Can you interview a fictional character? (Blog Tour #17)

Apparently, you can.

My very good friend Robert Marion constructed a fun interview with Ivy herself. Unorthodox? Yes. But why not?

Flushing Chamberpots - an Interview (Blog Tour #16)

I like to talk to Thea when I want to talk about the tv shows I love--Doctor Who and Once Upon a Time are at the top of that list.

So I was really excited to do an interview with her. This one is a little different. We actually did this interview over video chat and she transcribed it. Hopefully, she edited out all the stupid, embarrassing things I said. But Thea did ask me about the unusual chamberpots in The Fairy Tale Trap, which makes this an interview full of win.

Fairy Tales and Chocolate Cake (Blog Tour #15)

Tia Nevitt is a fellow author, who wrote The Sevenfold Spell, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. She is kindly hosting a guest post on her blog today. My post is on Fairy Tales and Chocolate Cake (and why the magic in fairy tales makes them fun).

Here's a sample:

A beautiful girl is hated by her mother. A prince is cursed with an ugly appearance. A poor boy takes a risk to seek his fortune. A princess waits for true love.

We all love the magic in fairy tales. There’s something about the perfectly white skin and red lips of a princess, the single rose that brings fortune in disguise, and the deal-with-the-devil motif that makes us hungry for more.

But is it the magic that makes fairy tales magical? Look at the first paragraph. Each sentence describes a fairy tale, but couldn’t you tell each of those stories without magic?

Read more>>

Ivy's Heart (Blog Tour #14)

Danyelle is a rock star. When someone cancelled last minute for this tour, she stepped up and filled a spot that was way earlier than we had originally planned. Her blog features guest posts by characters. Ivy is offering today's guest post on Danyelle's Blog. Here's a sample:

       Like most girls my age, I have a special connection with my dad. Unfortunately, he’s in the military, so he spends a lot of time overseas. I worry about him when he’s away because, you know, anything could happen.

That’s when I bring out my favorite photo. It’s a picture of him when he finished his first-ever marathon. He’s kind of a small guy, and he’s really skinny. We used to joke that just the sight of him would give the Kenyans second thoughts. His clothes are dusty, but he’s got this big goofy grin on his face. Whenever I look at that picture, I imagine that, wherever he is, my dad is happy, with the same goofy grin.

[...]

My story starts with me looking for the picture. It’s gone missing. I don’t know it at the time, but the picture was stolen. Someone took it because they knew how much it meant to me. If I had known the picture held so much power, I would have guarded it more closely.

Read more

Book Review for The Fairy Tale Trap (Blog Tour #13)

Alex has been a follower of this blog for a long time. He's been so great and so supportive. He helped me create Ivy's character, even. So I'm thrilled to have him on this tour. He offered a book review on his blog Eclectically Inspired.

The Road to Publication (Blog Tour #12)

Carmen Ferreiro Esteban let me do a guest post on her blog today. Head over there to read about my road to publication.

The Book Nerd takes on The Fairy Tale Trap (Blog Tour #11)

The Book Nerd (Jean) has a beautiful website that features author interviews and book reviews. She asked me about my influencers and surprises I had while writing The Fairy Tale Trap. (I also got to mention my dog, Guybrush and where he got his name.)

Ruth Ellen Parlour's book review (Blog Tour #10)

Ruth Ellen Parlour is a fantasy writer who has been gracious enough to do a book review and an author interview. We'll find out what she thought of The Fairy Tale Trap together on her blog.

Author interview by Michael Haynes (Blog Tour #9)

Michael Haynes is a fellow author and twitter friend. He's doing an interview today on his Writing Blog.

Fairy Tale Trap book review (Blog Tour #8)

I'm not sure I'll ever get used to book reviews. Knowing that a tough critic, an unbiased reviewer, is going to tell hundreds of people what she really thought of my book is nerve-wracking.

But here I go again.

Melanie McCullough is hosting today's stop on the book tour at her book review site A New Kind of Ordinary.

Angela Scott's interview (Blog Tour #7)

Angela Scott had some really great questions! Her interview includes:

What chapter or part of the book was your favorite to write and why?

What advice would you give to a first time author?
Who is your ideal reader?
What do you think your protagonist thinks of you, the creator?

The entire interview is at her site: Whimsy and Writing.
(There's a giveaway on her site, too!)

Fast Facts and Book Review by the Nerdette (Blog Tour #6)

The Nerdette (the lovely Jacqueline) is doing a blog review today! She has a Fast Facts section with some author trivia. (I always feel weird about answering what my favorite book is because it changes so often! But I did my best.)

Anyway, pop in and say hello! I'll be answering in the comments, as always.
Notes from the Nerdette

Book Review: The Fairy Tale Trap (Blog Tour #5)

Danica Page is hosting the blog tour for today and I have to say I'm nervous! This is the first official review of the tour, so I hope she liked Thi Fairy Tale Trap.

You can read the full (yikes!) book review at Danica's blog Taking it One Page at a Time.

I Wish I Were as Cool as my Characters (Blog Tour #4)

Okay, when I found out I was going to be on Julie A. Lindsey's blog, I was ecstatic. Julie is hilarious and always has something to say on twitter to make me smile. Her blog is refreshing, and her book Death by Chocolate is about to come out (if I'm not mistaken).

Julie let me do a guest post that I lovingly call: I’m Not a Cool Person, but I Write About them in Books (or: I Wish I Were as Cool as my Characters).

A lot of people think that authors write characters based on what the author wishes they could be. Well let me clear things up a bit: That’s completely true.

At least, it’s true for me. Sure, Ivy has her faults. She’s stubborn and impulsive. She gets herself into all kinds of trouble and tends to be a loner. But Ivy is cool. So my guest post today will be all about why Ivy is cooler than I am.

First, I’m the nerdy type. Not the shy, awkward kind of nerdy. The goofy, foot-in-the-mouth type of nerdy. I say things without thinking, then an hour later I realize that what I said wasn’t as funny as I thought. In fact, it could have been flat-out offensive.

Ivy, on the other hand, says offensive things on purpose and wishes she had written them down to use again later.

Read the rest of this post at Julie Lindsey's blog, and enter for a chance to win a free copy of The Fairy Tale Trap.

How to Make a Book Trailer (for free) - Blog Tour Stop #3

The lovely Kat Anthony is hosting the Tour de Fairy Tale today. This one is more for writers, basically anyone interested in making a book trailer. Here's a bit from my guest post on Kat Anthony's blog on how I made my book trailer (for free):

Being an independent self-publisher is hard work. It’s even harder to do it for cheap. A lot of authors try to cut costs where they can, and a lot don’t even consider making a book trailer. I think this is a mistake. A book trailer lets you show readers how great your book is in 90 seconds. Plus, it’s fun to make.

Why Writers are Off their Rockers (Blog Tour Stop #2)

Liana Brooks is a good friend who's taught me a lot about writing and publishing. She may be tiny, but she's tough (and smart). Here's a link to my guest post on her blog: Why Writers are Off their Rockers.

Here's a teaser:

When I tell people I’m a writer, the response I get is usually pretty positive. People think I’m creative and ambitious. I’ve even been called “cerebral” and “literary” before. This is very flattering, but I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut after that. Like George Costanza, I’ve learned to leave on a high note, because it’s all downhill from there.

Because if I open my mouth again, someone’s going to realize the truth: I’m actually insane.

Read the rest of the post here. You can also enter for a chance to win a free copy of The Fairy Tale Trap.

Basic author questions: Blog Tour Stop #1

Let the tour begin!

A friend of mine is starting us off. Suzanne is probably the sweetest person alive and she was kind enough to be part of this. She'll start the tour off with some basic questions like "What influenced The Fairy Tale Trap?" and "What are you  working on next?" So be sure to stop by her blog Six Saturdays a Week.

Tomorrow is a fun guest post called Why Writers are Off their Rockers. :)

Which blogs are first?

Okay folks, here it is. Blog Tour 2012. By the time this is over, you're going to be sick of me.

I'm hopping from blog to blog EVERY DAY starting January 15 and ending Feb 10 or maybe later. There are going to be book reviews, interviews, and I'm doing several guest posts. Some on writing, some on characters, some on The Fairy Tale Trap. There's even going to be an interview with Ivy herself!

I'll post each stop here, on this blog, so you'll know where to go. I'll also post a teaser so you can see if it's something you think you'll want to read.

Here are the first few stops on my blog tour:

Jan 15 - Suzanne Meik - author interview
Jan 16 - Liana Brooks - guest post: Why Writers are Off Their Rockers
Jan 17 - Kat Anthony - guest post: How to Make a Book Trailer (for free)
Jan 18 - Julie A. Lindsay - guest post: Why I Wish I Were as Cool as Ivy
Jan 19 - Danica Page - book review
Jan 20 - Jacqueline (The Nerdette) - book review

to be continued... :)