K.M. Shea's Blog, page 40

More Champion fan art!

Tomorrow marks the launch of Snow White! I can’t hear to say what you all think of it and the story it…goes over. Yeah, being a bit evasive here, but you’ll understand when you read it!

Today we’re going to go over some truly AWESOME fanart from you amazing Champions, but I did want to make an announcement! I’m throwing a Facebook event/party with the famous Lindsay Buroker to celebrate atypical heroines!

The event starts at 7 PM central or 5 PM PST. (I have to say figuring out time zones for all my different events has been a nightmare so I actually messed up the timezone in my newsletter, these are the correct timezones!) Just click HERE to visit the event’s page so you can join us for a night of games, chatting, and free books!

But now, onto the fanart!

This time we have several pieces of art that represent the first time a particular character has received any fan art so I’m super excited! If anyone has fan art you want to send to me to be posted on the website you can fill out the contact form and send me a link to your work. I’d love to see it! (Otherwise if you need to attach it to an email, just fill out the form and I’ll respond back so you’ll have my email. Gotta outsmart those email bots!)

Dima by Eleniel
Tari by Eleniel

Eleniel created two pieces that are a “first” in the gallery! The first is a fan art of Dima (one of the members of the Black Swan Smugglers in Swan Lake). The second is a fan art of Tari from Elves of Lessa (or Tarinthali as her full name is). While I really like the art for Tari as Eleniel captured elven elegance perfectly…Dima is just TOO CUTE!!! And the shading on his feathers and the coloring of his cute little eyes and bill? You just wanna cuddle him! (And his quote only makes it that much more fun!!)

Gwendafyn by HobbitLady97

Some of you have made some characters using the Azelas Dolls program as I mentioned in a previous post. Feel free to share them with everyone on Discord! Here’s one from HobbitLady97 of Gwendafyn from the Elves of Lessa series. (She totally nailed her–she got the eyes and the hair obviously, but that smile! Yeah, that’s Fyn alright.)

Kit and Solus Miles by Jess Wurms

This is another cute Second Age of Retha fan art by Jess Wurms and this is the first time Solus Miles has ever been in a fan art. (Yes they do look this adorable when they sit together!) Jess obviously did a great job, but I think my favorite part is Kit’s expression. (Poor girl deserves to be happy after all she’s been dragged through!)

 

Gabbi and Puss and Boots by Hobbitlady97

Thanks to Hobbitlady97 for not only creating the first fan art of Gabrielle but also the first fan art of Puss! She even got his half mustache correct! (Note that Puss is a little disgruntled that it has taken so long for someone to capture his majesty in art. Nevertheless, he approves greatly since Hobbitlady97 took the time to get all the little details right.)

Kitten Lovemuch by Sonia

Here’s another Second Age of Retha fan art, this time it’s by Sonia and it shows off Kit’s fancy outfits – I love that Sonia included Kit’s fans in this image! And she certainly captured the draping sleeves/skirts and lack of stomach-coverage all of Kit’s outfits embrace. Awesome job!

Elle from Beauty and the Beast by Elizabeth

 

Pax and Kit by Elizabeth

Next up we have two fan arts by Elizabeth. The first features Elle from Beauty in the Beast in the famous rose colored dress! Excellent choice, Elizabeth, and also beautifully done! The second is a hilarious comic art of Pax and Kitten Lovemuch from Second Age of Retha. I laughed so hard when I first saw this – the sunglasses on Pax make it that much more perfect, it’s just pure gold!!

Kiara and Sarah cosplaying as Rakel and Phile from The Snow Queen

I realize this photo isn’t technically a “fanart” but I was so honored that Kiara and Sarah decided to dress up as some of my characters (Rakel and Phile) that I just had to share it! While they had some great attention to details (Phile’s bandanna makes me so happy) I think what really makes this special is that they’re friends dressed up as Rakel and Phile–who have probably one of the strongest friendships in my entire series. It’s really humbling to see how you guys can turn words in a book into amazing things–whether it’s art or costumes!

(Which, I should mention, if anyone else dresses up as a character I’ve written, PLEASE share it with me as I’d love to see it!)

That’s all we have room for today. A big thank you to all the champions who sent in their artwork, and another thank you to all of you Champions who took the time to read this!

Snow White Pre-Order

Hey Champions! I wanted to make sure you knew that Snow White is now available on pre-order! This is the final book in the Timeless Fairy Tales series but the main story will continue in the new series I’m writing for Angelique (the first book is coming in early February 2019!). Angelique plays a much larger role in Snow White, and I made some interesting changes to the original story so I’m excited for you to read it and here what you think!

It will release on December 14th! Here’s the links to buy it now: Amazon.com  |  Other Store Links

I also wanted to make sure you were aware I have a Christmas Event with all kinds of fun stuff this December! I have a lot of free books scheduled throughout the month, bookworm gift ideas, and several fun Giveaways (including some that are just for you International Champions!).

I’m also hosting some fun Facebook events! And just for your AM Sohma champions there will be some scheduled meet ups in the MMORPG Lord of the Rings online! Check out the event website here for the complete schedule!

Thanks for reading, Champions, and have a Merry and Bright week!

Azalea’s Dress up Dolls

Looking for a fun website that is both satisfying and a huge time sink? Well I have the place for you! Azalea’s Dress up Dolls website provides a basic game where you can pick different clothes to put on a “character” but the BEST part is that there are many different themes and one of them is Lord of the Rings!

Many thanks to Champion Cora who first told me about this website! She made a Sleeping Beauty fan art of Fierra and Donaigh using the Lord of the Rings theme and it looks great!

Firra and Donaigh Fanart by Cora

After seeing what Cora made I decided to try it myself. I will say it’s not as easy or simple as you might think. Well I take that back, it is really easy to make a hideous looking outfit since the number of patterns and colors offered is overwhelming, but to make something that actually looks nice takes a bit of time commitment.

Here’s what I managed to come up with. Admittedly, I worked on this awhile ago so I can’t remember what my goal was (?!?). I think I was trying to make my own version of Legolas but I can’t remember for certain. What kind of characters would you like to create? (Here’s the site link again.)

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Fan Discussion on Discord

Hello Champions!

In a recent blog post I asked your opinion regarding ideas for a fan discussion place. The overwhelming winner was a request to setup a Discord chat server, and I’m happy to tell you that a KM Shea Discord discussion now exists!

It’s a public server but you need an invitation to join it the first time, click here for the invitation! I’m using the new Snow White cover as the server icon so you’ll know you’re in the right place!

After you’ve joined you can come back and dialog with other Champions at any time (click here to go talk). If you need the link later there is a new “Fan Discussion” page within the “For Champions” menu that also has these links.

If you are one of the Champions who voted for Facebook, don’t worry! I’m not creating a FB group at this time, but I am planning several fun FB live and other events as part of December, so you’ll still have opportunities for interaction on FB. Christmas is my favorite holiday so these events are going to basically be one big party for me!

Let’s Dialog–or Discord!

Hello Champions, I’m beginning this lovely morning with an update on NaNoWriMo for me!

It’s going well! I was ready to strangle Evariste this morning, but I’m hopeful you guys will enjoy the story. It seems like I’m on target–I’ve got about 40,000 words done. However, this book will very likely turn out longer than the planned 80k, so I’m trying not to stress. (Don’t be too impressed by that word count, by the way. I just added the first scene from Sleeping Beauty, which was a free 5,000 words to me. Ahahah.)

But if all goes on track, when Snow White launches in mid December, you will not only have the title of this first Angelique book, but the first chapter included as a sample as well!

Next topic: there’s been a lot of great discussion going on in comments of past and current posts, and for some time you guys have asked if there is a way I could open some kind of chat/discussion area so you can more easily talk to each other–some of you were even discussing self-organizing one.

I finally have a moment to breathe, though, so I thought I would offer to make either 1) a Facebook Group (which you guys can freely post in and will also have a chat available) or 2) a Discord channel! If I make the group/discord thing I can throw up my graphics and link it back to my website, which is why I figured I would offer to make it. You guys will have free reign of the place as long as every stays civil, but as I’ve always said I have the best Champions, so I don’t believe that will be a problem.)

So if you have a preference, Champions, or another idea for a way for you to communicate more easily, leave it in the comments down below!

Writing Tips and NaNoWriMo

Greetings, Champions! I know many of you are working on your own books or aspire to write your own story! Have you participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)? It takes place every November when thousands of people join together with the goal to finish a 50,000 word novel before the end of the month.

The main website (https://nanowrimo.org/) has a ton of resources to help you track your writing progress and keep the motivation going!

The official insignia of NaNoWriMo–I love it!

This year is one of the first times in a long time when my writing schedule works out so I’ll be writing a book during the month of November! (It’s the first book in the Angelique series for those who are curious!) For those of you participating, I want to help you out! Below are links to my Author resource page and Writing Tips I did as a part of a previous blog post series.

Author Resources webpage
Blog Posts with the Writing Tips category
My Pinterest Board for Writing Tips

I’ll try to keep you guys updated on my progress, but I’m a bit nervous because Angelique’s first book is probably going to be more in the 80,000 word range, which means I’ll have to push it to finish in the month. If anyone wants to add me as a NaNoWriMo writing buddy the profile I’m using is: kmshea (no spaces or periods).

How about you guys? Are any of you going to attempt it?

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Happy Halloween: Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween, Champions!

I’ve never been fond of spooky stuff or scary stories/movies, but I love candy and I love dressing up in costumes (or admiring other people’s costumes) so Halloween trick or treating is a pretty big deal for me. For those of your unfamiliar with the custom: trick or treating is when kids dress up in costumes and then go around to their neighboring houses, ring the doorbell, say “trick or treat!” once someone answers the door, and then the house owners will give them candy. My neighborhood gets hoards of children, even if the weather is terrible, so I have to seriously stock up on treats or I run out!

I can’t really give all of you candy but I can give you a treat! October 30th and 31st Robyn Hood books 1 and 2 will be available for free to download on Amazon (click the images below). This is also kind of a “trick” because I’m going to warn you right now that these books aren’t very well edited and have typos in them. However, many of you have told me you really love them so I want to share them with any of you Champions who wants to give them a try!

I was inspired to do this free promotion after looking at my reader survey results and the comments you’ve left on the blog. Many of you have said you really enjoy the free book downloads and giveaways, so I will be doing more of those in the future!

Enjoy your treat (Or is it a trick??) and have a Happy Halloween, Champions!

   

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Fall Reads

Hey there, Champions! Since I had so much fun sharing summer reads with you for the Summer Reading Event, I thought it would be fun to share a few books I’ve been enjoying this fall! (I reviewed the books in a facebook live video you can watch by clicking HERE, if you would rather watch/hear than read.)

I’m not sure if it’s the influence of Halloween, or just the lure of crackling leaves and cozy fireplaces, but Autumn is my favorite time of year to read mysteries, so most of the books on this list have a hint of mystery to them!

Princess of Shadows: Shannon Lynn Cook

This book is the most fall themed as it sports a haunted house in autumn. It’s actually the second book in the series, but if you’re looking for something to get you prepped for Halloween that isn’t too scary, this is the book for you! It’s an urban fantasy, and it has one of the most interesting/unique magic systems I’ve seen in a while in which people with magic are sorted into different categories based on their magical abilities. Each category has an animal that represents their magic. (So wolves are natural leaders, charismatic, etc, Rabbits have animal magic so they can soothe and communicate more easily with animals, etc.)

This book can get a little gory (the second book in particular) and the main female character does get ogled a lot and there are a few makeout sessions, but there’s also lots of humor and the characters are super dynamic. It is available on KU, but–fun news–the first book is actually FREE for 10/22 and 10/23!

Between Jobs: W. R. Gingell

I featured W. R. Gingell in the Summer Reading Event, but this series is her most recent launch and it’s in KU! Before I dive in, this book is by far the most gory/violent out all the books I’m listing, but it has some awesome fight scenes, intriguing mysteries, and some great characters.

It’s also an Urban Fantasy, but it has a paranormal edge as it has vampires and the books really focus in on the Faerie realm that lives adjacent to ours. The main character is really clever–she has some great lines–and her three male co-stars are really interesting as well. (I can’t wait to see how their relationship develops!)

Midnight in Austenland: Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is perhaps mostly famous among us fairy tale lovers for her Goose Girl retelling, but she also has a few adult contemporary novels like Austenland and it’s sequel, Midnight in Austenland! A special note: I ADORE Midnight in Austenland. It’s my favorite Shannon Hale book ever, but in order to really enjoy it you need to read Austenland first. (The stories have different main characters and somewhat different tones–the first one reads a little like contemporary rom com while the second has a little more intrigue/mystery and–I personally feel–more heart to it. But in order to better appreciate the characters you really should read Austenland first.)

Midnight in Austenland has everything: mystery, hilarity, historical references, and it boasts one of the CUTEST love stories ever. I cannot sell this book enough, I love it, I love it, I love it!! (Note: This is published by a big publisher, so it is practically guaranteed you can pick up a copy at your local library.)

Say hello to the Halloween Pug Puppers! (He looks like he might have eaten too much candy.)

Honorable Mentions

Haley Merlin: a new YA Urban fantasy series by Bella Forrest. If you like Cassandra Clare’s Shadow Hunter series, you’re going to love this one! (Available in KU)

Enola Holmes: A YA series that follows the adventures of Enola Holmes–Sherlock Holmes’ little sister. There’s no romance, but this is my favorite mystery series ever as the crimes are usually missing person cases and addictive but not the kind of book you would be scared to read at night and alone. (It also has some HILARIOUS scenes and, like Midnight in Aunstenland, it should be available at your local library.)

So now I’m curious, what are your favorite fall/mystery books? I hope you get some great new stories out of this, Champions, and thanks for reading.

The post Fall Reads appeared first on K. M. Shea.

Free Bookmarks!

Hello Champions! The Reader Survey is officially over, but I wanted to give a big thank you to everyone for participating. So I thought I would share a really fun bonus today–curtosy over my cover artist, Myrrhlynn!

You see, MyrrhLynn, made printable bookmarks for you! If you click on the image it will allow you to download a PDF file of the bookmarks. Then, just print them, cut them out, and enjoy!

If you end up using these please let me know and send me a photo of you using them, as I’d love to see the in use! Also…my current printer only prints in black and white so I’m selfishly hoping to see how they look in color. You can tag me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!

You can thank my Pinterest Fairy Tale and Crafts board for inspiring these! After adding many “free bookmarks!” repins to the board MyrrhLynn and I got jealous and decided we needed our own “free bookmarks!” of my stories.

Today’s Lesson: Snow Queen is a Fairy Tale

Hi Champions! This post is your reminder that the 2018 Reader Survey will only be live for a few more days. If you haven’t filled it out I’d love to hear from you as the answers will help me plan what books to write in the future! This is also your last chance to get the sneak peek of Snow White before it is released in December (you’ll get redirected to the sample when you finish the survey).

Click here to fill out the survey now!

Now we have to talk about something that quite frankly I find a little scandalous. If you’ve already taken the reader survey you know that one of the questions asks which of my book series you’ve read. There is also a question asking what genres you like to read.

The clear winner so far for the “genres you like to read” question is “fairy tales” which as a fellow fairy tale lover is not a surprise to me.