Thursday, February 18, 2016

Cover Reveal—Adela’s Curse

Cover reveal! Seems like a while since I did one of these. Today I’m pleased to share the cover of Adela’s Curse by Claire M. Banschbach!

Adelas Curse KINDLE

About the Book

A witch and her master capture a young faery and command her to kill their enemy. Adela has no choice but to obey. If she does not, they will force the location of her people’s mountain home from her and kill her. To make matters even worse, the person she is to kill is only a man struggling to save his dying land and mend a broken heart.

Count Stefan is a man simply trying to forget the woman he loves and save a land crippled by drought. When a mysterious woman arrives at his castle claiming to be a seamstress, he knows she is more than she seems.

Adela enlists the help of Damian, another faery, to try and delay the inevitable. He insists she has a choice. But with the witch controlling her every move, does she?

goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47

About the Author

Claire Banschbach was born and raised in Midland, TX, the fourth of eight children. She was homeschooled through high school and is now a proud member of the Texas A&M University class of 2014. She is currently working on her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Texas Tech University Health Science Center. She continues to write in her spare time (and often when she doesn’t have spare time). She hopes her strong foundation in God will help to guide her writing.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/clairembanschbach/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ClaireMB_Author

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7758532.Claire_M_Banschbach

Blog – https://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Ilyon Chronicles now available in more ebook formats!

ebooks

I’m very happy to share that, for the first time since I started publishing Ilyon Chronicles, the ebooks are now available in multiple formats, not just Kindle! This was due to signing up exclusively with Amazon to be part of their Kindle Select Program. Recently, I’ve decided to forgo renewing that contract so that I could branch out to more retailers. So, if you’ve been hoping to get it in a different format, or know someone who is, now it’s possible! I’ve included the retailer links below for Resistance, The King’s Scrolls, and Half-Blood. As soon as Samara’s Peril is released, it will also be available from the same retailers. I’m hoping this helps spread Ilyon Chronicles into more readers hands. :) If you have reviewed Ilyon Chronicles on Amazon and have an account on one of these retailers as well, I would be very grateful if you would copy your review over!

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00026]

Barnes & Noble
iBooks
Kobo
Scribd

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00020]

Barnes & Noble
iBooks
Kobo
Scribd

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00026]

Barnes & Noble
iBooks
Kobo
Scribd

Monday, February 8, 2016

Infinity Dreams Award

img_1279

I was tagged by Morgan Huneke for the Infinity Dreams Award. I’ve been bad about doing blog tags. They always slip my mind, but I figured I’d sit down and do this one right away. Thanks, Morgan!

Tell us eleven facts about yourself.

1. I’m the oldest in my family and have two younger brothers, hence my love for writing brother/sister relationships.

2. Despite my author photos, I actually have curly hair. I used to straighten it all the time. Now I just straighten my bangs and pull it back.

3. I have unsuccessfully attempted to learn how to play the piano, guitar, and violin. Music is just not one of my skills.

4. I’ve more or less recently discovered a love for zombie/zombie-like films/TV such as I Am Legend, World War Z, and The Walking Dead. I don’t like zombies, but I LOVE the post-apocolyptic worlds and all the scavenging and survival aspects. Plus such stories are rife with opportunities for character developement and transformation. As a writer, I eat that right up. (No pun intended.)

5. I have a fascination with film prosthetics and makeup, which I believe started when I was really little when my uncle used to make monster masks. TV gore doesn’t really bother me because I’m always thinking things like, I wonder what it took to make that wound look real like that, or I wonder what ingredients that blood is made of. If I wasn’t a writer, I think I’d enjoy being a movie or TV show makeup artist.

6. I’m totally squeamish with real life gore. Just ask my brother (who is a nurse) when he tries to show me one of his medical textbooks. Nope. Not happening.

7. Once, when I was in my teens, my brothers, cousins, and I stayed up until all hours filming a short movie called The Minnesota Chainsaw Massacre. It involved a real running chainsaw, with the blade removed, of course. I was one of the victims.

8. I would really like to dye my hair dark brown/almost black with aqua blue highlights, but I have enough hair issues without potentially damaging it with hair dye.

9. I got to see President George W. Bush in person. My family and I went to a rally during the 2004 election and were standing only about 20 feet from where he was speaking. It was really cool.

10. I have lived in the same house since I was born.

11. Apparently I can hear really well. I have a tendancy to overhear conversations and suddenly join in or answer a question from a completely different room. I think it sometimes freaks out my family.


Answer the eleven questions.

What is your favorite thing to blog about?

Probably anything that involves fangirling. :) Either that or the release of one of my books. It’s always super fun to get to that point.


Who is your favorite fictional character?

Just one?! Aragorn. Yeah, he’ll always be at the top of my list.


What is your biggest pet peeve?

When people are judgmental. I’ve experienced more than enough of that.


If you could visit one place on earth, and only one, where would you choose?

Again, just one? *sigh* It’d be really hard to choose between a castle in England or somewhere tropical.


What's one movie coming out in 2016 you want to watch?

Captain America: Civil War. I can hardly wait! It’s going to awful and awesome at the same time.


Would you rather time travel to the past or the future? Why?

Probably the past. I have a lot of historical figures I would like to meet and some gorgeous dresses I’d like to wear.


What is your least favorite holiday?

Halloween, I guess. We don’t celebrate it, so I really don’t even think about it that much.


What do you want to be when you "grow up"?

Ha, well, being nearly thirty, I’d say I’m pretty much grown up (that doesn’t mean I always have to like it or act like it ;). But I decided when I was 15/16 that I wanted to be a published author, and I’ve accomplished that. I still want to be a wife, so we’ll see how that goes.


If someone offered you a million dollar inheritance if you would drive twenty bucks (as in deer) across Alaska, would you do it? (I know it sounds weird, stems from a game of Balderdash.)

Can I bring help along? Like, say, a group of my favorite characters? If I could bring Aragorn, Leith (The Blades of Acktar), Kien (Books of the Infinite), Kaladin (The Stormlight Archive), and Will, Halt, Horace, and Gilan from Ranger’s Apprentice, then sure! ;) The only problem is, I’d fall hopelessly in love with Leith, Kien, and Kaladin, and that wouldn’t do. Although . . . Kaladin is single at the moment . . . (Look at me, going on a typical fangirl bunny trail.)


What genre of books do you like best to read?

Fantasy for sure, though I enjoy a good historical romance as well.


Do you prefer movies or TV shows?

That’s a tough one. I think I enjoy them both equally. I have a lot of favorite movies and shows, so I don’t think I could pick between them.

Guidelines:
  • Use the Infinity Dreams Award picture
  • Thank the blogger who tagged you
  • Tell us 11 facts about yourself
  • Answer the 11 questions
  • Tag 11 bloggers
Tagged: Anyone who wants to join in! Yeah, I’m bad at tagging people since most people in my blogging circles are already tagged by the time I do these. But this way, no one gets left out! ;) And you can answer Morgan’s questions since I’m not feeling particularly creative at the moment. :P

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Book Review—The Golden Braid

25290956
The Golden Braid

About:

The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower.

Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man around. And her skills as an artist rival those of any artist she’s met. But for a woman in medieval times, the one skill she most desires is the hardest one to obtain: the ability to read.

After yet another young man asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides they need to move once again, but this time to a larger city. Rapunzel’s heart soars—surely there she can fulfill her dream. But Mother won’t let her close to a man. She claims that no man can be trusted.

After being rescued by a knight on the road to the city, and in turn rescuing him farther down the road, Rapunzel’s opportunity arrives at last. This knight, Sir Gerek, agrees to educate Rapunzel in order to pay back his debt. She just has to put up with his arrogant nature and single-minded focus on riches and prestige.

But this Rapunzel story is unlike any other and the mystery that she uncovers will change everything—except her happily ever after.

My Review: 3

I have very mixed feelings about this book. As a huge fangirl of Tangled, of course, I could hardly wait to get my hands on this Rapunzel retelling. Especially considering the gorgeous cover. However, though I dove in with gleeful expectations, the story just never fully captured my interest. It actually took me three months to finish reading it. There was just something about it . . . it just felt awkward and stilted much of the time. And I never grew to truly love the characters like I did in the previous books of this series. In fact, I was quite annoyed with them most of the time. For some reason, the story just didn’t satisfy the anticipation for the book.

That said, I did enjoy certain aspects of it. I would recommend reading or rereading The Princess Spy just before you start this one, since they parallel each other. I would have enjoyed that part of it more if I had read The Princess Spy more recently. I also do always love hearing more about Rose and Wilhelm’s family. That was probably my favorite part of the book.

I may not have enjoyed this book nearly as much as the ones before it, but I do recommend reading it to continue the story. There were some interesting bits of history tied together from the other books. So don’t pass it up based on my review.

I received a copy of this book free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.