Catch up!

Well, well, well! I have got some news–good and bad–to share. We’ll start with the bad, because it’s not really that bad so much as it is me being dramatic. I have unfortunately come down with a cold. Yes, you guessed it. Sick panda has returned.

The liiiight. It BURNS!

I’m not that bad, yet. Sadly I know it will get worse as I had the “privilege” to watch my sister go through all the symptoms. The worst day will be tomorrow, but I’ll probably be hopped up on meds for the next few days, which will make for some interesting blog posts.

But! The good news! I finished The Snow Queen and it is off to Editor #1 for the next few weeks! For those who are watching my release schedule, yes, The Snow Queen isn’t set to release until mid December. Unfortunately, Editor #2’s schedule is packed in the late fall/early winter, so I needed to write the manuscript and get it into the editing process as quickly as possible. However, worry not! My release schedule is still on time, so Endeavor from the King Arthurs series will release in November. I even have a little wiggle room at this point, something that is rare for me.

More good news: I’ve finally sent Cinderella and the Colonel to the formatters! This means you can expect to see it in paperback in September. As this time I have an inkling of what I’m doing, it should be done more quickly, so I can confidently say it will be out before the end of September, but privately I’m hoping it will be ready to go by mid September.

That’s about it for today. I intend to use my window of active brain cells to do some editing, so I need to hop off to work. Good luck to all you students and those with careers involved in the education world as you return to school. Personally, I cannot WAIT for school to start (it begins tomorrow for my area) as Perfect Dog and I always get swarmed by kids walking to school–something that greatly pleases Perfect Dog as she is highly social and thinks that I am a hermit/social leper. Until next time, Champions!

Long Live the King!

Wow! For the King Arthur Popularity Poll, Britt Arthurs had a runaway win, consisting of 163 votes! Second came Merlin with 131 votes, and Kay trailing just behind him with 116 votes. Next came Sir Gawain (38 votes) Nymue (27 votes) and Morgan (26 votes). You can check out the rest of the results in the post below, but I’m thrilled that Britt is such a resounding favorite! (She got nearly 30% of the votes. You go girl!)

So far this month I’ve managed to close out a few projects and get a few edits live. I’ve also been able to catch up on some reading, so I thought I would share a few of the books I’ve found.

Jackaby: I got this gem at the local library, it’s a historical, paranormal, mystery. It might sound like an odd mash-up, but it’s absolutely delightful! It follows the heroine who is in desperate need of employment and ends up serving as the assistant for Jackaby–investigator of the paranormal.

If you are a fan of fantasy and Sherlock Holmes, this book is meant for you. Because I know it’s a concern for some of you, I need to say it can be bloody–although not to the levels of thriller-gore as it is a YA book. It’s got more blood and death than I usually read, but the characters are so brilliant and the dialogue is fun and snappy!

Frederica: I bought myself a Kindle Unlimited subscription, and I devoured a lot of Georgette Heyer’s books. This is a sweet historical novel with a touch of romance that is guaranteed to keep you laughing! The story follows our Frederica and her efforts to launch her younger sister into London society with the help of her reluctant-bachelor-guardian-who-isn’t-really-her-guardian.

I felt like the last fourth of the book dragged a little because there was less humor and a little more drama, but it was still a charming book with clean romance and a lot of laughter.

The Emperor’s Edge: Wow, just, wow. This book can be picked up for free on Amazon (it’s the first in the series) and it is an absolute treasure. The characters in the book are hysterical and unique, and the plot is gripping. This book follows Amaranthe, one of the few female enforcers (police) in her fantasy/steam-punk world. Through a series of unfortunate events, Amaranthe is marked for death by the commanding general–who also happens to be guilty of drugging and manipulating the young emperor. For the good of the country, Amaranthe must get the general cast out of favor, rescue the emperor, and hopefully restore her honor with the help of her unlikely, motley crew.

Like Jackaby, it had more blood than I usually go for–one of the main characters is an assassin, so you can imagine how much carnage he causes–but these characters! They do the funniest things and they have some of the best conversations! I don’t know if I can give the rest of the series my stamp of approval (I’m reading book two, and so far it hasn’t been as funny, its had a few crude lines as you see the motley crew without Amaranthe there to civilize them, and it is a little worse gore-wise, although the plot is just as inventive and dynamic) but book one is definitely worth the download. (Note, for you romance lovers King’s Edge has only the tiniest smidgen, so don’t enter into it expecting a love story. The author says the romance builds as the series progresses.)

So that’s what I’ve read recently. How about you guys?

Book questionnaire

Happy Tuesday everyone! I thought we could use a break from the question/answer posts, so today I’m doing a book meme/questionnaire thing. (Hoo, wow that made me sound intelligent.) As far as MY book news goes…I am not suspiciously busy because I’ve started to work on my next book whilst The Little Selkie is off getting edited. Nope. Certainly not. Nah….. Did I fool anyone?

Anyway, book questionnaire/meme/thing time!

List the book that you feel best fulfills the description!

1. What book has the best bromance/male friendship? That’s a tie between Rogue’s Home by Hilari Bell and The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner.

2. The best villain? Gaaaaaah I feel like there are too many choices for this one so I can’t even narrow it down. What do you think, Champions?

3. Best main female character? I waver a lot on this one, but Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde is consistently in my top choice, so I think it’s safe to say it’s the reigning champion.

4. Book that best describes your life? The Grimm Legacy. I am constantly running around doing research on the Brothers Grimm and their fairy tales, so this book feels highly applicable.

5. What book was an unexpected treasure? I have to go with two on that: Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge and The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram. (I looove Libby!)

6. Best fairy tale retelling? I obviously read a lot of these, but the series “The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom” by Christopher Healy is really high on my list. It’s silly and adorable, but I love it!

7. Best friendship? Based on the first question I would assume they mean female friendship this time, but I’m going to dodge that and say Pegasus by Robin McKinley. Never mind that I am most assuredly NOT SPEAKING to Mrs. McKinley due to her abandonment of the previously mentioned series, it still is, I believe, an incredible portrait of friendship.

8. Funniest-laugh-out-loud book? It’s a three-way tie between Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones, the Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (The Tiffany Aching books are in general hilarious due to the wee free men) and Myth Conceptions by Robert Asprin. Weirdly all three of these books belong to the fantasy genre.

9. Best Romance? Pride and Prejudice is a must for me, although there are lots of other options. What are your thoughts, Champions?

10. Best girl power series? Probably The Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce. I really like Kel, and I admire how loyal she is.

Those are my answers–at this time, anyway. My mind changes a lot based on what I’ve most recently read. What do you think, Champions?