Adventures in Crafting with Words

Disclaimer - This is a lengthy read.  There is a TL;DR version near the bottom. For a good chunk of the month of May I have been diligently - and at times not so diligently watching the #cockygate drama unfolding on Twitter. I've probably neglected a few things in as this battle began and continued to unfold. What is #cockygate? An author - who shall not be named - decided to trademark a word for her ebook series of ... romance novels.  Once the mark was approved she sent cease and desist letters to a handful of authors testing the waters before going after her real target, Tara Crescent, a menage MFM erotica book author. *Note* These other authors, with similar titles - NOT series titles as the trademark pertains to, Titles - either had to pull their books, retitle their books, or face the wrath of #CockyAuthor and her *ahem* lawyer. Now, while all that seems within her legal rights, #CockyAuthor forgot a few things.  Her series title (what was trademarked) was not

This post is pulling double duty today. First up, An Inconvenient Princess.  The youngest and seventh child - Penny - meets Rapunzel.    Only,  unexpectedly, Penny has no magic - unlike her siblings.  It's expected that the seventh sibling have some sort of abilities, but Penny doesn't, and it disappoints everybody who encounters her. When Penny goes searching for her twin, Anneliese,  she literally finds herself in a tree.  With a tiger in a tree blocking her from climbing down, she calls on Mortimer to help get her somewhere safe.  Mortimer sends her to a tower where she meets Rapunzel.   Once they escape, sorta, Penny finds herself in the arms of Arthur. Arthur, you may recall from A Goose Girl.  He is Conrad's cousin and the younger prince. Chaos erupts as the trio begin searching for Anneliese.  Cases of mistaken identity - Penny IS Anneliese's almost identical twin.  Kidnapping.  And Happily Ever Afters! I really can't say much

A few weeks ago I read, and reviewed, another Joanne Macgregor story.  Hushed is... WOW.   I had trouble putting it down.  Once again I found myself reading at the gym (a given when I'm on the treadmill or elliptical) and not paying a bit of attention on the time or distance just so I could finish a chapter.  I thought about it while doing my stretches/cool down.  While grocery shopping - until I ran into another buggy. Setting - South Africa - including some interesting phrases used.  I love stories set in other countries than my own; I find myself learning something new. Characters - Movie Star Logan Rush and average, everyday girl Rosemary "Romy" Morgan. When Romy discovers that Logan's 20th birthday is going to be on a chartered boat, she sneaks out near the boat on her surf board to spy on him.  Much like in The Little Mermaid, she ends up saving him from drowning and returns him to his hotel after being chased by "Rushers" and reporters

I am nearing the end of this Special Edition blog post series. A Little Mermaid (Aya Ling) is the fifth and second to the last book in the Entwined Tales series.  (The last comes out today.) Whereas the other tales focused on the female members of the Woodcutter family, this tale features a mermaid named Clio and a Prince named Lukas. Wait... you dear puzzled reader might be asking.  Where's Mortimer?  We just had Elisette's story, what about Martin? Or Annelise? Or Penny?  There's only two books left and three Woodcutter's children left? I'll get to some of these answers.  Promise. Clio is the youngest mermaid and loves to dance.  When she meets Lucanus - after she found herself tangled in kelp while practicing dancing - she falls tail over head for the older merprince.  To the point she can barely speak to him! Years later he returns and her tongue-tied mouth keeps her from getting his attention while her older sisters chase after him. Later that

One of the things I like about the Entwined Tales series is that I'm getting a novella length trial run of authors that have been on my to-read pile or Amazon keeps recommending. Kenley Davidson is one of those authors.  Her The Andari Chronicles keeps appearing in my recommendations.  Her contribution handles another lesser known tale, The Frog Princess, with deftness. Wait? Don't you mean The Frog Prince?  No.  I mean The Frog Princess.  Three brothers (princes) are tasked with three impossible tasks in order to earn the crown.  A cursed maiden ends up helping the youngest brother. A Beautiful Curse follows Elisette on her mission to show that she is more than just a pretty face.  Her quest leads her to a library in Anura where she is reluctantly admitted as an apprentice.  Only she's admitted on trial terms: she can't distract the other apprentices and patrons, she must do her work, and no flirting. It's at the library where she meets stuffy and p

Here's another YA cover featuring shoes.  Not my first review/recommendation and probably not the last with a couple shot of shoes. Wait... why am I rambling about cover shots of shoes?  It caught my attention, didn't it? Joanne Macgregor's The Law of Tall Girls is simple.    Tall guys should date tall girls and not short girls.  After all, short girls can date average sized guys but it looks weird of a tall girl dates somebody shorter then her.  Although, Peyton reasoned, it looks weird when a tall guy dates a too-short girl. It all starts with a bet placed shortly before Peyton's Senior Year.  Her co-workers bet her that she can't get a tall guy to kiss her.  Then date her.  And go to prom with her. We are supposed to believe that these older co-workers and a business owner are willing to bet over kisses and dating... Regardless, Peyton accepts the first bet.  This throws her in the path of 6'3 Jay Young, new guy and absolutely attached to the s

A Bear's Bride is Book Three in the Entwined Tales series features Sophie.  Any readers of the previous two books can deduce that she's a handful. We start off with her sneaking off to visit her friend, Peter.  The very friend she's been forbidden from seeing.  Peter then proposes and they make plans to run away together. Until her father interrupts and informs Sophie he's accepted somebody else's offer for her hand.  Naturally, spirited Sophie runs off to Peter only to be reminded that her friend is a ladies man.  It's obvious that she didn't really want to marry Peter when she nicely ends their "engagement" and runs off alone. Hours later she finally calls the Fairy Godfather Mortimer for help.  In asking for a knight's assistance, Sophie gives him an idea.  Within moments they are countries away and in front of the palace of the cursed prince. By day Henri is cursed to be a bear.  By night he is a human. Impulsively they marry.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I stumble on a book that catches my attention from an author I've never heard of before. All I did was click on Kindle Unlimited in the Kindle Book Store and then checked out the recommended for you section. After scrolling and scrolling and scrolling through the romances and retold fairy tales my results started getting interesting. I don't know if it was the title or cover that drew me into clicking on Challenge Accepted to learn more about the book.  But I clicked.  I read the description.  I clicked the Kindle Unlimited check out option. Then I read three chapters before curiosity got the better of me and I clicked to the end. Yes, dear readers, I cheat.  I'll read the endings. I do this for two reasons: 1. (Not applicable here) I'm bored and I want to make certain it'll get better.  If an unexpected ending happens I'll want to know why. 2.  Because I like the book and I don't want a disappointing ending.  (

Okay, Brittany Fichter has been in my to-read-eventually list for ages.  What a better time to be introduce to her writing than with this Entwined Fairy Tales series? An Unnatural Beanstalk is the second tale in the series and is based off of Jack and the Beanstalk.  Obviously. While one of the lesser known tales, Jack and the Beanstalk has one major plot line despite the many variations.  Jack has to go sell the family cow and is offered Magic Beans.  Jack, probably thinking more about what can be done with the beans, accepts the trade.  His mother, angered, flings the beans out the window.  Overnight the beans grow and grow and grow up into the clouds.  Up to a kingdom of giants. Here is where the tales I've read vary.  Jack defeats the giants.  He also rescues a princess or a golden goose. Fichter's version adds a welcome twist to this original story. Eva - younger sister to Rynn from The Goose Girl (Book One) was granted a magical gift from their Fairy GodF

The funny thing about reading something from somebody you sorta-kinda know (I went to high school with Megan O'Russell's husband, but I have not met this fearless author, yet.) is that there are tiny moments in books where you catch reality sneaking into fiction. And it is amazing!  Like Chapters 11 through   where I can see details and dialogue inspired by real life adventures (and possibly conversations/thoughts). And yes, authors will pull inspiration from their lives from little or major conversations.  In this case, inspiration from her travels. The Girl Without Magic  (The Chronicles of Maggie Trent - Book One) released at the perfect moment.  So many books that I've put my hands on (or downloaded) lately have had fairy tale orgins.  Obvious fairy tale origins. I am so sick of obvious fairy tales reimaginings, and sadly they seem popular lately and most likely won't be leaving my TBR pile any time soon.  This piece of young adult paranormal fantasy is

Recently I discovered that a few of my favorite fairy tale retalers have joined together for an intertwined fairy tale journey. The Entwined Fairy Tales series featuring six books begins with KM Shea's The Goose Girl. This tale follows the eldest girl of a former woodcutter's family, Corynn also known as Rynn.  Rynn has taken a temporary assignment of escorting Princess Davina to her intended Prince in a different country. This is where things differ from the original tale.  Rynn does not like the princess, certainly.  She finds Princess Davina spoiled and silly.  Princess Davina is the one with the plan.  She doesn't want to marry the assumed hunchbacked Prince.  With a little help from her guards and a fairy gift, the Princess forces Rynn into pretending to be the princess. Rynn, filled with duty and doing what is right, is frustrated.  Threatened by the guards, constantly dropping hints at the Prince and his cousin Conrad, and trying to convince Davina -

Another Sariah Wilson?  Yes!   I can't help it that one of my new favs released a new book a few weeks after my last post about one of her books.  Her stories haven't let me down yet, so if you haven't picked up her Young Adult or clean New Adult books then you need to add some to your to-read pile.   They are all on Kindle Unlimited so you can try out a new author without shelling out $2.99 or $3.99. Now... about #Starstruck... When Zoe replies to a tweet from her teenage celebrity crush (she's in her twenties now) she's expecting only one thing - getting negative feedback from Chase Covington's followers - aka Chasers. She never expects him to respond! Chase finds himself intrigued by her response to his tweet (and the lack of emojis) and engages her in public and private conversation. The better they get to know each other the more they both have to gain, and lose. Like Zoe's best friend - a fellow Chaser - since they were tweens.

Previously I reviewed/recommended Peaslee's Ella - a retelling of Cinderella. In a related tale - Will and Ella make a reappearance - Corbin Black finds himself attending the Prince Kenton's ball instead of marrying his fiance, Francine.  Princess Rose finds herself bitter and disappointed that Prince Kenton has decided to marry a commoner. While Francine doesn't get picked by the prince, she does disappoint Corbin by agreeing to meet the prince instead of saying that she was engaged.  In a moment of dispair Corbin packs up all of his tools and leaves his adoptive country for the one of his birth - Princess Rose's country... Once he's arrived he's informed that the Princess - nicknamed The Beast - has decided she'll marry a commoner and that all eligible men are required to give her a gift.  She'll marry the man who offers her the best one... So... this book took me several days to read.  Not because of anything the writer did, but something I

Okay, I might be getting my money's worth with this free Kindle Unlimited trial.  I most likely will continue with the service after the 17th. I really didn't think about the fact I'm doing yet another retold fairy tale, but this book really didn't feel like a retold.  The Ugly Step-Sister Strikes Back is a delightful take at the story from another perspective.  Mattie has a complicated family history.  Her father is a famous artist who has been married 6 times!  The marriage from when she was two years old introduced her to her step-sister (also two) even though the marriage doesn't last very long.   When that former step-mother dies, her father invites Ella to live with them since they don't know who Ella's biological father is. Ella, thankful, does everything she can to show her thanks.  She has a job so she doesn't spend Bill's - Mattie's father - money.  She does charity work.  She even cleans the house even though they have a hou

One of my friends was gifted this awesome 400 writing prompts book for Christmas.  Naturally, I needed it. So his wife told me where I got it and I went to my local branch and looked all over the story for that book of 400 writing prompts.  I'd even settle for the book of 300 writing prompts. But nope.  I had to settle for this one... Whatever.  *shrugs shoulder* 'But,' the little voice in the back of my head challenged me, 'what if you use this book to help you with the plethora of stories you are struggling with?' 'And,' another voice agreed, 'you use them for your writing prompt blog posts... The catch with these prompts:  there is only one page to write and there are a handful of words that must be added into the scene.   For this scene I brought in Winnie from Half-Moon Manor.  I've been pondering her story for a while now, and she volunteered for the prompt.  And now... Magic in Everyday Occurrences Winnie closed he

I may have spent way too much time absorbed into fairy tales and what not.  I love fairy tales.  I love reimagined fairy tales. Okay,  I simply adore reading in general. A while back I purchased a Princess and the pea retelling - The Princess Companion .  This was shortly after the second book in the series was released, but as much as I enjoyed the first book I couldn't bring myself to buy the second. The Princess Fugitive - Book 2 - is a Little Red Riding Hood reimagining and it never was my favorite tale.  However, Cellier's twist made me wish I had picked it up sooner.  However, that hesitation also meant I didn't have as much of a wait between books either... Wait...dear reader you must be thinking,  wasn't your Into the Enchanted Forest partially Little Red Riding Hood?  Yes.  So?  Just because I used the tale doesn't mean I liked the source.  Crazy, I know.  Regardless, I signed up for a free Kindle Unlimited trial last month.  Why?  Because the

It is with great relief to announce the release date, cover, etc for the second book in the Hastings Sisters Series. Relief?  Yes.  Relief.  I begun to fear it would never make it through the Beta Reads.  But it has. The Trouble with Chasing Aileen is currently available for pre-order.  Right now until January 10th (the day after the release date) Aileen will be $0.99.  After that date the book will be $2.99.  (The first book in the series will remain $0.99.) Are you a Kindle Unlimited reader?  The Trouble With Chasing Aileen will be released on January 9th, 2018. What about book three?  Ashlynn's story will continue off where Aileen's story ended.  She does make some appearances in this book, much like Aiden did in Ainsley's book.  However, Ashlynn's story is still in the planning phases.  With any hope, it won't take a year to write.  (The highly teased and still untitled NaNoWriMo2017 project has been handed over to the Beta readers as well.) Read bel