#Blogmas Book Spotlight | “Fairytale Christmas” (anthology) by Enchanted Quill Press

Posted Tuesday, 1 December, 2020 by jorielov Enchanted Quill Press, Fairytale Christmas, Forest of Frost: Sugared Plums & Poisoned Apples, Vivienne Hart 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

As you know, one of my favourite ways to read Speculative Fiction is throughout anthological collections of stories – either shorts, novellas or a variety of both. I’ve previously enjoyed a Wintry themed anthology by World Weaver Press which was entitled “Frozen Fairytales” which reminds me quite a bit of “Fairytale Christmas” as the stories within this collection I’m spotlighting today have a Wintry edging to them where the cold of the season and the iciness of the characters’ hearts merge into a collection of Wintry tales!

I have chatted about my fascination with after canon & retellings for fairy tales through a wide variety of chats – including my own @SatBookChat, wherein, I find the writers who are re-spinning the tales are creating stories I can soak my teeth inside and still pull out a wicked good tale. When it comes to the originals of the fairytales themselves, I find myself less inclined to read them. A bit of trivia I learnt about myself in recent years of hosting #SatBookChat, as I had no idea the original tales are far more intense and at times violent compared to how their respun. This isn’t the first time I’ve featured an anthology of respun tales either – as I have the tendency to have an eye out for these kinds of anthologies year round!

The extract I selected is one where you can tell this is a tale about Snow White – which is one of my favourites to see re-imagined – both in story and/or on the big screen though in regards to films, not all the films they’ve produced these last two decades were my favourites. A few yes, the majority, no. Snow White is just a classic in of its own right and it is lovely to see how a writer might re-align us back into the story whilst giving us a wicked good nemesis in the witch, too!

If you’re into Speculative Fiction and you’ve been looking for a new anthology – perhaps this one might be one to keep on your bookish radar? Enjoy the extract and let me know in the comments if you love reading anthologies like this one as much as I do!?

Fairytale Christmas
by Vivienne Hart

Fairylights, mistletoe and cozy nights by the fire…

Delve into this spellbinding Fairytale Christmas set full of enchanting romance, festive fun and more excitement than anything you’d find in your Christmas stocking.

Come on a sleigh ride through worlds of wonder and wrap yourself up in these brand new fairytale retellings, written by Amazon best selling and award winning authors in this magical limited edition collection.

Sixteen incredible authors, fifteen brand new retellings, Prince Charming, fairytale balls and a partridge in a pear tree. All wrapped up and ready to read.

One click now for your Christmas happily ever after…

Genres: Anthology Collection of Short Stories and/or Essays, Fairy-Tale Re-Telling, Fantasy Fiction, Short Story or Novella

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ASIN: B08KGSWVMX

Published by Enchanted Quill Press

on 1st November, 2020

The following authors and their stories are included in this anthology:

Reign of Holly by Amanda Marin

A Christmas Frog Leaping for Love by Audrey Rich

Shrinking Cin by Erin Lee writing as EL George

Fairytale Academy by Majanka Verstraete

Forest of Frost: Sugared Plums & Poisoned Apples by Vivienne Hart

Snooze or Lose by Jude Cocaigne

Lady or Maid by Emily Deady

Winter Flame by K.A. Last

King of Ice and Time by J.R. Castle

The Winter Swan by Samantha Bell

Jewel of Mine by Diana Dawn

The Road Past Winter by Kat Parrish

The Snow Queen’s Daughter by Serene Conneeley

Published by: Enchanted Quill Press (@quill_press)

This is a Digital First Release – ebook only!

Converse on Twitter via: #Fairytale #Fantasy #Anthology or #FairytaleChristmas

Posted Tuesday, 1 December, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Xpresso Book Tours

Happy #blogmas, Author Q&A | “No Room at the Little Cornish Inn” by Nancy Barone

Posted Tuesday, 1 December, 2020 by jorielov Aria Fiction, Head of Zeus, Nancy Barone, No Room at the Little Cornish Inn 4 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

Happy December, Happy #blogmas, everyone! Each year, for the past several years I’ve been engaging with you during this special month of posts which are inter-connected to either Christmas or a genre of interest which is being celebrated during the chase up to Christmas and/or New Year’s. I have been enjoying curating the guest features, spotlights and other showcases each year I’ve participated in #blogmas and this year, is no exception! I have a wonderful sequencing of posts for you – including a few author interviews featuring Head of Zeus authors which I’m quite excited about!

Today kicks off my Head of Zeus Christmas interviews with a #newtomeauthor, Ms Barone whose written a delightful Contemporary Christmassy Romance whose title first winked a dash of curiosity for me to pursue! I’ve since learnt this is one of three novels set round a theme of interest in ‘Cornish’ – whilst my conversation with Ms Barone tucks into the story a bit as we discuss her characters whilst I also wanted to broach a few questions about Christmas as a season and as a holiday we mutually love to celebrate.

I hope this will become one of the stories I can read next year for Christmas as it is strictly digital first right now for those who read ebooks! Once the titles I’ve featured by Head of Zeus go into audiobook editions, I have a better chance of finding them – as I am grateful Scribd carries their stories. Right now for those who read ebooks the first two stories of Little Cornish are available on Scribd for you. If they don’t go into audio, I’ll have to wait for the print editions to read them.

Why I wanted to host a spotlight & interview
for this new Christmassy story ‘No Room at the Little Cornish Inn’:

As the founder and host of @SatBookChat – I am constantly seeking to find new stories featuring strong women in the centre of Romance & Women’s Fiction. I read an equal amount of Contemporary and Historical stories within these genres of interest whilst encompassing all the lovely sub-niches of their literary styles as well. This New Year 2020 I am also seeking out Feminist Lit which celebrates the kind of stories I am enjoying to discover as well. All of which I try to champion and showcase in the chats I host on Saturdays – wherein writers, readers, book reviewers, book bloggers and the rest of the bookish community on Twitter get to engage with one another. Thereby as a regular reader of these stories I was delighted to find a #newtomeauthor to start seeking out to read!

I have a soft spot for stories set before, during and after the Christmas and/or New Year holidays – every year, I love to binge watch Christmas movies on tv (esp Hallmark or Lifetime) as much as I have small collection of beloved Christmas movies on dvd which I also love to binge watch every December & January. For me, Christmas extends to Twelfth Night in January and even a bit beyond – as I generally get into the festive spirit the week of Thanksgiving and have it until just before the start of February. Winter also marks my favourite season of the year – when the humidity is finally gone and I can pull out my sweaters and long sleeved shirts whilst enjoying the brisk colder air!!

What stood out to me of course is the overlay from “the” original Christmas story into a Contemporary Christmas Romance such as this one – where the story moves from having no place to stay to having a corporate woman on holiday with her son having to sort out why this particular Inn is malfunctioning. I’ve seen this played out a few times in Hallmark movies (ie. starring Brennan Elliott and/or Candace Cameron respectively) and I’ve always enjoyed them. There is something to be said for someone coming into a business at the moment its faltering and struggling to right its sails – you never know if it will fold, merge, sell or re-stablise and there is joy in the journey towards the ending seeing how hearts spark to life and sometimes in the midst of that kind of chaos romance can bloom!

This is why I was keen on learning a bit more about this story and why I am truly grateful I could interview the author during her blog tour this December.

Be sure to brew your favourite cuppa and enjoy this delightful holiday inspired Q&A!

No Room at the Little Cornish Inn
by Nancy Barone

Rosie Anderson was hoping to whisk her young son Danny away for a lovely Christmas with family, far from the hustle and bustle of her life in London. But then her boss at the head office – aka Susan the Sacker – suddenly assigns her to go in incognito and save a tiny inn in Cornwall from being closed permanently. Rosie doesn't know why The Old Bell Inn is performing so badly but it's on her to sort it out!

Hours in the car later, Rosie arrives at the inn to find she's been double booked – there are no rooms left. And she isn't there for more than a minute before she's butting heads with the manager, Irishman Mitchell Fitzpatrick. He seems to dislike her on sight, so it's confusing that he seems to get on so well with Danny... But if he's as terrible as his reputation, Rosie will have to be the one to fire him.

This really isn't the Christmas Rosie was dreaming of. But maybe, just maybe, it could be a whole lot more...

A sweet and uplifting Christmas romance, No Room at the Little Cornish Inn is perfect for fans of Philippa Ashley, Holly Martin and Jenny Hale.

Genres: Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance, Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ASIN: B0888WT8S5

Published by Aria Fiction

on 5th November, 2020

The Little Cornish series of stories:

[ although I am unsure if this is a dedicated series, all the stories involve ‘Little Cornish’ ]

New Hope for the Little Cornish Farmhouse (book one)

No Room at the Little Cornish Inn (book two)

Dreams of a Little Cornish Cottage (book three) ← forthcoming, 2021!

Published By: Aria Fiction (@Aria_Fiction)
a Digital First imprint of Head of Zeus (@HoZ_Books)

This is a Digital First Release!

Converse via: #NoRoomAtTheLittleCornishInn, #WomensFiction and #HeadOfZeus

Posted Tuesday, 1 December, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, Head of Zeus, Reader Submitted Q&A, Romance Fiction, Single Mothers

#SciFiMonth | Jorie’s Abridged @SciFiMonth 2020 : how I held onto this event the first week of December!

Posted Monday, 30 November, 2020 by jorielov Jorie Loves A Story 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I never thought I’d be back-blogging my #SciFiMonth reviews & posts this first week of December but sometimes when life throws me lemons, I refuse to admit I can’t make lemonade! I had a larger stack of stories (both Fiction & Non-Fiction) I wanted to read this year but I shortened the list to 5x reviews and 2x posts (Intro/Wrap-Up) which could become an ‘abridged’ adventure this year for my favourite Autumn book blogosphere event I generally affectionately call “Sci Fi November”.

As you will soon see I had a rather interesting book list this year and as you read through my #SciFiMonth Launch Post, you’ll find a wicked lovely book tag full of Space Science & Spacer prompts with a keenly clever BOOK SPINE POEM* celebrating Sci Fi Month through selections off my Science Fiction TBR! I also took time to answer and respond to the “Get to Know the SF Reader” tag Imyril had shared on her own blog this year as well. I love tags but it is so rare my idea and response for them actually get onto Jorie Loves A Story!

(*) This is the second year I’ve created ‘book spine poetry’ (see also Post)

Rather than feel like I experienced an #epicfail this year – I am going to celebrate what I’ve accomplished and look forward to Spring’s @SciFiMonth mini-event called: All Systems Read (see announcement!) I’m shifting the books I have leftover into that readathon event and will consider myself #blessed. I didn’t give up and I didn’t throw in the towel – I fought through a 48 hour flu (and a relapse of it), loads of life as it evolves moments of insanity and the quirky chaotic ways in which being a caregiver can try your patience but at the end of the day you’re just thankful you keep trying to do everything you can for the person who needs your support. Whilst at the same time I had a fortnight of seriously horrid tech issues and wonkified connectivity to where I nearly considered myself cursed to be a participant this year all the way round! And, to think – it wasn’t my *migraines!* which derailed me this year! Oyy.

I might have had less hours to read and blog and tweet this year
but let’s celebrate what I did accomplish and let the rest of it ‘go’.

Jorie’s Abridged #SciFiMonth Reads:

Posted Monday, 30 November, 2020 by jorielov in JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction

#Blogmas | feat. #FantasyForChristmas20 showcases | The Flight and Flame series by R.J. Anderson

Posted Monday, 30 November, 2020 by jorielov Enclave Publishing, Flight and Flame Trilogy, R.J. Anderson, Swift 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

Each year for the past three years, I’ve been showcasing spotlights on behalf of #newtomeauthors who are writing the stories of Fantasy Fiction I am most eager to be discovering. This felt like an unexpected gift each December to feature the authors but also, to notice how curiously diverse and expansive Fantasy is for a reader like me whose constantly finding it challenging to find Fantasy authors she loves to read and series she can truly sink her teeth into reading. The one exception to the rule is that I have the tendency not to read as widely into Dark Fantasy except for the Gifted and the Cursed series by Marcus Lee which truly took me by complete surprise within the first novel “Kings & Daemons” and continued to smitten me with exploring in the sequel “Tristan’s Folly”.

Ever since I first started blogging on Jorie Loves A Story, I have endeavoured to curate a path into reading more intuitively and more widely through the realms of either Indie or Self-Published works of genre I personally love to read. This has evolved to becoming a ready appreciator of the world of Indie Fantasy and the Self-Published authors who have been giving me such wicked good joy in reading their stories and/or showcasing their stories on my blog. During this year’s #WyrdAndWonder, I was able to highlight and focus on an Indie publisher from New Zealand (Odyssey Books) throughout May wherein I hosted guest features for their authors and/or was able to read and review their books. You can view the archives of those featured posts via my posts for Odyssey Books directly.

As a reader it is taking me a bit longer to acquire the stories I want to be reading in Fantasy – as this was the first year my local library enacted a freeze on purchase requests and my regional library dropped patrons outside their immediate area which put a bit of a damper on my library requests this year as much as the fact inter-library loan was also locally overhauled and spilt into two different routes of requests. Overall, my reading habits this year were struck down by circumstance and health afflictions wherein I read far less than I usually do and I found reading was an uphill battle overall. I had hoped to read quite a few of the titles I’ve previously showcased during #FantasyForChristmas but I have had to push forward those goals into 2021.

Thereby, as this marks my start of hosting the event for my third year – I look forward to seeing which authors & their stories resonate with me this year as much as I look forward to hearing if any of these authors are on your own bookish radar as well! What a lovely month to celebrate & champion Speculative Fiction authors and their stories as Winter has always brought such a renewing spirit within its folds.

Curiously – what do you enjoy seeking out when it comes to Fantasy and the worlds being left for us to discover them by the authors who are writing Indie & Self-Published Fantasy stories and/or series?

To save her people, a wingless girl must learn to fly.

As a piskey girl born without wings and raised underground, Ivy yearns for flight almost as much as she misses her long-lost mother. But the world outside the Delve is full of danger, and her dreams seem hopeless until she meets a mysterious faery who makes her an enticing offer: If Ivy helps him escape the Delve’s dungeon, he’ll teach her how to fly.

Freeing Richard could cost Ivy her reputation, perhaps even her life. But when her fellow piskeys start to disappear and her beloved little sister goes missing, Ivy has no choice but to take the risk.

Deadly threats and shocking revelations await Ivy as she ventures into a strange new world, uncovers long-buried secrets about her family’s past, and finds that no one—not even herself—is entirely what they seem.

Add to LibraryThing | ISBN: 978-1621841326

The Flight and Flame Trilogy:

Swift (book one)

Nomad (book two)

Torch (book three)

Published by: Enclave Escape
an imprint of Enclave Publishing (@EnclaveBooks)

Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas20 or #FantasyForChristmas
as well #Fantasy or #INSPYFantasy or #WyrdAndWonder

Posted Monday, 30 November, 2020 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, YA Fantasy

An Audiobook Spotlight w/ Notes | “The Adventures of Tom Finch, Gentleman” by Lucy May Lennox, narrated by Duke DeFoix, Duchess DeFoix, Olivia Featherton and Earl Tyrone

Posted Monday, 30 November, 2020 by jorielov Lucy May Lennox, Self Published, The Adventures of Tom Finch Gentleman 0 Comments

Acquired Audiobook By: I started to listen to audiobooks in [2016] as a way to offset my readings of print books whilst noting there was a rumour about how audiobooks could help curb chronic migraines as you are switching up how your reading rather than allowing only one format to be your bookish choice. As I found colouring, knitting and playing solitaire agreeable companions to listening to audiobooks, I embarked on a new chapter of my reading life where I spend time outside of print editions of the stories I love reading and exchange them for audio versions.

Through hosting for Audiobookworm Promotions, I’ve expanded my knowledge of authors who are producing audio versions of their stories whilst finding podcasters who are sharing their bookish lives through pods. Meanwhile, I am also curating my own wanderings in audio via my local library who uses Overdrive for their digital audiobook catalogue wherein I can also request new digital audiobooks to become added to their OverDrive selections. Aside from OverDrive I also enjoy having Audible & Scribd memberships as my budget allows. It is a wonderful new journey and one I enjoy sharing – I have been able to expand the percentage of how many audios I listen to per year since 2018.

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of “The Adventures of Tom Finch, Gentleman” via Audiobookworm Promotion who is working with Lucy May Lennox on this blog tour in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I took a chance on “Tom Finch”:

I love finding different routes into History and of finding stories of Historical Fiction which focus on different eras whilst giving us a new sub-interest to explore History through a lens we might not otherwise meet if the writer hadn’t addressed the plot they’ve written. For me, it felt like this was one story that would combine both humour and comedy in a way that would lend itself into an interesting portal into this side of the 18th Century.

The fact it was an audiobook with a larger cast than most seemed most intriguing as it is interesting to hear how multiple persons would approach narrating the story but also curate a way to entertain us as well as this is one of the longest audiobooks I’ve undertaken to listen to as well.

The Adventures of Tom Finch, Gentleman
Subtitle: 18th Century Opera Comes to Life
by Lucy May Lennox
Source: Audiobook via Audiobookworm Promotions
Narrator: Duke DeFoix

London, 1735. Covent Garden offers a world of pleasures and diversions, even for a blind man. Tom Finch approaches life with boundless good cheer and resilience, whether he’s pursuing a musical career or pursuing women. And as for his blindness, to him it’s merely an inconvenience.

Join Tom for a picaresque romp through high and low Georgian society among rakes, rovers, thieving whores and demi-reps, highway robbers, bigamists, and duelists, bisexual opera divas, castrati, mollies, and cross-dressers, lecherous aristocrats, and headstrong ladies. This meticulously researched, witty and lively tale overturns stereotypes about disability and revels in the spectacle and excitement of 18th century opera.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Places to find the book:

Published by Self Published

on 10th October, 2020

Format: Audiobook | Digital

Length: 14 hours and 56 minutes (unabridged)

Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Converse via: #AudioReads, #Audiobook and #AudiobookwormPromotions

as well as #HistoricalFiction or #HistFic

About Lucy May Lennox

Lucy May Lennox loves immersing herself in various historical periods and imagining the lives of people who don't usually make it into the history books.

A lifelong lover of classical and folk music, she has performed as a chorus member in operas and concerts in three countries, and once won first place in a sean nos (traditional Irish singing) contest. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest USA with her husband and children.

Goodreads | Amazon | Smashwords

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

Posted Monday, 30 November, 2020 by jorielov in 18th Century, Audiobook, Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Self-Published Author