Cover Reveal - Jaclyn and the Beanstalk

Jaclyn and the Beanstalk
Mary Ting
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: September 4th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

What Fate Awaits A Girl Who Hears Monsters At Night…
Sixteen-year-old Jaclyn looks up to her father. An honest man who once fought for the king, he now teaches Jaclyn how to use her wits—and her sword.
But he has a secret. And his secret may have a connection to the one thing Jaclyn is hiding from him.
Upon hearing “monsters” are terrorizing the small villages around Black Mountain, Jaclyn’s father and his friends head out to hunt them … but they don’t return.
Armed only with her sword and three magic beans—a gift from a mysterious old woman—Jaclyn sets out for Black Mountain to save her father.
On her climb, one bean drops and grows into a beanstalk, catching her when she falls.
She isn’t the only one that takes the ride. Jack, her childhood friend and secret crush, is following her.
Together, Jaclyn and Jack must battle to save not only their fathers, but the townspeople the beasts plan to lay waste to before it’s too late.

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Author Bio:
International Bestselling Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

New Release - Savage Beauty

Happy Friday, everyone! Well, today was supposed to be a guest post, but no one sent me anything. Ha! That's okay, though, because there's a fabulous new release by Casey L. Bond I'm able to share with you all instead. Ready? Grab your coffee, or tea, and let's get going!

Title: Savage Beauty
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tales
Length: 296 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle

Blurb:
Once upon a time, a beautiful queen was cursed by a dark faery. That curse, inherited by twin princesses, Aura and Luna, binds their lives in the strangest of ways. At an early age, the girls were more than sisters. They were the strongest of allies until a combination of jealousy, anger and dark magic tore their relationship to shreds.

Aura took everything from Luna: her home, her family, and her love by murdering the prince who’d chosen her instead of Aura.

Luna wants revenge, but she’s running out of time. She must sever the magical bond tying her life to Aura’s before their eighteenth birthday or be bound to her forever. In desperation, she seeks help from a dark fae prince, but the price is steep – a piece of her soul.

Fate is a real witch. Luna was willing to give up anything to stop her sister, until Prince Phillip of Grithim, the brother of the only man she’s ever loved, falls into her life. Neither of them can fight their attraction, despite their guilt.

With Aura hell-bent on destroying everything she holds dear, Luna must decide whether she wants revenge or Phillip. She can’t have both, and in the end, this may be a battle both sisters lose.

**Savage Beauty is a fairy tale retelling of Sleeping Beauty... with fae witches.

~~~~~

What do you think? Will you be snagging it?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

War and Pieces ~ Frayed Fairy Tales - Update and Information

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Lookit! I'm here! *grin* So, today, I'm going to share with you an update and a couple of awesome teasers for the upcoming War and Pieces ~ Frayed Fairy Tales releases. I'm also going to explain the construct (it's different, and it's sooooo exciting). I'm still having a hard time believing we've pulled it off. Let's get going, shall we?

First, I'll explain the release schedule and how we broke the books down with who wrote what.

War and Pieces is a serial series. There are ten seasons with three episodes in each. I heard that collective gasp, but stay with me. Each episode is only 10k words long. That means we'll be handing over 10k bite-sized pieces at a time, every other day. Our release schedule is crazy with Season 1: Episode 1 releasing on 4/24, and the others following at a rapid pace through the end of June.

Together, the whole set of tales clock in at around 310k words. We realized that was a lot, so we broke it down into easy-to-digest chunks. Yes, it's ALL WRITTEN. We didn't want to release the first one until we were ready to publish them all, and we wanted to do it quickly so no one got bored or forgot the first story by the time they reached the last.

Here's how we broke down the writing:
Season 1 - Rose Red's tale - by Tia Silverthorne Bach and N. L. Greene
Season 2 - Ariel's tale - by Jo Michaels and Kelly Risser
Season 3 - Rapunzel's tale - by Kelly Risser
Season 4 - Mulan's tale - by Jo Michaels and Tia Silverthorne Bach
Season 5 - Cinderella's tale - by Tia Silverthorne Bach
Season 6 - Hansel and Gretel's tale - by N. L. Greene and Jo Michaels
Season 7 - Tiger Lily's tale - by Jo Michaels
Season 8 - Jasmine's tale - by Kelly Risser and N. L. Greene
Season 9 - Aurora's tale - by N. L. Greene
Season 10 - Ninfa's tale - by Tia Silverthorne Bach and Kelly Risser

Our stories happen after the happily ever after. When paranormal creatures begin invading the realms these women live in, they're off to battle once again. But not always as princesses. Some of them have risen to the status of Queen, and some rise to that level within the story. Some have children, and some are still trying, but all are regal and intimidating.

As a look back, here are the covers:

Can you figure out the paranormal creatures?

And the book trailer:



I do hope you're all ready. Our first release is Monday! Yes, we're nervous, but I think you'll love the stories.

Teasers! These were made by the always awesome Jaci Chaney (click to view larger).

Our coloring competition ended yesterday, and the entries are fantastic! We'll be launching public voting Monday as well, so be sure you come on back for information on where you can give your opinion on which is the best.

If you haven't pre-ordered book one, you can do so for just $0.99 on allllllll ebook platforms. Here are the links:

Kindle - Preorder
Smashwords - Preorder
Barnes and Noble - Preorder
iBooks - Preorder

I can't even convey how excited I am.

Which story are you most looking forward to?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal and New Release from the F5!

An awesome group of authors, the Ferocious 5, have been busy creating something new and amazing for your reading pleasure! The time has come to reveal all the things. Strap in and prepare yourself for something awesome.

As you can see from the banner above, the title is:

War and Pieces - Frayed Fairy Tales

It's a serial series, and there are ten seasons, so there are several covers to see. Stay with it!

Here's the blurb:

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there were zombies…

That’s how it all started. Authors have created a major problem with stories like Cinder, The Dark Queen, and Asleep, and it’s wreaking havoc here in Ever After. Our queens are fighting for their lives.

Rather like Mother Nature, keeper of the fine balance that’s life in your world, tales that begin with “Once upon a time” were never meant to be messed with.

Now, Ariel is underwater with all the defenses she’s been launching, Aurora hasn’t slept in weeks, and Rapunzel is tangled in… Well, I can’t even begin to tell you.

Rather than try, I’ll let you see for yourself. You and I will talk again afterward—if I survive long enough. So, as our fateful story begins:

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away…

Book trailer!

Now, a coloring book.

Buy it here for just $7.99!

From the publication of the War and Pieces coloring book until April 14, 2017, color as many shoe pages as you like (name pages won’t count, nor will the design your own royal shoe), scan or photograph them, and post them on Instagram, Twitter, and/or Pinterest. Be sure to tag your posts with:

#Frayed5 and #F5PinToWin

Each social media instance will count as one entry.

The Ferocious Five will review all entries and pick our three favorites for each cover.

On April 22, 2017, we’ll announce the finalists and share your images with the public.

From April 24, 2017 – April 30, 2017, the public will vote via social media likes and shares and select the winner for each cover.

Winners will be contacted by social media and will have one week to respond with their mailing address. If you don’t answer, the prize will go to the second place winner, and so on. Please add SevenAuthors@yahoo.com to your approved sender list.

Winners will receive a 5.5”x8.5” print of the book cover for their winning season, signed by all the F5 authors, permanent display of their artwork on frayedfairytales.com, and an exclusive War and Pieces swag pack.

Open internationally!

 
Be sure and join the Federation of the Ferocious 5 on Facebook for access to the release day event and other goodies no one else will get!

Now it's time to show you the covers for the Frayed Fairy Tales books. Release of Season 1: Episode 1 will be April 24, 2017. But you can pre-order it NOW right here. Just 99 cents! Episodes will release every two days with three episodes in each season.

 

Which is your favorite?

New Release - Red's Tangled Tale

Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Well, at least they think they do. History would have many believe Red was a naïve little girl who brought treats to her grandmother in the dark of the forest. History had it wrong.
After the curse of the wolves came to Timbergard, Red’s father was the only soul brave enough to enter Blakx Forest. However, when the wolves claimed his life, his young daughter took up his bow and began hunting the beasts to fill her need for revenge.

When Captain Hook shows up in the village in search of the rare burning ash that lies on the far borders of the cursed forest, Red agrees to help get him safely through the dangerous land.

The trek through the forest becomes precarious when the group is cornered by a pack of wolves. Red is forced to make a decision that will alter the lives of everyone, including individuals she has yet to meet.

The cover of the much anticipated "Red's Tangled Tale," book two in The Untold Stories, has been revealed!

With only two weeks until publication, you can now preorder your copy at Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo and Smashwords (Amazon will not have a preorder for this title but will carry it on November 1 when it is released).

In addition to the cover, fans will get exclusive teasers as well as a teaser trailer over the next two weeks, building to the anticipation of the release.

If you would like to join in the fun of the release, be sure to join the Facebook Party wherein numerous authors have come together to celebrate the release and will be giving away amazing prizes.

Lastly, you can help spread the word by participating in the Thunderclap campaign which will announce the release to social media on November 1 (link below).

Cover Reveal - Red's Tangled Tale

Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Well, at least they think they do. History would have many believe Red was a naïve little girl who brought treats to her grandmother in the dark of the forest. History had it wrong.

After the curse of the wolves came to Timbergard, Red’s father was the only soul brave enough to enter Blakx Forest. However, when the wolves claimed his life, his young daughter took up his bow and began hunting the beasts to fill her need for revenge.

When Captain Hook shows up in the village in search of the rare burning ash that lies on the far borders of the cursed forest, Red agrees to help get him safely through the dangerous land.

The trek through the forest becomes precarious when the group is cornered by a pack of wolves. Red is forced to make a decision that will alter the lives of everyone, including individuals she has yet to meet.

The cover of the much anticipated "Red's Tangled Tale," book two in The Untold Stories, has been revealed!

With only two weeks until publication, you can now preorder your copy at Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo and Smashwords (Amazon will not have a preorder for this title but will carry it on November 1 when it is released).

In addition to the cover, fans will get exclusive teasers as well as a teaser trailer over the next two weeks, building to the anticipation of the release.

If you would like to join in the fun of the release, be sure to join the Facebook Party wherein numerous authors have come together to celebrate the release and will be giving away amazing prizes.

Lastly, you can help spread the word by participating in the Thunderclap campaign which will announce the release to social media on November 1 (link below).

New Release - Blossom and the Beast

Blossom and the Beast

Author: RS McCoy

A Beauty and the Beast Retelling

Release Date: May 31, 2016

Blurb: 

*A Paranormal Romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast*

Blossom Frane is only weeks away from her transformation. On her eighteenth birthday, she’ll find out her future branch of society and her totem, the animal form she’ll be able to take at will for the rest of her life. Like her brothers, she’s expected to be a brown bear of the religious branch known as Terra. 

In the Alderwood forests, Blossom’s bear blood is a valuable asset. Any day now, a rival clan leader will step forward and offer her father a hefty bounty in exchange for her hand in marriage. Blossom can do nothing more than sit back and wait to be traded to the highest bidder.

Determined to spend her last weeks exploring the Alderwood, Blossom sneaks away and manages to find Kaide Landel, a rising political star of the Pyro branch. Known for his violence and disregard for the religious teachings of the Terra branch, he’s all wrong for the bear clan’s prized daughter. But when the politician uses his wealth and influence to secure her hand, Blossom has no choice but to leave her family and marry him—if she lives that long.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Smashwords

Reviews:

Beauty and the Beast has long been my favorite old school Disney movie and this book has some serious undertones with Beauty and the Beast references. Sometimes this doesn't work so well, but here the references are perfectly placed and pulled at my heart strings. Clarice's Book Nook

I adored the characters (especially Kaide but also Blossom ­­ she's such a strong­willed character!) the story, and McCoy's wonderful and gripping writing style. BooksEnchanted

The story is fast paced and apart from Blossom and Kaide's romance, there is plenty of suspense, political manipulation and intrigue in Kaide's career as a politician that will affect and change his and Blossom's lives forever! All this and more is handled with ease by RS McCoy and I loved her writing style and know that I will be checking out her other books too while I wait for the next book in this series. NjKinny's World of Books and Stuff

Author Bio: 

Rachel McCoy is a Texan living in New Jersey. Between binge­watching MTV reality shows and baking gluten­free treats, she writes paranormal fantasy and science fiction novels. She is the self­published author of the Sparks Saga trilogy, The Extraction Files, and The Alder Tales series. Back when she lived in the real world, Rachel earned a degree in marine biology, which contributed to her die­hard love of manta rays.

Links: 

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub

Newsletter Sign­up

What do you think? Gonna pick up a copy?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Scarlet

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, I have another book review for you all. As you know, I've been reading the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Amazing young lady. Love this series so far, and I'm only two books in. I can't wait to see what's coming in Cress. I own it, now I just gotta read it! My tangible books get read alongside my digital ones, and I usually read more than one at a time (as evidenced by the long list I'm now writing reviews for). Anyway! Enough of my goings on and on.

How about we get to the fun stuff, eh? Starting, as always, with details about the book on the chopping block for today:

Title: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: YA Fairy tale Adaptations - Sci-Fi
Length (print): 512 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Paperback $5.72

Blurb:
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Now for the review!

Okay, so I read Cinder and loved the new twist on an old tale (what can I say, I'm a sucker for anything having to do with a fairy tale). I couldn't wait to dive into Scarlet. I ran out to BAM and bought it. Really wanted the hardcover, but they didn't have any in stock, so the paperback is what I ended up with. Someone, somewhere, told me these were going to be a movie (hell yeah!), and I truly hope that's the case. I'm in literary love with these characters and the stories going on. Anyway, now that you know where and why I picked up Scarlet, let's get on to the review!

From a Reader's Perspective:
I was completely entranced by the twist on the classic Little Red Riding Hood. Scarlet is my kind of chick. She grew up on a farm, can work on cars, and believes in the people she loves even when the whole world is telling her otherwise. Win. I loved Cinder in this story, too. She's becoming one of my favorite literary characters of all time. These young ladies are tough, emotional, and willing to do whatever they have to in order to set things right in the world. Interconnection between the storylines is what really intrigues me. I love finding little bits and pieces of how one character's tale impacts another. It's almost as though Meyer sat down with a huge drawing board and sketched out how many different ways she could throw the reader for a loop. Fascinating. World building is well done, and seeing Earth so far in the future is mesmerizing. I could picture everything happening with perfect clarity. Pacing was a little slow at times, but never dragged on for more than a chapter.

From an Editor's Perspective:
This being a trad published book, I expected fewer run-on sentences, comma splices, and dialogue/action tag mix-ups than my usual reads (Indie). I was shocked at the number of oopsies I found. However, there were no storyline snags. See below for rating impact.

Rating:
1 Star for bringing a whole new level of awesome to RRH
1 Star for connecting Scarlet and Cinder so well
1 Star for world building
1 Star for pacing and imagination run amok
.5 Star for no plotline holes
-.5 Star for grammatical errors
Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars. I round up, not down, so you'll see 5 stars on my review. Recommended if you're a fan of fairy tale twists!

Have you read the series? What did you think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo