Fairy Tale Giveaway Hop!!! Win a signed book!

Welcome to another great giveaway hop hosted by the amazing I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and vvb32reads! This giveaway runs from April 26th to May 1st. Thanks for visiting my blog and good luck!

I love the theme for this one because I love Fairy Tales. Believe it or not, Fateful was actually inspired by a fairy tale! The Frog Prince. The hero is just a vampire instead of a frog, and the plot is really quite different from the original tale...


Fair Maiden is a new spin on Sleeping Beauty. By adding a great deal of fantasy and a generous dose of paranormal, I don't think Fair Maiden is an ordinary retelling, though. I suppose my love affair with Fairy Tales is the reason why those antique stories have influenced my writing.

My top 3 favorite Fairy Tale heroes are:

#1 Prince Charming ~ What girl doesn't long to meet her own prince charming? I think even as we grow up we might secretly still wish for that. I don't think he always needs to be perfect, because silly personality quirks are what makes him even more lovable. Just like Flynn Rider in Tangled...

#2 Shrek ~ Need I say more?

#3 The woodsman in Little Red Riding Hood. ~ A tough guy with an ax who can take on the big bad wolf is always hot, right?

Now for the prize:
For one winner I will ship a signed paperback copy of Fair Maiden with a matching beaded bookmark. (USA only)

To enter:
(This Giveaway is closed. Thank you to everyone who entered! I'll email the winner very soon.)


1 mandatory entry:
Follow my blog via Google Friends Connect or email subscription and fill out the form below so I can contact you if you win.

For two optional extra entries:
+1~Tell me which fairy tales you would like to see retold, or who your favorite fairy tale hero is. Post this in the comments of this blog post.

+1~Follow my Facebook Fan Page.


After you enter my giveaway, go to either of these blogs for many more chances to win stuff!
I Am A Reader, Not a Writer or vvb32reads

Review of ReVamped by Ada Adams

Don't you just LOVE this cover? I do!!!!


Ada is a talented story teller who draws you in and won’t let you go until you finish the book. I only have time to read right before bed and for some reason when I started this one, I found that I kept reaching for it even though I was trying to read two other books at the same time. (Entwined and The Hunger Games) I loved those other two books as well, but I HAD to finish ReVamped before I could pick either of them back up!

Obviously ReVamped has vampires in it. I’ve loved vampires since movies like Love At First Bite. This silly movie cracked me up and it's when my love affair with vampires started. Ada Adams has created something that brings me back to the lighthearted and funny side of vampires like that movie, but in a completely different way. In this story there are vampire misfits, a vampire chewing bubble gum and popping the bubble with her fang, and special blood drinks available to vampires so they don't have to bite people. While this story is full of some witty humor, it’s also packed with some amazing action scenes and just enough romance to capture your heart.

Ada also explores what this world would be like if we all knew that vampires existed. Because of all the hype, they probably would be perceived as celebrities, and they likely would be expected to protect us mortals. At least I think so...anyway, I feel this story presents a unique and entertaining perspective! It's also a clean read that I wouldn't have a problem with handing over to my teen to read.

If you love vampires like I do, and would like to explore a refreshing new story about them, then I suggest you give ReVamped a try!

She is working on a sequel, so Ada Adams is a name to watch for!

YA Indie Carnival ~ Huh?

I was always the good girl, and when I first read the title of our topic, well, I was completely lost. I’ve never put the use of "substance" in any of my books either. So I’ve chosen a different excerpt where the characters are under the influence of something else...fairy magic....

From Forever, Ethan's point of view:
(Hint-start the music at the bottom before you start reading. ;)

It seemed there were no adverse side effects to consuming food tainted with fey magic. It’s true that he felt slightly ... what was the word? He wouldn’t say drunk exactly, because he didn’t feel out of control like that. He didn’t feel muddled either, but ... perhaps the word he was looking for was charmed. And healed, he thought, as his hand slid beneath the table and dropped to his knee. That felt even better than it had before he’d been dropped by the pixies and the juice had been the only thing where he could feel the magic work within his body.

His gaze swung to Danielle who was licking her fingers clean of something purple and sticky-looking. Clearly she had completely forgotten her upset from earlier. The look of pleasure that curled her mouth into a contented smile told him that. He mentally thanked Alora and the other fairies for the small gift as he vowed to offer his gratitude in person later. She still wore her shirt instead of having it tied around her waist and he was grateful for that too. Ethan didn’t know how much longer he could restrain the streak of violent jealously within him when he’d caught Casanova noticing how snuggly her T-shirt hugged her fully-bloomed body.

Making a visual pass over the table, his eyes landed on the guards. It seemed they were finished eating as well. The two who irritated him the most, Casanova and Richard, were busy talking at the far end of the table. Night had fallen and the vampires were on guard with their magic, avoiding his gaze and keeping a physical distance.

Leaning back in his chair, he again watched his wife. The persistent beat of the music pounded through his veins and he decided he really wanted to dance. With her. “Shall we?” he asked, although he frowned at how strange his voice sounded. He couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with it either, so he shrugged it off and reached for her hand.

She giggled and mingled her fingers with his. “I’d love to.”

As they moved toward the dance area, fairies flitted about, as some danced alone and others twirled like couples in love. The colorful glow coming off the fairies looked quite a bit like laser lights as they streaked from one side of the clearing to the other. And the way the darkened trees glittered with fairy dust seemed just like a mirrored ball hung somewhere unseen within this wooded place. For some odd reason, he had to concentrate really hard to find his voice when he commented on the scene. “It’s like we’re at a dance club.”

Danielle glanced around, and it seemed like she was having as much trouble finding words as he was. “Hmm, I hadn’t thought of it like that before.” She laughed and then murmured, “I just love dancing with the fairies.”

He loved it too, but again, that was something he couldn’t bring himself to own to verbally. Too girly. Instead he grinned, and lifting her right arm, he twirled her in a circle. She staggered slightly but smiled when he led her into another spin before capturing her about the waist.

Ethan kept Danielle well outside the ring of mushrooms where many fairies pranced on top of the red and white spotted fungi. First, he didn’t wish to step on any of them, and second, he recalled their strict warning about never wandering into the ring.

The lilting measure slowed until it became a tender melody that moved the soul, and Danielle’s arms came up around his neck. He drew her close and smiled down at her as they began to sway to the music. Her pretty face tipped up and she returned the smile. She’d undone her hair. The braided sections of it had maintained a wave that caressed her left cheek and drew his fingers. As the silky strands slipped through his fingertips, he decided she looked like a beguiling wood-nymph with the naughty intention of stealing his heart. But she can’t steal something she already possesses, he thought with a laugh.

The sight of her made his heart squeeze and he was easily entranced by her clear eyes that looked more like shards of steel-blue instead of brown in this subdued lighting that leached color from everything. His deep love for her rose up within him and he suddenly found it hard to breathe because he was reminded of all the things threatening to take her away. With his lungs seizing, Ethan wondered how much longer she could tolerate the danger his past had brought to her life. While leaving her would never be an option for him because that would not bring her safety, in the back of his mind he feared she might actually leave him. He was the one in danger of losing everything.... Ethan attempted to swallow whatever it was lodged in his throat. If she left him, the guards, who were much more loyal to her than him, would follow ... and then they’d move in on her. They weren’t weak and mortal like him. They didn’t need glasses like he did. He nudged them up the bridge of his nose because they’d slipped. His nostrils flared. He held his breath and ground his teeth.

“Are you okay?” she asked, jerking him out of his internal panic with the soft-spoken query.

Catching his eye, Danielle gave him that look of hers that told his soul she loved no one more than him, knew no one else like she knew him. It was that look that brought back such a strong sense of recognition between them that he couldn’t question how she felt about him. Somehow he knew they’d felt this way about one another for much longer than either had been alive. So why was he questioning her commitment now when he never had before? Ethan let himself breathe again. He noticed the fine tremble that had started in his fingers when he trailed the backs of them along the high bone of her cheek. But even with that knowledge in his head, he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Please don’t ever leave me.”

She blinked at that. “Have you lost your mind? I could never leave you.”

Mentally shaking his head, Ethan wondered what was wrong with his brain. His thoughts were clearly not rational at all. One moment he was laughing like a fool and the next he was on the edge of sheer anxiety. “Forgive me, it seems I—”

Danielle’s mouth mashed against his so quickly he just stood there for a moment with his eyes wide. They flickered shut as the taste of her touched his tongue and he hugged her to his chest more tightly than he should. She squeaked and he loosened his grip, but only a little. His amazing wife kissed him until she brought comfort back into his mind. Bless her. Ethan was sure she had no idea how much he needed that kiss at that moment, but he was eternally grateful to her for it.

With the change in rhythm of the music, his mood returned to his wish to dance. The tune sounded suspiciously like a samba. In the quiet depths of his thoughts, the roller coaster of emotions within him still seemed irrational, but he didn’t take the time to try and figure it out. He was surprised the fairies even knew such a tune, but he went with it anyway and led Danielle into the bouncy dance.

Laughing and looking at him like perhaps he had lost his mind, she asked, “What is this?”

“It sounds like a samba to me.”

“No way!”

With a wink, Ethan held her hand in his left and placed his right hand on her shoulder blade. “Do you know the ballroom samba?”

“Kind of.”

They made a pass around the fairy ring and Ethan decided she knew how to shake it better than “kind of,” the little minx. He was practically drooling with the way she rolled her hips, the way her clothes stretched over her sexy curves, the way she smirked at him with desire in her eyes. Deciding he needed to kiss her again, Ethan drew her back against his chest. His thumb found the bottom edge of her jawbone as he carefully nudged her face toward his. Stepping backward, he administered the sort of snogging she deserved for moving like that.

As the music lulled him into a magic-induced bliss, his focus became only that and Danielle. Then in one moment he was kissing and holding her, and in the next he was blinking up at a black span of space dotted with fuzzy but colorful lights.

What?

“Get out of the ring, Ethan,” someone said.

Ethan blinked, unable to even register what that meant. A groan drew his eyes to his left where he found Danielle unconscious next to him. Worried, he rose up onto his elbow and bent over her. With arms and legs sticking out at strange angles it appeared as though she’d collapsed. Ethan wondered why he hadn’t caught her before he realized he’d passed out too.

Only then did he grasp the alarming fact that instead of being outside of the fairy ring as they had been while they’d danced, they were now inside it, exactly where they’d been told repeatedly to never go. He curled his hand around Danielle’s hip and shook her gently but urgently. “Danielle, wake up.”

She groaned again and rocked her head back and forth before mumbling something he couldn’t understand.

When he tried to get to his feet so he could carry her to safety, the world went black again.

And, I just heard a song that really brings this scene to life for me. Enjoy, Close to You by Black Lab:

Release update!!!!

In Sophia's Cookbook for Mortals, she gives you many fairy-influenced recipes. Hopefully they won't make you loopy if you make the recipes at home. The cookbook will be released very soon! I'm not finished, but here is a preview of what the cover will sort of look like. And scroll down a couple of posts to get one of Sophia's recipes for free. Until next time!

Check out my fellow carnis in the links below:

New!!! Liz Long, Just another writer on the loose.
Also new!!! Ella James author of Stained
Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween
Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
K. C. Blake, author of Vampire Rules and Crushed
Heather Self
T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy
Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
Courtney Cole Writes

Guest Post by KC Blake ~ Author of Witch Hunt

Author, K. C. Blake is visiting my blog today. She just released Witch Hunt! I haven't read it YET, but I'm very intrigued by the synopsis. Check it out! The rest of this post is brought to you by K. C....

Something occurred to me the other day while I was working on my latest book Witch Hunt (available now at Amazon).  Before I wrote the first word I already knew my characters intimately, but the readers don’t know them at the beginning of the book.  As a writer I have to introduce the reader to my characters through action, dialogue, internal monologue, and narration.  It’s a daunting task.  I find myself wanting to throw everything at the reader at once, but you can’t do that.  The introduction has to be slow and easy. 

Witch Hunt is the second book in my witch-game series, but each book has different characters.  Plus there are several important characters in this book.  The more characters you have, the harder your job becomes.  Because this book is a paranormal romance I needed two main characters to fall in love.  They had to be strong, fun characters that the readers will learn to care about. 

Starr Hughes and Dylan Winchester aren’t supposed to be together.  He is in a group called the It-Squad, and they aren’t allowed to date outsiders.  Starr hears whispers about a game they are about to play.  It sounds dangerous and sneaky.  She worries that Dylan is up to no good.  Before she falls harder for him, she wants to find out what he and his little group are doing. 

Most books have a villain.  They’re always fun to work with.  Witch Hunt is no exception.  I added the shadow of a villain in the background.  Writing for a villain is different than writing for the protagonists.  Sometimes you don’t want the reader to know who the bad guy is until the reader nears the end of the book.  In the case of Witch Hunt I wanted the reader to suspect at least three people of being bad, so I had to add more characters.

Then you need to think about friends and family for your protagonists.  Starr had to have someone to confide in.  I gave her a good friend and a sometimes-absent father.  Dylan has his friends on the It-Squad, so I didn’t have to scrounge for someone for him to talk to. 

How do you introduce your characters to the reader?  Try not to throw too many at the reader at once.  I prefer to start with one or two characters.  Although in Crushed (number one in the witch-game series) the book begins with all three sisters.  A situation like that is doable as long as the characters have different personalities that will make each one stand out from the first page.  Be careful not to thrust the reader into a crowded room with several characters talking.  You can’t expect to keep the reader’s interest if they feel confused from page one.

Start off slow if you’re a beginner.  Write for one point-of-view character.  As a writer you will grow and your writing will grow with you.

YA Indie Carnival ~ Friday the 13th ~ Or Not...

Actually, I forgot it was Friday the 13th! It’s not something I think about much, mainly because I’m not a fan of horror. At all... So if you came here for horror, then you came to the wrong place! :D

I write YA Paranormal Romance without much in way of horror... Of course my villains are scary, but my stories are not the kind of stuff that will disturb your dreams. At least I don’t think so. Well, I suppose many people did find the spiders in Forever a bit horrifying...what did you expect from witches?

Anyway! Besides the spiders, probably the scariest I get is in my villains. So maybe you’ll enjoy this interview of Lucas that Max did for me. (Note: If you want an excerpt of Max’s story, which I’m working on at the moment, simply scroll down.)

Here is an interview of a vampire, oh wait, I mean an interview of a villain, oh wait, I mean an interview of a werewolf... ENJOY! (told from max's point of view)

“Welcome to Cheri’s blog, my lovely ladies...and dashing gents, whatever the case may be.” Max winks as he sketches a bow, his waves of brown hair tumbling down over his forehead. The knight shoves fingers through his hair to push it back into place as he settles into his chair. “Today, I have Lucas from the Fateful Trilogy here for an interview.” Max twists in his seat to face Lucas who is sitting in a comfortable chair in Beon’s drawing room at Order headquarters. “Welcome, villain.”

Lucas stares, or rather, scowls at Max before he says with a heavy note of annoyance in his tone, “Were you expecting me to cackle evilly, or something? Because it’s just not going to happen.”

Max shrugs his big shoulders and props one booted foot on his opposite knee, the picture of ease. Apparently the knight isn’t intimidated by murdering rogues. Although, it might have something to with the burly vampire body guards posted at the doors during this interview, but only a little bit.  Max is dangerous in his own right. “Shall we begin?” Max drops his gaze for a moment to peek at his notes.

“If you would get on with it, I’d appreciate it. I do have better things to do than sit here with you answering stupid questions.”

“Like what, exactly?” asks Max.

Muscles jump along Lucas’ jaw. His dark eyes narrow on the knight. His nostrils flare. “Are you talking about stupid questions you’d like to ask me, or what I’d rather be doing?”

“The latter, obviously,” mentions Max.

“Mischief and mayhem...obviously,” answers Lucas smugly.

“What sort of mischief and mayhem? Be specific. Our audience is curious to know,” Max queries with an annoyed lift of one eyebrow.

Smirking evilly, Lucas locks his dark gaze onto Max’s in a threatening way. “I could be seeking time alone with Nadia so that I may get to know her better. She and I haven’t...chatted much.” The smirk turns to a leer as it seems Lucas imagines what he’d like to be doing to Nadia.

Max comes back with a threat of his own. His lips thin, his fingers slip into his boot, and in the blink of any eye, he sends a knife at Lucas. The six-inch blade sinks into the back cushion of the chair Lucas is seated in.

The villain didn't even flinch. “No bad for an old rusty knight,” Lucas says in a silky voice.

“I’ve spent most of my life dispatching miscreants like you.”

“We've digressed,” comments Lucas.

Max draws a measured breath and releases it slowly, apparently in agreement. “Do you have any hobbies the readers might not know about?”

“Crossword puzzles,” says Lucas.

A mocking laugh blasts from Max. “Do you also knit?”

Lucas frowns. “You insult me.”

“Every chance I can get.”

“You’re digressing again,” Lucas says. “Did you have any other questions for me? Perhaps something more relevant than what I do with my spare time, like what I do with my victims instead? I can promise you, the readers would be much more interested in what I could be, or rather, will be doing to Nadia.”

“Threaten my wife again, and next time I won’t intentionally miss.” Lucas didn’t seem to have an answer to that, so Max went on, “What made you like this, Lucas? What event in your life darkened your soul so much?”

“I think I was always like this, to be honest,” Lucas says with a note of pride.

“Always evil? Surely as a child—”

“I don’t remember much from my childhood. But what I do recall, it wasn't exactly pleasant.”

“Your father—”

“Wasn't the nicest chap there ever was.”

“So you’re blaming your evilness on him, then?”

Lucas shrugs his shoulders. “I wouldn't be the first.”

“Now you’ve made me curious. Tell me more about your father, would you? What was it about him that turned you to a life of disruptive and violent behavior?”

“This is an insipid line of questioning. Next please,” Lucas says with an air of superiority.

Max rolls his jaw in an apparent effort to keep his anger tamped down. “Fine. Let’s just cut to the chase, hmm? What is it about being a monster that appeals to you so much?”

“It’s a bit cliché, but there is power in fear.”

“So this is all about power?”

Lucas sighs. “Actually, no. It’s all about revenge.”

“Against Ethan,” says Max.

“Precisely.”

“Did I just hear my name?” Ethan asks as he enters with service for tea.

Max draws in a breath of air, and his eyes land on the hot scones on a plate next to the teapot. Despite the fact that he was hungry, he eyes Ethan with unmasked curiosity. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Then I’m simply here to offer refreshment.” Ethan’s gaze touches on Lucas and it was easy for Max to mark the lie.

“Really?” Max asks doubtfully.

“Of course.” Ethan starts pouring out. He has three teacups so Max knows he intends to serve Lucas as well. Intrigued, Max leans back into the cushion and watches to see how this is going to play out. “Would you like a spot of tea?” Ethan asks Lucas.

Lucas eyes the cup wearily. “Is it poisoned?”

A chuckle rumbles out of Ethan. “Would I poison you?”

“Yes. I believe you would.”

“What reason exactly would I have to poison you?” When Lucas doesn’t answer right away, Ethan asks, “One lump or two?”

Lucas folds his arms. The corners of his mouth slid downward. “Where’s Danielle? Isn’t she going to join our quaint little tea party too?”

“No,” Ethan practically growls, straightening, the food forgotten...apparently. Ethan removes his glasses and sets them carefully on the coffee table next to the tea tray.

The action was clearly not lost on Lucas as he also rises to his feet and pushes up his sleeves.

“Ethan, what are you doing now?” Max asks.

“Nothing,” Ethan shoves up his sleeves as well.

“Why did you take off your glasses then?”

“No reason.”

Max rolls his eyes when Ethan throws the first punch, and the two men brawl, spilling the tea, smashing the teacups, and breaking the table.

Max hadn’t noticed at first, but Ethan had ropes and a gag in his back pocket.  As a bruise develops around Ethan’s left eye, and a trickle of blood oozes from his bottom lip, Ethan tightens the knot on the ropes now securing Lucas to the floral-patterned wingback chair.

Clearing his throat, Max folds his arms over his chest and shoots a curious gaze at Ethan. “Exactly how am I supposed to interview the villain with him bound and gagged like that?”

Ethan shrugs his shoulders. “Scone?”

Casting his gaze to the ruined food on the floor he lifts an eyebrow.

Ethan’s face splits into a smile. “I’ve got fresh ones in the kitchen, this was poisoned.”

“And you need a new pair of spectacles,” Max points out.

“Oops,” says Ethan spying his crunched eyewear in the mess littering the decorative rug.

PS: For perhaps some good Friday the 13th reading, check out the Vampire Diaries. A series my daughter loves! It was written long before Twilight was out, and, even though we love the show at our house, the books are nothing like it. They're better, in a different sort of way...

~0R~

Some of my fellow carnis can better take care of you in terms of horror than me, so please take a minute to check out their blogs too. (But before you leave, view the post before this one, leave a comment about what recipes you’d like to see in Sophia’s cookbook, and be entered into a giveaway for a signed book!)

YA Indie Carnival:
New!!! Liz Long, Just another writer on the loose.
1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween
2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.Heather Self
4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
8.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
10.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
12. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
14.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
16.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
18.TG Ayer
19.Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy
20.Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21.Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover
22.Courtney Cole Writes

Sophia’s Cookbook for Mortals

Sophia’s Cookbook for Mortals is nearing completion!!  If you haven't read Fateful yet, you'll need to to understand who Sophia is. She's a vampire who loves to cook for mortals, and she's very mess about it. She wears pearls and a frilly white apron while cooking, but that pretty apron is completely slimed.

Before this book comes out, however, I wanted to ask: Are there any recipes you really want to see from The Fateful Trilogy included? I think I've covered all of the important ones, as well as many you may not have thought of. I just wanted to double check with you, my wonderful readers...

Enjoy this sample recipe from the book:

Tender Cream Scones

You’ll need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons honey

Heavy whipping cream to moisten and bind

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients with a fork, and set aside. Blend honey into 1/2 cup of the cream until it dissolves. Add cream and honey mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing with a fork or metal spoon. Slowly pour in more cream to the dry crumbs until you have a nice dough consistency. It should be on the sticky side, but it will also be slightly stiff. Just make certain it is not dry or so wet it’s gooey. You should be able to touch it with lightly floured fingers without it sticking to your hand. Scrape edges of the bowl to incorporate all of the flour, but also be careful not to over mix. Dump dough out onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet or a baking stone. With lightly floured fingers, press dough out into a circle that is about an inch to an inch and a half thick. Dip a pizza cutter into flour and cut the dough into wedges, very much like slicing a pizza. To aid in browning the top, brush with heavy whipping cream. Bake in 450 degree oven until fluffy and lightly golden brown. If you’re not sure if they’re done, carefully lift the corner of one scone to make certain they’re not doughy inside. Baking time is about 8-12 minutes. These are best fresh out of the oven. Serve with clotted cream or Devonshire cream and lemon curd, or butter and your favorite fruit preserves. (There is a recipe for homemade lemon curd at the end of this chapter.)

Note: These aren’t a very sweet scone, but the flavor balances well with sweet preserves on top. If you prefer a sweeter scone, then simply add more honey. You could add half and half for a lower in fat version. However, the secret to the nice flavor and the tender texture of these scones is the heavy cream. Add dried fruit to the dry ingredients, such as dried cranberries, currants, apricots, or blueberries for variety. 

Up and Coming! Borrow Fateful, Fractured, or Forever for FREE!

I hope everyone is having a nice Spring Break! If you’re looking for something to read, YA Indie Carnival has some great new releases available, go here to check them out!

And The Fateful Trilogy just went prime, so you can borrow any of the three books for FREE from Amazon if you’re a member of their prime program! Just click on the book covers in this post to get them from Amazon.

The Fateful Trilogy is Ethan’s and Danielle’s story only. But I know many of you fell in love with the side characters as well. To be honest, in some cases, that really surprised me! They were just side characters, after all! But I’m also very flattered and my head is still in that world as well as with Ethan and Danielle. So I simply can’t stop myself from writing about these “side characters” that you’ve fallen in love with. While the Fateful Trilogy was just for Ethan and Danielle, the Fateful Series is for all of them!!!

I have so many books planned, it’s really hard for me to list them all especially since I don’t know how soon their releases are, but I’ll do my best to give you a preview. Note: The titles of all of these could change...and these are not in order of release:

Sophia's Cookbook for Mortals: A fun and real recipe book featuring recipes Sophia likes to mess up her apron with.

Maximilian: A novelette on how Max joined a new Order of Knights and then met Nadia. This one will start out in a historical setting and move to a modern one. (For an excerpt of this story got to the blog post right before this one!)

Becoming Cursed: A novelette in a historical setting on how Beon became a vampire and then courted Sophia by kidnapping her.

The Black Prince: A novelette on your favorite surly prince.

Little Red: A novelette about the red-headed witch in Forever and her forbidden love for a werewolf.

I have plans for some of the other Fateful side characters as well, like Brianna, Danielle’s cousin. I just haven’t worked out all of the details yet. so please stay tuned! ;)

The Trapping Club: I have a lot of handwritten notes for The Trapping club—this is the sequel to Fair Maiden, or book 2 in that series. Beginning with a magical masquerade and a kidnapping, The Trapping club is the tale of second sons as they struggle for survival in a society that leaves such forgotten. Those who’ve read the first book will be surprised to find that the hero of this next enchanting tale is the brother of the villain in Fair Maiden, and the heroine will be a grown-up Emma...

The Mistaken Reformer: This is book 3 in the Fair Maiden series. Peter, Christian’s brother will be the hero and the heroine is still a mystery as of yet...

The Fairy Ring Enchantment: This is the first story I dreamed about, thinking it would be a short picture book. But when I started writing, it was turning into a novel. With no plans of becoming a writer, I was extremely confused by that. I never thought I'd have a novel in me. This is a story about fair rings and why you shouldn’t step inside them...

I’m also working on a steampunk story and, believe it or not, a new twist on Peter Pan! But a gown up Peter Pan. Just like a grown up Jeremy Sumpter as shown in the photo on the right. LOL In truth, the Peter Pan one totally took me by surprise and came to me in a dream a couple of weeks ago. Both of these stories should appeal to those of you who loved Fair Maiden. I'm sure I'm forgetting to list a few, but this is all I can recall at the moment.