Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
When I saw Melissa McShane was being re-featured this #FantasyForChristmas19 – I admit, it felt a bit kismet! As this is an author I happily cheered for last year during the #FantasyForChristmas event with her Crown of Temontane series! It is lovely to become re-introduced to another layer of a writer’s collective works whilst recognising I have quite a few requests to put in at my local library next year strictly stemming from my #FantasyForChristmas 2018 & 2019 selections! Reason being? I’ve been itching to read these lovely authors and although my intentions were to read them between both events – I never had the proper chance to focus on gathering the titles.
Next year, as I am finding my local library is receptive to the requests I am making regarding Indie Authors & Indie Press – I am going to be carry my requests forward into 2020! I am splitting my requests between my local library for print books & a regionally local library for audiobook requests. This way I can continue to seek out a better balance between reading both formats and continue to see the benefits of anchouring my readerly life in two formats which help offset my chronic migraines. It is also why I am striving towards hosting a more limited series of blog tours and focusing more on personal reads, library reads & / or showcasing authors I’ll be hosting via @SatBookChat as the past two years my health has had a few more afflictions attached to it than I’d consider healthy to juggle as a book blogger.
Thus, I’ll be honing in on authors I’ve previously showcased like Ms McShane and still haven’t had the chance to read whilst moving forward with select new titles and authors as well as previously read favourites throughout the coming year. I’d love to have a nice collection of Fantasy authors and series to discuss during our 3rd Wyrd and Wonder – outside of my focus of reading #dragonfiction as previously mentioned during my Dragons Risings series spotlight earlier in the week.
Here’s a special cheer to Melissa McShane & the lovely writers behind #WeWriteFantasy who help celebrate the fantastical each December during their #FantasyForChristmas events!
Published by: Night Harbour Publishing
Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas19, #SuperheroFiction and #HistoricalFantasy
Published: 25th March, 2019 | ISBN: 978-1949663136
In 1812, Elinor Pembroke wakes to find her bedchamber in flames—and extinguishes them with a thought. As an Extraordinary, gifted with powerful magical talent, she is respected and feared, but her father intends to control her and her talent by forcing her to marry where he insists. Trapped between the choices of a loveless marriage or living penniless and dependent on her parents, Elinor takes a third path: she joins the Royal Navy.
Assigned to serve under Captain Miles Ramsay aboard the frigate Athena, she turns her fiery talent on England’s enemies, vicious pirates preying on English ships in the Caribbean. At first feared by her shipmates, a growing number of victories make her truly part of Athena’s crew and bring her joy in her fire. But as her power grows and changes in unexpected ways, Elinor’s ability to control it is challenged. She may have the power to destroy her enemies utterly—but could it be at the cost of her own life?
The Extraordinaries series:
Burning Bright (book one)
Wondering Sight (book two)
Abounding Might (book three)
Enjoy an Extract from Burning Bright:
Elinor dreamed of fire, the unseen ground beneath her burning and the air white with heat, and woke to find her dream a reality. The walls of her bedroom were ablaze, the varnished floorboards slightly less so, and fire rolled across the ceiling in golden waves. Heat struck at her with an intensity that dried her nostrils and mouth and made her eyes feel roasted. She felt no fear, merely sat with her arms around her knees, her white, flannel nightgown tucked over her feet, and marveled at the fire’s power and beauty. She had never seen such color. It made every memory she had of this dismal room seem even more faded and dispirited. Then the heat battered at her again, and she realized she would die if she did nothing.
So she reached out from within herself, and extinguished it.
Superhero Fiction is something I caught sight of threading into Fantasy several years ago – much to my admiration for the #AwesomeJones series which I’ve happily reviewed twice & cheered for the author as her characters Awesome Jones (see also Review) and Lona Chang (see also Review) truly touched my bookish heart! Meanwhile, I also spotlighted an author who was on the fringes of sorting out how to get her #superherofiction into print whilst I also dabbled with sampling the Lois Lane series as well.
Having the gift of controlling *fire!* is a special superhero quality – one which isn’t easily tamed nor trainable and I liked how McShane gives you just a small sampling of what Elinor is facing with this particular gift as the difference between being a firestarter with a mission & being a firestarter whose lost control of their talent is a very fine line indeed! I’d love to see where this story takes us through Elinor’s journey but also into the elements of how the superheroes of this world are challenged with their talents, their personal lives & how the gifts they’ve either discovered or found bestowed affects other aspects of their lives as well. As this is what I loved most about the #AwesomeJones series – it was fully emcompassing of how superheroes have layered lives – whilst they also are seeking a bit of downtime from the public and from the talent which consumes them.
This is why I gravitated towards the first year of “SuperGirl” – but lost interest after they let go of Flockhart’s character – whilst I also enjoyed the film series “The Incredibles” – as it shows a very humanistic approach to how superheroes are viewed by their peers, how they have difficulties in their inter-personal relationships & how being ‘super’ truly isn’t what you think its like due to the unspoken hardships with goes with the ‘talent’ which isn’t always chosen but what is either inherited or simply ‘given’ to you to learn to use. I love dramatic tales and superhero fiction has this hidden layering of where Fantasy, Science Fiction & the joys of chasing after Superman can allow a girl to fly into new fantastical worlds of interest! The fact this one is a Historical Fantasy makes it even a bit sweeter for me as I personally love time travelling through history!
Hmm,.. I wonder – does anyone else read #SuperheroFiction!? If so – who are your go-to favourite authors of the genre? I’d love to seek out more #newtomeauthors & see if I can put together a proper list of recommendations for Wyrd And Wonder in May 2020! Add your ideas to the *threads below and I’ll be happily excited to see where those stories take me in the New Year! Likewise, have you read the authors I’ve mentioned today?
About Melissa McShane
Melissa McShane is the author of twenty fantasy novels, including Servant of the Crown, Burning Bright, and The Book of Secrets. She lives in the shelter of the mountains out West with her husband, four children and a niece, and two very needy cats. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to fiction, which is much more fun than anyone ought to be allowed to have. You can visit her at her website for information on other books and upcoming releases.
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 “Burning Bright”, “Wondering Sight” and “Abounding Might”, the author’s photo (for Melissa McShane) and biography, the extract from “Burning Bright” 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.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life
For the 2nd year I’ve hosted #FantasyForChristmas during #blogmas I’m showcasing a #superherofiction series by @mmcshanewrites I am itching to be #amreading in New Year!?A subniche of #Fantasy I love seeking; thrilled for this extract of insight!??https://t.co/USILY90TyM
— Joriebelle rings a bell for #blogmas ??? (@joriestory) December 12, 2019
I always love your insight into novels, because you always pinpoint aspects I hadn’t noticed. Case in point: I had no clue Melissa’s series was technically superhero fiction. I think the most awesome thing about it, is the fact these are historical fantasy. Doesn’t that just add a whole other level of fun? Before the whole world could catch a superhero in the act with their phone. So you get anonymity if you want, and then it’s just whispered as legends long after. Who knows, but maybe there’s something to all our legends of gods and goddesses ;)