Friday, 29 May 2020

Portrait of a Snow Queen - Author Interview




An epic fantasy of forbidden romance that chronicles the coming of age of a princess who is possessed by the Snow Queen and fated to rule her kingdom with a strong hand and icy heart.

As a child, Princess Freyja looked into the Snow Queen’s cursed mirror - and was changed.

Now an aloof and difficult young woman with a wit as sharp as her tongue, the future monarch is in need of a tutor. And Ambrose, a failed poet, is in need of a teaching position. He just never suspected how dangerous the extracurricular activities would be!

Soon, Ambrose finds himself on a grand adventure fighting to save the vexing but alluring princess from the court occult conspiracies that have targeted her. He is opposed not only by sorcerers and the evil Snow Queen, but also the icy royal damsel who holds his heart.

Will Ambrose’s love cause Freyja to thaw…or will she put him in the deep freeze instead?

Sensuous, suspenseful, supernatural and filled with witty banter, this romantic fantasy will both turn up the heat and leave you thoroughly frost smitten!

A 2019 Critters Readers Poll top ten finalist in the category of Science-Fiction and Fantasy.

~ Universal Amazon Link ~ 

   




Micah S. Harris is the Author of the epic fantasy romance Portrait of a Snow Queen, which took third place in the category of science fiction and fantasy in the Critters Readers Poll.  Strong female protagonists and banter are trademarks of his work. Portrait of a Snow Queen is no exception and is recommended for older fans of Frozen and lovers of the witty verbal sparring in The Princess Bride.

He won the 2016 Pulp Ark Award for best novel for Ravenwood, The stepson of Mystery: Return of the Dugpa. He is also the Author - Along with artist Michael Gaydos (Marvel’s Jessica Jones) - of the graphic novel Heaven’s War, a historical fantasy pitting the Oxford Inklings against Aleister Crowley.

His lifelong love of movies also influences his fiction, whether a fairy tale retelling, horror story or paranormal mystery. He taught film on a collegiate level and has chronicled, both in print and via podcast, fascination lost genre gems.




Author Interview:

1. If you had 3 wishes, what would they be?

a) To find true love. Preferably as royal consort to Queen Elsa of Arendelle. (Oh, snap! She abdicated, didn’t she?)
b) To be able to spearhead my own sizable studio of artists, technicians, etc. with whom to collaborate to realize my story ideas, and have the money to pay them well as well as benefits. That would be a blast! Like what Orson Welles called “The biggest electric train set any boy ever had.”
c) For Portrait of a Snow Queen to gain a large audience: a wish which you are helping to make come true by featuring me on your blog. So thank you so much for your interest in me and my book!

2. Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?

I live in North Carolina, where we have both the coast and mountains, so I’d like to have a place in the mountains and an apartment on the beach to go to and write.

3. Where do you actually write?

Ah…now reality sets in: I’ve turned an unused bedroom into an office.  But I write anywhere and everywhere: on the floor watching TV show; riding shotgun in the car….During our current coronavirus crisis, I took pages with me to the grocery store and hand edited a manuscript there while waiting for a shipment of toilet paper to come in.

4. How long does it normally take you to write a novel?

I’m not nearly as fast as I want to be. I need at least a year to a year and a half for a novel. I was working for around three years on Portrait of a Snow Queen. That was not only because it is an epic, but also because I was writing it during a period in which I was going through some major life transitions, as well as fulfilling other writing commitments.


5. What are your inspirations?

I like to write what I love to read. So, I’m inspired by the entertainment I enjoy, but sometimes some strange factoid, conspiracy theory, or urban legend I’ve come across will give me an idea. I’ve written a lot of “crossover” or “mash up” fiction, so I’m also inspired by connecting imaginary dots.

6. How did you come to write this particular book or series?

Although I have long resented computer animation for replacing full hand drawn, Frozen quickly became my favorite animated movie. Such are the mysteries of love. Later, I saw what would become my favorite play, one by Tom Stoppard called Arcadia. That made me wonder: wouldn’t Elsa have had a tutor, even in isolation, given that she was going to be queen of a nation?

Of course, I couldn’t do anything outside of parody or fan fiction with Frozen, so I went back to the source material, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen and his lesser known, and darker, The Ice Maiden to make something of my own. And I’m very happy with my own characters. Princess Freyja is not Elsa. For starters, she isn’t the Snow Queen; she just thinks she is. She doesn’t even believe she’s human anymore, and she has a low tolerance for mere mortals. So, it’s a very different situation that her tutor, Ambrose Gaius “Kai” Aurelianus, comes into.

7. What was the hardest part of writing your book, and how did you overcome it?

The length and meeting a deadline. It just kept growing. The world of the kingdom of Aarastad was just so rich in my imagination that more things kept growing there. I cut a out a large portion of backstory and anecdotes. Some of that material is on the Chronicles of Aarastad website, aarastad.com.

8. What is your writing drive? The power that keeps you going when your writing gets difficult?

I’m driven to communicate about what I love, what excites me, what I think will both entertain and enrich other people’s lives. And I have the aesthetic drive to craft prose and develop characters. Plus, I’ve always enjoyed telling stories.
  






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Sunday, 24 May 2020

The secret Sisters Club Review



Twelve-year-old BFF’s Ginnie West and Tillie Taylor, want to be sisters. Ginnie's widowed dad plus Tillie's divorced mom could equal a lifetime of round-the-clock girl talk and slumber parties. Too bad Dad vowed to never marry again. 

Ginnie and Tillie come up with the perfect scheme to change his mind: ‘Operation Secret Sisters’ (aka OSS). After all, if they can’t get Dad to move on, Tillie can’t move in.

Things get more complicated when Ginnie stumbles across her mom’s hidden journals. Ginnie can finally get to know the mother she doesn’t remember and her dad doesn’t talk about—if Dad doesn’t take them away.

     eBook
Universal Amazon Link ~ 

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Did you Know that today, 23 May is Ginnie West's 12th Birthday? What a great way to celebrate her birthday by sharing this book with your friends!

When Monique isn’t writing, you can find her playing taxi driver to one or more of her 12 children, plotting her next novel, scrapbooking, or being the “Mamarazzi” at any number of child-oriented events.

Even though she realizes there will never be enough hours in any given day, Monique tries very hard to enjoy the journey that is her life. She shares it with a terrific husband, her dozen children and 3 in-law kids, eleven granddarlings, 5 cats, and many real and imaginary friends.


She is the author of five published books (and several unpublished ones) and is in two anthologies. You can find more about Monique and her works at: www.moniquebucheger.blogspot.com 


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4 of 5 Stars

When I got this book I was originally going to allow my 12 year old daughter to review it. However when I noticed that it does touch upon abuse I decided to read it first myself to know exactly what I was giving to her. Abuse isn't a subject to take lightly, nor should it be so traumatic that my 12 year old would struggle reading it. However I am pleased to say right off, the Author does a wonderful job with this subject. She is able to include the confusion, hurt and anger but in a way that a 12 year old can understand. Also it is done in such a way that it has less chance of being a trigger for those who have been abused. It is something that has happened and is never discussed in detail. But the emotions that are left behind are discussed. I was actually impressed at how well this was done.

The characters were believable and well written. The emotions the 12 year old girls feel are very relatable for anyone who has been that age. Although I must admit some parts of the story made me extremely grateful for my own daughters steady personality. I think if she acted the way Ginnie does at times it would have done my head in.

The narrator has a nice calm voice and does well with the Characters. I was worried about how she would do two 12 year old girls without their voices getting muddled, but she did brilliantly and I never had to guess which girl was speaking.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Mid-grade drama. As it does discuss abuse I recommend caution about what your own child can handle. I however feel perfectly comfortable to allow my daughters to read this book.


Top Ten List
Ten fun facts about the book
1) Secret Sisters Club was written AFTER Trouble Blows West
2) Heart of the Wests (Ginnie's home)  is a real place in Ohio.
3) The blonde girl on the cover (Gracie--who is modeling for Ginnie) lives in the real West Farmhouse.
4) The brunette girl on the cover (Jessie--who is modeling for Tillie)--is Gracie's cousin in real life.
5) There are real goats, chickens, cattle, dogs, cats, turkeys, ducks on the real West farm--but NO horses.
6) Queenie West's (Ginnie's mom) personality is based on Gracie and Jessie's grandmother. Gracie looks very much like her--just as Ginnie looks like her mom.
7) I spent a lot of time at the "real Wests" farm--as a teenager--babysitting the kids that lived there--especially Gracie and Jessie's dads--and their aunt. 
8) Gracie and Jessie's cousins grew up on a different farm I mention in the books: Chandler's Crossing--Toran and Ginnie's friend, Austin's home. :) 
9) Gracie and Jessie's grandpa and grandma were my 4H leaders as well as my friends.
10) I raised a lamb named Appomattox (because I was fascinated with the Civil War)  on the real West farm and showed it at fair as a teen.

Character Casting
1) Ginnie--if I could cast a girl as Ginnie in a movie today--it would be Gracie on the cover. Gracie has a fun personality and an impish grin.
2) Tillie--if I could cast a girl as Tillie--it would be Jessie on the cover. The 2 of them just did a beautiful picture shoot that embraced the essence of Ginnie and Tillie.
3) Uncle Ben--i always picture Bruce Boxleitner I enjoyed him a s a kid on a show called "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" and "Babylon 5"--recenty he has been featured on Supergirl and he was the actor who played the main character on the original movie, Tron.
4) I would love to see Bruce's ex-wife, Melissa Gilbert as Aunt Sadie --I loved her as a kid as Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie
5) Ginnie's dad Todd--my first inspiration for Todd was John Schneider--Bo Duke from Dukes of Hazzard. John would be too old to play Ginnie's dad if it was filmed today--but he was the original dad image, when I dreamed Ginnie up years ago. 
6) Uncle Jake--I could see Michael Weatherly (Tony DiNozzo) from NCIS playing a contemporary Uncle Jake--minus the 3 piece suits.
7) Miss Amanda-- I could see her portrayed by Emma Watson (real life Belle and Little Women)




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Tuesday, 12 May 2020

Not a Fine Gentleman Cover Reveal



Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.


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Margaret, the eldest of the misbegotten Amesbury family is accused of murdering her jerk of a husband and then fleeing. Conner Jackson, a Bow Stree Runner, is hunting her down to bring her to justice. Or so he thinks.

This romantic story of loss and betrayal, forgiveness and redemption, and strangers marrying, will leave you laughing, crying, and swooning. Sprinkled liberally with suspense, mystery, and heart-melting kisses, this is not your ordinary historical tale of an arranged marriage nor of redeeming the rakes. Fans of Victorian and Regency Eras as well as those seeking clean and wholesome romance with plenty of chemistry will love this story!


The Rogue Hearts Series:
The Stranger She Married 
The Guise of a Gentleman
A Perfect Secret
The Suspect's Daughter
Not a Fine Gentleman

Praise for Donna Hatch:
“Donna Hatch is one of the masters of clean romance with electric tension and smokin’ hot kisses.” ~ Reading is My Super Power Reviews


“Written with heart and depth, Donna Hatch’s books are absolute must-reads for any fan of swoon-worthy historical romance.”  ~ Sarah M. Eden, USA Today best-selling historical romance author


And now for the Cover
  
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To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 





Friday, 1 May 2020

Secret Sisters Club Cover Reveal




When Monique isn’t writing, you can find her playing taxi driver to one or more of her 12 children, plotting her next novel, scrapbooking, or being the “Mamarazzi” at any number of child-oriented events.

Even though she realizes there will never be enough hours in any given day, Monique tries very hard to enjoy the journey that is her life. She shares it with a terrific husband, her dozen children and 3 in-law kids, eleven granddarlings, 5 cats, and many real and imaginary friends.


She is the author of five published books (and several unpublished ones) and is in two anthologies. You can find more about Monique and her works at: www.moniquebucheger.blogspot.com 


Facebook ~ Website ~
Twitter ~


Twelve-year-old BFF’s Ginnie West and Tillie Taylor, want to be sisters. Ginnie's widowed dad plus Tillie's divorced mom could equal a lifetime of round-the-clock girl talk and slumber parties. Too bad Dad vowed to never marry again. Ginnie and Tillie come up with the perfect scheme to change his mind: ‘Operation Secret Sisters’ (aka OSS). After all, if they can’t get Dad to move on, Tillie can’t move in.
And now for the Cover
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Universal Amazon Link ~ 

    
   


To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page