ENCHANTED FAIRY TALES
by Miriam
Newman, Lynn Hubbard, and Jae El Foster
GENRE: Erotic
Fantasy Romance
BLURB:
The Gingerbread Man- A Scrumptious Erotic Fairytale
by Lynn Hubbard
Once upon a time there was a girl named Penelope. Food was scarce
those days, and she had to walk miles looking for roots or berries to eat.
After a long, hot morning Penelope was tired and hungry. A delicious scent led
her to a cabin deep in the woods. She followed it in anticipation of having all
her needs filled.
The Legend of M’Rith
by Miriam Newman
By 1844, an increase in the human population of Ireland has forced
Fae inhabitants from their lush green homes in the East to the spare, bare
terrain of the West--except for one.
M’Rith, half fairie and half elf, has been bidden by her Queen Mother to
remain in the forest, promising her a mortal man to love. Kieran, the village blacksmith, has lost his
wife and lives in the same painful solitude as M’Rith, but he is a worker of
iron that can mortally wound a fairie lover.
To Adventure
by Jae El Foster
There is a black plague crossing from kingdom to kingdom, placed
upon a slumbering princess by her wicked stepmother, and only with true love’s
kiss can the spell be lifted. Will the plague encompass all before that kiss
can be sealed, or will the power of true love make itself known to the handsome
Prince Harold, providing him with the adventure of a lifetime?
Excerpt:
The Legend of M’Rith
by Miriam Newman
Small and slight and sweet as a
berry, she had the palest of faces with enormous pools of slate-gray eyes and a
sculpted mouth the color of a berry, too. Jet black hair fell in a mass to her
shoulder blades and the violet gown she wore let him see an enticing bit of
those as well as lovely sculpted collarbones and the beginning of a swell of
breast. Her slender waist was cinched with gold cord. On her feet were the
prettiest scarlet slippers—a shocking contrast to her gown, but somehow they
suited her, matching the drape of a rich, red-beaded necklace she wore against
all rules of fashion. She was all amethyst and ruby. Her feet were the tiniest
he had ever beheld; she was tiny all over…the most glorious, diminutive woman,
with her skirts held up so that he saw the finest turn of a lovely ankle and
calf ever permitted his view outside the marital bed. He felt an unmistakable
pang of desire, shocking in the midst of his grief, but he told himself it was
simply that he had been too much alone.
She wasn’t anyone he knew, but she
stood stock still amongst his chickens, looking at him fully and boldly…a
somehow impertinent stare, as if she knew quite well what was in his mind and
challenged him to come and kiss the startled look from her face, part her legs
and plunge into ecstasy. She was, in short, the woman of his dreams…the one who
would consume him utterly.
Interview
with Jae El Foster – author of ‘To Adventure’ in Enchanted Fairy Tales
Can you tell us a
little bit about your characters in Enchanted
Fairy Tales?
Greetings and thank you for having me here today. In my
contribution for Enchanted Fairy Tales,
‘To Adventure,’ I had great fun with the characters. The story presents such
interesting and enjoyable characters as three fairy godmothers, the cursed and
slumbering princess, and the whimsical prince off seeking adventure – a few
amongst a cast of many. The prince – my protagonist – was the most difficult of
the characters to build, as he had to begin at one side of the emotional
spectrum and end at another, darker side. He is a character of great charisma,
great strength and great heart, and it is the combination of these three traits
that helps him become the hero he is destined to be.
A second character that is close to my heart is Madame
Howell. The Madame appears in this story as an all-knowing gypsy that spells
out the prince’s future before his very eyes. Madame Howell also makes an
appearance in my new release Beauty
Within, available now from DCL Publications. Excerpts and blurbs for both
books can be found on my website at www.jaeelbooks.com.
Can you tell us a
little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
I’m a busy boy. At the end of September, my first
full-length novel in a decade was released. Beauty
Within brings my love of fairy tales into a dark, passionate, and
mysterious retelling of Beauty and the
Beast. It is available in both print and eBook formats.
On Friday, October 12, Restive
was released from DCL Publications in electronic format. Restive is the long-awaited sequel to my hit 2012 paranormal
romance Restless. For those who have
read Restless, you are in for a
treat. For those who have not, you’re still in for a treat, as Restive also holds its own as a
stand-alone novella. It follows best-selling romance author Nicola on a wild
new adventure on the fabled ‘vanishing island’ of Sarah Ann. As with Restless, Restive once again incorporates the vampire genre while offering
the reader something new and distinct. I guarantee that readers will never
forget this ending.
Both Beauty Within and
Restive include clues to my Easter
Egg Competition, happing now through 2019. For those interested in learning how
to take part in this competition, visit www.jaeelbooks.com/contests. To
read excerpts and blurbs for both books, please visit www.jaeelbooks.com/new-releases.
In November, DCL Publications will release their winter
anthology The Greatest Gift of All,
which offers a re-release of my 2008 historical-romance Christmas tale
‘Elisabeth’s Holiday Gift.’ The story has received a facelift and offers extended
and new scenes from the original. It is a beautifully sweet story with a lovely
happy ending.
How long would you
say it takes you to write a book?
That’s the question with the double-ended sword. I’ve
learned that when an author attempts to knock out something swiftly, it usually
takes longer than expected. On the flipside of that, I once wrote a 80k word
novel – The Estranged Affair – in
nine days because the muses would not let me rest.
Having said this, the times vary. It depends on how intricate
I want my book to be, how detailed, and how many obstacles and hurdles my
characters have to overcome to lead up to the climax. Even then, there is no
guarantee. Take Beauty Within for
instance. I was on my final read-through of edits from DCL editor Jean Watkins
when I decided that the words the end
did not feel right. The story wasn’t finished. My muses returned at the last
second and I ended up delaying publication to add a second part to the book – a
part that I am extremely proud of and I know that the book would not be the
same without it.
I live by the rule of thumb that one should write until the
story is done. A lot of people donate too much focus to their word count, when
their focus should be on completing the story. Write it out. All of it that is
within you. Everything else will be worked out during that long but necessary
editing process.
Now, let’s take into account deadlines. If you are writing
for and through a publisher, you might very likely have a deadline to get your
submission in by. Deadlines can feel daunting, especially if you let them sneak
up on you and are having to write swiftly, at the last minute. No one wants
this feeling, and as you don’t honestly know how long it will take you to
finish your submission, there is one good rule of thumb that all authors should
stick to. The moment you know that you have a book or story due by a certain
date, start immediately. Open your notebook or your document and begin typing.
If the story isn’t there yet, conjure it. Get your fingers moving on something –
anything – so that a muse is attracted to you. Your story will come, but you
must put in the work. Otherwise, time will get away from you.
Should you happen to find yourself unable to meet deadline,
but you know you’re flowing through your book, ask your publisher or editor for
an extension. Do not blow them off. They want for you to succeed, as you help
them to succeed. They will work with you as best they can, but again, you must
put in the work.
What is your favorite
childhood book?
As with today, it took remarkable literature to interest me
as a child. I was into classic literature and horror. I know – what a contrast!
However, I believe that the contrast in those genres helped to mold me into the
author I am today.
My favorite classic novel was one I read in seventh grade. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor
Dostoevsky. It was not required reading, and one might think that it could be
too heavy for a junior high student, but I will counter you on that. In offered
a great interpretation of the world in another period, and it was eye-opening
to the remarkable ability of the written word when penned in detail.
My favorite horror novel from my youth is Psycho from the late, great Robert
Bloch. Psycho taught me the truth of
fictional suspense – of how the best scares didn’t come from the action of a
terrifying task itself, but from the pivotal, nail-biting psychological
suspense that leads up to it. Psycho remains
one of my favorite books and is one that I reference often.
If you could spend
the day with one of your characters from Enchanted
Fairy Tales, who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular
character, where you would go and what you would do.
The King. I would like to know what happened to him long ago
that has made him such a cruel human being. I would meet with him outside of
his castle walls, perhaps in a garden or even a bar over drinks, and I would
ask him about his childhood and his family. I would seek answers, and by doing
so, maybe the King would be able to recognize aspects of himself that could
alter a dim future to which he is otherwise destined.
What was the hardest
scene from your contribution in Enchanted Fairy Tales to write?
Without giving away any important spoilers, I will be vague
here. The most difficult scene in my story ‘To Adventure’ was the one that
immediately follows a beautiful moment that captures true love’s kiss. It was a moment that I did not want to draft, and
yet it would have been impossible to continue the story without it.
What made you want to
become a writer?
It is in my blood. My maternal grandfather was the greatest
spoken-word storyteller I’ve ever known. My paternal grandfather was a terrific
poet that kept his talents hidden from even his family until after the death of
my grandmother. He happened to share them with a friend and me one afternoon
when we paid him a visit. It was remarkable. My brother is in the comic book
industry, and my father was a preacher that wrote some of the greatest sermons
I’ve ever heard.
The earliest that I remember writing was in the third grade
when I decided one Saturday afternoon I was going to write a bunch of little
stories on some paper, staple each together, make covers with crayons, and sell
them on a table outside of my house. I don’t remember if I sold anything, but I
remember having a ton of fun. When you are meant to do something, you cannot
fight it, and I am meant to write.
Just
for fun
(a
Favorite song: Has to Be by
Madonna. It will always be my favorite song. It is the most haunting song that
I’ve ever heard, and I hold it close to my heart.
(b
Favorite book: Leaves of Grass by
Mr. Walt Whitman. It is a classic collection of poetry by one of America’s foremost
talents and thought-provoking authors. He also penned a novel – just one –
called Franklin Evans. If you are
ever lucky enough to get your hands on this once (and maybe still) banned book,
don’t let it go.
(c
Favorite movie: Sister Act.
Nothing makes me happy like Whoopi Goldberg as a nun, singing up a storm. I
love it. It can pull me out of even the worst of moods.
(d
Favorite tv show: Black Mirror on
Netflix. I just wish the seasons were longer. For those that haven’t seen it,
it’s a frighteningly realistic sci-fi horror anthology series. Every episode
follows a different character through a different scenario – much like The Twilight Zone – and each episode is
worthy of your attention.
(e
Favorite Food: A sandwich. I know – pretty simple, right? But think about
it – the combinations of breads, cheeses, meats, vegetables, condiments,
spices… The possibilities are literally endless to what you can do with a
sandwich. I’m game for a simple bologna and cheese or a complex Dagwood
anytime.
(f
Favorite drink: Coffee. It is the bean water of life.
(g
Favorite website: Mine, of course. No, seriously. I know it sounds
conceited, but allow me to explain. I put my heart and soul into giving my
readers a different kind of website than they might find with other authors.
Along with listing my new and upcoming books, I write things especially for
those readers that visit my site and I share the work for free on there as a
thank you. On my website – www.jaeelbooks.com
– you’ll find everything from free flash fiction, free short stories, contests,
events, and a series of essays called Stories
Behind the Stories, where I take my readers ‘behind the scenes’ and into
the crafting of some of my newest and most popular books. I also share a
newsletter from the website to those that sign up. Once a month, the newsletter
breaks down everything that’s new, upcoming, or noteworthy, saving my
subscribers the task of checking the site continuously for updates. I enjoy
having an interactive website, and I must admit, I work on it so often that it
prevents me from spending much time surfing the web.
Thanks
so much for visiting with us today!
Thank you again! It’s been a pleasure! I’d
also like to extend my thanks to DCL Publications, Goddish Fish Promotions, and
to Lynn Hubbard and Miriam Newman, for without them the Enchanted Fairy Tales anthology would not have been possible. To
the visitors here who have read this interview, I thank you for your time and I
encourage you to ask questions in the comments below. I’ll be checking in
periodically and will respond to each. Always remember to do good things!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Miriam
Newman:
Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been my passion for
as long as I can remember. I was published in poetry before catching the
romance writing bug. I bring that background to my writing along with a
lifelong addiction to horses, an 18 year career in various areas of psychiatric
social services and many trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse. My
published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical,
futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. Currently I live in rural
Pennsylvania with a “motley crew” of rescue animals. You can see my books at
www.miriamnewman.com.
Lynn
Hubbard:
Lynn Hubbard is a Historical Fiction author. She has been writing
for over ten years and has eight books. Most of which are westerns. Lynn is
fascinated by the Old West and her books portray when life was simpler. When,
people worked hard, and sweated to make an honest living. And when justice
wasn't always blind.
Jae El
Foster:
Jae El Foster is an author with whom you question going to bed
with at night, but you dare to venture beneath the sheets with him anyway. As
the venture concludes, you are perhaps romanced by it, or perhaps you are
frightened by it. Don’t worry, because you are always satisfied by it. Despite
the title or genre of the book, Jae El sets out to please you with climatic and
unexpected conclusions that will make you tremble with emotion. Hop aboard the
Jae El train and give it a good ride.
Giveaway:
$25 Amazon/BN GC
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
6 comments:
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Thank you for hosting us!
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Thank you for hosting. Happy Fall!
Thank you so much for hosting us today.
Great post I enjoyed reading it!
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