Dec 1st
Welcome to the first stop of the Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland Tour! :)
There will be five stops total on this tour, and four of those will have two rafflecopters offering prizes at the end of each post. One rafflecopter will have an INTL prize donated by me, and the other, 10 brand-spanking new hardback copies of Ensnared, donated by my generous publisher—domestic winners only.
So there’s something for everyone!
Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
I’m in the Christmas spirit today, and even convinced Morpheus to wear a Santa hat (although he refused any color but blue to match his suit).
Also, Wonderland’s wisdom keeper does nothing without a price, so fair warning Alyssa: he bargained for a romantic dancing scene with you, payment forthcoming in Ensnared.
*ahem*
Now, as a contribution to our wintery themed blog tour, Morpheus and his right-hand cat, Chessie, worked up a tribute to one of Wonderland’s most formidable denizens. The lyrics are put to the tune of Walking in a Winter Wonderland.
Pay attention … for in order to unlock today’s rafflecopter for the INTL prize, you have to correctly answer who this song is about, and what purpose this particular netherling serves in Wonderland.
Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland
Ghastly screams…
Are you listening?
In her lair,
Snow is glistening.
A horrible sight,
In sepia light,
Ensnared in a winter Wonderland.
Gone away, is the raven;
Here to stay, an eight-legged maven.
Rotting doll heads
Wrapped in gossamer webs,
Ensnared in a winter Wonderland.
In the graveyard we can build a snowman,
And pretend that he is Rabid White.
He'll say, “Are you frightened?”
We'll say, “No Man.
For it takes a child's nightmares
To do it right.”
Later on
We'll conspire.
As we dance midst a fire;
To face unafraid
The deathbeds she made…
Ensnared in a winter Wonderland.
If you already figured out who the song’s about, you’re one step closer to winning today INTL prizes:
The Art of Winter, a coffee table book filled with images of winter's fierce and fragile beauty.
And, 1 “Chessie tail” rearview mirror charm or Christmas tree ornament:
Also, up for grabs for only the domestic participants are 10 Ensnared hardbacks:
Check out the rafflecopters below for entry options, and we’ll see you tomorrow at Two Chicks on Books (https://twitter.com/arnoldjaime13) for day two of the tour and more prizes!
HTML VERSION:
Welcome to the first stop of the Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland Tour! :)
There will be five stops total on this tour, and four of those will have two rafflecopters offering prizes at the end of each post. One rafflecopter will have an INTL prize donated by me, and the other, 10 brand-spanking new hardback copies of Ensnared, donated by my generous publisher—domestic winners only.
So there’s something for everyone!
Now, let’s get to the good stuff. I’m in the Christmas spirit today, and even convinced Morpheus to let my friend photo shop a Santa hat onto his picture (though he’s being grumpy and refused any color but blue to match his suit).
Also, as you know, Wonderland’s wisdom keeper does nothing without a price, so fair warning Alyssa: he bargained for a romantic dancing scene with you, payment forthcoming in Ensnared.
*ahem*
Now, as a contribution to our wintery themed blog tour, Morpheus and his right-hand cat, Chessie, worked up a tribute to one of Wonderland’s most formidable denizens. The lyrics are put to the tune of Walking in a Winter Wonderland.
Pay attention … for in order to unlock today’s rafflecopter for the INTL prize, you have to correctly answer who this song is about, and what purpose this particular netherling serves in Wonderland.
Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland
Ghastly screams…
Are you listening?
In her lair,
Snow is glistening.
A horrible sight,
In sepia light,
Ensnared in a winter Wonderland.
Gone away, is the raven;
Here to stay, an eight-legged maven.
Rotting doll heads
Wrapped in gossamer webs,
Ensnared in a winter Wonderland.
In the graveyard we can build a snowman,
And pretend that he is Rabid White.
He'll say, “Are you frightened?”
We'll say, “No Man.
For it takes a child's nightmares
To do it right.”
Later on
We'll conspire.
As we dance midst a fire;
To face unafraid
The deathbeds she made…
Ensnared in a winter Wonderland.
*****
If you already figured out who the song’s about, you’re one step closer to winning today's INTL prizes:
The Art of Winter, a coffee table book filled with images of winter's fierce and fragile beauty.
And, a “Chessie tail” rearview mirror charm or Christmas tree ornament:
Also, up for grabs for only the domestic participants are 10 Ensnared hardbacks:
Check out the rafflecopters below for entry options, and we’ll see you tomorrow at Two Chicks on Books for day two of the tour and more prizes!
Dec 2nd
Welcome to day two of the Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland Tour!
Today, Jeb and his sister, Jenara, are sitting at their kitchen table, discussing book three and the significance of harlequins, monarch butterflies, and cameos.
*****
Jenara: Okay, bro of mine. I’ve got a favor to ask. But first check out my latest design. A tribute to your fabulous book cover. *slaps down a fashion sketch next to Jeb’s cover art*
Jeb: *rubs labret* Uhhh. The dress is great. But I’m not so sure about those butterflies. *shudders* And the girl’s makeup? Not the best way to get on my good side, sis. You know how much I hated wearing that jester junk for the photo shoot. It took them over an hour to glue those gems on, and another hour to peel them off without tearing away my skin. *cringes*
Jenara: *green eyes twinkling mischievously* Aw, come on. You looked hot as an elfin-harlequin. All the girls are swooning over the cover. Doesn’t that make it worth it?
Jeb: *pushes her sketch back across the table and raises an eyebrow* There’s only one girl I want to impress.
Jenara: Right. As I recall, Al was drooling all over you when you came home from the shoot...pretty sure her elfin worship continued after you shut your bedroom door, considering how smeared your makeup was when you two came back out.
Jeb: *slants a gaze at his cover art, smiling* No comment. So, what’s the favor?
Jenara: Well, seeing as you have such a big part in the story this time around, I was wondering if there’s any way you could pull some strings and get me in? I could play your zany harlequin twin. We’ll be the foils to the creeper Twid Sisters. Tell your publisher I’ll make our costumes, free of charge.
Jeb: *taps a thumb against the table* You don’t understand, J. There’s nothing funny about this harlequin role. I’m not sure you’d like the gory aspects of it. I even had a little trouble myself. And Al totally freaked out until she got used to it. *looks thoughtful, then green eyes light up* But . . . there may be another way to fit you in. Even Mom, if you’re both willing to settle for a cameo? And no costumes required.
Jenara: *grinning ear to ear* I’ll take whatever I can get.
Jeb: *grins back* Okay. But remember . . . you asked for it.
Jenara: Um, that sounds ominous. *giggles nervously*
Jeb: It should. Because AnyElsewhere is one of the vilest worlds I’ve ever seen.
Jenara: *gulps* Just promise me there won’t be any bloodshed in our cameo.
Jeb: *frowns tentatively* I can promise you won’t mind it if there is.
Jenara: Not sure what that means, but . . . *takes a deep breath* you got a deal. *sticks out palm*
Jeb: *shakes hands* Awesome. How about, to seal it, you make us some of Mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies, huh? *narrows eyes and pauses* Oh. Wow.
Jenara: What?
Jeb: I just thought of a way for Mom’s cookies to have a cameo, too.
Jenara: *frowning* How is it possible for food to have a cameo?
Jeb: This book is about the impossible, sis. As you’ll soon find out for yourself. *winks*
*****
Cryptic, huh? In just a few weeks, you’ll get to see what Jeb came up with for Jenara’s cameo. And in honor of her harlequin-inspired fashion line, the INTL prize today is this harlequin/ragdoll zippered bag (8.25" x 5", artwork by Amy Brown):
Also, don’t forget, for the domestic participants, you can try for a chance at 10 Ensnared hardbacks!
Check out the rafflecopters below for entry options, and see you tomorrow at All the Write Notes (http://allthewritenotes.com/) for day three of the tour where I’ll be revealing four songs from the Official Ensnared playlist, along with more chances to win!
HTML VERSION:
Welcome to day two of the Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland Tour!
Today, Jeb and his sister, Jenara, are sitting at their kitchen table, discussing book three and the significance of harlequins, monarch butterflies, and cameos.
*****
Jenara: Okay, bro of mine. I’ve got a favor to ask. But first check out my latest design. A tribute to your fabulous book cover. *slaps down a fashion sketch next to Jeb’s cover art*
Jeb: *rubs labret* Uhhh. The dress is great. But I’m not so sure about those butterflies. *shudders* And the girl’s makeup? Not the best way to get on my good side, sis. You know how much I hated wearing that jester junk for the photo shoot. It took them over an hour to glue those gems on, and another hour to peel them off without tearing away my skin. *cringes*
Jenara: *green eyes twinkling mischievously* Aw, come on. You looked hot as an elfin-harlequin. All the girls are swooning over the cover. Doesn’t that make it worth it?
Jeb: *pushes her sketch back across the table and raises an eyebrow* There’s only one girl I want to impress.
Jenara: Right. As I recall, Al was drooling all over you when you came home from the shoot . . . pretty sure her elfin worship continued after you shut your bedroom door, considering how smeared your makeup was when you two came back out.
Jeb: *slants a gaze at his cover art, smiling* No comment. So, what’s the favor?
Jenara: Well, seeing as you have such a big part in the story this time around, I was wondering if there’s any way you could pull some strings and get me in? I could play your zany harlequin twin. We’ll be the foils to the creeper Twid Sisters. Tell your publisher I’ll make our costumes, free of charge.
Jeb: *taps a thumb against the table* You don’t understand, J. There’s nothing funny about this harlequin role. I’m not sure you’d like the gory aspects of it. I even had a little trouble myself. And Al totally freaked out until she got used to it. *looks thoughtful, then green eyes light up* But . . . there may be another way to fit you in. Even Mom, if you’re both willing to settle for a cameo? And no costumes required.
Jenara: *grinning ear to ear* I’ll take whatever I can get.
Jeb: *grins back* Okay. But remember . . . you asked for it.
Jenara: Um, that sounds ominous. *giggles nervously*
Jeb: It should. Because AnyElsewhere is one of the vilest worlds I’ve ever seen.
Jenara: *gulps* Just promise me there won’t be any bloodshed in our cameo.
Jeb: *frowns tentatively* I can promise you won’t mind it if there is.
Jenara: Not sure what that means, but . . . *takes a deep breath* you got a deal. *sticks out palm*
Jeb: *shakes hands* Awesome. How about, to seal it, you make us some of Mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies, huh? *narrows eyes and pauses* Oh. Wow.
Jenara: What?
Jeb: I just thought of a way for Mom’s cookies to have a cameo, too.
Jenara: *frowning* How is it possible for food to have a cameo?
Jeb: This book is about the impossible, sis. As you’ll soon find out for yourself. *winks*
*****
Cryptic, huh? In just a few weeks, you’ll get to see what Jeb came up with for Jenara’s cameo. And in honor of her harlequin-inspired fashion line, the INTL prize today is this harlequin/ragdoll zippered bag:
 |
| INTL prize (8.25" x 5", artwork by Amy Brown) |
Check out the rafflecopters below for entry options, and see you tomorrow at All the Write Notes for day three of the tour where I’ll be revealing four songs from the Official Ensnared playlist, along with more chances to win!
Welcome to the third day of our Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland Tour!
Today, we’re talking music, as I bet you already guessed. ;) By now, hopefully most of you have found my playlists. If you haven't, here's a link (http://anita-authoraghoward.blogspot.com/p/book-playlists_8.html).
If you’ll notice, Ensnared isn’t there yet. So, I’m giving you a peek at four songs from the official Ensnared playlist which will be revealed in its entirety after the book’s launch in January.
This third book of the Splintered trilogy focuses a lot on character growth for everyone, especially our three main characters, Jeb, Alyssa, and Morpheus. Many of the songs represent their inner battles and feelings.
The first two belong to Alyssa. At the end of Unhinged, she has embraced her madness, and is ready to step up and fix the things she's broken. But it’s not going to be an easy journey. And it will be an emotional one, as demonstrated by this excerpt from chapter two:
Each guy occupies a different side of my dual heart. Together, they bridge my netherling and human worlds. What I’m supposed to do with that knowledge, I’m not sure. And unless my dad emerges from his room with memories intact, I might never get the chance to figure it out.
Alyssa’s two-sided heart plays a huge role in many of the events that take place in Ensnared. She’s being pulled in so many directions, and often feels as if she’s lost the ability to read and understand its inner-workings. Her first song captures that confusion perfectly.
All This and Heaven Too by Florence and the Machine
And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of its own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs,
And prayers and proclamations
In the grand days of great men and the smallest of gestures
And short shallow gasps
But with all my education I can’t seem to command it
And the words are all escaping, and coming back all damaged
And I would put them back in poetry if I only knew how
I can’t seem to understand it
And I would give all this and heaven too
I would give it all if only for a moment
That I could just understand the meaning of the word you see
‘Cause I’ve been scrawling it forever but it never makes sense to me at all
Alyssa’s second song represents her bloodthirsty, unforgiving side. It crops up a few times throughout the book when someone she cares for is hurt or threatened, and although it’s thrilling to embrace the power that comes from her Wonderland heritage, at times it scares her, especially when she uses it against someone she loves.
What Have You Done by Within Temptation (feat. Keith Caputo)
Would you mind if I hurt you?
Understand that I need to
Wish that I had other choices
than to harm the one I love
What have you done now?!
I know I'd better stop trying
You know that there's no denying
I won't show mercy on you now
I know, should stop believing
I know, there's no retrieving
It's over now, what have you done?
What have you done now?!
Song number three represents Morpheus’s goal to win Alyssa. In Ensnared, he pulls out all the stops to make her face what’s happening between them, and that what they have is real. He’s not willing to let her run from her feelings anymore. What better place for this seductive and enigmatic fae to coax out such a realization than in the looking-glass world, home to mutated prisoners, with their very existence being threatened at each tick of the clock?
Time Is Running Out by Muse
I think I'm drowning
Asphyxiated
I wanna break this spell
That you've created
You're something beautiful
A contradiction
I wanna play the game
I want the friction
You will be the death of me
You will be the death of me
Bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
Our time is running out
Our time is running out
You can't push it underground
You can't stop it screaming out
I wanted freedom
Bound and restricted
I tried to give you up
But I'm addicted
Now that you know I'm trapped sense of elation
You'd never dream of
Breaking this fixation
You will squeeze the life out of me
Bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
The last song is for our third player in this tale. Jeb faces a lot of monsters in book three. None of them will be easily defeated, least of all the one that isn’t indigenous to AnyElsewhere to begin with. As I was writing Jeb’s most tortured scenes, I often pictured him singing this song while painting a self-portrait. It’s hard to hide from the enemy when you’re looking him straight in the eye.
Save Your Lies by Lost Autumn
As the green hits the canvas
Your eyes come into view
Olive skin alive with texture
Coat your frame anew
Could you feel this coming?
You're drying inside...
The finish is cracking
The truth no longer hides
Don't waste your breath on me
I happen to know everything
I've seen the creature you try to hide
So save your lies...
Your lips once soft and moist
Now chipped, eroding away
Beautiful eyes so enchanting
Now fading to gray
I could see this coming
You're decaying inside
The character you're playing
Has run out of lines
Don't waste your breath on me
I happen to know everything
I've seen the creature you try to hide
So save your lies...
Don't waste your breath on me
I happen to know everything
I've seen the creature you try to hide
So save your lies...
Thanks for checking out the song teasers, and be sure to watch for the full playlist reveal in January!
As for today’s rafflecopter giveaway, we only have the 10 Domestic hardbacks to offer. But tomorrow over at Adventures of a Book Junkie (http://toofondofbooks.com/), we’ll have another INTL prize up for grabs! Hope to see you then.
Dec 4th: Adventures of a Book Junkie
Welcome to the Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland Tour, day four!
Today I’m going to share three deleted scenes from the original version of Splintered. When I first set out to write book one, Alyssa’s wasn’t the only point of view. Jebediah had his own chapters to narrate. They were the two characters carrying the book (sorry Morpheus fans, your guys’ inner thoughts needed to remain a mystery to the readers for obvious reasons, heh).
What made me decide to take out Jeb’s POV and put it all in Alyssa’s? Two things: First, the story was too long to be marketable. Sitting at a whopping 360+ pages, for a debut author such as myself who had never proven I could draw a readership, that was too long for most publishers to take a chance on (due to the cost of printing). And second, with everyone knowing Jeb’s thoughts, it stifled the mystery of whether or not he reciprocated Alyssa’s feelings, which is something editors want to see a lot of: Tension.
So, during the rewrite, as I took out Jeb’s thoughts/narrative, a few other things changed (as often happens when a writer edits). There was a ripple effect: Originally, Alyssa, Jeb, Taelor, and a bunch of other kids were taking a trip to London paid for by Taelor’s dad. It was there that Alyssa and Jeb stumbled into a museum’s basement after following a fly sent by Morpheus, and found their way into a mirror portal to Wonderland, using the key she’d dug out of her Dad’s recliner. But even before Alyssa left the states, she’d been getting mysterious messages on her cell phone from someone claiming to know how to help her family (aka, his Royal Mothiness himself), which Jeb happened to see once without her knowing. Also, there was a prom scene. One other change to note: Instead of being a star tennis player, Taelor was a singer in this version.
That’s all you need to know before plunging into the proverbial rabbit hole. Hope you enjoy this glimpse into what might’ve been, had I not changed the story to better fit the market…
To view the selected three Jeb excerpts, click here. (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B784b7K2kgmzRmJ5Ylk4V1dORTg&authuser=0)
Hope you enjoyed a walk inside Jeb’s mind! In honor of his artistic muse and the girl who inspires it, I’m offering up this gothic fairy print for the INTL prize today.
INTL: Gothic fairy print 2.5 x 3.5"
Check out the rafflecopter below for entry options, and be sure to enter the other rafflecopter for a chance to win one of ten hardbacks (domestic only). See you tomorrow at Dark Faerie Tales for day five of the tour and more prizes!
HTML VERSION:
Today I’m going to share three deleted scenes from the original version of Splintered. When I first set out to write book one, Alyssa’s wasn’t the only point of view. Jebediah had his own chapters to narrate. They were the two characters carrying the book (sorry Morpheus fans, your guy's inner thoughts needed to remain a mystery to the readers for obvious reasons, heh).
What made me decide to take out Jeb’s POV and put it all in Alyssa’s? Two things:
- The story was too long to be marketable, sitting at a whopping 360+ pages. For a debut author such as myself who had never proven I could draw a readership, that was too big of a book for most publishers to take a chance on (due to the cost of printing).
- With everyone knowing Jeb’s thoughts, it stifled the mystery of whether or not he reciprocated Alyssa’s feelings, which is something editors want to see a lot of: Tension.
So, during the rewrite, as I took out Jeb’s thoughts and narrative, a few other things changed (as often happens when a writer edits). There was a ripple effect: Originally, Alyssa, Jeb, Taelor, and a bunch of other kids were taking a trip to London paid for by Taelor’s dad. It was there that Alyssa and Jeb stumbled into a museum’s basement after following a fly sent by Morpheus, and found their way into a mirror portal to Wonderland, using the key she’d dug out of her Dad’s recliner.
But even before Alyssa left the states, she’d been getting mysterious messages on her cell phone from someone claiming to know how to help her family (aka, his Royal Mothiness himself), which Jeb happened to see once without her knowing. Also, there was a prom scene. One other change to note: Instead of being a star tennis player, Taelor was a singer in this version.
That’s all you need to know before plunging into the proverbial rabbit hole. Hope you enjoy this glimpse into what might’ve been, had I not changed the story to better fit the market…
To view the selected three Jeb excerpts, click here.
Now, in honor of Jeb's artistic muse and the girl who inspires it, I’m offering up this gothic fairy print for the INTL prize today:
 |
INTL prize: Gothic fairy print 2.5 x 3.5"
|
Welcome to the final day of the Ensnared in a Winter Wonderland Tour. Hope you’ve had fun seeing glimpses of the Splintered Series third and final book.
Today I’ll share the biggest teaser of all: the entire first chapter.
Want to read the rest of the book? You can preorder Ensnared online now at these venues:
You can also enter the rafflecopters below. There are ten hardbacks up for grabs for domestic participants. But I’m also throwing in an INTL prize of a signed ARC set of the entire series, for ANYONE to win.
Thanks for hanging with us on the tour and good luck with all the giveaways! Prize winners will be announced in two weeks. Have a great weekend!
INTL: Signed ARC set
Domestic: 10 Ensnared HB
HTML VERSION:
Today I’ll share the biggest teaser of all: the entire first chapter of Ensnared.
Want to read the rest of the book? You can preorder Ensnared online now at any of these these venues:
You can also enter the rafflecopters below.
There are ten hardbacks up for grabs for domestic participants.
But I’m also throwing in an INTL prize: A signed ARC set of the entire series.
 |
| INTL Prize / Personalized signed ARC set |
Thanks for hanging with us on the tour and good luck with all the giveaways! Prize winners will be announced in three weeks on December 20. Have a great weekend!
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