt With Myla & Cissy: QUASI REDUX (Angelbound Origins #8) appeared first on Monster House Books.
September 8, 2020
Enough With The Anti-Hero/Heroines
Dear Readers,
I’m in a mood to vent about the anti-hero/heroine character type. During this process, I shall swear my ass off. You have been warned.
Some context: to me, storytelling is a sacred calling. Why? Because good tales change the world for the better. As Abraham Lincoln reportedly said to Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.” May we all create something that helps accomplish such an important goal as ending slavery.
But back to the anti-hero/heroine character in writing. To set definitions, this particular type is a lying, cheating, hoarding, and murderous fiend, yet they’re also charming and have one or two nice qualities. You know what that makes them?
Still. An. Asshole.
Now, I’ve tried to keep an open mind. But I’m just not a fan of the anti-hero/heroine. There’s not that much gray area in the world, in my humble opinion. Giving these fuckers an HEA without having them make any deep moral changes feels like rationalizing bad behavior, pure and simple.
More context from the writing perspective: movies set a lot of our storytelling at large. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Hayes Code meant that you couldn’t write authority figures (police, government) who were evil. From a writing perspective, that was limiting and boring. And I get that. The code ended in 1954. Ever since then, the anti-hero/heroine has had a hey day. Personally, I thought it would all peak with the character of Gordon Gecko, the movie Wall Street, and the line, “greed is good.”
I was wrong.
After years of contemplation, I have come to the following decision: fuck writing anti-heroes and anti-heroines.
Full disclosure: it’s not like it’s a choice for me–I’ve tried to do the anti-hero/heroine thing since it’s popular–and I just can’t. My characters have failings but also solid moral compasses.
I’ve been told that my classic hero/heroine approach is not as edgy or as Literary with a Capital L. To this I say…
Meh.
An asshole by any other name is still an asshole. I’ve seen plenty of these creeps in action first hand. I won’t spend my valuable creative time filling other people’s souls with their evil.
Instead, I do my best to celebrate men and women who do the right thing–even though it sucks–and in the end, their sacrifice has meaning beyond just accumulating STUFF (or people they can’t love beyond objectification). Maybe my work helps the world. Maybe it doesn’t. In the end, that’s not what matters. What’s important is that I’m consistent who I am and what I value. Evil surrounds me, it doesn’t not become me.
Thus endeth the rant.
Now I’ll go write something where the hero/ine kicks ass, takes names, and saves the day.
-CB
The post Enough With The Anti-Hero/Heroines appeared first on Monster House Books.
