Special Announcemnt!

So ... I kinda dropped off the internet this weekend. I don't know how my boss always picks my book release weeks to change my schedule on me, but it's starting to get annoying? I had been working Sunday/Monday, but then I looked at my schedule and saw that I was down for Friday/Saturday/Sunday - and also, all 6AM shifts. I am not a morning person, and this was suddenly two days of expected prep gone. 

So, yeah, I did sacrifice sleep to get the video up Saturday, but I had no energy to come over and post it over here, and then I never even bothered to do Sunday's post. I do apologize. Here's the video if you haven't had a chance to see it yet.

Now, for that awesome announcement we all were waiting for - actually, it's several announcements, so let's go in ascending order of awesome.

1. The final Twist of Adventure will be coming out later this year. It's The Dancing Princess, a sort of genderswapped 12DP retelling a serious B&B undervibe that I did not expect to show up, but I am totally down for. I'm currently sitting at about the halfway mark of the story with nearly 6,000 words, and so it's going to be a decent length for these stories. My alpha readers already ship Katrine and the king so hard, it's adorable.

2. I'm actually in the process of shifting CinderEddy and Poison Kiss from my mother's Amazon account to my own. This has been a gradual process of moving my books over, especially as with the short stories, I want to run them through a good edit first, and most of them are getting new covers.

3. Once The Dancing Princess is out, I will be releasing all five stories in a single edition, and this one WILL have a paperback edition. So, soon, you will be able to have these five charming little stories on your actual shelf. And I will, too. It's gonna be awesome. I'm not sure how quickly I'll have it up after TDP's release, but it will be September at the latest.

4. I'm in the process of helping Tom Wildrose release her debut! I was going to have the cover reveal sign-up live here today, but with my weekend wipeout, it didn't happen. It'll be here, soon though. 

5. And here's the biggest one ...

Click for Amazon link

The Merchant of Menace is up for preorder! It's actually been up for several days now, but I wanted it all linked up and proper for this announcement. It's due for release October 19th, and I'm really looking forward to sharing this exiting story with all of you. Cinderella, the Odessey, pirates, and Shakespeare, this book is packed and I can't be more excited. There's been so many adorable moments that I've had so much fun writing, and, ugh!!! I love that cover and can't wait to have it on my shelf....

Which brings me to the giveaway.

See, Amazon only lets indie authors set up kindle preorders (which I'm fine with), but I thought you guys might be interested in winning a paperback edition. I can't give one away to every preorder, but I will be doing one for every ten. Currently, I'm sitting at two preorders, so that's only eight to go before I can add the first book to the stack, BUT, I have faith in all of you and your desire to have a signed paperback edition on your shelf. 

Furthermore, if and when I hit a hundred preorders, I will select an ADDITIONAL four people to win a complete set of the series. All six books, shiny and signed.

(Disclaimers:

U.S. only - I can't at this time, afford international shipping.

In order to enter for the giveaway, you MUST email me your preorder receipt, though all preorders count towards the tally. Amazon only shows me that a sale was made, not who you are.)

If you're wondering how accessible the book is for readers who want to start here - it is a story that builds on plots established in the previous books, but it does establish itself quite quickly as a good number of the POV characters we're following are new. There are a lot of nuances to the characters and world that you may miss out on, but it wouldn't be the worst book of the series to start with.

So, yeah, go pick up the book now, and share the news with your friends. You might wind up with a paperback in your mailbox for the price of the kindle!

Explore the rest of the tour:

Kirsten Fichter – Easter Eggs in Diamond 

Interviews: 

Dreams and Dragons – Kirsten Fichter 

Books, Life, and Christ – Kendra E. Ardnek 

Reviews: 

World of Chronicles – Diamond

View the full tour here!

Five Reasons to Read Misfortune!

Friends! It's here! Misfortune, at long last!

It wasn't quite ready for the Golden Braids release, but I found another Rapunzel retelling to team up with, and it's been grand. I'll be posting a review of Diamond tomorrow, but for now let me tell you exactly why you need to run and pick up this book and read it IMMEDIATELY.

1. It's Rapunzel set in the book of Daniel. Not a 100% historical Daniel, as I've shifted a lot of things to work for my narrative, but more on that Sunday.

2. It's nearly nonmagical. I mean, there is a dragon, and there is a thing that happens at the end, but if this is too much for you, then I'm not sure how you read the Bible?

3. The poor heroine. The daughter of blood and misfortune - she was never even given the dignity of a name, and she's just such a broken little bundle of self-depreciation, and it huuuurt so much to write.

4. Delshad. Such a noble young man trapped in such an impossible situation. Does he obey his father? How is he supposed to save both his kingdom and the girl? Also, his mentorship from Misha was awesome.

5. You don't have to read the other Twists of Adventure to enjoy this one. Each book stands 100% on its own, and they're all twisted and awesome.

So, what are you waiting for, go pick up the book on Amazon today, and be sure to enjoy it!

Check out the rest of the tour:

May 13 

Kendra E. Ardnek – Five Reasons to Read Misfortune 

Kirsten Fichter – Diamond: The First Chapter 

Interviews: 

Tangled Up in Writing – Seth 

Reviews: 

Madi’s Musings – Misfortune 

Reality Reflected – Diamond

Full Schedule

Misfortune - Chapter the First

Just wanted to let you guys know that blog tour sign up for Misfortune is now live - click here to sign up!!

And now you can enjoy Misfortune's exciting first chapter!

Chapter 1

  They said that the kingdom of Ablon would never fall – right up until the night that it did.

  It should have been a night of rejoicing. It began so – as the queen lay in labor to bring her seventh child into the world and the kingdom collectively hoped that it would be a seventh son, who would embody good luck and prosperity.

  None even dreamed that their enemy lurked just outside the city, waiting for workmen to stop the flow of the mighty Ablon river, for which the country was named. When the river was filled with mud, and its old path ran dry, then the soldiers would march along that dry riverbed and into the city.

  The city, so wrapped up in its rejoicing, never knew what hit it. And it was hit with slaughter.

  The invaders tore through the city, making no distinction between man, woman, or child. Their young king led the march, straight to the palace.

  The guards were not prepared for such a force and melted under the attackers’ swords. They reached the banquet hall, where the king of Ablon was raising another toast in honor of the son he hoped his wife would give him that night. His six elder sons were seated at the table together.

  They died together.

  The conquering king went alone to deal with the queen and her child. It was only a baby. He had nothing to fear from one just born.

  A servant had clearly run ahead to warn the queen, for maids stood in position to bar his way. They were easily dealt with. When the king pushed past them, he found the queen seated on the bed, the swaddled newborn in her arms. She glared at him with the fury of a thousand warriors.

  But she was only a woman, and weak from childbirth. The king stepped forward with impunity, his sword raised…

  “You come to pluck this one from my arms, even as you slew my husband and six sons?” she asked. “And will you slay me as well?”

  The king drew short, for something in her tone unsettled him.

  “If you surrender the child, then I will let you live,” he promised her.

  Her face twisted, but she pushed the child away from her with no hesitation. “Take her. It’s nothing but a worthless girl-child. A daughter of blood and misfortune. She no doubt brought this evil upon us this night. Go ahead. Kill her. It is said that whoso harms a daughter of misfortune brings the misfortune upon themselves.”

  The king drew back. Though not a superstitious man, he still held respect for the higher powers. He would test the woman’s words. Raising his sword again, he stepped forward with renewed purpose.

  She didn’t even flinch, merely laid the child on the bed in front of her. Even with the blade’s tip pressed against the bundle of blanket, she just stared at the king with that determined calm.

  “Why do you hesitate?” she asked. “You’ve killed thousands already this night. What’s one more? A mere babe – a girl-child. Quick now, and run her through. She has been born in blood. Why should she live when her brothers do not?”

  The king had never met such a woman – a mother so calloused to the child she’d just birthed.

  He withdrew his sword and sheathed it. “A girl-child is no threat to me. I will show her mercy, as well as yourself.”

  No emotion crossed the queen’s face, even now. “Very well.”

A Twist of Rapunzel - Cover Reveal!

So this post is late in the day. I probably should have scheduled it last night but ... I had a mess of a weekend and I don't have many brain cells left.

Anywho ... I HAVE A BOOK RELEASING NEXT MONTH!!!! (I know, shocker, me releasing a book...)

Misfortune, the fourth Twist of Adventure, this one a Rapunzel inspired by the Book of Daniel. It's a super sweet and heartbreaking story that hurt so much to write, and I'm so excited to share it with all of you.

Mwahaha.

Not only that, but I'm not releasing it on its own, but I found a fellow Rapunzel reteller who wanted to join the party - Kirsten Fichter with #3 of her Once Upon a Twist Tales - Diamond. I haven't read Diamond yet, but I'm looking forward to it as it's directly connected to the previous tale Spindle Dreams and Eep, was that a story.

Anywho. Awesomeness is awesome, and we have a cover reveal today!!!

Amazon || Goodreads

Diamond leads a quiet life with the woman she calls Mother. There isn’t much to pass the time save for excursions in the forest and one-sided conversations with her pet rabbit, Hobie. Men are cruel beings who care only for themselves and must be avoided at any cost. After all, Diamond’s own father gambled her away once. What other terrible fates might await her if people knew she existed?  

Seth Stendahl is an alchemist with a middling proficiency in the Rohesian tongue. After growing up with and surviving six sisters, there shouldn’t be anything too difficult for him to master – except maybe breaking his leg and being locked in the top of a ruined watchtower.   

Amazon || Goodreads

The day she was born, her kingdom fell, and so she was branded the daughter of blood and misfortune and locked away. Now a dragon plagues the land and her curse may be the only thing that stops it. 

But is she really cursed? 

Both books will be releasing on May 13th, and I can't wait. Blog tour signup will be opening soon, and I will come back later and editing in a link to it. In the meantime, feel free to add both books to your Goodreads TBR and even preorder them!

Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She lives in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her dragon babies and massive herd of mini-giraffes, and she is still waiting for one of of her fifty nutcrackers to come to life and marry her. When not writing, you can usually find her sitting in a random box, and she’s frequently known to act before she thinks.  Find her online at: Website || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Newsletter || Instagram || Amazon  

Kirsten Fichter is a twenty-something Christian writer who loves being the wife to her favorite person ever, mommy to two precious blessings, a piano enthusiast, a dragon buff, a serious bookworm, and an INFP synesthete. Fairytales have always fascinated her, and she has made it her goal to rewrite as many as possible and become known as the “Grimm Dickens” (i.e. mixing Grimm fairytales with a Dickens style). Diamond: A Rapunzel Story is her third published fairytale retelling. You can find out more about her on her blog, A Synesthete Writer.  

Find her online at:  Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Instagram || Amazon