Happy Book Birthday: Golden by KM Robinson @kmrovinsonbooks @snowywingspub

Today marks the launch of GOLDEN by K.M. Robinson. Check out this modern Goldilocks retelling!

Golden
by KM Robinson
Snowy Wings Publishing

When the girl with the golden hair betrays everyone, not even she has hope of surviving.

The stories say that Goldilocks was a naïve girl who wandered into a house one day. Those stories were wrong. She was never naïve. It was all a perfectly executed plan to get her into the Baers' group to destroy them.

Trained by her cousin, Lowell, and handler, Shadoe, Auluria's mission is to destroy the Baers by getting close to the youngest brother, Dov, his brother and sister-in-law and the leaders of the Baers' group. When she realizes Dov isn't as evil as her cousin led her to believe, she must figure out how to play both sides or her deception will cause everyone in her world to burn.

If her allegiances are discovered, either side could destroy her...if the Society doesn't get her first.

Amazon | Goodreads

Interview With Julie Reece, Author of The Artisans

Today we are so happy to join the book tour for pub sister Julie Reece's THE ARTISANS! Julie has graciously stopped by to answer a few of our questions, but first, here's a tidbit about the book. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post.

Title: The Artisans

Publication date: May 12, 2015

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Julie Reece

They say death can be beautiful. But after the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Raven
Weathersby gives up her dream of becoming a fashion designer, barely surviving life in the South Carolina lowlands.

To make ends meet, Raven works after school as a seamstress creating stunning works of fashion that often rival the great names of the day.

Instead of making things easier on the high school senior, her stepdad's drinking leads to a run in with the highly reclusive heir to the Maddox family fortune, Gideon Maddox.

But Raven's stepdad's drying out and in no condition to attend the meeting with Maddox. So Raven volunteers to take his place and offers to repay the debt in order to keep the only father she's ever known out of jail, or worse.

Gideon Maddox agrees, outlining an outrageous demand: Raven must live in his home for a year while she designs for Maddox Industries' clothing line, signing over her creative rights.

Her handsome young captor is arrogant and infuriating to the nth degree, and Raven can't imagine working for him, let alone sharing the same space for more than five minutes.

But nothing is ever as it seems. Is Gideon Maddox the monster the world believes him to be? And can he stand to let the young seamstress see him as he really is?

            

      

Hi Julie! Welcome to We Do Write. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi you guys!! I’m so happy and grateful to be here today, so first, squee and XOXOX for having me. 

I live in Atlanta. I enjoy being a southern girl but love hearing about everybody else’s culture, and story, and history. I adore all things YA. I’m a big animal person. I’m sort of artsy and do some drawing and painting. Oh, and I eat stupid amounts of chocolate. Let’s keep the priorities straight.

How did the idea for THE ARTISANS come to you?

Oddly enough, this story began as the Grimm fairy-tale The Elves and the Shoemaker. I know, go figure, right? But slowly, the story took on a mind of its own and morphed into something else. I swear I always do this when I write—start going a certain direction with the plot and then ... nope. I gave the poor tailor in the story a daughter (which isn’t original in the Grimm version), and then the daughter sacrificed herself to save her father from a terrible situation. Boom! It was obvious Beauty and the Beast was the stronger vibe in the manuscript. Though, I try and warn readers that it’s a very loose retelling, because it’s both fairy-tales mixed together while still being very much its own story, too.  Are you confused yet? Lol. Sorry.

Fairy-tale mash-up? Yes please! Sounds amazing! Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a total panster who secretly wishes she were organized enough to be a plotter ... and never will be. 

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Focus!!!  I’m an ADD, dyslexic, abstract-random individual and that makes me a slow writer. I usually have too many story ideas hitting my brain at one time. I’m learning to embrace my personal brand of crazy, which is the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s okay to be different and to think differently. I wish I’d known that when I was sixteen! Better late than never. : )

I don't know a writer who isn't at least a little bit crazy, so welcome to the madhouse. What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

This is slightly horrifying, and I hope you’ll still respect me after I tell you the awful truth ... I typically drink at least three, 32oz Styrofoam cups of McDonald’s unsweet tea (three lemons a piece) a day while I’m writing. THEN, I tend to chew Dentine Fire gum, so I don’t clench my teeth while I concentrate on the story—which is probably a direct result of all the hyped-up energy the caffeine gives me. Sad but true.

No judgement at all. What are you reading right now?

I just cracked the cover on Courtney Alameda’s Shutter. I will probably be extremely scared very soon.   

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Ooooh, I love this question. Also, it’s basically impossible to answer because I’m a greedy wench, and I want ALL the power. Which might make me Loki, but anyway ... if you’re going to be so mean about it and make me pick only one power, I’d want to be, like, Aquaman. Why you ask? I’m so glad you did. I love animals more than movies, so I’d like to talk to them, and have them be my friends and help me trap evil bad guys. If we can make a new superpower where Aquaman is actually Aquagirl (cause, you know, I like being a girl) that’d be awesome. And I’d like him to move onto land, too, so I can A.) Make friends with tigers and, B.) Not have to live in the ocean, which might be a bummer after a while. Of course, the name Aquagirl would no longer make sense but there you have it.

No. Aquagirl wouldn't work. How about Faunagirl?

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Geeze, you had to ask that, didn’t you? I’m seriously on the fence about just lying, but I won’t. We have horses. Once, I Googled how to clean my gelding’s ‘privates’ because, well, there were certain horsey-parts that needed a good washing. After Googling how to do it, I paid the vet. #truestory. Also, I can’t believe I just told you that!

Hey, somebody's gotta do it. Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... 

Watching a movie. I am an unapologetic movie fanatic. Seriously. Fan. A. Tic. If you talk in the theater anywhere near where I’m sitting—especially if it’s a movie made from a YA novel—I will throw popcorn at your head and tell you to shush. 

We MUST go to the movies together. It would be like a popcorn hurricane up in there.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

Allow me to say a special thanks to Dorothy, Beth, Sandra and Paula for having me here today ... and for being awesome. I’m so grateful to everyone at Month9Books for helping bring The Artisans to the page. This has been the coolest journey. My writing buddies, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pens told me to write the novel I wanted to read and couldn’t find. So I did.

I really hope you enjoy the story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Ohio, I lived next to my grandfather’s horse farm until the fourth grade. Summers were about riding, fishing and make-believe, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all.

I struggled with multiple learning disabilities, did not excel in school. I spent much of my time looking out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) I fought dyslexia for my right to read, like a prince fights a dragon in order to free the princess locked in a tower, and I won.

Afterwards, I read like a fiend. I invented stories where I could be the princess… or a gifted heroine from another world who kicked bad guy butt to win the heart of a charismatic hero. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Later, I moved to Florida where I continued to fantasize about superpowers and monsters, fabricating stories (my mother called it lying) and sharing them with my friends.

Then I thought I’d write one down…

Hooked, I’ve been writing ever since. I write historical, contemporary, urban fantasy, adventure, and young adult romances. I love strong heroines, sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. My writing is proof you can work hard to overcome any obstacle. Don’t give up. I say, if you write, write on!

                  

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Retelling the Tale by Vicki Weavil + GIVEAWAY!

On the blog today, I am super pleased to have Vicki Weavil, author of the YA fantasy novel Crown of Ice. Vicki is such a wonderful cheerleader for other Month9Books authors (me and Dorothy included), and she was kind enough to stop by and share a bit of her writing process with us. But first, a quick peek at her book ...

Title: Crown of Ice

Publication date: September 9, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Vicki L. Weavil

Thyra Winther’s seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can’t reassemble a shattered

enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she’s doomed to spend eternity as a wraith.

Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal.

A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai’s childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra’s willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts — to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup’s devotion and the fire of a young man’s desire, the thawing of Thyra’s frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing.

CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.

         

               

Retelling the Tale

by Vicki Weavil

CROWN OF ICE is a retelling of a fairy tale—a type of writing project that brings with it special challenges and rewards. On the one hand, I had the benefit of inheriting the framework of a story, some basic characters, and thematic elements. On the other hand, I had to find a way to tell an original story that still referenced its source material in a believable, and respectful, way.

Before I started writing CROWN OF ICE, I re-read the original story, “The Snow Queen”, by Hans Christian Andersen. First published in 1844, this was a story I’d discovered when I went through my fairy tale reading phase as a child. (I also went through a myth and legends phase, a folk tale phase, and … well, you get the idea). I’d always loved Andersen’s literary fairy tales and “The Snow Queen” was my favorite. However, it had been some time since I’d read it, so I knew I had to familiarize myself with the details again, just to see it this tale would work as the basis for a Young Adult fantasy.

The major challenge was the Snow Queen herself. In Andersen’s story, she’s basically a force of nature, with few human characteristics. She looks like a lovely woman, but has no real personality beyond her power over the elements and her icy exterior. She isn’t truly evil, or good, because she’s a construct, not a person.

In order to tell the story from the point-of-view of the Snow Queen, I had to turn her into a real, human, character. This brought up a whole range of issues, such as—why is the Snow Queen only seventeen? Is she immortal, or is she human? If this young woman is only the last in a long line of Snow Queens, what happened to the girls who came before her?

The interesting aspect of this questioning is that it led to some of my favorite elements in CROWN OF ICE, including the concept that my protagonist, Thyra Winther, was a human girl who had been transformed into the Snow Queen by a powerful sorcerer. This not only brought in a new character to play the role of villain, it also allowed Thyra to be fully human, but a human who could become immortal if she completed the sorcerer’s task—reconstructing a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday. Of course, it also led me to create the consequences—if Thyra fails, she must spend eternity as a mindless, disembodied, wraith. The idea of this consequence also explained what happened to the previous Snow Queens, and allowed me to populate Thyra’s isolated, icy palace with some spooky fellow inhabitants.

In writing CROWN OF ICE, I didn’t follow Andersen’s plot exactly, but I did include references to many aspects of his story. If you look closely, you can see reflections of the original fairy tale laced throughout my book, including an enchanted mirror, a magical flower garden, crows (ravens in the original), a group of wanderers, and, most obviously, a talking reindeer named Bae.  I also kept the basic thematic elements of intellect versus heart, sacrifice versus selfishness, and the power of love (and not just of the romantic variety).

It was actually a wonderful experience to write this book as both a reflection and a reinterpretation of a classic fairy tale. As I have done in other posts, I encourage everyone to read the original story. It is in the public domain and thus freely available online, at sites such as Wall of Thorns: http://wallofthorns.com/snowqueen/snowqueentitle.html

CROWN OF ICE would not exist without the inspiration of “The Snow Queen,” written by a brilliant storyteller from the nineteenth century. So I must conclude by saying (as I do in the acknowledgements for my book) “Thank you, Mr. Hans Christian Andersen.”

About the Author

Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university.  Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

            

And now ... the giveaway!

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Interview with Ella Martin

Good morning! Today we have a lovely interview with Ella Martin, author of WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP? So let's jump right in, shall we?

Welcome to We Do Write, Ella!

Thank you for having me! I'm glad to be here.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm a Southern California native, and I call myself a prep school survivor, mainly because I think that's the best description for having escaped prep school mostly unscathed. =) All kidding aside, I'm a contemporary young adult author who writes about kids who are way cooler than I've ever been. I'm also the mom of an extremely precocious 7-year-old who provides me with ample writing fodder and inspiration. In my non-writing life, I'm a sales analyst for a multinational restaurant chain, and I've been known to dabble in photography, needlework, and culinary experimentation on occasion.


You sound like a busy lady! How long have you been writing?

I started writing with the intent of being a published author when I was about 10 years old, but then around high school, I didn't do much writing besides the angst-filled scribblings in my journals.
Throughout my 20s, I was focused on building a career and going to graduate school, and writing took a back seat. But a few years ago, I started thinking about some of my high school classmates and thought it might be fun to kind of rewrite history, if you will. I started dabbling again, but I didn't get serious until NaNoWriMo 2012, when I wrote WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP?

Tell us about WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP. What’s
the story about?

I hooked my agent when I pitched it via Twitter as a YA contemporary retelling of Snow White where we discover Prince Charming is anything but. That's the super-condensed version. But it's really about a girl discovering that sometimes the guy who's supposed to be The One isn't, especially when he starts behaving like a control-freaky misogynist. But it's a romance, after all, so she does get a Happily Ever After. Or, at least a Happy for Now.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

It came from a "what if," really. I was reading the original Grimm version of Snow White and was kind of appalled that Prince Charming purchased her from the dwarves while she was in her glass coffin. That's not the version Disney showed us. Anyway, in the original tale, the prince has his servants carry the coffin with the princess still inside--to his castle. Along the way, the servants stumble and dislodge the piece of apple that was in Snow White's throat. So she wakes up, she and the prince fall in love, and poof! Happily Ever After. But what if the prince was really a jerk? I mean, he essentially bought her to be a decorative element in his castle. So I played off of that, and Dante was born.

How incredibly delicious! I can't wait to read it! Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I do a lot of self-editing, but I have a handful of trusted readers, too. My friend Sara has read WTRPCPSU at least 6 times, all after my agent had already signed me (and once more before it went to galleys), and I have other friends who have read it at least twice. For me, self-editing before I let anyone else look at it is key because it's so hard to slough through poorly written pages. My friend Kirsten is reading my current work in progress, and even now I cringe  as I hit send on the email when I send her each chapter.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Definitely a bit of both, but I think I lean more on the side of plotter. I can't begin to write a story until I know how to begin it and exactly how it will end. Then I lay out three plot points to hit, and I continue from there. I work off a very loose outline, so it still allows for a lot of exploration and discovery, but I still know which dots I absolutely need to connect.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Self-doubt. No, seriously. I look at an empty page, see the blinking cursor, and kind of freak out. It might sound a little crazy, but I'm always so worried about being true to the characters. In my mind, these aren't just imaginary figures I put on a page. They're real, breathing people with fears and ambitions and baggage. So I struggle sometimes (okay, often) with making sure they maintain integrity. It's all a result of me second-guessing myself, and I know it. But self-doubt, man. That's a hard thing to overcome.

I feel your pain ... (((hugs))) What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Headphones. Or at least earbuds. I've actually bought several pairs of earbuds from the drugstore by the coffee shop where I write just because I've forgotten to bring my headphones. Music is such a critical part of my creative process. It's what helps me remember what it was like to be a teenager.

What are you reading right now?

Nothing right this very second. I have a terrible tendency to read a book in its entirety in a single sitting. Like, if I know I won't have time to read it all at once, I won't even start it. That said, the last book I read was GUITAR NOTES by Mary Amato (loved it), and I'm anxious to start TEASE by Amanda Maciel soon, as I'd wanted to read it from the moment I heard about it, and it's now staring at my from its perch on my bookshelf.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

The ability to control time. I don't even need to be able to travel through time. I'd be perfectly content to be able to pause or stretch the time I already have. Interestingly enough, I've given this considerable thought and really pondered the implications of having this ability. But that's a whole other conversation.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Hmm. That's a tough one. I think I've looked up a lot of craziness. But I think the grossest thing I've searched for was a diagram of the human eye. There were a lot of images that I wish I could unsee.

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: stand,
realistic, and croissant.
   
The fake croissant staring at me from the boulangerie stand looked so realistic, I wondered if the real thing tasted half as good.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

... obsessing about how to move the next scene--and story--forward. Or I'm at the day job, running errands, chauffeuring my son, doing laundry, cleaning the house, reading, or sleeping. No, wait. Scratch sleeping. That doesn't happen often enough to count. ;-)

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you.
Let's hear your shout outs.

Ooh! I wrote a little something for this very occasion! You know, just in case. *unfolds paper* I'd like to thank the Academy for this honor-- *receives note* Oh, sorry. Wrong thank you speech. ;-)

So much thanks goes to my agent, Julia A. Weber, who believed in Bianca and the rest of the kids at Westgate from the very beginning and was such a staunch supporter that I couldn't help but believe in
myself, too.

Huge thanks to Sara, Melissa, and Wendy who were ultimately my Alpha readers. They read multiple versions of WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP? and provided insanely helpful feedback every time.

I don't know how I would have lasted these last few months without my agency-sisters: Ellis, Precy, Gail, Amanda, Robin, Andrea, and Rebecca. They've all entrusted me with their cell phone numbers and have endured countless freakouts via text from me.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank Nicole Brinkley, whose insight helped me shape my characters into who they are, and a massive shout out also goes to my friends Brad, Jason, Sean, and Juan who all humored me and pretended to be guys on numerous occasions for the sake of research.
   
And I can hear the orchestra starting to play, so I'll hurry with the rest. Thanks to my amazing publicist Natasha who has been a tremendous help in getting WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP? ready for launch, to my publisher Stephanie and the rest of the team at Astraea Press, to my beautiful nieces for being my audience, to my sister for never doubting me, and to my husband and son for intermittently putting up with piles of laundry because I'm in The Zone. I love you guys!

And finally, where can people find you and your book online?
   
I am (in the order of how often you'll find me):
Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram
Facebook

And you can my book will soon be available online at Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.