Monday, September 27, 2021

Frosted Roses Release Tour: Interview With Ásbjǫrn

Hello, everyone! It's the fifth day of the Frosted Roses blog tour, which means we're almost to the end. Only two books left — but we've saved one of the best for almost-last, I have to say. Secrets of the Mountain is the latest from Wyn Estelle Owens, and I love it so storming much. Today, I'll be interviewing one of the lead characters, Ásbjǫrn, but first, of course, we need some context . . .

About . . .

Secrets of the Mountain

If there’s one thing Svanhilda has always known, it’s the importance of family. When her little sister Rósfrída was born, Svanhilda promised her mother that she and her sister would stick together. But as the years passed, tragedy after tragedy befell her family, ripping it apart piece by piece, until only Svanhilda remains at home with her ailing mother. And Rósfrída? She has stayed with Svanhilda, as they promised long ago—every time Svanhilda looks at her reflection, she sees her little sister instead, trapped in a prison of mirrors and treasure. Their only hope is that either their seafaring Father or Rósfrída’s strange bear friend might find a way to free her.

Tryggvi lost his mother and father a long, long time ago—so long ago that he barely remembers them. When a boy prince named Asbjǫrn finds him wandering in the woods, he takes Tryggvi home and calls him brother, and his parents welcome Tryggvi as their son. Some years later, Asbjǫrn leaves to study for a year… but he never returns, and is thought dead and gone.
But Tryggvi is convinced his brother still lives--and not without evidence. So, now that he is finally old enough, Tryggvi sets out to find Asbjǫrn, armed with his cat and an amber pendant which enables him to see the truth of things. And he will find out the truth and bring his big brother home. After all, he promised his baby sister he would, and that’s not a promise he’s willing to break.

On the mountain there is a cave, and in the cave there is a mirror, and in that mirror live two friends: a girl and a bear, trapped in secrets, imprisoned by treasures of great worth. But help is coming, and the secret deeds done in darkness will be revealed, and the prisoners will be set free.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

Wyn Estelle Owens

Wyn Estelle Owens is the penname of a young woman who’s still figuring out what this whole ‘adult’ thing is all about. She lives in a big, old house in Maryland by a Hundred Acre Wood (dubbed Neldoreth) with her parents, three occasionally obnoxious brothers, her dog Jackie, and her personal plot bunny, Joker.

She is fond of reading, writing, drawing, speaking in dead or imaginary languages, playing videogames, quoting classic or obscure literature, being randomly dramatic, and generally making things out of yarn. Her dream is to write stories that inspire people to chase after the wonderful world of storytelling.

Her favorite all-time authors are Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Christa Kinde, and above all, J.R.R. Tolkien, who first inspired her to pursuing novel writing when she read the Hobbit at the age of seven.

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

The Frosted Roses

The Frosted Roses are six retellings of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale, each one fantastical and magical. You don't want to miss any of them! You can learn more about the books and find the full tour schedule on the tour page.

The Frosted Roses are the result of the 2020 Arista Challenge. The Arista Challenge is hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek; it invites fairy tale authors to come together in community as they work on unique retellings of a selected fairy tale.

Interview With Asbjorn

Welcome to the blog, Ásbjǫrn! As usual, to start out, please tell us a little about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything you think we should know.

Hail and well met! I am Ásbjǫrn Ólafsson of the Bjǫrnings, and my father is the king of the Folkbiǫrn. My mother is the Queen, Ljúfvina, and I have two siblings, my brother Tryggvi and a little sister, Dagný. I’ve been away from home for a long time, however, so I just met her for the first time recently.

Aw, it's always hard being away from family. And I've heard that family is very important to you, especially your younger brother, Tryggvi. Can you tell us about him and your relationship with him?

I found Tryggvi in the woods when we were both small. He’d been wandering in the forest for days, eating nuts and berries and roots and such. He had no family, so I took him home and gave him mine instead. I didn’t have any other siblings, so we grew to be very close. As far as my family and I (and our people, for that matter) are concerned, he was born as one of the Bjǫrnings and a Bjǫrning he shall always be.

That's a wonderful perspective to have. What about those outside your family, those you've met since, ah, leaving home? What do you think of them? Anyone you're especially close to?

Well, almost all of my time away was spent on one mountain, which meant I didn’t get to meet very many people. Those I did meet are all amazing in their own ways, however! Little Rósfrída, for instance—though she’s not so little, now—but she stayed brave in a very difficult situation. And Flosi the Bard, who’s traveled a great many places and always has new stories to tell. And Svanhillda… she’s stood as a pillar of strength and kindness, doing her best to be there for each members of her family during a trying time. I find that admirable. I find everything about her admirable, to tell the truth. She was a great friend to me during my time away from home, and I cherish her company greatly.

Those all sound like marvelous people! Now, I'm sure that in a world as magical and marvelous as your own, there are many stories of great heroes and strange adventures. Are there any such legends that you especially enjoy?

My favorite legends? Well, growing up, Tryggvi and I always loved to hear stories about the great princes and kings of the Bjǫrnings; the tale of Prince Býulfr especially!

Recently, however, I made friends with Flosi—an elvish bard who’s traveled far, and he’s told me a great many stories I’d never heard before. Some of my favorites are the legends of the exploits of Flosi’s masters—Funi Austvindr and Refskegg. They’ve gotten tangled up in a great many tales, and all of them are enthralling.

Hmmmm. Those do sound like fascinating characters. I'd love to be able to read some of those tales they've been tangled up in; I'm sure they're as marvelous as your own. Moving on, if you could travel anywhere in the wide world with guaranteed safe return, where would you go?

Hmm… I’d think the first place I’d like to go would be the land across the Sea where the Four Winds dwell. The Austvindr, the East Wind himself lives there, after all, and I hope someday to meet him, and thank him for indirectly providing my brother Tryggvi with his precious heirloom.

Beyond that… I’m not sure. The world is wide, after all, and a part of me wants to explore it all. But the greater part is much happier to be at home, surrounded by my family.

Tryggvi, however—he’s always been a wild one, and I think Flosi’s tales have opened his ears to the wind’s call. But who knows?

The world is indeed wide, but I think you've picked a good place to want to visit. I think that would be an interesting trip myself — though I hardly blame you for wanting to stay home, after all you've been through! What's one thing from your recent adventures that you hope you never forget?

As cliché as it sounds, the friendships I made along the way. My stay away from home wasn’t in what I would consider the most pleasant circumstances, but the kindness of Kiúli and his wife, and of their daughters, made my burden much easier to bear. And, towards the end of my time on that mountain, I met Flosi, who has since become a good friend; I’ve found that even if he rarely stays in one place for very long, he is always there when you need him.

But I think the moment from my adventure that I shall cherish the most, is that moment when I saw Tryggvi again. It was amazing and painful and wonderful, and I never want to forget that as long as I live.

I can imagine. Thank you for your time, Ásbjǫrn, and for answering my questions!

~~~~~

What do you think of Ásbjǫrn? Would you, like him, prefer to be at home with loved ones, or would you rather explore like Tryggvi? Please tell me in the comments! And don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops and enter the giveaway!
Thanks for reading!

September 26 Tour Stops

Interviews:
Dreams & Dragons -  Asbjorn
Mae Heller - Wyn Estelle Owens

Character Spotlights:
Rachel Rossano - Tryggvi
A Splash of Ink - Svanhilda
Laura A. Grace - Rosfrida

Guest Posts:
Fantastical Notions - Snow White, Rose Red, & Vikings
Ellwyn's Blog - The World of Secrets of the Mountain

Reviews:
The Arista's Directory
Madi's Musings
Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors
Blooming With Books
The Lost Review of Odd Books + Mini Interview!
Live. Love. Read.
Light and Shadows
Paper, Ink, & Lizard + Mini Interview!

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Frosted Roses Blog Tour: Interview With Elinrose

 RosePetalSnowflakePromo

Hey'a, all! A bit late, but it's day four of the Frosted Roses release, and today we're spotlighting Kendra E. Ardnek's Rose Petals & Snowflakes, an Austen-inspired take on the tale that combines Sense and Sensibility with Snow White and Rose Red. There were a few hiccups with the release, but the ebook is now available for purchase, and the paperback will be up later next week. In any case, I'll be interviewing Elinrose, one of the two main sisters, in a minute, but first, as usual, we have to get the official details on the book, the author, and the Frosted Roses.

About . . .

Rose Petals and Snowflakes

RosySnow6 

The Austen Fairy Tale #1

After their father's death, and thanks to their older half-brother's wanderlust, two sisters find themselves caught in the politics of mysterious forest. Elinrose finds herself in direct conflict with the wood's Mistress, while Snowmari hides a deadly secret that could mean her death if found out. Can their bonds of sisterhood withstand these trying times? Or will they even make it out alive?

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads || Preorder the Sequel

Kendra E. Ardnek

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 || TikTok || Amazon  


The Frosted Roses

The Frosted Roses are six retellings of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale, each one fantastical and magical. You don't want to miss any of them! You can learn more about the books and find the full tour schedule on the tour page.

The Frosted Roses are the result of the 2020 Arista Challenge. The Arista Challenge is hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek; it invites fairy tale authors to come together in community as they work on unique retellings of a selected fairy tale.

An Interview With Elinrose

Welcome to the blog, Elinrose! As usual, to start out, please tell us a little about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything you think we should know.

Hello, I am the elder princess of the North Country. I do pretty much anything required of my position. And I suppose you should know that there's nothing I won't do for my family and my people.

That's wonderful. Speaking of family, tell us about your sister, Snowmari. What’s your relationship with her like? What’s your favorite thing about her? Your least favorite thing?

Mari and I are close, and we have been since her birth. We don't always get along, but what sisters do? Favorite thing? How can I limit it to one favorite thing? She's bright and beautiful, and she lives life with an abandon that leaves me breathless. I do wish she would be more careful, sometimes, and her penchant for melodrama can be ridiculous, but that's the way she is, and why she has me. 

And I'm sure she's glad to have you. As a princess and as an older sister and aunt, I’m sure you have many duties and responsibilities. Can you tell us what those look like and how you feel about them?

A lot of paperwork, a lot of convincing people to get along, a lot of convincing people that they actually do want to do the thing they don't want to do, a lot of worrying about things so other people don't have to. How I feel about them isn't important - I am the one in position to do them, so do them I shall. 

A very noble attitude. Over the course of the story, you find yourself living in two different places: your home, the North Country, and the Forest. Which do you feel you prefer? Was it difficult for you to adjust from the former to the latter?

North will always be my home, but the Forest certainly has its own charm. Even if it's very loud. The adjustment has been very difficult, I will admit that freely, especially as I worry for my older brother who has been left to settle into the position of king alone. I know he always counted on my support.

I can understand why you'd be worried, but I'm sure he'll manage. If you could have one wish granted, no catches, what would you wish for?

That my sister could live openly as herself, without fear.

That was a quick answer! One last question: how do you hope people, either those in your own world or those who read your story, remember you?

That I took care of the people I cared about.

A very noble thing to hope for. Thank you for answering my questions!

~~~~~ 

What do y'all think of Elinrose? Are you excited to meet her and her family? Please tell me in the comments! And don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops!
Thanks for reading!

September 25 Tour Stops

Friday, September 24, 2021

Frosted Roses Release Tour: Welcome to Innsjøby + Gilded in Ice RELEASE DAY!

 

Hello, everyone! We took a little break there, but Frosted Rose number three releases today, and guess what it is? My own Gilded in Ice, the sequel to The Midnight Show, is officially out and available for purchase! If you preordered the ebook, that should have arrived on your Kindles today; if you've been holding out for the paperback or if you never got around to preordering, you can buy it now on Amazon (or borrow it on Kindle Unlimited)! Also, if you've been wondering about the tour giveaway, we had a little delay with the Rafflecopter, but it's been posted now on the main tour page.

Anyway. Back to Gilded in Ice. The setting of the Bastian Dennel, PI mysteries, the city of Innsjøby, is one of my favorite locations that I've created. While not as expansive as some of the worlds I've built, it's colorful and full of life and just a lot of fun to spend time in. So, for today's post, I thought I'd let y'all have a tour — And who better to show you around the City of Stars than the fellow who has to know its ins and outs better than almost anyone? Bastian, it’s all yours . . . as soon as we get through the book blurb, anyway.

About . . .


Gilded in Ice

Bastian has two new missing person cases. One is cold. The other is his own sister.

Since his success solving the Midnight Show disappearances, Bastian Dennel is sitting pretty. And with the new high-profile cold case that just got dropped in his lap, he’s pretty sure things will stay that way for a while. But when he finds out his sister has gone missing without a trace, he’s determined to find her and bring whoever’s responsible to justice — even if his only lead is a stray cat with a knack for vanishing unexpectedly.

Kona Dennel’s plans have already been upended, so when the talking cat she’d befriended asked her for help breaking an enchantment, she didn’t see any reason not to say yes. She didn’t expect to be trapped in a frozen mansion or to be drawn into conflict with a mysterious lady of the fair folk. Even the cat is hiding more secrets than she realized. It’ll take a skilled detective to untangle this web . . . but since Bastian isn’t here, Kona will just have to do it herself.

Secrets abound, and the one creature who knows the truth isn’t talking. Can Bastian and Kona outwit a fae who’s been at this for centuries? Or will thawing out the long-frozen truth drop them in over their heads?

A magical mystery reimagining Snow White and Rose Red and East of the Sun, West of the Moon in the jazz-age world of The Midnight Show.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

The Frosted Roses

The Frosted Roses are six retellings of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale, each one fantastical and magical. You don't want to miss any of them! You can learn more about the books and find the full tour schedule on the tour page.

The Frosted Roses are the result of the 2020 Arista Challenge. The Arista Challenge is hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek; it invites fairy tale authors to come together in community as they work on unique retellings of a selected fairy tale.

Welcome to Innsjøby

You know, most tourists don’t come to my door. They go somewhere more upscale — the theaters, the clubs, the music halls. I don’t know why the author didn’t send you there — Miss Temitrope could’ve shown you around. Or the Alkinsons, if you wanted a local. I hear the younger Alkinson knows how to show people a good time.

What? You’re here to see the whole city? Then I guess I’m your man after all. I wouldn’t say I know Innsjøby better than anyone, but I’ve spent a whole lot of time walking its streets and pointing my flashlight in its dark corners. Comes with the job. What job? I’m a private eye. Bastian Dennel’s my name, if you didn’t know. Some of you look like you recognize it. I guess you must’ve heard about my last case. 

No, I’m not taking questions. I got enough of that from the newshawks. And if you really want to see the whole city, we need to get moving. Hopefully, you all brought good walking shoes; we have a lot of ground to cover.

The Old City

So, right now, we’re the part of town most locals call the Old City, when they’re not calling it something less polite. This is where my office is — though you should know that since you all got dropped off at my door — and where you’ll find plenty of other businesses respectable enough that the upper class want to use them, but not respectable — or profitable — enough to pay rent up on the Lake Side, along with the homes of the people who run those businesses. And there’s a Fateweaver or three living in the area too, though I’m not going to invade their privacy by taking you all to meet them. In my line of work, you need to keep all the friends you can.

Conveniently for me, there’s plenty of public buildings in this part of town too. There’s the city library — that one, the big brick building — 

Don’t interrupt. I know everything around here is brick. But there’s only one big brick building, and I was going to say, the one with the tall windows and the gryphon statue. It’s not even twenty minutes’ walk from my house; if I’m by myself and leg it, I can make it here in ten. Convenient when I’m working a case that requires a lot of research and I don’t leave until they kick me out at midnight.

No, we don’t have time to stop right now. And I’m pretty sure you won’t have time to do much reading — fine. Twenty minutes, since we’ll be spending so much time on the streetcar, and I can’t play tour guide the whole time. You’re as bad as Roselle. Well, go. History’s to your right, towards the front of the building. Books on magic are about halfway back from that. The adventure novels Roselle likes are in the back left corner. Don’t ask me where anything else is; you can figure it out from the signs.

~~~

Right. Everyone satisfied with their reading material? Good. Don’t lose it, and get it back to me before you leave. I’m not paying a fine because someone decided to become an interdimensional book thief. 

Moving on! The courthouse is that way — you can see the dome from here. I’ve spent plenty of time there too, looking over records. It’s one of the older buildings in the city — not the oldest, but close. It’s anyone’s guess how long it takes before having to do repairs after every bad storm — and we get a lot of bad storms — outweighs historical significance and they decide to build a new one. That’s what happened to most of the original buildings in this part of town, or so I’m told. After a while, it’s easier just to tear things down and use the materials to build something new. I’d stop so you could see it, but you all wanted to go to the library instead.

Anyway, the headquarters for the city politiet is a few blocks past the courthouse. Still close enough to be convenient, though I don’t work with the brownshirts often. The cases I get tend to be the ones people don’t want to take to the government officials, especially not when the department leaks worse than the faucets back in the tenement.

Here’s the streetcar stop. Lucky us, looks like the next car is due in about five minutes. Let’s hope there’s seats available; I don’t think anyone wants to stand for half an hour.

The Corner

Right, everyone off. Yes, you too. If you try to say “one more chapter,” I’m not responsible for where in the city you end up. 

Anyway, here we are. Southeast corner. Some people just call it the Corner and everyone knows what they mean. We won’t spend much time here — there’s not much to see. Factories, stores, markets, tenements — not many houses in this part of the city, not when tenement apartments are cheaper to build and to rent out and anyone who owns a shop usually lives above the store. 

It’s not a bad area, don’t get the wrong idea. I grew up here, first above one of those stores and then in a tenement. My family’s still here — what? No. We’re not stopping by my family’s apartment. Why would I — You’re all complete strangers to me. I’m not taking you to meet my family. What kind of sap do you take me for?

Like I was saying, the Corner isn’t all that bad. No more dangerous than anywhere else in the city. Probably actually safer, since not many people have anything worth killing for and no one here is famous. Most of the people are decent. They’re out to earn an honest wage. Or honest-ish. If I had to take a guess, I’d say most of the lower-quality skee in the city is brewed somewhere in the Corner. There’s plenty of people who’ll take a risk in exchange for a little extra green every month, even if it’s from one of the Families. 

So, not the best area. But not the worst. If nothing else, it was home for a while. 

Right. Enough sappiness. Here’s our next streetcar stop; time to move on. Get comfortable. We’re headed to the far side of the city. 

The Lake Side

First things first: don’t ask me why all the city’s fat cats decided to put their mansions on the steepest hills in Innsjøby. I don’t know the answer, and I don’t want to know — whatever the reason is, I doubt it’s a good one, especially since it’s also right in the path of the worst storms off the lake. I also don’t know why this part of the city is called Lake Side when there's more city between it and the lake.

I’ll give them this, though: the view’s great, looking out over the lake like you can from the top of some of these rises. There’s a few places downtown that can match it, but not many — especially not looking out from the top of Sjöutsikt Avenue, where you turn in and the whole city’s spread out under you, and you turn the other way and there’s Lake Onondaga spreading out to the horizon. With a view like that, the mansions don’t seem as grand, do they?

Sure, they’re still pretty upscale, with all that gilding and marble everywhere you look. Some are more tasteful about it than others. Some people know that layering on the glitz is asking for trouble. And then there’s some people who are rich and powerful enough not to care. Just about everyone pretends not to know that at least one leading member each of the Dàguóan and Daoinoic Families who have a house up here. Until someone finds a charge that’ll stick, it’s safer that way.

Anyway — wait. What do you have there? What are you doing — is that a camera? Give that to me. Were you not listening to what I just said? Don’t take photos of houses that might belong to people who can make you disappear without a trace. Not unless you have a good reason. No, art is not a good reason.

Oh, for the love of — come on. We’d better ankle before someone gets the wrong idea. 

Downtown Innsjøby

I’ve heard there was a time when downtown Innsjøby meant the Old City. That’s definitely not true these days. In the Old City, sure, you have the courthouse and a park or two and a few older theaters. But the heart of the city curves around the Lake Side district in a half-moon of lights and music that's almost enough to make me wish I could afford the rent up here. Listen, you can even hear it from here — there’s at least a dozen orchestras in theaters and concert halls warming up for the night, plus a musician or two or at least a record player in every club and eatery. It’s how the city got its nickname.

What, you thought Innsjøby was called the City of Stars for the view? Not in the slightest. Well, maybe at one time. But these days, it’s because most of the anyone-who’s-anyone and anyone who wants to be anyone when it comes to the arts comes here to do their craft. It’s one of the best things about the city, if you ask me, even if I don’t usually have the coin to go to any shows except the free ones in the park. 

Of course, even here, not everything's on the level. You'd be surprised how many places, even some of the most upscale joints, hide star shops, serving the weakest wines mixed with juice upstairs and slinging fairyshine and every other kind of skee underneath it all. People expect those places in the Old City, and they're right to. People expect them in the Corner, but they're few and far between down there — not enough people with mazuma to spend. And, of course, anywhere you get the Families and the fat cats and the fair folk all together, you get trouble.

What? Can we visit one? Look, lady, I don't know who you take me for, but I'm a respectable private investigator. Not the kind of guy who loafs around star shops —

All right, first of all, could you say that a little more quietly? I have a reputation to maintain. Second of all, if this “Red Lily” establishment exists, which I’m not saying it does, it’d be in the Old Town, not downtown. Third, you’re all out-of-towners. Don’t flirt with trouble, especially not trouble I’ll have to clean up. Look, let’s just see if we can find somewhere for dinner and a good show for cheap before you have to catch your train out of here.

Dinner’s been taken care of by the tour, huh? Let’s see what you have — Yeah, I’d say it’s been taken care of. Reservations at the Ologba Pọ and enough mazuma to cover dinner for everyone. You’re lucky; it’s Dayo Temitrope’s night to perform. There’s not many better singers in the city.

Why are you looking at me like that?

You really are as bad as Roselle, aren’t you all?

Don’t even say a word. Let’s get a move on so we can catch D — Miss Temitrope’s first set. You have to admit, with her singing and the Ologba Pọ’s meals, there’s not many better ways to finish out your welcome to Innsjøby.

~~~~~

How did y'all enjoy your tour of Innsjøby? Ready to spend more time there and read Gilded in Ice? Where in Innsjøby — whether it's a location mentioned in the tour or one from The Midnight Show — would you most like to visit? Please tell me in the comments! And don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops and enter the giveaway!
Thanks for reading!

September 24 Tour Stops

 Character Spotlights:

Rachel Rossano - Bastian
A Splash of Ink - The Cat
 Fantastical Notions - Kona

Guest Posts:
Dreams & Dragons - Welcome to Innsjoby
Laura A. Grace - The Flavors of Innsjoby
Ellwyn's Blog - A Day in the Life of Roselle
Live. Love. Read. - A Day in the Life of the Cat

Reviews:
The Arista's Directory
Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors
C.O. Bonham
Blooming With Books
The Lost Review of Odd Books + Mini Interview!
Light & Shadows
Paper, Ink, & Lizard

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Frosted Roses Release Tour: Sisters Red and White (Guest Post)

AsLongasWeLivePromo

Hello, everyone! It's DAY TWO of the Frosted Roses blog tour! Today we're celebrating the release of Cortney Manning's As Long As We Live, an epic fae romance featuring two trios of siblings — one of humans, one of fae. Fittingly, Cortney's here on the blog today with a guest post about the sisterly relationships in the original fairy tale — but first, of course, let's hear something about the book and author, shall we?

About . . .

ManningFinal 

As Long As We Live

Ivy Durran, the oldest sister, is a resilient young woman who clings to her sunny resolve even in the darkest situation. When a terrible blizzard strikes the land, she feels responsible for protecting her sisters: adventurous Rose and vivacious Poppy. However, the storm drives an unexpected visitor to their doorstep, one who could bring hope or danger with his arrival.

Meanwhile, Pierre, the newly crowned ruler of Concoria, strives to bring order to his frozen land and tranquility to his troubled brothers. Nevertheless, the deep magic of Concoria is not easy to tame. While Pierre would love nothing more than to escape into a simple life close to Ivy, the human lass he met years before, he instead shoulders his burdens and seeks healing for his kingdom and family.

Dark magic, frigid storms, and deadly predators must be overcome if Ivy and Pierre have any hope of saving their families and their homeland. 

Three human sisters live in a Fae realm where every prince is blessed or cursed by a gift of magic, and royal rivalry threatens the future of the land.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

 

Cortney Manning

Cortney Manning resides in Missouri but has always loved traveling the world. She holds a master’s degree in Victorian Literature from the University of Glasgow and has a not-so-secret love of fantasy as well. Her writing can be found on her website and in the Rooglewood Press anthology, Five Poisoned Apples. In her free time, Cortney enjoys walking, drawing, and afternoon tea.

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

The Frosted Roses

The Frosted Roses are six retellings of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale, each one fantastical and magical. You don't want to miss any of them! You can learn more about the books and find the full tour schedule on the tour page.

The Frosted Roses are the result of the 2020 Arista Challenge. The Arista Challenge is hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek; it invites fairy tale authors to come together in community as they work on unique retellings of a selected fairy tale.

Sisters Red and White

Thank you so much for welcoming me to your blog for the release of As Long as We Live, my epic Fae fantasy retelling of “Snow-White and Rose-Red”! Today, in celebration of this release, I’ll be discussing the unique value placed on female relationships in the original fairy tale.

In many fairy tales, women just don’t get along. Whether it’s Cinderella and her stepsisters, Snow White and her stepmother, or the Goose Girl and her traitorous maid, fairy tales are filled with examples of women mistreating other women. Of course, there are the occasional examples of loving female relationships, such as the Little Mermaid and her sisters, but all too often, those characters tend to serve as minor characters or even die, such as the mother in many versions of Cinderella

In contrast, “Snow White and Rose Red” is rather unique because it features two loving sisters at center stage supported all along by their wise mother. Snow White and Rose Red are shown to be two very different sisters who make an effort to be involved in each other’s lives. For example, even though Snow White prefers quiet, indoor tasks, she still journeys out with Rose Red on her trips into the woods.

The two sisters are also supported by a mother figure who, refreshingly, does not die in the tale but remains present, offering her daughters guidance and advice. This is a sharp contrast from the original version of the Grimms’ “Snow White” in which the evil antagonist was originally the heroine’s own mother until the Grimm Brothers decided that storyline was too dark for their intended audience. Instead, Snow White and Rose Red are loyal and devoted daughters to a mother who showers them with love and wisdom.

In the end, all that female support results in three happy and successful women living close to the family they love. Snow White marries her bear prince, and her sister, Rose Red, meets and marries that prince’s brother. Together, they live as wealthy royalty, and even their beloved mother joins them in their happy new home. Overall, the storyline is refreshing, proving that, even in fairy tales, women don’t have to take each other down to be successful or happy. Instead, a little sisterly love and support can help more women succeed.

~~~~~

Thanks for sharing, Cortney! I think one of the fun things about fairy tale retellings is getting to build out and add in some of the relationships you don't see in the original stories — but it is nice when the fairy tale already has some of those strong relationships in it.

Are you looking forward to As Long As We Live? What are some of your favorite fairy tales or fairy tale retellings with strong sisterly or mother-daughter relationships? Please tell me in the comments! And make sure you check out the rest of the tour stops!
Thanks for reading!

September 22 Tour Stops

 Interviews:
Mae Heller - Cortney Manning

Character Spotlights:
Rachel Rossano - Ivy
Laura A. Grace - Alain
Paper, Ink, & Lizard - Pierre

Guest Posts:
Dreams & Dragons - Sisters Red and White
Ellwyn's Blog - The Ungrateful Dwarf

Reviews:
The Arista's Directory
Blooming with Books
Live. Love. Read.
Light & Shadows
Fantastical Notions + Mini Interview!

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Frosted Roses Release Tour: Spotlight on Snow Songsmith

 RunawayLyricsPromo

Hey'a, all! As you have probably gathered, it's the first day of the Frosted Roses blog tour! This week, six new retellings of Snow White and Rose Red, all written as part of the 2020 Arista Challenge, release into the world. We'll be celebrating these releases with all the usual elements of a blog tour, including a giveaway, which you can find on the main tour page. The winner will receive paperback versions of four of the Frosted Roses and a necklace made by Erica Bennet, so make sure you get your entries in!

Today's book is Runaway Lyrics by C.O. Bonham, a steampunk adventure featuring twin sisters and magical music. I'll be spotlighting one of the two main characters, Snow Songsmith, but before that,  let's get the details on the book and author.

About . . .

Runaway Lyrics_nightmare gothic font

Runaway Lyrics

What one sister has, she must share with the other . . .

Snow loves music. She has spent her entire life learning, new instruments and memorizing new pieces, only to while away her life in a country manor with only her mother and twin sister as company. If only she could get out on her own and play in front of a real audience.

Rose loves magic. The things she can do with music would amaze her twin sister, but whenever she shows her, Snow quickly forgets as if the event had never happened. If only Rose could get out on her own and work some real magic.

When an airship crashes near their home, Snow’s magical abilities awaken. Together the sisters must learn to use their magic, rescue a pair of cursed princes, and discover their own secrets. Discover the magic of music in this retelling of Snow White and Rose Red.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

C. O. Bonham

C.O. Bonham is the pen name for a commonly misspelled first name. She loves stories of all kinds, but really likes the ones that are weird, and outside the norm. A certified book geek, when she isn’t writing stories of her own, she is busy reading stories by others. A homeschool graduate with a degree in creative writing, her goal is to create stories that make people think, feel, and have fun.

Visit www.cobonham.com to read author interviews, book reviews, and to hear about what she’s working on next.

Sign up for her newsletter to make sure you never miss an update!

The Frosted Roses

The Frosted Roses are six retellings of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale, each one fantastical and magical. You don't want to miss any of them! You can learn more about the books and find the full tour schedule on the tour page.

The Frosted Roses are the result of the 2020 Arista Challenge. The Arista Challenge is hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek; it invites fairy tale authors to come together in community as they work on unique retellings of a selected fairy tale.

Spotlight on Snow Songsmith

Snow Songsmith could easily be the main character of Runaway Lyrics. She goes through the biggest character growth as she loses faith in herself and then finds it again.

Snow has studied music her whole life. She can sight-read, memorize and has mastered most instruments. So it really bothers her that Mother refuses to let her study at the national music conservatory. What was all that study for, if not to use her gift?

Actually, Snow is pretty gifted at anything she tries to learn. She isn’t an engineer, but she seems to know how things go together. Whenever their mechanical butler, Roburt, breaks down, it’s Snow that knows how to fix him.

Later, Snow learns she has magical abilities. Even stranger, Rose, her twin sister, has these same abilities, and seems to have known about magic the whole time.

Over the course of the book, Snow learns her powers are out of control and dangerous. Rose uses her powers for good and to aid in their quest. Snow’s powers only seem capable of destruction and death.

Can Snow learn how to control the magic and not let it control her?

~~~~~

Snow definitely sounds like an intriguing character, wouldn't you agree? Are you excited to meet her? Which Frosted Rose story are you most looking forward to? Please tell me in the comments! And remember to visit the rest of the tour stops and enter the giveaway!
Thanks for reading!

September 21 Tour Stops

 Interviews:
Fantastical Notions - Rose
Mae Heller - C.O. Bonham
 
Character Spotlights:
Rachel Rossano - Bayare
A Splash of Ink - Rose
Live. Love. Read. - Wickham
Dreams & Dragons - Snow
 
Guest Posts:
Laura A. Grace - Becoming the Musician
Deeply Shallow - How the Dwarf Kept His Beard
Ellwyn's Blog - The Magic of Music
 

Friday, September 17, 2021

Autumn 2021 Reads

 First things first: Gilded in Ice releases in ONE WEEK! Or less if you're reading this after Friday. HUZZAH! Now I just have to finish the final proof (which would've been finished at least a week ago if I'd gotten my blog posts done when I meant to . . . stupid pneumonia) and write the rest of the seventeen blog posts for which I am in some way responsible and which needed to be posted between this morning and end of day next Saturday. (Ok, in all fairness, I'm only actually writing twelve of them. But still.) If you haven't yet, make sure you preorder the ebook and add it on Goodreads!

Of course, my book is far from the only book coming out this month. There's actually quite a list of shiny-looking new releases coming out this month or in the next two months! My original list had fifteen or so, a notable improvement from summer's somewhat sparse pickings. Of course, in the interest of not spending all night on this post, I've cut it down a little bit. So, what's on the list? Let's find out.

(Quick sidenote first, though: today is the last day to vote in this year's Silmaril Awards! So make sure you take the time to support all your favorite characters! Ok, that's all. On with the post!)

Autumn 2021 Reads

1. The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley (September 7). This maaaaay end up being darker than I like . . . but it does sound really cool. Historical fantasy featuring a tightrope dancer (who apparently dual-wields swords?), a tournament, and the potential end of the world? That's hard to resist, y'all. Let's hope it lives up to what it can be.

2. Rose Petals and Snowflakes by Kendra E. Ardnek (September 25). Our first Frosted Rose! Kendra blends Snow White and Rose Red with Sense and Sensibility, which is not a combo I would've come up with, but is pretty cool. No pun intended. The release date for this one just got moved back a few days, which is unfortunate — but as a beta reader, I can say with confidence that, if you're a fan of Austen or fairy tale retellings, the extra few days are worth it. (You'll have to wait until the tour starts on Monday to get my full review, sorry.)

3. Runaway Lyrics by C.O. Bonham (September 21). Another Frosted Rose that I've actually read already, this time via ARC. (Again, though, I'm not giving away my full thoughts until the tour . . . well, technically I already posted a review on Facebook, but y'know.) We've got steampunkery, two sibling pairs, and music magic, so that's very much worth looking forward to.

4. As Long As We Live by Cortney Manning (September 22). This is the Frosted Rose I know the least about, but it's promsied me fae (including a fae prince in love with a human girl), sisterhood, magic, and treachery, so obviously I'm hyped. Also, Cortney wrote one of my favorite stories in the Five Poisoned Apples collection, so I know she's good.

5. Secrets of the Mountain by Wyn Estelle Owens (September 23). Wyn's stories tend to be full of family, magic, and mingled humor and epicness, so it should be no surprise that Secrets of the Mountain is the Frosted Rose I'm most excited about (other than my own). I loved The Dragon's Flower and The Dark King's Curse, and I'm sure that Secrets of the Mountain is going to be just as awesome. (No pressure or anything, Wyn! Not that I know if you still read my blogs . . .)

6. Gilded in Ice by Sarah Pennington (September 24). Oh, look! It's me! By now, I think that everyone's heard about Gilded, but in case anyone hasn't: it's the sequel to last year's The Midnight Show (though you could probably read it without having read The Midnight Show first if you really wanted to), and it features a semi-magical cat, two cases for Bastian to solve, and lots of sibling banter. 

7. The Bear by Rachel Roden (September 25). I'm really not sure how you pull off a non-magical, Western take on Snow White and Rose Red. But apparently it's a mystery! In the sense that it's about a mystery, not the sense that how it was pulled off is a mystery. And I look forward to finding out how it works out.

8. Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber (September 30). I have mixed feelings about Caraval — mixed enough that I never actually got around to reading the other books in the trilogy. (Maybe I will eventually . . . but not today.) But I know a fae story when I see one (even if they don't explicitly call the Prince of Hearts a fae), and we've got an ill-advised bargain and a curiosity shop, and, ok, yeah, I have a pretty good guess where the story will end up, but how it gets there is (hopefully) going to be delightful.

9. Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (October 5). AT LAST. Margaret Rogerson returns! I'm excited enough about this that I preordered the OwlCrate special edition — and I never preorder books, much less special editions, so that's saying something. Vespertine sounds deliciously creepy and perfect for the Halloween season — and it's a nomance. I mean, Rogerson does a great job of writing romance, but I love it when authors recognize that not every story needs it and choose to focus on other types of relationship. (Also,can we take a minute to appreciate THAT COVER? Because, wow. I wish I could make covers that gorgeous.)

10. Gothel and the Maiden Prince by W.R. Gingell (October 1). It is a testament to how much I love W.R. Gingell's books that I even get excited about the ones that are marketed as being primarily-romance. (Well, this is romance and fairy tale retelling, but most of the marketing for the Villain's Ever After series seems to emphasize the romance bit.) Gingell has been sharing snippets on her Facebook and Discord, and Lucien and Gothel's dynamic reminds me a lot of Eurion and Carys (from Lady of Weeds), but with the added factor of a Rapunzel who might be more perceptive than Gothel would like? Suffice it to say: I am very excited and will probably devour this rapidly after it becomes available. Not quite as rapidly as I did Between Family, but still.

11. The Sorcerer and the Swan Princess by Lucy Tempest (October 8). I don't know if I'll actually end up reading this one or not? On one hand, I have yet to read Lucy Tempest's books, even though I have several of them on Kindle, and, again, it promises to be romance-heavy. On the other hand, I've never seen a Swan Princess retelling before, and I am immensely curious how they manage to redeem the villain. I think it'll be on Kindle Unlimited, though, so if I don't have to spend money (and if initial reviews are good), I might just give it a chance.

12. Curse of the Midnight King by Yakira Goldsberry (November 9). I just realized that 70% of this list is fairy tale retellings. Wow. Anyway, Curse of the Midnight King is a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, so it should be no surprise that I'm excited — but I also have high hopes for a deliciously dark and engaging villain, and maybe some Hades and Persephone vibes? It's going to be great. (And I have an ARC, so I get to read it just as soon as the Frosted Roses and the Silmaril Awards are over!

13. Critical Role: Vox Machina — Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp (November 30). Have I watched the first Critical Role campaign yet? No. Am I likely to watch it anytime soon? Also probably not, unless you use Aslan's definition of "soon." (Not because I don't want to, but I'm still stuck in the middle of Campaign 2 because I am just not vibing with Raini.) Have I gotten attached to Vex and Vax anyway by way of fanart, animatics, and the Critical Role: Origins comics? Yes. Am I probably going to try to read Kith & Kin if I can get my hands on it? Absolutely.

What book releases are you excited for this fall? Do you prefer romances or nomances? And have you voted in the Silmaril Awards yet? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Friday, September 3, 2021

August 2021 Doings!

Hello all! We're into the last stretch of summer and the beginning of fall . . . and also the last stretch before the release of Gilded in Ice and the other Six Frosted Roses books! If you haven't already, make sure you preorder the Gilded in Ice ebook (unless you're holding out for the print version, which I totally understand). Also, signups for the Frosted Roses blog tour and Frosted Roses ARCs are still open, if you're interested! Your support is always welcomed and appreciated.

And with that, let's get on with the Doings!

Writing!

  • I started editing on Gilded in Ice a little later than I anticipated due to various forces beyond my control — but, thankfully, I made far better time than I expected. Case in point: my first week of edits, my goal was to get through five chapters. Instead, I managed to edit at least half of the book — I don't remember the exact amount, since I didn't write it down. (I probably should've.)
  • And it's a good thing I got so much done, because the following week I got . . . very little done. Fun fact: if you're sick enough to be stuck in bed most of the day, you don't really get any editing done. (More on that later, though.) Thankfully, I rallied in time to finish that round of edits, write a new chapter, and do a third edit (focusing on language) the week after.
  • This past week, I've been working on formatting and word-level grammar and spelling-type edits . . . slowly. This is my least favorite stage of the editing process, so I've been rather more distracted than I was in the previous stages. (It didn't help that I had some very good stories — both on the page and on the screen — calling my name.) But progress is being made! And I hope to have the book done to the point of ordering a proof copy this weekend.
  • Also, on a side note: I got a widescreen monitor this month (for non-writing-related-reasons), and it makes editing so much easier. I can have my working document and my beta document up side by side at an easily-readable size on the monitor, and then I have my laptop screen for internet searches, referencing previous versions of the story, or checking things from The Midnight Show. It's amazing. If you have the money and the desk or table space, I highly recommend the investment; it'll make your life way easier.
  • On the D&D front, the group I run didn't meet much this month for a variety of reasons, but we did manage to finally finish the climatic battle of the arc! The Defenders of Serys have survived an encounter with a young kraken, and only two people almost died. The module I've been writing is almost done as well; I just need to sort out the climax. (This is one of those modules where I had lots of ideas for the middle bit of the adventure, but no clue what was going to happen in the ending. I do prefer those to the ones where it's the other way round, though.)

Reading!

  • Ohhhhhh boy was this a good reading month. Look at all those books! Thirty-five of them! That's more than a book a day! (Ok, two of them are short stories. But that's still thirty-three books and two short stories.) As it turns out, when you have one week with no writing projects to work on and three weeks stuck at home, that translates to a lot of reading time.
  • Over half of those books (twenty, to be exact) are by one author: W.R. Gingell. I literally read everything she's published except for four books — one trilogy in which I read the first book and decided I wasn't a fan, and one very early work. Most of those were read all at once, and before you ask — yes, I did have a massive book hangover afterwards because there's no authors quite like Gingell. I'll give you thoughts by series so this section doesn't get too long.
    • I've already told everyone how much I love the Two Monarchies Sequence, particularly Spindle and Masque, which I reread, but I did finally read the newest book, Clockwork Magician! It wasn't my favorite in the series, but Peter also isn't my favorite character in the series, and Isabella and Melchior were both woefully absent. So I'm not terribly surprised by that.
    • I also expressed my love of the City Between novels earlier this month, but thanks to a free Kindle Unlimited subscription that I picked up, I got to read Book 9, Between Family, the day it released! Some of y'all might've seen me raving about it on Facebook and Instagram, but if you missed that, just know that it was truly excellent and brought me much happiness, but I am undone by the ending. Not quite as undone as I was by the ending of Book 8, but still. Undone.
    • The Shards of a Broken Sword trilogy was another very enjoyable fae story. I didn't love it as much as I do Two Monarchies or City Between, but I'd reread it. (It does have dragons in it as well as fae . . . but oddly enough, the dragon-focused book was my least favorite in the trilogy.)
    • Playing Hearts was an interesting take on a Wonderland retelling, but I never got super attached to most of the characters? It's probably my least favorite Gingell — which is to say, it's still better than even the best of some authors I've read, but it's not one I'm going to be raving about anytime soon.
    • Finally, we have the Lady series, which I enjoyed much more than I expected. They're slow, and they're very romance-focused, and both female leads are, I think, intentionally a bit standoffish and prickly? Which should add up to something I don't especially enjoy. But instead, I found myself liking them quite a lot. The first book, Lady of Dreams, feels something like an Austen novel, but sneakier and vaguely Korean and with some fantasy elements mixed in. And then the second book, Lady of Weeds . . . I don't know. It just has a vibe that I really enjoyed, and it's full of mystery that kept me interested even during the slowest bits. I think you have to be in the mood for them, but if you are in the mood, you'll really enjoy them.
  • After Gingell novels, the second-biggest category of the month is rereads — nine of them in total. I revisited Pilgrim's Progress at the beginning of the month, which I've been meaning to do for a while. That was an interesting experience; I'd forgotten how much of the dialogue is basically just a theological treatise. Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment of Ravens were both as excellent as ever, as were the first three Invisible Library books. (I intend to reread the whole series, but I was interrupted by Between Family.) The Books of the Infinite trilogy was another I'd been meaning to reread for a while, and it was even better than I remembered. Conversely, The Paper Magician was a bit disappointing the second time round, but it was at a disadvantage, since what I really wanted at the time was more W.R. Gingell.
  • That just leaves a few non-Gingell new-to-me reads. The Heir and the Spare was excellent — very character-focused, but in a good way. Midnight for a Curse and Dawn Bringer were both a bit disappointing, especially compared to Wrought of Silver and Ravens. Maybe I would've enjoyed them more at another time; I don't know. And then the first two Stariel books were a lot of fun — fae magic mixed with psuedo-rural-England drama mixed with romance. However, I don't think I'm going to continue the series unless they get rave reviews from someone I know; I liked The Lord of Stariel better than Prince of SecretsPrince of Secrets had a perfectly satisfying ending, and some of the reviews of books three and four make me concerned about where the series is going content-wise. 
  • And I think that covers it! I apologize for the length of this section, but if I can't use my blog to rave about all the excellent books I read, what's even the point?

Watching!

  • So, what did I watch this month? Pretty much everything except Critical Role, which I'm procrastinating on because the next three episodes are guest player episodes, and I don't enjoy those nearly as much as I do the regular episodes. I'll get to them sometime.
  • On the upside, my Critical Role procrastination means I finally started watching Leverage! I'm about eight episodes in (or possibly more if I had time to watch some last night), and I can say with absolute certainty that Eliot is hands-down my favorite character. (Hardison and Parker tie for second place — which is to say, who I like better shifts based on what happened in whatever episode I just watched, so it's easiest to say they're tied.) But I really enjoy the concept of the show, and I think it's well-executed. The heists are clever, the character dynamics are delightful, and there's just the right amount of humor. (Granted, some of it is based on secondhand embarrassment, but so far, I've been able to fast-forward past the worst of those moments without too much trouble.) My only quibble with the show is that Nate and Sophie's definitely-into-each-other-but-not-going-to-act-on-it dynamic is already getting old. I don't always dislike that type of relationship — I was fine with it in Firefly, and I actually write it my stories periodically (it works very nicely with both slowburn and rogue-and-princess romances, which are the two types of relationship I most enjoy writing), but the way it's written in Leverage just . . . it bugs me, y'know?
  • Other than Leverage, I watched a few things with my family. We started the month with The Return of the King, which was obviously great (though not my favorite movie in the trilogy). Later in the month, we watched some classic Star Trek (the best of what I saw was "The Journey to Babel," which is the one with Spock's parents in it), the first episode of The Mandalorian (interesting, but slower than I expected; I want to keep watching, but only if I'm doing it with someone), and an old live-action Disney movie, The Love Bug (which was . . . um? it's not a bad movie, but it was weird and I still don't know what to do with it).

Life!

  • So, this has been a weird month. It started out fine — business as usual at work, church and D&D on the weekend. Then I came down with what I thought was a bad cold — which was fine. I took it as a sign that I should actually buy an external laptop monitor like I'd been thinking of doing for months, hooked up my laptop to my work's remote access, and worked from home for a week, figuring that I'd be better by Monday. And then my symptoms took a turn for the very-not-cold-like and got bad enough that I thought maybe I should go to Urgent Care . . . where they informed me that I probably did not have a cold and did have pneumonia and sent me to the ER, where the doctor and nurses, after stabbing me with needles far too many times, agreed that I probably did not have a cold and did have pneumonia and that I should not go to work in the morning.
  • (Side note, the ER visit and the day immediately preceding the ER visit — when I ended up very dehydrated — were the worst parts of this whole ordeal. The rest of it was tiresome, but otherwise not awful.)
  • So, yes. I won't say which not-a-cold virus I had, but you can probably guess. I spent about three days (two due to fever, one due to just being tired) lying in bed, reading books, listening to The Anthropocene Reviewed, and occasionally managing a nap before starting to be up-and-about more on Thursday. By the following Monday, I was operating at about 75%, which was sufficient for me to get back to editing (well, technically I started editing again on the weekend, but I digress, though my supervisor wouldn't let me work from home. (In her defense, that was probably the wiser choice, since it meant I only spent half the day staring at a screen. In my defense, I was stressed about how much time off I was taking, and I knew I was well enough that I wasn't going to sleep during the day, which is what I think she thought I'd do.)
  • Thankfully, this week I'm pretty much back to 100%, which meant I was able to go back to work and catch up on all the stuff that hadn't been done for two weeks . . . and also start work on the most intimidating project I've had all year. It's not big, but it's very freeform, and the material that needs to go in it is not terribly conducive to any particular format I've come up with. A solution will be found, but frustration will be found first.
  • Outside of the whole being-sick thing, I've started to get back into doing Scripture memorization (and also poetry memorization, just to switch things up now and then). My long-term goal is to be able to pull out applicable and accurately-quoted-and-understood Scripture (and poetry) for various situations without having to look it up (and also to make sure I don't lose my ability to memorize stuff). At the moment, I'm doing one longer passage per week (where "longer" is defined as anywhere from six to twenty-something verses, depending on where natural breaks are and how much of the passage I've previously memorized as single verses), with one week per month dedicated to poetry. It's going well so far, though I think I may have to adjust a few of the passages I have planned for future weeks. I definitely have a much easier time with really long passages when they're poetry or at least poetic rather than prose.
  • Right before I got sick, I also made it to my church's how-to-lead-a-Bible-study-group training, which means I'm qualified to start a group! Unfortunately, a lot of my planning got . . . ah, you know. Delayed. So we'll see what happens with that.
  • The last thing of note that happened this month was that I finally revisited the Journey video game. I managed to get past the point where I was stuck last time, but then I got stuck again a few levels onward, and I know I kept missing stuff in other levels . . . gah. It's very frustrating, and I honestly don't know if I'm going to finish the game at this point.

September Plans

  • Y'all, September is going to be busy. Why? Well . . .
  • As I mentioned at the start of this post, Gilded in Ice releases this month, which means I'll have plenty on my plate doing final formatting and edits and preparing for the blog tour. (I have so many posts to write, y'all. I was supposed to work on them in August, but, well, y'know. That didn't happen.)
  • In addition, September is the Silmaril Awards! Nomination posts will go up on Monday (so soon! I know!), and we'll have voting midway through the month and the awards ceremonies the last two weeks of the month. (Yes, they will overlap with the Frosted Roses blog tour . . . thankfully, my ceremony isn't until the week after.) I'm SUPER excited for my category this year, but it's also going to be a lot.
  • But wait! We're not done yet! Fall is also when things start ramping up at the church where I work, so my workday might be getting a bit busier soon as well. (Or it might not. It's hard to say. It might not really get busier until October, when the new Kid's Ministry Director takes over.)
  • I'm also hoping for more regular D&D sessions this month . . . which means I need to finish that module I'm writing. And start on the next module. On the upside, I have plans and at least three weeks of material already finished. On the downside, I actually have to write the plans. I am not the type of DM who can just go into a session like "Well, I have a rough idea of the storyline. That's good enough!"
  • And then on the reading front, I'm signed up for review copies of all five of my fellow Frosted Roses, which I'm excited about — plus I want to finish rereading the Invisible Library books, and I really need to catch up on some of my specific reading goals. I think that my epic-length fantasy goal is a wash at this point, but I probably have a chance with some of the others. Probably. Maybe.
  • (Plus, of course, the onset of fall means the possibility of cooler weather . . . which means the lure of the hammock may be quite strong on Fridays when I'm supposed to be productive. We shall see how well I manage to resist.)

How was your August? Any exciting plans for September? How was your reading this month? Have you watched Leverage, and if so, who's your favorite character? Do you do regular memorization, whether of Scripture, poetry, or something? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!