Sharon Ledwith's Blog, page 63

YA Book Blog Tour: She Dreamed of Dragons by Elizabeth J.M. Walker...

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Elizabeth J.M. Walker's Young Adult Fantasy Novel ~
She Dreamed of Dragons!!
Follow the tour to read exclusive excerpts, guest posts, reviews, and spotlights.

Could a dragon mage be the next ruler of the magical kingdom of Dorlith?
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Title: She Dreamed of Dragons

Author Name:  Elizabeth J.M. Walker

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy

Length: Approx. 234 pages

Ebook ISBN:  978-0-9947490-6-2
Print ISBN:  978-0-9947490-5-5

Release Date: July 17, 2015

Publisher:  Mirror World Publishing

This is a re-release tour.  Book previously published through a different publishing company.

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Favourite Familiars in Books and Movies
As an animal lover I’ve always enjoyed when familiars pop up in fantasy books and movies. In She Dreamed of Dragons all of the witches and wizards have cat familiars. One of the cats in the book, Fenton’s cat Smokey, is modeled after my own cat Smokey, who I enjoyed the company of for eighteen years.
1. Lyra’s Daemon Pan from His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip PullmanThe daemons in His Dark Materials are one of the most interesting familiars I’ve come across. I love that since Lyra is a child, her daemon has not yet chosen its true form and can change into different animals, ranging from a moth to an eagle.
2. Alanna’s Cat Faithful from The Song of the Lioness Quartet  byTamora PierceAlanna doesn’t meet Faithful the cat until the second book in this quartet, but they quickly form a tight bond. Alanna and Faithful can communicate to each other, but to outsiders Faithful’s speech just sounds like the common meows an ordinary cat would make.
3. Fire’s Horse Small from Fire by Kristin CashoreFire is a young woman with extreme beauty because of her exotic heritage of being half-human and half-“monster” – which in Cashore’s novel are beautiful, terrifying creatures who can control minds. For these reasons Fire finds it difficult to have normal relationships with humans, but finds a special friendship with a very ordinary horse named Small.
4. Rapunzel’s Chameleon Pascal from Tangled(movie)Rapunzel’s little chameleon is both cute and comedic. I love little reptiles, so thoroughly enjoyed this interesting take on the companion animal.
5. Nausicaa’s Fox-Squirrel Teto from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (movie)I love both squirrels and foxes and this is a little cartoon version of a fox-squirrel! Teto is tiny, often tucked into Nausicaa’s shirt, but a great little companion that sticks with Nausicaa during her adventures.
About She Dreamed of Dragons:

Trina is a fifteen-year-old dragon mage in a kingdom ruled by witches and wizards – the same people who have brought dragons and other magical creatures near extinction. Trina can barely control her fire powers and is desperate for an apprenticeship, but finding a fellow dragon mage to be her teacher is proving more difficult than coming across an actual dragon.

Then there’s the Royal Tourney – a competition presented by the Queen to find a successor to the throne. Trina heads to the competition in the hopes of sparking some interest in the mage society and earning herself an apprenticeship.

She never intended to be a frontrunner in the competition.

She never meant to catch the attention of the evil witch trying to take over the throne.

She never expected to fall for a wizard.

Now Trina must face tough decisions about who she is and who she could become. Trina must ask herself: Can she really win the Royal Tourney?

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Purchase Links:

Amazon Kindle - US -
http://amzn.to/1M1Ctat

Amazon Paperback - US -
http://amzn.to/1dVVRYG

Mirror World Publishing -
http://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/products/she-dreamed-of-dragons-e-book

Barnes & Noble -
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/she-dreamed-of-dragons-elizabeth-j-m-walker/1120223680?ean=9780994749055

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Meet the Author:



Elizabeth J. M. Walker lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She has always loved books and writing. As a teen she discovered zines, which inspired her to publish her own litzine of odd fairy tales for over a decade.

She Dreamed of Dragons is her first novel.

Connect with her on her website: www.elizabethjmwalker.com
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Follow the Tour - Schedule Posted at the Following Link: 

http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/tour-schedule-re-release-of-she-dreamed.html

3 Hats an Author Needs to Wear to Succeed…

Honestly, if I knew that it would take over fifteen years to become a published author I would have thought long and hard about whether I should go down that road less traveled. But I did. And the truth is that you can’t buy this experience. You digest it. You absorb it. You bleed it.
What I’ve learned in those fifteen plus years is worth more to me than any university degree I could ever earn. The skill of actually writing and crafting a book is such a process that it takes years to glean, and once completed no one can take that feeling of accomplishment away from you. NO. ONE. I’ve also learned that a writer must wear three different hats if he or she wants to succeed in this crazy writing business.
Hat #1: Asks what I am skilled at doing? I imagine this hat like a hard hat you’d wear at a construction site. This is information that you and you alone must discern. Use your natural abilities or skills that will serve you in your writing business. Good at blogging? Do it! Great at sharing information to help others achieve their dreams as well as your own dreams? Go for it! We can’t be good at everything. We just can’t! Understanding where your skills lie will help you tremendously when you seek publication or if you decide to go it alone.
Hat #2: Asks what do I enjoy doing? Yay! This is a fun hat! I imagine this hat looks like a jester’s cap with bells. Do what you love, love what you do. These are the tasks that you find rewarding. Plan a novel. Plan a whole book series. Write that first draft. Only you know what makes your heart beat faster and brings you joy, and once you figure that out then as cliché as this sounds, the world is your oyster.
Hat #3: Asks what can I uniquely contribute? This is a more serious hat for me—a fedora perhaps—business-like and serious. Do you want to write something of value to share with the world? Or just with family and friends? Will your books be useful (read: sell) in the marketplace? Do you have a business plan mapped out and ready to go to take your readers on fantastic journeys? In the end, it’s all up to you to determine what you can give, and how you want to go about doing it.
In dreams, hats represent the attitudes you show others most, your mental outlook, your various jobs, talents, personalities, and aspects of yourself. Hats reveal how you cover up or display what you really think or how you protect your ideas. So what kind of hats do you think you’d wear to succeed in the publishing business? Love to read your comments! Cheers!
Now, where did I put my jester’s cap…   

A Legendary Campfire Recipe...

In my upcoming release, Legend of the Timekeepers —the prequel to The Last Timekeepers series—my adolescent characters Lilith, her BFF She-Aba, and an annoying goat-herder named Tau are transported from the ‘Black Land’ through the seventh Arch of Atlantis, and travel back in time to Atlantis one hundred years before the continent’s final destruction. There, Tau finds that he has an insatiable taste for a strange, long yellow fruit he’s never seen before. Fortunately for us, this long yellow fruit—a.k.a. bananas—are readily available at our local markets, and used in some wicked-awesome recipes. The following recipe is great for families to bond over at campsites or even in their own backyards:

Campfire Peanut Butter-Banana Boat S’Mores

4 bananas, unpeeled
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
4 graham wafers, coarsely chopped
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup miniature marshmallows

HEAT barbeque to medium-high heat. If doing on campfire, make sure you have a grill over the pit and the fire has died down to coals.

MAKE deep lengthwise cuts along inside curve of each banana. Be careful not to cut through to opposite side. Place bananas on centers of 4 large heavy duty foil sheets.

OPEN bananas gently and spread evenly with peanut butter. Top with chopped wafers, chocolate chips, and marshmallows. Fold foil to make 4 packets.

GRILL, filled-sides up, 8-10 minutes or until heated through. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening packets.

TOO RAINY FOR THE BBQ? No problemo. Make it in the oven. Fill bananas and wrap in foil as directed. Bank in 350°F oven 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.

This is a definite family pleaser where the melty marshmallow classic meets the banana split in this ooey-gooey dessert that cooks in the peel. Too bad Tau couldn’t sample this yummy dish. But allow me to offer you a sample of what to expect in my newest time travel romp Legend of the Timekeepers set to be re-released this August 1st through Mirror World Publishing.

There is no moving forward without first going back.

Lilith was a young girl with dreams and a family before the final destruction of Atlantis shattered those dreams and tore her family apart. Now refugees, Lilith and her father make their home in the Black Land. This strange, new country has no place in Lilith’s heart until a beloved high priestess introduces Lilith to her life purpose—to be a Timekeeper and keep time safe.

Summoned through the seventh arch of Atlantis by the Children of the Law of One, Lilith and her new-found friends are sent into Atlantis’s past, and given a task that will ultimately test their courage and try their faith in each other. Can the Timekeepers stop the dark magus Belial before he changes the seers’ prophecy? If they fail, then their future and the earth’s fate will be altered forever.

If you haven’t already checked out my young adult time travel read, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis , here’s the blurb…

When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they're given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown back yard. The arch isn't a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis. 

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers--legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial--Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don't, then history itself may be turned upside down.

You’re Practically Grown Up…NOT!

Eighth-graders frequently seem confused about how grown up they are. And do you blame them? Not me. Twelve to fourteen-year-olds pay adult admission, and are about to make the giant leap into high school, yet they’re not allowed to drive or work. Bummer. Girls, already on the road in developing the forms and functions of grown women, deal with parents who one moment scold, “You’re practically grown up!” and then awhile later become hysterical when their princess ASKS about the ins and outs of dating. Boys, with their physical and sexual maturity just beginning to awaken, are suddenly surrounded by a horde of newly attractive and unnervingly gigantic girls. Yikes!
Most eighth-graders concerns are related to friends, family, and school. Honestly, it’s a social media nightmare at times. Are they going to be embarrassed? Will their BFF still be their friend tomorrow? Does he like me like me, or just like me? You get the drift.
So as a writer, how do you connect with such a tough audience, who’s not quite grown up, yet feel that all systems are go and are ready to wear bigger shoes? One way is to hook into their characteristics, and extract a much needed trait or a combination of traits to make your characters feel authentic to your readers. In order to do this, we need to take a look at what makes an eighth-grader tick.
Here are Eight 8th Grader Characteristics:
1. Can be touchy, and express anger easily.
2. Music is increasingly important to them, as is technology and the latest got-to-have gadget.
3. Sarcasm is a prevalent quality. (I use that one a lot!)
4. As their self-concept develops, they can be withdrawn or prone to challenging others. They struggle with a sense of identity.
5. Abstract reasoning skills are strengthening and expanding. 
6. May test limits and rules, but also develop ideals and choose role models.
7. Skin problems may be emerging, boys’ voices are changing, and girls are menstruating. Personal hygiene and self-confidence become issues.
8. May begin to experiment with sex and substances.

Remember, readers this age are looking for escape, to experience things they can’t in their own lives. Being attuned to how they think, and what they’re feeling is a step in the right direction to creating a story that will keep this age group turning page after page of your latest tween read!

Welcome to Atlantis…We’ve been expecting YOU!

Sweet Treats at my Book LaunchHey everyone! I’m fresh off a seven day book blog tour and book launch, and want to express how grateful I am for all the support and kindness I’ve received in the last two weeks from family, friends, fellow authors, readers, and my publisher! I’ve had three incredible reviews ranging from 4 to 5 stars. Not bad for a re-release! If you’ve missed any of the reviews, check them out at BOOKAHOLIC FIX, BOOK BABBLE, and AUTHOR SANDRA LOVE. Thanks again to Amber Marr of Sapphyria’s Book Promotions for helping me garner those reviews and reaching new readers.
During the midst of all the craziness of launching a book, my new publishers at Mirror World Publishing, Justine and Murandy decided I should flex my acting wings and make a cameo appearance in the book trailer Murandy produced. Um. Who? Me act? Although it was fun, I think I’ll stick to writing and let the professionals handle the next book trailer. Kudos go to Brieanne, the young actress who shared the spotlight with me!

See what you think:



Okay, you can stop laughing now. No really. Stop…or I’ll send you to Atlantis. Wink. 

In the Limelight with YA Author Melanie Hooyenga…

I want to thank and welcome fantastic young adult author, Melanie Hooyenga for sharing her personal writing journey with us on my blog today. Melanie’s last book in her Flicker Effect Trilogy, Faded can be purchased from Amazon, and other on-line bookstores. Bonus: For a chance to win an ebook bundle of the Flicker Effect Trilogy please enter the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post. So let’s get this interview rolling…
How long have you been writing, Melanie?
I first started writing in middle school and wrote a lot of overly-emotional poems, songs, and short stories (didn’t we all?). I stopped writing creatively when I graduated from college and didn’t pick it back up again until I was in my 30s, while living in Mexico. When I was getting ready to move, a coworker said, “Now you can write the great American novel!” I think he was half-joking, but it’s what got me back to writing. It’s been eight years and I haven’t stopped since.
I believe we’re kindred spirits since I didn’t start writing until I was in my 30s too! 
Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write Faded?
Faded is the third book in my trilogy, the Flicker Effect, so I’ll answer this about the first book, Flicker. You know how when you’re driving on a sunny day, the sun filters through the trees and makes a strobe-like effect? Well that really messes with my eyes, to the point where I have to shield them in order to keep them open (and watching the road!). I experienced it while driving to see my gramma in the hospital in December 2009 and wondered, “what if there was a girl who when this happens, she goes back to yesterday?” The rest, as they say, is history. I was working on another (unpublished) novel at the time so didn’t start writing Flicker until NaNoWriMo in 2010. When I first wrote it I didn’t plan for it to be a trilogy, but when I realized it had the potential for a series (plus series are very popular in YA) I wrote a one-page synopsis for Fracture and Faded. So while I didn’t write Faded until 2014, I knew how the series would end way back in 2012.
Great foresight, Melanie! What sets Faded apart from other books/series in the same genre?
Parents are often an after-thought in YA -- which makes sense since the story is about the teens -- but when parents ARE present, they’re often cruel, detached, or uncaring. Especially the fathers. That’s why I decided to make the dad in my series the most important person in Biz’s life. I wanted to show that even kids with loving, involved parents have very real struggles and face life-changing issues.
True that! Teen readers need those kinds of stories. As a YA author, what is your writing process?
I don’t have a set process for the actual writing, but I do for plotting and outlining. Writers are split between outliners and pantsers (those who write by the seat of their pants), and I am firmly in the outliners camp. I cannot write a novel unless I know how it’s going to end. I don’t need to know all the in-between stuff, but it helps me to know what I’m writing towards. My outline is basically a sentence or two describing what happens in each chapter, so there’s a lot of freedom to change things along the way.
As for the actual writing, I aim for 1000 words per day, but if I only have time for 500, then I only write 500. I have a full-time day-job so I try to concentrate on moving the story forward rather than getting hung up on the numbers. When I’m on a roll, I can write 1000 words in 45-60 minutes, but as all writers know, some days the words just refuse to come.
Oh, I’ve had plenty of those days! How long did it take for you to start and finish Faded?
I wrote the synopsis for Faded in 2012, then outlined it at the beginning of 2014, but I didn’t start writing until the summer of 2014 because I was getting Fractureready for publication. I finished the first draft on New Year’s Day and edited for five months. So start to finish was about a year, but the plotting had already happened.

Do you have any advice for other writers striving to write in your genre, Melanie?
There are two things I tell writers who are just starting out: try to write every day and set very low word-count goals. When I wrote my first novel I was in a group that had to write 100 words per day. 100 words is nothing. It’s barely a paragraph. Because it’s so short, it’s really hard to make excuses not to write it, and more times than not, once you’ve started, you keep going. And if you don’t, you’ve written 100 words and progressed the story. The worst thing for me is to go several days knowing I’m STILL on the same passage where I last left off. As you write more, you’ll learn what works best for you.
I think it’s important to read a lot in the genre that you write. That doesn’t mean you can’t read other genres, too, but you need to know what works, what doesn’t, and why. It also helps to eavesdrop on teenagers when you have the chance. ;)Finally, just keep writing! This is a very solitary endeavor and it’s easy to let self-doubt take over, but there’s nothing like the feeling when you type ‘The End’.
Sage advice! What’s next for Melanie Hooyenga the author?
I’m glad you asked! I’m writing a new book that’s more light-hearted, romantic, and (hopefully) funny. Biz (from the Flicker Effect) is very sarcastic and tough on herself, so I have to remind myself to let this new character experience her emotions and wear her heart on her sleeve.
Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series—If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why?
The first thing that popped into my head was ancient Greece, but I think that’s because I’m craving feta cheese and kalamata olives. If I could go anywhere, I think I’d like to be around when women fought for the right to vote. I recently went through papers I wrote in high school and was surprised to see how strongly I felt about women’s rights. It’s always been an important issue for me, but I wrote a term paper on Title IX and a satire piece where, among other things, men weren’t allowed to speak until women had finished their thoughts. I think it would be inspiring to live in a time when women fought so passionately for a right we now take for granted.
Blurb for Faded:
Biz didn’t think life could get worse after the tragic events that surrounded her last flicker, but when she accidentally flickers on her eighteenth birthday after doing shots of vodka—she’s forced to face the consequences of her actions in a way she never imagined.
When an anonymous email threatens to reveal her secret, Biz must decide if flickering is all it’s cracked up to be, or if she needs to stop. Forever.
Book links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Melanie-Hooyenga/e/B00AHNSQCO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/melanie-hooyengaKobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/search?query=Melanie%20Hooyenga&fcsearchfield=Author&fclanguages=allSmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MelanieHooyenga
Author Bio:
Melanie Hooyenga first started writing as a teenager and finds she still relates best to that age group. She has lived in Washington DC, Chicago, and Mexico, but has finally settled down in her home state of Michigan with her husband Jeremy. When not at her day job as a graphic designer, you can find Melanie attempting to wrangle her Miniature Schnauzer Owen and playing every sport imaginable with Jeremy.
Connect with Melanie:
melaniehooyenga@gmail.comhttp://www.melaniehoo.comhttps://www.facebook.com/MelanieHooyengahttps://twitter.com/MelanieHoohttps://instagram.com/melaniehoo/

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5 Questions for YA Author Joshua Pantalleresco…

Welcome to Part Two of my crossover interview with young adult author Joshua Pantalleresco! If you didn’t get a chance to read Part One of Joshua’s interrogation, er I mean interview, you can find it HERE. I’m still smarting over his infamous ‘unicorn’ trick he did to me on Facebook, but for the sake of my reputation (if I still have any shred left), I’m willing to channel my inner Elsa, and just let it go.
One thing I’ve learned about Joshua (besides his warped sense of humor) is that he’s a pretty damn fine poet! His epic poem The Watcher, makes you see poetry in a whole new way, and hopefully will reach a younger audience. Joshua also writes comics, which is one of the things on my bucket list. Bravo, Joshua! So let’s get these 5 paybackquestions rolling…
Welcome, Joshua! What are you working on right now?
I am working on catching up on a bunch of things.  I just posted an interview with an author.  Some lady that likes time travel. 
Hmm…I wonder who that could be? What are you working on specifically?
I got a list of five things to do this week on the literary scale.  I have a bunch of columns to get ahead on.  I write a wrestling column for Wrestling Glory where I focus on the storytelling involved in the rivalries of wrestling.  I am doing a female rivalry that defined a generation and I'm trying to do two or three more columns before it starts posting again.
I am also transcribing two other interviews.  One of them is ready to go and will be up next week.  The other involves a certain publisher you and I are familiar with.  
I'm putting together a comic script for Twyla April, my collaborator on Paradigm.  She is finally ready for the third issue and I plan to oblige.
Finally, I'm acquiring video software to finally finish a trailer that's long overdue.  It will be awesome.  I think it will change how book trailers are done.
I’m sweating just reading what you’ve got in the pipeline! What influenced you?
I was 8 years old and my parents had just been separated.  My dad took me to Fanshawe park in London Ontario.  There was this hill at the bottom by the stream.  My dad just barreled up it like it was nothing.  I struggled.  My dad said to me, "Come on Josh you can do it!"  I denied it and tumbled down it.  I got up and asked for help.  "You can do it!" My dad said.  I didn't believe it but tried to climb the thing anyway.  I said I couldn't do it the whole time I was on it.  Yet, step by step I got closer to the top, and before I know it, I was there.  "I - I did it!" I said, in disbelief.
My dad is the biggest influence in my life.  He told me I could even when many others told me I couldn't.  And I've never forgotten that lesson with whatever I chose to undertake.  I can do it, and if it wasn't for him, I don't think I would be able to say that.
Your father sounds amazing! What are you most proud of accomplishing?
I am making my dream a reality.  I dreamed of being able to write stuff and making a living doing it.  Bit by bit it is happening.  Beyond that, I'm proud that on this journey I've learned so much.  I didn't just learn how to write, I've shot videos, made movies, have had the chance to work with great people all across life.  I've travelled, worked with my heroes, and have been on this incredible journey.  I may not have the zillions of dollars, but I've become someone I wanted to be.
Wow, Joshua, sounds like you’ve lived a full life and are still rearing to go! What is your favorite thing about the changing face of publishing?
Like you said in your interview, the barriers are down.  I can interact with people I never imagined I would meet.  I am interviewing someone from Germany because of twitter.  I got this super cool card from an artist named Asia Alfasi.  She sent it as a place holder for me sending her a book.  It's still one of the coolest things I've ever seen.  It's opened up the world and has forced me to be more than the shy artist type.
It’s a small world, after all! Cheers for stopping by and going head-to-head with me on my blog, Joshua!
If you love poetry, and want to be swept away into a world of imagery, please give Joshua’s book a read. You won’t be disappointed!
Buy Links:
Mirror World Publishing: Paperback: http://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/collections/poetry/products/the-watcher-1
Mirror World Publishing: Ebook: http://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/collections/poetry/products/the-watcher
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Watcher-Joshua-Pantalleresco-ebook/dp/B00KME05QS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434400560&sr=1-1&keywords=the+watcher+by+joshua+pantalleresco
Connect with Joshua:http://michaelthroughtime.wordpress.comhttp://paradigmcomic.wordpress.com@Jpantalleresco (twitter and wattpad)https://www.facebook.com/joshua.pantalleresco

The Last Timekeepers are Back…

It’s finally here! The world-wide re-release of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis through Mirror World Publishing! I also want to thank Amber Marr of Sapphyria’s Book Promotions for putting this tour together for me. Oh, and don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter to win some great prizes! Below is the book tour schedule, so if you get a chance, please stop by and connect with me, I’d love to hear from you. Okay, it’s time to rev up the time portal and get this party started…
The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis Book Blog Tour Schedule:
June 17
Mirror World Publishing - Release Day Spotlightwww.mirrorworldpublishing.wordpress.com
T's Stuff - Guest Posthttp://teresanoel.blogspot.com/
Sapphyria's Book Promotions - Spotlighthttp://saphsbookpromos.blogspot.com/
Hope To Read - Spotlighthttp://hopetoread.com
June 18
On Writing and Riding - Guest Posthttp://marlenemoss.blogspot.com
Kerry Hearts YA - Spotlighthttp://kerryheartsya.blogspot.com/
June 19
Jojo Debrazza - Guest Posthttp://jojodebrazza.com/
Sapphyria's Book Reviews - Spotlight with Excertphttp://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/
June 22
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell - Guest Posthttp://sloanetaylor.blogspot.com/
A Bookaholic's Fix: Feeding the Addiction - Guest Posthttp://bookaholicfix.wordpress.com
Leigh Goff - Writing Enchanting Ever-Afters - Guest Posthttp://leighgoff.com/
June 23
Clarissa Johal - Author of Paranormal, Gothic Horror and Fantasy - Guest Posthttp://clarissajohal.blogspot.com/
Sapphyria's Book Promotions - Spotlighthttp://saphsbookpromos.blogspot.com/
June 24
Emily Murdock: Author - Guest Posthttp://emilyekmurdoch.blogspot.co.uk
Lakeview Times – Spotlightwww.lakeviewtimes.com
June 25
Vanessa Kings' Books - Reviewhttps://vanessakingsbooks.wordpress.com/
A Bookworm's Point of View - Reviewhttp://panthersfan0502.wix.com/a-bookworms-pov
June 26
Book Babble - Reviewhttp://memesandfiction.blogspot.com
Sandra Love's Blog Spot - Reviewhttp://authorsandralove.blogspot.com/
Tales from the Bayou - Spotlighthttp://ritamonette.blogspot.com
Sara Daniel Romance Author - Guest Posthttp://saradanielromance.blogspot.com/
Sapphyria's Book Reviews - Tour Wrap Uphttp://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/

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Tour Coordinated by:

Rev up those Time Portals and get Ready for a Blast to the Past...

Well, it’s finally here! Book release week. Or in my case, book re-release week! On June 17th, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis will officially be back on the market through Mirror World Publishing. There’s a Facebook Party happening that day too from noon to 9 p.m., so if you get a chance, I’d love for you to surf by and get to know me, and even enter for a chance to win some awesome prizes. Plus, I’ve hooked up with Sapphyria’s Book Promotions for a virtual book blog tour starting June 17thto June 26th (excluding the weekend), so I’m pumped about that! And just in case you didn’t know, I’ve got two signed paperbacks up for grabs through my Goodreads Giveaway for the whole month of June.
So much has happened since my former publisher closed their doors at the end of February. I was lucky enough to score a new publisher immediately. Since signing contracts with Mirror World Publishing for both my time travel books on February 26th, a lot has happened. Both books got re-edited and polished, and I decided to purchase the image rights and keep my covers because I felt they were beautiful, vibrant, and eye-catching.
I’m really looking forward to a fresh start with another publisher, and hopefully I’ll be as good a cheerleader for Mirror World Publishing as I was for Musa Publishing. As I’ve always said, “Life is a team effort. Period. Nothing is ever done without the help and support of others.” True that. I’m also excited to have an actual book launch party thrown for me! Woo hoo! So if you’re in the neighborhood, I’d love you to come and attend! Here are the details:
The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis Book Launch PartyWhen: June 19th, 2015Where: Artspeak Gallery, 1942 Wyandotte East, Windsor, Ontario, CanadaTime: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
From what I understand, my publishers Justine and Murandy will be serving coffee and baked goods (yum), and there will be plenty of chances to win some great prizes and gift baskets. They will also have copies of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis on hand which I would love to sign for you! Plus there will be a reading by yours truly, and a question and answer session. Thank goodness for all those author interviews I’ve done in the last three years—at least I’m primed!

I want to take this opportunity to thank Mirror World Publishing for investing in me and my books, and for breathing life back into my career. Seriously, thank you, Justine and Murandy. I also would like to thank all the readers I’ve got to known in the last three years who have taken the time in their busy lives to read my books, and care about my characters the way I do. Cheers and salute!

5 Things to look for in Fairy Tale Retellings by YA Author Kaitlin Bevis...

Retellings of fairy tales and myths are all over the place, but some are better than others. Here are five things to look for in a great retelling.
1)                          The author only borrowed elements from the original version, not copied it entirely. Let’s look at Cinderella for this example. Unless you are affiliated with Disney, chances are, you can’t just retell the same story in a different, albeit gorgeous, format. The foundation of the story may have existed before, but the author has taken those roots and twisted them into a story of her own telling. A great example of an original Cinderella retelling is Cinder by Marissa Myer. Cinder took pieces of the original story and wove it into something entirely new story set in a dystopian future, featuring an alien Cyborg missing a foot for the title character. Liz DeJesus also wrote a fantastic retelling of Cinderella set in modern day. When reading multiple retellings, you should be able to identify the elements that were borrowed from the original, but otherwise they should be entirely different stories.
2)                          Something major is different. That something needs to move beyond the surface. We’ve all seen and read retellings that only genderbent the cast or changed the setting but otherwise left everything the same. When a key component is changed that should force the author and the reader to consider the story from an entirely different perspective. A great example of this is Fool by Christopher Moore. He takes the story of King Lear and tells it from the Fool’s perspective. Almost all the original dialogue is there, but the perspective is so different that the plot arc has completely changed. No one could say Fool is the same story as King Lear. It’s something different entirely.
3)                          It uses the changes to highlight some important social issue, but not at the expense of the story. Westside Story changed the setting of Romeo and Juliet to highlight gang violence as well as racial tension. But Westside Story didn’t go overboard. There are no after-school special monologues hitting the viewer on the head with the message. The comparison is quietly made and the viewer is left to draw their own conclusions from it.
4)                          Most of the stories that are retold have had a profound impact on culture. The absence or repetition of that myth needs to be explained in the universe. In my story, Persephone, the myths are still happening in modern day. Persephone, the character or the myth, didn’t exist until she was born. That made changes to the culture. I used the lesser known myth of Boreas and Oreithyia as a stand in for the Persephone myth in their culture. I also had to consider the myths she was involved with later and consider how removing these from the society would change that society. Other versions use reincarnation or have characters allude to the original myth and the similarities in what they’re going through.
5)                          They go deeper. The story, the motivations, the world building, the characters. A shallow version of the fairy tale or myth already exists. If the author built on it, at all, that should automatically make it deeper. The deeper, the better. A great example of this is Wicked. The Wicked Witch of the West was a very flat character in The Wizard of Oz. And it worked because she was an archetype. She didn’t need depth. But a good retelling forces you to reevaluate the story by adding depth. Elphaba has major depth and motivation and a backstory and flaws and great traits. She’s a three dimensional character at its finest. But the original mythology is accounted for in the story. When watching the Broadway, it’s easy to see how Dorothy would have seen her as the wicked witch caricature.  The original story is acknowledged, respected even, but it goes deeper. That’s what makes it an amazing retelling.
There are many retellings out there, but some are better than others. Share your favorites, and what made them great, in the comments below.
Blurb: The Daughters of Zeus, Book One
One day Persephone is an ordinary high school senior working at her mom's flower shop in Athens, Georgia. The next she's fighting off Boreas, the brutal god of winter, and learning that she's a bonafide goddess--a rare daughter of the now-dead Zeus. Her goddess mom whisks her off to the Underworld to hide until spring.
There she finds herself under the protection of handsome Hades, the god of the dead, and she's automatically married to him. It's the only way he can keep her safe. Older, wiser, and far more powerful than she, Hades isn't interested in becoming her lover, at least not anytime soon. But every time he rescues her from another of Boreas' schemes, they fall in love a little more. Will Hades ever admit his feelings for her?
Can she escape the grasp of the god of winter's minions? The Underworld is a very nice place, but is it worth giving up her life in the realm of the living? Her goddess powers are developing some serious, kick-butt potential. She's going to fight back.
Kaitlin Bevis spent her childhood curled up with a book and a pen. If the ending didn't agree with her, she rewrote it. Because she's always wanted to be a writer, she spent high school and college learning everything she could to achieve that goal. After graduating college with a BFA and Masters in English, Kaitlin went on to write The Daughters of Zeus series.Connect with Kaitlin: www.kaitlinbevis.com
Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Persephone-Daughters-Zeus-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00WNFRIHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431627862&sr=8-1&keywords=Kaitlin+Bevis