Easterly

by Shawna Romkey

Shoes to die for. Shoes to kill for. They call her the Wicked Witch of the East. They hate her for her magic, her power, her family. But Stazia wants no part of becoming the next Witch Queen of Oz. She’d rather go find a place with no magic where no one makes assumptions about who she is. Then someone drops a house on her and completely ruins her day. Not only do they kill her momentarily, but they take her ruby slippers and leave her for dead. She hunts the murderer-thief back to Kanzuss to get her shoes back. Without them, her magical energy and her life energy are slowly draining away, not to mention she’s trapped in Kanzuss and can’t get home. Without the shoes, she’ll be stuck in a sepia-toned world forever until she fades away into nothing. With the help of a hunky lumberjack and her striped hyena she has to battle Dorothy and the Gales and make a become wicked and kill to get her shoes back, or be stuck in Kanzuss and die on the other side of the rainbow. She’s not wicked. She just wants her freakin’ shoes back! A retelling of The Wizard of Oz with a tornadic twist. One-click EASTERLY today to see this classic tale from the Wicked Witch of the East’s point of view!

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2019

About the author

USA Today best-selling author, Shawna grew up around farms in the heart of Missouri but went to the University of Kansas, was raised in the US but now lives on the ocean in Nova Scotia with her husband, two sons, two dogs and one overgrown puppy from hell. She’s a non-conformist who follows her heart.

She has her BA in creative writing from the University of Kansas where one of her plays was chosen by her creative writing professor to be produced locally, and two of her short stories were published in a university creative arts handbook. She earned her MA in English from Central Missouri State University where she wrote a novel as her thesis.

She’s taught English at the university and secondary levels for close to twenty years and can’t quite fathom how all of her students have grown up, yet she’s managed to stay the same. She’s a huge geek and fan of Xena, Buffy and all kick ass women, and loves to write stories that have strong female characters.

Books:
Speak of the Devil, 2013
The Devil Made Me, 2014

http://www.shawnaromkey.com/

Reviews

[ATLANTIC BOOK REVIEWS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shawna Romkey has proven that you can tell/re-tell a story without taking a million pages to do so. Wow! 180 pages . I couldn’t put this one down. Read it in two sittings. I love a good re-telling and this one hit every mark for me.

True to the original, the explanations for an alternate story were both plausible and exciting. The twists were perfect and perfectly placed. Totally believable. The Wizard of Oz is one of my all time favourite classics, so for me to love a re-telling is huge. I loved this one. This is one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time.

I already loved the Wicked Witch of the West character, but love her even more under Romkey’s telling of her back story. Now I learn more about the Wicked Witch of the East and her story and her ending is very different from the original. Glinda, the good witch of the original story, is portrayed very differently here and I love what Romkey has done with her.

I love the play on words, the dialogue with a modern twist and the careful attention to details make this an extremely enjoyable read. Romkey has deftly woven the framework of the original with all the delights of different spins on things.

Facts paced and exciting.

This story kept me awake and “defied gravity” as my eyelids struggled to stay open into my late night reading session.

[Sue Slade · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a FUN read!!! Despite the fact that it has been decades since I watched The Wizard Of Oz, I actually could visualize the movie while reading this book and what a great 'other side of the story' this was. There is so much I could say- but each and everything I want to say would contain a spoiler and I don't want to spoil this wonderful story for anyone. But I will say this; I loved the fact that the true wicked witch did not end up being from the east nor the west. Should I even say that I found this point of view more believable than the original? This will be placed on my to-read again shelf.
Thank-you Shawna for this highly entertaining read.
She is not wicked! She just wants her freakin shoes back!

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!