Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I recently had a chance to help promote the publication of this lovely anthology – however, as I took ill throughout October – my mind, heart & hours were elsewhere distracted from being socially engaged with the bookish world & community via the blogosphere and #bookishTwitter. I was overjoyed finding this title was included during #FantasyForChristmas19 as there is something magically addictive about *anthologies!* and being able to disappear inside them – to enchant your mind & your bookish heart with a vision of a story which is told in shorter format from novels and with the loveliness of being able to tuck closer to authors you might never have discovered otherwise if they hadn’t been included in an anthology!
I have the tendency of leaning towards reading Speculative Fiction anthologies (across the genres of interest which include: Cosy Horror, High Fantasy & Low Fantasy, Science Fiction (esp Space Opera or other side-niches), Steampunk & other murmurings along the realms of re-told tales from Fairy Tales to Legends & Lore or any variant of Mythological Stories as well – although, I technically also collect anthologies for INSPY stories, too. These just happen to be the genres my readers & followers will recognise as being previously reviewed & featured on Jorie Loves A Story!
The reason this one drew my eye was for two reasons: a) it has the lovely social conscience of donating funds to a charity and b) it appears to have a bountiful collection of stories which gives you something to chew on from a multitude of Speculative angles of interest! I love anthologies which re-carve a path into what is plausible through Speculative worlds which tuck you into situations that you can appreciate as being inspired by our IRL lives but as such are played out in fantastical realms instead of our contemporary modern reality!
Curiously – what kinds of anthologies do you love yourself? And, are you gravitating towards Speculative Fiction anthologies like I am? If so, which are your favourite publishers? So far, I’ve enjoyed 7th Star Press, World Weaver Press & Xchyler Publishing.
This is a self-published anthology!
Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas19, #FantasyAvengers and #Steampunk
Published: 26th October, 2019 | ISBN: 978-1694397775
An illustrated collection of faerie tales and adventure stories from two worlds parallel to each other. One is a world filled with fae folk and monsters, and the other is place of clockwork and alchemy.
Both are brimming with magic, mystery, and mortals who must find their places within. Between the pages of these worlds, a boy learns his childhood friend is a dyrad, a lady must sneak away from her own ball to provide the cure to a plague-infected village, a siren has to solve a murder, and more.
Also includes an exclusive short story from the Howling Twenties series, involving the enchanted forest, a wedding day, and a blood moon.
Be swept away in tales of wonder-with all profit going to Polaris so girls and boys can have a chance to live their own faerie tales and adventures in freedom.
Enjoy an Extract from this anthology:
“My father is a powerful man,” I whisper into the man’s shoulder.
“I am well aware of that.”
With relief, I note that we are retracing the same path as before. “What is your name anyway, good sir?”
He seems to consider this for a long moment, and even glances down at his steed as if the beautiful Arabian might somehow remind him of his name.
“Sir?”
“The Scarlet Arvensis.
”I frown. “That is not a real name. You’re hiding something.”
He halts his Arabian, and I start. Then I turn to see that my home stands nearby, close enough to walk to, and far enough to do so while avoiding the guests that are now beginning to depart.
I turn back to the so-called ‘Scarlet Arvensis.’ “We have met before, have we not?”
He says nothing, but he doesn’t resist as I slide my hands up under his hood and feel a face that is young and strong and clean-shaven. But I could already see as much from what little of him protrudes beneath his cloak; his strong chin, and lips that seem tilted at an amused angle.
His hands grasp my wrists. A precaution to keep me from flipping off his hood, perhaps. But he doesn’t pull away. Instead, he leans forward. “It was an honor escorting you, Lady Manette.”
I study his lips. I have never kissed a masked rogue before. Or a stranger. Or anyone who I wasn’t trying to manipulate to join an army I didn’t believe in.
What would it be like, I wonder . . .
“Lady Manette?”
“Your chivalry was appreciated,” I whisper. Then I slide off the Arabian and move toward my home.
I am definitely curious what shall happen ‘next’ whilst I am eagerly curious about the rest of the stories contained in this anthology! What I love the most is how gentle its written and how easily you become engaged with the characters.
I love Fantasy that feels authentic to its own world but also has this sense of wonderment about it – when you are dealing with High Fantasy it is a special treat because you get a proper sense of a certain kind of world and a certain kind of character you might stumble across meeting within the story-line.
What I liked about this extract is there is just enough intrigue to keep you pinned into the page and just a dash of unexpected chivalry to keep you curious about is motivating the actions of the characters themselves to behave in the ways they are with one another!
About Jes Drew
Jes Drewis the author of the Ninja and Hunter trilogy, the Howling Twenty trilogy, the Kristian Clark saga, the Castaways trilogy, and The Dystopian Takeover trilogy. She read every fairy tale book she could get a hold of as a child, Captain America is her version of Prince Charming, and she’s pretty sure she's a mermaid.
This blog tour is courtesy of: Prism Book Tours
Click through via the badge to find out what else awaits you!
Each day, a new author is showcased – I selected the authors I wanted to feature ahead of time – therefore, return to see which of the authors I am focusing on throughout the 12 days!
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Tales from Parallel Worlds”, the author’s photo (for Jes Drew) and biography, the extract from “Tales from Parallel Worlds” as well as the blog tour banner and The Prism Book Tours badge were all provided by Prism Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #blogmas 2019 badge and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.
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