K.M. Shea's Blog, page 22

Urban Fantasy Fun!

Today (January 11th) is the final day of the Hall of Blood and Mercy sale! You can grab Magic Forged (book 1) for free and Magic Redeemed (book 2) for 99 cents!

Here’s a link to the series page!

This week also marks the launch of The Queen’s Crown! The final book in the Court of Midnight and Deception trilogy releases January 15th and wraps up Leila’s story. For those Champions who were waiting for the last book so they could buy/read the trilogy in one big go, now is the time to begin reading!

Amazon.com | All other Amazon stores

I’ve got so much extra content to share with you Champions, so I can’t wait for this last book to drop. I hope it makes you laugh! Until then, at least we’ve got Hazel and Killian to entertain us!

HoB&M SALE!

The Queen’s Crown–the final book in the Court of Midnight and Deception trilogy–launches in about a week, on January 15th. I always like to celebrate whenever I finish a series, and so when I was trying to figure out what to do to mark the event I thought what the heck, let’s do a massive sale on the urban fantasy trilogy that got opened this world. That’s right, I’m doing a huge sale on the Hall of Blood and Mercy trilogy January 7th through the 11th!

During that time, Magic Forged (book 1) will be FREE and Magic Redeemed (book 2) will be 99 cents!

Amazon.com | All other Amazon Stores

Hall of Blood and Mercy is a finished trilogy that features a scrappy wizard desperate to save her family from a traitor and the deadliest vampire in the Midwest who takes her in as a political move. It’s an enemies-to-lovers clean/sweet romance with a mansionful of vampires who wear suits and workout like crazy, features magical fights, and explores the collision of the magical with mundane life. (For instance, why do vampires have a swimming pool if they aren’t good with sunlight??)

Amazon.com | All other Amazon Stores

Please share the sale with anyone you think would enjoy Hall of Blood and Mercy! And remember…we’ve got just a little over a week until The Queen’s Crown drops! Woohoo!!

 

The post HoB&M SALE! appeared first on K. M. Shea.

Fae Lore in CoM&D

Fairy tales were my favorite stories to hear as a kid, and I built my career on fairy tale retellings before adding in LitRPG and Urban Fantasy. My love of fairy tales touches pretty much everything I write–Hall of Blood and Mercy, in example, is loosely based off the majorly creepy fairy tale Donkeyskin. While I didn’t have a specific fairy tale that inspired the story/plot of Court of Midnight and Deception, I was inspired by a slew of them when forging fae culture and lore, which I figured would be a fun topic for today.

Tam Lin

A lot of the fae lore I applied to CoM&D came from the story of Tam Lin…which is kind of confusing to say because there are about a dozen variations of  Tam Lin. (That’s pretty common for fairy tales since they were told verbally and not written down/recorded until historians–like the Brothers Grimm–made a point of collecting the stories.) I decided to pull all references to Tam Lin out of this post and put them in a separate post so we can look at it in more detail…particularly because there’s a few spoilers in there that I want to wait to discuss until The Queen’s Crown–the final book in the Court of Midnight and Deception trilogy–is out. Moving on!

Time/the Effects of the Fae Realm

I knew I wanted time to work differently in the fae realms–there had to be a clear divide between how the human world followed a natural order, and how the fae realms could be thrown in to chaos based on the state of their Court. Additionally–though I never approach this subject straight on–I wanted to hint that the fae realms are the reasons why the fae are so long lived.

In the first book its implied that their magic is restored, so they are restored as well instead of actual fluctuations of time–though I do make days and nights kind of screwy. I actually got this idea from the story of Rip Van Winkle, but it’s also present in other legends–like King Arthur. Plus, the idea of time flowing differently in the fairy realm is steeped in a lot of old Irish/Scottish/British ballads and stories–I took some inspiration from Tir na nOg when fashioning the laws of the fae realm.

Fae Food

Leila’s aversion to eating fae food, and the fae’s ability to charm food wasn’t a whim, either! It was a tiny bit inspired by the Greek story of Persephone and Hades, but again “don’t eat magic food or food from magic people” is a pretty common theme in fairy tales–most obviously in Hansel and Gretel, or even Rapunzel whose parents were forced to give her up because of a bargain struck over a Rapunzel plant.

Fae Bargains

Speaking of bargains, fairy tales and folklore are brimming with stories that advise against making deals with fae folk or magic folk. Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel are forerunners in that area, with each story putting a baby in danger due to the parents’ attempts to bargain with magic. Some versions of Twelve Dancing Princesses has the title characters stuck dancing in the fae world every night because of a bargain they unwittingly struck with fae, and in some variations of East of the Sun West of the Moon, the wretched mother-in-law is a fae who made the eye-roll-worthy rules of the title characters’ marriage.

Of course there are fairy tales where the bargaining turns out in the advantage of the main character–it’s usually lesser known stories like “The Farmer and the Boggart” where a farmer makes a bargain with a boggart about crops and proceeds to outwit him. I added an extra layer to the art of bargains by throwing fae honesty and wordsmithing into the mix.

Fae and Honesty

Again, having tricky fae isn’t anything unique–though when I started to research I was pretty surprised to find out this is more of a modern tradition.

The first record of being physically unable to lie appears in the story of Thomas the Rhymer, which is considered a 14th century romance. In the story, the main character, Thomas, is granted a boon that makes him unable to lie by a fairy queen–so it’s not even the fae themselves who can’t lie, but a victim of their bargaining.

Fae being unable to lie isn’t something you’ll see in historic fairy tales, but it has popped up in a lot of modern books–mostly famously the Mercy Thompson series, the Dresden Files–and since I knew what I wanted the main plotline in CoMaD was going to involve a bit of a mystery, I knew I wanted fae to be unable to lie–because it would take the trickery factor up by ten! (Though I did regret that decision a little while writing. Editing made my head hurt because I had to make sure EVERY PIECE of dialogue was 100% truthful!)

I will say the fae’s obsession with tea is 100% my own invention–but it’s for a reason that is baked into my version of fae culture, so it makes sense. And you’ll hear all about that reason in The Queen’s Crown, which launches next week!

Thanks for reading, Champions, and have a lovely day!

The post Fae Lore in CoM&D appeared first on K. M. Shea.

Which Fae Court Do You Belong To?

Now that you’ve seen some of the other fae monarchs, and even caught a glimpse of the different realms, it’s time to get sorted!

Which Fae Court do you belong to? Take this quiz to find out! All of the banners are done by our resident graphics guru, RayJay, who also did the art for the Supernaturals quiz, so a big thank you to RayJay for working with me to design these banners! (Although we decided to release only partial images of the Night and Day Court due to Night Court spoilers.

Christmas Gift #4: Goose Girl

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays, Champions! It’s time for my final gift of 2020!

I give you…Goose Girl!

Goose Girl is Free Today, December 24th, through December 28th.

Click here for the link!

If you love the original Goose Girl Fairy Tale, horses, and political intrigue, Goose girl is a perfect short read for you!

This novella follows the adventures Rynn, maid to the royal princess, and unwilling participant in the princess’s scheme to flee her royal marriage. (And at the risk of spoiling, but for a good cause, allow me to assure you that the horse survives this particular retelling.)

Snag this book while you can, or pass it on to a friend! And, some equally fun news, the Entwined Fairy Tale series written by some of my best author pals, is on sale for 99 cents per book! Check out the series if you want the full collection!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Christmas fun this year, Champions! Thank you so much for your support and loyalty, I’m so thankful I have you all! Now, go celebrate the holidays–Merry Christmas to All and Happy Holidays!

The post Christmas Gift #4: Goose Girl appeared first on K. M. Shea.

A Very Merry Retha Gift

Our holiday fun continues with another freebie today–this one for my longsuffering Retha fans!

I have a free short story for you Retha Champions! It’s called “Disgust to Respect” (Click here for the PDF) and it’s from Noir’s point-of-view! This was a fun one for me to write just because I’ve been the designated healer a lot, and Noir basically gives voice to the suffering of all of us support players, hahaha.

I hope you enjoy it!

We have one last gift to come (tomorrow!) but until then, Merry Christmas to all my Champions, and happy holidays!

The post A Very Merry Retha Gift appeared first on K. M. Shea.

Friends, Enemies, or Terror?

Crown of Moonlight is out and wow oh WOW did you Champions deliver! Crown of Moonlight hit #23 in the entire Amazon ebook store–that’s the highest any of my books have ever gotten–talk about a life goal! This is possible only because of you, Champions, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

Links: Amazon.com | All other Amazon Stores

And because our community is Awesome (Yes, so awesome we deserve the capital letter!) Crown of Moonlight has already gotten over 100 reviews!! (Some thoughtful, honest, and really help reviews, might I add!)

To thank you for all the support and love, I’ve got a free short story to share with you! This one is from the Azure and Eventide’s point-of-view, and it’s called “Enemies, Friends, or Terror?” Click here for the PDF!

I had/have a lot of fun posts planned for the launch, but my schedule got thrown a curve ball this week because Perfect Dog has been ill.

Christmas Gift #3: Puss in Boots

Christmas is coming–it’s just a week away–and it’s time for the next gift!

Gift #3 is Puss in Boots, book 6 of the Timeless Fairy Tale series!

Puss in Boots is Free from December 17th to December 21st, so grab it now!

Click here for the link!

If you love daring tales of swashbuckling heroes and mouthy magical cats, Puss in Boots is the book for you!

Gabrielle is a peasant girl who longs for a life of adventure, Puss is a magic cat who says he can give it to her…if she follows his plan to defeat the evil ogre that has taken over the city of Carabas, that is!

As it has been with all my other gifts, if you already have this book you can tell a friend/family member/fellow adventurer who you think would enjoy the story! Until your last and quasi-final gift next week (I say quasi because I’ve got some sales planned for January) enjoy the holiday season, Champion!

The post Christmas Gift #3: Puss in Boots appeared first on K. M. Shea.

Crown of Midnight!

Crown of Moonlight releases this Friday! (12/18) I’m so excited, because this book officially introduces you to the other fae monarchs, who are probably my favorite group of characters to write in the series.

Links: Amazon.com | All other Amazon Stores

I’ve been fairly radio silent for Crown of Shadows’ launch, but I finally finished writing the final book in this trilogy, so now it’s time to let the good times roll! I have a few fun posts planned–we’re going to take a look at the fairy tale lore that inspire some of the Leila’s “Rules to Live By” and go through all the mansion tea pots because I did SO MUCH RESEARCH finding different kinds of antique/modern tea sets and I need to share this knowledge!

But the party begins TONIGHT because I’m going to hold a Facebook Live session today (12/16) at 7 PM Central on my KM Shea author page. If you can’t attend but still want to hear the discussion, don’t worry, Facebook records it so you can watch it at a later date.

And that covers everything for today! I’m looking forward to seeing you Facebook Champions tonight at the live session, and for everyone else I really hope Leila makes you laugh with her next book! Thanks for reading!

The post Crown of Midnight! appeared first on K. M. Shea.

Christmas Gift #2: Life Reader

It’s time for my second gift to you, my amazing Champions!

This week, I present to you: Life Reader

Life Reader is free starting today, 12/10, through Monday, 12/14.

Click here for the link!

If you’re a fellow lover of libraries, urban fantasy settings, and laughing out loud, Life Reader is perfect for you!

One could say Rave, our intrepid heroine, lives for books. She works in a library and her specialized magic uses books…too bad her magic is so dangerous it could kill her.

This book is technically stand alone, but I do hope to write a sequel! It won’t be until I finish Fairy Tale Enchantress and Second Age of Retha, so we’re looking at a few years out, but the story is complete and I have a hunch you’ll fall in love with Saint Cloud Library and the librarians who work there.

Happy Christmas, Champions! Enjoy your gift! And–as I’ve said before–if you already have this book, feel free to pass it along to someone that you think would enjoy it!

The post Christmas Gift #2: Life Reader appeared first on K. M. Shea.