Fellow Amarillo-dwellers, please join me for a book talk next Monday!

Come chat with me about my newest Gothic fairy tale, Stain! There won't be books for sale, but if you happen to own some of my titles, bring them along and I'll sign them for you after the event. <3

Stain audiobooks are here!

My author copies of Stain’s audiobooks by Blackstone Publishing have arrived and are gorgeous. There will be a giveaway for some very soon! 

This time, the narrator is quite different from the one we used in all my other titles. It's fitting, considering this book is different from anything I've ever written. We chose a male narrator with a beautiful British accent to really spotlight the old world fairytale atmosphere. 

To listen to a sample and/or for ordering options, follow any of the links provided below.

• Blackstone Audiobooks
• Audible
• Downpour
• Barnes & Noble

Stain's Pinterest Board Reveal + INTL Giveaway!

***GIVEAWAY ENDED*** 

I'm on tour this week for #Stain's launch so will announce the winners after January 21st. Thanks to all who took part!

*********

Only a week to go until Stain finally hits the shelves on January 15th, so it's time for an international giveaway to celebrate!

First, for some insight into the story itself, here's a trade review from School Library Journal:

Although that gives you some small idea, a picture is worth a thousand words -- so today I'm revealing the secret pinterest board filled with characters, creatures, moods, songs, and settings that helped inspire my gothic fairytale. 

Click here to visit the board where you can find all the images along with Stain's official playlist.

Want to sample the story? You can read the entire first chapter here.

And remember, for readers in the U.S., there's an awesome preorder incentive going right now that will guarantee you an enamel rose pin, a signed bookplate, and the Morpheus prequel story, Alice the Absent. 

You can find the details for that swag pack here.

Now, let's get to the international goodies that everyone has a shot at winning!

Prizes are as listed:

#1- Signed Stain hardback

#2 - Signed Alice the Absent short story

#3 - Silvered maple leaf ornament representing Prince Vesper's frozen kingdom of Nerezeth

#4 - Moths and music 8x11 print (frame not included) representing Lyra, her moth friends, and her birdsong voice

#5 - Sun, moon, and stars brooch representing both the day and night kingdoms

#6 - Hand-painted fox postcard, representing Elusion, the shape-shifting sylph

#7 - Secret gift packet (filled with a handful of fairytale freebies)

That's a chance for seven people to win a prize. So go forth and enter, and may the rafflecopter odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stain galley pages have arrived!

I always find the evolution of a manuscript so fascinating ... all the stages it takes before actually being born as a "real" book. 

I wanted to share a peek at Stain's galley. This is the production phase where the word doc is being formatted to take on the form of a book. 

In answer to the question, "What color will Stain's ink be?" I offer this up-close image of the interior artwork:

My phone's flash gave the image a sepia tone, but my publisher actually chose a black/white/grayscale antiquated interior to represent the fairy tale / medieval theme—a starkly beautiful effect that also honors the book’s unpolished and flawed Gothic princess. I’m hoping fellow lovers of dark fairy tales will adore this book aesthetic as much as I do!

🐲🦄👑🖤

STAIN cover reveal giveaway!

***GIVEAWAY ENDED***

Welcome to the Stain cover reveal! If you haven't yet seen the beautiful cover by Nathalia Suellen, here's a sneak peek. 

To see the whole image in all its magical fairytale glory, follow this link. 

And here's the updated book description:

A gothic fairytale inspired by The Princess and the Pea. 

After Lyra—a princess incapable of speech or sound—is cast out of her kingdom of daylight by her wicked aunt, a witch saves her life, steals her memories, and raises her in an enchanted forest . . . disguised as a boy known only as Stain. Meanwhile, in Lyra's rival kingdom, the prince of thorns and night is dying, and the only way for him to break his curse is to wed the princess of daylight, for she is his true equal. As Lyra finds her way back to her identity, an impostor princess prepares to steal her betrothed prince and her crown. To win back her kingdom, save the prince, and make peace with the land of the night, Lyra must be loud enough to be heard without a voice, and strong enough to pass a series of tests—ultimately proving she’s everything a traditional princess is not.

Now onto the international giveaway for a chance at these pretty prizes!

Each prize has something to do with the story. As for the arc, those will be available later this year, so this is your first chance to win one! I'm also offering a signed Splintered collector's set. What does that have to do with the story? Much like Splintered, this book is filled with magic, mystical characters, fantastical creatures (some creepy, some cute and funny, and some beautiful), and intricate world building. So if you liked all those things in my Alice in Wonderland tales, you'll like it in Stain. What about the other prizes? Here's a hint as to what they represent:

The sun and moon bookmark signify our prince and princess and their destiny to reunite a world that's been split in two by a curse. The moon has been torn from the sky and banished to a wintry night kingdom deep beneath the earth, leaving the sun and kinder seasons to the day kingdom above ground:

You can find the rafflecopter for the prizes at the end of this post. If you want to know more about Stain and the symbolism behind the cover art, read on!

By looking at the cover, you can see Lyra (aka Stain) isn't a typical princess. She's in fact an anti-princess. She's tinged blue with moonlight, causing her aunt to dub her a "stain upon the family name" in their kingdom of perpetual sun. The night prince, on the other hand, is copper-complected in a realm of moonlit people. Each is foretold to balance the other, and together, they're to unite their broken world.

 What's up with the princess's crazy-long eyelashes? Here's an excerpt from the book, when the wicked aunt first sees her niece, the crown heir:

"It is startling.” Griselda observed the babe around her brother’s sturdy shoulder; the tiny princess wriggled within her ivory-lace blanket, a faint, bluish-tinged creature that resembled a curdled shadow on a saucer of cream. “Her lashes . . . they’re bone-white. And longer and more numerous than a centipede’s legs. There’s no denying she’s been touched by moonlight. She’ll have no shield from the sun.  It must be the illness from the queen’s blood. A contagion from the cursed land of eternal gloom and ice.”

On the cover, my princess wears a crown of barbed wire, representative of the thorns and nails that contribute to her scars. Scars are something she shares with the prince. Here's an excerpt from the book highlighting their flaws:

“I wonder how many that is now?” Vesper patted the raised welt. “Perhaps enough I can double as a patchwork quilt.” The edges of his mouth twitched in a teasing smirk. “Let’s play a trick on the castle’s seamstresses . . . hang me on the wall naked beside their finest creations. See how long it takes them to notice.”

Stain stifled a surprised laugh at his attempt at levity. Her own scars stared back at her, providing an intimate awareness of how desecrated he must feel. Though some of her wounds had been made through experiences and adventures she chose, there were others inflicted upon her, robbing her of any choice. 

As for the colors of the cover, gold and purple both play pivotal roles in the story. 

And of course there are the spiderwebs and moths surrounding the princess. Nighttime creepers are her attendants in this tale, as are shadows. 

Stain is due to launch January 2019! I'll have more reveals and giveaways along the way, but until then, be sure to enter the rafflecopter below, and thanks for partaking in the cover reveal festivities!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Quick update on STAIN

Just peeking my head out of the writer's cave to shout share that I'm only chapters away from finishing this book! Wow, it's been a doozy to write; I really challenged myself with Stain. 

Aside from the elaborate world-building, there are four distinctive POV characters I got to know along the way. I can't say that I've fallen in love with them all (there's one in particular who is VERY hard to love), but I understand each one's motivations, and am endlessly fascinated by their interactions throughout the story.

Okay, back to the business of writing. I hope everyone has a happy holiday season, and I'll see you in the new year!