Check out Romancing the Heart, a romance box set containing 6 contemporary and fantasy titles including The Unraveling! Get it on Amazon for only $0.99 or read it for FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Get your copy HERE
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It’s finally here! Through the Maelstrom is on sale now! It’s also available for FREE using Kindle Unlimited. Grab your copy today!
Don’t forget, to those in the Savannah area, that Retro Mega Comic Con is TOMORROW! Come see Dawn Brower and myself and get some signed books!
RMCC in ONE WEEK!
If you’re in the Savannah area next weekend, don’t be shy! Visit Dawn Brower and me at Retro Mega Comic Con! We will be signing and selling books all day. Doors open at 10am. $10 for tickets. More information here: http://www.retromegacomiccon.com/
I will have Wicked Satyr Nights, Under the Satyr Moon, Satyr from the Shadows, The Unraveling, and my new release, Through the Maelstrom, available for purchase. Or bring your copy with you!
Dawn Brower writes historical and contemporary romance and will be sharing a booth with me.
If you haven’t preordered Through the Maelstrom in ebook format yet, you can enter a contest on fb when you do: http://gvwy.io/ywecwln
March Madness Virtual Signing
Hi everyone, this is the fully detailed entry into the March Madness Virtual Signing. If you are not coming across this from Facebook, this has been a week long event with several authors posting videos about their books and listing a featured book of the day for a $60 gift card rafflecopter giveaway. The idea is to introduce you to new authors and give you a chance to order signed copies of books without needing to make it to a convention or physical signing.
Today (March 20) is the final day, so make sure to click the link above and check it out! My video is below. I was having technical difficulties and had to splice it together and sync the audio back to it AND I was trying to get over a cold so my voice is a little weird. lol I never met a challenge I couldn’t face, so I made the best of my faulty video footage, tried to make it fun. I also have some bloopers at the end of the post if you want to laugh at me failing at video blogging. hahahaha
And be sure to check out the next stop on the hop: Vanessa Riley
Also, as a thank you for visiting me today, be sure to comment on the pinned post on my Facebook page to be entered to win an eBook copy of Mercury Rising: The Adventures of Hermes, part 1.
You can also vote for my cover art for The Unraveling and comment HERE afterward to be entered to win an eBook of the The Vanishing. (you do have to register to vote on the InD’tale site.) Dawn Brower is running a contest HERE if The Unraveling wins next week. 😉
PRINT BOOKS AVAILABLE THROUGH MY SQUARE STORE is marked down to convention pricing until midnight! Monday they will revert back to retail price, so act now! 😀
Please use the individual book links, and not the convention/signing links; those are for pickup only and do not charge shipping. Shipping is $3 on the regular listings. The first editions of Under the Satyr Moon and Wicked Satyr Nights are 50% off since they are older versions and significant revisions have been made for the new editions. I WILL send you eBook copies of the updated versions free if you choose to order one of these, just mark it in special instructions. Supply is limited on those versions since I can only order the new versions once I run out.
WICKED SATYR NIGHTS (The Cursed Satyroi, Book 1) — Paranormal Romance
Some creatures want to be found.
When Dr. Katerina Silverton travels into the Pine Barrens to make a documentary on the Jersey Devil, she doesn’t believe she will uncover any supernatural evidence. In fact, she only takes the job because it promises funding for future projects. So it is quite a shock to Kat when she finds herself face-to-face with the legendary beast she was sent into the forest to capture on film.
In ancient Greece, the god Pan made a terrible mistake which resulted in the creation of the Satyroi: a race of immortal satyrs. Centuries later, he lives secluded in the Pine Barrens, frightening mortals by taking the guise of an abhorrent local monster. When a beautiful woman shows up in his forest looking for proof of his existence, Pan can’t resist revealing himself to her.
Outside forces may be manipulating them both, pushing them together for nefarious reasons. Kat must decide if she could learn to love a satyr or if his appearance is more than she can handle. Can she resist Pan’s wicked nature, or will she give into the temptations beyond her wildest fantasies?
READ AN EXCERPT – EBOOK BUY LINKS
First Edition Signed Print Book ($5)
Second Edition Signed Print Book ($10)
UNDER THE SATYR MOON (The Cursed Satyroi, Book 2) — Paranormal Romance
Under the Satyr Moon a curse was wrought, and under the same moon shall it be reversed…
…if the Fates allow.
A freelance photography job goes downhill fast when Lily Anders’ boyfriend dumps her and disappears from the campsite, leaving her stranded in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Feeling lost, heartbroken, and afraid, Lily follows a mysterious melody through the wilderness. She never would have guessed the source of the music would reveal that legendary figures of Greek mythology really existed, and she could be one of them.
Ever since he was cursed, Ariston has only wanted one thing—to be human again. He has searched the globe for a nymph to free him, but over three thousand years of failure has pushed him into a life of solitude. Ariston believes he’s finally found the salvation he’s longed for when he catches Lily spying on him in the forest. Unfortunately, he has to convince her to like him first.
What seems to be the Fates bringing them together in time for the Satyr Moon proves to be an elaborate scheme with macabre intentions. Dionysus has sent Ariston’s estranged brother, Adonis, to ensure the curse cannot be broken, and nothing tosses cold water over the flame of seduction like a twin seeking vengeance.
READ AN EXCERPT – EBOOK BUY LINKS
First Edition Signed Print Book ($5)
Second Edition Signed Print Book ($10)
SATYR FROM THE SHADOWS (The Cursed Satyroi, Book 3) — Paranormal Romance
Long ago, a nymph fell in love with a mere mortal destined to become a legendary hero. Until the gods saw fit to tear them apart and tamper with fate.
Everyone has heard the story of Daphne and Apollo, of her transformation into a laurel tree to escape his obsession. If only it were so simple. Held prisoner for thousands of years, Daphne is close to death until a last minute rescuer smuggles her out of Olympus and to Melancton, the satyr she loves.
Melancton has always preferred to be on his own, keeping to the shadows and maintaining a stoic appearance. Only Daphne can be the light to his darkness, and now that she’s returned, the fear of losing her again shakes him. With grave danger lurking on the horizon, Melancton and the satyrs of The Aegean Inn prepare for battle, but the odds are stacked against them.
Meanwhile, Apollo enlists the aid of Dionysus in his determination to reclaim Daphne and punish those responsible for her disappearance. Is it possible to survive the fury of the gods?
READ AN EXCERPT – EBOOK BUY LINKS
Signed Print Book ($10)
THE UNRAVELING (Wonderland, contains books 1 & 2) – Fantasy Romance
A year ago, Cadence claimed to have journeyed to Wonderland, but nobody believes her. Melody returns to her childhood home to assist her parents in trying to snap Cadence out of the fantasy she’s constructed with Cheshire cats and a heroic knight named Gareth. Only, when Melody follows a white rabbit into the woods, she finds herself in the same place she’d asked Cadence to admit didn’t exist.
Very little matters to Hatter aside from tea time and creating things with his hands. After he helps Devrel bring the wrong girl into Wonderland to save Gareth from an arranged marriage, Hatter has no choice but to open his home, and a seat at his tea table, to Melody. Thinking she will undoubtedly leave him as Alice did when he was younger, Hatter tries not to notice his attraction to her even though he cannot seem to look away.
Unbeknownst to them all, Cadence follows her sister down the rabbit hole, but is left to search for Gareth alone. She ventures through the vast Tulgey Wood and realizes danger lurks within the ruins of a kingdom forgotten after the Red Queen executed the Queen of Hearts long ago. Can she warn the people of Wonderland in time, or will she be expelled twice?
*Print version contains the prequel, The Vanishing
READ AN EXCERPT – EBOOK BUY LINKS (The Unraveling only)
Signed Print Book ($5)
THROUGH THE MAELSTROM (Advanced Reading Copy) — Time Travel Romance/Contemporary with fantasy elements
Christophe Jones never asked to be a pirate. Pressed into a crew, he moved up in rank to make his eventual escape. When he finally has a chance to cut ties and return to his former life, he takes it—or tries to. A whirling maelstrom sucks him beneath the waves… Only he doesn’t drown. Instead, Christophe finds himself three hundred years in the future, captivated by a beautiful woman.
Serena’s twenty-eighth birthday cruise isn’t going as planned. The only one of her friends who didn’t cancel gets sick on the voyage, forcing Serena to spend her birthday alone. As an introvert, there’s little chance of meeting new people, at least on purpose. So when a wish upon a falling star comes true, can she open her heart to a handsome stranger who claims to be an eighteenth century pirate?
Christophe attempts to woo the siren who summoned him through time, but she’s convinced he’s nothing but a con man playing a part. They must determine if fate brought them together, or if it’s just a trick of the Bermuda Triangle.
PREORDER FOR ONLY $0.99 – Releases May 6, 2016
PREORDER ARC PRINT COPY – Ships early-mid April. ($5)
Additional books, eBook only:
MIDNIGHT AT THE SATYR INN (The Cursed Satyroi) — Paranormal Romance
FREE READ
Strange things are happening at The Aegean Inn. Rumors of mysterious flute music and a horned shadow caught on camera inspire London to spend a night and see if there is truth to the hype. What she finds isn’t a ghost, but something much more erotic.
Cursed into an immortal life, Jacen isn’t prepared when London checks in to the B&B he and his fellow satyrs are running. For the first time in centuries, Jacen’s willing to break the rules for a woman. Can London handle his secret, or is she a threat to the existence of all satyrs?
*Listed as book 1.5, but stands alone. As long as it is read prior to book 3 there will be no continuity issues.
READ AN EXCERPT – EBOOK BUY LINKS
MERCURY RISING: THE ADVENTURES OF HERMES, PART 1 (The Cursed Satyroi, Book 2.5) — Paranormal Romance
Nymphs in peril, obsessive gods, females who literally cannot admit when they’re wrong, and unruly satyrs. Just another typical day for Hermes.
When Zeus refuses to demand Apollo release Daphne from captivity in Olympus, the only option left is for Hermes to free the nymph himself. A simple task for a god with his skillset, but risking the wrath of Apollo never went well for anyone.
However, imprisoned nymphs aren’t distraction enough when a former flame crashes back into Hermes’ life. It’s been a long time since he laid eyes on Hybris, and the timing couldn’t be worse. As the goddess of hubris, she has many quirks—such as being incapable of apologizing. And no matter how much she tries to assure him she can be trusted, the memory of her betrayal remains.
As they formulate a plan to rescue Daphne, Hermes soon suspects no threat is greater than the tribulations of the heart.
READ AN EXCERPT – EBOOK BUY LINKS
THE VANISHING (Wonderland, Book 1/Prequel) — Fantasy Romance
What happens when the hero who saved Wonderland from the destruction of the famed Jabberwock needs to find a worthy paramour before the Red Queen picks one for him? Devrel, the last of the Cheshire cats, has the perfect solution. He’ll just pluck one from the human world and gift her to him for his un-birthday.
Realizing her friends were playing a joke on her, Cadence is heading home when she sees the cat smiling at her. Next thing she knows, she’s in Wonderland and in the arms of a handsome man who thinks she’s slightly unhinged upon meeting her. Intrigued by Gareth, Cadence makes an offer to act as his companion in exchange for his protection as they journey from the Tulgey Wood to the Red Kingdom—a simple solution which endangers both of their hearts as the castle looms in the distance.
READ AN EXCERPT – EBOOK BUY LINKS
THE CURSED SATYROI VOLUME 1 — Paranormal Romance (3 books in 1!)
Some creatures want to be found.
Start the Cursed Satyroi series from the beginning with the first two novels and a bonus short story. Includes Wicked Satyr Nights, Midnight at the Satyr Inn, and Under the Satyr Moon for a discounted price or FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
Last but not least, and just for fun, watch my bloopers from making the video for this event:
You can sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date on new releases, be the first to see cover reveals and exclusive teasers. Also, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Amazon, or Goodreads.
Upcoming Events: Retro Mega Comic Con Savannah, GA along with Dawn Brower. We will be signing books through the first half of the day until stock runs out. Come see us if you’re in the area!
Adaptation is used for more than just evolution
You can’t please everyone—this is a saying you hear all your life, and even more often when it comes to book reviews. On a day where I was running on less than 4 hours of sleep, had come down with some form of sickness (eew!) and had an awful day at the day-job, opening a link in an email to a bad review of my newest release hit harder than it should have. Shields were down, energy was low, and emotions were already in turmoil. I’m not going to argue the review; it was one person’s opinion, and an attribution to their reading experience with my book. It’s not the paragon of how every reader will view it, and I am not going to rant that they are wrong when it just didn’t connect for them. However, when faced with one comment in that the characters and world were not fully realized as they were in Lewis Carroll’s works, it made me think about adaptation and pure fanfiction vs re-imagining, and this blog post is be coming to terms with my emotions (albeit publicly) for catharsis so I can move on.
Before The Unraveling, there was “The Vanishing.” I wrote this short story for an anthology with my former publisher. It couldn’t surpass 10,000 words and it had to have a romantic element to it. Most importantly, it had to be about Wonderland. It was a story I almost didn’t write at all.
Why? Because I have loved the Alice books since I was a child. I played Alice in a play at a summer camp before starting the 6th grade. I could recite “Jabberwocky” from memory since high school (still can). I also collect Wonderland stuff, mostly Cheshire Cats but I don’t leave out
other characters. Most I have displayed in my dining room (not all of it) and it is starting to look like I worship at the cult of Cheshire. I have even dressed up as the Cheshire Cat for Halloween twice (or three times if you count wearing the ears to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney World on my 30th birthday.)
I’m a Wonderland geek. I love it. L.O.V.E. it. So why did I not want to write about it?
The answer is simple: I didn’t want to write Wonderland fanfiction for profit even though Carroll’s works are now public domain and anyone and everyone is playing in that sandbox. I definitely didn’t want to sex-up characters from a children’s novel to do it. Still, I decided at the last minute to write a short story because I realized I was being too much of a Wonderland purist, or a snob, and there were enough bestselling authors doing their own twists on it that it couldn’t be too terrible, right?
If I used key elements, locations, characters and motifs from the books the way I do with mythological characters for the Cursed Satyroi series, it would feel less fanfictiony and more like an re-imagining because that is what it is. I wanted to stay true to the heart of the story and the characters, but make it more adult and more of an original tale that hasn’t been told, but in my voice and with my imagination filling in the rest. Kind of like how movies say they are based on a book, but they don’t follow the blueprints? Yes. I did that. But I never set out to say “this is going to be the exact same story” because it’s not.
I used a heroine not from the books and my hero was the boy who killed the Jabberwock in a poem within Through the Looking Glass. He was part of the books, but one Carroll never explored past “Jabberwocky.” This helped with making it feel more like my own creation within his world, and I was comfortable there. Of course, with my love of the character, I could not leave out the Cheshire Cat, who became Devrel (Chesh’s grandson and the last of his race of boojums—a creature with vanishing abilities found in the Lewis Carroll poem, “The Hunting of the Snark.”) Threw in a cameo from the Mad Hatter and Red Queen, and I had a short story rooted in this world.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as Through the Looking Glass, is a children’s book. It is written from a child’s experience in a world so unlike her own, with a child’s wonderment and lack of understanding of how things work (even in her own world. It is magnified by the strangeness of Wonderland). It was important to me, in making this an adult story even though it is sweet romance and not erotic, to disengage with the childlike wonder and see this world as an adult. Since it wasn’t “all a dream,” this place had to be rooted in the real world and not the subconscious. Therefore, laws and limitations would be necessary. As you grow older, even those of us with vivid imaginations become jaded with the world around us. We take things for granted and stop looking for the good in everything, the beauty. We stop seeking the magical and seek the practical. This I took in account making a world that is parallel to but accessible in certain ways through ours. There were absurdities, but it was from magical elements, alien/fantastical creatures not from *our* world, and differing laws. A world of nonsense. What is nonsense, by definition, but a lack of what makes sense? Anything different from the norm, is just that: nonsense. More to the point, I toned down the crazy. If everyone in Wonderland was batshit nuts, forming a romantic bond with one of them would be harder to believe. This became Wonderland as NOT seen by Alice—who, in my world, described her visits to Lewis Carroll who then wrote the stories based on a child’s version of events. This is a world seen by Adult women, not little girls.
The problem “The Vanishing” had was that it was so short that the romance didn’t work quite right, and I needed to leave the ending ambiguous so it wasn’t a set-in-stone HEA where everyone falls in love too quick—my characters were just falling for each other and didn’t have the time to get there in 10k words. Of course, by coming up with the 2 day time limit to “follow your heart” and giving it the ambiguous ending, a lot of readers were not pleased with me, but most wanted a sequel anyway.
The sequel was already being written when my publisher closed its doors and my rights were reverted. This left me with a big dilemma: do I continue
writing Cadence and Gareth’s resolution within Melody and Hatter’s book, or do I expand “The Vanishing?” A lot of thought went into this before I decided to leave the short as it was. The story I had in mind for Melody required Cadence’s involvement as shown in the novel, and to move it ahead of Melody’s story gave no motivation for a lot of Melody’s actions, as well as how Cadence’s departure added to Hatter’s beliefs that no findlings remain in Wonderland, especially for love. This is why The Unraveling has two heroes and two heroines and two HEAs, even though it is predominately Hatter and Melody’s book.
Without a word limit this time, and 2 story lines that unravel and then get tied together at the end, I could do more, show more, and explore more of the world. I toned down Hatter’s crazy from his scenes in “The Vanishing” to make him more relatable and sympathetic. I had one story taking place predominately in the White Queen’s kingdom, and the other in the Red Queen’s. I brought in more memorable faces such as the White Rabbit and the March Hare (because you can’t have rabbit holes and the Mad Tea Party without them) and much like Alice on her trip through Wonderland, the characters meet knew faces on their visit when they transition from one location to the next.
In the end, I am extremely happy with this book. I feel like it is my love letter to an author’s works I admire greatly (in fact one of the reasons I chose Lewis in my pseudonym is because of my love of Lewis Carroll’s works) that made me happy as a kid and continues to do so. It’s not a carbon copy of his works, but something unique based within a world he created with characters and motifs he brought to life. This wasn’t just sticking characters in a world-as-is, but creating new characters, re-imagining the old, and twisting the rest so the experience seems familiar without being a rerun of the same routine.
Coming Soon: Through the Maelstrom
Two years ago I started drafting a time travel novella but had to shelf it to focus on my satyrs, shift from indie small publishing to self publishing, and well…for the most part I forgot about it. I finally completed the book, and it will be released May 6. For the time being I am going to release it exclusively on Amazon in digital format through Kindle Unlimited, but you will be able to order the print from other retailers. It will eventually go to other retailers in digital format, but I am not sure when.
What you should know: it is a stand alone story (will not develop into a series) and there is not a cliffhanger. It is set in present day, so even though the first scene has historical structure and the time travel enters paranormal/fantasy territory, it is mostly a contemporary story.
To read the blurb and preorder a copy on Amazon (only $0.99 before release day!), visit my Through the Maelstrom page HERE.
In March, I will be participating in a virtual book signing HERE. More details to come. I will be ordering the books at the end of the event, and will ship them out after I receive and sign them accordingly.
On May 7, I will be attending Retro Mega Comic Con in Savannah, GA to sell and sign print copies, including Through the Maelstrom. I will be creating a preorder option for that event after the virtual signing is complete. It is only $10 to attend the one day convention.
Holiday Book Hop!
Hello! Today I am one of the participating authors in the Holiday Hop on facebook. There are 190 authors participating, giving away books, and participating in shenanigans. Be sure to check that out here.
Also, drop by my facebook page today for a chance to win a copy of WSN (signed 1st edition) and there will be a couple flash prizes randomly in the day.
Under the Satyr Moon (signed 1st edition) is one of the books in the grand prize. 😀 See you there!
Pre-order Contest
I attempted something I hadn’t before: a contest strictly for newsletter subscribers. With 68 subscribers so far I thought by doing so it would increase link clicks in the newsletters and perhaps entice new subscribers to sign up for future contests. At this I failed: I sent it out the week of a major family holiday and it was lost in the shuffle. No one has entered the contest. So this is why I am now opening the contest on my blog.
Win a Pegasus Christmas Ornament! (glitter everywhere from it for free, with love, from me… LOL)
How to enter: Pre-order The Unraveling or purchase the print copy LINKS HERE. The release date is Dec. 4. The print is out a week early because why not! Take a screencap or picture of your receipt (please do not picture addresses or any other personal information that may be showed. I just need to see that the order was made. I’ll contact the winner for their address at a later time.) Email the picture to me at rebekahlewisauthor@gmail.com
Winner’s name will be chosen at random on December 5th. Winner will be announced in the newsletter coming out that day, so if you are not already signed up, do so HERE.
The Unraveling is a short novel (50,000 words) that concludes the story in the short story “The Vanishing,” while also focusing on the Hatter when Cadence’s sister, Melody, arrives in Wonderland. I hope you enjoy the story!
BONUS ENTRY: For those ordering the print copy, if you receive it by Friday, if you share a pic on facebook or twitter with it, tagging me, I will add a second entry to you!
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deal Alert + The Unraveling Pre-Order
The Cursed Satyroi Volume 1 (Featuring Wicked Satyr Nights, Midnight at the Satyr Inn, and Under the Satyr Moon) is on sale for $1.99 for the next week. Get it now before this deal is never available again! TWO novels and a short story for the price of a novella. These are the first books in the series as well. http://amzn.to/1IeCoLR
The Unraveling is released Dec. 4, concluding the story from The Vanishing. You can pre-order it at the following retailers:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/o6pwb8f
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/qdlgsb6
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/noejukn
iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/o9r6h7v
All Romance: http://tinyurl.com/oe6md73
Whoa. I haven’t blogged in a while…
Life has the tendency to run away from us. Rent payments, bills, credit card debt…these mean we have to work extra hard to make the money to continue living in some form of comfort.
The good news: The Unraveling seems to be on track to still release on December 4. It has completed edits. I am waiting on the print proof to give it one final read without the computer screen shining in my eyes. Once I do that, I can make the changes and get it up for pre-order. The bad news is it will be a short pre-order period because I am out of time to upload a revised draft into Amazon by a certain day to run it longer.
Lessons I have learned from this experience:
- Never set a release date before edits begin.
- Never set a release date for exactly a month after you begin you end of edits on something that is also going to print.
- Never print said release date on promo that makes you extra panicky when it looks like you may not make the deadline you set for yourself.
But hey, they say we learn from these mistakes, right?
lol on a lighter note, I have updated the front page of the site to reflect The Unraveling’s December release. Once I have some links for purchasing/pre-ordering I will let you all know!
Once I can finalize this book and get it loaded into the publishing systems, I will be 100% devoted to my time travel novella I want to release in the spring. After that, it’s back to the Satyroi for my next three releases. 🙂
Rebekah Lewis 