Category: Faeries & the Fey

Blog Book Tour | “Restless Spirit: A Tipsy #fairytale” by E. Chris Garrison I can seriously say, this is the only author who’d convince me I can handle reading Zombies!

Posted Friday, 7 October, 2016 by jorielov (Editor) Linda Sullivan, (Illustrator) Anne Rosario, E. Chris Garrison, Restless Spirit: A Tipsy Fairy Tale, Seventh Star Press, Tipsy Fairy Tale trilogy 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a stop on the “Restless Spirit” genre-bending fairy-tale fantasy release tour from Seventh Star Press. The tour is hosted by Tomorrow Comes Media who does the publicity and blog tours for Seventh Star Press and other Indie and/or Self Published authors. I am a regular blog tour host with Tomorrow Comes Media, however, the author and I have continued our friendship since we first interacted via The Star Chamber Show (which I’ll expand on in a moment). It was a foregone conclusion I’d sign on for the rest of this series as it runs in the book blogosphere touring as I was so wicked excited about the first release “Blue Spirit” (see Review) I was quite wicked eager to read more!

I received a complimentary copy of “Restless Spirit” direct from the publisher Seventh Star Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On my connection to Ms Chris (aka E. Chris Garrison):

I first discovered the style of Ms Chris’s story-telling when we both appeared on the Star Chamber Show, which is a weekly podcast on BlogTalkRadio sponsored by the publisher Seventh Star Press. Since our first encounter with each other, we’ve developed a friendship I am blessed to have and I appreciate getting to know a bit more about an author whose not only developing a unique style in the world of Fantasy but is receptive to the thoughts readers have as they gain impression by reading the stories themselves.

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Ms Chris through our respective blogs, the twitterverse, the podcast world, and privately. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. For more information, I disclosed a bit more on my first 10 Bookish, Not Bookish Thoughts (read No.7!).

Why I love reading the Tipsy Fairy Tales:

On the comedic writing style of Ms Chris:

Any writer who can work in the phrase ‘le sigh’ is alright in my book! Little bits of cheeky references to exasperation in regards to Minnie on behalf of Skye and Skye’s particular take on her co-workers, the ordinary life she leads whilst it intersects with the extraordinary, and the manner in which the curious creatures she interacts with whilst the rest of us are oblivious is quite golden folly! She exhumes a particular knack for knowing exactly what to express within a scene and what to stitch inside it as far as everyday observations which inherently become social clues towards the timescape in which the story is set around. You can pick up the nuances of pop culture whilst finding a clear definition for writing in her own style for fantasy elements that spin themselves so organically inside this world.

In the past two years I’ve had the chance to get to know Ms Chris a bit better outside of the world of blog tours, I must confess, as I was reading Blue Spirit I felt I could almost hear her voice behind the words as I read the story – as if I somehow have a better understanding of her writerly voice and the approaches she takes towards conveying the story visually to the reader. If this were an audiobook, I nearly have a strong idea already of how it would sound if it were to be read aloud by the author! Little bits of her own personality are definitely threaded into the context but moreso than that, it was a pleasure to notice things I hadn’t seen when I read Seelie Goose!

I found myself enjoying this installment of the series so very much, that I found it quite difficult to put the book down in order to blog! I love when that happens – where your completely committed to the story and the words hopefully will come to you to express out to your readership (if your a book blogger, that is!) as you wick off the hours from the clock consumed by where the author your reading is taking you as you wander deeper into the narrative! The transitions between Skye’s Indianapolis and the elsewhere world of the fairies is seamlessly stitched as you can easily move between the segues.

Eager for Tipsy Fairy Tale No. 2!

Let’s go!

Cannot wait to see why I’ll be giggling myself silly + smirking into a ready smile!

-quoted from my review of Blue Spirit

A short preview of my conversation with Ms Chris, wherein we discuss the main thread of interest behind this installment of the series:

I won’t give spoilers about that book, but it occurred to me that if I wanted there to be a trilogy of books about Skye, she needed to get in even more trouble than in Blue Spirit, so I knew there had to be another book in between. One with wilder hi-jinks and drunken antics, and above all, higher stakes. She needed to burn some bridges, and also see the consequences of recklessness. I very nearly called the book Reckless Spirit but decided it was more about Skye’s restlessness with her lack of clear purpose or direction in her life; as it was about her trying to prove her worth in our world, while being beset by overwhelming danger from the fairy and shadow worlds.

Yes, I can see how some might argue that point – about how Skye can go off on an adventure without thinking of the plausibilities of her actions or what might become a result of some of the behaviours she engages inside – however, one thing that you’ve always maintained with Skye is her willingness to recognise certain aspects of her life and world. She has a ‘check’ inside her in regards to knowing a bit more about her limits; not always mindful of responding to that self-check as she has Minnie for a stronger note of conscious but you can tell as you read her stories, Skye feels responsible for certain things but perhaps, hasn’t quite learnt the greatest lesson of all, yet.

Note on Cover Art Design:

I am seriously in love with the purple motiff of this book cover! I’ve been jazzed about the colour purple since I was quite young despite the fact my dear great-grandmother told me it seemed strange to her as in her generation purple was only worn at the end of your life. I’ve been a deep purple or dark plum kind of gal for most of my life, even though I have as serious joy in crimson red, purple just rocked my socks for decades!

For a girl who loves colour, this book cover has a lot going on – as it’s the blending of the hues, the typography and the whole imagery of Skye and that mysterious lurker behind her where only ‘eyes’ can be seen! Eek. I’m recently realised I’m not so much of a Gryffindor kind of gal but more the Hufflepuff variety… i.e. if I even felt a smidge of that presence, I’d duck and run the opposite way! lol I always felt I’d be sorted into Ravenclaw – you know the lot of whom take up permanent residence in the library?!

I thought this was a great impression of what the catacombs would look like and feel like to explore if we stepped into Skye’s shoes and felt her courage to take-on the unknown!

Restless Spirit
Subtitle: A Tipsy Fairy Tale
by Ms Chris (E. Chris Garrison)
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Anne Rosario
Source: Publisher via Tomorrow Comes Media

When Skye McLeod is asked by her pal Phil Jenson if she wants to cosplay at his game company’s booth during Big Con Weekend—and get paid for it—she jumps at the chance. Besides, Skye’s hit a rocky patch with her girlfriend Annabelle, who wants her to stop drinking and act more responsibly.

Then Skye gets a call from paranormal detective Rebecca Burton for another job; something big is going on at the convention, and she needs Skye to be her eyes and ears there. So now Skye’s getting paid to have fun—twice!

Then The Night Duke, a creep from Skye’s live role playing days, shows up and uses some weird mojo, seemingly turning pretend zombies into real ones. After barely escaping an attack, Skye learns the fairies and trolls within the magical realm are getting restless, and her old friend, the Transit King, is in the middle of it.

Skye decides to once again enlist the aid of her fairy companion “Minnie.” For Skye to enter the magic realm, she needs to get tipsy. Then she’ll just have to control the powers within her and contain the outside forces that threaten to spin into chaos. How can she possibly screw this up?

Genres: Fantasy Fiction, Fairy-Tale Re-Telling, Genre-bender, Stories of the FAE, Urban Fantasy

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781941706442

Also by this author: Blue Spirit, Guest Post (Restless Spirit), Gifts of the Magi, Road Ghosts : Omnibus Edition, Road Ghosts : Omnibus Edition

Series: Tipsy Fairy Tale

Also in this series: Mean Spirit

Published by Seventh Star Press

on 28th June, 2016

Format: Paperback Edition

Pages: 256

Published By: Seventh Star Press (@7thStarPress)
Available Formats: Softcover and Ebook

Converse on Twitter: #TipsyFairyTaleSeries & #7thStar

About Ms Chris (E. Chris Garrison)

E. Chris Garrison writes Fantasy and Science Fiction novels and short stories. She used to publish as Eric Garrison, but has since upgraded.

Her latest series is Trans-Continental, a Steampunk adventure with a transgender woman as its protagonist. The series is set in one of the worlds in Chris’s dimension-hopping science fiction adventure, Reality Check, both of these series are published through Silly Hat Books. Silly Hat Books released Alien Beer and Other Stories, a collection of her short stories, in 2017.

Chris’s supernatural fantasy stories include the Road Ghosts trilogy and it's companion series the Tipsy Fairy Tales are published by Seventh Star Press. These Urban Fantasy novels are humorous supernatural fantasies, dealing with ghosts, demonic possession, and sinister fairy folk delivered with a “lightly dark” side of humor.

Her novel, Reality Check, is a Science Fiction adventure released by Hydra Publications. Reality Check reached #1 in Science Fiction on Amazon.com during a promotion in July 2013. Chris lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her wife, step-daughter and cats. She also enjoys gaming, home brewing beer, and finding innovative uses for duct tape.

*Biography updated: March, 2018

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#FuellYourSciFi

Posted Friday, 7 October, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Dating & Humour Therein, Doctor Who, Dreams & Dreamscapes, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Faeries & the Fey, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Folklore and Mythology, Gaming, Genre-bender, Good vs. Evil, Horror-Lite, Illustration for Books & Publishing, Indie Author, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Parapsychological Gifts, Parapsychological Suspense, Premonition-Precognitive Visions, Science Fiction, Shapeshifters, Singletons & Commitment, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Time Shift, Tomorrow Comes Media, Urban Fantasy, Urban Life, Vulgarity in Literature, Zombies

Author Guest Post | Celebrating the sequel to “Blue Spirit” with the release of “Restless Spirit”, Ms Chris explains the ‘cosplay’ side of Skye!

Posted Wednesday, 28 September, 2016 by jorielov (Illustrator) Anne Rosario, E. Chris Garrison, Restless Spirit: A Tipsy Fairy Tale, Seventh Star Press, Tipsy Fairy Tale trilogy 2 Comments

I am wicked happy to bring a lovely guest feature to my readers, celebrating a lovely Urban Fantasy series, I had become smitten with reading last year! It isn’t often I find a series that tickles my humour to such an accord of hilarity whilst grounded by a heap of heart and friendship at the same time! I love seeking out ‘lighter reads’ with a sophisticated edge of humour or satire that brings you such an uplift of joy to be reading, you simply do not want to part company any time soon with the book in your hands!

This is how I felt when I first picked up the first volume of the Tipsy Fairy Tales: Blue Spirit! I was overjoyed to find a wholly realised world inside that not only reminded me of the short story (by which I first met Skye with Minnie) but it drew me into this alterverse so warmly lit by it’s inhabitants it was hard not to smirk as you read the story! It wasn’t all aces though – there were some really wicked characters (here, this isn’t to refer to being ‘awesome’ but overtly dangerous!) up to absolute NO GOOD and then, there was Skye – centred on the action and trying to sort her way through it all!

She’s incredibly quirky, has her faults (who doesn’t?) but at the end of the day, it’s seriously good fiction which can bring you into an upturnt smile, a hearty laugh and a joyful reprieve in a world that is not altogether ‘unlike’ our world but is quite mysteriously bent towards the fantastical! I’ve been so wicked eager to read this new installment – to get my hands on the next Skye & Minnie adventure, as what happily drew my eye into this series is the depth that Ms Chris knits into her story’s heart. She puts a lot into the adventures of Skye than you first realise, and there is a lot more to Skye than what is presented. She’s a complicated girl and has a complicated past; I know there will be a riveting conclusion to this trilogy as she has a lot of growing left to do after this particular tale of her story concludes, but at the forefront is a girl whose willing to do whatever her friends need and be the heroine of her own story!

What’s not to love, right!?

I wanted to feature a guest post that highlights the quirkiness of Skye and the joy of conventions on behalf of the author; I’d love to attend more cons myself in the future, as I positively love reading about the Steampunk & SFF ones inasmuch as I know I want to hit the book world circuit of book fairs, fests and cons, as well! I know there will be BEA and Library convention out there I will one day attend! Til then, I get to live voraciously through those lovely spirits who tweet or instaphoto their lives for us to see ‘what it’s like ahead of being there’ ourselves!

On my connection to Ms Chris (aka E. Chris Garrison):

When Skye McLeod is asked by her pal Phil Jenson if she wants to cosplay at his game company’s booth during Big Con Weekend—and get paid for it—she jumps at the chance. Besides, Skye’s hit a rocky patch with her girlfriend Annabelle, who wants her to stop drinking and act more responsibly.

Then Skye gets a call from paranormal detective Rebecca Burton for another job; something big is going on at the convention, and she needs Skye to be her eyes and ears there. So now Skye’s getting paid to have fun—twice!

Then The Night Duke, a creep from Skye’s live role playing days, shows up and uses some weird mojo, seemingly turning pretend zombies into real ones. After barely escaping an attack, Skye learns the fairies and trolls within the magical realm are getting restless, and her old friend, the Transit King, is in the middle of it.

Skye decides to once again enlist the aid of her fairy companion “Minnie.” For Skye to enter the magic realm, she needs to get tipsy. Then she’ll just have to control the powers within her and contain the outside forces that threaten to spin into chaos. How can she possibly screw this up?

Guest Post Topic: Being an author who loves attending conventions, was this part of the impetus behind having Skye find herself in a heap of crazy woe whilst attending a convention herself? What was your favourite part of bringing your personal love of conventions into the story-line? Is the cover art reflecting the Cosplay aspect of the convention?

And if so, which character did Skye want to represent?

Posted Wednesday, 28 September, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Bookish Discussions, Faeries & the Fey, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Gaming, Genre-bender, Indie Author, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Tomorrow Comes Media, Urban Fantasy

Author Interview | #WriterlyYours PR presents it’s 1st #blogtour: #ShadowShifts! Here’s a lovely convo I had with the author behind the MG Lit series, J.M. Bogart!

Posted Tuesday, 17 May, 2016 by jorielov J.M. Bogart, Liminal Lights, Liminal series, Morning Rain Publishing, Shadow Shifts 1 Comment

This particular interview has a lovely back-story attached to it, as it truly speaks to how Wrimos can find each other throughout their continued writerly journey! You see, last November I created a special guest post for Priya – of whom was the book blogger I met through the book blogosphere event #Bloggerthon in [2015]. You can see why we hit it off straight out of the gate by reading our conversation from that event! We started to think of ways we could continue to collaborate with each other, and my essay about why I entered Nanowrimo 2008 was one of the best joys I’ve had in articulating my own writing process and journey.

My guest feature became a bit lost in a blog overhaul, but has the pleasure of being re-highlighted this upcoming Nanowrimo (November, 2016). I look forward to re-linking and promoting the post this Autumn, as like I said, it was a definitive moment for me where I could share a bit of my own story in regards to being ‘a writer’ who happens to be ‘moonlighting so to speak’ as a book blogger! We all have our seasons, and this is mine: not to work on my own manuscripts and stories, but to focus directly on the stories currently being published and/or fall into one of my passionate genres of interest – including with prime focuses on INSPY, Children’s Lit and Classical Lit!

The author I had the pleasure of interviewing for Priya’s debut blog tour (J.M. Bogart) has a connection to Nanowrimo herself – as it was her novel “Newvember” which originally winked an eye of interest for me to read! She was also focused on last November – as Priya brought together different writers and bloggers who shared a common thread of interest with the immersive writing challenge whilst providing inspiring stories of how we each found our own path to follow.

I knew I wanted to broach questions that would pertain to the Liminal series which drew a concern on my own behalf but also, to focus on Ms Bogart’s writing voice, style and approach to being an Indie Author. She happens to be on the team of a Canadian Indie Publishing house as well! For those of you who might have as keen of an interest in reading Middle Grade Lit as I do, I asked to host a small excerpt of the novel “Shadow Shifts” to help introduce my readers to her series! I felt this was a lovely compliment to our conversation!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you’ve had the chance to read through our conversation – perhaps inspiring the convo to continue below the post!?

When Bean fails to secure Nadia’s human magic, she puts her entire race at risk. Liminals fade as fast as Shadow-monsters emerge, creating a disturbing imbalance between light and dark. Liminals aren’t the only creatures affected by things that go bump in the night…

Knowing the ravenous appetites of the Shadow-monsters will grow out of control, Bean, Tissa, Pritt, and Ping are forced to deal directly with the dire situation. Armed with the ancient secrets of their people, they band together to destroy their enemies and return balance to their magical realm.

The existence of all things Liminal depends on their success.

Read an Excerpt from the Novel:

taken from Chapter 3 of Shadow Shifts, 2nd novel in the Liminal series Read More

Posted Tuesday, 17 May, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Children's Literature, Faeries & the Fey, Fantasy Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Middle Grade Novel, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Writerly Yours PR

Book Review | “FAE: an #anthology of Fairies” [edited by] Rhonda Parrish published by #IndiePub World Weaver Press

Posted Sunday, 30 August, 2015 by jorielov (Editor) Rhonda Parrish, Adria Laycraft, Alexis A. Hunter, Amanda Block, Beth Cato, Christine Morgan, FAE: An Anthology of Fairies, Jon Arthur Kitson, Kari Castor, Kristina Wojtaszek, L.S. Johnson, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, Lauren Liebowitz, Liz Colter, Lor Graham, Rhonda Eikamp, Sara Puls, Shannon Phillips, Sidney Blaylock Jr., World Weaver Press 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: Did you ever grow curious about a new publisher who produces science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre selections in both novel length and short stories? Did you ever decide to enquire with the publisher you’ve found to see if they were open to book blogger requests to read and review their selections!? This is the situation I found myself in as I was quite mystified by the offerings of World Weaver Press! Such a delightful discovery on my behalf, and a website full of inspiring reads across SFF!

Choosing which book to select for review was a bit tricky, but as I love short stories and in particular short stories within the realms of Fantasy, I elected to select this collection of stories of the fae! I received a complimentary copy of “FAE” direct from the publisher World Weaver Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

A bit of an introduction to World Weaver Press:

World Weaver Press is an independently owned publisher of fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. We believe in great storytelling. Launched in March 2012 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, World Weaver Press is currently based in Alpena, Michigan, owned and operated by Editor-in-Chief Eileen Wiedbrauk.

We believe in great storytelling. We believe in challenging genre boundaries and engaging the fundamental human drive to tell stories that resonate emotionally. The way we do it is by partnering with great writers to craft and edit the best fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction stories possible. By creating beautiful, well designed paperbacks and ebooks. By growing their publicity. And by fostering a family of authors excited to work with us. We believe that publishing speculative fiction isn’t just printing words on the page—it’s the act of weaving brand new worlds.

Indie publishers are on the cutting edge of encouraging interactive reader to author events, and World Weaver Press has poised themselves to curate one of the most stimulating chats in the twitterverse for booklovers of Speculative Fiction! I’ve been a resident chatterbox in weekly, bi-monthly, and quarterly Twitter chats hosted by a variety of individuals, publishers, authors, and Entertainment Industry outlets as well, however, one of my favourite topics of interest being a writer of SFF myself, is opening up a convo with other readers, book bloggers, writers, editors, and the bookish community surrounding Science Fiction and Fantasy as a whole!

I used to frequent the #FantasyChat on Sundays until time became a bit of a barrier for me at that timeslot, wherein the same group who meets-up on the weekends, happily found the same niche of interest I did in #CreatureChat Wednesdays @ 9pm. This is where you can talk dragons, gryphons, and all other sorts of fantastical and mythical wonders of beasts and animals! It’s a broad chat for Fantasy lovers, but I truly can admit, I’ve been seeking out alternatives to talk with others who are keen on SFF as a whole rather than limited by one group of topics. I found several SFF chats on Twitter, but my favourite now is the #SFFLunch hosted by World Weaver Press.

Ironically or not, I’ve only been able to attend one of these wicked awesome chats (thus far!) as try as I might to *stalk!* the homepage of the publisher, I truly wish they had a newsletter and/or a tweet reminder system in place for those who are busy and forgetful about when these events are happening! I nearly thought I was clued into the June meet-up, except to say I was thinking it was *today!* Wednesday when in all honesty they met-up yesterday on Tuesday! *le sigh* One of these months, the moons shall be kind and align,…

Outside of the chat, I had the pleasure of writing a response to one of the writers whose short is included in FAE: Kristina Wojtaszek, who wrote a #DiverseSFF story involving a character of special needs. She was featured on the publisher’s website with a well-writ Guest Post entitled: A Hob, a Mom, and a son with Asperger’s. Prior to my review, I started to share my discovery of World Weaver Press on my first entry into a new weekly meme feature I am kicking off on Jorie Loves A Story Summer 2015: 10 Bookish and Not Bookish Thoughts! Likewise, I left a comment on the editor’s blog when she announced books two and three in this continuing series of fantastical mischief and mayhem! Be sure to read my highlights of attending my first #SFFLunch!

Keen interest in the world of Speculative Fiction | side note: the fae:

My interest in the fae and the communities of the faeries grew out of my childhood focused on Speculative Fiction as a whole across different mediums of story-telling. My knowledge of the fae is not as evolved as my love of SFF, but my curiosity has become quite piqued by other authors who are writing compelling and wicked stories of these curious people who are short in statue but not in heart! Truly, it was the anthology collection by another Indie publisher (Seventh Star Press) which first perked my attention to anthological collections of shorts being one of the best gateways into appreciating new-to-me authors of Fantasy fiction. (with an empathsis on the fae!) Their collection A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court proved to be one of my most beloved anthologies read to date.

This led me to seeking out more stories by E. Chris Garrison (due to Ms Chris writing about the Seelie Goose!) and launched a search for other Indies who were publishing wicked quality collections and/or novel length stories within the realms of SFF. My heart is divided equally between science fiction and fantasy, with a slight bent of newfound interest in Cosy Horror (yes, this is a new term I coined during Horror October 2014 and apparently it’s ‘catching on!’)

Yet, whilst I broached a discussion question during a recent #CreatureChat, I noticed there was an absence of response on the merits of where the fae originated in fiction and of whom the grandfathers / grandmothers of this niche of Fantasy originally sourced their ideas or picked up ideas through their research. I realise a heap of story craft is interwoven into our imaginations, but writers are curious creatures, and we do like to research as much as we love to create from scratch.

Here is the Q:

#CreatureChat To pitch this a different way — which #authors are the founders of fae in #SFF fiction!? Who led the way & developed baseline

— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) June 11, 2015

[ more of the same thread of context w/in the convo ]

I suppose you could say I’m on a self-motivated journey into the world of the fae. I seek to understand their nature and to understand their world(s). I have several books earmarked off in mind to read of the fae, but I was hoping perhaps someone out there might have recommendations for me as to help paint the path towards knowing how they started to emerge into popular Speculative Fiction and how they become as established as they are for a muse.

I do not oft talk about my own writerly pursuits as I am living in the season of a book blogger whose an avid reader giddy happy for discovering new genres, new stories, and new authors. However, my heart always had a special place for SFF due to the enormity of freedom on where you could take a story. You can lead your reader down a road of science grounded realism or you can jump the rails directly into the unknown and guide a reader into a world you’ve fully realised and created yourself. It’s such a lovely branch of literature because of the incredible breadth of choice and selection. The very first manuscript I conceived into being was science fiction based on science fact, however, the more I read Fantasy, whilst being tempted by the ‘cosier’ and ‘psychological’ side of Horror, I’m starting to spread my wings on where my own fiction might reside.

I read across the full spectrum of literature from Major Trade to Indies, with a special appreciation and fondness for Indies as I grew up supporting a wicked awesome Indie bookshoppe who first introduced me to ‘local authors’ and ‘local author events’. As I step back through the doors of SFF, I’m settling inside a heap of lovelies from Indie writers moreso than Major Trade, but this is partially due to the fact my own personal collection of stories are ferreted out into boxes and are not accessible to be read. Hence why I rely on my local public library for ILL’ing (inter-library loan) and borrowing through our local catalogue of SFF.

I am an appreciator of stories;

irregardless of their route to publication,

if they are print and bound in an edition I can hold by hand whilst

reading off the printed texture of a page — I’m one bonefide happy reader!

FAE
Subtitle: An Anthology of Fairies

Meet Robin Goodfellow as you've never seen him before, watch damsels in distress rescue themselves, get swept away with the selkies and enjoy tales of hobs, green men, pixies and phookas. One thing is for certain, these are not your grandmother’s fairy tales.

Fairies have been both mischievous and malignant creatures throughout history. They’ve dwelt in forests, collected teeth or crafted shoes. Fae is full of stories that honor that rich history while exploring new and interesting takes on the fair folk from castles to computer technologies to modern midwifing, the Old World to Indianapolis.

Fae bridges traditional and modern styles, from the familiar feeling of a good old-fashioned fairy tale to urban fantasy and horror with a fae twist. This anthology covers a vast swath of the fairy story spectrum, making the old new and exploring lush settings with beautiful prose and complex characters.

With an introduction by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, and all new stories from Sidney Blaylock Jr., Amanda Block, Kari Castor, Beth Cato, Liz Colter, Rhonda Eikamp, Lor Graham, Alexis A. Hunter, L.S. Johnson, Jon Arthur Kitson, Adria Laycraft, Lauren Liebowitz, Christine Morgan, Shannon Phillips, Sara Puls, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Kristina Wojtaszek.

List of Stories included in this anthology:

“Introduction” by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman
“Rosie Red Jacket” by Christine Morgan
“The Queen of Lakes” by L.S. Johnson
“Ten Ways to Self-Sabotage, Only Some of Which Relate to Fairies” by Sara Puls
“Antlers” by Amanda Block
“Only Make-Believe” by Lauren Liebowitz
“F.C.U.” by Jon Arthur Kitson
“Water Sense” by Adria Laycraft
“The Cartography of Shattered Trees” by Beth Cato
“Possession” by Rhonda Eikamp
“And Only The Eyes of Children” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
“Seven Years Fleeting” by Lor Graham
“The Last King” by Liz Colter
“Faerie Knight” by Sidney Blaylock, Jr.
“Solomon’s Friend” by Kristina Wojtaszek
“A Fairfolk Promise” by Alexis A. Hunter
“The Fairy Midwife” by Shannon Phillips
“The Price” by Kari Castor

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9780692207918

Series: Rhonda Parrish’s Magical Menageries, No.1

Also in this series: Corvidae, Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters

on 22nd July 2014

Format: Paperback

Pages: 250

Published By: World Weaver Press (@WorldWeaver_wwp)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook

Genre(s): Fantasy | Horror | Speculative | Stories of the Fae

Equality in Lit | Diversity in SFF

Collection No.2 in this series is Corvidae | Info on Parrish Blog | Info on Pub

Collection No.3 in this series is Scarecrow | Info on Pub

Converse via: #DiverseSFF, #SFF, #scifi, #FAE, #Fantasy & #anthology

+ #MagicalMenageries (the series tag!)

About (Editor) Rhonda Parrish

Rhonda Parrish is a master procrastinator and nap connoisseur but despite that she somehow manages a full professional life. She has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of Niteblade Magazine for over five years now (which is like 25 years in internet time) and is the editor of the forthcoming benefit anthology, Metastasis. In addition, Rhonda is a writer whose work has been included or is forthcoming in dozens of publications including Tesseracts 17: Speculating Canada from Coast to Coast and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing.

Starting July 1, 2014, Rhonda Parrish will be reading for Corvidae and Scarecrow, two new anthologies in the same series as Fae. Like Fae, each of these new anthologies will focus on a single construct treated in many varied and enthralling ways by new speculative fiction short stories.

The twin anthologies also present a unique opportunity: to create a conversation between the two volumes, between the crows and the straw-men, between the bird tales of Corvidae and the totem tales of Scarecrow. Anthologies to be published in 2015. More information at WorldWeaverPress.com.

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Posted Sunday, 30 August, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Adoption, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Anthology Collection of Stories, Archery, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookish Films, Bookmark slipped inside a Review Book, Castles & Estates, Cliffhanger Ending, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Cosy Horror, Dreams & Dreamscapes, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Equality In Literature, Faeries & the Fey, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Folklore and Mythology, Good vs. Evil, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Horror-Lite, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspired by Stories, Inspiring Video Related to Content, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Orphans & Guardians, Parapsychological Suspense, Re-Told Tales, Short Stories or Essays, Siblings, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Twin Siblings, Urban Fantasy, World Weaver Press

Blog Book Tour | “Blue Spirit: A Tipsy #fairytale” by E. Chris Garrison The author I happily chatted with on #blogtalkradio and cheer for on #JLASblog!

Posted Saturday, 29 August, 2015 by jorielov (Editor) Scott M. Sandridge, (Illustrator) Anne Rosario, Blue Spirit: A Tipsy Fairy Tale, E. Chris Garrison, Seventh Star Press, Tipsy Fairy Tale trilogy 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a stop on the “Blue Spirit” genre-bending fairy-tale fantasy release tour from Seventh Star Press. The tour is hosted by Tomorrow Comes Media who does the publicity and blog tours for Seventh Star Press and other Indie and/or Self Published authors. I am a regular blog tour host with Tomorrow Comes Media, however, the author and I have continued our friendship since we first interacted via The Star Chamber Show (which I’ll expand on in a moment). Ms Chris asked if I would be keen on being involved in her blog tour for “Blue Spirit” after I had happily read about Skye & Minnie’s adventure in the anthology release “A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court” wherein I positively expressed my joy in reading “Seelie Goose”. I was happy to be notified in time to participate as I love her quirky style of comedic fantasy!

I received a complimentary copy of “Blue Spirit” direct from the publisher Seventh Star Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On my connection to E. Chris Garrison:

I first discovered Garrison’s style of story-telling when we both appeared on the Star Chamber Show, which is a weekly podcast on BlogTalkRadio sponsored by the publisher Seventh Star Press. Since our first encounter with each other, we’ve developed a friendship I am blessed to have and I appreciate getting to know a bit more about an author whose not only developing a unique style in the world of Fantasy but is receptive to the thoughts readers have as they gain impression by reading the stories themselves.

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Garrison through our respective blogs, the twitterverse, the podcast world, and privately. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. For more information, I disclosed a bit more on my first 10 Bookish, Not Bookish Thoughts (read No.7!).

Why I love Skye MacLeod | whilst finding her writ two different ways:

I am familiar with Garrison’s character Skye from my previous reading of Virtual Blue, however, at that particular point in time I had not realised the full scope of Skye’s character! You see, Skye was ‘lent on loan’ to Sullivan in order to create the Urban Fantasy story in which I reviewed on a previous blog tour! I remember reading about the ‘Seelie Goose’, as regular readers of Jorie Loves A Story will recognise that I also hosted a Cover Reveal for Garrison and around that point in time or thereabouts I became familiar with the short story I now have happily read! For one thing, the comic brilliance of the anarchy of the fairy-tale world spun into reckless flight of an attempt to stop a wedding was most keen indeed! – quoted from my review of A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court

Going into reading Seelie Goose was a bit unique because I had this strong impression about Skye from Virtual Blue and coincidentally, it’s that original impression that led to my further curiosity in wanting to read Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy wherein the connections continue! (especially in regards to Rebecca Burton!) You could say, two authors have bewitched me with one character whose attributes and mannerisms switch-up a bit per each writerly voice whose narrating her individual stories! It’s quite the journey for me as a reader and a happy challenge as a book blogger – as each time Skye appears in a story, she’s not quite as she was from one installment to the next! Two sides of a coin and individualistically unique!

Let’s recap the particulars, shall we? Skye was a supporting character in Virtual Blue whereas she takes the lead in Garrison’s stories; on the other hand, Garrison is borrowing Phil and Rebecca Burton for the sequel to Blue Spirit! (further tidbit: the Transit King (he’s with Skye on the bus!) was spotlighted as a cameo in Haunting Obsession!) Meanwhile, I get the pleasure of reading more of Burton myself when I pick up Whimsy! Except it doesn’t stop there – no! Skye was originally introduced in Sinking Down where Garrison found a way to merge her between the Road Ghosts + Tipsy Fairy Tale series by offering to cross-over the characters/story-lines. *whew!*

A short note from Ms Chris:

TK also appears in 3 stories in a self published Christmas anthology of speculative fiction that RJ, John F. Allen, and I put together last year called Gifts of the Magi. He’s in my own Christmas Special, RJ’s Blue Christmas, and John’s An Ivory Christmas. I guess the little fairy godfather just lends himself to stories about giving gifts! :)

Note on Cover Art Design:

This is my first cover attached to a SSP release by the works of Ms Rosario, and I must say, what I loved the most about it is the EPIC way in which the neon bits remind me of black light art designs! I love how the whole of this piece truly pops! on a blog post, and how in person, it translates differently altogether! I love cover art that leaves an impression inasmuch as represents characters and stories. This one brings a bit of the forest and the fairy to the center of who Skye is and why Minnie is important to her whilst giving you a bit of a whimsy touch of ‘ah so that’s why it’s tipsy’!

Biography of the Illustrator:

Anne is a self-taught Filipino visual artist specializing in both digital and traditional mediums. Her style is a unique mix of the naturalistic and the whimsical, combining the elegance of fine art with the edgy grit of contemporary Manga. She has worked as a 2D artist in the game development industry since 2006, and has recently branched into creating illustrations and exhibiting her traditional artworks in group exhibits.

The little creature hugged by the E in BLUE and SP in SPIRIT held my eye!

It’s like he’s trying to tell you something!

Blue Spirit
Subtitle: A Tipsy Fairy Tale
by Ms Chris (E. Chris Garrison)
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Anne Rosario
Source: Publisher via Tomorrow Comes Media

Gamer girl Skye MacLeod can see fairies, but only when she's tipsy. More Grimm than enchanting, some of these fairies are out to ruin her life, wreaking havoc with her job, her home, and her relationships.

With the help of her tiny fairy friend Minnie, Skye has to protect her vampire wannabe gamer friends from all-too-real supernatural threats only she can see. Can she keep it together and hold fast against a wicked fairy Queen's plot?

Blue Spirit is the first book of A Tipsy Fairy Tale series!

+ For a preview of Skye and Minnie,
be sure to scope out Jorie's review for A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court!