Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Girl Who Believed in Fairy Tales by Heidi Garrett with Giveaway!!



The Girl Who Believed in Fairy Tales
Sub Genre: Magical Realism
Release Date: June 23, 2014


Heather Baker believes in fairy tales, and she turns to their timeless wisdom whenever life gets difficult. 

Again and again, the playfulness, symbolism, and deeper meaning in fairy tales have filled Heather with hope, nurtured her spirit, and fired her imagination. Sometimes touching, and sometimes humorous, these tales capture the three most transformative experiences in her life: 

—Heather reframes her childhood sorrow in “The Girl Who Watched for Elves” 
—She embarks upon a life imbued with meaning in “The Girl Who Dreamed of Red Shoes” 
—And after taking several wrong turns, she finds the place where she belongs in “The Girl Who Couldn’t Sing” 

The Girl Who Believed in Fairy Tales chronicles the journey of someone who was willing to change the way she viewed the world... and never stopped believing.





The Archetypal Fairy Tale Journey


Many adults love fairy tales as much as children do. Why is this so? And why are fairy tales and their retellings so enduring?

In every fairy tale, five things always happen to the fairy tale character: She leaves home, she gets lost in the woods, she faces obstacles and/or tests, she overcomes these challenges, and she finds her happily ever after.

That journey, the fairy tale character’s journey, is archetypal because it involves the task of discovering and committing to the true Self. Since each of us yearns to connect with the true Self, the archetypal fairy tale journey is compelling in the tips and clues it offers about such an undertaking.



1.
Leaving Home

Fairy Tale Character’s (FTC’s) leave home. The impetus for the departure varies; curiosity, duplicity, parents who are invasive, stepparents who are envious, a call to duty and/or sacrifice—something—ousts the naive child from their secure, loving environment.



2.
Getting Lost in the Woods

The FTC always stumbles and falls psychologically, metaphorically, and literally in the first stage of her journey. Her naiveté, fear, and inexperience lead her to make poor choices that inevitably heighten her dire situation.



3.
Facing Obstacles and Tests
As more trouble is heaped upon the FTC, she is driven to experiment. She must embrace her innate strength, courage, and/or cleverness; and she must make wiser choices in regards to her relationships and who she trusts. Otherwise, she’ll be fated to eke out a meek/mean/meager/impoverished existence… or die.



4.

Overcoming the Challenges

Once the FTC comes into her own, i.e. once her consciousness has evolved to the point where she has become her own authority, she can achieve mastery over the trials that face her.



5.
Living Happily Ever After

Living in accordance with her true nature, and following her true path, is the FTC’s ultimate living happily ever after. Partnering with the beloved is a function of her matured Self.

Throughout our very real lives, we cycle through these phases again and again and again. Fairy tales, presumably the province of children, can be quite effective in spurring adults toward believing in themselves—and Happily Ever Afters—as well.


That is the enduring power of the archetypal fairy tale journey.




About The Girl Who Couldn’t Sing:

She began to meditate upon "The Ugly Duckling” for she'd always imagined herself as a misplaced swan. But with all the changes, and her sadness shedding like the skin of snake, she'd stare in the mirror and whisper, “Perhaps, you're not even a bird."

Heather Baker struggles to find the balance between fantasy and reality in her everyday life. Enticed by Neptune, the planet that rules everything hazy and glamourous--she's desperate to become the next indie singer/songwriter sensation. Dogged by Saturn, the planet that rules obstacles and everything practical--she's confronted with the limitations of her abilities and talent.

Which planet will win?

The Girl Who Couldnt Sing” is free on Amazon June 23rd-27th!






Author Bio

Heidi Garrett is the author of the contemporary fairy tale novella collection, Once Upon a Time Today. In these stand-alone retellings of popular and obscure fairy tales, adult characters navigate the deep woods of the modern landscape to find their Happily Ever Afters.

She's also the author of the Daughter of Light series, a fantasy about a young half-faerie, half-mortal searching for her place in the Whole. Heidi's latest project is a collaboration with Billie Limpin. They're cooking up a yummy paranormal romance!

Signup for Heidi's newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/wWKUj for discounts on all new releases!


Heidi was born in Texas, and in an attempt to reside in as many cities in that state as she could, made it to Houston, Lubbock, Austin, and El Paso. She now lives in Eastern Washington state with her husband, their two cats, her laptop, and her Kindle.

Being from the South, she often contemplates the magic of snow.


Giveaway:


5 lucky people get a signed copy of The Girl Who Believed in Fairy Tales & a happily every after bracelet 
US only
a Rafflecopter giveaway


This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions

Monday, June 23, 2014

The Summer Sacrifice by Holly Hinton -- Release Week Teaser Tour + Giveaway!

summerrelease (1)

Upper middle grade fantasy THE SUMMER SACRIFICE will be available to buy from major online retailers as of June 21st 2014. Available in ebook and paperback form. (Audiobook to follow.)
Click here to read Chapter One of The Summer Sacrifice.
Click here to listen to the first chapter of The Summer Sacrifice's audiobook.
  Click here to watch Holly visiting Dancing Ledge: the birthplace of The Summer Sacrifice.

Praise for The Summer Sacrifice
"The present world is often terrifying to a sensible adult. Hinton reflects its effect on youngsters in a powerfully imagined world that hums with poetry. In its pages, in the words of Yeats, a terrible beauty is born. Herein lies empathy, barreling adventure and an iconic heroine, Jamie Tuff."
Charles Bane Jr., award winning author of The Chapbook, and Love Poems; creator of The Meaning Of Poetry series for The Gutenberg Project, and nominee as Poet Laureate of Florida.


Meet Jamie Tuff and her friends:
Jamie Tuff"I just happen to drop into other people’s bodies now and then, but don’t worry, I can't control it!"  

portrait-seveny
Seveny Brown “Symbol my arse. That is a dead and stinking bird, attached to a dead and stinking snake!”

 George Button “If I go to Askerwell I’ll be dragged down to hell! Can I take anyone with me?”

 ​Max Lively“Did you see me smash it? Blake didn’t know what was coming when I wrestled him to the ground!”

Ella Rose Last “Transparent means being honest, rule-abiding, nice and good. I’m all those things, aren’t I?”


07-work-in-progress-group
Join Jamie Tuff and friends on their adventures through land, sea and sky, in a world where stars walk and Halfhawks fly.
Portraits and group painted by David Revoy.


Welcome to the Island
no-place-and-the-surrounding-contraland
Map designed by Joel Sams.

No Place Only the Island survived the Great Storm. It's quite small and just a quarter of it is inhabited. That quarter is called No Place.   
The Establishment The Establishment rule No Place. Here is what they have to say: “We in the Establishment save lives through the boundaries we create. Our boundaries are your protectors. And trespassers will be punished.”   
Pity Me Pity Me is No Place's largest settlement and its capital.   
The Perfects The Pity Me Perfects are students selected by the Establishment to help them rule, both in school and out. Officially, they are selected for their objectivity and fairness. Really, they are selected from the ranks of the wealthy. The Perfects do not live up to their name. 
The Tombland Gang The Tombland Gang are Pity Me School's resident thugs. As the Gang’s ranks have swollen, the number of orphans plummeting to their deaths has also grown. The Gang do live up to their name. 
Funnella Fitzgerald “I am the Headmistress of Pity Me School and the Head of the Establishment. But you probably all know that. At least, you ought to. . . ” 
Phosphor-Jones, Head of History “Dreaming is of little use, and not to be cultivated.”   
Miss Humfreeze, Head of English The English teacher's eyes look like they could tell a thousand tales, and her wide mouth often tells them. The manshu and juvenites love her for this, lapping up her words like they are delicious drops of non- fermented Honeydew. 
No Place's Chief Doctor “What a wonderful specimen you are! You’ll look perfect sweating out your life in my Laboratory!”  

AUDIOBOOK DRAMA

The actor in me wants to read everything out loud.
Reading The Summer Sacrifice aloud resulted in multiple revisions being made to the book. Voicing the text let me get close to my characters, see the world from outside of my own head, and it helped me gauge flow, pace and tone. Recording an audiobook seemed a natural conclusion to the publishing process. I looked forward to bringing The Summer Sacrifice to life in this way, and was excited about the potential the book would have to reach a broader audience.
When I was researching how to make and produce an audiobook, I found a podcast on The Creative Penn website, a great site for writers created by author Joanna Penn. During this podcast, acclaimed audiobook producer and author J. Daniel Sawyer talks prospective producers through the process of recording an audiobook, from preproduction to distribution.
Sawyer's advice is fantastic. Though he stresses it's a time-intensive and potentially expensive enterprise, he gives clear examples of how to go about creating your audiobook so that neither its quality nor your sanity is compromised.
On his list of things you need, I already had my voice, a good microphone, a basic knowledge of Audacity (an open source sound editing program), a wonderfully geeky boyfriend with a not-so-basic knowledge of Audacity, and a quiet room. I was so excited to commit the story to tape, but on the first day of recording, my preamp broke.
Luckily, my boyfriend gave me a Zoom sound recorder for my birthday.
The actual recording was a bit of a learning curve, and it took twice the time I had anticipated. I was much more adept at the process towards the end of recording the book. With the knowledge I had gained, I then rerecorded The Summer Sacrifice from the beginning.
The audiobook has some sound effects and original music. A few of the sounds are sampled from Sound Jay. Most of the sounds are recorded by me. For example my cat Max has a starring role. He can deliver up indignance, joy and "please feed me!" on a sixpence.
As soon as I know when the entire audiobook will be available to buy, I shall shout loudly about it here. Until then, I hope you enjoy Chapter One!


holly
About the Author:

Holly grew up in a small, sleepy village in Suffolk. The acting bug hit her at age nine, when she was asked to play Baboushka in the school nativity. That same year she played the lead role of a naughty black poodle in a pet parlour themed ballet, and she thought she had made it. Years passed, but the acting bug didn’t. She went to Goldsmiths, University of London to study Drama, after which she completed her actor training at Arts Ed.
Writing a book was never part of the plan. But life’s full of swerves and surprises and ideas dropping into people’s heads. Holly had an idea drop into hers, and that idea became The Summer Sacrifice, and The Summer Sacrifice became the first book of the Master Game Series.
For more information please visit: http://www.hollyhinton.com/
 

GIVEAWAY!!!

Holly Hinton is giving away one signed copy of The Summer Sacrifice (Paperback), and a bookmark illustrated by David Revoy. Open Worldwide!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

EXCITING!!

Hello, lovely readers!  I do value each and every one of you -- my lack of posting in no way reflects my affection.  As most of you are hardworking individuals (be it as a mother, working mother, father, working father, writer, what have you), you know very well how *life* can get crazy hectic -- and with it being summer and the kids home, that much more!

But I have three posts in the works -- this will be just a teaser to get you ready for them =D

1) a recap post of the delicious tasting, but structurally unsound cake I made for my husband's birthday this past May

2) DISNEY!!!!!!!!!  (preparations for and accounts of our upcoming trip!!)

3)  A really, really cool product review that's in the works as I type/you read! 


Sorry that I can't do more, butt regarding #2, I have work and trip details to attend to before we leave!!!!   Thank you for spending a moment of your day with me ♥