Fabulous and Brunette

Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Nick Before Christmas by K. L. Brady - Book Tour - Book Sale - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

The Nick Before Christmas

by K. L. Brady

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BLURB:

Will an angel's dire warning, a quest to discover a second act by Christmas Eve, and a touch of Christmas Magic lead Nickie Wright back to the one that got away?

Nickie Wright is ready to celebrate the big 5-0 for Christmas in July, but a hot flash leads her to a sobering revelation: her life has hit rock bottom. Her successes--the home and the car--feel empty. Her vision board has been a waste of time, her job is unfulfilling, and she's mulling over a proposal from Smith, who she's not sure she likes. The best day of her life spirals into the worst. During a near-death experience, a meeting with her guardian angel presents Nickie with an ultimatum - either go to heaven or return to Earth and find her second act by Christmas Eve. If she fails, her future's bleak -- her life will be filled with days no better than her worst.

Her second act sets her on a collision path with Evan Goodman, the man who makes her content, and Jordan Devlin, the first love who drives her crazy. She's torn between two worlds--contentment and safety, passion and excitement.

Time is running out for Nickie.

She only has from Christmas in July until Christmas Eve to find her calling, follow her dreams, and figure out which romantic interest will help Nickie embrace the best of herself.

The Nick Before Christmas is the perfect romantic comedy to help you find your calling and renew your faith. It delivers unforgettable moments of self-discovery and romance. It's an enchanting story to fill your heart with joy this Christmas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT THREE:

Sasha approached…and based on the sound of footsteps, she wasn't alone.

"Nickie? Uh….You have company?"

"Who?"

Into the threshold stepped Evan…and Jordan, both carrying sizeable brown shopping bags scented with contents that smelled a whole lot like dinner.

Evan ghosted her for weeks, dropped off the radar. J. Dev blew her off and was off parading with Ava, or so she thought. Now both stood in her living room, in the flesh, at the same time. She had no idea how to handle this. Nickie had never been a juggler so two potential courters in her presence, in her house, wasn't a situation she expected to face. She couldn't have orchestrated this cluster if she tried.

Their faces sapped the air out of her lungs. Laying the blame on Sasha wasn't an option.

Her stomach growled, reminding of her greatest need in the moment. If worse comes to worst, Nickie pledged to keep the dinner and cannoli...and dump the two unexpected guests.

"Jordan, Evan…what a surprise to welcome you…both…in my living room…right now,” Nickie said, her eye volleying between them so as not to give one more attention than the other.

Evan glanced at Jordan without speaking a single word, and Jordan returned the favor. She suspected each was eager to learn what the other had to say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

USA Today Bestselling author K. L. Brady is a D.C. native and award-winning author of 20 novels. She self-published her first book, THE BUM MAGNET, after an Oprah "live your best life" moment, which was picked up by Simon & Schuster in a two-book deal. She’s been publishing romantic comedies ever since.

K. L. is a Washington football fan and professed nerd-girl who loves all things Star Trek, Star Wars, and Big Bang Theory. She lives to write stories involving hilarious quirky characters looking for love. She's hard at work on her next several projects, including Sincerely, Santa, a heartfelt romantic comedy that also celebrates the special friendship between her late mother and grandmother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH K. L. BRADY:

http://klbradyauthor.com/sign-up

Website:

www.klbradyauthor.com

Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/KLBRADY

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/klbrady_author

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/k-l-brady

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/K.-L.-Brady/author/B002O15D78

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2975069.K_L_Brady

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:

**The Nick Before Christmas eBook is on SALE for ONLY $0.99!!!**

Amazon US eBook:

https://amzn.to/3U8LM0S

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3JwrbP8

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

K. L. Brady will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The Serendipity of Catastrophe by Lisa Fellinger - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

The Serendipity of Catastrophe

by Lisa Fellinger

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Women's Fiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BLURB:

A mother defeated by anxiety. A daughter determined not to become her mother. Can one month in Europe reunite them?

Anita Lorello is paralyzed by grief. When her husband dies in an accident the night before a long-awaited retirement trip, she’s devastated by the loss of her partner and once again shelves her dream to finally visit Europe. But when her estranged daughter agrees to accompany her nearly a year later, Anita is eager for the opportunity to repair their relationship.

Carrie Lorello’s life is crumbling. After a night of clouded judgment ends in her being fired, her mother’s offer of a one-month paid vacation seems like her best option. But she refuses to get caught up in her mother’s irrational worries and critical comments, and under no circumstances is she to learn what a failure Carrie’s proven to be.

Desperate not to lose her daughter again, Anita fights to conquer her anxiety and become the mother Carrie always wanted. But as Carrie’s life grows more and more complicated, her mother is the last person she wants to confide in.

Without anyone else to hold them together, can Anita and Carrie overcome their differences, or will the secrets between them derail their trip and destroy their relationship for good?

The Serendipity of Catastrophe is an emotionally compelling work of women’s fiction. If you enjoy travel stories, complex mother-daughter relationships, and lovably flawed characters, you’ll love this hopeful story of resilience and second chances.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT THREE:

Anita turned and set her eyes on the ride, its rainbow-colored seats impossible to miss. Victor never would have expected her to go on the Ferris wheel, but somehow it seemed like exactly what she needed to do to move forward, to prove to herself she would no longer allow anxiety to rule her life. To most, it may have been a simple carnival ride, but to her it was so much more.

The line was shorter than Anita expected, and soon she was next up. The young girl ahead of her climbed into a bright green bucket with her father, and her mind drifted to Victor and Carrie all those years ago.

“Next,” the operator called out.

Anita walked to the next open bucket, this one sunshine yellow, and climbed in. With a small lurch, the wheel took off, propelling her slowly into the air. Instinctively, she closed her eyes, then forced herself to open them. She didn’t come this far to ride with her eyes closed. Besides, it made her more nauseous not to see where she was going.

At the top of the wheel, she looked out across the amazing city she’d spent the past few days exploring and falling in love with. Although this Ferris wheel was smaller than the one in London, being up on a mountain made it seem as though she was higher off the ground than she was.

“I did it, Victor,” she whispered.

She smiled as the wheel lifted her up and around once more. She had done it. She made it to Europe, made her way to Tibidabo on her own, and conquered her fear of Ferris wheels.

But there was still work to be done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUEST POST:

Overcoming Writing Obstacles

Writing a book is challenging. Beyond learning the craft of writing and how to tell a good story, finding the time and mental energy to sit down and write an entire book, then revise it countless times can be a mental battle.

For me, my biggest struggle initially was finding the time to write. I started by getting up early in the morning to write before work, but when my work schedule changed and I began going to the gym in the mornings instead, I had to figure something else out. So, I started writing on my lunch breaks. Every day, I’d go to the library, or sit in my car, or go to Starbucks on my lunch and spend the hour writing. I treated it like a second job. Some days I wouldn’t feel like writing, but when I pulled out my computer and opened my manuscript, my brain knew it was time to work.

But then my world was turned upside down. In 2020, my son was born, and I decided to start my own business as an editor and book coach. Any time I had for my own writing was now eaten up by being a mom or building my business. My manuscript sat untouched for months. Even though I desperately wanted to write, I didn’t have the energy at the end of the day to do so.

Eventually, I remembered how I had so much success before: by treating my writing like a job. I needed to give the same level of commitment to my own creative work as I did to my actual work. My time was even more limited now and some days were entirely unpredictable with my little one around, but I made an effort at the beginning of each week to schedule in writing time as appointments with myself in my schedule, and I made every effort to ensure I kept those appointments with myself. Of course, mom life meant some would be missed, just the same as with any other job, but I tried to reschedule that time where possible or gave myself grace when I just had to miss the writing time altogether.

Progress might have been slower than I was used to, but I finished the book. And I have another one in progress. When people tell me they wish they could write a book, but they don’t have the time, I always encourage them to start anyways. Sure, you might not have the time to write a book as quickly as you’d like, but you can still make slow progress. And I truly believe that making slow progress towards your dream is better than putting those dreams on hold indefinitely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Lisa Fellinger writes contemporary women's fiction with lovably flawed, relatable characters. When she's not writing her own stories, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams as a book coach and developmental editor. She lives in Buffalo, New York with her husband, son, and fur babies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH LISA:

Website:

www.lisafellingerauthor.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/lisafellingerauthor

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lisafellinger_author

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BUY LINK:

Books2Read:

https://books2read.com/u/ml6kpq

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Lisa will award a $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Seven Days at Mannerley by Audrey Schuyler Lancho - Book Tour - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Seven Days at Mannerley

by Audrey Schuyler Lancho

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Historical Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BLURB:

The suitcase she found changed everything. The contents? An elegant dress and an invitation in another girl's name. Twenty-three-year-old Mary would go to the ball, enjoy how the rich lived just for one night, and then quietly slip back into her real life, sorting rubbish as a poor barmaid. No harm done. Of course, there wouldn't be much of a story to tell had it turned out that way.

It's 1870 in rural England, and Mary assumes the identity of the suitcase owner, Agnes. When Mary's one night at Mannerley estate turns into a seven-day, hilarious farce, she quickly makes friends, finds suitors, and keeps fibbing. Not only does Arthur, the heir himself, fall for her, but so, too, does Mr. Singh, his friend visiting from India, making advances in plain sight of the heir. Making matters worse, a former workmate recognizes Mary and extorts her: she must steal a golden watch from the heir for him or have her true identity exposed and risk being thrown in jail, which could mean death--and that would certainly ruin her stolen, er, borrowed ball gown.

The only way Mary can get close enough to Arthur to steal his watch is via sensuality and flirtation. But as Mary scrambles to cover her tracks, her lies and crimes compound, weaving themselves into an impossible tangle. All the while Agnes, the real owner of the fancy ball gown, is making her way ever-closer to Mannerley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT ONE:

She swung the door open, pocketing her key, and grabbed the corner of her dress and held it to walk. Arthur was standing a short way off by the stairs where he had been waiting for her, every golden hair perfectly combed. His pocket watch’s chain glistened on his vest in the lamplight. He heard her and turned to face her.

“Your hair. It’s wild.”

“I’m sorry, I slept too long.”

“I like it,” he said almost too quietly, a bit raspy, and she took his arm. Once again, she was his object, and she didn’t know quite what to make of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Audrey has always written stories. Her very first picture book which she wrote in early elementary school was about a mean, grumpy tooth fairy. Her first “novel”, bound using a cardboard cereal box, was written in the fourth grade. By high school, she was writing secret novels of her own, usually naming her characters by her own initials. By her twenties, she knew that writing was her calling––and she’s so glad you’re reading her debut romance!

Audrey lives in North Carolina with her Spaniard husband and two young sons, is completely bilingual in Spanish, and enjoys church, crochet, jigsaw puzzles, time with friends, yoga, and funny movies. She’s a freelance fiction editor on Upwork, an editor at a literary agency. She also writes contemporary romance under the name Audrey Lancho. Her debut contemporary is due out in May 2025 from Harpeth Road. You can learn more about Audrey by visiting www.audreylancho.com and signing up for her newsletter––she promises not to spam you; she’ll just inform you of big happenings and new releases. Audrey also enjoys connecting with readers and other authors on X/Twitter and Instagram (@audreylancho).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH AUDREY:

Website/Newsletter:

www.audreylancho.com/connect

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Audrey-Schuyler-Lancho/author/B0CSGN9RVG

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47903487.Audrey_Schuyler_Lancho

Upwork (editorial services):

https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~016edfde2663d23587

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/audrey.schuyler

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/audreylancho

Instagram:

https://instagram.com/audreylancho

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Audrey will award a $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Our Lives In Between by Billie Kowalewski - Book Tour - Book Sale - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Our Lives In Between

by Billie Kowalewski

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BLURB:

It had been five years since the accident that derailed Veronica’s life, which left her suffering from a strange flu-like illness ever since. Thanks to a barrier set in her mind at birth, she can’t remember her name is Harmony and that this is not her real life. She has no memory of the many lives she had lived before this one and how several of those lives had been cut short. How she must uncover the reason why those lives had ended so early, and how this moment may hold the key, or she risks losing herself and Earth forever.

As Harmony, she wants to uncover the reason why her lives keep ending so soon. As Veronica, she wonders how much longer she has to live like this? What could possibly be left for her? Little did she know, she was about to get her answers...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT TWO:

Transitioning from our life on Earth back to our real life can be compared to waking up from a very vivid dream. Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of doing something you didn’t expect, which can create a very awkward situation at times. The effects from going to Earth had worn off and it slowly occurred to me that I was on someone’s lap, still gripping their shirt. Just like me, being Harmony here meant that Seth was someone else here as well. Shit. I winced at the thought of turning around because I was afraid of who it might be.

The moment I turned, the stark contrast in his appearance caused me to leap out of his lap. “Whoa!” I stumbled back in my haste, catching my foot on my robe, flipping backward right over the cot.

He leaned over the cot, offering me his hand. “Harmony, are you alright?”

I looked up, and as soon as I saw that sandy blond hair and those blue eyes, I groaned on the inside.

Kaleb was the last soul I wanted to see.

He and I had been arguing before we left here for this last life. I remembered what he did—all the times he had gotten me killed early—and I realized that he may have done it again.

I got up quickly from the floor on my own. “I could have sworn I said that I didn’t want to talk to you.”

“You did.” His reply was so smooth and casual.

“Then what are you doing here?” I tried to control my tone but the irritation I felt at just the sight of him at the end of another short-lived life just wouldn’t quite let me.

“I was brought in for your transition from Earth.” His reply sounded so innocent, but I was on to him.

I crossed my arms. “You should have declined that invitation.”

“What for? You’re not still angry, are you?”

“Uh, did you seriously think I wouldn’t be?”

“I thought things might be a little different after that last one.” He sounded so sure of himself.

“Just because we got along during one lifetime does not make up for what you did in all those other ones!”

“It doesn’t?”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because you keep killing me!” I practically shouted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUEST POST:

Top Ten Book Romances According to Billie

1.) Harmony & Kaleb (naturally!) (Our Lives In Between)

2.) Edward & Bella – Stephenie Meyer (Twilight)

3.) Jamie & Claire – Diana Gabaldon (Outlander!)

4.) Luce & Daniel – Lauren Kate (Fallen Series)

5.) Noah & Allie – Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook)

6.) Henry & Claire – Audrey Niffenegger (Time Traveler’s Wife)

7.) Katy & Daemon – Jennifer L. Armentrout (Obsidian)

8.) Kate & Vincent – Amy Plum (Die For Me)

9.) Lena & Ethan -- Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures)

10.) Buttercup and Westley – William Goldman (Princess Bride) Yes, I read the book!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Billie Kowalewski grew up in a small town along the Connecticut shoreline. She’s always had a wild imagination and spent her childhood dreaming up stories. This would often lead her to the library or whatever bookstore where she would be combing the shelves for books that closely resembled what was in her head at the time. A lot of the time she would come close and would be satisfied with what she found. However, there was always this one story she could never find. It was in 2010 that she decided to write it herself. In whatever spare time she has left, she enjoys listening to pretty much anything that rocks, like 80's hair bands, metal, etc. She also has a gift for finding the strangest movies and shows ever (according to her children) and loves spending time with her family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH BILLIE:

Website:

https://www.billiekowalewski.com

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kowalewskibillie

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@billiekowalewski9288

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/authorbilliek

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/enlightenedbookofficialpage

https://www.twitter.com/enlightened31

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@billiekowalewski3

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/billie-kowalewski

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/harmony31

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:

**Our Lives In Between eBook is on SALE at Amazon for ONLY $0.99!!!**

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG3PFJKD

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143953733?ean=9781535604505

Apple Books:

http://books.apple.com/us/book/id1212458275

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/our-lives-in-between

Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=WMrREAAAQBAJ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Billie will award a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, April 19, 2024

Pursuit of Innocence by Bethany Rosa - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Pursuit of Innocence

by Bethany Rosa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BLURB:

“I’m done waiting around. You’re mine. No more games or pining over someone else when it’s me you want. You won’t remember his name after I get through with you.”

Lily knows exactly what she wants in life. To graduate, land a high-paying job, and forge her own way. Nothing will distract her. Until the ultimate playboy, billionaire Sebastian Dubree, barges in. Not to be overlooked, Lily’s longtime crush, Jackson, decides she’s worth the fight.

Reluctant to succumb to either, she quickly becomes a challenge to conquer.

Lily must decide between the familiarity of her childhood longing or the newly discovered passion ignited by the dominant CEO. But can she surrender without losing herself in the process, or will someone take matters into his own hands?

Boundaries blur between desire and resistance in this gripping coming-of-age romance, leaving readers yearning for more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT FOUR:

“I hope you like champagne. I figured we could toast to our first date.”

“Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you? I was coming into this thinking it would be our only date. But yes, I love bubbly.” I laugh as I answer.

He opens the champagne, then fills our glasses as he responds. “I’m going to be honest. I have every intention of pursuing you unless you convince me with absolute certainty you’re not interested. And what comes out of your mouth versus what your body tells me are two very different things. I’ll be taking orders from the latter.” He hands me a glass of champagne, and I’m unsure how to respond, so I don’t.

He raises his glass. “Cheers, Lily, to seeing where this goes and enjoying the ride. I’m looking forward to showing you how enjoyable it can be.” We toast, and I take a sip of the most amazing champagne I’ve ever had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUEST POST:

Top 10 List of Hot Men:

1.) Robert Pattinson

2.) Jökull Júlíusson

3.) Chris Hemsworth

4.) Channing Tatum

5.) Henry Cavill

6.) Matt Bomer

7.) Stephen Amell

8.) Dylan Bruce

9.) Alan Ritchson

10.) Gabriel Macht

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Bethany Rosa raised four amazing daughters before fulfilling her dream to become a writer. Her goal is to ignite passion in readers through her erotically charged stories. When not immersed in writing, Bethany finds joy in life traveling the world alongside her husband of 25 years. Home is divided between the mountains of Montana and the Arizona sunshine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH BETHANY:

Website:

http://www.bethanyrosa.com

Instagram:

http://www.instagram.com/Bethanyrosa.author

TikTok:

http://www.tiktok.com/@authorbethanyrosa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVHM9VG7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Bethany will award a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Fallenwood Chronicles by Leslie D. Soule - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

The Fallenwood Chronicles Series

Books 1 - 4

by Leslie D. Soule

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Fantasy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK SERIES BLURB:

The Fallenwood Chronicles is the ongoing story of Ash Kensington, a young woman who finds herself transported into a fantasy world, where she must take up arms in a battle of Good vs. Evil, against the Dark Lord Malegaunt. Tragedy strikes her life in the real world, but she finds friends in Fallenwood, like her mentor Will Everett, a talking cat named Greymalkin, and a court jester named Terces.. Working together, they battle against the odds as Ash faces attacks from the world and from within. Eventually Ash finds the strength within herself, to attempt the fight against Malegaunt, against overwhelming odds, come what may.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT TWO:

“A dark, difficult, dangerous path lies before you, Ash Kensington.” Ash’s heart grew heavy. In truth, she knew that she was destined to some terrible, dark fate. For so long, her life was filled with sadness and doubt, and one horrible thing after another. What else can I hope for? “But Ash, you must not lose hope. Our world needs you, and you must learn to be strong, so you can find the power within yourself to change things for the better. Prove that you are stronger than your Fate. Prove that you are worthy of this life that you have been given. William Everett has agreed to guide you, and there will be others in this realm that you must learn from. But your future, your life—everything from this point on is up to you. For you have been granted a precious gift—to return to the place and time you left in coming here, once your quest is through.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUEST POST:

The Background Of The Fallenwood Chronicles

So let us begin at the beginning. I’ve always written myself stories, as a matter of habit, ever since I was little. I never questioned what I was doing, back then, as I typed away on my StarWriter word processor – I just did it, imagining quests and strange characters and scenarios that never were. And eventually I hit upon a character – Ash. She came to me first, as a character I could loosely base on myself, and then I wanted to give her friends. As a child and teenager, I had this cat named Bogey, and he would always sleep at the foot of my bed every night, and was the sweetest little creature I knew. [Photo of Bogey is below]

He was named Bogey because my stepfather was an avid golfer, and that’s who named him. So it seemed natural that I should give Ash a friend who was a cat. The cat character was going to be based on Bogey. And at the time, I’d been reading MacBeth, and there’s one part where the witches say, “Come, Greymalkin”, and I knew that that’s what I wanted to name him. So there we had Ash and Greymalkin. And the story grew from there.

The various characters that show up in the Fallenwood Chronicles, all have little pieces of me in them, though some of them are based on real people, like Will Everett.

Victor Hugo wrote that, “A writer is a world trapped in a person.”

And so it was, with me. I never expected to write four novels that would become a series. In fact, Forgetting Fallenwood (book 2 of the series) was something of an experiment. Could I transport Ash back to the real world? Have her follow me through my state job, and see how she would react? And why did my own world seem to fall apart when I tried to act the way society says you should? I demanded answers of the universe.

Well, Forgetting Fallenwood flowed effortlessly from my imagination. Where Fallenwood had taken years to write, I wrote book 2 in about six months or so. But critics were not so kind. I did not receive words of praise, for book 2. While I managed to avoid the topic of suicide that the first book took on, I still managed to write a book that received negative criticism. So I shelved my writing career for years on end. I thought I was a bad writer. And I didn’t touch the Fallenwood series again for quite some time.

But then I realized, that writing isn’t about sunshine and roses. It’s about “writing clear and hard about what hurts”, like Hemingway said. It’s about bleeding your heart onto the page. So I determined that I would keep on going, and write as clearly as I could, about all the ways in which the world had come to hurt me. Book 1 (Fallenwood) is about Death and coming to grips with it. Book 2 (Forgetting Fallenwood) is about Identity and loss of memory. Book 3 (Betrayer) is about Betrayal. And Book 4 (Retribution) is about Revenge.

So there you have it. At the end of the day, I’m proud of having written the Fallenwood Chronicles, despite whatever negative feedback has come along with it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO & LINK:

Leslie D. Soule received her M.A. in English from National University. She is a scholar, artist, citizen journalist, and martial artist. She has been an established writer for a decade, and has novels published by Melange Books, Terror House Press, Gypsy Shadow Publishing, and Nat 1 Publishing. The Fallenwood Chronicles is her 4-book fantasy series and features the novels Fallenwood, Forgetting Fallenwood, Betrayer, and Retribution.

Twitter handle:

@Fallenwood1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS: