Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop--Int

Welcome to this stop on the Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop (INT), hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. On my blog, you have a chance to win an eCopy of A Royal Elf of Alabon by Anna del C Dye. Take a look at my review here.

The deep relationship between Amaria, the princess of Abalon and Marken, the chancellor’s son, comes to a halting stop after their kingdom is almost annihilated. However, death isn’t the only thing this battle brings. Elfs come to their rescue and, as a souvenir, take the princess home with them. 

Blinded by fury, the overprotecting queen orders the extermination of the mighty elfs. Her captains know they can never win, so they are pleased when Amaria intervenes so desperately that she loses her mother. The unprepared princess is left to care for a kingdom that will demand her true love.

A Royal Elf of Abalon is the stand-alone continuation of Anna’s Elf series. Once again she has crafted an exciting new tale full of jealousy, betrayals, and death. A Royal Elf of Abalon is a masterpiece created in the genre of Tolkien that you’ll love to the end.


It's easy to enter.

• Simply follow my blog via GFC and/or Networked Blogs. Leave a comment telling me how you follow with an email address for me to contact you if you win.

For an additional entry

• Follow Anna on twitter & leave a comment telling me you've done so.
• Friend Anna on Facebook & leave a comment.
• Follow me on twitter & leave a comment.

It is in your best interest to leave seperate comments as Random.org will choose the winners. Please have your enteries in by midnight on the 31st of May.


Be sure to stop by all the other participating blogs. Happy Summer Reading!

A Royal elf of Abalon Book Tour & Review

Welcome to this stop for the A ROYAL ELF OF ABALON  by Anna Del C Dye book tour. Thank you to Prose by Design for hosting the tour.

I love Anna's books. She does such a good job of world building. You learn so much about the elf's world in a non-info dump way. It's refreshing. In this particular book, I was drawn in at the first chapter. There was a mystery and intrigue that I had to figure out as the story went on. The characters were fun and lovable, and the setting was beautiful.

As the story moved on, I'll have to admit it got slow for me in the middle. The pace picked up and the ending lived up to my expectations. This is a great fantasy read for anyone who loves, elfs, humans, love, mystery, or just a great story. I can recommend it to for just about everyone.

:):):)

The deep relationship between Amaria, the princess of Abalon and Marken, the chancellor’s son, comes to a halting stop after their kingdom is almost annihilated. However, death isn’t the only thing this battle brings. Elfs come to their rescue and, as a souvenir, take the princess home with them. 

Blinded by fury, the overprotecting queen orders the extermination of the mighty elfs. Her captains know they can never win, so they are pleased when Amaria intervenes so desperately that she loses her mother. The unprepared princess is left to care for a kingdom that will demand her true love.

A Royal Elf of Abalon is the stand-alone continuation of Anna’s Elf series. Once again she has crafted an exciting new tale full of jealousy, betrayals, and death. A Royal Elf of Abalon is a masterpiece created in the genre of Tolkien that you’ll love to the end.

Take a look at an interview with Anna, here. You can connect with Ann on her website, twitter, facebook, or her fanpage. To purchase her book, check out these links: Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, or Createspace.

A Royal Elf of Abalon--Book Buzzin'

A ROYAL ELF OF ABALON by Anna del C Dye. Another great one from Anna! Here's a blurb and an interview. Take a look. :)

Not Everything That Looks Royal Is…

The deep relationship between Amaria, the princess of Abalon and Marken, the chancellor’s son, comes to a halting stop after their kingdom is almost annihilated. However, death isn’t the only thing this battle brings. Elfs come to their rescue and, as a souvenir, take the princess home with them. 

Blinded by fury, the overprotecting queen orders the extermination of the mighty elfs. Her captains know they can never win, so they are pleased when Amaria intervenes so desperately that she loses her mother. The unprepared princess is left to care for a kingdom that will demand her true love.

A Royal Elf of Abalon is the stand-alone continuation of Anna’s Elf series. Once again she has crafted an exciting new tale full of jealousy, betrayals, and death. A Royal Elf of Abalon is a masterpiece created in the genre of Tolkien that you’ll love to the end.

Hi Anna! Thanks for being in my blog this week. 

Anna: It is my pleasure to be here. I love to meet new people. 

So, tell us what’s happening with you? 

Anna: My life has been quite busy lately. I am getting ready for the “Renaissance Faire & Fantasy Festival” which will take three of my weekends in May. I take my books and have fun being a princess for three weeks. I really love it.

That does sound fun. Tell us about your upcoming release. 

Anna: After the great success of “The Curse of the Elfs,” I’ll release: “A Royal Elf in Abalon” this May. 

Where can we find this book?

Anna: Amazon, B&N, and my website will all have the links to buy it. 

What inspired you to write this book?

Anna: Amathis, the queen in the story. She is a selfish, demanding, and cruel woman. She forced me to write it.

What fantasy bug bit you and got you started writing these mystical tales?

Anna: It was a great masterful bug and it bit me hard a few years ago—The name of the bug J. R. R. Tolkien. I love Lord of the Rings and that is my inspiration for my Elf Series.

 Intriguing, so tell us what is this book about?

Anna: A princess of a mankind kingdom, who is so sheltered by her mother that she makes some unsafe choices growing up. They will change her life and that of her kingdom as she faces challenges that she isn’t prepared for. It also tells of a young Elf who feels an unsafe fascination about the nearby mankind kingdom. Against his elders’ wishes, he ventures there, finding heartaches, betrayal, and murder.  

Now I want to read this tale. Tell us what’s the first rule in building a fantasy world?

Anna: To stay true to the rules. If you say beings in that world don’t do something, don’t have them doing it later without explaining what changed so that now they can do what you said they couldn’t. 

Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters wanted to go in another direction. What did you do in such a situation?

Anna: Your characters are the most important parts of your book. So, if they want to go left you go left, even if you wanted to go right. If you don’t, it will be quite hard to make them change and your tale will feel forced. I want my tales to go smoothly, so I don’t fight the characters, they know better than me.  

Sometimes people envision an author’s life as being really glamorous. Tell us what’s the most unglamorous thing you’ve done in the past week?

Anna: Change dirty diapers and keep my little Alexis happy. She didn’t feel to good. I love taking care of her though.

What's your favorite music?

Anna: Romantic, hands down. The Platters, The Stylistics, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis. Soft rock. Lots of oldies. More recent artists: Il Divo, Julio Iglesias, Celine Dion, etc. 

Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Anna: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I am a big believer of paying it forward. 

What other fantasy tale are you weaving for us?

Anna: I am ready to finished The Flying Elf, which will be my Elf book for next year. 

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Anna.

Anna: Thank you for inviting me to come. I had a wonderful time visiting with you.

If you’d like to find out more about Anna please visit: http://www.annadelc.com, and to read reviews of Anna’s books visit http://ning.it/dIqC6n or Barnes & Noble http://ning.it/evrfne

THANKS ANNA!

YA Faeries & Fantasy Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the YA Faeries & Fantasy Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and vvb32. On my blog you can win a eBook of Curse of the Elfs by Anna del C Dye. Take a look at my review here.

Can a delirious curse destroy the saintly elfin race?

Zolotan has ideas of his own and creates beings without souls, for the sole purpose of doing his bidding. His colleagues do not like the possibility of a wizard having an army of creatures at his command. The head sorcerers judge the wavering wizard and their sentence is just. The transgressor is to undo his madness by destroying all his creations immediately. 

All seems right, until he joins his creations and instead attacks the wizard stronghold. After a magical battle that devastates the land surrounding the wizard community, he is defeated. However, the old sorcerer's unrepentant deeds cause the wizard council to chastise him severely. 

It is shortly afterwards that elfs cross paths with the dying wizard. On his deathbed Zolotan asks the elfs for help. He wants to be moved to a faraway land to heal, but the unsuspecting elfs knew he wouldn't survive, so they wait. Losing patience in his delirium, he curses them to a slow dead. It is a threat the elfs never take seriously until a hundred years later when their people come down with a strange sickness they can't explain. 

There is nothing they can do about it. If they return to their motherland they might spread the curse to the rest of their race and have it disappear forever. 

Their only glimmer of hope lies in a servant of kings who must learn to love the elfs before he will attempt to save them. But no one, elf or mankind, has ever heard of this man. Nor does anyone know where to find him. Can the best healer in the land find this savior before their race is gone forever?


Here's how to win . . .

Mandatory

• Follow my blog and leave me a comment telling me how with a way to contact you.

Optional

• Follow Anna's on twitter and tell me so.
• Spread the word and tell me how.

Please leave seperate comments for each entry. There are a total of 3 entries only and be sure to enter by midnight on the 12th. The winner will be contacted and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Thanks for stopping by! Now hop on over to all the other participating blogs. :)

Book Review--Curse of the Elfs

Curse of the Elfs by Anna del C. Dye. This book grabbed my attention in the beginning. The world of the elves was set up very well and I enjoyed getting to see that side of them. I felt a connection with the characters throughout. The storyline took turns I didn't expect. It is a clean read that any fantasy lover would enjoy.

:):):)

Ancient legend tells of elfs crossing paths with a dying wizard named Zoltan. The Old Sorcerer’s unrepentant deeds had caused the wizarding school to chastise him severely. On his deathbed Zoltan asked the elfs for help. Losing patience in his delirium, he cursed them. Now, the immortal elfin race is slowly, but surely dying. Their only hope lies in a servant of kings who must learn to love the elfs before he will attempt to save them. But no one, elf or mankind, has ever heard of this man. Can the healer be found before their race is gone forever? Inspired by Tolkien’s masterpiece, Anna del C. has created a brilliant medieval tale. Curse of the Elfs is full of high adventure, romance and battles that will leave you awed from beginning to end.

Book Buzzin'--Emerine's Nightmare

Emerine's Nightmare by Anna del C. Dye. A perfect book for this month. Here's my review. Let me know what you think!

What would you do if one night, life as you know it changes and you are left alone in despair? That is how Emerine’s nightmare starts and now all he does is run.
His family lived at the edge of the forest until dark shadows killed them all. Now they want him, and so does a magic tree. He has never seen dark shadows or enchanted trees before. Emerine has to get to the heart of Red Forest, to the fairy people. Only then he will be safe. Safe? He has never heard of fairies before and once he gets there what?

Book Review--Emerine's Nightmare

Emerine's Nightmare by Anna del C. Dye. I found this middle grade book fascinating in a weird, strange way. It would definitely be someone's nightmare and the first few pages were twisted in a nightmarish way, but so beautifully written that it compelled me to read on. I thought the main character was a female at first, but it's not and I liked that in the end. I felt Emerine's sorrow and troubles and relief when things all began to make sense. It is one that anyone could read, but I wouldn't recommend for everyone, especially those who aren't particularly fond of events that border on the twisted side of things. It receives a :):):):) Here's an interview with the author, purchase info, and a blurb about the book. Let me know what you think!

What would you do if one night, life as you know it changes and you are left alone in despair? That is how Emerine’s nightmare starts and now all he does is run.
His family lived at the edge of the forest until dark shadows killed them all. Now they want him, and so does a magic tree. He has never seen dark shadows or enchanted trees before. Emerine has to get to the heart of Red Forest, to the fairy people. Only then he will be safe. Safe? He has never heard of fairies before and once he gets there what?

Thank you so much for bringing me to visit your blog, Bonnie. It is always a pleasure to be with your friends.

So, tell us about your new book.

It is called Emerine’s Nightmare and is for children. The protagonist is a boy that is persecuted by dark fairies. They have killed his parents and now it’s his turn.

What other characters are in this book?

Humans, fairy boys & girls and the son of the Sun God.

Why a fairy book?

It was a challenge I gave myself. I never read a book with fairies and wondered if I could write one. So I read one story on the internet and wrote Amerine - Fairy Princess. That is what this story was originally called.

Really how interesting. Why change?

I changed my mind when I went to a class and we were told that there was a shortage of boys’ books on the market. That gave me the idea to turn her into a boy. It was a lot of work but it turned out well.

Who should read Emerine’s Nightmare?

Children from 6-years-old up. Especially boys…I double dare you!!!

Since this is a book for children is there more than words on its pages?

Like always, you are so perceptive. Yes, it’ll have a few drawings made by me (with a lot of help from Photoshop.)

Lol. Is it true you received an award for this book already?

Yes. When it was “Amerine - Fairy Princess” it won second place in a short story contest. Then when I changed it to a boy protagonist and it became “Fairy Prince” it won first place in a first page contest.

So, it started as a short story and developed into what you now have?

Yes, from Amerine Fairy - Princess (2500 words) to Emerine’s Nightmare (12615 words.)

How is Emerine’s Nightmare different from your other published books?

It has a boy protagonist and the theme is darker than I am accustomed to.

Since all know me as the sweet young adult author who writes Elf series and Princess Romances, this Halloween-y tale really breaks the mold.

Since we are on that topic of broken molds, do you plan to break any other molds?

Yes. There is a shortage of boys’ books especially between 4th – 7th graders and I want to try my hand at helping fill that void.

Now I am curious. What else are you brewing?

I just finished the rough draft of the first of a new series for boys called “The Intergalactic PI.” Then it will come the title of that book “In the case of …”

Can you tell us more?

It is about an 11-year-old boy who is a genius and his parents don’t know it. He is so bored with the pretence of his normal life that he decides to have an alternate life. His genius helps him create an almost human robot and the two of them travel the galaxies investigating crime.

Wow! But what about your Elf series? Are you done with them?

No. My elf series is to close to my heart and, like I have said before, there are 7 books in that series. The next stand-alone book, the fifth in that series, is called “The Royal Elf of Abalon.”

When will we see it on the market?

It is in the editing process right now and will come out about April of next year.

How wonderful. Elfs books, fairy books and now intergalactic books there should be something for everyone’s taste.

I hope so. It is so fun to write that I can’t help it. And I do appreciate your time and that of your readers.

Where can we find Emerine’s Nightmare?

You can find Emerine’s Nightmare in the following formats:

Kindle

Nook

e-book

The Kindle and Nook are only $3.99

and the e-book $2.00.

The first two are available at the normal sites, the e-book from my website.