Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ BIG NUMBERS by Jack Getze

 

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for BIG NUMBERS by Jack Getze!

http://www.booknerdtours.com/2013/big-numbers-by-jack-getze.html

Laugh at divorced dad Austin Carr, a funny, oversexed scamp who’ll do anything to get his kids back. Think Bugs Bunny with guns and a penis.

Divorced dad Austin Carr wakes up every day in a beat-up camper, parked on someone else’s private property. Why? Because his alimony and child support payments were established by New Jersey’s family court system when his income was double, and for the last two years he has failed to earn the legally mandated monthly nut. He’s had his savings drained, his Maxima repossessed, his salary attached, and his visiting rights suspended. He bought the twelve-year-old Chevy pick-up with the rusty camper for $800 last month because another landlord tossed his butt in the street. Will stretching the rules, his own morals, and the boundaries of common sense raise the cash needed to get his kids back? Or will his big mouth and bad behavior set him up for a nasty double-cross? See if Austin can redeem himself and win back his children.

You can purchase Big Numbers at the following here:

 

Praise for Big Numbers:

“Darkly comic, with an engaging protagonist.”

– T.J. MacGregor, Edgar Winner, Author of The Tango Key Mysteries
—
 “Big Numbers is a gritty, sexy, violent, and funny book.”

– Liz Clifford at Reviewed by Liz
—
 “Wonderful characters…well-written, entertaining…a good read.”

–Connie Anderson for Armchair Interviews
—
 “Indiana Jones has his whip and Luke Skywalker has his light saber, but for Austin Carr, his full-boat grin is the weapon of choice.”

–Melissa for Lou Reads
—
 “Jack Getze started his career as a newspaper reporter. As a result, BIG NUMBERS is lean and mean, with not a word wasted. A truly fun, genuinely funny read.”

–Lisa Guidarini for Bluestalking Reader

About The Author

Former Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Getze is Fiction Editor for Anthony-nominated Spinetingler Magazine, one of the internet’s oldest websites for noir, crime, and horror short stories. His screwball mysteries, BIG NUMBERS and BIG MONEY, are being reissued in 2013 by Down and Out Books, with the new BIG MOJO set for 2014. His short stories have appeared in Passages, A Twist of Noir, and Beat to a Pulp. Getze is an Active Member of Mystery Writers of America’s New York Chapter.

WEBSITE | GOODREADS

 

Giveaway

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Cover Reveal for Lotus Petals by Brantwijn Serrah

Presented by

 Book Info-

Title: Lotus Petals

Author : Brantwijn Serrah

Genre: Paranormal/Historical/Erotic Romance

Audience: Adult

Formats: E-book

Publisher: Breathless Press

Cover By: Victoria Miller

Editor: Jayne Wolf

Pages: 111 pages

Expected Date of Publishing:  

Jan 17, 2014


Blurb-

Aijyn, human slave to a ruthless vampire Lord, would never dare do anything to incur his wrath. Then, she fell in love... with his bride.

Excerpt-

Three vampires rested in the room occupied by the captain of the daimyo’s hunting party—all three of them awoke instantly when the little human oiran threw back the screen, shouting at them in furious Japanese. Without waiting for them to move, she strode boldly across the little space to come eye-to-eye with the captain himself as he struggled to come to his feet. At first they were so stunned by the mortal’s appearance none of the three knew what to do: Kazuo, the captain, finally registered her shrill accusations.

"You would poison the daimyo’s honored guest?" she shouted at him. "You would drug her with octopus venom and then humiliate her?"

Coming to his senses—they were slower in the daytime, vampires—Kazuo brought his hands down on her shoulders and lifted her off her feet. The sudden movement reminded her she had stepped into a tiger’s den—she stiffened in his grasp and sucked in a fearful breath.

"Since when does the human come into my rooms uninvited?" he snarled. Fear shook her—she fully expected he would hurt her, and rightfully so—but she did not give off.

"Rhiannon Donovan has drunk the venom of the blue-ring octopus," she said, her voice quavering but still strong. "Your huntsmen use it to paralyze and kill—one of them drugged the human she hunted, and she swallowed it with his blood!"

"You dare charge my men with such a disgraceful act? And for a gaijin slut?"

"What’s going on here?"

Kazuo looked up; his two servants followed his glance. In the doorway stood Nagisa, tall and elegant, wrapped in the gauzy silk of her azure sleeper’s yukata—she, too, must have been roused by the sound of Aijyn’s screams. Her cold eyes regarded each of them carefully.

"Aijyn," she said, the curiosity in her tone edged with danger. "What do you mean by disturbing the captain during his daytime rest?"

Kazuo shot a dangerous and warning glare at the human oiran, but Aijyn ignored it, desperate with fear.

"Nagisa-sama, the Councilwoman’s noble emissary was betrayed last night during the hunt," she said quickly; she’d never imagined one day it might be Nagisa, of all people, to save her from the fangs of an angry vampire.

"Rhiannon drank the blood of a human poisoned with octopus venom, and now she lies in her rooms injured and sick. They took her hair, Nagisa-sama! They’ve shorn her like a...like a rag boy!"

Nagisa’s poisonous eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line like the blade of a knife.

"Kazuo," she said, the word like a stone dropping into an empty well. "Put Aijyn down."

Kazuo stared, incredulous, at the graceful tayu. When he did not immediately comply, Nagisa strode into the room and grabbed him by the throat.

"Why, Kazuo-san," she growled sweetly. "I had no idea you had already become so bored with immortality. Seventy-three years, if I recall, and already you wish for our master to release your soulless carcass into oblivion."

Amazingly, Kazuo slowly backed down, quietly letting Aijyn go while his eyes remained furiously on Nagisa. His servants watched with silent awe as Nagisa continued, never breaking her hold on the captain’s neck.

"Aijyn-chan, you are surely aware you will suffer greatly, should this accusation prove false," the tayu said.

"I am quite sure of it, Nagisa-sama," Aijyn replied, bowing low. "I have heard the captain and his hunting party speak of the blow-darts they use to sting their human prey with the toxin. Kazuo-san has said the poison stings kin-born vampires as well; I am quite sure Rhiannon has swallowed it, and what reduced her to helplessness while her clothes were torn and her hair cut off."

"Please return to the rooms of our guest. Attend to her carefully—be sure these men did not force themselves on her body, as well. I will deal with Kazuo, and send word to the daimyo of this dishonorable conduct."

Aijyn felt cold all through her, and a dizzy giddiness swept through her mind. She had not even considered what she did—storming into one of the vampire’s nests!—and now she felt weak in the stomach. How had she even survived it?

Nagisa’s words echoed in her head: make sure the men had not forced themselves on Rhiannon’s body. How could she not have considered it or checked for signs of it, to see if Rhiannon had also been raped by these monsters?

"Aijyn-chan," Nagisa said again. Shaken from her daze, she nodded. Then she slipped quickly out of the room and found herself running, again, for Rhiannon. 

About the Author –

Sometime in early 2009, Brantwijn Serrah ran across an erotic novel in her local Barnes and Noble, and fell in love with the gorgeous geisha pictured on the cover. Sad to say, the book didn't live up to expectations. After one too many iterations of the phrase "his most honorable penis", Brantwijn decided to write her own story instead. The idea for Lotus Petals, the tale of a geisha seduced into the world of vampires, was born.


When she isn't visiting the worlds of immortals, demons, dragons and goblins, Brantwijn fills her time with artistic endeavors: sketching, painting, customizing My Little Ponies and sewing plushies for friends. She can't handle coffee unless there's enough cream and sugar to make it a milkshake, but try and sweeten her tea and she will never forgive you. She moonlights as a futon for four lazy cats, loves tabletop role-play games, and can spend hours watching Futurama, Claymore or Buffy the Vampire Slayer while she writes or draws.


In addition to Lotus Petals, Brantwijn has had several stories published in anthologies by Breathless Press, including the 2013 Crimson Anthology and 2014 Ravaged Anthology.  She's also had a short story published in the Cleiss Press Big Book of Orgasm, and hopes to have several more tales to tell as time goes on.  She has author pages on GoodReads and Amazon and loves to see reader comments on her work. Her short stories occasionally pop up at Foreplay and Fangs, her blog at http://brantwijn.blogspot.com. 

Amazon / Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Goodreads

Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ A Little Broken by Juli Valenti

 

Book Info -

Title - A Little Broken

By - Juli Valenti

Genre - Contemporary Romance

 

Blurb -

 

Jessie Braden thought she had it all. A husband, a new baby – her life was on course, exactly what she always wanted…Until one day, she loses everything.

 

Ruined and broken, she’s left alone to pick up the pieces of her life. Unable to cope, she spontaneously packs up and moves across the country, hoping that new scenery will help.

 

Once in sunny Florida, she finds an apartment and a job but while Jessie is surviving, she isn’t living…until one night she meets someone. Dominick.

 

Desperate for an escape from the pain of her memories, she relents to his unerring determination and agrees to spend time with him.

 

Through his patience and understanding, she will learn that she’s not ruined…she’s just a little broken.

 

Excerpt

 

The sun shining through the window woke Jessie. According to the bedside clock, iit was six in the morning. She’d only been asleep for about three hours since the nightmare episode that Dominick rescued her from. His arms were still around her, his face buried in her hair as he slept. She became aware that he was aroused, hard, and pressing into her backside. She squirmed a bit, and he groaned, shifting to pull her tighter against him.

 

She lifted one of his arms so she could turn in his embrace. He looked so lovely to her, his hair rumpled with sleep, mouth open slightly as he breathed. Stretching, she reached up to kiss him softly on the lips. He stirred then, and opened his eyes. He closed them again, but captured her lips with his. His kiss was gentle at first, a mere brush of lips. His hand came up to cradle her face, holding her, and he deepened it. She opened without any prompting and his tongue brushed hers, reigniting the flames that had only dimmed inside her the night before.

 

Dominick moved abruptly, rolling her flat, holding himself above her. His hand moved through her hair, caressing it as he continued to kiss her, his body molding against hers. As his erection brushed her, she arched into him, a moan escaping her lips only to be eaten by his mouth. He groaned, his hand releasing her hair, trailing her neck, her shoulder, and finding her breast. He squeezed, finding her nipple and rolling it with his fingers.

 

Breaking the kiss, he said, “Jessie, tell me to stop. I want you, God, I do, but you’re not ready.” His voice was pained, pleading with her to say no. The problem was, she didn’t want to say no. His hand on her, his body against hers, was amazing.

 

“Don’t. I don’t want you to stop. Please, make me forget,” her words came out breathless as he kissed her neck.

 

“Damn, Jessie.” Only two words, but Jessie felt them to her core. She’d known that he’d wanted her, the evidence was plain to see, and feel, but those uttered words told her more than his body ever could have.

 

Pushing up on her arms, she pulled her borrowed tank top off, throwing it carelessly on the floor. She fought the urge to cover her breasts as she lowered herself back down, instead choosing to wrap her arms around his neck, dragging him back down with her. She locked her mouth to his, taking the lead this time: her tongue explored his mouth, ran across his teeth. They became all mouths and lips, tongues and teeth. He nibbled her lip as he pressed his erection against her, rubbing against her. She couldn’t help arching her hips up, meeting his, grinding into him. A small gasp escaped her throat, unbidden.

His hand trailed a path down her side, grazing her pronounced ribcage. She winced inwardly, hoping that he wouldn’t notice how badly her bones protruded, but he didn’t stop in his quest. His hand continued its path, past her hip, and down to her leg. As he brought his hand back up, it slipped under the light cotton of her boxers. He raised his hips off her, allowing room for his fingers to graze her folds softly, teasing her. As his hand reached her wet warmth, he groaned.

 

Links -

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18579617-a-little-broken?from_search=true

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/A-Little-Broken-ebook/dp/B00G3QH314/ref=la_B00FQ1WXKI_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383100664&sr=1-1

B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-little-broken-juli-valenti/1117239439?ean=2940148406129

Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-little-broken

Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370074

 

About the Author

 

Juli Valenti grew up in Arkansas and currently resides in Florida with her husband and two boys. Working a full time job, as well as owning her own editing company, along with a full time family, her life is crazy but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

Juli is currently working on several other true-life inspired novels.

 

Links -

Facebook - www.facebook.com/authorjulivalenti

Twitter - www.twitter.com/thejulivalenti

 

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7214633.Juli_Valenti

 

Facebook Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/1378682525703701/

 

Giveaway

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Secrets Kept Grand Finale!!!

To post this Grand Finale and add your Social Media to the Rafflecopter, email Tressa at wishfulendings(at)outlook.com with "Secrets Kept Grand Finale" in the subject line!

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Secrets Kept Tour Grand Finale!

This tour explored the World of Nälu: 

Where a story with adventure, action, love, betrayal, and a quest takes place.

We visited sites, learned more about the cuisine, and were introduced to some fantastical characters.

12/9: Launch

 

12/10: Kelly P’s Blog - Guest Post

 

The five must see places of Western Nälu

The Nations of Nälu welcomes you to the western region of Nälu. Home to the elves, two of the dwarf clans, and the humans. Most likely you came by ship, so we will start with the beautiful land of Zurial...

12/11: My Love for Reading Keeps Growing - Guest Post

 






What is a visit to a new land without exploring some of the cuisine? I don’t know about you, but I LOVE food and discovering new favorites. If you’ve been by my Facebook page, you probably have guessed that. Ha! Well, here in Nälu we have quite a variety. Today we’ll just look at a few favorites...

12/12: fundinmental - Guest Post

In the course of edits, Secrets Kept lost the opening chapter where we catch a glimpse of the Sacred Pearl. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share that scene with you all one of these days. But later in the story, we learn that the Sacred Pearl was kidnapped during the attack on Dagmar, the headquarters of the Guardians.

But what is so special about the Pearl?

12/13: Next Page Reviews - Review

This book is amazing! It's a gorgeous fantasy with lots of action-packed scenes and spellbinding paranormal and fantasy elements. It's a quick read (I need more!!) and is a definite page turner. It's unique, original, and gorgeously written, perfectly for any lover of good, descriptive fantasy.

12/13: Giveaway Breaking News - Guest Post

The defeat of Lord Stygian released the people, breaking the hold of the Tainted One, but she vowed to return. Who would stop her then? Who should rule the nations? What will become of the giants? Can they be trusted? The questions gave way to chaos, but Karasi, one of the lost rulers of Zohar, long imprisoned by the Tainted One and Stygian, brought peace again and established the first Guardian Circle. They were charged with guiding and teaching of the nations, so that history would never repeat itself, and the nations would never have to endure another oppressive rule such as Lord Stygian’s again...

12/15: Colorimetry - Review of Desert Rose

"This is an intro to how JL Mbewe's stories aren't all peachy happy endings, necessarily, how she delivers an entire world, finished and beautiful, with minimal words. With one short story, she gained a fan-for-life with me. (I'm stubborn, too... you're stuck with me now, JL!!) I love this book!!"

12/16: Katie’s Clean Book Collection - Guest Post

On the northern edge of the Prathae Plains lies an ancient forest. Wisps of a grey mist ooze between bent and wrinkled trees. Silvery cobwebs sway loosely among their twisting limbs like tattered curtains of the dead. A force lingers at the edge of the forest like the foul stench of a beast.

It breathes of dark magic and death...

12/17: Deal Sharing Aunt - Guest Post

Mystery surrounds the corrupted dagger of Raemoja, of course, those who created it, wouldn’t call it that.

Only the dwarves know how to “corrupt” a blade, strengthening it against things not of this world, but the dwarves did not make this dagger.

The dagger is a tool, and we cannot talk about the tool without learning about the one who crafted it...

12/19: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - Guest Post

 

When Nälu was known as Talesri, there were only two dwarf clans. Klovan and Igazin, and they both spoke Tarôc...

During Stygian’s reign, the Klovan maintained a strong defense against the dwäza raids, but much of Stygian’s focus was on the Igazin...

[The Stozic's] capital city, Ta’vazi, is built right into the side of the mountain much like the ancient city of Petra in Jordan...

12/20: Tressa’s Wishful Endings - Review

"I definitely found the title a perfect fit for the story. The MC, Ayianna, has had some secrets kept from her and then in turn must keep her own...

Overall, this was a good story. I really wanted to understand more about the prophecy and dagger and the role that Ayianna and her fellow companions will play, but I'll have to wait until the next book to learn more."

12/22: Mortal Moments - Guest Post

There are three distinct ethnic groups of elves in Nälu. The Esusamor, Saryhemor, and Wofsemor. They speak the common tongue of Nälu, their dialect of Zjótharyn, and most of the older generations are familiar with the ancient language of Táchil. Aside from the merfolk, they are the longest living beings in Nälu...

12/23: alwaysjoart - Guest Post

The feline shape-shifting race of Nälu: The Haruzo are split into two ethnic groups: The Plarzo in Bonzapur and the Rugazo in the mountainous region of Arashel...

Go to alwaysjoart to also listen to two songs representative of the music from Secrets Kept.

12/24: Mel’s Shelves - Review

If you enjoy fantasy, this is the beginning of a great series and I'm personally looking forward to reading the next book!

My Rating=5 Stars

12/26: Zerina Blossom - Guest Post

Across many watery miles and treacherous seas, is a land of mystery, great beauty, and wonder. Ragged mountains emerge from the depths and loom over lush, colorful gardens. Home to the glowing moonflower, healing waters, and dragons.

Here, you will find the Kaleki. The Sea-people. Otherwise known as the merfolk...

12/27: The Wonderings of One Person - Review

"Secrets Kept by J.L. Mbewe is a refreshingly brilliant and utterly sizzling beginning to an astounding epic adventure that emphasizes the innate desire in all of us to do what we fear the most – to truly live life to the fullest. I absolutely loved this story!"

12/29: Fictionally - Review

"I really liked the story, over all. I found it engaging enough that there were not many slow spots in it , which is good cause I read most of it in one weekend so I could have the review up by today.There's also fantastical creatures galore!"

12/30: Dalene’s Book Reviews - Review

"I really had fun reading this book. The characters were well developed and the world building was pretty good."

12/31: Grand Finale

FREE right now on 
Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
Desert Rose
(A Tale of Nälu #1)
 

Secrets Kept 

by JL Mbewe
YA Fantasy

October 30th 2013 by AltWit Press

With a curse, she will build an army.
With the dagger, she will undo the last sacrifice.
But first the sorceress must find the secret keeper.

Torn from her homeland and thrust into a betrothal against her wishes, Ayianna learns her family has a deadly secret that now has her on the run. She joins forces with Kael, an embittered half-elf, and Saeed, an elderly High Guardian, to seek answers to her father’s death, the destruction of Dagmar, and the plains people’s bizarre behavior.

Ayianna discovers there is more at stake here than just her mother’s disappearance and her familial duty to her betrothed. The sorceress has cursed the plains people, and it is a race against time to release them before the sorceress resurrects an ancient evil.

Goodreads * Amazon * iTunes * Barnes and Noble

Tales of Nalu

Desert Rose
A Tale of Nälu #1

First short story published March 2013

Set thirty some years before the opening scene of book one.

Can a desert princess find love with a foreign king?

Johari lives in the shadow of her beautiful sister until a foreign king notices her, but in her haste to prove herself worthy of affection she finds herself compromised and on a difficult journey to make things right.

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Dragon Thief
A Tale of Nälu #2

What if all you knew had been a lie?

The teaching of the Guardians has guided Semine’s footsteps since her infancy. When her mentor shows up with information contrary to what she’s been taught, she doubts her decision to follow in their footsteps. She must decide if there is life beyond what she has always known or embrace a new, mysterious path and reject the Guardians’ legacy.

Available at Amazon. Coming soon to Barnes and Noble.

Indestructable
A Tale of Nälu #3

To what lengths would you go to the save the world?

Elothryn keeps the darkest secret of Nälu: The cursed dagger of Raemoja. A weapon powerful enough to release the greatest evil from the underworld. For generations, his family has lived without incident until now. The hunters have his scent and will stop at nothing to reclaim the dagger. Elothryn and his son flee, seeking help, but will they find it?

Available at Amazon. Coming soon to Barnes and Noble. 

NOW AVAILABLE: Tales of  Nälu (all three short stories in paperback) on Amazon!

Living life balanced between reality and dreams.

Writing as J. L. Mbewe, Jennette is an author, artist, mother, wife, but not always in that order. Born and raised in Minnesota, she now braves the heat of Texas, but pines for the Northern Lights and the lakes of home every autumn. She loves trying to capture the abstract and make it concrete. She has two short stories published in The Clockwork Dragon anthology, and is busily creating worlds inhabited by all sorts of fantasy creatures and characters, all questing about and discovering true love amid lots of peril. Her debut novel Secrets Kept and her short stories set in the world of Nälu: Desert Rose, Dragon Thief, and Indestructible are now available. She is currently living her second childhood with a wonderful husband and two precious children who don’t seem to mind her eclectic collections of rocks, shells, and books, among other things.

For more information about her journey as a writer mama and all things creative please visit her at:

Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Google+ * Pinterest * Flickr

Tour-Wide Giveaway

Kindle Fire Prize Pack (US/CAN ONLY), which includes:

- Kindle Fire

- Chocolate truffles

- Paper backs of Secrets Kept and Tales of Nälu

- Awesome swag (key chain, bookmark, and poster)

Ends January 7, 2014

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Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour? Go HERE.

Guest Post & Giveaway ~ Mistress of The Wind by Michelle Diener

 

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Tour!

 

Mistress of the Wind
by Michelle Diener
New Adult/Sci-Fi Fantasy
Paperback, 342 pages
Expected publication: December 19th 2013



Bjorn needs to find a very special woman . . . 

The fate of his people, and his own life, depends on it. But when he does find her, she is nothing like he imagined, and may just harbor more secrets than he does himself.

Astrid has never taken well to commands. No matter who issues them . . . 

She's clashed her whole life with her father, and now her lover, the mysterious man who comes to her bedroom in darkness and disappears to guard his mountain by day as a bear, is finding it out the hard way. And when he's taken by his enemies, no one is prepared for Astrid's response. 

It is never wise to anger the mistress of the wind . . . 

A captivating and magical adult retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

Praise for Mistress of the Wind:

“Diener’s adaptation retains the familiar elements of the original, echoing both the structure and spirit of the classic, but true to form, she puts her own spin both the plot and the narrative, crafting an intricately alluring tale of self-sacrifice, steadfast devotion and enduring love.“ Flashlight Commentary

“The story is fast-paced and never boring, the world a beauty and Michelle’s writing so wonderfully detailed that I felt I was with Bjorn and Astrid on their journey.“ Book Bird Reviews

Author Michelle Diener takes this re-telling to another level. She doesn’t restrict herself to an East of the Sun, West of the moon retelling. Instead we are also given parts reminiscent of Psyche’s quest. Which just allowed for a much more richer story. Paperback Wonderland

Guest Post

 
The Unusual in the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon
 
By Michelle Diener
 
Mistress of the Wind is based on the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and as I researched it, I was enchanted by the number of unusual and interesting elements in the original tale. Thinking about how to deal with them in Mistress of the Wind, and de-constructing them for a better and deeper understanding of the original, inspired some of the storyline I wove into Mistress of the Wind.
 
Kick-butt heroines may be almost the norm now, but when fairy tale collections were being put together for broader public consumption in the Victorian era, folklorists tended to choose tales that fit nicely with the established world view. Those collections became the mainstay of fairy tales in general, and are the ones most of us are familiar with today. So while there are many fairy tales where the heroine is an active protagonist in the story, very few of the most popular tales feature such heroines. The stereotype of the passive princess waiting to be rescued is the norm.
 
East of the Sun, West of the Moon, although not quite as well-known as Cinderella or Sleep Beauty, is still a popular fairy tale, even though we have a role reversal, where the heroine rescues the prince. Some annotations to the tale I have read see the heroine's quest to save the prince as a task she has to complete to atone for her curiosity and disobedience. If that was the underlying motive for its place in so many collections—a warning to girls to listen and do as they're told—then its inclusion makes more sense. I certainly never saw it that way, though, even when I was young and reading the original from the Andrew Lang collection, and it certainly isn't the case in Mistress of the Wind. The idea of travelling the world, dealing with great powers and overcoming the odds to get what you want never sounded like much of a punishment to me :)
 
Another interesting element of the original story is the clear reference to the sexual relationship between the heroine and the hero. The tale makes it clear they aren't married, and again it is surprising that this story element made it in to the tale without being edited out, or resulting in East of the Sun, West of the Moon being excluded from collections.

The love between the hero and heroine drives both of their behaviour when things go wrong, but the hero is less able to take action, being enchanted and imprisoned. The heroine refuses to leave her lover to the mercy of his enemies, and their sexual relationship not only makes that more believable, but also gives her a right to go after him and claim him as her own. It validates her actions.

When I was writing Mistress of the Wind I definitely wondered whether to leave the sexual part of the relationship in, but eventually, for the reasons I've given above, felt it would be the poorer without it. It is an essential element of the story, and if even the Victorians chose to keep it, I couldn't see myself doing less. :)

There is also a very interesting break from fairy tale norms when the heroine goes off on her quest to find her lover. Many fairy tales use the story device of a helper along the way to give aid to the hero or heroine. They are either old or a magical animal or some mysterious person, but they generally only help the heroine / hero once the heroine has helped them first in some way, however small, or behaved kindly towards them when the heroine could have been selfish or greedy.

That is not the case in East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

Three powerful women help the heroine, and the four winds help her as well, and at no time does the heroine have to do anything to gain that help. It is offered to her willingly and as her due.

That interested me a great deal. As a writer and as a reader, I wouldn't simply accept unconditional help like that in the story line. There had to be some reason she was given so much help, and so I started looking at the story from a different angle. I researched wind myths and found the myth of the Wind Hag, and wove that into the story to explain why Astrid receives the gifts and help that she does. The Wind Hag is powerful and has a right to demand respect. It fit so beautifully into the frame of the story, it almost felt to me as though it should have been there all along.

I hope I've managed to pique your interest into the magical and unusual tale that is East of the Sun, West of the Moon without giving too much of Mistress of the Wind away!

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction. Her Susanna Horenbout & John Parker series, set in the court of Henry VIII, includes In a Treacherous Court, Keeper of the King's Secrets and In Defense of the Queen.

Michelle's other historical novels include Daughter of the Sky, The Emperor's Conspiracy and Banquet of Lies (loosely connected to The Emperor's Conspiracy).

Michelle's first fantasy novel, Mistress of the Wind, is set for a December 23, 2013, release.

Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

Goodreads * Amazon * Website * Twitter * Facebook

International Giveaway:

 

10 copies of Mistress of the Wind, Kindle or print, winner's choice.

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Check out each stop on the tour!

12/29: Launch    
12/30: My Seryniti
12/31: Kelly P's Blog
+ Giveaway Breaking News for Indonesia
1/1: Mel's Shelves
1/2: Mythical Books
+ Tressa's Wishful Endings
1/3: Brooke Blogs
1/5: Leeanna.me
1/6: The Book Landers
1/7: So Many Reads
+ Deal Sharing Aunt
1/8: My Devotional Thoughts
    +   Colorimetry
1/9: Tome Tender
1/10: saeit yahalomi
1/12: The Reading Diaries
+ Bookish Outsider
1/13: The Wonderings of One Person
1/14: Dalene's Book Reviews
+ A Greater Yes
1/15: A Backwards Story
1/16: Addicted Readers
1/17: Grand Finale 

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