K.M. Shea's Blog, page 52

Updated Books

Greetings, Champions! Things are a little crazy for me as I have approximately four projects that all happened to reach completion at approximately the same time, so stuff is piling up. I’m aware that I have about a dozen things to update you all on, but I can’t tackle them all at once, so you’re going to be getting daily updates for the next few days!

Today’s topic: getting updated books.

As I mentioned last week, Cinderella and the Colonel got an edit and a new cover, so I recommended any of you C&C fans snag the new edition. What I did not know was that Amazon just did a rehaul of its help system, so things changed.

Additionally, I also did a light edit of Enthroned, Enchanted, and Embittered in preparation for writing the final King Arthurs book, so I re-uploaded those books, and repackaged the three pack–which also got a new cover! So if you unless you bought any of those books last week, you have the old versions. (Note: the only changes are really a few stylistic fixes and a lot of typo fixes, the story hasn’t changed at all!)

Woohoo! Thanks, Myrrhlynn for the new cover! It looks spectacular!

So with all these updated editions floating around, I realized it would be easiest if I just made a guide on how to get updated ebooks, So here’s the PDF: How to get an updated book-which has pictures and big red arrows to get you through the process! I do have to remind everyone, though, that I cannot get the updated ebook on your device, only Amazon can do that. Additionally, when the updated version is pushed onto your kindle library by amazon, they will push it to the front of your library/book list. So if the book you request the update for suddenly appears at the top of your kindle books, you have the updated version!

Thanks for your patience, Champions! Good luck to those of you who decide to get the updated editions!

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2016 Reflection

Happy New Year, Champions! I thought I would mix things up and make today’s blog post into a video. I hope you enjoy it!

 

Thanks for listening, Champions, and have a wonderful last night of 2016 and a lovely first day of 2017!

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Cinderella & Fanart!

Greetings, Champions! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I’m here today to share some fun news: Cinderella and the Colonel is getting an update!

Ta da! The new cover~~

In addition to the beautiful, fantastic new cover, Cinderella & the Colonel received an edit! The majority of the changes were all stylistic/grammar/punctuation fixes, so in general the biggest change should be that the story will read more smoothly but you won’t be able to exactly pinpoint why. However, there is one tiny new slice of a scene that lets you see dear Fred’s perspective earlier in the book.

The new cover isn’t showing up on C&C‘s Amazon page, but when I checked the sample it’s the cover that’s on there, so if you get the edited version it should come with the new cover.

If you want the cleaned-up version, you’ll need to contact Amazon! Although I’m the author I have no control over pushing the updates onto Kindle devices, so go to Amazon Help  –specifically digital services–and request the newer version. (Historically, other Champions have mentioned the fastest method is to contact help via phone or instant messenger. Email takes longer.)

The timing is not the greatest as we are smack dab in the middle of Sleeping Beauty frenzy, but since I’ve been working on this edit for several months, and Myrrhlynn made the new cover way back in summer, I decided to give into my impulse and release it now!

Up next, we have some truly beautiful fanart, done by our very own Britta Vana!

Ray-Ray Wishmore, by Britta Vana

Her fantastic picture is of Raven Wishmore from Life Reader! She did a fabulous job–particularly with the differences in Raven/Ray-Ray’s hair! For those of you who are curious, Britta said she used FireAlpaca to make it. Thanks, Britta, for using your beautiful talent!

Sleeping Beauty: The Original

Thank you to everyone whose been leaving the wonderful reviews on Sleeping Beauty! The reviews have been so detailed and helpful, I’m releasing the next short in thanks: The Assignment! (PDF File) It’s a bit early, but I wanted to get it out well before Christmas so you all could enjoy it before the mad rush. Anyway! The Assignment is a short story from Firra’s POV, and covers how she was assigned to watch out for Briar Rose. I hope you enjoy it! Now, may the fun continue!

As we learned in my previous post, turns out there’s a ton of Sleeping Beauty stories out there, however, my adaptation is based mostly on the Brothers’ Grimm Little Briar Rose and Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty. Since Little Briar Rose draws its origins from Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty, I’m going to focus on Perrault’s story but add in the bits and pieces that make Little Briar Rose different. So strap in, Champions, and prepared to be seriously weirded out!

You know that Disney animated classic Sleeping Beauty we all love and cherish? It bears only the slightest resemblance to the actual fairy tale. Here’s how the original goes down.

A king and a queen who have wanted children forever finally have a child–a little girl. They invite seven fairies to her christening with the idea that they would all become her godmothers. The royal couple gives the fairies gold plates and jeweled goblets. An eighth fairy shows up  and is given only a fine china plate and a crystal cup. She hadn’t been invited because she was super old and spent most of her time up in a tower, so everyone thought she was dead. The china plate/crystal cup really tick off the old fairy, so she waits until six of the seven fairies give their gifts to the princess (Voice of a nightingale, good at dancing, beautiful, etc) and then proclaims that the princess will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. The final fairy attempts to reverse the curse , but she is too young and is only able to change it so instead of dying the princess will fall into a deep sleep for 100 years, and then be woken by a prince. (A difference in Little Briar Rose is that the old fairy shows up and curses the princess because she wasn’t’ invited, not because her plate and cup weren’t as nice.)

So the king proclaims that all spinning wheels must be destroyed, and no one can use or own one, or they will be killed. (This is a really stupid idea because it means that everyone in this  kingdom has no way to make fabrics and thread, so either textile imports are going to go through the roof, or everyone is going  to be walking around in their birthday suit. Either way, it will bring financial and emotional woes to the people.)

The princess grows up and whens hes’ 15 or 16, and has been left alone in the palace, she finds an old woman spinning. Curious, because she had never seen a spinning wheel, she picks up the spindle, pricks herself, and falls asleep.

The fairy who countered the curse hears about it and pops by the palace where she’s filled in by the king and queen. She realizes that the princess will be very upset to wake up and learn that everyone she knew is dead/gone, so she casts a spell on the palace and everyone falls asleep. (In Little Briar Rose, the entire palace is instantly spelled with her and the good fairy never returns.)

A huge hedge grows around the palace, protecting everyone inside, and though many men try to fight their way past the hedge none succeed. Eventually 100 years pass. The sleeping princess is now just a legend, but a prince from a neighboring kingdom decides to check it out.

Sleeping Beauty by Paul Meyerheim. Totes not creepy, am I right?

In a case of good luck, the prince happens to arrive just as the requisite 100 years is up, so he strolls up to the hedge that retreats before him. (While I applaud the prince’s sense of adventure, he really doesn’t do anything to prove he’s worthy of the princess.)

He makes his way all the way up to where the princess is sleeping. In Perrault’s story he waltzes in just as she is waking up and the two fall in love at first sight (Because it’s always a good idea to fall in love with some stranger who randomly shows up in your bedroom?) and in the story of Briar Rose he kisses her and then she awakens.

The couple eventually go downstairs where the king and queen give them permission to marry and they live happily ever after…or so it goes for the Brothers Grimm princess!

Perrault’s story continues where the good-for-nothing-prince fails to tell his parents he’s married! He splits his time between the princess’s kingdom and his own, has two kids with her, and still doesn’t tell his parents! (He withholds  the info because apparently his mom is part ogre and might do something bad.) He waits until his dad dies (His dad being the NICE GUY, not his ogre mother who was the whole reason he didn’t want to reveal his marriage) and he’s made the king before he finally reveals that he’s got a wife and kids. And after he finally brings them to his kingdom, he rides off to war, leaving his family with the mother that he previously worked against so she wouldn’t learn they existed.

The ogre mother has it out for the princess, and she tries to eat the two kids, but the prince’s servants are apparently better people than the prince himself, because they protect the royal family. The prince returns and the ogre mom kills herself. (Well. That escalated quickly!)

It’s worth noting that the Brother’s Grimm divided out this second half of sleeping beauty, and made it into a different fairy tale. Additionally, it’s also worth noting that Perrault cleans up this story quite a bit, as in the story he based it on—Sun, Moon, and Talia—the prince is actually already married and is, bar none, the worst prince I have ever read of in a fairy tale. (I don’t want to get into it, but if you want to read a summary of the story click here!)

That’s all for today, Champions! Thank you for reading, have a Merry Christmas, and a lovely holiday weekend!

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Sleeping Beauty: Original Authors

A big thank you to everyone who took the time to review Sleeping Beauty! Between the various websites there’s over 30 reviews, so here’s the first short: The Starting Point It takes a look at young Briar and Isaia’s relationship. Now, onto the research!

My rendition of Sleeping Beauty is a little different from all my other stories, because it is a combination of two fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty, and Little Briar Rose. Normally I only spend one post that looks at the original fairy tale and the authors, but today I want to focus specifically on the origins because they are so fascinating. But worry not–I’m still going to rip the original fairy tale to shreds in another post!

If I’m being picky, my Sleeping Beauty was based on more than two fairy tales, because the Brothers Grimm actually collected quite a few stories that all share elements of sleeping beauty, but the classic one that inspired Disney’s sleeping beauty, and the story I drew the most from, is Little Briar Rose. The Brothers Grimm published their first collection of fairy tales in 1812, and became the creators of folklore studies. Little Briar Rose was one of the many orally told stories they collected, and they were able to trace its origins to Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty–which we will jump into below. The story shares the same basic plot as Perrault’s story, however, it is essentially chopped in half, and also cleaned up a bit.

Moving on! Sleeping Beauty was published in French by Charles Perrault in 1697. (Perrault’s name might sound familiar, as he also published versions of Puss in Boots and Cinderella.) Though Perrault crafted the most recognizable elements of sleeping beauty as we know it today, he actually based his story on the a fairy tale written by an Italian poet, Giambattista Basile. The story–which was published in 1634, after Basile died–was called Sun, Moon, and Talia.

Sun, Moon, and Tailia, in turn, was based off several folk stories–including a chapter/episode of a lyrical poetry series titled Perceforest that was collected in the early 1300s. The specific sleeping beauty chapter is titled Histoire de Troïlus et de Zellandine, and is considered the first of its kind–its kind being the sleeping princess stories as there are quite a few.

Sleeping Beauty is a lot like Wild Swans in that there are a lot of variations out there that are considered separate stories, but they all fall under one type.

In the next post we’ll actually dive into the original story, but it is worth mentioning that Perrault–and as a result the Brothers Grimm–removed some of the ickier elements that are included in Sun, Moon, and Talia, and Perceforest. (The biggest issue being the sleezebag of a prince who finds the sleeping princess.)

Until the next post, I hope you all enjoy the extra! Thanks for reading, Champions!

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Sleeping Beauty Released!

Today is the big day–Sleeping Beauty is available for purchase! A few of you impressive readers have already whipped through it–which impresses me greatly–but as the majority of you Champions haven’t had a chance to crack it yet, I’ll refrain from talking about it, and instead use this post for some housekeeping things.

The matter of greatest importance is the Sleeping Beauty review specials! Reviews are really important for authors. They help a lot in terms of opening up doors for advertising as some places have a review requirement, and they also provide useful feedback for me and for possible/interested readers. So as a thank you for reviewing, I’ll release Sleeping Beauty extras when we hit big review landmarks! (I count reviews from Amazon.com, the UK Amazon site, the Australian Amazon site, and Goodreads!)

This time I’m releasing three shorts!

The Beginning: 2 page short story: 30 reviews: locked

The Assignment: 11 page short story: 60 reviews: locked (Told from Firra’s perspective)

The Third Knight: 12 page short story: 90 reviews: locked (Two guesses what this one is about, eh?)

Next up, Beauty and the Beast is temporarily on sale for 99 cents to celebrate Sleeping Beauty‘s release! I’ll probably keep it at that price for roughly a month before hiking it back to its regular price of $2.99.

Finally, I recall that several Champions have birthdays this week, so I hope you have a happy birthday and a splendid birthday weekend!

That’s it for today! I’ll give you all a few days to read before I start my Sleeping Beauty themed posts. Until then, have a lovely time reading, Champions, and thanks in advance for the reviews!

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Sleeping Beauty Pre-order

Sleeping Beauty is now available for pre-order! It’s still launching on December 15, so we’ve just a bit over a week to wait. Additionally, Red Rope of Fate is now available in paperback. Woohoo–just in time for Christmas!

In the meantime I’m trying to get my schedule figured out for next year. In 2016 I edited a lot, and I still have to edit Rumpelstiltskin and Wild Swans so I’m not done yet. Still, I’m hopeful next year I’ll be able to produce more books as I won’t have as many editing projects. (This year I edited Red Rope, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella–and I’m hoping to still cram Rumpelstiltskin in here.)

The Snow Queen Anthology is just about done–so that’s a relief to check off! (Note: If you want PDF copies of the shorts grab ’em now! When the anthology goes up I’ll have to yank the majority of them off the site due to Amazon rules.) And I already have the Sleeping Beauty shorts finished as well!

While I muse over my goals, I hope you all are doing well! I can’t wait to talk Sleeping Beauty with you! (Isaia is my attempt to overthrow Stil from his position as reigning champion of ‘Most Popular Hero,’ but while he’s just as sweet as Stil he is far quieter, so it’s up in the air at this point!) Thanks for reading, and have a lovely day!

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Cover Reveal: Sleeping Beauty

I’m so excited! Today I get to reveal the cover for my next Timeless Fairy Tale, Sleeping Beauty!

Myrrhlynn, my cover artist, did another fabulous job with this cover! She adjusted the hues of the picture a bit and made the model’s dress a little more purply. Also, as usual, she did a fantastic job with the font! (I feel like the two fonts used in the title sort of encompass Briar’s struggles with defining herself, but I’ll wait to hear if you think the same when you read it.)

Speaking of which, you can pencil in Sleeping Beauty‘s release date! It looks like it’s going to be December 15–that’s a Thursday. (It might change by a day or two, but I highly doubt it.) Below is a very rough draft of SB’s description, to give you something to look forward to!

Briar Rose, a clever peasant girl, feels only pity for the mythical Princess Rosalinda–the hidden princess who was cursed to prick her finger on a spindle and fall asleep until true love’s kiss awakens here. But Briar’s worst nightmares become reality when she learns she is the secret princess, and Isaia, her childhood friend, is really a Magic Knight sworn to protect her.

Briar reluctantly embraces her new life as princess, and is reunited with her mother, father, and her grandfather–the king. Unfortunately Carabosso, the mage who cursed her as a baby, has returned to the country and plunders the countryside. The king refuses to disperse the Magic Knights to protect the people, and instead orders them to stay in the capital to protect Briar. But Briar is not the demure princess her family desires, and she vows to protect her people if her parents and grandfather will not.

Will the curse consume Briar, or–with help from Isaia–can she beat the foul mage at his own game?

You’ve been so patient, Champions, in waiting for this book, so I hope it entertains and charms you! Briar is a spunky, spitfire heroine, and her relationship with Isaia was really intriguing to flesh out. It’s a little different from your typical love story, but I hope you will all still like it!

That’s all for today! Thanks for reading!

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Verglas Map

Greetings, Champions! I come to you today bearing gifts–that I again had a bugger of a time trying to keep secret from you all.

I teamed up with the wonderfully talented Ilari Nikkarikoski, who drew a beautiful black and white rendition of Verglas!

So many of the Fairy Tale stories either visit or take place in Verglas, so I’ve really been wanting to do something with it. This particular map is actually from the Snow Queen’s era–in particularly it is quite accurate for the year after the War of Ice and Snow. (You can tell that because Ensom Peak has been renamed Fresler’s Helm) However, not much, as in barely anything at all, has changed since then so it still gives you a great idea of what the country looks like.

As it was with the map of the continent, this map is not done perfectly to scale, and all the details are not exactly right, so think of it as more of a reference or guide then a perfect representation.

I’ll be posting it on the Timeless Fairy Tales page, so if you ever want to take a second gander at it, you can find it there.

Thanks for reading, Champions! I hope you have a splendid week!

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Facebook Live Event!

Just a reminder that the Once Upon a Happy Ending Facebook live event has started! For the next two hours I’ll be on there with fellow authors Cameron Jace, Aya Ling, and Melanie Cellier! We’ll be available to chat, giving away books, and more, so come hang out with us!

Also, if you’ve read the Once Upon a Happy Ending fairy tale collection, if you would leave a review on Amazon (or Goodreads!) I would really appreciate it!

That’s all for now, I hope I get to chat with some of you, and have a lovely day!

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