The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear by M. Pax

I'm a HUGE fan of M. Pax's Sci-Fi The Backworlds series and now that I've met Hetty, I'm hooked again. Mary Pax's versatility and creativity will grab you and not let go.

The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear

A New Adult Urban Fantasy, The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear is the first book in a new series. And it’s now out! The main character, Hetty, is a twenty-two-year-old, stumbling about in an effort to become a full-fledged adult. She struggles with self-esteem, weight, relationships, and making the transition between college and the real world.

Graduation from community college isn’t the magic elixir Hetty Locklear counts on for becoming an adult. Her parents, who work the Renaissance fair circuit, insist she spend part of the summer with them. Hetty doubts pretending to live in the Middle Ages will help her find her way.

 To make it worse, an entity haunts her at her dead-end job, warning her of a dangerous man she doesn’t know. The ghost leads her to a lover who has a lot of secrets. He pulls her farther into peril and into a strange, hidden world of genetic experimentation.

New Adult Urban Fantasy with a contemporary sci-fi twist. Mature content. 

Available as an ebook at Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords / iTunes / Kobo

Visit www.mpaxauthor.com for more links.

M. Pax is celebrating her latest release with a jousting tournament and contest at www.mpaxauthor.com. Cheer for the knights to help them win the grand prize, and you’ll be put in a drawing to win an ebook copy of The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Five will be given away. Huzzah!

The Hidden Blessing by Melissa Buell

Do you fancy a world where princesses joust and fairies have your back? And yes, there be dragons.

Then pack your bags for Gymandrol, the fantastical world created by Melissa Buell in her Tales of Gymnadrol series.

Melissa's love of fairy tales comes across beautifully in the stories she weaves. Her characters are multi-faceted with dreams and quests that make you want to hop on your steed and join them on their adventures.

If you haven't crossed the border into Gymandrol yet - grab a copy of The Seventh Blessing and prepare to be charmed.

And now the story continues with The Hidden Blessing...

THE HIDDEN BLESSING

How do you test for happily ever after?

Nine years ago, Emma became orphaned as a result of the Zynachnean-Mittra War. Although her memories are gone and she has no idea who she is or where she came from, she’s kindly adopted by a fairy and raised inthe small village of Weymouth.

Now eighteen, Emma has come to love the life she’s made with her fairy mother. But tragedy strikes Emma’s home just as Prince Will and his sister, Princess Allessia, travel incognito through Weymouth on their way to Mittra. Allessia offers to hire Emma as her lady’s maid, despite Will’s reluctance.

Once they arrive at the home of Queen Samantha and Prince Nolan in Mittra, Emma’s life rapidly becomes entwined with the lives of the royal family. There are rumors that Princess Emmalyn Meredith, tragically found dead when she was eight years old, did not really die. As a result, girls swarm to Mittra to try and prove they are the missing princess. The idea is presented to hold a series of tests to see if any of the girls are indeed Princess Emmalyn.

Talia, Samantha’s fairy godmother, puts together a series of “princess tests” in order to discover the true identity of the long lost princess. Emma volunteers to help with the tests, which creates more opportunities for her to interact with Prince Will. But emotions run high as Emma tries to decipher her own feelings for Will, who has offered to help her find a proper suitor when it is discovered that she is suddenly heir to a large fortune.

Can Emma discover the truth about her past and attempt to plan her future while navigating the stormy waters of courtly intrigue?

Links:

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The Little Things (TLT) Publishing Co.

(Pre-order from TLT with discount code: thb12mb2 for 30% off until 12/31/12.)

A Conversation About Helping

Today I am linking to Julie Musil's blog which has great information on how to be part of the conversation about helping those who had to endure Hurricane Sandy.

View From the 5th Grade Trenches: October 2012 Halloween Lit

I'm over being silly this week on Charlie Holmberg's blog.

I profess to being a Halloween nut. I love the spooky factor. I love the snap of fall in the air. I love any and all things pumpkin. I love seeing teeny tiny superheroes come a-knockin' at my door. Did I mention the candy?

Most of all, I love Halloween stories. Here are a few of the faves from the 5th Grade Trenches.

A new discovery for this year is a hilarious parody of Madeline by Rick Walton and Nathan Hale.

And some returning hits...

What are some of your faves?

Journeys of Wonder: Volume 2 - Has Landed!

I'm super crazy excited to announce the release of our second volume of genre fiction short stories.

So super crazy in fact that I'm doing a giveaway of two print copies of Journeys of Wonder: Volume 1. Just leave a comment telling me your favorite genre of fiction and your email. 

I will snag an innocent bystander to draw two names from my Empire Strikes Back baseball cap and arrange for teleportation of your prize.

JOURNEYS of WONDER: VOLUME 2

An Anthology of Genre Fiction

Journeys of Wonder: Volume 2 – the second anthology in a series of genre fiction. Quick on the heels of Volume 1 this new volume brings back some favorite authors and introduces a couple of new ones.

Featured in this volume are five incredible tales – each of which will leave you in wonder and amazement.

1. CAL by Lisa Gail Green: A young man challenges his father after falling in love with a cybernetic life form.

2. The Terrible, Perfect Duet by Trysta A. Bissett: Cicadas, insomnia, and high school. What could possibly be more horrifying?

3. Helios by Leslie S. Rose: As humanity flees the wrath of Earth's dying Sun, a daughter's quest to claim her birthright jeopardizes the chance to escape.

4. Encrypted by Ian Kezsbom: Spies. Codes. Murder. A thriller about a man on the run – hiding a secret that others would kill for.

5. Lighting the Sacred Way by S. P. Sipal: Set during the time of the Roman Empire, a woman tries to vanquish the evil spirit residing within her. One that arrived on the day her husband was murdered.

On sale only at Amazon.com! $.99 for a limited time or free through the Amazon Prime lending library!

Visit us at: www.journeysofwonder.com

Va Va Vroom, A Counting Book by Sarah Lynn

I adore picture books. Coming from a design background, illustrations are a huge draw for me.

But that's not all...

You may think that by fifth grade, picture books are history, and I don't use them in class any more.

 Not so. 

They still serve many purposes such as teaching:

• Elements of storytelling
• Cause and Effect 
• Picture vs. text connection
• Main Idea vs. Detail
• Sequence

And they are also:

• An accessible practice tool for English Language Development
• Material for reading aloud to younger cross-age buddies that carries the added bonus of refining speech presentation skills 

My latest crush is an adorable book, 

Va Va Vroom, A Counting Book

by Sarah Lynn with Illustrations by Daniel Griffo, about three kids racing for the finish line in a clever counting lesson.

Admit it, you said, "Oh, how cute." 

Here's a fun trailer for Va Va Vroom. I dare you not to be charmed. 

I also want to give a shout out to Tip Tap Pop another treasure from Sarah Lynn. This story about a grandfather and a granddaughter will warm your heart.  

The holidays are coming. Children + Picture Books = LOVE

Long Live Picture Books. 

View From the 5th Grade Trenches: September 2012 : Panic Button

First of all, I want to apologize for being the worst blogger in Bloglandia. 

New school year + New school site + Parent conferences = NO TIME LEFT TO DO ANYTHING BUT COLLAPSE

I promise to let the October breezes carry me back over to your wonderful blogs.

I've invited the panic button onto my blog this week so anyone concerned about education in our country can give it a push. 

Since when is education not important enough to finance?

Since when have teachers become villains?

Since when have students ceased to be individuals and become test scores?

Since when has hugging a child in distress become an action that can threaten your job?

Since when is it vital for a ten year old to identify the chemical signature of photosynthesis?

Just sayin'.

Thoughts?

What's Your Chocolate?

Has there ever been a more delicious blog hop? I don't think so.

I remember my first date with a chocolate bar. I was probably eight years old and I'd saved up a whole dollar. I rode my bike down to the liquor store and bought one of the GIGANTIC Hershey bars with almonds, the one with all the squares usually used for s'mores.

My mom would have fillet me if she knew I'd spent my dollar on that, so I hid behind the back fence and ate the whole thing in one sitting.

Bliss.

Nirvana.

No regrets.

Chocolate has been the one constant in my life.

My daughter doesn't like chocolate. 

I've failed as a parent. 

No, wait. Glass half full time...I will eat her share.

Here are the other yummy Hop Links. 

GUTGAA Meet and Greet

Here we go with Deana Barnhart's Gearing Up to Get An Agent fab blogfest. The first task is a meet and greet.

Mini-bio: I’m a mom of two amazing kids in their twenties. One is an actor and one a writer. We will be eating lots of ramen noodles in our house until we all hit it big. I snagged a BA and MFA in theater arts back in the 80's. I never had "big 80's hair." I taught design for years at UCLA, and had a couple of plays produced there. Yes, you may call me, Professor Rose. Yes, you may snicker at the thought of that. Now I teach fifth grade north of Los Angeles. I love writing YA because those teen years are so deliciously crazy. It’s a kick to go back into that emotional soup. My short stories appear in the current Journeys of Wonder, Volume 1 anthology and the upcoming Paramortal 2 by Cliffhanger Books.

 

-Where do you write?

My "office" is a white tile topped kitchen table in a corner of my bedroom. (I have issues with getting rid of furniture) There's a bulletin board above the table to tack up pictures, notes, and irreverent inspiration. 

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see? Mirrored closet doors that are covered with post-its for various projects artfully hiding a "side-view" of me hunched over my laptop.

-Favorite time to write? After lunch into the evening

-Drink of choice while writing? Water or flavored iced tea - I had to give up the Diet Dr. Pepper. Sad day.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence? I HAVE to play music. I’ll listen to the playlist I’ve created for the project I’m working on. I listened to Elton John’s Aida about a million times when I was writing my short story AFTERDEATH for the Journeys of Wonder Anthology. Yes, I cry at the end of Aida every single time.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it? Lately I’m into using fairy tales and myths as springboards. I’m working on a Rapunzel retell so I read every version of the story I could get my hands on, including watching the movie TANGLED. Is it wrong to have a crush on an animated character? Don't tell me if it is.

-What's your most valuable writing tip? Hook up with critique partners who are honest and caring. I'd shrivel up and die without Lisa, Julie, Ian, and Deborah.

Join in the blogfest fun. Click on the badge in the sidebar to hop in. Can't wait to meet everyone.

Location-Location-Location

I love creating settings. I'm sure that passion is a holdover from my theatrical design days. When I write, I can build a world without slamming my finger under a misplaced hammer stroke.

In fact, my one hoarding tendency is the files and files I keep of old scenic calendar pages, amazing images I've come across on the Internet, and the endless pictures I take myself. 

I keep a setting diary full of sketches or bullet pointed details when I encounter delicious visuals. Later I can draw from this resource to combine elements from completely different places into a new reality.

I get a rush when I come across a funky or unique locale to add to my diary. On the road between LA and Las Vegas there is such a goldmine.

Alien Fresh Jerky in Baker, CA. Now hang on all you alien activists - it's not jerky made from aliens. It's beef jerky in dozens of flavors from traditional to habanero to whiskey. All delish, and yes, quite fresh. 

The alien themed decor is trippy and plays homage to the Area 51 mythology.

Can you imagine a character in your story encountering this mecca on a road trip?

What fun!

Do you have a system for crafting settings? Any cool roadside   stops we should add to our "must visit" list?  

BONUS NEWS: From Wed. 8-29 to Friday 8-31, the e-version of Journeys of Wonder, Volume 1 (see sidebar) is free-free-free.
Click HERE to go grab it.